USK NICE

USK BRAZIL IS EXCITED TO BE WELCOMING SKETCHERS TO STUNNING RIO DE JANEIRO, AFTER COVID CANCELLED THEIR PLANS

FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

BY THAIS MACHADO, USK BRAZIL & USK RIO COORDINATOR

We would like to invite you all to Rio de Janeiro, for four days of sketching in this wonderful city. The National Meeting of Urban Sketchers Brazil is an annual event that brings together sketchers from all over Brazil and abroad to sketch the streets, architecture, landscape and people in the host city. After a two-year delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 5th edition of this meeting will finally happen in the ‘Marvellous City’ of Rio de Janeiro. We expect an attendance of 250 to 300 participants. Check out our exciting schedule of sketchwalks, sketch drinks, and more here, and register here.

ABOVE: SKETCHERS AT THE 4TH URBAN SKETCHERS BRASIL MEETING IN OURO PRETO IN 2019.

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new chapter

NETWORKING WITH SKETCHERS AND OTHER CHAPTERS IN NEIGHBOURING REGIONS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR USK NICE, LOCATED ON THE BEAUTIFUL FRENCH RIVIERA. BY CATHY GUTTERMAN

USK NICE MEMBERS OUTSIDE THE LUXURY HOTEL NEGRESCO, WHICH FEATURES ON THEIR LOGO

TThe French Riviera city of Nice, located on the southeastern Mediterranean coast of France, at the foot of the French Alps, is the home city of Urban Sketchers Nice. Marianne Heredge, Charline Moreau, Nathalie Massacrier, and Patrick Bauquel are the administrators of this new USk Chapter.

On her way back to Nice after a backpacking trip around Eastern Europe in June 2019, Marianne chanced upon an exhibition of Urban Sketchers Liguria, at the Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) in Genoa, northwestern Italy. She had never heard of Urban Sketchers but she was very impressed by their artwork. The group told Marianne about how they operated, and invited her to join them the following weekend for workshops presented by urban sketchers Pedro Loureiro and Jonathan Alvina Segura. Marianne rushed home to unpack her travel bag and pack up her sketching kit. She returned to Genoa to attend Pedro’s workshop where she learned how to sketch people in the market and, the next day, went on her first urban sketch crawl. Soon after, she met Charline at the USk Liguria monthly meeting in Finale Ligure, Italy.

On her return to Nice, Marianne discovered that there was an urban sketching group in Nice called Urban Sketchers Sud-Est. With encouragement from USk Liguria, Marianne took on the responsibility for revitalizing monthly events for the group and also arranged some ad hoc get-togethers to sketch in and around Nice and over the Italian border with the Liguria sketchers. The group’s name changed to Urban Sketchers Nice and membership has grown to over 400 members.

Many foreigners live in and visit the city of Nice, so membership in the USk Nice group is very international, though predominantly French. When they meet, there are usually no more than a dozen or so attendees as different people come at different times. Officially, they meet on the second Sunday of each month but they also get together whenever anyone wants to sketch. When the weather is good, this can be as often as weekly. Typically, the location ranges from Nice to as far as San Remo on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy, where several Ligurian sketchers sometimes join them.

Nathalie Massacrier, an urban sketcher from Paris, moved to Nice in the autumn of 2019. She attended the inaugural USk Nice meeting and soon became interCharline Moreau designed the USk Nice logo which incorporates an iconic postcard view of La Promenade des Anglais, with the domed roof of the luxury Hotel Negresco and the famous palm-lined promenade along the Mediterranean coast.

ested in taking on an active role in the group. Charline had been following USk Nice updates from Genoa, and when she moved to Nice in 2020, she was thrilled to join the group. It helped her to discover the city step by step and to fill her sketchbook pages while learning about the region.

Each month, USk Nice tries to sketch in a new locale, be it a park, majestic church, museum or art school, or port. Other than forcing the cancellation of a few meetings, COVID did not significantly affect USk Nice. During the pandemic, some members followed events online, including a few hosted by the Liguria and Cambridge chapters. When they could not go outside, members continued to share their artwork on Facebook, which inspired others to continue sketching. Some members kept a ‘pandemic logbook’ during this period. As soon as it was possible to safely meet together, they gathered on location.

When traveling, Marianne appreciates how easy it is to join other USk groups, and she is always happy to welcome visitors to sketch with their group. She is a great proponent of collaboration with other USk groups near and far. On 17 October 2021, USk Nice joined the Urban Sketchers International Sketch Together Day with Liguria, Cambridge, and other USk groups around the world. They have also been reaching out to nearby groups in Marseille and the south of France. In early April 2022, USk Nice exhibited in the first ‘Envie d’Ailleurs’ (Desire to Get Away) Festival in the southern region of France. The purpose of this festival was to promote ecological and sustainable travel for both able-bodied and disabled people. USk Nice also organized a Sketch Crawl in the historic village of Mouans Sartoux, where the festival was held. Even though the weather was cold and rainy, a few new sketchers enthusiastically joined in. Marianne is currently in Nepal, where she spends a lot of her time. She hopes to raise interest in urban sketching in Katmandu, where there is so much to sketch. They do not have a USk Group…not yet!

RIGHT: PARC VIGIER BY CHARLINE MOREAU (PICTURED ABOVE)

SKETCH BY NATHALIE MASSACRIER (PICTURED RIGHT)

Nicknamed Nice la Belle, meaning Nice the Beautiful, the city of Nice and the whole region is blessed with astonishing architecture and colors that have inspired painters over the centuries. Almost anywhere you go, there are picturesque sites to sketch. Inspiration can be found in architecture, luxuriant vegetation, seaside scenes, and people.

LO PEYRON MATHEWS VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-MER STREET

FIRST MEETING, 13 OCTOBER 2019

CATHEDRALE ST NICOLAS BY BRIGITTE PIQUE

PORT DE NICE BY DENISE SOLOMAN

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: GARE DU SUD BY MARIANNE HEREDGE ANTIBES BY JEAN JACQUES GILIBERT MONASTERE DE CIMIEZ BY BRIGITTE PIQUE VILLEFRANCHE BY LO PEYRO MATHEWS MENTON BY KELLY PARKHOUSE