Happy New Year's Eve

 Happy New Year's Eve! 

I am closing out 2024 with a painting I did of the lobster trap-buoy Christmas tree I sketched in Northport Harbor recently. Wishing you a happy, healthy, prosperous, and inspired 2025!

Posca Tree

 I wanted to sketch our tree, but doing all the individual ornaments seemed like an endless task. Instead I used Posca markers. The colors cover each other so it made it easier to do the ornaments over some of the green and add layers of colors. I like the way it came out!

Lighthouse View

 The Patchogue Lighthouse is small (22 ft high) and is located in Sandspit Marina. This solar powered lighthouse was erected in 2019 and guides recreational sailors and Fire Island Ferry Captains in and out of the Patchogue River.

Sayville Coffee Spot

I guess I'm on a coffee theme. This was sketched from my new mobile studio (a Toyota Rav 4) while sitting along Main Street in Sayville. The Sayville Bean always has people coming in and out so a spot out front is always a prime location.

For those of you who had noticed, somehow I lost track and missed posting here for about 5/6 days. I did go back and post something for the days I missed, so if you are so inclined you can check out those posts. I am now on track again.

 

Flux Coffee #2

 I met my friend, Suzala at Flux Coffee in Farmingdale recently. It has good coffee, a nice staff and they are very welcoming. This is the second time we have met there, and have noticed that there are often other artists there working on sketches of their own. There is also artwork displayed on the walls for sale.

The last time I was facing the coffee counter, but this time I was facing the outside view. There were a few people working at the table in front of the window, but I also loved the view of the building across the street.

Flux Coffee #1

 Somehow I missed posting this sketch done at Flux Coffee in Farmingdale the first time we went. It was a bitterly cold day before we were leaving for the trip to Atlanta. Suzala and I wanted to sketch but needed an indoor location, so we started Googling all the coffee shops anywhere between her house and my house. I found Flux Coffee and Suzala checked with her daughter who apparently goes there quite often. We met there and Becca joined us. It was a nice spot to sketch...enough tables and quite a few people. That's Becca (on the left) and Suzala (on the right). 

Angel Statue

I have a small collection of figurines by Jim Shore. This is one of two angels, and I also have one of the Holy Family. They are extremely detailed and decorated all over the figurine. This one is about 10 inches tall.

Merry Christmas to All

 Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I've been busy baking and getting ready. Here are the ingredients to one of my favorite cookies, Raspberry Nut Pinwheels. I hope you are having a wonderful celebration with family and friends.

Snowy Scene

 Just in time for Christmas we had a bit of snow that stuck for a little while. I was headed to Nassau County to meet friends for lunch, but I had planned my day so I had some extra time to do some sketching before we met. I parked my new "mobile studio" in the parking lot of a local garden and painted as the snow was falling. By the afternoon the snow had melted, but it was nice to capture it while it was around.

Lake Ronkonkoma View

 We had a few days of very cold weather. The bare trees give this scene by Lake Ronkonkoma a very frosty feel.

The Big Duck

 Along Route 24 in Flanders is "The Big Duck" all decked out for the holidays. Yes, you can go inside during the warmer months. The Big Duck was originally a way for a duck farmer to advertise and get more business. Now it is a big attraction!

Downtown Sayville

Just a bit of downtown Sayville set up for the holidays. 

Burito Mariachi

Several Mexican themed restaurants have opened in and around Patchogue, like Burito Mariachi. I haven't tried this one yet, but it was bright enough to catch my attention. 

Pantaleons Farmstand

East Setauket has a nice farmstand called Pantaleons that is open pretty much year-round. Right now there are Christmas trees, wreaths, and kissing balls available for purchase.

Sunken Meadow Park

On Saturday I went to a Christmas market held at Northport High School. It was one of the better ones that I've been to recently. When I left I stopped at Sunken Meadow Park which was just a few miles away. I got my beach fix there.

 

Garden Center

 I like returning to familiar places to sketch, like the Bayport Flower House. There is usually something to sketch there.

Texas Roadhouse

 No we didn't make a wrong turn. Our last night of the trip was spent in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and we had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. I hadn't been to one of their restaurants in a very long time. The food was very good. I remember peanut shells being all over the floor the last time we went to one, but I guess with the reactions people have if they are sensitive to peanuts the policy has changed. Now there is a sealed bag of peanuts on the table...clearly marked.

The decor seems to be a bit of everything, including animal heads mounted on the walls. It is a fun place and a bit noisy at times since the staff chants and cheers at different tables. (I'm not quite sure why.) Needless to say the Texas ribeye hit the spot.

Lunch Along the Drive Home

That Sunday morning we started our trip home. Jerry found a place listed in our "road bible" located in Kingsport, TN called the "Fishermans Dock." Although we weren't anywhere near the ocean or the bay it turned out to be a fairly good restaurant. As you can see it was decorated with mounted fish...so I couldn't resist doing a quick sketch for the day.

Hotel Room Sketch & Photos

 My friend, Tina Koyama commented on yesterday's post, saying that places like this (hotels) always have patterns everywhere. The Hampton Inn in Kennesaw had patterns in the breakfast area and in the hotel room too. The Roman shades had a pattern, the chair had a pattern, and there was an abstract painting with a pattern. I don't usually like abstracts but this one had great colors and a soothing pattern.

The evening of the Celebration of Life for my brother, Joe, my sister-in-law arranged for a BBQ buffet for the family. It was nice to be able to spend time with everyone, especially since most of us hadn't seen each other in quite a few years. Many members of the family were leaving for home the next day. I suggested that we do a group shot of our side of the family so we all posed together. There are 5 "children" in my brother's family...all adults, and 3 grands (although only two were at the gathering because Sebastian lives in Egypt with him mom). Family on our side came from California, South Korea, Maine, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Indianapolis, Pennsylvania, and New York.

We did a photo of my sister-in-law, Joan's family too. They live a bit closer (North Carolina and Pennsylvania).

Joe, I know was happy to see so many of us gathered together.

Breakfast in the Lobby

The nice part of staying at the Hampton Inn in Marietta, Georgia is that several other family members were staying there too. One of my nephews came from CA and I hadn't seen him since his wedding 6/7 years ago. It was great to have a breakfast area with a lot of seating where we were able to sit around and catch up on things before going to the service. 

Cracker Barrel

When we travel by car I try to make sure our hotel has an indoor pool, so I can get some exercise once we get out of the car. It is necessary because I'm not used to eating lunch and dinner out each day...and usually the choices aren't anything like what I would have at home. 

On our second stop (Bristol, VA) Jerry wanted to have the catfish dinner at Cracker Barrel. We had stopped for lunch and I wasn't really hungry, so I just had a salad. That gave me a little time to sketch the decor in my little pad of paper. For those of you who have never been to a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store it is a bit of an experience. You enter the restaurant by walking through a "general store" that sells clothing, toys, pottery, knick-knacks, etc. You can't bypass it. Once you are seated you notice all the decorative old objects and paintings on the walls, most of which are copies of items that were around in the 1940's. While Jerry was eating his meal I had time to sketch a bit of what was on the far wall.

All the hotel rooms we had this trip had RISs (roll-in showers) for Jerry. Each was a little different so we experienced assorted situations and probably flooded the floor a bit in each bathroom. lol This was one of the showers. Jerry needs to be seated when he showers because he removes his prosthetic leg. I am fairly sure that most of these showers were designed by someone who has no experience in using them. The new thing is to have the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in containers hanging on the wall. Some have pumps and some you squeeze, and some have these containers located either far from the seat provided or behind where the person is seated. I was prepared and brought along a bar of soap in a knee-high stocking that I attached to one of the grab bars. (Thank you youTube for your suggestion!) That is what he uses at home. If he drops the soap he can get it back without my help.

Road Trip to Honor Joe - Chambersburg

We are presently near Atlanta, Georgia for the "Celebration of Life" for my brother, Joe Szalay who passed away recently.  My brother was a wonderful brother, father, grandfather, and friend to many.  We were very close, and I spoke to him often by phone. I hadn't seen him in 5 years due to Covid and other things. I miss him terribly and it has been a terrible loss to all of us in the family. Luckily Jerry and I had seen him and my SIL in Venice before they went on a cruise in October. 

Jerry and I started our trip which was about 15 hours long. We planned on stopping overnight in two locations. Our first stop was at Tru by Hilton in Chambersburg, PA. I didn't have much time to sketch but I brought a tiny pad of paper down to breakfast in the morning and was able to get a few sketches done in the breakfast area.

This lady was having a beverage at a table nearby.

House in Ink and Wash

I believe this house was part of a complex in Islip. I loved the trees covered in green ivy. 

Sayville Red

 This house is down by Sayville Beach on Foster Avenue.

Hog Farm in Autumn

I drove over to Hog Farm in Brookhaven last week. I caught it when it was open and there were a lot of people and things to sketch. 

There were several dogs with their owners, but very few stayed put except for this one.

Continuous Line Still Life

I enjoy doing continuous line sketches of still life items. It is a challenge to keep going without lifting the pen and seeing how you can get from one object to the next. Here is the sketch with watercolor added.

Here is the sketch just drawn as the continuous line. 

Seahorse by the Shore

I went down to Miramar Beach in East Patchogue the other day and found something I hadn't noticed before. There was a seahorse statue standing in the reeds. It was a nice surprise!

Patchogue Shore Line

 This was painted down along the shore in Patchogue from one of the parking areas that extend out with a dock as part of the marina. I turned around and faced the town instead of the water.

Lenny Bruno Display

 This is a display of assorted vegetables in front of the windows at Lenny Bruno Farm in Manorville. I liked that you could see some of the items through the windows too.

Rough Water

 Some days give us rough conditions on the Great South Bay. This was sketched from Lands End in Sayville. I wouldn’t want to be out on a boat on this day.

Michele & Nick's House

 A friend of mine and her husband live in East Patchogue on South Country Road. Most of the time when I drive into Bellport I take that route and pass by their house. It always looks so good...especially in the fall. I always say to myself that I should stop and sketch it someday. This year I did stop. Michele and Nick were down in SC at their other house and weren't home. I sat across from their house and painted it with the stunning autumn leaves. They are back up here for the holidays so I called and asked Michele if it was OK if I stopped by for a few minutes. I brought her the 5 x 7 matted painting and gave it to her. Originally she thought it was a painting I had shared on FB the other day that she loved and had reposted on her page...but then she realized it was their house. They were thrilled!! They had missed the autumn colors on Long Island while they were away. I'm so glad they were happy with it.

Michele is one of my big supporters. She reposts a lot of my artwork, encourages me, advertises my shows and events, and tries to get business for me. She's a good friend so I'm glad I was able to do something nice for her.

Port Jeff Looking Down

 Port Jeff (Port Jefferson) is quite hilly. If you are lucky enought to find parking up one of the hilly streets you get a nice view down toward Main Street.