Washington DC Sketchbook, 2007, Part One
I started a day of sketching in Washington D.C. recently in the National Sculpture Garden, a relaxing place with fountains and plenty of shade trees. Perhaps an odd choice for the US National Sculpture Garden, one of the works is an original Paris Metro gate. There is even an entire café building designed to match! I love the organic, otherworldly lines of these gates, and was happily surprised to find it here. [cont. below]
I then moved on to the National Gallery of Art. Sketching is allowed in pencil only so I added the ink and color to these drawings later on. The Calder Mobile is huge, hangs in a large light filled space, and moves ever so slowly. Fantastic.
The Ernst sculpture sits in the same atrium. Although I liked it immediately, through the process of drawing it I really “got it” so much more. They say that drawing in a museum can greatly facilitate observation and now I understand why. The little details and manner in which this piece is so completely stylized are wonderful. And witty: I was laughing out loud as I drew it. One group came by and pronounced: “it is ugly, we can’t believe that is art, we wouldn’t take it if they paid us”. How original. I however, would love to have it in my front yard and it would look great there too (hint, hint, National Gallery 🙂 ).
All posts from this Trip:
Planes and Trains
Washington DC Sketchbook, Part One
Washington DC Sketchbook, Part Two
New York Sketchbook, Part One
New York Sketchbook, Part Two
Related Topics: Landscapes, Still Life, Travel Sketching, Washington DC
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July 29th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
These are really great and remind me of what great city Washington DC is for art. I haven’t been there for years but the Hirshhorn was my favorite but there are so many really wonderful museums in DC and your drawings are spectacular, as usual.
Thanks so much for sharing your trip!
July 23rd, 2007 at 4:27 pm
What wonderful travel sketches. I hope you do another travel zine again. And my favorite is definitely the Thinker. He so serious.
July 20th, 2007 at 4:01 am
What a productive sketch crawl. I too, particularly like the Thinker and Capricorn.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:00 am
These are all such lovely sketches. Beautiful colors and compositions. I love your style.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Thank you all!
Katherine: I don’t know if the NGA supplies stools: good question. I didn’t see any other artist’s there. A few days later when I was at the Met in NY I saw folks on stools and even a whole class drawing sculptures. I did some sketches there too which I’ll post soon.
July 19th, 2007 at 6:00 am
Martha–
Your work and style is so nice and easy to look at. I enjoy all of your posts.
July 18th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
These are such gorgeous sketches! Sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed yourself too 🙂
July 18th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
hi martha, we lived in the DC metro area not too long ago, these are great sketches that bring back so many good memories, i loved taking the metro and going to the National Gallery of Art and have sketched there some times. there’s nothing like letting your hand draw a work by the masters, whether a sculpture or a painting, it’s one of my favorite things to do when I go to a museum
July 18th, 2007 at 8:06 am
Super sketches.
I so enjoy sketching in museums as well. Do they have sketching stools in the museum at the NGA?
I recommend coloured pencils for sketching in galleries – they don’t see you as a problem and can get colour down while there.
July 18th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Hi Martha – thanks for your kind comment on my blog.
It’s great to ‘meet’ you and discover your wonderful sketches. You have a refreshing and relaxed style. I shall return often. xxx
July 18th, 2007 at 12:17 am
Wonderful sketches as always, the garden being my favorite, I also love your plane and train sketches..they’re just so good!
Ronell
July 17th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
If those sculptures are half as wonderful as you’ve drawn them in must have been a great day. I adore the Thinker as a bunny and Capricorn!
July 17th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
I love all these sketches, but especially the Max Ernst sculpture. It’s stylization, as you noted, is wonderful, which in turn, lends itself to a beautiful stylized drawing.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:41 am
i really like your line styles and colour scheme
July 17th, 2007 at 1:31 am
I always love your sketches, Martha, and these are wonderful as usual. Your museum sketches especially communicate so much more than a photo of the work would – and for you those pieces will always be like old friends.
July 16th, 2007 at 9:52 am
These are great. I love the Thinker, and Capricorn. I totally agree that sketching in a museum makes you really look at things properly. I’d rather spend my time sketching 3 things and seeing them properly, than try to look at everything and see nothing.
July 16th, 2007 at 7:56 am
Oh I love your sketching. I wish I had the talent to add these sorts of things to my own site, but my artistic endeavors have generally been less than impressive!
July 16th, 2007 at 2:49 am
Martha! These are fabulous!! What terrific pieces of DC you’ve chosen to do — and do so well!