Welcoming Entrance

I loved the flowers in front of this house in Sayville. They were so welcoming. 

Beer and Cocktails

 Down by the Fire Island Ferry at the Sandspit Marina in Patchogue is a cute building that apparently sells beer and cocktails as you wait for your ferry. As the sign says, "There's Always the Next Ferry."

The Meeting

 Last week one of my art groups held their August General Meeting outside at the Bellport Marina. It turned out to be a very cool evening with most of us wearing hoodies or sweatshirts. Since we are artists several of the members were sketching while we talked and later listened to the information about the upcoming events. My thanks to Loretta, Jackie, Casey, Val and Laurie for being such good models.

Waiting Outside

 When I was in Bellport last week there was a man sitting on a bench in front of Bellport General with a woman. Apparently she went shopping and he continued to sit there patiently until she came back. He was a good model.

Bike Street Scene

 Passing through Sayville I saw a great bike with a child's seat attached parked in front of Sayville Bean Coffee House. I didn't see anyone sitting outside so I hope the riders were watching from inside.

Did a quick sketch of this man and his two kids at the pool the other day. I only had a ballpoint pen and some note paper to use.

Queens Botanical Garden

 Last weekend the NYC Urban Sketchers had our 2nd Annual Picnic at the Queens Botanical Garden. In addition to sketching there were raffles, an auction, art supplies for sale, and a delicious chocolate cake and fruit to enjoy. These things are the group's way of raising funds for our projects.

Outside we were busy sketching. A lot of the flowers were past their prime but it was fun to sketch them mixed in with some big leaves provided by some of the beautiful plants.

For my second sketch I focused on part of the main building where the gift shop and meeting rooms are located. My thanks to the QBG staff and to the NYC Urban Sketchers board and all the volunteers that made the day possible.

Varney's

I've sketched Varney's, a mostly seafood restaurant in Bellport a few times. It has been quite a while since I've eaten there...maybe I need to go sometime soon. 

Out of the Water for Repairs

At Weeks Yacht Yard there are always a number of sailboats that are being repaired or repainted. I like being able to get a close view and see the keel at the bottom of the boat. I'm always impressed that it is so large.

Umbrellas, Umbrellas, Umbrellas

In Oakdale there is a Spanish restaurant called Viva La Vida. I love their colorful colors and the collection of umbrellas in their outside dining area.

Hedges Creek Pond

 The Patchogue Sketch Club met at Hedges Creek Pond in East Patchogue last Wednesday evening. For me it was just too much green...green trees and shrubs and lots of reflected green.

Water Lily

 My plein air group met at the Peconic River Herb Farm this week. I've been there many times but this was the first time I've ever seen the water lily plants that they sell in bloom.  They have 3 big galvanized tubs containing them but I've only seen the pads before...never the flowers. I was so excited to see them because I was able to get up really close to them which really doesn't happen in a pond. The green plant on the left is water lettuce.

Lone Sailboat

 I found this sailboat on the grounds of Week's Yacht Yard in Patchogue this week.

Chinatown Part 3

While we were walking we saw the view down Pell Street in Chinatown. I knew this would be a great place to sketch. It was a pedestrian-free zone but crammed full of fun things. Suzala, Leslie and I took over a small spot on the sidewalk in the center of a wild assortment of signs, hanging lanterns, people, tables and chairs, fire escapes and all kinds of craziness. I loved it! There was a constant flow of people passing by and looking at what we were doing. A passing storm as we were finishing made us scurry to pack up and head for a little bit of shelter from an overhang, but we all captured the energy of the location.

Suzala took a photo of us working.

This was the view after the rainstorm. We had been sitting on the sidewalk on the right.

 

Chinatown Part 2

 Next we headed for the busy streets that had the feel of being in Chinatown. There were so many wonderful signs and so much Chinese writing as well as lots of stores and restaurants and fire escapes everywhere. The big red sign for the Peking Duck House on Mott Street called to me and I knew I had to sketch it. I moved back and forth to try and decide where to put my stool. I was right next to a business that was just opening up and bringing items out to sell. The store owner came out and started sweeping the area in front of the store and came over and swept the sidewalk where I was setting up. She gave me the thumbs up sign when she was finished. I thought that was really nice of her. While I was sketching she kept coming over to check on my progress and smiling.

Chinatown Part 1

 On Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers took a trip to Chinatown. I haven't sketched there since sketching at the Lunar Festival in Feb 2017. To start the day we met at Kimlau Square. There we were entertained by the NYPD "agent" handling the traffic on the corner.  There was a lot of traffic and he had to keep it moving while staying safe himself.  Luckily he had a booming voice and the drivers listened to him for the most part. I can still hear him saying, "Don't pull up behind me. I can't see you there!"

Bellport Cottage

This was painted in Bellport. I guess this is considered a "cottage" with the big screened porch in the front. It has probably been there for a long time since it is in the historic part of Bellport. I loved the big, white hydrangea bushes in front.

 

Kingston's Clam Bar

I've sketched at Kingston's Clam Bar in Sayville a few times...but still haven't been inside. I like the quirkiness of the buildings there. 

Harbor Crab

 Wednesday evening the Patchogue Sketch Club met at Harbor Crab in Patchogue to sketch. They graciously let us occupy a table and some chairs for a few hours while we sketched and talked. It was a perfect night to be sitting outside...and no mosquitoes. I included my friend, Joanne who was sketching in a different spot than the rest of us. She is standing up and painting under the umbrella on the right. 

Sailboat at Bellport Marina

 There is always something to sketch at the Bellport Dock & Marina. Plein air sketching with PALS.

Time Warp Toys

 I found an interesting store (at least from the outside) in Lake Grove called Time Warp Toys. 

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Hells Gate Bridge

The great thing about sketching in Astoria Park is that you have a choice of bridges to sketch. Yesterday I posted my painting of the Triborough Bridge. Today you can see my version of Hells Gate Bridge. It was completed in 1916 and spans a stretch of the East River known as Hell Gate. Today the bridge is owned by and used primarily by Amtrak.

In the early 1990's the bridge was recoated for the first time in over 80 years. The color selected for the was know as Hell Gate Red and the coating system required 4 coats... one of the red color, 2 of epoxy and a clear topcoat to preserve the red color of the bridge. Unfortunately the bridge began to change color even before the repainting was finished. Each time they tried, the new paint faded again. You can see sections of the red paint as it looks today...with many areas not covered. I think that is part of its charm to tell you the truth. lol

 

Triborough Bridge

On Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers met at Astoria Park which is located right next to the Triborough Bridge (aka the Robert Kennedy Bridge). The bridge connects the boroughs of Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. The Park itself is in Astoria which is in Queens. There are views of two bridges from there and the park includes a track, tennis courts, a skateboard area, a playground, and a huge pool with a triple-height diving platform. Unfortunately the pool is closed for repairs this summer and will reopen next summer. A fun fact is that on Astoria Pool's opening day (July 4, 1936) it was used for the final round of the Olympic swim tryouts. A fountain at the end of the pool served as the Olympic Torch in 1936 and 1964. 

Here is a sketch I did of the Triborough Bridge on a previous visit.

Sailboats

 These two sailboats were in the water in East Moriches. The one on the right was moving around quite a bit making it a little challenging to draw.

Blackbirds' Grille

 I finally passed Brlackbirds' Grille in Sayville when I could paint it without the usual crowd of cars parked outside. I was there before 11:00 am.

A Friend for Dinner

We haven't had whole lobsters for dinner at home in a long while so it was fun to sketch this guy.

 

Sayville General Store

On Wednesday night the Patchogue Sketch Club met in Sayville to sketch the local stores. The Sayville General Store always has decorative and fun windows. 

WIP Fruits & Veggies

 My plein air group visited Andrews Family Farm in Wading River this week. It is one of my favorite places to paint. The owners are so welcoming. The painting isn't finished yet, but I cropped this part and used it for the creativespark.art Scavenger Hunt...two of the items were fruit and veggies. Although I painted there for nearly 2 hours I need to do more work on this. I will post it when it is completed.

Bellport Apothecary

 Bellport has a number of businesses that are fun to sketch, like the Bellport Apothecary which has coffee, drinks, and assorted fun things. Last year it was one of the places that I sketched during the SBAA Plein Air Event, and I sold the painting to the owner of the shop. You can see it here.

Bayport Marina

On Sunday I headed down to the marina along Brown's Creek in Bayport. It was nice to see so many of the boat owners going out on their boats. It was a beautiful day to go out, especially since our heat wave finally broke. 

Bellport View Heading West

 I was waiting to pick up my painting at the end of Bellport Day, so meanwhile Suzala and I sat near the South Bay Art Association tent and painted the view looking west. This is the same part of town that I had sketched the other day...but from the opposite direction. This was done directly in watercolor.