Paper and Threads

Monday was a day about town with my art buddies.  Gwen Diehn was visiting New York, so we planned several fun sketching venues - and then were told, several times, "no photos and no sketching."  And the current exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Museum was even closed.  But we had a great time walking, talking, sketching, eating, drinking coffee, and buying art supplies at the FIT Bookstore.  Here is a composite page I sketched during the day and painted when I got home.

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The Sketchbook Challenge for April is "branching out" and I definitely added another way of sketching in my watercolor journal during this time.   

I went back to the German Expressionism exhibit at MoMA on Monday, and took notes and made some drawings from the Bridge and Blue Rider artists -  while listening to a Gallery Conversation by a MoMA employee.  I usually don't take notes and make small drawings in my watercolor sketchbook, but wanted to remember some of the images from the woodcuts and other prints he was discussing.

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I love going to figure drawing - and could go twice a week to Society of Illustrators.  But I still only go once/month, just trying to keep some balance in my life. 

The figure drawing sessions that I attend have 10 two minute poses, 4 five minute poses, 2 ten minute poses and 3 twenty minute poses

These are the three 20 minute poses - all drawn with a watercolor pencil and then wet with water to shade the figures during the last few minutes.   Ultimately I would love to draw with a brush and paint, and I'm hoping that this will be good practice for that next step.  I was thrilled that I could draw the back of the model for two poses out of the three, because I'm always disappointed after adding facial features.

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I don't consider myself a plein air painter because I really don't like to paint landscapes.  My sketching around the city, to me, is urban sketching - and these are two very different things in my mind.  So when Lillian Kennedy (the Boulder Colorado artist who I featured in the last blog post) invited me to sketch in Central Park, I was a little nervous.  But when she called to tell me she was at Bethesda Fountain, I decided I could draw and paint that - and already have several times.  Still, we were sitting back on the hill and I had to include more landscape than I am comfortable with.  But it was good for me! 

And we were serenaded while being blown around a bit by the wind - necessitating a walk to Pain Quotidien for hot coffee - which is actually in Central Park.  Lillian had to teach me that!

We also were in a spot that is a favorite for wedding photos and here you can see Lillian's painting, her acrylic paint set-up, and the groom adjusting the bride's dress for the photographer.

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Our Central Park Drawing Meet-up Group met at Belvedere Castle, in the sun, on Sunday and I spent several delightful hours talking to and painting with Lillian Kennedy - a Boulder, Colorado artist.  One of her students put us in touch with each other and I was able to meet her before she began teaching students her New York City class.  She has a lovely blog and posts one video lesson per week,  Here is my Castle painting and a quick one of mini-daffodils that were blooming in the Shakespeare Garden below the Castle.

Lillian and I went into the Met to see the Cezanne Card Player exhibit after the Meet-up Drawing session ended and I sketched, and then painted another card player for my collection.  This study by Cezanne is an oil painting - and I used watercolors instead.  Since painting is not permitted in the museum (or photography in this exhibit), I used a photo from the exhibit catalogue to do the painting at home.

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