Paper and Threads

This morning we went to the Boat/Duck Pond (officially called the Conservatory Water) in Central Park for coffee.  While I sketched, my husband read the NY Times.  The refreshment stand is open this year and there are tables, chairs, and umbrellas on the patio.  There were owners and dogs at tables adjacent to ours, so I quickly sketched them and then my husband's cap above the newspaper.

Then I discovered the ornamental poppies that were in bloom - and they were so magnificent that I had to draw and paint one bloom and one bud before we came home.

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We love holiday weekends in New York City - because it is relatively quiet - emphasis on the word relatively.  It never seemed like fun to join the masses escaping this island on Friday afternoon and trying to get back on the island on Monday evening.  This year we decided to explore some of the areas of Central Park that we rarely visit.  Today we walked up the Eastside of the Park to the Harlem Meer which is at the Northeast Corner.  While my husband did the Saturday NY Times crossword puzzle, I did a sketch of the Dana Discovery Center - an educational center where children can also participate in "Catch and Release Fishing" in the Harlem Meer with rented poles and instruction and bait provided by the Center.

I painted the front entrance to the Center but somehow made it much more squat than it really is.

Did you know that Central Park (843 acres) is the first major public park built in America?  A competition for the design was held in 1858 and it took 18 years to build it in accordance with Frederick Olmstead and Calvert Vaux's plan.  There are 50 miles of pedestrian paths, so we will never run out of new pathways to explore.

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We picked up my grandson from nursery school, had a picnic in Central Park, and then went into the Met to see the newly reopened American Wing.  Before it was closed for renovation, my grandchildren learned about pennies and fountains in that space and we really missed the pool.  

 There is a newly designed pool in the same place, this time with two fountains.  This is a quick sketch of the back of the Frog Fountain - done while my grandson was throwing pennies.  There are three frogs spewing water around the base - but I had no time (or space) to sketch them on this visit.

The sketch was done with a watercolor pencil and the water was added later at home.

Posted by Shirley at 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I did a 5 minute pose figure drawing (i.e. I set my timer for 5 minutes and sketched a nude figure photo) after my Book Group left late last night.  I drew with a medium wash graphite pencil because there were very dark shadows on the model, but it was darker than I expected.

I saw a small oil painting of 2 rows of lipsticks at the Contemporary Art Auction at Christies (Wayne Thiebaud), and wondered how many lipsticks I had in my drawer.  Tonight, I found 2 empty lipsticks and 3 "almost gone ' lipsticks to sketch.

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My schedule is currently out of control and I'm trying to catch up with posting.  These were quick sketches from May 18th and 19th.

My Flash Drive - the amazing thing that allows me to carry all of my files from home to the office and back.  On Monday I was preparing the final med student exam and used this little guy all day!

EDM Challenge #224:  A Pitcher

This is such a cheerful rooster pitcher that I keep it on a kitchen shelf.  I'm not sure that he has ever been used!

Yikes - my book group is arriving in 20 minutes to discuss The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips.

Posted by Shirley at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)