Boat Repairs

 My PALS Plein Air group met at the Long Island Maritime Museum last week. The grounds are what always interest me, but this time I didn't work on the water views. There are several buildings on the property that are used for boat building and renovations. This particular building caught my interest because of the light on the boat inside coming through the open doorway. I believe the boat inside is the Priscilla, an old oyster sloop that is being renovated. The mast on the Pricilla had been removed and slices of it have been decorated by artist for the next fundraiser that the Maritime Museum is having. I painted one of the pieces for the next fundraiser.

Oyster Bay Bait

 The NYC Urban Sketchers made their annual trip to Oyster Bay with my friend, Suzala organizing the event. Quite a few sketchers came out from the city, Westchester, and NJ to join us here on Long Island. I looked for something I hadn't sketched in the past and found this shop with a "Bait" sign near the water. Apparently the bait was being sold behind this building. 

Browns River Road Home

 I've painted this house along Browns River Road in Sayville many times. Each time the foliage obscures more of the house. I know there is a patio there and a big window, but it is lost behind the shrubs. All I know is if I had a house facing the water I would make sure I didn't block my own view.

Cedar Beach View #3

 With the sky changing so quickly at Cedar Beach I decided to do one more quick sunset painting from the same spot on the beach. Sunsets are difficult in watercolor because you don't really have time for the layers of color to dry long enough before you are adding more color. This painting is a little looser. I was somewhat successful. Of course the sailboats came out for the sunset and it was a bit difficult to sneak one into the wet paint.

Cedar Beach View #2

 After sketching from the boardwalk at Cedar Beach (see yesterday's post) I decided to go down on the sand. Right by the bottom step of the board I found a spot to sit where I could see down the beach along the dunes and grasses. The sky was getting some interesting clouds and color. Along the water's edge there were several fishermen with their rods. In addition to my regular watercolors I used a soft charcoal pencil and a few watercolor pencils. The headlands in the background are part of Port Jefferson.

Cedar Beach View #1

A friend suggested heading up to Cedar Beach in Mt Sinai to do sunset paintings recently. We got up there about 4:30 and were joined by a third artist. For my first painting I sat on the boardwalk and was overlooking the dunes. The sky kept changing.

Frank F Penney Boat Shop

On the grounds of the Long Island Maritime Museum there are several buildings besides the museum. This is the Frank F. Penney Boat Shop. It has a bit of history. 

This structure was once the laundry building for the Brooklyn Hotel located in Center Moriches. When the hotel burned down Mr. Penney jumped at the chance to rescue the building for use in his boatyard. In 1978 it was floated by barge from Moriches to the Museum. Today it serves the same purpose it served in 1900 - it is the center of our volunteer boat building program.