Assorted Sketches

 These sketches were all done for items in the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts.

I needed to refresh my Procreate skills for this one.

Porch Seating

 The yellows grabbed my attention as well as the seating on the porch. Autumn colors are the best!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Here in the USA we are celebrating Thanksgiving today, so I wish you all a 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have much to be thankful for and my family, friends, and visitors are a big part of that.

This was sketched last Wednesday when the Patchogue Sketch Club met for their Thanksgiving themed night.

In the spirit of the holiday here is an old photo of my dad carving the turkey.

Bayview Farm & Market

Recently I was out on the North Fork of Long Island and stopped at the Bayview Farm & Market in Aquebogue. I had my toned sketchbook and my Posca markers with me. I stood by several displays to sketch the produce, the sign and the tractor there. The Posca markers give it a real pop of color.

Here is a closer view of the pages.

Long Island City

Recently the NYC Urban Sketchers met to sketch the area around The Long Island City Courthouse by Court Square Park. It was a very windy, chilly day, but I was prepared with a winter jacket, several layers of clothes to keep me warm, a hat, and fingerless gloves if needed. I sat across the street to sketch the courthouse and tucked myself into a corner. It must have blocked a lot of the wind because after a while I was able to take off my jacket, and I wasn't cold.

We had sketched in this area last year and both Suzala and I remembered the pulled noodle restaurant where we ate then, Xi' an Famous Foods. Mark decided to join us, and we had a great lunch...but no sketching there, just talking.

One of the oddest things in the area was a sculpture from the 1960s titled, The Sunbather by Ohad Merome. Apparently it was a big thing when it was first put in place. I think it is probably one of the ugliest sculptures I've seen. Only a few of the sketchers thought it was worth sketching. It is Pepto Bismol pink and looks like a cross between the insulation that is put between walls and the Pink Panther. lol 

I had to sketch it.

Port Jeff Staircase

 Port Jeff (Port Jefferson) is a harbor town on the north shore. Many of the streets are very steep and involve a lot of climbing. This house is down by the marina. I can't imagine arriving home with packages that need to be carried up all those stairs. I guess you would get a lot of cardio exercise.

East End Farmland

 Right now it is usually a good time to head out east to the North Fork of Long Island. This was near Wading River. A lot of the farms have cabbages, brussel sprouts, and other vegetables still growing in the fields. They add a lot of nice texture to the landscapes. There are great skies at this time of year too.

A Street to the Bay

We have so many streets that end at the bay here. They are especially nice with the autumn colors that are still on the trees. This was painted in Sayville.

Mark as a Model

 Our Wednesday night sketch group was scheduled for a model last week, but the model had an emergency and couldn't come. So our organizer, Mark posed for us. He's pretty good, and as an artist himself he came up with a few unusual poses. Most of these are 5 or 10 minute poses. I used an assortment of media.

In the pose on the right he was actually holding a chair straight up in the air.

Michele's House

 When I got home from Venice and needed some soothing color I drove along South Country Road in East Patchogue. My friend, Michele and her husband live in a pretty house along the road. The trees in front were glowing with color. I finished about 90% of this sitting in my mobile studio across the street from their house, and finished the other 10% this morning. Michele was in North Carolina at the time I started this and was missing all the wonderful color. I've got to stop by to see her now that they are home again.

Beach Dunes

 It had been too long since I went down to the beach. I didn't pick a warm day, but it was clear and sunny at Robert Moses Beach. I was happy painting in my mobile studio.

Autumn Colors Pop Up

Spots of fall foliage pop up everywhere.

 

Autumn Colors Lead to the Water

I love painting along this street in Bellport and seeing the water at the end. 

By the Lake

 My plein air group met by the Yaphank Lake to sketch and then drop off our paintings for our annual show that was last weekend. I'm happy to say the show went well, and I sold a few pieces. Yay!

One of our members was sitting at the table sketching and this young man had been fishing. Of course he stopped before I caught the correct position for his fishing rod...so typical. 

Bright Fall Colors

 When we arrived home I was glad to see that the fall colors were still around here on Long Island. After the news about my brother I needed to see something beautiful. I know if Joe had been here he would have been taking photos of the autumn colors.

Venice - Part 9 - Nocturne, China Cup, Caffe' at Ferrovia, Train Riders, Flight Home

One of the things I really wanted to do on this trip was a nocturne. Most days I was too tired to head out to sketch after dark. But one morning I woke up really early and couldn't fall back asleep. It was still dark so I went into the living room and pulled out my art supplies. I knew I didn't have long before the sky would really start to lighten, so it was now or never. This is part of the view out the side window in the living room. It is a really small painting but I'm so glad I did it. Yay!!

The kitchen cabinets in the apartment were filled with assorted china plates and cups, and then some full sets of dishes. There were a few of these cups and I used Procreate to create the design. I think I was fairly successful.

The end of our stay in Venice came too soon. We navigated with Jerry's walker, two backpacks, and a rolling suitcase to the train station for our train back to Milan. Luckily a lovely woman helped us over the bridge near the apartment and then it was pretty clear sailing to the station. It was a lot of walking for Jerry and we were early, so we stopped at one of the only sit-down cafes inside the station for a cappuccino before it was boarding time. I swear there was maybe two mouthfuls of coffee in the cup and the rest was foam! I did have time to do a sketch of two people at a nearby table. They had a duffle bag with them that was as big as they were. lol Finally it was time to board.

This train was not as roomy as the one coming to Venice, and it seemed like all the seats were filled. I sketched a few of the passengers across the aisle.

We arrived at Milano Centrale and had to walk all the way to the other end of the station to find the Malpensa Express to go to the airport, which was were our overnight accommodations were (the Sheraton Malpensa Milan Malpensa Hotel).  By the time we arrived we had been traveling about 6 1/2 hrs. The great thing about the hotel is that it is right at the airport. When you walk out the doors of the hotel you are in Terminal 1 of the Milan Airport.

It seemed to take forever (and 4,664 steps according to my step counter on my phone) before we arrived at the door of the plane. Jerry had it easy because he was in an electric wheelchair with his agent. I was walking.

I did get to sketch of the flight, because this nice model was sitting across from us.

The trip was really great, and I was happy with the amount of sketching I was able to do. Jerry also got a lot of work accomplished with the musicians he was in Venice to work with.

Venice 2024 - Part 8 - Arched View, Squero di San Trovaso, Ferrovia

 There are a lot of views hidden at the end of meandering streets like this one.

While I was in Venice I tried my best to post to creativespark.art and do the scavenger hunts. 

This sketch was done for one of the hunts. It is the stove in our apartment and was done on my iPad with Procreate.

The next sketch is one of my favorite places in Venice. It is the Squero di San Trovaso, a landmark 17th century boatyard that builds and services wooden gondolas. There is usually some activity going on that is fun to watch. Of course the gondola I started to sketch first (the prominent one nearly in the center) was finished. The work had been done and they carefully put in into the canal and it was gone! Luckily I had enough of the details and a photo to help me finish that gondola.

A few days before we were leaving I went over to Ferrovia (the train station) to get our tickets for the trip back from Venice to Milan. After booking the tickets I came outside and was attracted to the view across the Grand Canal and the people sitting and standing on the steps of the train station. One lady must have been really tired from her commute. She was leaning against her suitcase resting her head.

Venice 2024 - Part 7 - Basilica delle Frari, Gondolas, More Gondolas, Orange Building

We had another rainy day in Venice. I headed over to the Basilica delle Frari which was about a 15 minute walk from us. The churches provide a lovely, dry place to visit. The Basilica delle Frari is a beautiful church with several lovely altars and off to the side a small room with a chapel and a wall sculpture by Toscano called the "Monumento a Frederico Corner." I used watercolor pencils, graphite, watercolors and ink in this sketch.

Later in the afternoon I went down to the Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge. I sketched this mostly in a continuous line, and then added a bit of watercolor wash.

I like sketching gondolas. Most of the ones that are parked are covered so you really can't see the intricate detail on the inside of the boats where the passengers sit. The uncovered ones usually have passengers and they don't stay put in one spot. I was sitting on one of the aqua alta platforms near the vaporetto stop. It was a little more comfortable than my stool and I had a place to rest my painting supplies.

Another day I went to the Accademia stop on the vaporetto. I headed for the Arcobaleno Pigmenti shop that I have stopped at on several of my trips to Venice. They have beautiful natural pigments that they sell to make paints from. In addition they have journals and sketchbooks, sealing wax, paintbrushes, and assorted other beautiful things. I always feel good when I stop there. I bought a new watercolor brush in a larger size that is the same brand that I bought there last year.

After shopping I walked a bit and found a wide piazza along the canal. I started this painting but only got about halfway done before it started raining again. I put it in my backpack, headed home, and then went back the next day to finish it.

Venice 2024 - Part 6 - Burano, Rialto Market, Vegetable Stand, Florist

I can't go to Venice without spending a day in Burano. The colors of the houses just sing!!! It is about a 45 minute vaporetto ride to Burano, but first you have to get to the other side of the island where the Fondamenta Nuovo is located. I was up and out early to take the 25 minute walk to the vaporetto stop.

The colors are so bright and wonderful in Burano. I did one sketch in the morning after arriving and then spent some time walking around and taking photos. It was sad to see that there are so many more houses in disrepair than last year. Many of them look abandoned. I am sure they take a real beating being so open to the water of the lagoon, the alta aqua, and the weather.

After a fairly quick lunch I returned to painting. There was no way I would go there and only do one painting. By the time I finished this painting I just couldn't sit on my stool any more. I needed to get up and stretch my legs and get the blood flowing again. I did some wandering through the shops but bought nothing...even though the lace items are always so tempting.

The next day I headed up to the Rialto Market again. I wanted to do a double-page spread with small scenes and items from the market. It is hard to plan the composition of the page. You need to decide on what to sketch and leave space for a heading. I started with sketches of two different vegetable stands. Most of the produce always looks so good...and I like finding things that I don't see at home.

This vendor had a wonderful assortment of wild mushrooms. He attracted a lot of people.

Then I saw the florist who always sells right by the entrance to where the fish vendors are located. He always has such beautiful flowers. I liked the contrast of the softness of the flowers and the architectural structure of the arches. I showed him the sketch when it was done and he was so pleased to see it. Of course I came back to the apartment with a small bouquet of flowers that helped me add more interest to the page.

When I got home I added the signs, and a few more details like the strawberry, the melons, and some of the flowers from the bouquet. The final additions were the lemon and the clementine at the bottom of the page.

My thanks to Brenda Swenson for the beautiful pages she has done that helped inspire me to do a spread like this. I followed some of her suggestions.

 

Venice 2024 - Part 5 - Rio Frari, Rio San Trovaso, Kiosk in the Square, Saint Mark's Cathedral

One damp morning I headed out and found a small restaurant, Rio Frari. I decided to stop and have a cappuccino and a croissant while I sketched the view. I included the only other patron sitting outside. After he left the waiter noticed I was sketching and came over a few times to check on my progress. When I was finished he took the sketch inside to show the other workers. 

This day I headed over by Rio San Trovaso and sketched there. A young woman came over and asked if I spoke English. She wanted to know where I got my painting stool. She was looking for something to use when she goes plein air painting that is light to carry. We had a big discussion about plein air work and I let her check out my stool. It turned out that she was from Philadelphia. I told her about Urban Sketchers (which was new to her) and that I had sketched with the Philly group once.

This kiosk was in the square by our apartment. I'm always amazed that they have an assortment of things for sale, including clothing. This one had a selection of winter coats. lol

I had to do a sketch of Saint Marks from the square. My plan was to sit in the middle of the square on my stool, but as soon as I set myself up, two police officers came over and very nicely told me that I couldn't sit there. It would be unsafe to sit there with the crowds. So I walked around looking for a place to be out of the way and still have a view. I found a small ledge to sit on near a construction fence. I tucked myself away in the corner. The sketch had to be a close-up since I was practically on top of the cathedral, so I included the top section only. I did get to use some of my antique gold paint on the spires and wings of the angels. This took quite a while to sketch and paint with all the details.

Venice 2024 - Part 4 - Doorways, Cistern, Piazzale Roma Restaurant, Rialto Fish Market

I love the colors of the doorways in Venice. This one I found in a small courtyard. I just followed the street to see what was there and it appeared in front of me. 

By our apartment in Campo San Polo there was what I believe was a water cistern. In present time it is mostly used by people to sit on or in the case of the bambini, to climb on. While I was sketching this there were two boys of school age who had been chasing each other. They came over to look at what I was doing and I got the "bella" approval. They kept coming to check on the sketch.

One morning I headed up near the Piazzale Roma, or bus terminal. I found a spot with a nice view of a cafe. I believe the woman and her son on the right were actually sketching too. They both had either brushes, pens, or markers in their hands and they kept looking up and then down to what they were working on. I was barely balanced with my materials on my stool so I couldn't get up to check. They left before I finished.

Quite a few mornings I headed up to the Rialto Fish Market to buy something for lunch or dinner. It was always fun to watch the customers select their fish and have the men wrap it or cut it. I liked the big fish that was in the bin on the left. I did this in my tiny Stillman & Birn sketchbook. It was hard to stand and sketch holding onto my backpack and my fish purchases.