Fermilab Sketchcrawl - March 19, 2017

On Sunday, March 19, about 30 participants in the Chicago chapter of the artist network Urban Sketchers visited Fermilab, located in west Chicagoland, and sketched their hearts out. They drew buildings, interiors and scenes of nature from the laboratory environment, capturing iconic Wilson Hall, restored prairie land and the popular bison herd on site.

Urban Sketchers holds monthly sketch crawls, as they’re called. Their mission is to “show the world, one drawing at a time.”

The sketch crawl was organized by Peggy Condon and Wes Douglas from Urban Sketchers Chicago along with Fermilab Art Gallery curator Georgia Schwender.

You can see more paintings and drawings from Urban Sketchers Chicago on their Facebook page.

Check out their Fermilab sketches below. To see the full drawings and paintings, click on the magnifying glass icon in the lower right corner. Impressions from the artists are included in the captions.

Mary Jo Ernst

We had to make the Bison stop. Have never sketched them before. Just like cows–constantly moving. They have such an odd anatomy.

Fermilab sketch from the second floor balcony facing the main entrance.

This location was a nice change of pace for me, offering really interesting views and very unique architecture. I had no previous knowledge of this place so it was an adventure!

Thanks Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for such a warm welcome! Thank you to Wes Douglas Peggy Condon and Georgia for organizing. It was worth the roadtrip!

Lynne Fairchild

I had a wonderful time at our Sketchcrawl at Fermilab today. Thanks to everyone for organizing it, and to all who attended.

This sketch is, of course, the atrium at Wilson Hall.
I loved sketching in this light-filled space.

I was very inspired by Fermilab's strong commitment to the arts. I didn't expect this for a world-renowned scientific research institution. I really appreciated that they found so 

many ways to honor the arts and culture: the art gallery, lecture series, the awe-inspiring sculptures on the campus, and the design of Wilson Hall (especially the beauty of 

the atrium).

Thank you Fermilab for your hospitality and to Georgia for her warm reception to our group.

Harold Goldfus

It was great to finally be able to get to a sketch crawl. I did several drawings. This one of the atrium at Fermi Lab's Wilson Hall is my favorite and it was the most challenging in terms of perspective. I was able to get at it by treating the view as if I was doing a sci-fi paperback cover and abstracting a lot of the shapes. Not my usual figurative work, but it still felt to me like my style.

My first drawing at Fermi lab on Sunday was a warm-up sketch from the second floor balcony in Wilson Hall. I can see that I was already mulling over the more abstract approach that I used for drawing the atrium in the drawing I posted yesterday. I really enjoyed the aesthetics of Fermi Lab. For a place devoted to cutting edge physics, there were a lot of artistic touches I appreciated.

I regard myself as primarily a figurative artist. At the Urban Sketchers Chicago outing, I expected to sketch figures at Fermilab with hints of the environment in the background. Instead, I found myself taken with the architecture and aesthetics of the interior of Wilson Hall, and decided on a more unconventional approach.

I drew most of this kneeling in the corner which accounts for the unusual angle and perspective. Inspired by the covers of science fiction paperbacks I read in the 60's and 70's, I chose to abstract out a lot of the shapes and colors, which adds to the futuristic look of my picture.

Peggy Condon with Jing Zhang

#Fermilab, restored prairie East of Wilson Hall after a recent prescribed burn.

Eileen Ferguson
I drove out west today to sketch at Fermilab. Some people sketched outdoors, but I enjoyed the view from the fifteenth floor.

Alex Zonis

"Radiofrequency quadropole linear accelerator" - RFQ :). Fermi Lab 15th floor. Looks like a cool insect! Thanks to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for hosting us. #Fermilab, #USkChicago

Brian Wright Great event and turnout at Fermilab!

Wes Douglas

I am "pleased as punch" that this location worked so well today. Our group tends to favor Chicago locations so I wasn't sure how many would show up to the suburb of Batavia today. I heard that around 44 or so of you did and that blew my mind. You guys rock and so doesPeggy Condon and Georgia Schwender for the idea.