The best laid plans - sketching with New York City Urban Sketchers

After several months of planning to spend a few months in warmer weather this winter, we changed our plans and decided to stick around the northwest. January was going pretty well, then a family emergency called me back to the east coast right in the middle of their deep freeze.  It went from -6 on Thursday Jan 31 to 60 on Feb 5.

That burst of spring was very short lived. Saturday it was back down to 25. The New York City urban sketchers, however had scheduled a perfect location for a winter outing that day. And since family matters had settled down I was able to spend the day with them. We met up at the former Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House now Smithsonian's National Museum of American Indians in lower Manhattan. 

I was able to sketch a couple of fellow subway riders on the way before finding the massive building in Bowling Green near Battery Park and Wall Street.

Joy Hecht, an urbansketcher from Newfoundland who uses collage as her medium, and is about to teach a 10x10 class, lent me her glue for the logo (the red square says "National Museum of American Indians".)

NYC urban sketchers meet from 10 to 3 every Saturday (!) so we broke for lunch and I found this peek-a-boo view from the restaurant window. 

After lunch I braved the twenty-five degree afternoon to watch folks lining up in front of the Charging Bull. The sunshine helped for the fifteen minutes I stood there as did two down coats and my Uggs and fingerless gloves, but it was a quick sketch.  

I went inside to thaw and watch the people watching the exhibitions. 

The "afters" was held at Murphy's pub around the corner where, New York USK style is to have everyone present their sketches show and tell style. Since I had missed their portrait party the previous weekend so I thought I'd throw in a belated offering, my tablemate, Linda Moses who had come to join urban sketchers for the first time. 

So the best laid plans of wintering in the tropics has had many bright spots and hopefully more to come.  

Washington DC last week...

Last week I was in Washington DC for an interview, as I was a finalist for an award called the Gabriel Prize. Tuesday morning I went out to sketch in the freezing cold and pouring rain, then took the sketches into the interview the next day.  These are 3 of the 6 sketches...

The next day, I found out I was indeed awarded this amazing fellowship.  I will be spending 3 months in France, drawing and painting architecture every day!  My study will take me to the gardens, buildings and interiors at Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau. 

(I will also hop over to Italy to lead a sketching workshop in Civita di Bagnoregio in early July.) 

I am so honored and grateful, excited beyond words at these opportunities.  

I hope to join the Paris Urban Sketchers.

Looks like it's finally time to get a blog started...

Seattle League of Arts at Seattle Center's 50th Anniversary

As Seattle Center celebrates its 50th anniversary, Seattle League of Arts celebrates having shown their art for sale there every summer since the World's Fair.
You all know how dogged it can be to work a sales table.  Fortunately I brought my sketch kit.
Here is a very rugged sketch of my friend Lynn Kerr's A-frame display rack, one of maybe 30 set up in what is now (again) called the Armory -- but which many of us natives still think of as the Food Circus.  Be aware this sketch does her beautiful artwork no justice.

 Here are sketches of Gage student Ethan doing 30-minute portraits on demand, some random visitors to the Center, and the flowers on our sales table!

Today is the last day you can come to meet June Anderson Evanoff (till 3 pm) painting live.  June was chosen at the 1962 World's Fair to represent Northwest Artists, and her painting is still in the Smithsonian.  She was interviewed at the show last week by City Stream (channel 21) and we think this will air August 2 at 7 p.m.