The temperature forecast for our meet-up time was 2° C, so I really did wonder if anyone would turn up! It was thus heartening to be joined by six other very layered-up and enthusiastic sketchers in our favourite November spot – the woods beneath the Pitch & Putt. I think they deserve a special Art in the Park commendation for attending in all seasons! We ended sitting in a circle as if around a campfire. The chat and pleasure of getting absorbed in some drawing was enough to distract us from the cold. Everyone agreed they were really glad they came out. 

We enjoyed a really beautiful and balmy autumn morning in the Anthill Meadow. The golden sunlight glowed through the tall, wispy seedheads that are so characteristic of this time of year. The problem with such a beautiful scene, though, is the challenge of capturing something of it on paper! One innovative way to get round the problem was to draw round the plant shadows that fell onto the page. Fittingly, these were as fleeting as such autumn mornings themselves. We really did feel lucky to get to enjoy it together in this special part of the park.

What a glorious morning and a fabulous turnout of sketchers: 13 of us altogether, once everyone had navigated the park’s road closures and bus diversions for the Soapbox event! You can’t beat the combination of view and variety of trees on the eastern side of the South Slope. Some attractive swathes of long grass have been left to grow, which bring added visual interest for those who like to notice the small-scale details of grasses and wildflowers. At the end of our sessions we always gather to have a look at our work collectively and marvel at the variety of approaches and subject matter that the group chooses from the same area. 

What a wet May! We had a semi-cancelled session this month: because it was raining in the morning, Katy suggested a rain check. However, some participants were in transit (we do have some as far afield as Enfield!) and enthusiastic to give it a go despite the dampness, so we had a mini session tucked under trees in the Grove. This means that without fail we have now met every month for almost three years!

We had a good turnout (nine sketchers and one photographer) as the lure of the cherry blossoms and the spring sun drew people out (excuse the pun!). The petals gently fell around us as we took up spots amongst the blossoming trees and decided what to draw/photograph. Some focused on trying to capture the ethereal candy-floss effect of the cherry trees and others focused on the views both up and down the hill. A thoroughly enjoyable morning, though once again it passed too quickly! We look forward to having slightly extended sessions as the weather warms. The group is very friendly and open to anyone who would like to give outdoor sketching a try – please do join us!

It’s now been three years in a row that we have met outdoors in January without the weather scuppering our plans! It was very mild this time, so once again we felt the end of the session came too soon. Katy re-introduced the idea of drawing inside a circle, which some of the group took up with enthusiasm and found to be a particularly effective way of capturing winter tree forms (picture by Marylin). We had a new joiner, who mentioned how good it was to come outside to draw and what great opportunities the park has for doing so.

A glorious morning in the woods beneath the pitch & putt, with autumn at its peak. Nine of us tucked away in a seasonally beautiful hidden spot that we have been to together in previous autumns. The yellow leaves came down around us and the sun popped through the canopy. The group had a wonderful time soaking it all up and putting pencil/brush to paper to try to capture something of it. The hour went far too quickly. One participant summed it up very nicely: “Thank you, as always, for a glorious morning! I always feel so inspired in such a lovely place”. 

Six of us gathered for a peaceful morning drawing (and photographing) in the warm glow of the September sun sweeping across the South Slope. The array of picturesquely positioned clusters of trees and smaller details such as bark, drying grasses and a clump of ragwort glowing gold in the seasonal light caught the attention of our group.

A lovely summery session in a quiet and lesser known but beautiful part of the park – just to the east of Pitch & Putt. We spread out along an avenue of horse chestnuts. The sunlight caught the long grass as the crickets hummed and we all very felt very peaceful in our little 'spot in the country' in the metropolis. Members of the group tried a range of drawing approaches this time, including lots of tiny sketches, with notes on sounds heard while drawing, and bold rubbings of a tree bark.  

A group of 10 of us finally enjoyed a mild session after the cold of the winter sessions. We sat around the path at the bottom of the Grove. There is great variety here – in one direction you look up towards a more formal part, with its avenue of lime trees (Dr Johnson’s Walk) and the cluster of black pines. In the other direction is the much more natural-looking Spinney, under the canopy of which is frothing cow parsley dotted with purple bluebells. Giving ourselves a bit longer (2 hours) now that the weather is milder meant more time to build up our drawings, resulting in some lovely spring scenes.  

We chose a verdant spot in the south-west corner of the park (just above Redston Field) with a lovely mix of trees, including a number of apples and cherries in blossom. The undergrowth seemed to be growing before our eyes and it was the sunshine formations of the dandelions that seemed to particularly catch our artists’ attention this time.

  It was nice to be joined by a couple of new faces, and a few old faces who had not been able to make it for many months enjoyed making it back into the fold. We’re always open for more people to join! This month we even had our youngest-ever participant, courtesy of the teacher strike. 

Our first Family Art in the Park session with Katy was a great success with lots children (and accompanying adults!) being very creative and enthusiastic. The weather wasn't warm, but the interaction with nature looking at the wild flowers, trees and even some tadpoles was follow by an explosion of creativity. Katy give the children plenty of ideas and help on what to do and the children didn't disappoint.

The session ended with the tadpoles being returned to the pond under the close supervision of the children.

More pictures from the session here.

It was a blustery spring day for our March meet-up, but that didn’t put off our now hardy group of outdoor sketchers. We perched on the pathway along Alexandra Palace Way with our sketchbooks on our laps to figure out how to translate the joyful annual show of billowy pink blooms of the cherry trees at the top of the South Slope. The sky provided a moody backdrop that really set off the soft pinks. Not an easy challenge, but there were some beautiful drawings made. However, we had a hurried end as the skies opened and we had to quickly pack everything away! 

The Boating Lake is a good place for drawing at this time of year, as the benches provide plenty of ready-made seating for us and the weekday mornings are peaceful. It meant we got to enjoy what all the birds were doing – some brave participants even attempted to draw them. Others focused on the pollarded willows that edge the lake (picture by Jenni Slinn). We also had a new participant who hadn’t drawn since she was at school many years ago. So don’t be nervous if you fancy trying a bit of art again – do please join us at a future session. All are welcome! 

Finally, the group regulars managed a regular group session! Some unexpected drizzle almost spoilt the fun initially, but after that we all enjoyed a bit of wintry, grey, peaceful time observing the bare tree forms on the South Slope. We’ll admit fingers were getting cold as the hour drew to a close but we agreed that, so long as you have your layers on, drawing outside in January is actually very enjoyable. 

October’s session was cancelled because of rain, but two of us were desperate to get out and draw in nature. So we sat in the woods and mastered holding a brolly in our left hands while drawing with our right! The rain got into the mix of the art materials to do its own thing, which was an interesting dimension... So, although not ideal conditions, we discovered it’s still possible to do some art in the rain, and that whatever the weather, time looking at nature is always a tonic 

Astonishingly, considering this summer’s weather, our session had to be postponed to the next day due to torrential rain. Sadly this meant our expected turnout was reduced to four. Nevertheless, we had a thoroughly enjoyable and peaceful session, taking in some sweeping vistas of the park from a somewhat wild, tucked-away vantage point between the Lower Path and the Cricket Pitch – all slightly fresher and brighter after the rain! 

We had one of those days when we didn’t know if it was about to rain or the sun was about burst out from behind the clouds. In the end, it stayed overcast for the 10 of us in the Anthill Meadow, which meant that, disappointingly, the butterflies stayed away. However, there was so much to see in the detail of the tangle of long grasses that this kept our artists’ eyes busy. We found that when we sat down, the wildflowers and grasses came to eye level, so a whole world of interest opened up. We thoroughly enjoyed all the beauty on offer and also realised that we needed to brush up a bit on our wildflower names! 

What a wonderful spring morning!

It's been beautifully captured in Tricia's photo

Lovely to have 5 new members join us too. 

This month’s meet up had to be put back a day due to torrential rain and hail forecast for our meet-up time! However, all was serene and sparkling up at the Boating Lake the following day. We were a smaller group of five due to the change of day, but we made the most of the sunny spot to enjoy each other’s relaxed company and attempt to capture the effects of rippling water and the forms of rather uncooperative water birds, who just didn’t seem to want to stay near us for longer than 10 seconds. We must remember food another time! New members are very welcome – please email allyparkn10@gmail.com if you would like to join the group. 

Another enjoyable session - picture left is one of Patricia Pearl photos of a veteran oak tree. More of her photos here.

The weather was perfect despite a very unpromising build up with wind and torrential rain only hours before. The cold was fine actually but does encourage you to move around and find other stuff to look at which is what its all about really too!

Picture on the left one of Patricia Pearl's taken during the session.

There were eight of us this time, including a talented budding artist of 11 years of age! The weather was very kind to us – a glorious end of summer/cusp of autumn morning with strong golden light. The atmosphere was relaxed and everyone in the group slowly eased into finding something that caught their interest, whether a fascinating cluster of tree trunks or an early sign of autumn in the form of a fallen leaf, and then delved into some drawing (or in one case photography - picture example left by Tricia). We tried out each other’s materials too, which loosened things up and was a good way to try something a bit different. We ended by gathering our work on the grass to admire the variety of what people had noticed, carefully looked at and enjoyed. After the session there was some lovely feedback: ‘Such a good combination of art, nature and fresh air’; ‘I am still smiling!’ 

Sprinkles of rain early on tried to put a dampener on the first session of the new Art in the Park Group. A decision was made to transfer to the Park Visitor Centre in The Grove. Good news followed with the rain stopping so the artists moved out by the pair of yew trees in the small copse above Olympic Sculptures. The ridges of the trees proved inspirational for most of the group while a collage of leaves was also a subject to spark imagination.

A great start to this monthly group session kindly led by Katy Fatui.