Urban Sketching in Chicago

Lyric Opera - Corner of Madison and Wacker -A peek at Madame Butterfly set

Chicago Temple -  W Washington Street

The Palmer House Hotel -  E Monroe

Last Sunday, Urban Sketchers-Chicago joined the (CAF)  Chicago Architecture Foundation to tour and sketch. What humbling fun! We walked to three different venues, toured one and sketched all three, in three hours! Whew!

While I was disappointed in my resulting sketches, the day was great fun. I came away with a smile, some new sketching friends and resolved to brush up on my rapid sketching!

Sunshine and Sketching - An Urban Sketcher's Delight

What a gorgeous day in Chicago! Our Monday sketch group chose the Lincoln Park Conservatory as our sketching destination today. We figured we'd be ready for what ever the Chicago weather had in store. It won't be long before we'll be limited to inside venues. The was a touch of fall in the air but the sun was warm. Time flew by!

I usually don't sketch the architecture. People are more likely to catch my attention. But today I decided to give it a shot. It's a little overworked but I had a good time doing it. For me, that's what urban sketching is about – enjoying sketching the moment.

I'm down to the last to pages of my Stillman and Birn hardbound Beta series sketchbook. I prefer the hardbound but no one around here carries them.

Look What I Found!

In the spring we were in California for a wedding. We drove from Malibu, the site of the wedding, to San Francisco to visit family. We made many stops along the way to enjoy the sights.

While I was doing a little computer file maintenance I came across these sketches that I never posted. They're not all winners but the sights and the trip were!

At the Santa Monica Pier

The Page Museum, a.k.a. La Brea Tar Pits -The bird skeletons intrigued me, so elegant in a strange way

This looks like fall but it was spring and these were the colors I saw.

Vermeer is one of my favorites. I was delighted to catch this exhibit.
Like I said not every page is a winner! 

Too Hot to Roar but Not to Draw

 The Lincoln Park Zoo is under a massive redesign. It's a beautiful place that they're making even better. The noise didn't seem to bother Sahar, the lion, or the four Monday sketchers who showed up to draw on a HOT (90+°) September afternoon.

With school open now the zoo was almost empty. It was a very relaxing afternoon. We had a great time chatting about methods of sketching and ideas of what to draw. There may be one or two new converts to Every Day Matters (EDM) list. 

Sahar is about two years old. His mane is just growing in and he's very proud of it. In between his quick naps he strutted his stuff around the enclosure.

Good Morning Chicago!

It's been a very long time since I've been in school or even had kids in school but for some reason, for me, the new year still starts in September! The good thing about this is all my resolutions can get a reboot in January! 

This is a 5 minute sketch done while I sipped my second cup of morning coffee.

Not Old McDonald's Farm

A couple of Saturdays ago this urban sketcher left her studio to visit an urban farm! In an old meatpacking plant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago there is a wonderful place called The Plant. Its mission is to repurpose the old plant into a vertical farm (I love that term) and food business operation. 

The Plant-Outdoor Garden

When it is fully operational one-third of The Plant will be an aquaponic farm system. It's a circle from fish to vegetables to fish. The fish in tanks produce ammonia-based waste that is broken down into nitrates that are fed to the plants growing in water beds. The plants absorb the nitrates and clean the water. The water the goes back to the fish. The idea is to sell both the fish and the vegetables to local markets and restaurants.  The other two-thirds of the building will house sustainable food businesses.

Aquaponics

This is just a hint of what is planned. Right now there's a bakery, a tea brewery, a mushroom farm and the aquaponics has begun. There's an outdoor garden and a roof garden. It has a long way to go but The Plant will have a renewable energy system that will use more than 10,000 tons of food waste from landfills each year to meet its energy requirements. About 125 jobs will be created. There are retail and restaurant spaces planned. Go, take the tour. See the future and be inspired and amazed!

There were nineteen people on the tour with Barbara, our guide. 

Om

Urban Sketchers-Chicago met in Chinatown yesterday. I started the day's adventure on the water taxi from Michigan Avenue to Ping Tom Park. What a perfect day for a half hour ride on the Chicago River!

The group met then spread out to sketch. Some of us went to the square with the zodiac sculptures. Surprise! When we got there there was a festival – a perfect day for that too! It was buzzing with people, costumes, dancing and karate, balloons and food. It all took place in front of an altar with a statue of Buddha filled offerings of incense, food and flowers. The general mood was fun and reverent. I wish I knew more about it. From what we could gather it was just a Chinatown summer celebration –
delightful!