Longwood's Glory

My plein air group went to Longwood Estate yesterday morning. It was a cold, crisp, autumn day so I really bundled up. It wasn't too bad if you were sitting in the sun. There were about 8 of us painting in various location on the property. I did a view of part of the house with the colorful trees amd little sheds. This is about 4 x 11.

Here I am all bundled up.

Here are the other artists at work.

Jeanne

Marlene

Chris and Mike

Mary

Liz

I think we are going back next week.

Seatuck Marsh

We are lucky here on Long Island to have so many areas of water.

This was done at the Seatuck Preserve in Islip.

This is 4 x 10.

Travels in Maine - Part III

Today was not only cold but windy and cloudy, so nobody wanted to do any sketching outside today.

We did take a drive down to Ocean Point in Boothbay Harbor. It is a beautiful spot with views

of the rocks, the water, the cottages, and a sailboat or two. I didn't get out of the car to take any photos and we did all our sketching/painting from the warm car. I parked in two different locations.

Ocean Point I

Ocean Point II

Travels in Maine Part II

I stand corrected. This morning when we walked into town we came across this pumpkin which weighed in at 1,055 pounds!!! I don't know how they lift them to get them into place. Each of them has a card listing the grower, the artist(s) and the weight. This is the biggest one we found so far. They are on display in front of a lot of the businesses in town.

Today our travels took us up north about 40 minutes to Rockland. We weren't sure if it would be warm enough to sit outside to paint so we bundled up again. It was just tolerable!

Here are Mickey and Tina sitting on a bench. Mickey was already finished and Tina was putting the finishing touches on her painting. 

I faced a different direction from them looking at the rocks and trees.

Here is the painting with the view behind it.

By this time we were frozen and starving so we headed into town for lunch...yummy sea scallops at the Rockland Cafe. After lunch we headed slightly north to Camden which is again right along the water.

I painted the church with the steeple and some of the town buildings. We were sitting in the park so some of the park foliage is in the foreground.

Then we went shopping to warm up a bit.

Travels in Maine

My sister, Mickey and I took a ride up to Maine to visit my sister, Tina and her family.

Of course my paints came along on the trip. This morning we went walking for exercise.

I brought along my camera because I knew I wanted to take some photos of the decorated 

pumpkins along the street that are still on display from the Pumpkinfest two weeks ago. The pumpkins each weigh between 200-500 pounds.

I'll show you a few.

Does this one make you want a burger and fries? lol

Or a swim in the ocean?

This one looks like he needs to eat a little more.

And here's a public service announcement.

Later in the morning I went out for a while to paint in town.

This is Nash House just down from the only traffic light in town.

It has several businesses inside.

The red tree was just calling to be painted and this is 5 x 7.

By the time I was finished I was wearing my fingerless gloves and shaking.

The temperature up here is a bit on the cold side.

After lunch Mickey and I rode down to Pemaquid Point...my all-time favorite spot in this area. It is not a trip to Maine without seeing the Pemaquid Lighthouse. It was cold and windy down there so I was wearing a sweater, a winter jacket, and a very heavy sweatshirt with a hood over everything.

I guess I was warm enough for a while because I painted without wearing my gloves.

Here I am on the rocks where I sat to paint.

Here is the painting in my sketchbook...about 5 x 7.

Mickey was bundled up too.

For our next sketch location we headed over to Colonial Pemaquid and did a view of the water while sitting in the warm car.

White Jubilee

When I was at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale on Sunday for the WetPaints Studio Group's Member's Show,  I had a few hours between sitting at the gallery and the show reception. I went back to the dahlia garden where I've painted a few times lately. The white dahlia caught my eye this time.

This is 5 x 7.

Tucked Away

The east end of Long Island still has quite a bit of farmland but usually the barns are too far away or too modern so I don't want to sketch them. Sometimes you can find little hidden gems like this one.

This is 5 x 7.

Autumn Walkway

Last Tuesday my plein air group (PALS) met at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale hoping for some autumn colors. There were touches here and there, but not quite the bright burst of color we were waiting for. This was done along the path down by the water and is 5 x 7.

Autumn Along the Water and Good News

On Wednesday I went out painting with three friends. We headed to Short Beach only to find that it was being dredged. With all the flooding from last year's hurricane, the sand shifted blocking the water from flowing easily and the water would really back up at high tide flooding the road and parking lot.

So we went in search of an alternate painting site. This was somewhere near Smithtown
again along the waterfront. (8 x 10)

This weekend one of my art groups, the Wet Paints Studio Group that meets in Sayville had our members show. I received 2nd place in watercolors for my painting "Au Beau Maitin a' Paris."

It is a painting I did of the apartment building that was across from us when we went to Paris.

41st World Wide SketchCrawl in NYC

Today was the 41st World Wide SketchCrawl. I met up with the NYC Urban Sketchers starting at Belvedere Castle in Central Park. We had a fair turnout of locals as well as a group of high school art students who were in NYC with their teacher for a field trip and an Aussie from Perth who happened to be in the park sketching right near us.

This is Belvedere Castle which sits on one of the highest hills in Central Park.

And my sketch of it.

Julie was sketching right near me.

Next I moved a little higher and met up with some of the other sketchers.

Here is Carol with her sketch of the view down from the observation deck.

Here is my sketch looking down and the actual view I painted.

Here's a closer look at my sketch.

Our next location was down on the lawn looking up at the castle.

I also sketched Parker sketching people in the group.

The rocks made a handy seat.

People were sitting on the rocks near him.

Here are photos of the group while they were working.

Before we went to lunch we shared some of our work and information.

After a delicious lunch at Carmine's on Broadway, Susan, Mark, Mia, and I 

returned to the perimeter of the park to continue sketching.

Here are Mark and Mia at work.

We all sketched St. Urban an apartment building at 285 Central Park West.

I did just the top of the building.

I also did part of the Dwight School that was across from us.

Here is Mia with her sketch of the building.

On the way back to the parking garage Susan and I stopped for coffee at Starbucks.

Of course we sketched! I had the back of a model seated by the window.

Our sketchcrawl lasted about 12 hours including travel. It was a long day!

Farmland

I love all the farms around this end of Long Island. This is one of the local ones with the farm machinery and the rows of veggies.

Crab Meadow

While in the Northport area we went to a spot called Crab Meadow. There were marshes and grasses

and lovely water views. We did have to watch out because the tide was coming up quickly.

Flower Shop in Northport

Last week my friend and I went to Northport to paint. I liked this corner florist all decked out
for Halloween.
This is 5 x 7.

Here is my painting with the shop behind it.