CANCELLED: THURSDAY, May 21, 2026: Westchester Sketch at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle

 

In an effort to help you plan to attend the Weekday Sketch Sessions, here is the schedule for June, July and August.  Please note that the schedule can change due to weather or other factors.  Make sure to check the weekly announcements for accurate information. 

           June 3 - Flatiron District

           June 10 - Fort Tryon 

June 17 - Battery Park and Sea Glass Carousel 

June 24 -Rosevelt Island  

July 1 - July 4 holiday NO MEET UP. HAPPY JULY 4TH

July 8 - Coney Island 

July 15 -Jefferson Market Library and Garden 

July 22 -Pier 45 

July 29 - Brooklyn Museum

August 5 - Queens Museum and Fairgrounds 

August 12 -  The Highline 

August 19 - Woodlawn Cemetery joint event with Westchester 

August 26 - Brooklyn Bridge Park 

 The forecast for Wednesday is hot, hot, hot. 

BUT the  Madison Atrium is cool!

 

Join us this week as we take shelter from the heat in the indoor atrium on the corner of Madison Ave and 57Street,  behind Tiffany and the Trump Bld.  This large plant filled atrium is now “visited” by many of the characters from Sesame Street and some very large animals. The installation is called “The Power of Togetherness” and will provide great subjects for your sektchbooks.  

DATE: Wednesday, May 20,  2026

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

TRANSPORTATION: N, R, W to 59th and Lex or E, F to 5th Ave/53rd St

HOST: Marianne Milzoff. 914 355 6597

NOTES: 

• Plenty of seats available but a stool is a good idea. 

• Food, water and bathrooms are available

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event.  #nycurbansketchers.

THURSDAY, May 21, 2026: WESTCHESTER SKETCHERS at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle

  

This 105-acre island property is connected to New Rochelle by a drawbridge built in the 1920s. After Playland, Glen Island is the second most widely used park in the County Parks system. One of Westchester’s unique jewels, it was initially developed as a summer resort by John H. Starin. The original design exhibited the five cultures of the western world on individual islands linked together with piers and causeways. Today the islands have been merged with substantial fill areas totaling 130 acres and providing a beautiful crescent-shaped beach with access to the Long Island Sound.

Host: Cathy Gutterman (914) 625-0766

DETAILS:
When: Thursday, May 21, 2026

LOCATION: Glen Island Park, Weyman Avenue, New Rochelle 10805 

https://parks.westchestergov.com/glen-island-park Phone: (914) 813-6720 or 6721

TIME: 10:00 AM Meet in front of the castle on the right as you enter the parking lot.

DIRECTIONS: https://www.mapquest.com/us/new-york/glen-island-park-265288484

TRANSPORTATION from NYC: Metro-North New Haven Line to New Rochelle Station.
Please call Marianne (914-355-6507) to arrange for pick-up and ride to Glen Island.

LUNCH: Bring your own lunch/snack/water. We'll be picnicking together.
SHOW& TELL: After lunch, we'll share stories and sketches during the social part of our day.

NOTES:

- The Glen Island Bridge is undergoing reconstruction.  Please go slow and be careful when following the new traffic pattern.
- It can be breezy by the water - you may want to bring a light jacket.
- There are lots of picnic tables, but a stool can offer more options.

- It's before Memorial Day, so there should be no fee for parking or a park pass. 

- Restrooms are located in the Office building located on the right as you enter the Park.

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman at westchester@nycurbansketchers.org
 

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event.  #nycurbansketchers.

This tiny triangle of a park offers a lot of impact for urban sketching: cobblestone streets, cafes with bright umbrellas and home to the often photographed Staple Street Skybridge.   And, just down the street is Washington Market Park, offering green lawns, playgrounds and shady trees.   

DATE: Wednesday May 20 , 2026

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

TRANSPORTATION: 1, 2, 3 to Chambers St. Walk 2 blocks north on Hudson Street

HOST :Kristin Zimmermann. 917-973-6867

NOTES: 

Water, bathrooms are available in Washington Market Park

Food available at local vendors

Bring a stool

Saturday 5/16/26: Washington Square Park

 

If there’s a place in New York City that consistently delivers sketching gold, it’s Washington Square Park. Whether you’ve been dozens of times or somehow haven’t yet made it a regular stop, this park offers one of the richest, most dynamic sketching environments in the city—arguably the world. Between the Washington Square Arch, the fountain, row houses, street performers, musicians, dancers, skateboarders, chess hustlers, “independent entrepreneurs”… Washington Square Park has it all!!

HOST: Frieda Christofides (917) 747-6060
DATE: Saturday 5/16/26
TIME: Sketching 11am - 3pm | Show and Tell beginning at 3pm.
SKETCHING LOCATION: Washington Square Park

MEETING LOCATION: There will be a kickoff meeting at 11am by the benches in front of the arch (between the arch and the fountain). If you are new, look for people with sketchbooks and say hello, we are a friendly bunch.
SHOW AND TELL LOCATION: The benches in front of the arch (between the arch and the fountain). Check with the host day-of for the exact show-and-tell location.
FOOD, DRINK, RESTROOMS, SEATING: Yes to all.

ABOUT NYC URBAN SKETCHING EVENTS: All are welcome, no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event. #nycurbansketchers.

WORKSHOP: Gesture Painting: Large, Loose and Fast with Rene Barkett, June 6

Learn to make quick impressions of a scene in watercolor with large brush strokes loosely applied.

The inspiration for this workshop is Gesture Drawing - the art of capturing the essence of the human figure in a very short period of time. Gesture Drawing is fast, expressive and loose. Using the same techniques, Rene will teach how to depict the heart of an urban scene with Gesture Painting.

Students will learn to observe and record quickly what they see, not becoming stuck on any one detail. The goal will be to depict the whole of a scene, giving a fresh, vivid description. We will do this so that an entire image can be created at once, just as you would in a life drawing quick pose, avoiding the problem of working too tightly.

For information and tickets: Gesture Painting: Large, Loose and Fast