Keep the date in mind.  Further information as the date approaches.

SATURDAY: The View from Hoboken

 August 8, 2015

The Manhattan Skyline is incredible viewed from Hoboken.
With it's majestic sweep of the Hudson River, train terminals, piers, historic streets and architecture you will love sketching Hoboken's many views.

DETAILS:

When:   We start at 10 AM at Pier A.  Sleeping late? Driving slowly?  No worries - come anyway

Where:   See map for meeting site

How:   Click for Directions

Lunch:  12 - Noon:  Picnic Style, bring your own or pickup a bite in the numerous shops and stores.

Afternoon:   1:15 - Back to Sketching.  We'll move along the path of the map - across Sinatra Drive, up 4th Street then back using Washington Street.  Sketch at will as you go.

Show and Tell:  We'll finish up at the  The Dubliner, 96 River St at the corner of 1st Street to share drawings, good stories and a beer or wine if you're so inclined.

click to enlarge

Can't find us?

Call or Text Mark - 973-809-9128

There are no fees or attendance taken. All drawing skill levels are welcome

Sketching in Lambertville and Stockton, July 19

About 10 of us came out for some sketching in Lambertville today (Sunday 7-19-15) despite the heat.  Lots of great opportunities and settings for sketching-the river, the canal, cafe, historic buildings, and people visiting and walking by.  Some of us then went on to check out the Artsbridge and Watercolor shows at Prallsville Mill in Stockton. 

Thanks Jeff for organizing and the leading the charge! I am posting some images of our sketches-these are just some of the creations. 

SKETCH DAY, Sunday, July 19, Lambertville, New Jersey

See you Sunday, 10am in Lambertville, New Jersey
At the sw corner of Union and Bridge Streets
Weather forecast:  Warm and sunny.

Don't forget a good sun hat and folding stool.

Lambertville:  town center.
 

We can stay in the vicinity of the town center.  Plenty to draw within a five-minute walk:  commercial streets, outdoor restaurants, old canal, views across the Delaware River to New Hope, Pennsylvania. 

We will drive a couple miles north for lunch at Prallsville Mills and continue sketching for the afternoon:  preserved grain mill buildings, art galleries, railroad trail, canal and views of the Delaware River.

See the previous note for schedule and details.  Contact information for me is below.  Call to find us if you're running late. Look forward to seeing you.










SUNDAY JULY 19 LAMBERTVILLE, NEW JERSEY

SKETCHING ALONG THE DELAWARE RIVER

WITH NEW JERSEY URBAN SKETCHERS   njusk.blogspot.com

LAMBERTVILLE AND STOCKTON, NEW JERSEY

SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2016.  10AM-3PM

 

 

LAMBERTVILLE

One of Forbes “15 Prettiest Towns in America.”
Come for a morning of sketching picturesque streets, historic buildings, canals, art galleries, and views along the banks of the Delaware River.

10:00 AM  - 12:30PM  LAMBERTVILLE

Meet in the center of town at the corner of Bridge and Union Streets in the bank parking lot.  We’ll chose our sketching spots for the morning.

12:30 PM  - 1:30PM  TRAVEL TO STOCKTON AND BREAK FOR LUNCH

Depart Lambertville and gather for lunch in Stockton.  Bring your own lunch or find something along the way. Stockton lies approximately 4 miles directly north on   Route 29 (Main Street out of Lambertville.)  Arrive at Prallsville Mills at north end of Stockton for a picnic lunch.

 

 

1:30—3:00 PM    PRALLSVILLE MILL, STOCKTON

We continue sketching at the historical mill complex that sits at the confluence of the Wickecheoke Creek, Delaware and  Raritan    Canal, and the Delaware River.  Mill buildings now make up a unique arts community.

 

 

 

3:00—3:30PM  SHOW AND TELL.  Share your sketches and observations with your  colleagues outdoors or in one of Prallsville gallery spaces.

3:30PM AND AFTERWARDS:

Optional: continue drawing or adjourn to the Stockton Inn just down the road from the mill for refreshments and conversation.

DETAILS

LAMBERTVILLE:  Metered parking is available along town streets.  Flat rate parking is available in a lot off Bridge Street in the block east of Union Street or at the Lambertville Station Restaurant at Bridge Street and the river.  Abundant coffee shops and sandwich places.

Travel from Lambertville to Stockton along Route 29 (Main Street, travelling north from Lambertville.)

 

Lunch suggestions:  City Market Café, 74 North Main Street, Lambertville on the way to Stockton.  Cravings on Route 29 in Stockton.  Or bring your own.

Prallsville Mills: 33 Risler Street (Route 29), Stockton, NJ   (Public restrooms available!)

 

Bring along folding stools or chairs to make yourself comfortable.  Bring your favorite sketching tools (pencil, color pencil, watercolors, and sketchbook.

Rain date:  Sunday, July 26.

 

Questions?  Or to confirm, contact Jeff Charlesworth at

jeffreycharlesworth@gmail.com or phone/text 908.255.5051. 

More information about NJ Urban Sketchers at njusk.blogspot.com

All drawing levels welcomed and encouraged!  Tell your friends.

Bring a folding stool and attractive sun hat! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi, I'm new to the NJ Urban Sketchers and look forward to sharing some of my sketches with the group. I am an art educator and artist. Here is a sketch I did over the weekend at Rockn Joe Coffeehouse in Millburn. It's a great place to sit and draw. They never rush you and the coffee is great!

Pictures of Pictures

This is a re-post from Fred Lynch that I thought was really good and worth sharing.  Fred is an Urban Sketcher from the Boston area and will be teaching a workshop during the International Symposium in Singapore this summer:

Pictures of Pictures

By Fred Lynch near Boston, Massachusetts

Twin Staircases in Vitorchiano

Why do we draw what we draw?  Does it matter?

When you set out to draw, where do you go? Do you have a destination in mind already? Do you wander to find inspiration? Do you prefer to go to famous places - well known for their scenery?

A short time ago, I brought a large batch of my Italy drawings into my class for a critique (I'm a college professor of illustration). It was a good role reversal for everyone. I covered a long wall with drawings. Like most critique recipients, I was anxious. But, I encouraged honesty from my students and they delivered. We talked about the good, the bad, and the ugly before them.

What was most interesting to me, was the clear lack of enthusiasm for drawings that I had made of the most famous sites (like, "Piazza Plebiscito")*. These beautiful, historic places were of less interest to viewers, not more! Using the same skills, materials and time, I was unable to generate enthusiasm in my viewers. They admired the drawings of famous things less. Why?

One student stated in a matter of fact way,  "because they are two kinds of drawings, altogether". She explained that one kind of drawing was of what I, the artist had found to be interesting. The other kind were drawings of subjects that others have found interesting. She was right. I had decided differently why to draw these subjects. 

Artists can either follow their muse, or they can follow the crowd. 

It reminded me of a passage from Don DeLillo's classic novel, White Noise:

"Several days later Murray asked me about a tourist attraction known as the most photographed barn in America.  We drove 22 miles into the country around Farmington.  There were meadows and apple orchards.  White fences trailed through the rolling fields.  Soon the sign started appearing.  THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED BARN IN AMERICA.  We counted five signs before we reached the site.  There were 40 cars and a tour bus in the makeshift lot.  We walked along a cowpath to the slightly elevated spot set aside for viewing and photographing.  All the people had cameras; some had tripods, telephoto lenses, filter kits.  A man in a booth sold postcards and slides -- pictures of the barn taken from the elevated spot.  We stood near a grove of trees and watched the photographers.  Murray maintained a prolonged silence, occasionally scrawling some notes in a little book. 

"No one sees the barn," he said finally.

A long silence followed.

"Once you've seen the signs about the barn, it becomes impossible to see the barn."

He fell silent once more.  People with cameras left the elevated site, replaced by others.

We're not here to capture an image, we're here to maintain one. Every photograph reinforces the aura.  Can you feel it, Jack? An accumulation of nameless energies."

There was an extended silence.  The man in the booth sold postcards and slides.

"Being here is a kind of spiritual surrender.  We see only what the others see.  The thousands who were here in the past, those who will come in the future.  We've agreed to be part of a collective perception.  It literally colors our vision.  A religious experience in a way, like all tourism."

Another silence ensued.

"They are taking pictures of taking pictures," he said.

He did not speak for a while.  We listened to the incessant clicking of shutter release buttons, the rustling crank of levers that advanced the film.

"What was the barn like before it was photographed?" he said.  "What did it look like, how was it different from the other barns, how was it similar to other barns?" "

 -from White Noise by Don DeLillo

Piazza Plebiscito

When we draw famous places, we are consciously or unconsciously burdened by others' perceptions of the place. We see the place in a shared way. We look through our own eyes at the subject, but also through the eyes of all the other viewers of this subject. Many of us are also looking through the eyes of other artists who have drawn this subject, or subjects like it.

In other words, we may compromise our enthusiasms to serve the expected - a pre-pictured image.

In the case of my work, the drawings of famous sites were serving as a "substitute image" of the thing - a symbol - a postcard. I made decisions of how to show the subjects clearly and recognizably and perhaps, too typically. They looked like what drawings of that place usually look like. The other drawings (like, "Twin Staircases in Vitorchiano") were more personal, and thus, more new and interesting.

If we don't follow our own interests, but rather, do what's expected, or familiar,  we end up creating drawings of drawings or pictures of pictures.*

That's why we see so much similarity in artists' styles, or more commonly, so much similarity of subjects. We sometimes draw what other artists draw, rather than what we individually would like to draw. I see it in my students all the time, and try to push them out of it. I push them to create something more personal.

Bringing it back to my work - my students could feel the enthusiasm for my personal interests. They could also feel the compromise of my postcard-like works of famous places. Despite my skills of hand, my lack of heart tripped me up and dampening my enthusiasms. I compromised my muse. I need to watch out for that, because enthusiasm is the difference between a competent drawing and an interesting one. Sure, we can draw famous things - they're famous for a reason- but we should try to add something new to what is said about it - something personal, and thus, memorable. We can't just show things, we have to say things.

Try to stand apart from the crowd.

*I did get credit, and interest for the water-bottle in the drawing.

**Postmodern thinkers are very cognizant of this stuff, but I'll not delve into those deep waters today, I'll soon be over my head.