Sledding

 

After sketching the view of the parking lot in the snow on Saturday I had lunch and then headed out to find a snow scene to sketch. The roads were clear, but it was cold. I headed over to Islip Grange Park in Sayville. The park has an area with a small hill that has a handball court at the top. It also has parking and from past experience I know people go there to go sledding. I was able to sit in my car facing the hill and capture some of the poses of the sledders and parents enjoying the snow.

Snowy Morning

 We had about 5 inches of snow that fell from about 6PM on Friday into early Saturday morning. I had no real desire to go out and actually be in the snow, but I wanted to sketch it from another location other than my living room or bedroom since they look out on the same view. Instead I got dressed for the weather and opened the door to my garage. I was facing the parking lot and the snowy view in that direction. I opened the trunk of my SUV and used the floor of the trunk to rest my materials as I leaned against it and sketched.

Under the Tree

 I have a Nativity set under my tree that was used in my family when I was growing up. I remember my mom coming home after she bought it, so I couldn't have been too young. I got custody of it at some point and remember shopping with Mom one day and coming across the stable. It was a perfect addition to the scene. 

I did this on a page with a few other Christmas related sketches I did recently.

Ink Bottles

 One of the items on the current Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt is an ink container, so I did a few with water-soluble ink.

Vietnam Memorial in Selden

 Driving home from Selden the other day I saw the sign for the Vietnam Memorial. It sits in a small park in the middle of a busy road. You can see it standing above the trees in the median. I hadn't been there in a few years and it felt good to stop and honor the veterans from Vietnam.

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Winter at the Farmstand

 I sketch a lot at Bayview Market in Jamesport, but I haven't been out there much lately. I drove out to Riverhead the other day to go to the Euro Deli to buy kielbasa for Christmas Eve. While I was out there I figured I'd drive a bit farther and stop at the Bayview Farm and Market. There was a lot of firewood bagged for sale and the last of the fall veggies, as well as wreaths. It did put me in a festive frame of mind.

Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy Christmas surrounded by those you love and things that bring you joy.

I've been doing quite a bit of baking for the holiday. Here are a few tasty treats for you to enjoy.

Pierogi Morning

 Next on my list of projects was working on pierogi for Christmas Eve. It is a family tradition and many of us do make them. It is easiest when you have some help, but I worked by myself. I am making just half of one recipe. Mom and Dad always had an assembly line ready to help and Mom usually made 3/4 batches of dough. My 1/2 recipe made 63 pierogi. I made the dough in the food processor, let it sit for nearly an hour, used my pasta machine to roll them out, filled and sealed them, and then boiled them. Including short breaks I started at about 10 in the morning and finished around 3. 

Garden City Tree

On Thursday I had plans to meet 3 friends for lunch in Garden City. I left a little early hoping to find something to sketch before we met. I knew it would be impossible to get a sketch done later in the day. I drove over to a local park there and found this great tree...and some snow was still on the ground. 

Out of the Box

I've been slowly finishing up an assortment of projects, but I wanted to get my living room ready for Christmas. Pulling out the tree is always a project even though it is in a box that only requires moving things on one side of the living room closet. lol Of course I pulled the sections out and procrastinated by sketching the pieces as they were out of the box. Yes, by noon the tree was actually put together and all parts of it were lit. Yay! Decorating it will take place soon.

Snowy Field

 The snow we had was melting rather quickly. It had fallen off the trees and bushes but could still be found on the ground in some areas. I sketched this field in Brookhaven that still had snow on the ground.

Continuous Line Sketch

I've fallen behind in the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts. I find that doing a continuous line sketch gives me the opportunity to do several items in one sketch. I added a bit of watercolor to perk it up when I was done with the lines. 

Snowy Procreate

 We had some snow on Sunday into Monday. It looked really pretty outside, but I opted to stay in and work on the commission I needed to finish and start working on my Christmas cards. Looking out the window in the afternoon I saw that there was a little yellow tone in the sky, so I pulled out my iPad and did a sketch in Procreate.

Sketches from the Met

 I have wanted to sketch the Christmas tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a long time. The area is dimly lit which makes it difficult to see clearly, and the crowd is sometimes a bit much. I tucked myself and my stool into a spot against a wall so people wouldn't bump into me. I worked quickly with my watercolors and ink (even though the watercolors aren't actually allowed...just dry meaterials).

I had a little time before the NYC Urban Sketchers were having their show-and-tell so I returned to the Greek collection where I found this view.

Greek Collection at the Met

 My tribe of sketchers visited the Metropolitan Museum on Saturday. The Greek collection was the suggested location. We had a visitor who joined us from Brunei named Irene. She is in my sketch on the right. That is one of the fun parts of Urban Sketching...meeting like-minded people from all over the world.

Vanderzalm Greenhouse Christmas Trees

Today I was in the Bellport area doing a bit of Christmas shopping. I stopped by the Vanderzalm Greenhouses just to check if they had anything Christmasy to sketch. They did! There was a small display of Christmas trees out in front. I didn't go inside to check out what else they had. I probably should have. 

Lamppost & Tree Bark

 These sketches fit items on the current Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt. It included a lamppost. Right now it is difficult to find a lamppost in any of the local towns that doesn't have some kind of decoration.

Another item was tree bark. I was near the Bayard Cutting Arboretum so I scooted in. Where else would it be easy to find an interesting tree? Both of the sketches here were done from the warmth of my mobile studio...it has been really windy and cold here lately.

Sayville Bridal

 I've done a few sketches for the USk December 2025 Prompts, but haven't really kept up with the list. I sketched this in Sayville and it fits for the USk prompts as well as for the current Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt.  Both included a storefront window/window display. It also fit the hunt for the bicycle. This is the back entrance to Sayville Bridal. 

Brooklyn's Best Baking Company

 I drove up to St James on Saturday for a craft fair...it wasn't great. Luckily I happened to see a post the other day about a new bakery/coffee shop that recently opened up there so I took the address with me to check it out and see if it had sketching potential. Brooklyn's Best Baking Company at 420 Lake Ave, St. James was a delight! The display cases included bite-sized portions of cheesecakes in about 6 different varieties, cookies, scones, carrot cake, brownies, cupcakes, etc. It was so hard to choose! I had a coffee and a piece of carrot cake which was the first thing I sketched on my page (after I had a bite because I couldn't wait). They have a small area with tables for seating. My thanks to the friendly staff that didn't question why I was there for so long. I couldn't leave before buying something else to have after dinner tonight. FYI they do make larger sizes if you are interested. I think it is a good thing that they aren't closer to where I live.

I'm trying to do some of the USk December 2025 Prompts and this fit the list as a "coffee Shop."

My Library

 I started off the month with good intentions of following the USk sketch prompts, but have been sidetracked by other things and haven't done the sketch for each day. I did the library prompt. This is the exterior view of the Sachem Public Library here in Holbrook, my town library. The actual entrance is around the back, but I thought this view was interesting and I was able to sit in my mobile studio across the street in the parking lot of the school...much too convenient to pass up. Hopefully I will get to a few more of the items on the list.

Here are the December prompts just in case you are interested.

Sketches for Creative Spark

 These sketches were all done for a recent Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt.

Bottles

Footware

A cartoon character

Procreate Sketches While Waiting

 I've had my new car for almost a year now. It needed to be inspected in December and also needed an oil change. I figured if I waited for the first week of December I could take care of both at the same time. I made an appointment at Sunrise Toyota in Oakdale. I joined quite a few people that were waiting for their cars in the service area. Planning ahead was a good idea since I got to do a few sketches on my iPad while I waited.

The bottom two sketches were done as continuous line sketches. 

Decorated for the Holidays

 This shop is on Bellport Lane in Bellport. I think it is a pet store, but I'm not sure. I couldn't find a name. I do know that in the summer they usually have a bowl of water out for the dogs in town. 

Blueberry Cheesecake

My husband has a thing for desserts with blueberries...pie, cheesecake...you name it. 

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine - Part 3

 A musical rehearsal was scheduled for 2:00 so I headed back into the main part of the cathedral. There were a number of people setting up and doing sound and lighting checks, but no performers ready to rehearse. That was disappointing because hearing music in there is heavenly. I sketched until our meeting time for show and tell at 3:00 focusing on the piano and the area around the main altar. Due to limited time I didn't finish all of the color on site. I made sure to do the ink lines and was able to do a little of the color, but the rest was completed at home.

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine - Part 2

 Along the sides and the back of the main altar the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine has numerous rooms and chapels. One room contains items "from the crypt" which were moved from the church basement. There were chalices and bowls, but what I loved was this wooden statue of Archangel Michael dressed in a suit of armor. It is really beautiful and larger than life. I used mostly a few watercolor pencils, ink and a white Posca marker for the highlights.

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine - Part 1

On Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers met at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on Amsterdam Ave and 112th Street in Morningside Heights in Manhattan. We've sketched there a few times. It is VAST and really a beautiful place. It is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and construction was started in 1892, but the building is unfinished with only two-thirds of it completed due to style changes, work interruptions, and unstable ground on the site. It is often used for events and art exhibitions.

For my first sketch I focused on the stained glass window over the entrance to the cathedral. I had just finished my sketch when a woman on the staff came over and told us we couldn't use watercolors. That was a surprise to many of us because we have used them there in the past. I put my watercolors away for the moment, but planned on using them in one of the back chapels.

Marsh View at Timber Point

I took a ride to Timber Point in Great River the other day. There is a catering hall and a golf club, but I found if you keep driving there is a small marina "for members only." Nobody was there so I sat in my mobile studio sketching the bay and the marina across the way. The sky had some great clouds.

Mini Pies

We went to my sister-in-law's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Karen likes to prepare most of the meal herself, but asked me to bring a pie (pecan if possible). Since there were only going to be four of us for dinner I know we always have too much left over. She was already making a pumpkin pie so I made a small pecan pie in a pyrex dish and a mini blueberry pie in a small springform pan because that is Jerry's favorite. In fact I made a second mini blueberry for him to have at home. The mini pies worked well...just enough for dinner and one slice of pecan to bring home.

 

Printing Again

 The Patchogue Sketch Club usually doesn't meet on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving since so many members are busy or traveling right before the holiday. But this year Mark scheduled us for a print making session at MoCA in Patchogue. Only 4 of us were there but that gave each of us an oppertunity to have easier access to the printer and the supplies.

I had created an additonal rubber plate to use. We were working on Christmas scenes or cards. I liked the way the new plate was coming out, but I made a mistake with my initials and they now print backwards. I am going to see if I can add something to the bottom of the sketch that can mesh with the initials and cover my mistake. 

I also did a few prints with the ornament I already had. I was able to work in two colors on that one. Here are some of the pages I printed.

Color in Bellport

My ride to Bellport was very productive when I saw this colorful view on Bellport Lane.

View at the Bay

 I painted this at the Islip Beach. The view looks out toward Fire Island in the distance.

Line Sketch

 I did a line sketch near the Long Island Railroad station to include a few items for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt. I was able to include a structure, a sign, a vehicle, and trees and plants.

Lenape Day Celebration - Part 2

 The celebration continued upstairs in the rotunda with music, songs, and dances. The Red Blanket Singers and Dancers performed as a narrator explained about the music and the dances. The costumes were beautiful and the dancer ranged in age from 9 years to adult. They were really good! I was able to capture a few of the performers as well as the narrator on the left side of the page.

After seeing two performances we headed over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the NYC Urban Sketchers were spending the day. Rather than sketch there Suzala, her husband and I stopped to see a few special exhibits. One was an exhibit of the work of Emily Sargent, the sister of John Singer Sargent. The other exhibit was of Man Ray's work. We were finished just in time to join the other sketchers for show and tell.

Lenape Celebration Day - Part 1

 On Saturday I joined two friends, Suzala and Patricia at the Museum of the City of New York where they were having a Lenape Celebration Day, honoring the culture and history of the Lenape Indians who were the first residents of the New York area. 

The day began with a welcome by a Lenape member who opened with music from his flute. He told a little about the Lenape history and what the day would be like. 

Denise Dunkley led a group in a craft activity. Materials were supplied for children and adults to create corn husk dolls. She demonstrated the steps to be followed. We were in a crowded room. Suzala and Patricia decided to create corn husk dolls, but I decided to sketch the two of them being creative. Denise did her demo a few times as people finished and new people entered. She explained that these dolls were actually first made by the Native Americans, the Lenape, who lived here. Most people assume they were first created by the slaves but that isn't true.

Christmas Cactus

 I bought a Christmas cactus at the Bayport Flower House when I was there recently. It has started blooming with these beautiful fuschia blossoms. I sketched it with my colored ink pens. I may have to do an updated version becuse there are so many more blossoms on it already.

St Ann's Church

 St Ann's Episcopal Church in Sayville is lovely. I sat across the street to sketch it head-on. They will be having their Christmas tree sale soon which is a very popular event. The trees usually sell out in a day or two. I did sketch the event in the past. Maybe I'll get a chance to sketch it again this year.

Idle Hour in Oakdale.

 Idle Hour is a former Vanderbilt estate that is located in Oakdale. Part of it is in use by Dowling College. and part of it (stables, barns, etc) were developed into small houses. Apparently for a while it was used as an artist's colony. Today the houses are rather exclusive and parking in the area is restricted to residents only, but I've found one small street where it is possible to park for a while and sketch.

Sayville Water View

 I am lucky to live in an area with such great views of the water. This was painted at a marina in Sayville.

Printing Session #1

Now that the Patchogue Sketch Club is back working inside, we have started doing some printing again. Last week we picked up the supplies we needed and some of us worked on carving a plate for printing. We met at the gallery at MoCA to do our work. Those of us (like myself) who had already carved a plate used the printing press first. I did an ornament hanging on a tree and a word (which was the hardest because yo have to work on a mirror image when you are cutting.

We had different plates than we used last year, and the rubber was harder to cut into. I was pretty happy with the way mine came out. If I find the time I'm going to try it again at home with the supplies I bought last year.

Most of the other sketchers were able to print their plate at least once. It is always exciting to see the paper pulled off and what it looks like.

Maureen inking her plate.

Maureen gets a print.

Janet inking her plate.

Pat with her print.

Teresa did a few plates.

Tian's poinsettia plate.

Liz in action.

We will continue printing next week.