Drawing at Union Chapel

Union Chapel, near Highbury & Islington station, is open every Wednesday 10.30-1.00. "Art in the Park" sketching group met to draw there, and had the additional experience of an organ recital as accompaniment. It's an amazing place, starting with the chiselled and gilded decoration on the doors, which open onto an enormous interior -

The chapel was built in the 1870s and dedicated in 1877, and has the expected period details -

An organ recital usually involves a hidden organist, but Rob Rowley, who is also experienced in tuning the organ, could be seen with the aid of a bit of technology, and came to the stage to announce each item and say a bit about the organ itself.

From my pew near the front I had a reasonable view of the metalwork screen behind the pulpit and of the heating grilles in the aisle, which were quite a simple pattern. Gessoed pages from the book of sermons seemed an appropriate base to use at this venue, but to get the pattern right I needed some experimentation at a larger scale in the sketchbook -

The curlicues in the screen were the perfect thing to draw during Rob's rendition of the Flower Duet (aka British Airways advert music) -

 Later I got a closer view of the screen and discovered the colours -

 Most people used colour, and included large sections of the interior -

So interesting to see the different choices of view, materials, styles - especially as I'm never sure I've chosen the right medium for the situation. Or is it a matter of choosing a medium and using it all the time?