Paper and Threads

Grids were being posted to EDM just as I was leaving to go out on Tuesday - and it seemed like the perfect answer for my daily sketch.  I started at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where I saw the special Ambrose Vollard exhibit and painted Derain's view across the Thames of London and a Cezanne tree from the paintings I saw.  No sketching was permitted in the exhibit - but fortunately I was able to buy postcards of these two paintings.  The garnet and gold eagle is from 500AD - and part of their jewelry collection.  The lion is from the Rembrandt drawing exhibition.

I then took a bus down 5th Ave to the bead district on 37th St. to buy beads and sequins for a group project with my Art Quilt friends.  

Next I walked down 6th Avenue to NY Book Center to get a class chedule in case I decide to take a weekend class in bookbinding (I'm going to blame Jan Allsop and her recycled books for this new interest), and then along W.25th Street to City Quilter to buy  muslin for my next baby quilt (grandchild #4 in January in London).  The Manhattan skyline is their business logo (I colored what is usually just an open line). 

Finally I ended at Talas on W. 20th St. to buy linen thread, an awl, and a bone folder to recycle a book.  I sketched the thread spool, awl, and the book I bought entitled Bookworks by Susan Doggett.

 It was a great way to sketch my day and purchases.

Posted by Shirley at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I love books and bookstores, and while the big superchains really allow you to browse and read all day, I like the personal selections and recommendations of independent bookstores.   This is one of several in my neighborhood.  I also love specialty food stores, but when I looked at my favorite green grocer/food shop, the facade just wasn't as interesting as I thought.  Too many piles of fruits and vegetables on large shelves across the front and no architectural interest above the level of the awning.

Posted by Shirley at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

When I first read the EDM chalenge, at 5:30 in the morning, I thought that it said traffic light.  So I grabbed my camera when I left for work and took a photo of the traffic light on my corner.  I didn't want to get run over as I stood in the intersection sketching and decided a photo would have to be used.  After I sketched and painted it, I realized that Karen's email said "streetlight".   Since the streetlight is the single pole that holds everything, I sketched it too.  The height has been shortened to make the composition more compact.  There are endless varieties of street lights in my neighborhood (one light or two) and traffic lights (single and fixed to the pole or double and triple and suspended over the intersection on a long arm that is attached to the street lamp pole).  Since this is such a walking city, I also included the Walk - Don't Walk signs that are on the street lamp pole.

Wednesday night I was in mid-town Manhattan and noticed that they have much nicer lights on their poles.  Before this challenge, I never realized that there were regional differences in street lights on the main streets in the City!

Posted by Shirley at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

 

My husband and I take care of our youngest grandchild on Fridays and when weather permits, love to walk him in his stroller to the Boat Pond Cafe in Central Park.  It is just opening most Fridays when we arrive to get our coffee.  This week Park crews had heavy equipment cleaning up mud debris from the Thursday evening thunderstorms.  My grandson, who turned 1 at the end of July, had a wonderful time sitting in one of the big chairs with us, eating snacks, and watching the bright yellow vehicles moving around the walkways.

Moleskine watercolor journal, Pigma micron pens, and mostly Winsor-Newton tube paints.  The base layer of paint copper roof and awning were done with Daler-Rowney viridian from my cylinder travel set.  

Posted by Shirley at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This week's EDM Challenge is to "go someplace different and draw what you see."  It was a very wet weekend in New York City and my husband and I spent much of both days seeing current exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art (DADA art) and the American Museum of Natural History (Darwin). 

My son Jason had a pet iguana for many years and our family got attached to Pablo (as long as it was living in my son's apartment).  When I saw the iguana from the Galapagos in the Darwin exhibit, I decided that this was as "different" as I was going to get - and it was a good time to do more museum sketching.  I wasn't sure about the rules at AMNH, so I waited to paint it at home. 

Posted by Shirley at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)