Tag Archive for: Field Sketching
Botanical Sketching at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center
Botanical Sketching and Painting
What better way to escape the winter blahs than to spend time in the lovely Botanical Center soaking in the warmth, humidity, and smells of flowers and soil? Bring your sketchbooks, pencils, pens, or watercolors and spend the day surrounded by a wide variety of plants, a lovely koi pond, and like-minded artists.
Botanical sketching is a great exercise for artists. Challenging your observation skills, developing form, fine-tuning eye-hand coordination, and providing all sorts of textures and colors for you to render.
The Botanical Center is open from 10 AM until 4 PM so feel free to come anytime and join us. Bring a brown bag lunch and we will gather and share our sketches with each other between noon and 1 PM. Preregistration is strongly suggested.
The snow date for this event will be Sunday, February 19th.
Hike and Field Sketching at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
Field Sketching at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
GNSI-NE members will be welcoming the arrival of spring with a hike and sketch outing at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. One of our members, Jonathan Cook, has offered to be our trail guide for the day so let’s go have some artistic fun in the great outdoors! Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for Seniors (65+), and $3 for Children (2-12), free admission for Audubon members, and Sharon residents.
Moose Hill, established in 1916, is Mass Audubon’s oldest wildlife sanctuary, encompassing protected forests, fields, and wetlands. Seasonal programs, summer day camp, diverse hiking trails, and a red maple swamp boardwalk provide countless opportunities for exploration.
– taken from Mass Audubon website
Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary Highlights
- 20 miles of trails through 1,971 acres.
- Billings Loop Trail – Mixed forest, old farm field, red maple swamp boardwalk, barn, and sugar shack. Look for Eastern bluebirds and tree swallows checking out the nest boxes.
- Bluff Overlook Trail – Extends from the Billing loop to the Bluff Trail and back. Stonewalls and dense forests give way to a scenic overlook. You can find a large cistern and the last remnants of a former orchard along this trail.
- Vernal Pool Trail – We will be here at prime time for the vernal pools to be active so hopefully we will find masses of frog and salamander eggs and or tadpoles.
- Kettle / Pine / Ovenbird Trails – Challenging loop of trails through hilly terrain. This is the oldest section of the sanctuary and you may find seasonal streams, an old rhododendron garden, and a kettle hole along the way.
- Summit Trail – Short but strenuous walk takes you to the highest point in the sanctuary (534 feet). From the top of the hill, you may be able to catch a glimpse of the Fire Tower.
Be prepared to be outside!
- The Nature Center at the refuge is open from 9 AM to 4 PM.
- Trails are open from sunrise to sunset, so if you want to arrive before 10 AM or stay after 2 PM that’s perfectly fine.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes.
- Have appropriate insect repellent and apply it if you expect to get into any vegetation that may harbor ticks.
- Bring portable seating for extended sessions of sketching or painting in one place.
- Bring a bag lunch and water with you.
- Download a PDF trail map to have with you while you hike.
Under the Sea Field Sketching | New England Aquarium
Under the Sea Field Sketching
Come join the GNSI New England Chapter crew as we get ready to dive into an under the sea field sketching trip at the New England Aquarium or Mystic Aquarium if that location is closer for you. If you are interested, contact Laurie Bebick as she is coordinating getting a library pass for 50% off the regular admission price to New England Aquarium (I am not sure if there are passes available for the Mystic Aquarium). We need a final headcount by Wednesday, April 13th in order to make sure we have enough passes for everyone to go.
Please note the aquarium is doing timed entry tickets.
Field Sketching | Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary
Field Sketching at Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary
In our quest for new places to explore, GNSI-NE has chosen Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary for a late August field sketching outing. Please consider carpooling with other members and let’s go have some artistic fun in the great outdoors!
Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Rowley, MA has 1.7 miles of trails through 226 acres encompassing spectacular coastal woodlands, salt marshes, tidal creeks, and salt pannes, and supports an astonishing diversity of wildlife. The sanctuary, managed in collaboration with the Essex County Greenbelt, is part of the Great Marsh ecosystem. The area has been designated an Important Bird Area and Area of Critical Environmental Concern.
– taken from Mass Audubon website
The comments section has been turned on in case people want to coordinate carpooling, or meeting times for lunch or to share the work you have created. Please feel free to drop a comment and get the plans in motion for this exciting day of nature observation.
Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary Highlights
- Five well-marked trails through magnificent coastal woodlands to several viewpoints that offer panoramas of the Great Marsh.
- Habitats that favor many breeding bird species, such as Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Saltmarsh Sparrows, as well as migratory birds like Least Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers.
- Granite benches at the end of Professor Chandler’s Long Walk and on the Kestrel Trail, providing wonderful places to sit, contemplate nature, or have a snack.
- Sawyer’s Island, a one-mile hike from the parking area, has spectacular vistas from every direction and a view of an active Osprey nesting platform.
- Programs for all ages are held through Joppa Flats Education Center.
Two sanctuaries to visit in Rowley!
Alternatively, you can also visit Nelson Island, which is immediately next to Rough Meadows, but you must pay attention to the tides as this area is affected by the high tide, make sure to check the tide schedule and plan accordingly.
Be prepared to be outside!
- The refuge is open from sunrise to sunset, so if you want to arrive before 10 or stay after 4 to avoid the midday heat, that’s perfectly fine.
- We recommend wearing sunscreen and a hat and bringing a windbreaker as the area is wide open and you will be exposed to the sun and wind.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes.
- Have appropriate insect repellent and apply it if you expect to get into any vegetation that may harbor ticks.
- Bring portable seating for extended sessions of sketching or painting in one place.
- Bring a bag lunch and plenty of water with you.
- Download a PDF trail map to have with you while you hike.
Plein Air Painting and Sketching at Sachuset Point National Wildlife Refuge
Plein air painting – celebrating gathering outdoors!
Plein air painting “in the open air” seems to be the greatest way to celebrate the reestablishment of getting back to normal life. Leave the four walls of your studio behind, grab your easel, paper, brushes, and paints and head out into the great outdoors for our first in-person gathering since COVID-19 shut everything down. If painting isn’t your thing… bring your sketchbooks, pencils, pens, or any other media you choose to play with. Our destination is Sachuset Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown, RI, one of five wildlife refuge areas in Rhode Island. Sachuset Point NWR offers a variety of habitats to explore and paint from shrubland to salt marsh and cobble beach.
The comments section has been turned on in case people want to coordinate carpooling, or meeting times for lunch or to share the work you have created. Please feel free to drop a comment and get the plans in motion for this celebration of getting back to some form of normalcy.
See below for directions and contact information.
Be prepared to be outside!
- The refuge is open from sunrise to sunset, so if you want to arrive before 10 or stay after 4 to avoid the midday heat, that’s perfectly fine.
- Parking may be limited according to their website, so we highly recommend people carpool if at all possible, and arrive as early as possible.
- We recommend wearing sunscreen and a hat and bringing a windbreaker as the area is wide open and you will be exposed to the sun and wind.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes.
- Have appropriate insect repellent and apply it if you expect to get into any vegetation that may harbor ticks.
- Bring portable seating for extended sessions of painting in one place.
- Bring a bag lunch and plenty of water with you. Currently, the visitor center is NOT open to the public.
- Download a PDF trail map to have with you while you hike.
Chapter Open Sketch and Share via Zoom
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
– Theodore Roosevelt
As we start off 2021 we are still working through the challenges of COVID-19, and so our first scheduled sketch and share session of the year will be held via Zoom. This quote from Theodore Roosevelt seemed fitting – do what you can… draw! sketch! create! With what you have… pencil, ink, watercolor, digital tablet, colored pencil. Where you are… in your studio, looking out your window, from your car if you feel like taking a drive somewhere. Then share it with the group!
Alternatively, if you have something in process and would like a critique session, feel free to share your work and get feedback from other Chapter members. This will be an informal gathering in which we can simply enjoy each others company and creativity the best way we can at the moment. Future sessions may be themed, or focus on a particular subject or some other way to challenge your creativity, but for the first one, we’ll keep it wide open.
Plein air painting at Blithewold Gardens
Plein Air Painting Field Trip
Come join us as we enjoy the cool fall air of October and the beautiful garden views and vistas of Narragansett Bay that can only be found at the treasure of Blithewold Gardens. For those of you who have not visited, Blithewold is a stately 33-acre estate masterfully designed by several well-known landscape architects. There is a wonderful blend of both historic and contemporary gardening, nurseries, walkways, plantings and sculptures. The peak blooming season may have passed, but the fall foliage should be well underway, and there are bound to be wonderful quiet places to sit and simply enjoy being outside and allowing one’s creativity to fill blank pages or canvases.
You do need to register ahead of time, so please visit the link in the Details area and purchase a ticket ahead of time.
Botanical Sketching | Tower Hill Botanical Garden Field Trip
Socially Distant Botanical Sketching
Our Chapter is organizing a small group of attendees to visit Tower Hill Botanical Garden and do socially distant botanical sketching in the outdoor garden areas. This group is limited to 12 participants, and you will need to preregister with Carol Schwartz or Mei Leung by June 10th to secure your place. To help spread out visitors, Tower Hill is staggering entry times, and we need to enter the garden during our assigned 1.5 hour entry time then we can stay until the garden closes at 5 PM.
*** Rain date is Thursday, June 18th ***
Visitor Safety Guidelines (From Tower Hill’s Visitor Page)
- If you are sick, please stay home!
- Masks or face coverings are required for all visitors over the age of 2 who are able throughout Tower Hill property.
- Stay six feet from visitors not in your household. Make room for others to pass when possible.
- The Visitor Center is closed at this time, including Farmer & the Fork Café, Garden Shop, and Library. All plants from the two conservatories have been moved outside to their summer homes.
- Indoor restrooms are available near the Limonaia. These restrooms are being cleaned in accordance with CDC and state guidelines. Please be prepared to physically distance while you wait in line.
- Due to public health guidelines, they are unable to offer drinking water on site. Please bring your own.
- Picnics are permitted in grassy areas, but they do ask that you take any trash with you. Due to public health restrictions, they have removed most chairs throughout the property.
- The Garden cannot loan wheelchairs to visitors at this time.
You may visit Tower Hill’s website to plan your visit and stay safe while enjoying the beautiful outdoor garden spaces.
Tag Archive for: Field Sketching
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