Schmitt's Farm Stand

Yesterday I took a ride out to Riverhead. It was a sunny day but not quite warm enough to sit outside and paint. I found a farm stand up along Sound Avenue that I hadn't painted before. How could I have missed this trailer with the striped awning? I sat in my car in the parking lot and painted.

This is 5 x 7.



Hidden Porch

Yesterday I rode around looking for something that attracted me, but the trees have no pop of color and everything looked so barren and brown! Finally I found this spot in Bellport. The part of the house to the right had enough trees and foliage hiding it  that I could sort of ignore the perspective nightmare it would be to actually draw it. lol This is 5 x 7.



The Potter

On Wednesday evening the Patchogue Sketch Club met at Gather Studio on Main St. in Patchogue. This is a mult-use studio for artists and crafters. The building is wonderful with huge windows and exposed brick...a nice feel to it. They offer classes in pottery, drawing, painting, etc. Alison and Carla were so welcoming to us. We had a really nice time.

 

The first thing that attracted me for a sketch were the pottery students. I asked if I could sketch and one of them gave me permission. All I know is when I took pottery on the wheel I was always covered from head to toe with clay, and they weren't. lol

The other artists from our group were sketching different areas of the loft where the studio is located, so when I finished the potter I went over to the other end of the studio and sketched one of the displays against the brick wall. As always I gravitated towards the art supplies.

My thanks again to everyone there for your hospitality.





The Tree

I went over to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale on Sunday to sketch. They have so many amazing trees and I was concerned that they might have lost a lot during the hurricane. There were some large trees that were destroyed but things could have been a lot worse.

 

So I picked one that looked healthy and strong to paint. This is 5 x 7.



Happy Veteran's Day

Sometimes a sketching opportunity knocks you over the head. Yesterday I was driving through Sayville heading over to the arboretum to paint something. Out of the corner of my eye I caught this crowd on the main street. Now could I park and sketch this before the ceremony ended? I quickly found a parking spot, grabbed my chair and supplies and set up across the street. There were a few speeches and prayers said which kept the people still in one spot long enough to sketch some of them. I was able to add color to some of the people before the crowd started to break up. I continued working, adding the buildings in the back and a few more people. I am happy with this.

 

My thanks to all the veterans who have served our country!!!

 



The Bridge

This is a bridge on Sunrise Highway in Brookhaven that goes across the Carmans River. I left out the traffic on the road, but I like the view. This is about 4 x 6.



Blue Point Avenue View

Yesterday I took a ride down to the end of Blue Point Avenue in Blue Point. There is a small park with a gazebo and fishing area that we've sat under when we go there to paint. The gazebo is still standing but if you look from there back to the main road most of the houses have lost docks, parts of the outside of their homes, and a great deal of the contents of the homes themselves. By one house the water was up to the back steps even now. The water levels seem to be much higher than they were before Hurricane Sandy arrived, maybe because so much of the land by the water was washed away. It is heartbreaking to see, but the residents of the area are busy cleaning everything out and repairing what they can.