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I JOINED THE INSTAGRAM BANDWAGON a few months ago, and so should you! I love it! Get a glimpse into my process and inspiration! Follow me @JohnMacConnell!

Drawing Dustin - 08/10/13

Photo by Carlos Pisco 

IT IS TIME to catch up on posting. The summer is always a busy time. I'm having a great summer visiting the beaches of Fire Island every couple of weeks. In August we had quite a unique drawing session with the Pines Nude Drawing group. Not only did we get to draw on a boat, but our model Dustin was a skilled accordion player! We must have been quite the site huddled on the pier drawing!

Drawing Bryan Slater - 07/21/13

MORE DRAWINGS for your enjoyment. Our model Bryan Slater (NSFW if you google him...) was amazing this week. He had a well-muscled, sinewy body that captured the light just right. He posed for the Pines Nude Drawing group in the Meatrack, just outside of the Fire Island Pines. It's so nice to be able to paint the figure in nature. It's going to be hard to go back to a basement studio after this...

Drawing Chad & Will - 07/06/13

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND was a blast in the Pines! (I know, I'm a little late...) A highlight was definitely drawing with the Pines Nude Drawing group. It was glad to take some time away from all that strenuous partying and stressful days on the beach to relax with my pens and watercolors. :P

Chad and Will were great sports. We found a secluded house at the edge of the Pines with it's own private beach (newly cleared thanks to Hurricane Sandy). The boys did everything we asked--posing in the water, and we even got Will to climb a tree! I wish the session would have been longer. It was a great spot!

Drawing Zsolt - 06/02/13

SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY UNOFFICIALLY STARTED! And so has my share in the Fire Island Pines. It was beautiful on the beach last weekend. It was the perfect start to the season -- good friends, good food, and good drawings.

Last week was the second week (the first I could attend) for Pines Nude Drawing, the drawing group that meets almost weekly in the Pines. This week, we had a great model named Zsolt with very classic heroic features. I love the red and blue ballpoint pen drawings I captured of him. I need to do more of those in the weeks to come.

I'm so excited for the summer and for more poolside/beachside drawing! Also, if you're interested in drawing or posing email info@pinesnudedrawing.com for more information!

Boys of Summer: Recap

I HOPE YOU ALL WERE ABLE TO STOP BY this past weekend for the Boys of Summer: Artwork from the Pines Nude Drawing Group show at the Leslie Lohman Museum. Opening night we saw around 300 visitors, alone! Saturday night was another big night as we hosted a special cocktail hour for one of our sponsors of the event, Front Runners New York. Throughout the weekend, I was in and out of the gallery and was excited to always find a few people checking out the art. All-in-all, it was a huge success!

Opening Night

Personally, this was an exciting weekend for me. This was my first gallery show in New York, outside of school exhibitions, years ago. I had about a dozen drawings in the show. I was overwhelmed by the support I received from friends and museum faculty. Thank you to everyone who showed up! I even managed to sell a few pieces! 

Special thanks to Carlos Pisco and Shungaboy, for leading a beautiful show!

Boys of Summer: Artwork from the the Pines Nude Drawing Group

THE LESLIE LOHMAN MUSEUM presents 

Boys of Summer: Artwork from the Pines Nude Drawing Group

Opening: April 5th, 6-9 PM

April 6th & 7th, 12-7 PM

Prince Street Project Space

127-B Prince Street, New York, NY 10012

(Between West Broadway and Wooster Streets)

FEATURING WORKS BY: Anthony Gonzales, Carlos Pisco, Dan Evans, Duane Neil, George Towne, Grant Aronld Anderson, Ian Sklarsky, John MacConnell (THAT'S ME!), Kenneth Nadel, Richard Des Jardins, Rob Clarke, Robert de Michiell, Shungaboy, Todd Yeager, William Bil Donovan, W. Douglas Topper, and archival images from the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society.

If you're in New York, please stop by the first weekend in April for this show at the Leslie Lohman Musuem. It is my first since finishing grad school. It is a collection of drawings and sketches that I created over the last two summers on the beaches of Fire Island with the Pines Nude Drawing group. Mine and other work will be for sale. Postcard designed by me!

Pines Nude Drawing, July 21, 2012

Last weekend was a blast in Fire Island. A lot of time was spent with friends, in the sun, and of course at Pines Nude Drawings. We had an AMAZING model for the session. He was in perfect shape, knew how pose, and he had such a great sense of humor that just added to the fun of the session. I really felt like I got my stride this week. I'm quite happy with the drawings I came home with. These are just a few of my favorites.

The model, Jacob Thompson, is an actor/model who recently finished a tour of the show "Cats" as Rum Tum Tugger!

Pines Nude Drawing, July 7, 2012

I'm catching up a little on my posting. Here are images from my second trip the Fire Island Pines Pines Nude Drawing. We had several beautiful models for the session. The model that sat the longest really had some great poses. Honestly, I felt a little off with my drawing this day but I managed to get a few good images. Also, I finally brought out my watercolors! Hopefully, later in the season, I'll use them during some longer poses...

Season 2 of Pines Nude Drawing! June 6, 2012

I'm thoroughly enjoying my second summer in the Pines. Like last year, I'm taking some time from my rigorous schedule of tanning, beaching, partying, and tea-ing to attend the open model session, Pines Nude Drawing. Again, it is one of the highlights of my beach weekends. This image is from my first session with the group. Unfortunately, it is the only image I've gotten scanned from that day but it is one of my favorite drawings from PND!

Pines Nude Drawing Part 4

Drawings from my fourth and final Pines Nude Drawing session, brought to you from the Meatrack! This session was especially fun as we brought our drawings supplies out into the woods of the Meatrack--the section of Fire Island between the Pines and Cherry Grove. It was quite the adventure since we had to navigate through the floods left from Hurricane Irene and the extra rain that followed, just to get to our drawing spot!


Once we found a spot, it turned out to be a really beautiful day to be outside. Our models looked so perfect set against nature. It's such a treat to get to draw a model outside of the studio. I can't count the number of drawings and paintings I have with studio chairs, easels, and random drapery in the background. A tree is a nice substitute.


We worked in two places in the rack. The first was a rather secluded section with lots of sun. The second was a little deeper into the woods and a little closer to the main pathway. Our little drawing session got a range of reactions by those passing through. Particularly interesting where those who passed through two, three, and four times. ;)


Our Meatrack drawing session, was a fun little way for me to end my summer of drawing in the Pines. There's one more session of Pines Nude Drawing, next weekend, if you're interested. Unfortunately, I'm unable to make it. I'm grateful for the times I have gotten to go this summer, though.

I have to say it again, that it was one of my favorite parts of my summer vacation. Not only was it fun, but it's inspired me to do more sketchbook work. I'm definitely going to be looking this fall and winter for some opportunities. It won't be the same as my Saturday beach drawings, though. So, I definitely can't wait until next summer to do it again!

Pines Nude Drawing Part 3

Pines Nude Drawing from August 20th beach weekend.

Pines Nude Drawing Part 2

Another installment from Pines Nude Drawing from my August 13th Pines beach weekend.

Pines Nude Drawing

I am really having a great summer. During the week, I've been working my butt off with freelance jobs and every couple weeks I've been running off to the beach for the weekends. What more could I ask for?

This summer there's something new going on in the Fire Island Pines. Carlos Pisco has started up the Pines Nude Drawing. Every other week, Carlos has been pulling together a group of guys to get together and draw. It's not something one typically finds at the beach, but where else could there be a more beautiful setting? I went for the first time the last time I was out and had a blast. It was a great way to start my morning--poolside with my sketchbook, pencils, and free models.


Here's just a few of the drawing I did while I was there. It was a really wonderful experience and I can't wait to get back to do some more!