April 11th: Stoke Newington Church Street

Our chosen date for our April outing, Wednesday 11th, was grey and deeply uninspirational, but not actually raining. Despite this, six artists came to Stoke Newington Church Street, and all but one immediately disappeared into the comfortable surroundings of The Green Room Cafe.
One outdoor painting was produced before the artist got too chilly to carry on, but mostly we concentrated on the customers of the Green Room. We had a great time capturing faces and gestures in this busy cafe,and some of the decor, although one person preferred the seclusion of the semi-covered backyard, and we enjoyed the excellent cuisine on offer. We may have achieved our aim of getting together some work to put into the impending IAS Spring Show in the Stoke Newington Library Gallery round the corner!

Next sketchdate: Wednesday 11 April: Stoke Newington Church Street

We have decided that our April outing should be to Stoke Newington Church Street so that people have an opportunity to produce something local which might go into the IAS's spring show, which is taking place in the Stoke Newington Library.

As the deadline for submitting titles to the IAS is the 15th April, our date has been brought forward to Wednesday 11th.

As usual, we will meet at 11am, and we will gather at the gates of the old Stoke Newington Town Hall, a splendid and hopefully unmissable deco building at 205B Stoke Newington Church St, Stoke Newington, London N16 0JR.  The Town Hall is at the western end of Church Street, close to Clissold Park and the two Churches.  Image can be found: here

There  is no underground anywhere near Stoke Newington, but many buses.  In particular, the 106 runs from Finsbury Park to Stoke Newington High Street and Railway Station (London Overground), and there is a short cut from the Queen Elizabeth Walk stop through Clissold Park.

We can either do street scenes of Stoke Newington Church Street, and some of the very pretty backstreets, or we can go into Clissold Park or the Churchyards.   It is probably best not to draw in Abney Cemetery, fascinating as it is, on your own. 

Bring your sketching stool, and if wet, an umbrella.  If it is too wet to operate outside, we will have to do cafe sketching (always pleasant anyway) in a nice cafe or pub.

Sue's telephone number for the day is 07975 864142, we look forward to seeing everybody. 


  

Visit to the Flask, Hampstead, on 27 March

The Flask pub, Hampstead was another new location for Art in the Park. Nine of us presented ourselves on a damp morning, and astonishingly, two of us decided to sketch outside, and came in chilled later. The pub did not disappoint, being very full of Victorian fitments, including unusual and noted chromolithographs. The food was very good as well and the staff charming. We worked very hard, and had a jolly lunch together, and would like to return in the summer, because Flask Walk and the local streets became very attractive when the sun came out in the afternoon.

Some of us focused on the details of the location:

And here are the outdoor sketches:

Tuesday 27 March: The Flask pub, 14 Flask Walk Hampstead London NW3 1HE

This time we are going to Hampstead, to another new venue for Art in the Park, The Flask pub of Flask Walk. This offers the full Victoriana interior combined with an old-fashioned, and charming, Dickensian lane outside and wider street vistas round the corner. Artists should bring their sketching stools so that they can work outside if they feel that it is warm enough. More details and images here

We will meet at the Flask at 11 o'clock, when the bar, presumably offering tea and coffee, will be open. The saloon bar, with food, opens at 12. Menus can be examined here and they do have veggie options.

Flask Walk is a couple of minutes' walk south from Hampstead tube station (Golders Green arm of the Northern Line). see map here

The 210 bus runs from Finsbury Park to the Whitestone Pond, (and on to Brent Cross), but if you alight at the Pond you can walk down the hill to Hampstead tube station, and then onto Flask Walk.

Sue's telephone number for the day is 07975 864142, we look forward to seeing everybody and  another productive day out with our sketching gear.

February 13: Day in The Woodman pub, Highgate N6

Another new venue for Art in the Park, ten of us very much enjoyed ourselves in the fascinating Woodman pub. We admired its Arts and Crafts interior, and its assorted statuary in various rooms, and we worked our socks off with our sketchbooks!

We sketched the mirrors, the staff, and the statuary (but there are more statues to be done on another visit!)

Some experimental work was carried out, inspired by the ethos of the Woodman and its artefacts:

One person had so much to say that she had to use two hands at once, even with the most sophisticated travelling sketching kit possible:

We had a great day in The Woodman; the staff were very welcoming, and the food was delicious, and there is a covered verandah at the back so this would be a good place to be on one of those summer sketching days when it pours with rain. We look forward to a return visit.

Visit to Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street, on 30 January 2018

Thirteen IAS members and their guests came to the “Cathedral of the Arts and Crafts Movement”, Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street, on Tuesday 30 January. We found lots of fabulous material to sketch. We very much appreciated being able to draw and watercolour inside such a gorgeous building, and thank the Church staff for allowing us to do so, and being so helpful on the day.

Most of us shot straight into the warmth of the Church, but one hardy soul produced this lovely pic of the outside of the building:

Some of the work we produced inside the Church:

For most of us, Holy Trinity was a revelation, and we were astonished at the artwork within. We hope to come back and have another go at catching some of its beauty.

February Sketching Day: Tuesday 13 February: The Woodman, Highgate

Our February event will be held inside (or outside) the Woodman pub, 414 Archway Rd, Highgate, London N6 5UA, and we will meet at our usual time of 11 o'clock. 

This arts and crafts pub is on the A1 a little way north of Highgate Tube station on the Northern Line.   If the weather is warm enough, people can sketch the pub itself (quite pretty with several gables) from the little green across the Muswell Hill Road, or the Victorian shop fronts on the other side of the A1.  Otherwise, we can get cups of coffee, and later, lunch (veggie options) inside the pub which has a panelled interior with lots of varied arts and crafts windows, co-ordinating fireplace, and nooks.  One side of the interior is more interesting than the other.  There are also large reproductions of dramatic figure artwork, which would be interesting to incorporate into compositions involving the architecture and the pub patrons.   There is also a central bar, with bar staff and objets.   Parts of the decor are quite quirky.    On a recce visit, the pub was fairly empty.   Various images here
Menu options can be seen here here

The Woodman is on the junction of the A1 Archway Road with Southwood Lane and Muswell Hill Road, see map

As well as the tube, there are multiple buses which run up to the A1/Muswell Road junction, including the 43, the 134, and the 263.

If you want to sketch outside, please bring your sketching stool and wrap up warm.   Sue's number for the day is: 07975 864142