Workshop with a Ghost: Hunting the New York Painters of Yesteryear.
Toby Wright researches, hunts down and identifies exact locations where painters stood 100 yrs ago, revealing our evolving world through art. In this workshop, you will join him as he hunts downs the NY of yesteryear through a sketching field trip. Discover the techniques and process of this time traveling “treasure hunt” through an insightful and fun demonstration. Learn to search, identify and draw outdoors, as Toby takes you through every step of his investigative process.
15 min walk to location starting from SVA Theatre. Includes drawing demos, historical context of paintings, description of the analytical process and how to line up paintings with today's landmarks, and time to sketch. All you need is a sketchbook and pencil, and your adventurous spirit.
Local art store:
BLICK art store is 4 min walk from theatre venue: 237 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011, United States. It’s on our way to the workshop location, couldn’t be more convenient!
Google map link to the local art store on 23rd street.
Art materials requirements for participants:
Sketchbook suggestions:
CANSON Hardbound Sketchbook, 108 Sheets. 5-1/2” x 8-1/2”. Natural White. $9.33 Item #:10350-1085
OR
BLICK Wirebound, 80 Sheets 7" x 10” White $10.11. Item #:13815-1022
Drawing materials:
Single pencil: $2.95. Item #:82519-2020
Erasor: Blic kneadable eraser $0.83 Item #:21026-1020
Sharpener: Maped Hand-Held Pencil Sharpener, single hole.$1.11 Item #:21416-1000
Total budget per person: approximately. $15
Short bio:
Toby is a classically trained artist inspired by the natural world. Alumni and teacher of the “Florence academy of Art” in Italy, he has pursued a 25+ yr career in portraiture and landscape painting. Over recent years, he has added the practice of expedition artist.
Member of the Explorers club NYC and the Alpine club UK, Toby Wright draws and paints through extreme terrain ranging from Arctic, Antarctica, Himalayas, Alps, Gobi desert and under water in the sea of Cortez.
His documentary at NYC’s 2026 climate film festival, “Workshop with a Ghost”, is a powerful testament to the intersection of art and science, revealing the past, confronting the present, and inspiring action for the future.