SATURDAY: Meet by the Lions

A Plan for Anything Nature Offers:

The main branch of the New York Public Library, located at 5th Ave at 42nd St was officially opened in 1911. The library structure was a Beaux-Arts design and was the largest marble structure up to that time in the United States.   Its main reading room was contemporaneously the largest of its kind in the world at 77 feet (23.5 m) wide by 295 feet (89.9 m) long, with 50 feet (15.2 m) high ceilings. It is lined with thousands of reference books on open shelves along the floor level and along the balcony.  It’s fun to draw!

At this writing the weather report says 90% chance of rain.  However we ran our Color Workshop on Tuesday and the Weekday group met today with very dismal forecasts, and it never rained.  If our luck holds we’ll save the library for another time and walk around to Bryant Park, one of the loveliest open spaces in NYC with wonderful sketchable views in every direction.

Start time:  10 AM.  (If you’re ruled by sleep, come late,  ... we'll love you anyway.  You’ll find us sketching. )

Not Rain: If it’s not raining we will meet on the stairs by the left lion (looking up at the library).

Rain:  We’ll meet inside in the lobby

                  Having a portable stool or chair is always helpful.

Lunch:  12:00 - Food is easy in the park, not so much in the library.  BYOF or food nearby include:

• Bryant Park Cafe - 25 W 40th St
• Delicacy - 12 E 44th St

Afternoon:  Back to sketching.

Show and Tell:  3:00 PM at Parker & Quinn - 64 W 39th St. to share drawings, good stories and a beer or wine if you're so inclined.

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome.

Weekday Sketchers Special Event WEDNESDAY

As you may know NYC Urban Sketchers is hosting a Color Workshop this Tuesday featuring Jane Blundell, a renowned watercolor expert. In addition, Jane will be joining NYC Urban Sketchers for a sketching event on the High Line on WEDNESDAY.  Everyone is welcome to attend this free event and work along with Jane as she sketches.

DATE:  WEDNESDAY September 28, 2016

TIME: 10:00 AM

LOCATION:  The High Line at Gansevoort Street 

TRANSPORTATION:  A, C, E subway to 14th Street.  Walk west to the High Line.

Note:  we will start our day at the southern end of the High Line just behind the Whitney Museum.  We will likely travel north as the day progresses so look for us along the route or call to find out where we are.

Please RSVP directly  to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net.  Looking for us? Call Raylie at 201-97-6387.  While there is plenty of seating in the park it might be a good idea to bring your own stool as it gets very crowded.  

SATURDAY: Sketch Astoria Park

September 24, 2016

ASTORIA PARK

Views that will make you Happy you Love to Sketch

Astoria Park - Sitting on the edge of the East River and resting between the Triborough Bridge and Hell Gate Bridge, the park offers shoreline sights that are a sketcher's delight.

Astoria Park, on the west shore of Queens, extends from south of the Triborough Bridge to north of the Hell Gate Bridge. With a panoramic view of the skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan in the south to the Hell Gate channel in the north, the scenery presents the diverse landscape of New York City.

DIRECTIONS:
The Park is located at 19th Street between Astoria Park South and Ditmars Blvd, in Queens.

SUBWAY:
To get there - take the Q or the N Train to Astoria Blvd - Hoyt Ave.  It's the second to last stop on the Astoria Branch and you'll see it's located directly next to the car entrance to the Triborough Bridge.

And WALK:
To get to Astoria Park from the subway walk along Hoyt Avenue, heading  towards the Triborough Bridge and the harbor.  It's an 8 block walk.

We'll meet at Hoyt Avenue and 21 Street, which has a great view of the bridge and is the South West Corner of the Park.  Sketching starts at 10 AM.  Running late?  Come anyway, we'll be there.

Bring a stool or a chair if you have one.  Bring your own food for lunch, (or wait for Show and Tell.)

Show and Tell:  3:15 off to the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, Astoria’s classical Hofbrau at 2919 24th Ave, (which is on the way to the subway).  We’ll share drawings, tell stories and maybe share a pilsner if you like.

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome.

Weekday Sketchers at St. Luke's of the Field

A secret garden in the West Village,  open to the public, provides a wonderful respite in the middle of the city.  Beautifully landscaped and lovingly cared for, the gardens surround one of the oldest churches in NYC giving us an opportunity to capture the late summer blooms in this special setting.   For those who want a longer sketch session the beautiful streets and houses of the West Village offer some unique streetscapes that reflect times long past.

DATE: THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  ST. LUKES OF THE FIELDS GARDENS

                       HUDSON AND BARROW STREETS

 We will meet inside the garden, behind the brick wall at the entrance on Hudson St.  near Barrow St.

TRANSPORTATION: THE 1 OR 2 TRAIN TO CHRISTOPHER ST/SHERIDAN SQ.

                                       Walk south on 7th Ave to Barrow St. Turn right and walk to Hudon St.

Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net. Looking for us call Raylie at 201-978-6387.

SATURDAY: Sketch the Slope

The Stately Brownstones of Park Slope.

Park Slope has some of the most beautiful brownstones in New York City.  On Saturday we will be sketching curbside.  Bring a chair or stool if you have one.

We’re meeting at a corner of Grand Army Plaza.  Take the 2, 3 or 4 train to Grand Army Plaza.  From the subway you’ll see the Civil War Memorial Arch which is the main entrance to Prospect Park.  Looking through the arch at the park the roadway splits in three directions.

The road to the right leads to Prospect Park West where we’ll meet.  There are benches against the park wall and we’ll meet between Union Street and President Street.  (see map below)

Our day sketching will be spent exploring the area from Carrol Street to Garfield Place, down as far as 7th Avenue up Prospect Park West.  If you don’t know the streets you will be amazed at the tranquility and beauty of the streets and the houses.

We’ll meet at Noon.  Bring food or buy lunch on 7th Avenue or from food trucks at Grand Army Plaza.  Beware, parking in the Slope is nearly impossible

Sketching through to 3:30:

Time for Show and Tell at Sir D’s Lounge a health oriented Coffee-Tea kind of place
- 837 Union Street (b/t 6th & 7th Ave)  - to share stories and sketches

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome.

Click to Enlarge

Weekday Urban Sketchers in the Conservancy Gardens

Weekday Urban Sketching in the Conservancy Garden on Thursdays.

The Conservancy Garden in Central Park is beautiful in every season. Let's enjoy the last days of summer with foliage and fountains.

The Conservancy Garden is divided into 3 smaller gardens.  Each with a distinct style; Italian, French and English.  The magnificent iron gate was made in Paris in 1894 and originally stood before the Vanderbilt Mansion at  5th Ave and 58th Street.

DATE:  THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

TIME: 10:30

LOCATION:  Central Park Conservancy Garden.
                    We will meet inside the large gate
                     at 105th Street and 5th Avenue

TRANSPORTATION: 6 Train to 103rd Street stop.

Please RSVP directly to Maureen Gorta at mogorta@gmail.com.  Looking for us, call Maureen at (917) 855-1803. 

SUNDAY: Sketch the Great Bridges of Central Park

The Great Bridges of Central Park

SUNDAY September 11, 2016

THE STORY
There isn't single thing in Central Park that happened by chance.  Every detail, every view, every vista was carefully thought out by the two original landscape architects - Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted. It’s impossible not to see beauty everywhere you turn walking through the park, and many artists before us have taken inspiration there.

Our focus this Sunday will be on the Bridges of Central Park.  The bridges were a solution to one of the design problems.  There were three types of roadways in the Park,  walking paths, carriage paths and bridal paths.  The three roadways twisted around the park and the bridges were designed to keep traffic flowing and to prevent the people, the carriages and the horse riders from intersecting one another.  The park has 40 bridges and each one is completely unique.

 Our sketch day will focus on three bridges located in the southernmost portion of the park and will include an example of the three types  - brick steel and stone.   Bring a stool or something to sit on - it helps.


 WHERE and WHEN:
We will meet at the Columbus Circle Entrance at 10:00 AM.  Look for people sketching.  We’ll enter the park at about 10:15.

 First stop  Greyshot Arch:  Located in the park at about West 61-62 Streets:  Greyshot Arch, popular with bikers and runners, was built by Vaux in 1860. The arch is made of white-gray gneiss, while its balustrade has been crafted from New Brunswick sandstone and decorated with fleur-de-lis carvings. One of the most frequently used arches in Central Park, this arch is 80 feet long and ten feet high.  From 10:15 to 11:15

 Second Stop - Pinebank Arch:  Located in the park at about W 62 Street.  Pine Bank Arch is one of five of the original seven cast-iron bridges remaining in Central Park. The 80-foot span carries pedestrians over the bridle path 11 feet below.  Built in 1861 by J.B. and W.W. Cornell Ironworks One of the parks' few remaining cast iron bridges. It was rescued from decline and lovingly restored in the 1980s.  It was a bridge over the bridal path.  A ball field was built in the 1930s and this portion of the bridal path was abandoned making the bridge more of an ornamental structure.  Approximately from 11:15 to 12:15

 LUNCH   We will have a picnic lunch in the area near the Dairy.  Your choices will be to buy food from the park vendors, or lunch at the dairy, leave the park to buy food or pack your own feast  Approximately from 12:15 to 1:30

 Third Stop - Gapstow Bridge:  Located in the park at about E 62 Street.  Maybe the most iconic bridge in Central Park.  It is so beautifully designed and so frequently drawn, painted and photographed that it is almost a visual cliche.  It’s actually the second bridge built on this spot. The original bridge was a mix of wood and stone and supposedly was much more elaborate.  It was replaced with the stone arched bridge in 1896.  There are tremendous skyline views at this location.  Brides come to be photographed there in their wedding dresses and the area is heavily frequented by tourists.  There will be lots to sketch.  Approximately 1:30 to 3:00 PM

Show and Tell:  Will be al fresco starting at 3:00.  It will be a chance for us to socialize, tell stories and share our sketches.

Unconfirmed Bonus:   
Dr. Sketchy might me starting up again at 4 PM on Sunday.  It's posted on Facebook but not on their website - so it's not clear.   Dr. Sketchy is Not Urban Sketching (NUS) but is a different and unique sketching opportunity, defnot to everyone's taste.

If you can’t find us 

call Mark at 973-809-9128

 There are no fees or attendance taken. All drawing skill levels are welcome.

Weekday Urban Sketchers go to Grants Tomb 

A classic monument, a beautiful park, art work, statues and people in the park.  Sounds like a good day's sketching to me.  Join us at Grant's Tomb to answer the age old question: Who's buried in Grant's Tomb?  For those who want to extend the session we can walk across the street to sketch Riverside Church in the afternoon. 

DATE: THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

TIME: 10:30 AM

LOACATON: GRANT'S TOMB

                         122nd ST and Riverside Drive

TRANSPORTATOIN: 1 Train to 125 Street.  Walk west to the river and south to 122nd St.

Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie @verizon.net.  Looking for us? Call Raylie at 201-978-6387.  Note: if it should rain we can move indoors and continue drawing.