Join us to draw in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. We will meet near the Serpentine Gallery, whose summer pavilion provides an experiment in contemporary architecture, which we could draw. Other sketching options are park views, the boating lake, the Italian Gardens, summer visitors, and sculptures old and new. The Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall are nearby.
The day is free of charge, no need to book, just turn up with your art kit.
Key times and meeting points for the day:
11am: Meet at the Serpentine Gallery (see photograph) near the new pavilion (or just inside the gallery if wet).
1pm: Meet at the same place to look at drawings done so far.
3.30pm: Meet again between the Serpentine Gallery and the new pavilion to look at drawings done, and take group photographs.
Options for drawing include:
The park provides many views of its gardens, trees, fountains, buildings and sculptures, from the work of Henry Moore to the Peter Pan statue.
Each year the Serpentine Galleries commission a summer pavilion by a contemporary architect – this year the architect is Frances Kere, from Burkina Faso. The pavilion will be in the park until 8 October 2017.
The nearby Serpentine Gallery is free of charge and is currently hosting an exhibition by Grayson Perry – The most popular art exhibition ever.
A second gallery, the Serpentine Sackler Gallery is on the other side of the Serpentine Bridge. It has an extension by Zaha Hadid Architects, and hosts free contemporary art exhibitions (and an expensive restaurant).
The Serpentine Bridge marks the boundary between Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, and between the Serpentine Lake and the Long Water.
Sketch the activities in the parks: people strolling, jogging, roller skating, riding, boating. The area near the Serpentine boat houses is good for this.
There is plenty of bird life, particularly near the water.
The Italian Gardens on the north side of the park provide a contrast to the informal landscaping of the park.
The Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall are nearby.
There are many other scenes and activities in the parks and maps are displayed at the entrances to help you find them.
Practical information
The nearest underground station to our meeting point is High Street Kensington. There are shops and cafes around here, plus a café near the Serpentine (often crowded in summer) and refreshment kiosks in the park.
If the weather is wet, we could draw inside the Serpentine Galleries. The big trees in the park offer some shelter.
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/
http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/
This day is run by Jo Dungey with Nicky Browne
