Recently the irrepressible Liz Steel was in town, and Margaret Hurst and I had the pleasure of meeting her in Central Park for an afternoon of drawing. What a beautiful day we had! Simply gorgeous, tailor made to impress (not that I’m trying to, but Liz is traveling for four months across the globe, and I think New York should be a stand-out experience!) First we sat by the Bethesda Fountain, really one of the most beautiful spots in the city. (Really!)

Then Margaret took us to one of her favorite places in the park, where the roller skating crowd meets to do their thing! Marg has been drawing these people for quite some time, it’s a wonderful series. (You can see one of the drawings she made HERE.) It was so nice of her to bring us there, and the place is full of New York originals…

Here’s Bladey, the seeming ringleader of the group, with his fabulous ride…

Not everyone was skating, a lot of people were dancing. There were some kids out there who were pretty good – doing the robot, isn’t that dated?! And one guy who just liked to shake in time to the music. Margaret nicknamed him “Cocktail” as in, ‘shaken, not stirred.’

Here’s a drawing of Margaret and Liz in action. What a great day and I think Liz got to see some real New York New Yorkers. Fantastic! So I hope she has a good time and enjoys the rest of her journey and I hope Margaret has a great birthday (which is today.) Drawing on location is just about my favorite way to spend a summer day, and when there are sympathetic friends there as well, it’s as good as it gets.