RAMBLING  SKETCHER

It's always nice when someone contacts you with a commission request, and the photo they provide is stellar and has gorgeous light and you just can't wait to paint it. And that was the case with this commission! My client had this photo of her parents from their honeymoon, and it's basically perfect. It was a joy to replicate! Also nice to insert a little sunshine into my winter.

Last Saturday my NYC Urban Sketching group went to the Met. I forgot where we were supposed to meet for the first half of the day, so after wandering a bit I settled down in the sunny courtyard in the American wing to draw this golden saint depicted as an angel. After lunch, it turns out the group was headed for the American wing next so I got to draw this sculpture of "Mourning Victory." I saw her when I was leaving the courtyard to go to lunch and very much regretted not dr

Finally did a full painting (not just an urban sketch) of one of my favorite places in New York, and have a feeling this is the first of many (I may or may not have a rather extensive stash of photos from this area of Manhattan). I'm hoping the sepia tones evoke feelings of an older New York, next time I might add a little more color!

This week, I was asked to be in an art showcase hosted by RAW Natural Born Artists! It sounds like it's going to be really fun, it's not only fine art, there will be live music and dance, film screenings, fashion shows, and models showcasing hair and makeup designs. Also, it does feel super flattering to be scouted for something like this. It's all put together by artists, for artists, so unlike many other art shows, there's no fee for me to show, and if I sell anything (arti

Here's an oldie I never posted; I did this as a standard copy project from Beauty and the Beast. It gave me a good excuse to break out my Dr. Ph Martin Concentrated Watercolors to give it a little extra pop! Two of my friends had their second daughter, and I did this as a gift for the nursery (a mutual friend told me the only thing they had purchased for the room at the time was a picture of Belle, so I felt it was on theme!). Not pictured: the card. Which was a portrait of t

Because of a lack of time to really go out and sketch, you may have noticed I've been doing a lot of sketching while waiting. Here's a quick twenty minute sketch of the theatre I was about to be in, while waiting to see Paramour on broadway.

A couple weekends ago I went to brunch with friends, who were all running late. With twenty minutes to spare I did a quick sketch of the bar next to our brunch place (which had a more interesting store front).

Sometimes you go to meet a friend whose train is coming into Grand Central, but you get there early so you have a half hour to make a sketch. Would love to do this view, in a longer sitting. The angle is so, so challenging! Also the light is always beautiful in there, even after dark, and the colors are fun to try and duplicate; there are a lot of subtleties and shifts. *Also, unrelated, I just edited my "Troop 54" post to include links to the podcast of the play reading, so

It's that time of year again, when NYC Urban Sketchers take one winter Saturday to do a non-urban sketching event, our annual portrait party! You may remember I went last year for the first time, and I was thrilled to go again! This year the event was at Donnell Library on 53rd, which was beautiful, welcoming, and actually fit our full group! We had about 20 last year and this year we had closer to 45! We had to break into three groups to fit into the time allotted. Within ea

Today, I was working at Lincoln Center. I was in my second day of painting a floor and I knew there would be a couple of times when we would have to wait for paint to dry. So, in our first (and longest) moment of waiting for paint to dry, I took my sketch kit to the balcony outside the theatre that boasts a pretty amazing view. To my delight, the late morning sun streaming through the iconic courtyard provided excellent material for sketching. I've been feeling rusty since I'