Friday, January 31, 2014

John Twice

Somehow I neglected to post the painting I did at the South Bay Portrait Group last week. I was surprised that they held the session because the big snowstorm was forecast to start on Tuesday, but I called just to check and they told me we had a model and we were on since the snow wasn't supposed to start until 1. Of course there was already snow on the ground at 9:15 when I called. You have to understand that most of the group is comprised of elderly ladies who don't drive far, walk extremely slowly, and make me feel like a kid. Anyway, John posed for us. He had a really interesting face and was interesting to talk to since he is an actor.


By the time we finished painting there was about 2 inches of snow on all the cars and it looked like a blizzard. I cleaned off the cars for the other "girls" and John and another artist walked everyone down the steps and safely to their cars.

John agreed to come back and pose for us this week and he dressed up a bit for us so it would be different sketching him. He also wore his glasses this week. I did more of a side view of him this time. The portrait from last week looks more like him. lol


Thursday, January 30, 2014

Nature Walk

The other day I headed over to the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley. I wanted someplace where I could sit in my car and see something. With the leaves off the trees it was possible to see a little of the Carmans River in this painting. Yes, some walkers actually came by so I sketched them quickly before they disappeared behind the trees. This is 5  x7.


Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Park in the Snow

Down in Sayville near the water is the entrance to a park. I loved the wrought iron fence and that pillar and the snow footprints leading back to the bench and the water.


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Tracks in the Snow

After our snow last week I headed over to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale to take a few snow photos. I saw this spot with the bench and the tracks in the snow and knew I had to go back and paint it. Luckily this was right by the parking lot, so I parked facing in right in front of it.
This is 5 x 7.


Monday, January 27, 2014

Sayville Grasses

I rarely get tired of painting the water views in this area. If you turn just slightly the view is different.
This was painted in Sayville not far from the Fire Island Ferry terminals.


Sunday, January 26, 2014

World Wide SketchCrawl #42 in Brooklyn

Yesterday was the 42nd World Wide SketchCrawl. The NYC Urban Sketchers met at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and the Brooklyn Museum. During the two sessions we had about 12 sketchers participate. Some came for the morning session and some for the afternoon session.

 Susan and I got to the location early, and sat in her van in the parking lot of the Brooklyn Museum to sketch this replica of the Statue of Liberty. It was created by an unknown artist and maker
c. 1900, American, Akron, Ohio.


We headed over to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and ran into Mark and Pat at the entrance. The first thing we passed was the Japanese pond, which looked great with all the snow and ice contrasted against the red pagoda....much different from when we were there in the Spring to sketch the cherry blossoms.


The gardens are home to some wonderful greenhouses where we sketched indoors. Luckily, since it was such a cold day they are all connected underground. I sketched in the bonsai room first.


Then I met a few of the other sketchers in the desert pavilion.


Some of the sketchers were in the tropical pavilion.
Here are Mark, Pat, Louis, Svetlana and Joy.


Susan was busy sketching an area right near them.


I did a quick sketch of a musa 'brazilian" from the banana family.


In addition to good food, lunchtime is always a sketching opportunity. I did a sketch of Joy while she was sketching someone else.


After lunch we headed across the parking lot to the Brooklyn Museum and went up to the Egyptian exhibits. The museum guards were great and allowed us a lot of freedom. They didn't mind sketchers sitting on the floor and let us sketch with pretty much any materials. I wasn't sure what we would be able to use since their website did say no ink or watercolors...so I brought along my watercolor pencils and my water brush and left my regular watercolors in the van.

Here is a statue of a cloaked official from the Middle Kingdom (1759 - 1675 BC).


Some of the other sketchers were working in the same area sketching the same statue. Mark found a spot on the floor and Pat stood and sketched on her iPad.


Shawne joined us for the first time. She was sketching a small Egyptian head.


Mary also joined us for the first time. Here she is sketching near Mark.


There were a few Egyptian cats on exhibit. This one was from 305BCE - 1st century CE and was made of wood. He looks very regal.



Some of us headed downstairs and found a view of the lobby that we sketched from above.


On the first floor we found a great statue to sketch. Here are Susan, Shawne, Joan (me) and Joy.


This is the statue we were sketching. She definitely made all of us feel small.


I also found a baleen whale mask from the 19th century.


My final sketch was a Ndeemba Mask for N-Khanda Initiation by an unidentified artist from the early 20th century, Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.


It was great meeting new sketchers and seeing our regular members. 
By the time we left the museum at around 5pm there was a fresh inch of snow on the ground which made our trip home even longer than usual.











Friday, January 24, 2014

Short Beach in Winter

On one of our recent cold days I bundled up and headed over to Short Beach up near Smithtown. There are always great views and it changes as the tide comes in and out.


Thursday, January 23, 2014

Wildlife Center View

Last Friday I went to visit my sister in New Jersey. We did some shopping for art supplies for an upcoming collage workshop we are taking and then we headed over to the Wildlife Center in Wycoff. I had hoped we could sit out and do a sketch but it was much too cold. Luckily they have an environmental center with big windows that overlooks the pond which was partly frozen and covered with a little snow. The geese were out searching for food.


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

After the Snowstorm

The east coast got pounded with a severe snowstorm that started early yesterday and stopped about 6 am this morning. We probably good about a foot of snow here. I wouldn't mind except that it is bitterly cold...about 10 degrees right now (1pm). It did look pretty so I got out my easel, pulled up the blinds in my living room, and painted away. This is 8 x 10.



Monday, January 20, 2014

Diner View

On Wednesday the Patchogue Sketch Club met indoors in the evening at the Sayville Modern Diner. We have sketched here before and it is a quaint old-time looking diner. We purposely sat in a different area this time so our view was different. The management is very nice and allows us to sit for quite a while even though some of us just have coffee. It is really hard to find indoor locations where we can sketch in the evening. Some people work so we need it to be someplace really local that they can get to easily.


Sunday, January 19, 2014

Foggy Scene

On Wednesday we had such heavy fog here on Long Island and black ice. It was really treacherous going out to drive in the morning. Luckily the ice was gone by midday, but not the fog. I've wanted to do a fog painting for a while so I got my wish.
This is about 5 x 6.


Saturday, January 18, 2014

Hispanic Society of America Sketches

Today the NYC Urban Sketchers met at the Hispanic Society of America in Washington Heights in northern Manhattan. It was an interesting museum inside and out, and was formerly the Audibon estate.

I started with a sketch of the Tomb of Gutierre de la Cueva, Bishop of Palencia from the 16th century.

I also sketched part of a statue nearby.

Here is Susan sketching at the other end of the room.

Mark was sketching in the room next to us.

I moved upstairs and sketched the view of the room below...too many arches!!! lol
I included Jimmy sketching across from me, James sketching downstairs, and the security guard watching all of us.

This is the Royal Arms of Spain, ca. 1700-1799

We had lunch at the Restaurante La Libertad on Broadway.
I sketched a man at the bar while we waited for our food.

Here are a few sketchers working at our table. Everyone eats and sketches.

We went back to the museum for one last sketch. I did a cabinet full of tin-glazed earthenware from Puebla de los Angles, Mexico, ca 1750-1799.






Friday, January 17, 2014

Camille and Susan

It has been a while since I did a portrait. Most of our sessions were cancelled because of the holidays or the weather. I finally went to the SBAA Portrait Group on Tuesday and painted Camille.


Then I went to the WetPaints portrait session that evening and did Susan.
This was the first time I painted a redhead.


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Riverhead Buildings

I was out in Riverhead the other day and found this view from one of the parking lots in the center of town. I believe the blue building is part of the East End Arts Council building.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Fireplace Boat Basin

On Sunday one of my art associations had their holiday brunch in Bellport. When the brunch was over I headed to the next town, Brookhaven to find a spot to sketch. I went over by the Fireplace Boat Basin. It looked so inviting looking through the gate that I just pulled over on the side of the road and sketched. I used watercolors and a ink for this and it is about 5 x 6.


Monday, January 13, 2014

Frozen

Last week we had freezing cold temperatures that caused the local lakes and ponds to freeze. I headed over to Yaphank Lanke. I liked the frosty look to the trees, grasses and ice. Then all of a sudden some skaters came into view. I'm sure they were warm because they were moving around. I was content painting from the car.
This is about 5 x 6.


Saturday, January 11, 2014

Sneaky Portrait

Luckily I usually have a backup of a few sketches. Believe it or not, I haven't sketched anything since Thursday night and it is now Saturday night! I spent yesterday and today visiting at a friend's house (non artist) and we were too busy going places, talking, and eating for me to do any artwork. I will be getting off the computer shortly to so something artistic. lol Meanwhile here is something I did the other day.

On Wednesday night the Pathchogue Sketch Club met at Roast Coffee and Tea Trading Company in Patchogue. We hadn't met up in several weeks due to Christmas and New Year's Eve falling on Wednesdays. So this week there was a bit of talking and showing what we did over the few weeks (if anything), talking about new art materials we received as Christmas gifts, and a bit of sketching. We were sitting at a table for 6 and this man was sitting against the wall behind the sketchers facing me, with a couch somewhat in the way blocking parts of him. He was a good subject though, because he was on his computer and not moving, oblivious to the fact that he was my subject.


Thursday, January 9, 2014

Bluepoint Beach Grasses

I went down by the water in Bluepoint yesterday even though again it was bitterly cold, and sat by the water in the car to paint. I used watercolors and ink for this and did it without any preliminary drawing.This is about 4 x 6.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Oranges and Peels

New York has had a few days of brutally cold days, unusual for us. It was so cold yesterday I didn't go out to paint at all. I looked around at home for something different for a still life and I found some oranges. This is small...just 5 x 5.


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Bay View

This was painted down near the bay last week. 
It was a cloudy, cold day but I had to get out and paint something.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Cutsy and Cold

Yesterday was a cold day here. I had to go out to pick up a painting from a gallery and took along my Stillman & Birn Alpha Sketchbook. I figured I could find something to sketch in route. I didn't plan on being out too long in the car, so it needed to be something I could sketch fairly quickly. I found this garden with two snowmen...a bit cutsy and cute, but I decided to do it anyway. Doing shadows on snow is not easy. lol


Saturday, January 4, 2014

Snow Scenes

This morning I worked on the painting I started yesterday. I darkened a lot of the trees and bushes and added some more background trees. I hope you like the way it turned out. I found it hard to do the shadows on the bushes, and have those snow areas be differentiated from the other areas of snow.
This is 8 x 10. I'll put a small image of how it looked yesterday so you can see the difference without having to scroll back down to the bottom of yesterday's post.




Today the weather is still cold. It was only about 5 degrees when I got up this morning. I wanted to go out and paint another snow scene before the charm of the snow wears off. lol It goes so quickly from looking so pretty, to looking sloppy and messy and being annoying. As it is, even though it is so cold, the parking lots are just slushy messes with huge puddles mixed in with the snow so that when you try to walk you are nearly up to your ankles in slush.

But along the roads there were lots of pretty views. I had dressed in a few layers so that I could sit in the car without running the engine for heat. The sun was shining on me while I painted so I was pretty comfortable and didn't even need to put on my fingerless gloves. This was a spot along Montauk Highway going into Sayville and is 5 x 7.