Paper and Threads

The NYC Urban Sketchers spent Saturday in Greenwich Village - first on W10th St and then in Washington Square Park.  It was a gorgeous day, and we were spread out down W10th from the Church on the corner of 5th Ave all the way to 6th Ave. 

The Tower of the Church of the Ascension: This was our meeting place at 10 AM and it was a perfect spot to start sketching.

The Emma Lazarus House at 18 W10th St.  Emma lived here with her family in the mid-19th C and is known for her poem "The New Colossus," words of which were eventually added in bronze to the base of the Statue of Liberty.  "“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...."

Jazz Trio in Washington Square Park:  The Park was full, but we chose a seat where we could draw/paint and listen to wonderful jazz.

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Figure Al Fresco:  We have a wonderful adult art program in Battery Park City, NYC.  On Wednesday aftenoons from May 1-Oct 1, weather permitting. there is a model for figure drawing for 2 hours.  The models are dressed, and visitors in the Park wander through our circle of artists who are drawing the model.  These are my 5 and 10 minutes poses from this week.  I sketch with a General Sketch and Wash pencil, and then use a water brush to move the soluble graphite around the drawing.  These drawings are too big for my scanner and were photographed.

20 Minute Poses: 

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It was hard for me to add to my Summer Vacation Sketchbook and a special sketchbook for direct watercolor painting when we were on vacation - so I am behind already.  I made a 16 page Teesha Moore pamphlet book with one sheet of 140 lb watercolor paper for the challenge (from her online tutorial) and this first painting was done on the narrow cover flap. 

Several more paintings without a pen or pencil:  A deep sea scallop shell found on the beach in Southampton last year and a white ceramic piggy bank that was in our vacation house. 

I did this challenge each day in June last year and learned so much more about my watercolors.  I will try to finish the challenge by June 30th, but if not I'll continue in July! 

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We learned lots about Sag Harbor during this vacation.  It was the Whaling port for Long Island during the height of the Whaling Industry in the 19th C.  Whale boats, for whale ships, were built there, and the men from the region could be gone for 1-3 years before returning with hundreds of barrels of whale oil.  I never read Moby Dick, but we saw the movie at the Sag Harbor Library, after visiting the Whaling Museum. It was a great education.  The last page in my sketchbook is of the Sag Harbor Historical Society Building.  This is a very active group that is preserving the heritage of this town.

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Our vacation is almost over - 2 mile morning walks on the beach, cool weather, a town to explore, and old friends.  Shells were scarce, but we watched a big horseshoe crab walk very slowly across the sand and the others watched a small snake slither away.  I painted the house and the pool house where we are staying, and will always remember the afternoons spent drawing.

The House: 

 The Pool House and Shed:

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