Hector

 The celebration of the 18th anniversary of the Patchogue Arts Council coincided with the night the Patchogue Sketch Club normally meets. Their party was held at Spy Coast a restaurant/bar in Patchogue. Since we are members of PAC we were invited to the party. There was live music, socializing, cake, and a model for us in the rear of the room. Hector, who we have sketched before, posed for us. He is really a good model and comes prepared. We didn't have the setup we usually had, but it was fun anyway.

Hector always take photos of the sketches we do of him. Here is Hector taking photos.

Assorted Sketches

 The other day I treated myself to a pedicure and foot massage. I brought along a tiny sketchpad to sketch the technician.

A truck and a car for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt.

This sketch was done from a photo of my grandnephew taking part in a lion dance for the Lunar New Year at his school.

Land's End View

 I'm still looking for snow scenes and ended up at Land's End in Sayville where I found some ice, boardwalk, fragmities, and houses along Brown's River.

Drawing Is Free

 Friends had told me about an online portrait group organized by Chloe Briggs called drawingisfree_org. The group meets on Zoom on Mondays at noon EST for an hour of portrait sketching. Chloe selects sketchers from the group to pose, and each pose lasts only as long as the song that is playing (3-5 minutes). Obviously you need to draw quite quickly. This was the first time I was able to join the group. I used Neocolor crayons and water for the portraits. It was a lot of fun, and I'm hoping to join in again.

Snow at Sayville Beach

 Since the bay is so nearby I ride down there quite often. This was the view at Sayville Beach the other day. A lot of the Great South Bay was frozen and there was still some snow remaining from the last storm.

The Met - Part 2

I didn't take a break for lunch. Instead I found another sculpture to sketch...bears this time. Again I used the colored pencils. Sorry but I didn't get the info about this sculpture. One of the fun things about the American Wing at the Met is seeing out into the park. It makes a great backdrop with that and the cafe.

Shawne Cooper was hosting our event at the Met. Those who were willing to participate moved over to the Greek & Roman sculptures where Shawne had us form into groups of three for an "Exquisite Corpse" game. We were given papers folded into 3. One person on each team did the head and shoulders from a sculpture in the room. Then we swapped with someone on our team and we each did a torso from one of the figures. Lastly we each did a sketch below the waist...being a bit naughty if we wished. It was fun to see all the different combinations that were made. Here is one from our team.

I had a little time before show-and-tell so I headed into another gallery.

 

The Met - Part 1

 The NYC Urban Sketchers met at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Recently. Through the winter we have visited and will continue to visit the Met regularly. For each visit we attempt to sketch in a specific gallery. This particular visit our destination was the The American Wing. It is a great spot with lovely sculptures, a wide open area, a cafe, and views to the outside and Central Park.

Prior to the visit I purchased a set of Prismacolor Premium colored pencils. On their website the museum specifies that only dry materials should be used. Over the years I have used pen and watercolor, but it seems using other materials is often determined by the guards in that particular gallery. Some allow other materials, but I have been told by some guards not to use them. One friend had her paints confiscated. So I decided a nice set of colored pencils would be good to have.

I began the day with a sketch of the sculpture, "Artigon Pouring a Libation Over the Corpse of Her Brother Polyncos" by William Henry Rinehard. In the backgound is my friend, Sonia sketching the statue from the other side. Looking around the gallery there must have been at least 20 of us sketching the statues and Tiffany glass.

The Sayville Chocolatier

 Valentine's Day shopping caused a line outside the Sayville Chocolatier. I had been in Sayville the day before and there was a line outside. I couldn't stop then, but went back the following day. I sat across the street in my mobile studio to capture the store and some of the customers waiting outside.

Snow Piles and Boats

The boats at the marinas are mostly wrapped for the winter, but I did find this one in the lot by the Tiki Bar in Patchogue that was uncovered. I liked this scene with the melting snow piles and assorted marine materials around. I sketched from my mobile studio so the cold outside didn't phase me. I believe this is the Sunset Harbor Marina.

Sketch Club Sketches

Last Wednesday the sketch club met at the Patchogue Library and the theme was contour drawings of hands. I didn't have much interest in doing that, but I did one sketch of my hand. Instead I went around the table and sketched each of the sketchers.

 

24 Bellport Lane

 Many of the big, beautiful houses on Bellport Lane are hidden behind shrubbery for most of the year. Right now the foliage is sparse and you can see the lovely houses behind them. A little snow adds to their charm.

Sandspit Lighthouse in the Snow

 I had seen a photo of some of our places here on Long Island in the snow. Sandspit Lighthouse in Patchogue was one of them. I decided to drive over and see how it looked in person. The parking lot had one path plowed through it, but in order to sit in my mobile studio to sketch it I had to park on the icy snow. It was cold so I knew I had limited time to sketch and paint before I would have to leave or turn on the heat...so I worked quickly. I really liked the way the ice covered so much of the rocks and that there was a break in the ice covering the bay. 

Jalapeno Trio

 While the jalapeno was around I decided to sketch it a few more times, each time using a different medium. I started with Neocolors for the first one, used a green pastel pencil and Posca markers for the center one, and Derwent watercolors for the one on the right. Which is your favorite? 

Maybe Guacamole

One of the items for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt was "jalapeno." I don't normally have them in the house so I picked one up at the store. Rather than sketch it alone I added in the avocado and some garlic. Guacamole anyone? 

24 Bellport Lane

 This sketch was done along Bellport Lane looking from my mobile studio to a great house (#24). During most of the year it looks different because the hedges in front block a clear view of the house. I thought it was an interesting view looking through the mostly bare branches of the hedges.

Oakdale Path

Yes, our snow is still around...due to the cold very little of it has melted. I found another path into a wooded area. This one is in Oakdale right off Montauk Highway.

Fruit Still Life

It has been a while since the Patchogue Sketch Club actually sketched. We worked on prints for a number of weeks, then didn't meet during Christmas or the New Year, and the last few weeks the focus was collage. We're finally sketching again and our theme was fruit. I grabbed some of the fruit I had on hand for a fun time capturing it all. 

Mr. Nick's Barber Shop

 There are several locations for Mr. Nick's Barber Shop in Sayville and West Sayville. This one actually has a small barber pole and a bit of color.

View of the Caretaker's Cottage

 Sin now piles and parked cars were in front of the caretaker's cottage at the Long Island Maritime Museum in West Sayville. The world around me looks totally different with a bit of snow. I'm enjoying it.

Snow in the Parking Lot

 The snow was piled up against the railing at the dock in Blue Point near Corey Beach. I sat in my mobile studio in the parking area that was "trailer parking only." I didn't expect any boat trailers to be coming along soon.

Flux View

 The bitter cold sent my friend, Suzala and I indoors to sketch. We didn't join the NYC Urban Sketchers because it was just too cold to travel in on the train and subway. Instead we met at Flex Coffee in Farmingdale. We've sketched there before. It was an easy commute, warm, there were models, and coffee was available. I started with my cup of capuccino and the sketch grew from there as I added one table, one person, or one detail at a time until the space was filled. It was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

For the Scavenger Hunt

Here are a few sketches done for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt.

Something made of concrete... 

Something made of glass (a Murano glass rose)...

A set of keys done as a continuous line.

San Souci Park in Winter

 The frosty temperature has helped to keep the snow from melting. This is a view of the path that heads into San Souci Park just down the road in Sayville. It is challenging to do all those background trees in the distance, but I went for it.

Snowy Dock

By the Blue Point Dock there is a small park with a view of the bay. Not only was there snow, but a good part of the Great South Bay was frozen due to a week of very cold temperatures. The gulls were just sitting way out on the ice. Here the dock area had a little area that was clear of ice, but I don't know how long that will last.

San Souci Park Entrance

Right along Broadway Avenue in Sayville is a small parking area for San Souci County Park. I like that you can see the entrance and the path without walking into the park itself. It made painting from my mobile studio very comfortable on this day of barely 14°. Nobody else was there and I parked facing the entrance with no problem.

Snowy Road to the Marina

A friend of mine lives in Brookhaven and there is a small, private marina near her house. I've painted there with her several times. This time I headed over there while the snow was still on the ground. Due to the cold weather the snow isn't melting, so I have been able to paint a few snow scenes. I sat in my mobile studio outside the entrance to the marina. I didn't want to go in and take the chance of getting stuck in the snow...and besides I like being able to see the tracks that are already there. 

Scavenger Hunt Sketches

I've kept up with the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts lately. These first two sketches are for the hunt that I am presently hosting. They are both continuous line sketches.

Something with a lid... 

My kitchen sink with items nearby...

These were for the previous hunt...a figurine and a hand...