DIARY: Drawing & Painting from Nature
There are still some sunny days ahead to enjoy drawing and painting in the wild—as wild as it gets in the city. Following are some ideas for plein air painting and drawing and other ways to enjoy our parks and gardens.
Plein Air Painters of NYC [above] is a free meetup founded by muralist and sculptor Insiya Pardiwala to build a community of artists dedicated to capturing the vibrant essence of the cityscape. Their mission is to unite artists from diverse backgrounds and skill levels for engaging plein-air painting sessions and enjoyable social gatherings.
They set up easels, paint en plein air, and share their artistic visions. Afterwards, they gather for drinks or a bite nearby to foster connections and camaraderie. Recently they’ve been to Coney Island, Snug Harbor and Beacon. Next stop: Sunday, October 13, 1-5pm at Brooklyn’s Domino Park. You can sign up here
Artists of The Met also hosts Artists of Green-Wood Cemetery, with a free meetup scheduled for Sunday, October 13, 2-5 pm. From the announcement: Green-Wood is 478 spectacular acres of hills, valleys, glacial ponds, and paths, throughout which exists one of the largest outdoor collections of nineteenth and twentieth-century statuary and mausoleums. The group will meet at the main entrance under the Gothic archway, located at 500 25th St, Brooklyn, NY (at the intersection of 25th and 5th Avenues). This event will be hosted by guest artist Dorsey Sprouls. Please sign up here, and get all the info you need.
Tree Wonder Washington Square Park is a community eco-art initiative founded to raise awareness of nature in the city and promote in-person ecological learning. The focus is Manhattan’s oldest tree, the majestic English Elm in Washington Square Park, said to be more than 300 years old. Info
On Sundays in Spring and Fall, from 11:30 AM to 1 PM, you can join the free drawing sessions at the English Elm. Sessions are led by an invited artist who shares drawing techniques or inspires participants with prompts to draw from. Free drawing materials are provided and all ages and experience levels are invited. Tree Wonder is headed by visual artist Kristin Jones and urban forester Georgia Silvera Seamans of Washington Square Park Eco Projects, and runs through November 17. Meet at the Northwest corner of Washington Square Park. Map
Looking ahead: Madison Square Park’s Fall installation opens on Thursday, October 24, from 5:30-7:00pm with Nicole Eisenmn’s Fixed Crane. Artist Nicole Eisenman (b. 1965, France) realizes Fixed Crane, centering a decommissioned, toppled 1969 Link-Belt crane lain across the park’s Oval Lawn. Embellished with handmade sculptural figurative forms, the work destabilizes familiar heroic objects associated with human achievement and exploration.
A longtime NYC resident, Eisenman questions cycles of movement in urban space and how the human condition is central to ongoing urban construction. Eisenman is a contemporary painter, printmaker, and sculptor, with a wide body of work on the human condition that can be bleak or humorous. She is a MacArthur Foundation Fellow and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2018. Her work was included in the 2019 Venice Biennale and 2019 Whitney Biennial. Free and open to all, no registration is required for attendance.
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