Weekday Sketchers at Gowanus Canal

Please note that this is a change from the previously posted schedule.  

Join us this week as we visit one of the notorious areas of NYC, the Gowans Canal.  Carved out of ancient salt flats and fresh water streams it was once one of the busiest waterways in the country.  Now know for its infamous pollution it was designated a superfund site.  Now initiatives by many public/private organizations are breathing new life into this area.  For information about the history, the pollution and the re-establishment of this district, visit the Gowanus Canal Conservancy website: https://gowanuscanalconservancy.org

We will meet in the park boarding the canal behind the Whole Foods on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street in Brooklyn.  From there you can wander along the edge of the canal and walk across some of the bridges to capture the scene that best captures the old industrial and the new environmentally corrected views of the canal and the neighborhood. 

DATE: WEDNESDAY MAY 18, 2022

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATATION: 3RD AVENUE AND 3RD STREET BROOKLYN 

                           Behind the Whole Foods parking lot

TRANSPORTATION: F or G to 9th Street Station or the N, R, W, or D to 9th Street Station. 

This will leave you off at 4th Ave and 9th Street,  Walk to 3rd Ave and 3rd Street to the meeting spot.

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at Rayliedunkel1@gmail.com
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445
• There are benches in the park but bringing a stool will offer you more options
• Bathrooms are available in Whole Foods 
• Bring lunch or purchase it at Whole Foods or the many vendors in the area. 
• Optional afternoon sketching at the Old Stone House of Brooklyn

Old Stone House

THURSDAY: Westchester Sketchers at Glen Island Park, 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.

Cannons, sculptures, and castles with coursed rubble stone, arched openings, and round towers still remain from the days of John Starin’s resort. The castles, reminiscent of those in Germany's Rhineland, were constructed on their present site in the late 19th century for use as a beer garden and restaurant.

     

The bathhouse was originally built in a Neo-Georgian style with a cupola marking the center of the front façade. A courtyard looks out to the beach and is completed by a colonnade. The bridge, bridge house, seawall, and castles are all eligible for listing on the Register of Historic Places.

DETAILS:
When: Thursday, May 19, 2022

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 We'll meet in front of the castle located to 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.
The 9:07 AM off-peak train from Grand Central arrives in New Rochelle at 9:40 AM.
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 will share stories and sketches during the social part of our day.

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman cathygutterman@verizon.net
 
Looking for us? Call Cathy at 914-625-0766 or Marianne at 914-355-6507


NOTES:
- 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 the need for a park pass. 

- Restrooms are located in the Office building located on the right as you enter the Park.

SATURDAY - May 21 - South Pacific

In celebration of Asian American - Pacific Islander Heritage Month we are sketching the beautiful landscapes, peoples and cultures of the South Pacific. The landmasses of the South Pacific are mostly small islands scattered across a huge ocean larger than all the other oceans put together. The region comprises of around 30 island nations, some mere dots on the map. 

Papua New Guinea

The largest island nation is Papua New Guinea followed by New Zealand which are both quite considerable land-masses, but it's then followed by Fiji whose collective islands compressed would be smaller than Wales! In terms of cultural identity, the South Pacific Islands are split into three regions: Polynesia, lying in the west and including Samoa, Cook Islands and Tahiti but also extending north to Hawaii and south to New Zealand; Melanesia, in the east and including Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands; and Micronesia in the north-west and including Kiribati, Guam and the Federated States of Micronesia.

 New Zealand

Come enjoy virtual sketching inspired by the rich beauty, history, and diversity of the peoples and places scattered across the South Pacific.

There are no fees. All skill levels are welcome. 

Registration is required. Use the Eventbrite link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/331940130867

Photographic references for this virtual event are below:

https://6278cee4e93ac.site123.me/

What is coming up next:

May 28 - Sketchers Holiday

June 4 - Waterfront Amusement Park

June 11 - African Safari

Maori of New Zealand

NYC Urban Sketchers is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization (EIN 84-3937060). Tax-deductible donations by check made be sent to NYC Urban Sketchers, P.O. Box 1083, James A. Farley Post Office, New York, NY 10116. 

SATURDAY - May 14 - New York Botanical Garden

Join us for a day of virtual sketching the New York Botanical Garden, a 250 acre site in the Bronx established in 1891. It contains over one million living plants, a conservatory shown above, and a research library. The Garden was inspired by the Royal Botanical Garden at Kew, and has been a national historic landmark since 1967. 

The NY Botanical Garden contains over fifty different gardens and plant collections. There is a cascading waterfall, wetlands, and a 50 acre tract of original, old growth New York forest along the Bronx river. 

There are no fees. All Skill levels welcome.

To register, click Eventbrite link below:
Sketch New York Botanical Garden Tickets, Sat, May 14, 2022, at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

For photographic references for this virtual event, click on the link below:
The New York Botanical Garden:  https://625b67dc90460.site123.me/

What is coming up next:

May 21 - South Pacific

May 28 - Sketchers Holiday

June 4 - Waterfront Amusement Park

NYC Urban Sketchers is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization (EIN 84-3937060). Tax-deductible donations by check may be sent to NYC Urban Sketchers, P.O.Box 1083, James A.Farley Post Office, New York, NY 10116. 

Weekday Sketchers at St. Marks in the Bowery

Join us this week as we explore the second oldest church in NYC: St Marks in the Bowery. (Extra credit for anyone who can name the oldest church in NYC!)  Peter Stuyvesant along many other dignitaries of early NYC history are buried on the site: mayors, a governor who became a Vice President, and Commodore Perry amongst many others.  Alexander Hamilton helped incorporate this as the first Episcopalian Parish outside of Trinity Church, where he is buried. For more information on the history of this church and the surrounding area, click here: https://stmarksbowery.org/history.

The church is set back on an angle from Second Avenue with trees and a garden as background.   Read why it is on an angle and why it is call "in the Bowery" when it is on 2nd Ave, in the history noted above. Bring a stool to capture the best angle for your drawing

NOTE:  Many, but not all,  of the sketch sites we will visit this spring and summer will be in Manhattan below 14th Street to provide many possibilities for entires to our second art expo this winter.  The theme for the show will be "Drawn Below 14th Street".  If you have a favorite garden, park, corner or site below 14th Street, let us know so we can include it in our line up.

DATE:  WEDNESDAY MAY 11, 2022

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION: ST MARKS IN THE BOWERY

                       2nd Avenue between East 10th and East 11th Streets

TRANSPORTATION: 6 TRAIN TO ASTOR PLACE 

                                Walk east from Astor place to 2nd Ave via Stuyvesant St, a diagonal street that goes between 3rd and 2nd Aves and will lead you right to the church. 

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at Rayliedunkel1@gmail.com
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445
• Bring a stool and lunch. Or purchase lunch from the many vendors in the area.

 

SATURDAY - May 7th - Kentucky Derby

Since 1875, the Kentucky Derby has been one of the grandest races in the thoroughbred industry. Some of the world’s greatest thoroughbred horses take center stage at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky to race one and one-quarter miles. While the horses are the stars, thousands of people gather in their Sunday finest to enjoy this spectacle of sport, fashion, hats, mint juleps and food. Join us for a day of sketching this beloved American sporting event. 

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

To register for this virtual event, click on the Eventbrite link below:

Kentucky Derby Inspired Sketching! Tickets, Sat, May 7, 2022, at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

For photographic references for this virtual event, click on the link below:

https://625b58f183435.site123.me/

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT

May 14 - New York Botanical Gardens

May 21 - South Pacific

​May 28 - Sketchers’ Holiday

NYC Urban Sketchers is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization (EIN 84-3937060). Tax-deductible donations by check may be sent to NYC Urban Sketchers, P. O. Box 1083,  James A. Farley Post Office, New York, NY 10116. 

EVENT CANCELED 

FORECAST IS FOR RAIN, RAIN , RAIN

WE WILL RESCHEDULE THE EVENT 

Weekday Sketchers at Belvedere Castle Wednesday 

Belvedere Castle seen from the Turtle Pond

New York has it al: tall buildings, bright lights and its own storybook castle right in the middle of Central Park. It is actually called a Folly, meaning a fanciful object built into the landscape without any purpose other than enhancing the view.  And that it is and does!  

Built of Manhattan schist it has everything any prince or princess could want: terraces and turrets, gothic windows and transoms adorned with dragons.   And, it is the official weather station in NYC. So, when you see the temperature or forecast for NYC, it is taken right there at Belvedere Castle. 

DATE: WEDNESDAY MAY 4, 2022

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION: BELVEDERE CASTLE

                       Central Park

TRANPORTATION:  B OR C TO 81 STREET STATION. 

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at Rayliedunkel1@gmail.com
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445
• We will meet on the lawn adjacent to the Turtle Pond just beyond the Delacorte Theater. From there you can sketch anywhere you wish and come back there for lunch.
• Bring a stool, a cap and lunch
• Watch the weather forecast.  If it rains lightly we can sketch from the terrance under the canopy or if it rains heavily we will go to the American Museum of Natural History                                     

Meet on the Lawn by the Turtle Pond