The Great Outdoors…At Last!

At long last, a gorgeous spring day in Chicago! And what a great way to spend it, sketching outdoors at the Art Institute of Chicago! What first caught my attention when I walked into the park was how the trees were bare but the grass and ivy were green.

Who Thinks of Summer in the City as Green?

North Sculpture Garden at the Art Institute of Chicago

It's been along time since I lost a sketchbook but… 

The sketchbook I've been using strictly for urban sketching is gone. I keep hoping I've only misplaced it but I've searched high and low with no success; it's time to move on. For awhile now I've been toying around with the idea of using a square format and working larger when on location. Monday was as good a time as any. 

This is an 8 x 8 Hand•Book I bought the last time I was in San Francisco. It's now been officially designated as my urban sketching book for USk sketch crawls and the Monday Sketch Group. It's a good way to keep a record of our outings. The Monday group met this week at the Art Institute and sketched in the north sculpture garden. We've had a lot of rain lately and also some real summer heat so there were few flowers to be seen but a million lush shades of green. For me the greens even overpowered the sculpture.

Lush greens, loud cicadas, dappled shade and sketching, despite not being thrilled with the sketch, I'll smile when I look back at this page.

Looking East

Sunday the Urban Sketchers Chicago contingent met at the Art Institute. I decided to sketch in a section that I rarely explore – the Asian collection. I didn't get far! I was almost immediately fascinated by these ancient Chinese serrated axes and disks. I sketched them with a Tombow 4B pencil and added the color from memory at home. No disrespect intended but I would love to hang any of them on a cord to wear as a pendant. I sketched them as they are displayed - the six pieces in one wall case.

I moved on to discover these "tomb guardians" from  480-221 BC. Made of wood and about ten inches tall. Their bases are about two inches thick but their bodies in some areas are remarkably only about 1/4 inch thick, beautifully delicate and strong at the same time! This sketch was completed at the museum.

The Art Institute of Chicago allows only pencil sketching. I throughly enjoyed working with the Tombow 4B and feel of the pencil on the paper.  The directness of hand, tool and material made me feel a connection with the ancient sculptors. Both sketches were done in my Stillman & Birn Gamma Series sketchbook. There are two spreads left in the book. I've loved working in it, time to get another one!