Quiet Beach

The schools here on Long Island went back last Tuesday. I went down to Islip Beach and there was no lifeguard and only a few people on the beach. The staff should be back for the Labor Day Weekend...but it seemed too soon to see it so empty. 

Sketchers at Work

The Patchogue Sketch Club is working on our group project for Arts on Terry which will take place on Sunday, Sept 13. Mark and Karen were working on their canvases at the MOCA Gallery (more about the project in the future) but I had already finished mine at home. I kept myself busy sketching them as they worked. Mark is used to me sketching him but Karen was unaware that I sketched her. She is new to the group and doesn't know that I tend to sketch the members often. She liked the sketch.

 

Ferry to Fire Island

I've sketched the ferry boats that leave Sayville for Fire Island quite a few times. There are usually a few docked along Brown's River and if I time it right I can get a sketch done before the ferry departs for it's trip. There were a few people on board when I started so I was able to include a few figures. This was sketched in the sketchbook that seems to have no/little sizing so the ink and the watercolor behave differently than on most of the papers that I use. Bon Voyage!

Woman at the Marina

I wanted to sketch the land formations by the marina attached to the Timber Ridge Golf Course in Great River the other morning.  This woman was actually sitting on the front end of a boat that was docked there being stocked with supplies for a trip. I loved her pose so I sketched her...and of course the boat pulled away before I could sketch it too. She was already in a seated position so I plunked her down on the dock that was right in front of me.

Madison Square Park Fountain

 My second sketch on Saturday was done inside Madison Square Park. There is a fountain on the south end of the park and a small round pond on the north end of the park. The fountain was in a perfect sunlit spot and the bench I sat on was in the shade. A jazz group was playing nearby.

Another NYC Urban Sketcher came along when I was nearly done and we started talking and sharing stories. Then a photographer came along and told us he was doing a project on groups of people in the park and how they use the park. He asked if he could take some photos of us working. Later when we were doing our show-and-tell he took photos of everyone and their work to use in the project. 

It turned out to be a productive day for the group. Two of the sketchers actually sold the pieces they had done on site.

Madison Square Park Area

 On Saturday I joined about 40 other NYC Urban Sketchers in the Madison Square Park area. On the left is the Flatiron Building. I liked the vibrancy of the yellow umbrellas and foliage in the foreground of the sketch. I was sitting on the outside sidewalk by Madison Square Park which is located near 23rd Street between 5th Ave and Madison Ave.

Sayville Park View

 This was painted by the park down on the bay in Sayville. It looks out toward Fire Island.