We got to Chicago a couple of days early. M and I went out walking, I sketched, and we met some other Urban Sketchers.
We saw the fountain at dusk, but there wasn't time to get out my watercolors.
That evening, we had drinks at our hotel with fellow sketcher Ellen, from Austin, and made plans to take an architectural tour the next morning.
The boat tour was fascinating, but it was too quick for me to sketch.
I did some more sketching outside the Art Institute...
and in nearby gardens, meeting fellow sketchers wherever I went.
The Spirit of Music Garden was across from out hotel. I sketched part of a painted door display in the dabbled light. Sadly, later in the week, most of these doors were broken and destroyed.
That afternoon, we checked in at the Symposium registration, got our goodie bags, and went out for a skethwalk. I sketched at the pavilion and at The Bean, returning later to finish the watercoloring.
That evening, Gabs Companario, the founder of Urban Sketchers, was the keynote speaker. It was wonderful to hear him speak about how he started the online blog that eventually became a worldwide movement.
Thursday, I had my first workshop, "Trees and the City', with Shari Blaukopft. I was so pleased to be shown this blobby method of painting trees!
In the afternoon, I went to a demo by Delphine Priollaud-Stocket. On a very busy street corner, she spread out lots of watercolors and made this energetic and dynamic sketch. Her demo was titled 'From Splashes to Lines, Draw Free of Stress.' I could never be free of stress drawing in afternoon rush hour on a busy sidewalk!
The next morning, before the workshops started, I sketched from an outdoor table at our neighborhood Starbucks, watching the city come to life.
With Lapin, at the Field Museum, we did gesture drawing and then portraits of Sue, the dinosaur bones found by paleontologist Sue Hendrickson. Sue is the "largest, best-preserved and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found."
In this workshop, I realized that I could be taking a lot more liberties with colors in my sketches.
After eating a quick vegie hotdog from Kim and Carlo's Hot Dog Station, I hotfooted it back to the symposium gathering place to head off to Pat Southern-Pearce's workshop, 'Sketching and Lettering on Toned Ground.'
In the evening, I attended Rita Sabler's lecture about sketching as a form of resistance.
Saturday, I failed miserably in Virginia Hein's class 'The Color of Light in an Urban Garden,' due to no fault ofVirginia, who was very supportive and helpful.
 |
| Virginia painting |
 |
| Notice that I am not sharing my sketch:) |
In the afternoon, we had the final sketchwalk, along Michigan Avenue and then we all gathered for a group photo and drone watching.
The symposium ended with an auction, closing ceremony, and celebration back at the Roosevelt Goodman Center, the hub of all our activities.
In the days following the symposium, I got in a few more sketches, while taking in some more of the tourist sites of Chicago. The symposium was wonderful, inspiring, filled with interesting and generous people, and once again, over far too soon.
At the airport before heading back, I got in a sketch of this dino skeleton by a Field Museum shop.
Thank you, Chicago! I hope to come back again.
