Shep Jones Lane Field of Flowers

In the town of Stony Brook there is a preserve that is along Shep Jones Lane. It is filled with beautiful yellow flowers. My plein air group has been going there for years to paint. I haven't been there in a few years and it seems like there are a lot fewer flowers now. Before you could look out on meadows on both sides of the road and just see yellow flowers that were nearly as tall as you are. A storm last year affected the area with heavy flooding when a dam and a nearby road were washed away. I wonder if that affected it. It is still a lovely spot, although harder to reach since the other road still hasn't been repaired.

 

Beach Sketches

 I haven't been to the beach in a while to actually sit on the beach...a rare thing for me. I've been going to the pool mostly. I did go a few weeks ago with a friend to sketch. This time I headed over to Islip Beach which is on the Great South Bay. It isn't as good as being at the ocean, but it is closer and the parking is a lot easier. This lady was relaxing right in front of me. She kept moving her arms to awkward positions.

This lady was also nearby. It is fun to see where some of the body parts go in relationship to the chair parts. Sorry for the shadow on the left.

Hindu Temple

My friend found an interesting location in Melville. I met her at the BPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple. It is a beautifully designed building and so different from what we usually sketch.

I had checked their website before we went and it said they were open for the afternoon from 4-8. We wanted to see if we could sketch inside. We checked at the front desk and were asked to remove our shoes. We enterd the area of worship through the woman's entrance. A gentleman met us inside and we asked if it was possible to sketch. We were told that the this is a sacred Hindu place of worship and visitors are asked to be peaceful, pray, and meditate. He agreed that quiet sketching would meet with their values. Their leader came and prayed, as well as several other visitors.

The sanctum of the Mandir has images and statues of the diety. The statues are surrounded by pinnacles adorned with beautiful carvings and sculptures. I hadn't brought my paints inside, so I sketched in ink. I would love to have painted in watercolors to show the beautiful costume on the statue and the beautiful carved golden pinnacles. We sat and sketched for about 40 minuted until we were told that there would be about a 20 minute period when the area would be closed. A curtain was closed in front and we left the area. As we were leaving we were told that we were welcome to come back and sketch any time.  

The Groovy Smoothie

I stopped at the Sayville Farmers Market on Sunday to sketch and shop. The forecast was for rain so I sketched this view from my mobile studio. It had just started spritzing when I finished but I scooted out to get some frest veggies. About an hour later the spritzing changed to heavy rain with thunder and lighting which lasted most of the afternoon. I always feel sorry for outdoor vemdors who have to pack up quickly when rain hits. (We've experienced that a few times.) Luckily the Groovy Smoothie truck didn't have a lot to pack up and could get out of the rain fairly quickly. 

Bellport Street Scene

Yes, this is a similar view to yesterday's post. It was painted along Bellport Lane looking toward South Country Road. I am participating in the South Bay Art Association's Plein Air Event again this year. The artwork will be on display on Bellport Day on July 25. The participants have about a week and a half to paint in the designated area and select one piece to enter into our exhibit. I the show is juried and prizes are awarded to the winners. So far I've painted 2 possible entries but I'm fairly sure this is the one I will put in the show. 

Bellport Street Corner

This ink and wash sketch was also done for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt. The prompt was a street. 

Scavenger Hunt Items

Here are a few sketched done for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts, 

A gate

Ceramic & Metal