RAMBLING  SKETCHER

There's this one really great view of Grand Central with the Chrysler building behind it that just speaks to me. A few months back I came across it at night, with a spotlight on Grand Central and the Chrysler building all lit up and it was gorgeous! A while back on another sketch trip, I caught the same view in the bright sunlight, catching shadows from neighboring buildings. I was inspired not only by the spectacular lighting in both cases, but also the fantastic reflection

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of working at the Delecourt Theater in Central Park! It's an outdoor space, and luckily the weather was beautiful. It has a beautiful view of the Belvedere Castle, so I did this sketch on breaks.

If I have the time to do so, I can never pass up a nice, sunny day for sketching. Those shadows! So, last Thursday I braved the 90 degree heat to take myself on a little sketch trip near Rockefeller Center. I started by doing a sketch of Radio City Music Hall. In my second sketch, depicting St. Patrick's Cathedral, I did something out of character and mostly skipped the pencil drawing, so it's a little looser than my usual style. Definitely less accurate than I usually strive

I knew all that beautiful sunshine was too good to last! The NYC Urban Sketchers met in Washington Square Park on Saturday, in weather chillier and grayer than the days preceding it. I did more sketching in usual, in part because I was there *almost* the whole time, and in part because I was having a hard time focusing. First sketch I decided to do the iconic shot of the arch, looking into the park from the street. Inside the arch you can see the very tip-top of the One World

A recent addition to my weekly (or almost weekly) routine is bringing in my compost (otherwise kept in my freezer) to the compost bins at the Union Square Greenmarket. Although there is a community garden near me that takes compost, the window of time they have open to accept compost is small, and if you bring in your compost they really want you to stay and help with the garden, which I never actually have time to do. There's another market closer to me at Grand Army Plaza t

I spent last Saturday sketching in Grand Central Station! But, for the first time, I was really a sketcher on a mission. One of my sister's best friends was getting married nearby and the couple was doing some photos in the main terminal at Grand Central. A month or two prior, my sister (who was also a bridesmaid) had told me the plan for the photos, as well as mentioning she wasn't sure what she was getting them as a wedding gift yet. My response: "So....if I show up at the

This is one I did a couple of months back. It was destined to be a gift for my client's Mother-in-Law for all her help putting together the wedding, to be gifted at the rehearsal dinner. And the wedding just happened a week or two ago, so I can finally share it with you! Its such a pleasure when clients come to me with great photos; I was instantly drawn in by the lighting and colors. It was right up my alley and I had a lot of fun with it. I hope you all enjoy it, too!

Last week I was visiting my parents in South Jersey for a couple of days, and while there I made a pilgrimage to nearby Philadelphia to see the watercolor exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Appropriately, I stopped on my way there to do my own watercolor of one of my favorite Philly views. This is City Hall and the Swann Fountain (which you may remember from this post) as seen from Logan Circle. I was pretty happy with the result! The exhibit itself was wonderful, fea

This weekend NYC Urban Sketchers met in Stuytown, on the Lower East Side, for their first flea market in 40 years! There was some great people to sketch, and I even left with a watering can at the end of the day. First and favorite of the day! These teenagers were enjoying the sunshine. I originally sat where I did to get them sitting on the opposite side of the fountain, but before I started drawing they moved and sat directly between me and the water. I shifted over to get