Not Just Bows

On a mild day recently I took a ride out to Greenport which is a town at the eastern tip of Long Island's north shore. Although the town has been built up a lot recently there are still some interesting shops and buildings to be found. I sat outside Not Just Bows to do this sketch. I like that it had signs, a flag, items hanging outside and reflections on the windows. This is the last actual sketch in my concertina sketchbook that I made. I just have to figure out what I am going to put on the cover. Then I'll see if I can make a video or a slideshow of the whole thing.  

Forinos Tavern

Last week I took a drive out to Greenport which is the last town on the southern part of the North Fork. You can go slightly north and still go farther east to Orient Point. Greenport is a bustling little town and very popular with tourists in the summer. Right now it is one of the few towns that has a lot of stores and restaurants open...although some of them probably close after the new year. Pretty much right at the end of Main Street is Forinos Tavern which is built over the water. I've never been inside so I can't tell you what it is like inside or even if it was open (It didn't look like it was.). This is another sketch in my concertina sketchbook of North Fork locations.

Cutchogue Library

Of course when I was out on the North Fork to do the farmhouse that I posted yesterday, I did more than one small painting in my concertina sketchbook. This is the Cutchogue New Suffolk Free Library. The original part of the library was actually a church at one time, but it was donated to the town for a library when the congregation returned to their original church. This section houses the children's section of the library. Attached is a beautiful more modern section. I'm attaching a photo of what it looks like together. It is beautiful inside and out. 

Farmhouse

 I did some work in my North Fork of Long Island concertina sketchbook last weekend. This was done out somewhere near Cutchogue. I liked the fenced area (to keep out the deer) near the house. I still have a few more pages to complete.

Glass Greenhouse

 Out on the north fork of Long Island there are many nurseries. The Glass Greenhouse is one that stands out. Sketching the structure was not easy. I need to go out and get some plants for my patio. This was done in my home-made concertina sketchbook.

Modern Snack Bar

I did a second sketch for my concertina sketchbook while I was out on the north fork this weekend. 

The Modern Snack Bar in Aquebogue has been around since 1950 and this sign is an icon that people look for when driving along out there. I know I do. I sketched it once before but didn't have a good spot to sketch from and have wanted to go back and do it again. This time I sat at the end of a gas station/mini mart to get a good view. Whoever was working kept coming out to pump gas for the cars that pulled up and I guess he was wondering what I was doing. With the number of times I've passed this you would think I would be able to draw it in my sleep...but no. Even looking at it I started putting the color on with markers and realized I had done the entire arrow in black! Black marker isn't the easiest thing to cover up. When I got home I tried using red gouache to cover it but that didn't work. I ended up using red acrylic paint over the black. It isn't as bright of a red as it should be but I was happy that it worked at all because this sketch was on the back of the sketch from yesterday. I had already committed to sketching on the back side of the concertina. I guess I'm going to have to be a little more careful.

I was happy to see that even though the Modern Snack Bar hadn't yet opened for the season they keep their sign up to date with the current world situation.

 

Main Road, Laurel

This is the next page in my concertina sketchbook that is focusing on the main road that runs through the North Fork of Long Island (Route 25). I had planned to go a little farther east today, but there must have been an accident because I reached a certain point and the traffic was at a standstill. After sitting in the same place for about 10 minutes I just turned around. This little barn was tucked in off Main Street in Laurel.

Concertina Sketchbook Part 3

I took a ride back to the North Fork yesterday to continue the sketches in the concertina sketchbook. I had two pages left, but I came across this scene near Mattituck that just wouldn't have worked on only one page so I did it across two pages. It probably would have worked across 3 pages too because to the left of the barn was a really open field with absolutely nothing except the foliage in the background. But I had only two pages left yesterday. I am now in the process of adding another strip that will give me 4 more sketches...but that may not be enough to go all the way to the end of Route 25. lol

Concertina Sketchbook Part 2 & Exhibit

Yesterday I went back out to the North Fork along Route 25 with my concertina sketchbook. I saw this yellow barn along the roadway and of course I pulled over to sketch it. I did think yellow was an odd color for a barn and was tempted to change the color...but didn't.

Riding through Mattituck I noticed this taco restaurant but had already passed it. I did a u-turn and went back and parked outside. I was originally attracted to the building but then I saw that airstream on the side and couldn't resist. It looks like the airstream is used in warmer weather as part of the restaurant. I also loved the name of the restaurant..."Mattitaco" for a taco place in Mattituck. lol The sign wasn't in front of the planter. It was higher up on the building, but I wanted to include it.

There are two more pages in the double strip in this sketchbook. I may add an additional strip to give me four more pages so I can keep driving and sketching.

I have an exhibit of 12 of my framed sketches that I did on my trip to Venice back in April. The sketches are in a shop in Patchogue called The Cheese Patch and they will be hanging there for the entire month. Yesterday there was a reception for the show. Here are a few photos.

The painting on the bottom right, of St Mark's Cathedral sold at the reception.

North Fork Concertina - Sketches 1-4

Yesterday I didn't feel like taking the train(s) to meet the NYC sketchers in Brooklyn. It just sounded like it involved too much energy. Instead I decided to head out to the North Fork of Long Island, a place I love to sketch. Usually when I go out there I gravitate to the same kind of spots all the time...the farmer's markets. So I came up with a sketching plan that was semi-successful.

Before I left home I made a concertina (accordion style) sketchbook from a sheet of paper from a Winsor Newton watercolor pad. I cut it into strips that were 6 inches high and marked off and folded pages that were 6 inches long. Then I glued 2 strips together giving me a length that was 8 pages long.

My plan was to start right at the corner where the "North Fork" begins which is where Rt 105 and Rt 25 intersect outside of Riverhead. Cruising along Rt 25 my plan was to drive about 1 mile and pull over to sketch whatever the view was. My first stop was at 1.2 miles on my odometer where I had a view of the Woodside Orchard store in Jamesport. It sells pies and cider and things like that. I parked across the street and sketched that view.

#momentsketchers

When I finished that sketch I drove another 1.2 miles and found myself right near Jamesport Vineyard. I drove into the parking lot, sat my mobile studio near one of the buses there for a tour, and sketched the vines and building. All the grapes have been harvested and the leaves on the vines are turning autumn colors.

Next driving through Jamesport I came across this field of cabbages growing with such great green colors that I had to stop the car. I had driven a little over a mile to this spot. I must admit I had painted from that location before but I don't know if there had been cabbages growing or something else at the time.

Now this was where the "drive a mile" fell apart.  I had to find a restroom and I was starving! So mileage went out the window and I drove to find lunch. That took a while and I didn't want to go any farther east, so I turned around and headed west stopping at the first place that called to me. That was the Cutchogue Diner.

By this time it was already 4:30 and I decided to buy a few veggies at the farmers' market and head home. I do plan on going back out there and finishing the pages in the sketchbook I made. Hopefully I will get to do the rest soon.