And we’re back!

YES! We’re back.

Sorry for the long delay and blog vacation. Sometimes, you have to take a break from emails and the laptop and take time off for yourself and your family. Hope everyone is doing well.

Well, it’s time to get back at it and Christine has selected a great urban place to sketch. 

She suggested Pensacola because it has a little bit of everything: retro buildings on Pensacola and King, McKinley High School, and a Buddhist-looking temple. Personally, I love the quaint storefronts in the area.

Let’s meet on the Ewa side of the Walgreen’s parking lot at 10am. Please refrain from parking in the retail lot and save those spaces for their customers. There’s plenty of street parking nearby. We’ll sketch from 10 to 11:30am and share our sketches 11:30 to noon.

If attending, please email us at uskoahu@gmail.com by Friday, March 25th with your name and phone number. We will retain the list for contact tracing purposes. Please be considerate of others around you and stay home if you feel sick.

Looking forward to sketching again IN PERSON on March 26th!

A special shout out to Pam and Ruth for sending their sketches from our last virtual event. It’s always fun to sketch together!

Ready for a (Sub) Urban Sketching Event?

Fill up your gas tank everyone because we are heading to the country.

This Sunday (NOT Saturday), we are meeting at the entrance of Waimea Valley for a fun day of nature sketching. We are meeting on Sunday to take advantage of their LĀ ‘OHANA DAY, 50% off admission fees for kama’aina and military families. That’s a bargain $5 admission price! Also, please note we are meeting at 9am when the park opens for a better chance of ample free parking.

Besides your normal sketching supplies, you may also want to bring sunblock, mosquito repellent, and a hat. The park also suggests a rain jacket but that’s entirely optional. Wear comfortable shoes as the walk to the waterfall is 3/4 of a mile or about a 20-30 minute walk. If you arrive later than 9am, you can meet us at the halfway point to the falls, which is only a 10-15 minute walk. We’ll be meeting at the halfway point for sharing at 10:30am.

Please visit their website here for more info. Waimea Valley has a vast history and a strong mission of conservation and restoration.

If attending, please email us at uskoahu@gmail.com by Saturday, July 17th with your name and phone number. We will retain the list for contact tracing purposes. Also, as we are on private property, we are asked to wear facemasks when entering the visitor center, restrooms, snack shop, gift shop, waterfall area (unless swimming), and ticket booth. Please be consider of others around you and stay home if you feel sick.

Thanks to Christine who visited the park two weeks ago to do some pre-sketching research.

See you on Sunday, the 18th!

Two Great Groups, One Great Event

Hello Urban Sketchers! Hope all is well and that you are enjoying the outdoors with less restrictions. Let’s hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.

We have a great opportunity on June 19th to meet local Plein Air Artist Mark Brown and his Master class as we all paint together at Kekaulike Market in Chinatown. This is an amazing opportunity for us Urban Sketchers to learn techniques from a master and meet other talented artists that paint outdoors all over Oahu. Mark has chosen a perfect place for our collaboration that’s colorful and bursting with urban life.

This event will be unlike our previous outings. We will meet 8-9am as a group while Mark will teach invaluable skills to capture lighting, colors, and movement on canvas. From 9 to 11:30, you will have 2 1/2 to draw and paint the marketplace. Then at 11:30, we will gather for critique and sharing.

There is municipal parking at the Kekaulike Courtyard at 1016 Maunakea Street $3.00 for the entire day.

If attending, please email us at uskoahu@gmail.com by Friday, June 18th with your name and phone number. We will retain the list for contact tracing purposes. Also, as per State of Hawaii’s COVID-19 guidelines, you will not be required to wear a face covering as we will be outdoors. But please be consider of others around you and stay home if you feel sick.

About Mark Brown

Named as one of the few Plein Air Artists in Hawaii, Mark has been painted for nearly 40 years. He teaches Plein Air at University of Hawaii and is featured in Hawaii Art Galleries across the state. You may have seen his paintings at the Hilton Hawaiian Village or his 60×300’ mural at South Shore Marketplace. He is an accomplished award-winning artist and art instructor. To learn more about Mark, visit his website.

Here are photos I took of Mark’s class on May 29th at He’eia State Park. It was such a fun day and everyone was so friendly and incredibly talented.