Ferry Ride & Happy New Year

On Monday we took the Cross Sound Ferry from Orient Point, NY to New London, CT on our way up to visit my sister Tina and her family in Maine. I always enjoyed people watching on the ferry, but now I do "people sketching" instead. It makes the 1hr 20 min trip fly by.

I would like to take a few minutes to thank everyone who visits my blog and shares their comments, as well as all of those who share their wonderful work on their blogs with the rest of us. I very much appreciate my blogging friends and their support.

Happy New Year to all of you!

I hope that 2012 brings lots of love, support, comfort, enjoyment, and artistic energy your way.

Night Sketch at Bayport Flower House

One of the things I wanted to sketch was a night view with Christmas lights. I did this sitting in the parking lot of the Bayport Flower House along Montauk Highway. Painting in the dark isn't easy. Even with the interior car light on while I was painting, I couldn't differentiate the paint colors. lol

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! We scooted up to Maine to visit family so I couldn't post while I was away. Paintings from there will be posted tomorrow.



Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

May this Christmas season bring you peace and joy, and the love of family and friends!

Enjoy!!!

Arch in Provence

I have been taking part in a watercolor workshop online at WetCanvas taught by Virgil Carter. We are working on (among other things) adding more luminous colors to our buildings. How do you think I did? This is from a small 5 x 7 painting that I had done in Provence when we were in France. I changed the view through the arch, but the rest of it is pretty much the same.

Bayport Flower House Tree Purchase

Trying to keep with the holiday theme I went back to the Bayport Flower House yesterday. As I got there these two men came out to attach this tree to the gentleman's car. I scurried to get my journal and pencil to sketch them in action before they were finished. Then I worked on the background.



PALS Plein Air Show Video

Things are hectic and I do not have a new piece of artwork to post.

However, here is a link to a video from the art show my plein air group had 2 weekends ago. If you actually watch it, about 1.17 minutes into the video is a photo of me painting. I'm seated wearing my sweatshirt and a bandana around my hair to keep it from being blown in to my face by the wind.

The video was created by Chris Salucci and that is his band playing the song. Enjoy!

www.palspleinair.blogspot.com


Just click on the video icon at the top or on the last post "PALS - A Brush of Long Island."

Sandy's Garden Center

I am trying to get something holiday themed sketched every day. This is another local garden center decorated for the holidays. I hope you are feeling the spirit!



Christmas at the Big Duck

Yesterday after Christmas shopping out east, I decided to visit "The Big Duck" in Flanders to paint. This adorable building was built by a Long Island duck farmer in 1931 and used as a shop to sell ducks and duck eggs. It is now on the Register of Historic Places and contains a museum (it must be small) and souvineers. They have an official Christmas lighting which I missed.



Whoopie Pies

My sketch group went back to Queen City Cupcakes in Patchogue to sketch last night. I took my chair and sat in front of the case with the whoopie pies. It was very hard to resist them cause I heard them described to several customers....hazelnut cream filling, oh my!



Holiday Color

With all the prep for the sale last weekend, and Christmas shopping, I have been neglecting my art. Last night I finally sat down and sketched a few things for the WetCanvas scavenger hunts and something in my December journal.



PALS Plein Air Show

This weekend, one of my art groups, the PALS Plein Air Limner Society had a show of our plein air work. There are about 20 members and each of us had a few pieces hanging and then had a lot of unframed work for sale. They are a really great group with a lot of talent!!! The work was hung on the walls by location. Here are a few photos from the show. If you click on the photo the picture will enlarge.

Trees for Sale

The Christmas tree lots are not as plentiful as I always remember, but I did find a different one to sketch today. This is 4 x 6.



Snowman Display

I have been busy getting ready for an art show this weekend, had a few holiday parties to go to, and was trying to Christmas shop too, so my painting time these last few days was limited. Yesterday I decided that I had to go out and at least sketch something for my December journal. It was raining so I found a spot in front of a Christmas display at a local nursery. This is 4 x 6.



Centerport Water View

My sketching seems to have been affected by holiday parties and such. I didn't get out to sketch or paint anything in the last two days. This was painted on Sunday at the harbor in Centerport. It is a really nice area, with several views that can be painted throught the winter from the car if necessary. This is 5 x 7.



Decorations

I was out on the north fork of Long Island near Jamesport. The area has a lot of garden centers and nurseries. I loved the piles of wreaths and roping ready for the holidays. This is about 3 x 5.



Holiday Ready

I don't know how long I can keep this theme going, but here is another local scene. I sat in my car in Southampton to paint this one. It was hard getting a spot with a good view. This is 5 x 5.



It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

With all the decorations bombarding us earlier and earlier each year, you would think I would be busy shopping, but NO. I haven't bought a single gift. I'm in the spirit with the Christmas songs, but I want to paint not shop. I sat outside one of the Christmas tree lots on Wednesday to paint this. It is 4 x 6.



Colorful Explorations

I've been experimenting to add a little color to my work. These are 8 x 10.



Brookhaven Park Bridge

Yesterday was our plein air outing day, but the weather was overcast and damp. I headed out anyway but only did a small sketch in my Stillman and Birn's journal. This is the little bridge in the park in Brookhaven. I was just about finished when it started to drizzle, so my friend Jeanne and I packed up quickly and ran to the car. By that time it was really raining. Only Jeanne and I are such dedicated painters in this group. Everyone else stayed home and dry. lol This is 4 x 6.



Captree Views

On Sunday I drove over to Captree State Park and walked out on the fishing pier. There was a view of one of the islands with a few shacks on it. This is one of them. This is 4 x 6.



Even though the temps were in the mid 50s, it was cold sitting by the water. I ended up painting this charter boat from the car. This is 5 x 7. Somehow I missed painting the pilings that were next to the boat. I'll have to remedy that.

Seatuck

I found this interesting building which is part of the Seatuck Environmental Center in Islip. It looks like it belongs in another world. This is 5 x 7.



The Llama

Yesterday I sketched this llama at the Holtsville Ecology Center. This is 4 x 6.

Autumn Treasures

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. We had a lovely time at my sister-in-law's house, and of course ate more than enough. I didn't get out to paint but I had collected a few leaves on my morning walk and did a small painting in my journal. This is 4 x 6.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

From me to you: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

At this time of year, I cherish those I love, and am thankful for the many blessings I have...you included!

I don't do portraits very often, but every once in a while I do try one. This one is a self portrait and it does resemble me a bit...a younger me, which is good! This is about 4 x 6.



Sunday Plein Airs

Yesterday my artist friend, Susan, and I took a ride over to the St. James General Store in St. James. The building, both inside and outside is such a throwback to the past. I took some photos inside of the jars and displays of candy and assorted treats. This was painted from the opposite side of the street and is 5 x 7.

Later we went to a performance by the Bay Arts Chorus at a church in Patchogue. The singers and the orchestra were wonderful. Susan and I sat up in the balcony so we could sketch. It made the concert pass so quickly. They were done singing before I was done sketching. lol My appologies to the members that I missed. This is 4 x 6.



Caumsett Park View

This is a painting that I did last weekend up near Caumsett State Park in Lloyd's Neck (one of the top 10 richest zipcodes in the country). This is the road in front of the park. It is a lovely area, but besides the state park you can't park anywhere along the road...and the views are beautiful. This is about 4 x 6.

Painting in Manhattan

Yesterday my husband and I had tickets to see "Billy Elliot" in the city. We decided to go in early. Unfortunately it was cold and still drizzling when we got there so we stopped into St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Ave. We sat in a pew in The Lady Chapel while I painted this. There were a number of art students all over the church sketching in their sketchbooks. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought of St. Patricks for rainy day sketching. This is about 4 x 6.

From there we walked down Fifth Avenue to the New York Public Library. It had stopped raining and I wanted to paint outdoors. I sat outside the library and sketched the view of the corner of Fifth Ave and 42nd St. I had to finish it indoors because by 4:30 it was already dark and I couldn't see what I was doing on the paper. lol This is also about 4 x 6.



Queen City Cupcakes Revisited

Last night the Patchogue Sketch Club met again at Queen City Cupcakes at my request. No, I didn't want more samples. lol I wanted to do a sketch of one of the displays they had with bottles of soda.It looked simple, but wasn't easy. Sketching one bottle would have been fine, but there were so many. This is my sketch which is about 7 x 9.

I did buy a cupcake while I was there (pecan pie) and saved it for dessert when I got home. But first it had to pose for a portrait. This is 4 x 6.



Bellport House

I am still trying to get out and capture the autumn color before it is gone. I liked the contrast of the yellows by this house with the white picket fence. This is 4 x 6.



Colorful Buildings

On WetCanvas Virgil Carter is doing a class called, "Painting Buildings in the Landscape Loosely and Colorfully." I joined the class. His paintings are gorgeous...filled with really vibrant color. This pales in comparison to the color he uses, but I'm happy with it. This was my homework for the class, from one of the references he supplied. This is 8 x 10.



Bellport Vista

Yesterday a frind and I painted at Sunken Meadow State Park on the north shore of Long Island. It is a pretty park with wonderful views of the marshes. At this time of year everything looked golden. This is 5.5 x 15.



Queen City Cupcakes

A new shop opened in Patchogue and the gracious owner allowed us to come in and sketch. I did have a cup of coffee, but had to force myself to pass on the delicious cupcakes. I know we will be there painting again. This is 4 x 6.



Autumn at Longwood

I returned to Longwood Estate in Ridge yesterday to do a small autumn sketch while the weather was still nice. This is in my Stillman and Birn journal and is about 4 x 6.



House in the Meadow

My plein air group went to a beautiful location in Brookhaven that we've been lucky enough to paint at before. It is a  huge piece of property with reeds and water from the river, a white barn, several other buildings, alpacas, geese, and this wonderful view over the fence to this meadow. I didn't get a chance to paint it the last time, so that was what I was determined to paint yesterday. I thing I used just about everything in that foreground grass...some salt, spattering, resist, dry brush, and lots of layers. I really like the way it came out. This is 7 x 10.



Vineyard

I love the look of rolling hills and vines. This is 7 x 10.



Downtown Sayville

This was done in my Stillman and Birns journal. It isn't watercolor paper, but can be used for light washes. I like the way it takes the ink. I've been wanting to paint this corner in Sayville for a while. It reminds me of small town America. This is about 4 x 6.



Autumn Trees

On Friday a friend and I painted at the Spring Lake Golf Course. We sat in the parking lot to paint the scenery. The top painting is 5 x 7, and the sketch below is 4 x 6.