September 2019: Farmers Car Park

This month we went to a carpark that used to be associated with the Farmers Trading Company. But Farmers moved many years ago, and Wilsons now own this carpark (and many of the other carparks) in Auckland CBD. 

What a brilliant choice for September’s Urban Sketchers MeetUp!

Don't overlook the ordinary, Sketchers. This carpark lifted us several stories off the pavement and gave us a wonderful afternoon of sketching.

Views from the top story of Farmers old carpark on Hobson Street, Auckland, New Zealand.

Not only could we drive right to where we were going to draw, but we were elevated with a view of the central business district of Auckland city. There are a few trees in the city if vegetation is your thing, but this is an exercise in perspective, architecture, and composition for most of us.

It’s Spring here in New Zealand. The weather is changeable, sometimes even over a matter of minutes. Another reason the carpark was a great idea because if it had started to rain or become too blustery, we could've moved from the top deck, go one level below, and carry on. It didn’t rain but it did get quite chilly in the wind. Urban sketchers are a hardy-breed so we stuck it out, having our show-and-tell in the carpark's stairwell. 

We had a good turn out - I counted about two dozen (24) people with a few newbies (4 or so). It’s so great to have such a steady group with regular as well as new faces each month. We have social media pages on Facebook and Instagram so people can generally find us.

The majority of us were attracted to the eastern view looking up at the tall buildings and St Patricks church. Such a lovely contrast between the classical architecture of the church, the mid-century and modern buildings, even a crane to show a hint of the massive road and general construction the city is currently undergoing; and of course, the every-changing cloudy sky.

Many of us were looking out and up, but some looked down and though and captured views we don’t always get to see of buildings when we're all puddling around on the pavement.

September 2019 Urban Sketchers, Auckland, New Zealand

More photos on our Urban Sketchers Auckland Facebook page.