I was meeting friends for lunch in Westbury and went a little early so I could sketch for a bit before going to the restaurant. I drove into Eisenhower Park in East Meadow and found this unusual building. I have no idea what it is used for but I liked it and did a quick sketch.
With what has been going on in our country I had to take part in the "Hands Off" protests that took place on April 5. My friend, Suzala, and I took part in the protest that was held in Mineola. It was rainy and cold here on Long Island, but that didn't affect the turnout. Both Suzala and I documented the day with our sketches. It was a bit difficult to sketch in the rain.
Last Sunday we had heavy rain here on Long Island. My friend, Suzala and I wanted to go sketching somewhere and I suggested Hicks Nurseries in Westbury. They have a huge greenhouse with plants and assorted garden supplies. The tropical bromeliads caught my attention and I sat myself down by a table of them. The sound of the rain on the glass ceiling was so loud at times!
The staff at Hicks Nurseries kept coming over to see what we were sketching and to talk about art with us. The loved that we were there sketching...and so did the shoppers.
Last Saturday I met my friend, Suzala for a day of art. First we went to the Nassau County of Art for an exhibit on "The Guilded Age." There were paintings, clothing, furniture and assorted artwork from that era. It was a nice exhibit and suprisingly found out that the museum had some paintings by John Singer Sargeant and Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Then we had to decide where to sketch on a cold afternoon. It was sunny but much too windy to sit outside. Suzala suggested going to 99 Ranch Market in Westbury, an Asian market I hadn't been to before. They have a food court so we headed there to sketch people, but when I saw all the food stalls I knew I wanted to sketch those instead of people sitting at tables. It was crowded but there was one row of tables that were along a wall and faced the front of the stalls. Suzala stood at one end and I stood at the other and waited until it looked like someone was getting up to leave. We lucked out and got a table right in front of the stall that had the hanging Peking ducks. We placed an order for our food and started sketching immediately. At times the stall had a BIG line that obscured everything, but eventually it got smaller. Each time it got smaller I sketched a little more of the scene. I sketched directly in ink because I knew it would take less time. When our food was ready and I saw the steamer basket I knew I had to sketch our soup dumplings before they disappeared. I did that, then ate and finished the dumpling sketch. Finally I was able to finish the sketch of Shanghai You Garden and add the color. It was a feast for the eyes and the stomach.
Our day of sketching in Westbury (see yesterday's post) had me cross the street and sit in front of Friar's Tavern for a view of Cremosa Market. Suzala was standing there at her easel painting the building on the opposite corner so of course I included her. It worked well together as a subject.
