Sketching Chinatown on Saturday, May 10th
I was a bit of a tail-end Charlie on Saturday not having realized Chinatown had been scrubbed and we were to do a portrait party uptown instead. Happily, when I got to the corner of Mott and Canal the sky was clearing and it was a great day to sketch.
This is a statue of Confucius just in front of Confucius Towers. The plaque on front discusses the Ta Tung (Great Harmony) which is an harmonious world that would arise when people conducted themselves properly and the state was well led.
I sat across the street under an awning from the sun to try and capture the colorful busyness of Chinatown shops selling just about everything.
This is Kim Lau Square with a monument to Americans of Chinese ancestry that died in WW II. Behind the statue is Chatham Towers, a boxy, angular building that reminded me of the Habitat Building at Expo 67 in Montreal.
Finally, some of the sketchers joined me on Mott and Bayard just as the rain came and we sketched under a restaurant awning. When the rain let up we went on to Columbus Park at Mulberry and Bayard where we watched Tai Chi practice. Around us were men playing cards and Chinese chess, while families sat and relaxed on their weekend.
Jim W.
Glad to see someone sketched Chinatown. Nice sketches, Jim!! I really like that last one with the street and the building. I think we have to plan a return trip to Chinatown.
ReplyDeleteThe statue of Confucius is my favorite. It had such a rosy cheerfulness and solidity. Your sketches are proof that we have to return
ReplyDelete