Weekday Urban Sketchers on Broadway

There is a parade on Broadway and it isn't the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It is a cavalcade of huge origami sculptures coming down Broadways from 39th to 36th Streets. All the familiar origami animals that can easily be rendered by folding a small square of paper are now 10 feet hight and painted bold, bright colors.  

Created by the artist Gerardo Gomez-Martinez (aka Hacer), the statues are installed along the plaza created in the middle of Broadway.  We will meet at the corner of 36th Street and Broadway and work our way along the street as we sketch.  No need to bring a stool as there are tables and chairs along the plaza. 

DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2021

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  BROADWAY AND 36TH STREET

TRANSPORTATION:  ANY TRAIN THAT WILL BRING YOU INTO Times Square.

Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net.  Looking for us?  Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445

SUNDAY: Sketch the Water’s Soul

 

With thanks to Anny Lamsifer for suggesting this event

There’s a woman staring at us across the river in Jersey City.  It’s the 80-foot “Water’s Soul, 2020” by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa.  The Barcelona based artist has depicted the head of a young person with an index finger pressed against her lips, her eyes closed in a “gesture for quietude.”

The massive installation sits on the edge of the Hudson River, in Jersey City, New Jersey, paying tribute to the river and created as a call to protect all water, which Plensa calls “ the most public space in the world.”  “It is my wish for Water’s Soul to become an icon for Newport and a landmark that visually connects it with New York City across the Hudson River. Just as Water’s Soul acts to unite the city of Jersey City and New York City, we are reminded that water is the great public space that unites and embraces communities as well as people around the world.”[7] "The water, when it moves, makes a special sound, very special," Plensa said in an interview suggesting the sculpture's message is "to keep silent...to listen to the profound noise of the water talking to us."

“Water’s Soul,” which  is made of polyester resin, fiberglass and marble dust, was shipped to the U.S. in 23 containers and is intended to appear “like a drawing in space.”  “Just as ‘Water’s Soul’ acts to unite the city of Jersey City and New York City, we are reminded that water is the great public space that unites and embraces communities as well as people around the world,” Plensa said.   (From the recent October 21st article in Bloomberg’s CityLab by Doyinsola Oladipo.)

DETAILS

What:   We’ll be sketching the riverside view from Jersey City.  Our focus will be the new Water's Soul sculpture that was just installed. 

Where:   We’ll meet at bwè kafe  (see map)

 

When:  Start time - 10 AM.   Running late?  Messed up by the subways?  Come anyway - we'll be there.

How:

-   By PATH Train:  

Take the path train from 33rd Street located at the intersection of 32nd Street and Sixth Avenue in the Herald Square to Journal Square (via Hoboken) Sunday Schedule:  Trains leave at 8:55, 9:30, 10:05, 10:20, 10:32.  Get off at the Newport station.  The Path train accepts regular NYC MetroCards.

click to enlarge

- By Ferry:

There is also a ferry you can take to get there.   The ferry leaves from the Brookfield Place Terminal and arrives at Paulus Hook.  Although you can’t beat the view from the ferry, it is more expensive ($7 each way,) and the first ferry doesn’t leave until 10:20 AM.  It’s about a fifteen minute walk north along the water from the ferry to the sculpture.

Lunch:  We'll break at 12:00.  Location to be determined.  Bring your own food and drink or rely on local vendors.  

Afternoon:  1:00  Back to sketching

Show and Tell:  3:00 PM - Location to be determined.

NOTE:

-     Bring a hat (for the sun - hopefully!)

-      Bring a stool if you have one, it gives you more options.  

click to enlarge

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

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

SATURDAY, October 30 - Haunted Places! A Halloween Celebration

Dress up and celebrate Halloween with fellow NYC Urban Sketches as we sketch, paint or draw online our favorite Halloween memories. Join us on Saturday, October 30th from 10am to 12pm EDT. Prizes will be given for: Best Costume, Most Creative Costume, and Best Famous Artist Costume.

Halloween has always been a holiday filled with mystery, magic and superstition. It began 2,000 years ago as a Celtic end-of-summer festival during which people felt especially close to deceased relatives and friends. For these friendly spirits, they set places at the dinner table, left treats on doorsteps and along the side of the road, and lit candles to help loved ones find their way back to the spirit world. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark, so that ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits.

 

Borrowing from European traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today’s “trick-or-treat” tradition. In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers than about ghosts, pranks and witchcraft.Today, Halloween is a time to celebrate classic horror films, costume parties, trick or treat, historic ghost walks, scary tales of the past and just maybe a seance.

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

Registration is required for this virtual sketching event at Eventbrite.com link below: 

SATURDAY: Halloween Online Sketch Event Tickets, Sat, Oct 30, 2021 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

  

Click on this special weblink below to find your art to sketch.   

HALLOWEEN SPOOKtacular - Special Event (site123.me)

NYC Urban Sketchers Merchandise  - Click Below:

 https://www.zazzle.com/store/nycurbansketchers/products

THURSDAY: Westchester Sketchers at Rye Town Park

Rye Town Park and Oakland Beach is a historic park and public beach located on Long Island Sound at Rye, Westchester County, New York. It is located next to Playland Amusement Park.

The sixty-two acre preserve has 28 acres of lawns and paths with mature plantings, gently rolling hills, benches, a naturalized duck pond, and an expansive beachfront of 34 acres.

The main building complex, which includes the two-towered administration building, pavilions, restaurant and service facilities, is a magnificent edifice with Spanish style architecture, fantastic views, and beach access to Long Island sound.

DETAILS:  

DATE: THURSDAY October 28th

Start time: 10:00 AM.

LOCATION: Rye Town Park

95 Dearborn Ave, Rye, NY 10580

Phone: (914) 967-0965

DIRECTIONS: https://www.mapquest.com/us/new-york/rye-town-park-376051647

LUNCH: 1:00 PM. Bring your own food and beverage, or buy something before coming to the park.

SHOW and TELL: Following lunch, we will share our drawings and tell stories.  This is the social part of our day and not to be missed.

NOTES:

- Parking is free.

- Public restrooms are available.

- Bring a stool if you have one.  It gives you more options.

- Dress for cool temperatures (hat, gloves, scarf, layers).

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman cathygutterman@verizon.net 

Looking for us? 

Call/text: Cathy at (914) 625-0766.

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

Weekday Schedule for November and December

 In an effort to help you plan your participation in the Weekday Urban Sketchers meetings, here is the line up of events for the next 2 months.   We have only 2 more weeks of outdoor events, then we will move indoors with one exception:  the Christmas Market at Union Square in December .  Please make sure to check our blog and facebook pages for details.  These locations may change due to weather or other events so please check the listings before heading out.  

There will be NO Meetings in November during Thanksgiving Week and the last two weeks of December for the winter holidays. 

THIS WEEK:   Wednesday October 27, 2021        Victorian Brooklyn 

                                                        Click here for information    http://nyc.urbansketchers.org/2021/10/wednesday-sketchers-in-victorian.html

Wednesday November 3, 2021 Origami Sculptures along Broadway

Wednesday November 10, 2021.  Canstruction at Brookfield Place 

                                                    

Annual Competition of Sculptures made from canned food that will be donated to soup kitchens for Thanksgiving meals.  Click here for information: https://bfplny.com/canstruction/

Wednesday November 17, 2021.  American Folk Art Museum

                                                     

 Exhibit of Weathervanes. Click here for information https://folkartmuseum.org/exhibitions/american-weathervanes-the-art-of-the-winds/

Wednesday November 24, 2021.  THANKSGIVING, NO MEETING

Wednesday December 1, 2021.   Cast Hall at the Institute for Classical Archetecture and Art

Thursday December 9 2021.   Hispanic Society Exhibit on Gilded Figures 

                                                Note that this event is THURSDAY as museum is closed on Wednesday

                                                For Information click here: https://hispanicsociety.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/gilded-figures-wood-and-clay-made-flesh/

Wednesday December 15, 2021.  Union Square Christmas Market.  

                                                  Weather permitting.  Watch for alternative location if we can't be outdoors. 

 Wednesday Sketchers in Victorian Brooklyn

Just south of Prospect Park, there is a neighborhood that harkens back to England, with street names like Argyle, Beverly, Westminster and Rugby Roads.  The neighborhood was developed during the Victorian building boom and then added to over the early part of the 20th century with large estate type house in fanciful styles.  This is our playground on Wednesday.

Halloween Bonanza

Thanks to member Amanda Kavanagh, for opening her beautiful home to us for the day.  We will gather there at the start of our sketching then visit the iconic dwellings in the neighborhood such as the "Japanese House" and "Sophie's Choice House" (remember the movie?). AND....the neighborhood goes all out for Halloween with lights, action figures and plenty of witches and ghosts.  

Japanese House

In preparation for the day, here are some articles about the neighborhood.

https://untappedcities.com/2021/09/28/mansions-victorian-flatbush-brooklyn/?displayall=true

https://secretnyc.co/brooklyn-halloween-house-ditmas-park/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_Park_South#:~:text=7%20External%20links-,History,the%20country%20in%20the%20city

Sophie's Choice House

DATE:  WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 27, 2021

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  VICTORIAL BROOKLYN

MEETING LOCATION:  HOME OF Amanda Kavanagh 

                                        155 Argyle Road, Brooklyn Between Beverly and Albemarle Roads

TRANASPORTATION:   Q Train to Beverly Road 

Map from Subway to Amand's House

NOTES: 

• We will meet at Amanda's house at 10:30 AM.  We will then go around the neighborhood and sketch the scenes that are of interest.  We will then gather back at Amanda's house for lunch at 1:00 PM
• Bring your own lunch or purchase something along the way. Church Ave has a number of food outlets as does Cortelyou Road. Amanda recommends the deli counter at C-Town on Church and Argyle Roads for takeout sandwiches.
• PLEASE RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net that you will be coming.  If you come later than the meeting time, text or call Raylie at 201-273-0445 for current locations.
• This is a residential neighborhood. Please be mindful of the property lines, foot and car traffic.  
• Amanda has Kindly offered her home for use of bathrooms.  

Mark's Map with interesting houses 

 

Who’s up for an adventure?  Let’s check out the marshy areas of Manhattan.  

Seems incredible to imagine a marsh in our town.  All the waterways and wet areas have been paved over for decades and centuries.  New York as it once was can’t be seen in the lower parts of the island.  But, up in the northernmost corner, where the East River wraps around and meets the Hudson, we'll be sketching at Muscota Marsh and in Inwood Park with views across the Spuyten Duyval  of the Bronx.

“The area is a reminder of what Manhattan might have looked like before steel and concrete overtook the borough. Hundreds of acres of natural land still exist in the park, making for a quiet reprieve in “the city that never sleeps.”  

Inwood Hill Park is home to the last natural forest and salt marsh in Manhattan. Aside from a few trails here and there, the 196-acre park contains a huge span of primordial green space, which is made up of mostly thick deciduous forest that has remained relatively untouched since the colonial days. When the Department of Parks purchased the land for Inwood Hill Park in 1916, the salt marsh was also saved and later landscaped. It serves as lasting reminder of the system of salt marshes that used to surround the island.”  (Adapted from an article by Susan Xu at Untapped Cites) 

DETAILS

What:   We’ll be sketching the park area at the northern tip of Manhattan(see map below)

Where:   We’ll meet at the entrance to Inwood Park.  Muscota Marsh is to the right.  This is the corner of Indian Road and West 218th Street

When:  Start time - 10 AM.   Running late?  Messed up by the subways?  Come anyway - we'll be there.

How:

-   By Subway:  Take the #1 train to 215th Street.  It’s about a three block walk to the entrance.  See the map (below) 

Lunch:  We'll break at 12:00.  Location to be determined.  Bring your own food and drink.  The choices may be limited and may require a time consuming walk.  

Afternoon:  1:00  Back to sketching

Show and Tell:  3:00 PM - Location to be determined.

NOTE:

• Bring a hat (for the sun - hopefully!)
• Bring a stool if you have one, it gives you more options. 
• 
  

click to enlarge

​

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

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

SATURDAY, October 23 - Ellis Island and the Faces of Immigration

Americans are famous for their get-up-and-go, it is because immigrant ancestors got up and came. Whether sailing into the Chesapeake Bay in the early 17th century, waiting in line at Ellis Island in the early 20th, or crossing the South Texas border in the early 21st, immigrants to the U.S. have had to bid farewell to the familiar and enter a strange land with unfamiliar customs and language. That took—and still takes—courage and tolerance for risk, traits that are very much part of the American gene pool. Sometimes the risk was to one’s life. 

An estimated 40 percent of current U.S. citizens can trace at least one ancestor to Ellis island. A massive wave of immigrants traveled from Ireland, where a potato blight had contributed to widespread famine in the mid-19th century. Foreigners from southern and eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Greece, left their homelands to escape political and economic oppression. People of Jewish descent fled to Ellis Island due to antisemitism in czarist Russia, while poverty drove many Italians to seek better lives in America. Non-Europeans from Syria, Turkey and Armenia were also entering the United States in high numbers, seeking economic opportunity. 

On Saturday, October 23rd, join NYC Urban Sketchers at 10am EDT as we will celebrate our Immigrant Story. Gather your art supplies and let’s sketch, draw and paint ancestors who believed a better life was possible, yearned for peace, hoped for freedom, and dreamed what seemed like the impossible - and, had the the courage to risk it all. 

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

You need to register to participate in this virtual sketching event. Click on the link at Eventbrite below. Photographic references are provided on the Eventbrite page. 

SATURDAY: Ellis Island & the Face of Immigration Tickets, Sat, Oct 23, 2021 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

NYC Urban Sketchers Merchandise  - Click Below:

 https://www.zazzle.com/store/nycurbansketchers/products

 

Main Entrance

Weekday Sketchers at Green-Wood Cemetery

Greenwood Cemetery is a treasure trove of Victorian Funerary sculpture, enormous trees and lots of atmosphere.  From the incredible front entrance you can wander the hills, lakes and valleys in search of the weird and wonderful gravestones, crypts and statuary.  Join us for a day of delving into this other world experience with the tinge of fall and Halloween in the air.

The Shroud

 

                                                          

SKETCHING CHALLENGE 

Find a really spooky gravestone or crypt and render it in your scariest colors!!

DATE:  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20,2021

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY

                       5TH AVENUE ADN 25TH STREET BROOKLYN

TRANSPORTATION: R Train to 25th Street Station. Exit the subway and walk uphill one block to the main entrance. (see photo above).

Bring your lunch and a stool.   Good walking shoes are a must. 

Please RSVP to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net.  Looking for us? Call or text (not email) to Raylie at  201-273- 0445.

WEDNESDAY: Westchester Sketchers at Hilltop Hanover Farm in Yorktown Heights, NY

Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center is a beautiful, historic 400-year-old 187-acre farm with rolling hills and scenic vistas only 45 minutes from mid-town Manhattan. Operated by Westchester County in partnership with the Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm, the farm is dedicated to the development and advancement of sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, community education, and accessible food systems for all. Visitors are warmly welcomed and encouraged to visit with the farmers and animals and to take advantage of fresh organically-grown produce at their farm stand and pick-your-own vegetable gardens.

DETAILS:  

DATE: WEDNESDAY October 20th

Start time: 10:00 AM.

LOCATION: Hilltop Hanover Farm

1271 Hanover Street, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 

Phone: (914) 962-2368

DIRECTIONS: https://hilltophanoverfarm.org/who-we-are/visit-us.html

LUNCH: 1:00 PM. Bring your own. The farm stand will not be open. We'll find a spot by the picnic tables.

SHOW and TELL: Following lunch, we will share our drawings and tell stories.  This is the social part of our day and not to be missed.

NOTES:

- Admission and parking are free.

- Bring a stool if you have one.  It gives you more options.

- Dress for sunshine and cool temperatures.  Bring a hat, water and sunscreen.

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman cathygutterman@verizon.net 

Looking for us? 

Call/text: Cathy at (914) 625-0766 or Marianne at (914) 355-6507.

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

SUNDAY: USk Sketch Together

 

We can sometimes lose sight of the fact that as Urban Sketchers we belong to an international organization.  This Sunday October 17, 2021  sketchers all over the world will be sketching together - a hundred thousand sketchers on every continent.

It's been suggested that we pick an iconic location.  You've probably noticed that it's hard to see NYC when you're in the middle.  I can think of no more beautiful view of our city than the one provided by Roosevelt Island.  We will be sketching on the southern part of the island facing the United Nations and the midtown skyline, or facing east you'll see the iconic Pepsi sign in Long Island City.

Participate in the world's largest Show and Tell:

When you share your artwork with all the sketchers around the world, please use these tags:  

@urbansketchers 

#usksketchtogether 

#sketchtogether 

 The USk Social Media team will pick it up to share with our global community

DETAILS
What:  Sketch the views from the southern end of Roosevelt Island

Where:   We will meet at the Information Booth (see photo) , and will wait there from 10 to 10:30.  There is good sketching right at that spot.   At 10:30 we'll start to walk south along the West Loop Road (see map below)

​When:  Start time - 10 AM to 10:30 AM .   Running late?  Messed up by the subways?  Come anyway - we'll be there.

How:
-   By Subway:  F Train to Roosevelt Island stop.

Lunch:  We'll break at 12:00 - Bringyourowni or rely on vendors.  We'll find a shady spot .

Afternoon:  1:00  Back to serious sketching.   

Show and Tell:  3:00 PM -  We'll probably use our lunch locations to share our sketches and tell stories.  We'll also remind each other to use the special event handles:  @urbansketchers   #usksketchtogether   #sketchtogether 

NOTE:
-      Bring a hat
-      Bring a stool if you have one, it gives you more options.

(click to enlarge)

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

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