Parkland Walk sketching day

Around a dozen Islington Art Society members and their guests turned up to paint and sketch last Tuesday which was a gorgeous summer's day. We sat with our sketch pads and absorbed the rural atmosphere of the Parkland Walk close to the Crouch End Hill entrance.

We were subliminally aware of the tweeting of the birds and the Speckled Wood and White butterflies dancing along the ivy and buddleia but mostly we concentrated on our art. There was also time for relaxed chatter amongst ourselves and with other users of the Walk.

The Parkland Walk was looking good with dynamic contrasts between the brickwork and iron bridgeworks, the greenery and the glittering graffiti all emphasised by the sunshine. It was a slightly surreal experience made more so by the Spriggan and some of us took away fantastic pieces of flaked graffiti as elements for future exotic artworks. 

We were delighted with the friendly Sercem Café on Crouch End Hill which provided good coffee and excellent Turkish dishes. This section of the Parkland Walk offered a great many eye-catching subjects for sketching, and would be good for a repeat visit. It was a smashing day all round.

Artwork credits:
Above left, The Spriggan ©Susan Lees 2014
Right, Lost Station ©Janet Payne 2014

Next Art in the Park Day: Tuesday 15 July from 10.30am - The Parkland Walk, Crouch End/Islington North

We are going to start at the Sercem Café by the entrance to the Parkland Walk at the junction of Hornsey Rise N19/Crouch End Hill N8. The Sercem Café has basic refreshments, a few tables and chairs and a small lavatory. The Parkland Walk is down some steps. 

Various buses go up and down the road most usefully the 91. Also the 271 turns off a few minutes walk down the hill on the Hornsey Road. You can find a link to the map here.

At this point on the Parkland Walk there is a nice view of the bridge and rear of the café, and graffiti (interesting artistically), there are the old platforms, old railway walls with arches and statues springing out of the wall, more graffiti, and a bit further down the skateboard park (possibly with skateboarders) plus steps up to the new Crouch Hill Park and wooden  climbing walks for the children. The vista is heavily wooded.

I suggest that we meet at 10.30 at the Sercem Café, and then go down and paint below. Some of us will probably be visible from the steps so that latecomers can see that we have arrived. Participants can leave whenever they feel like it but hopefully some people will want to continue into the afternoon.

Bring your sketching stools as there aren't any benches.

I understand that the Friends of the Parkland Walk would be willing to put people's artwork on their website, which is very nice of them, and any finished work will of course qualify as a 'local view' for the Islington Art Society's Crouch End Exhibition in November.

If you would like to join us please turn up on the day or leave a message in the comments box below or alternatively email the Islington Art Society. We are keen to involve as many members of the Islington Art Society as possible in Art in the Park as it is such fun sketching outdoors with others.

Sketching outing to Arlington Square

Our Art in the Park date for June was blessed with dry weather and actual sun at times. Seven Islington Art Society members and one guest met to sketch and enjoy the peace of Arlington Square which was looking very good both horticulturally and artistically. The nearby pub supplied various essentials and kept some of us going well into the afternoon. It was a nice location for sketching outdoors and suitable for a return visit.

Summer sketching date: Tuesday 24 June

Our next Art in the Park Sketching Day is Tuesday 24 June when we plan to go to Arlington Square, Islington N1. This is a very pretty square which has benefited from a huge community gardening effort, it contains an interesting shed (a possible focal point), and a sort of patio area with a few palm trees around it.

It is surrounded by pretty Georgian houses that are visible through the trees and there is a pub, The North Star, at 188-190 New North Road, Islington, London N1 7BJ which is a two minute walk away. It opens at 11am and has lavatories. You can find a map here and the A1200 is the New North Road.
  
The two of us who are going to go to Arlington Square are hoping to be joined by other members from Islington Art Society. If you would like to join us please let us know via the message box below so that we know who to expect. We suggest that we meet in the square at 11am.

Sketching in the rain at London Fields Lido

Two intrepid artists braved the torrential rain today to sketch at London Fields Lido, the open-air, heated Olympic sized swimming pool in Hackney. A tarpaulin provided some cover from the endless rain but some water inevitably ended up on the sketch books adding a random quality to the finished results.

After about an hour and a half our two artists withdrew to the nearby E5 Bakery café for a warming bowl of soup and the conversation turned to possible future outings to the Velopark and the Aquacentre, both at the Queen Elizabeth Park.

May meeting: Tuesday 27 May

For our May meeting we are going to meet at the café by London Fields Lido at 11am. The nearest overground stations are Hackney Central, London Fields and Cambridge Heath and the nearest tube station is Bethnal Green on the Central Line.

 

If you'd like to join us and have any questions please message us via the comments box below or just show up on the day.

Funfair at Clissold Park: 5 May

On Bank Holiday Monday 5 May a small group of artists called OckArt, based around Ockendon Road Islington, are visiting Clissold Park to take in the funfair.