Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival has been going on over the past few weeks on the National Mall, in front of the Smithsonian Castle.  This year Kenya was one of the featured countries, and there was Kenyan food, folk art, music, and dance.  I got there just around closing time on the last day, so I didn't actually get to see much, but I did enjoy sketching to the rhythm of the music.

Smithsonian at Sunset

The Smithsonian Castle

Arts and Industries Building

The Smithsonian at sunset.  I had to work quickly because the light was changing fast.

Smithsonian and National Gallery

I've been experimenting with adding a brown ink wash to my pen-and-ink sketches lately, and thought the red sandstone Smithsonian Castle would be a fun test subject. So I headed in to the District this weekend to try it. The West Wing of the National Gallery of Art, across the mall, is also easier to see in the wintertime without all the leaves on the trees in front of it.
I also went over to the Dupont Circle in the afternoon to sketch the crowd that usually gathers there to hang out on sunny days. There is a statue of Gandhi a few blocks west on Massachusetts Avenue that I had seen on a recent visit to the Phillipps Collection, so I made my way over there too.