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 

SATURDAY, May 16, 2026: Westchester Sketchers Plein Air Day at Larchmont Library

 

The Larchmont Public Library has teamed up with the Westchester NYC Urban Sketchers to provide a fun and relaxing drawing event ‘en plain air’ or ‘in the open air.’

Join us at 10 AM on the front lawn of the Library for a quick meet and greet. From there, choose a spot on the lawn (or anywhere around the building) and begin sketching/drawing the surrounding scenery. We will break for lunch at 12:30 PM and reconvene at 1 PM for Show & Tell. After that, everyone is welcome to continue sketching until 3 PM.

HOST: Cathy Gutterman (914) 625-0766

DATE: Saturday, May 16, 2026

TIME: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM 

LOCATION: Larchmont Library, 121 Larchmont Ave, Larchmont, NY 10538.

Phone: (914) 834-2281

DIRECTIONS: https://larchmontlibrary.org/directions/

By TRAIN (From Grand Central Terminal, NYC):

Take the Metro-North New Haven line to the Larchmont Station. The Library is less than a mile's walk from the Larchmont station. (Walk on Chatsworth until you reach Post Road. Turn right. Larchmont Avenue is your next left). If you need a ride from the Station, please call Marianne (914-355-6507) to arrange for pick-up.

PARKING: While parking is metered in Larchmont, you can drive east (towards the water) on Larchmont Ave and look for a spot further down from Elm Street where metered parking ends.

NOTES:

Bring water and your lunch or a snack, or pick something up from nearby eateries on Boston Post Road or Chatsworth Ave.

• Bring a stool for more sketching options.

Event announcement: https://larchmont.librarycalendar.com/event/plein-air-drawing-event-nyc-urban-sketchers-30312

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.

TUESDAY, May 12, 2026: NYACK/Westchester Sketch Meet-up at the Nyack Library

 

Come and join the next meet-up of the Nyack/Westchester Sketchers at the Nyack Library. Meet in the Creative Lab at 2 PM, then gather gain at 4 PM to share sketches. Choose whatever you would like to draw inside or outside.

Free, informal and friendly!  All levels welcome. Beginners welcome. No registration required.

HOST: Kay Copp Brown (631) 432-6526

DATE: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

TIME: 2:00 - 4:30 PM 

LOCATION: Nyack Library, 59 South Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960.

Meet in the Creative Lab at 2 PM. Return at 4:00 PM for Show and Tell.

DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Nyack+Library,+59+S+Broadway,+Nyack,+NY+10960 

NOTES:

• Park on the street or in the library lot behind the building.

• Restrooms are available.

For more information contact Kay at kcoppbrown@aol.com 

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.

5/15 NJ Sketchers at Presby Iris Garden

Sketch the Irises

Join the NJ Urban Sketchers at Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043 on Friday May 15 at 10:30 AM.

This favorite spot of photographers, gardeners, artists, and blossom enthusiasts is a feast for the senses. It is set on a sloped 6.5 acres and has 3,000 varieties and over 10,000 iris blooms. Since it was founded in 1927 as an ode to Frank Presby, an iris hybridizer, volunteers care for the delicate flowers without using herbicides or pesticides. Some of the varietals date back to the 1500's. The colors must be seen. Bring your summer palette, if you have one.

Wear a sun hat, and bring your lunch and plenty of water. Picnic tables are available as are Port-o-Sans. Bring your portable stool. Please wear sturdy shoes, as there are a few bumpy spots. There is free on the street parking on Upper Mountain Avenue, and cash donations are accepted at the entrance.

Date: Friday, May 15, 2026 

Starting Time: 10:30am

Location: Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043

Parking: Available on Upper Mountain Avenue

Please RSVP to Julia at

jazaz7658@gmail.com, and if you get lost

551-206-1273

Saturday 5/9/26: City Hall Park

 

As if City Hall, designed on 1802 by architects John McComb Jr. and Joseph-Francois Mangin, weren't sketchable enough, it is surrounded by stunning and historical buildings such as the majestic Manhattan Municipal Building, Tweed Courthouse, The Woolworth Building, Surrogate’s Court, the old NY Times Building, NY County Supreme Court, and even the Brooklyn Bridge and St. Paul’s Chapel are within striking distance.

The weather forecast is calling for rain in the afternoon on Saturday. As a fallback plan, let’s retreat to Brookfield Place if it is raining hard enough to prevent sketching. Check the comment section of the Instagram and Facebook posts for this event on Saturday for “live” updates. We can communicate there.

HOST: Dan Honig (917) 843-5539
DATE: Saturday 5/9/26
TIME: Sketching 10am - 3pm | Show and Tell beginning at 3pm.
SKETCHING LOCATION: City Hall Park- East Side of Broadway @ Park Place- between Broadway and Park Row.

MEETING LOCATION: There will be no official meeting to kick off the day, join your fellow sketchers and just start sketching. If you are new, look for people with sketchbooks and say hello, we are a friendly bunch.
SHOW AND TELL LOCATION: The benches around the Jacob Wrey Mould Fountain on the south side of the park. If we need to go to Brookfield place, meet on the east side of the Winter Garden Atrium, on the 2nd floor at the top of the giant staircase (there are elevators to get up there). Check with the host day-of for the exact show-and-tell location, and/or check the comment section of the Instagram and Facebook posts for this event for “live” updates.

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.

Join us for outdoor sketching at the new Davis Center at the Harlem Meer. Opened in April 2025, in the north end of the park, this new public space houses a renovated Lasker swimming pool in the summer and ice skating in the winter. In the spring and fall, the center transforms the pool/rink area into a green space for relaxing. The interior of the pavilion has many tables with a great view of the action outside.

The Davis Center is near the newly restored shoreline of the Harlem Meer Nature Preserve and the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, built in 1933. You’ll find plenty to sketch in this area. 

About the Davis Center 

https://daviscenter.centralparknyc.org/about

The Davis Center was designed by Susan T Rodriguez | Architecture and Design

https://str-architecture.com/project/the-harlem-meer-outdoor-center-in-central-park/

DATE: Wednesday May 13 , 2026

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

TRANSPORTATION: 2, 3 to 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza is the closest subway stop

HOST: Donna David 212 685 2930 (text only)

NOTES: 

-The Davis Center is on the east side of Central Park, between 106th and 108th Streets. Meet at the indoor area with the tables.

-Water, bathrooms and cafe are available on site

-There are many benches nearby, but bring a stool for more options. 

-CAUTION!!!! Be careful when crossing East Drive on the south side of the pavilion (yellow line on map). The south entrance of the Center on the East Drive is at the end of a long down hill. Bikes go extremely fast. Be super careful if you approach from the curve on East Drive. (Raylie- maybe we should say "Don't approach from here"? Bikes fly down that hill, I've done it myself. They will not expect people to be walking across here)

Workshop: Look Up And Sketch Something New with Mel Barranco - May 30, 2026

Have you ever wondered what you’re missing by staring straight ahead at a scene? Learn about a whole range of sketching possibilities by looking up. 

Join Mel Barranco at Manhattan West Plaza, along 9th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, on Saturday, May 30th, 10am - 1pm. 

For information and tickets:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1987085076956?aff=oddtdtcreator

5/9/26 CANCELED NJ Sketchers at Stickley Museum

CANCELED Join the NJ Urban Sketchers at the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms! 

We will be participating in their Maker Day Open House.

The event runs from noon to 4pm and we will be on-site sketching from 11:30 am to at least 2:30 pm.

Built by Gustav Stickley between 1908 and 1917 as the most complete expression of his “Craftsman” style, the campus of Craftsman Farms provides an unmatched opportunity to experience Stickley’s ideas about the impact of architecture, design, and landscape on a meaningful life. The museum is situated on the remaining thirty acres of Craftsman Farms’ original 650-acre campus. Its original buildings include the Log House, which was the Stickley family home, and three cottages. The original farm buildings include the horse barn, dairy house, and the remains of the cow barn.

There will also be free museum admission and craft vendors participating in the event. Guests are invited to enjoy free admission to the historic Log House and learn about the history of the museum and its collections items. You can also tour the North Cottage on the property, which features the museum’s collection of rare green ash furniture. 

 

For more information see the website: 

·      Stickley Museum  

 

DATE: Saturday, May 9th

STARTING TIME: 11:30 – we will assemble before the start of the event at noon

FEE: no fee to participate

LOCATION: 2352 State Route 10 Morris Plains, NJ 07950

TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING: there is parking onsite

NOTES

• Please RSVP to Barbara Taylor at bat155155@gmail.com   
• Looking for us? Call or text Barbara at ‪(862) 207-4279
• Bring a stool
• Bring your lunch or a bite to eat  
• We will conclude with a throw down around 2 pm but you are welcome to keep sketching after that

 

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

Due to the rainy forecast, the Weekday Joint meeting will take place INSIDE the main library.  If the weather holds, you can sketch outside the library or Bryant Park but if it is rainy, come indoors and meet the group in the main lobby at 10:30 AM]

DATE: WEDNESDAY May 6, 2026

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION: Mian Library

  5th Avenue BTW 40th and 42nd Streets

                      

TRANSPORTATION: B, D, F, M to Bryant Park, 7 to 5th Ave

HOSTS:  Marianne Milzoff 914 355 6507  and Lorraine Smith 928 614 1930

• Marianne will greet sketchers inside the lobby 

• Water and bathrooms are avlailbe

• Plenty of seats and tables throughout the library, but a stool give you more options.

• No food allowed in the galleries. 

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.

Saturday 5/2/26: Central Park: Bandshell Area and CP Dance Skaters

 

The Central Park Bandshell is right in the center of lots of great sketching. The Bethesda Fountain, The Lake, The Central Park Boathouse, etc, are all just north… the Mall and Literary Walk, filled with statues, vendors, and artists, are just south… but the reason for our visit to this area is to sketch the Central Park Dance Skaters. CP Dance Skaters are a legendary, vibrant, long standing skating community that gathers weekly in Skater’s Circle for free open-air roller dance sessions with live DJ music. DJ Kervyn Mark and DJ Monday Blues will be spinning on Saturday starting at 2:45.

Please note that this event has a later time than usual to allow time to capture the skaters. We will sketch around the greater Bandshell area starting around 11am (no formal meeting). At 2:45 we will move over to Skater’s Circle to capture the action, and return back to the Bandshell for a show-and-tell at 4:00. The skaters skate until 6:45 if you would like to return back to continue sketching them.

Bring your skates!!

HOST: Charles Cannizzaro (914) 552-3658
DATE: Saturday 5/2/26
TIME: Sketching 11am - 4pm | Show and Tell beginning at 4pm.
SKETCHING LOCATION: Central Park Bandshell- (center of the park just south of the 72nd street traverse)

MEETING LOCATION: There will be no official meeting to kick off the day, join your fellow sketchers and just start sketching. If you are new, look for people with sketchbooks and say hello, we are a friendly bunch.
SHOW AND TELL LOCATION: The benches around the Bandshell. Check with the host day-of for the exact show-and-tell location.
FOOD, DRINK, RESTROOMS, SEATING: There are benches and public restrooms. There may be food vendors around the area, but there are no restaurants or shops in the immediate vicinity.

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.

SATURDAY May 2, 2026: WESTCHESTER SKETCHERS Exhibit and Sketch at Union Church of Pocantico Hills in Tarrytown

 

The Westchester NYC Urban Sketchers and Lumina Arts at Union Church of Pocantico Hills present "Lightlines," a show inspired by open drawing sessions held on the Church's grounds. Through these meetups, artists of all skill levels re welcomed to this historic site to draw inspiration from the renowned stained glass windows by Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse -- translating light and color into expressive works on paper. 

Please join us for this unique opportunity to meet the artist in residence and view her studio, to sketch the exterior of the Church, and to view your fellow sketchers interpretations of the beautiful stained glass windows and other inspiration they found at this magical place.

HOST: Cathy Gutterman (914) 625-0766

DATE: Saturday, May 2, 2026

TIME: 11:00 AM to 3 PM

LOCATION: Union Church of Pocantico Hills, 555 Bedford Rd, Tarrytown, NY 10591

DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps/place/555+Bedford+Rd,+Sleepy+Hollow,+NY+10591

NOTES:

• Please carpool if possible. Parking is free, but limited.

• Bring a stool if you want to sketch outdoors. There will be no sketching in the Chapel.

• Restrooms are available.

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.