The Horseback Riders Club

On our last day of stay with the family in SMDV, Madrid, my brothers and I went for a trail hike on the town's surrounding hills.  It was a good walk for us and we had a good talk along the way.  On the return home, we walked into a gathering of horseback riders club at a local cerveceria-tapas-raciones, El Paso, to which I immediately went into full urban sketcher mode.  I pulled out my EDC sketchbook and a ballpoint pen to capture this wonderful event.  It was clear that they were wrapping up their event for the day.  Soon they loaded the horses into the equine trucks.

The equestrian gathering at El Paso Cerveceria-Tapas-Raciones. 
My brother said this was the first he's seen in the many years they've lived in this neighborhood.

The equestrian seem to be waiting for something to happen.  They (horse and riders) move but there's more than one subject to choose from, or "graft" an equestrian from another.  I was more interested in capturing the gesture and drawing them as close as I could interpret what I was seeing. 

It was the most fun trying to capture a fleeting moment and having a go at it.

These horses were tethered to the horse trailers behind the fence.

The TOC Squash at Vanderbilt Hall

I sketched the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions 2024 in Grand Central Terminal!  For this annual tournament, they erected the glass-walled court and the bench seats in the back for the paid spectators.  The Vanderbilt Hall venue couldn't be more grand and busier.  Lots of pedestrian traffic from commuters and tourists alike.  I did a couple of sketches on two different occasions before heading home from work.  Each one was from a different point of view.  It's nice to see them presented in a side by side format.

 

The NYC USK Exhibition at the Philippine Center

Last month, on two different occasions, the NYC Urban Sketchers were invited by the Deputy Consul General, Adrian Cruz, to sketch at the Philippine Center on 5th Avenue, NYC.  He and his artistically inclined daughter, Bianca, are both Urban Sketchers.  A call for artwork submission was made and two weeks later, the Philippine Center took care of printing and framing the artworks which now hang at the center lobby.  This exhibition also highlight the Philippine Center's 50th Celebration.  I'm humbled to have my artwork chosen as the promotional image for the event announcement.

The SPAMALOT Musical

A little late but on Christmas Eve, we saw SPAMALOT, The Musical. A hilariously entertaining show. I sketched what I saw. After the finale, I picked up a few of the confetti that landed near our seats. I pasted them on my sketchbook!

The Eldridge Street Synagogue Museum

It was the first sketch meet this year for the NYC Urban Sketchers and the Eldridge Street Synagogue Museum was the chosen location.  A historic place of worship that is now a museum.  

The Pen and Things holder

Two days ago, I did a sketch of the art materials I store in a re-purposed Talenti ice cream pint container on my desk.  I was using a hard tip Zebra brush pen because the lines are bolder and darker than the ballpoint pen I was very familiar with.  Well, I noticed that I needed to slow down and look hard(er) to make a better representation of what I was sketching.