Statue by the Wall

The other day my friend and I went to the Sagtikos Manor to paint.

This lovely statue was in the walled garden.

5 x 7

Scungi II

It seems like I have been doing a lot of boats this year.

This is 5 x 7 and was done the other day at the White Cap Fish Market in Islip,

a place I've painted at several times this year. 

Kayak Beach

On Tuesday four members of the PALS Plein Air Limner Society headed over to Shelter Island.

We took the ferry from Sag Harbor and then we were off.

This was done on Ram's Head Island on part of the property of the Ram's Head Inn.

It was a great spot to paint.

Here is my painting against the scene.

Here is a photo of all of us on the beach there.

Here are Susan, Laurie, Liz, Jeanne, and myself.

After the first painting we went to lunch at Captain Cody's Seafood Shop.
The food was great! Here we are again.

Our next stop was the tiny town of Deering Harbor.

I painted a restaurant overlooking the water.

Red Barns and Tractor

On Monday I took a trip to the Smithtown Historical Society. I've been there before but haven't come close to painting all the views. I did like this one. This is 5 x 7.

A View Across

Last week I was able to get to the beach a few times. This was painted from Smith Point on Fire Island facing toward the mainland right near the bridge. This is 5 x 7.

Visiting and Painting

On Thursday I had the opportunity to visit with a friend that I met through the internet years ago. She and I have followed and enjoyed each other's work on WetCanvas as well as on our blogs, and finally met in person last year. Lin Frye who is listed along the right side of my blog is a wonderful watercolor artist. She lives in NC and was in NY to spend time with family for the week. My other friend, Susan and I took Lin to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum to take photos, plein air paint,
and visit with each other. We had a great time!

We took photos by the dahlias but decided to paint the sunflowers against the white barn. This is 5 x 7.

Here is my painting against the backdrop of sunflowers.

Here are Susan, myself, and Lin. (Luckily I remebered how to use the timer.)

And Lin and myself painting.

(photo curtesy of Susan Toplitz)

Wednesday the Patchogue Sketch Club made what will probably be our last visit to Flo's Luncheonette for the season. It was a cool, crisp night, but there were still some people dining outdoors.

This was done in my Stillman & Birn Alpha Sketchbook.

Dahlia Daze

I am a bit behind in posting. On Tuesday my plein air group went back to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River. I did another close view of one of the dahlias. The colors of the flowers are just so amazing. This is 5 x 7.

Here is the painting against the flower.

We had a small turnout. Here is Rosamaria setting up.

And Linda at work.

Chairs on the Porch

I always find such interesting houses to paint in Sayville.
I would love to be sitting there looking out.

North Fork Sketches

On Saturday I took a trip out to the north fork of Long Island. The farmland was in its glory.

Pumpkins are starting to appear.

I wandered some of the back roads and found this section and New Suffolk Beach.

It was still warm enough to sit out on the beach and paint.

Watching the Waves

There was a couple at Smith Point Beach the other day sitting on the pile of sand that was previously

in front of the lifeguard chair. The waves were great to watch.

Boat Dock

I headed down to Sayville the other day and found this view of a boat dock. 

Boats are still a challenge for me, so I keep practicing them.

Sunset at the Dock

On Wednesday the Patchogue Sketch Club met down at the Sayville Dock. There weren't too many clouds so we didn't have a dramatic sunset...just a touch of color.

Beach Path

Even though school has started it still feels like summer here. Yesterday I went to the beach and painted from the memorial that was built at Smith Point Beach to honor those who were lost when TWA flight 800 crashed off the coast of Long Island. The memorial garden is gorgeous and overlooks the dunes and the water.

Out on the Point

I took a ride up to the north fork of Long Island the other day and went to the Jamesport town beach.

During the summer it is closed to anyone who isn't a resident, but now that the summer season is over it is open to the public. I parked and walked in a little near the marina and found this wonderful house on the point. This is 4 x 10.

At the Dahlia Garden

Today my plein air group (PALS) met at the dahlia garden at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River. The dahlias were gorgeous...and they haven't even reached their peak yet. They should be around until October.

I don't usually do individual flowers, but I figured I would give it a go. It was hard to decide which one to pick as a subject since each one is so different. This is 5 x 7.

Here is the painting against the actual view, and a photo of me working on the painting.

Next I did an ATC sized (2.5 x 3.5) little painting of some dahlias.

Here are a few of the other artists at work.

Jeanne

Laurie

Rosamaria

(who I used as a model for my next painting)

This is 5 x 7.

Here I am working on the painting of Rosamaria.

Since the flowers will be in bloom for a while, I'm sure we will go back again.

Here are just a few photos of some of the gorgeous flowers.

See why I had such a hard time deciding which one to paint?

Comfortable Seat

Yesterday I was at the beach at Smith Point Park and this lady and her family parked themselves right in front of me (the nerve!!!) blocking my clear view of the water. Since they were my view I decided I would sketch them. The family was large but I decide to focus on just two of them. The woman on the cooler was the only one with a seat, and the young woman in front of her was the swimmer of the family. She was in the water a lot.

The Bridge

Before going to the beach yesterday for most of the day, I went to the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley to do a little sketching. I like this view of the bridge and the kayakers provided a bit of color under the arch. This is 5 x 7.

Keeping Summer Alive

Our temps have cooled off a bit but the sun has still been warm enough that people are going to the beach and swimming. Yesterday after painting the barn below I headed down to Sayville. There is a small beach on the bay with some benches nearby for people to relax. The lifeguards were still on duty and most of the kids had off for the Jewish holidays.

There were several young teens/tweens who were in and out of the water wrapped in their towels.

This is about 5 x 7 and was done without any preliminary pencil lines.

Cart and Barn

Today I joined some friends to paint at the Smithtown Historical Society.

There were lots of interesting views but the cart in front of the barn captured my attention.

This is 8 x 10.

Last evening the Patchogue Sketch Club met at the Patchogue Dock. This was the view from the dock back toward the land. This was done in my Stillman & Birn Alpha Sketchbook.

The sky was awesome for the sunset. It just kept getting better and better.

I did three small ATCs.

Westins Boat Shop

Yesterday morning we had some wild storms over Long Island. I was supposed to paint with my plein air group but we got washed out. By the afternoon the weather had cleared a bit and I went in search of a spot to paint. This is Westins Boat Shop in Sayville done in my Stillman & Birn Delta Sketchbook.

Healthy or Not

There are some foods that just call out to be painted. Here are two.

Governors Island - Part II

This is a continuation of my sketching day on Governors Island begun below.

Fete Paradiso was taking place all summer on Governors Island. Vintage French carousels, rides, and games from the late 19th & early 20th century had been brought over and set up for the public. We had lunch from a stand selling French food and ate on a pavillion built from a former French bumper car ride. While eating we were entertained by a French chanteuse singing French songs. What a mood that provided! During lunch some of the sketchers continued to draw
...mostly each other and people sitting near us.

I did a woman at another table with her cell phone in hand.

When we finished lunch a few people left but a few of us remained to begin sketching the amusements.

I began with the Bouffe Balle Game in which the player tosses balls in the mouths of the characters.

I know that the characters in the game included Charlie Chaplain and Josephine Baker, but I don't know the others. Maybe you can tell from the actual photo.

I also sketched a carousel horse that wasn't part of a working carousel.

Here is an actual photo of the horse.

I moved over to sketch a carousel with some unusual animals. This one was working.

By this time it was nearly 5:30 and we were tired and hot. The humidity was getting to us. We decided to head over near the ferry and see if we could get something cold to drink. What we found was Water Taxi Beach which had a bar, food, sand, palm trees, and a wonderful view of the city.

We got cold drinks and sat at a picnic table to sketch the view. A couple was sitting under the palm tree posing for us. You can see a view of the Brooklyn Bridge on the right of my sketch.

The last ferry departs from Governors Island at 7, so we decided to take the 6:30 ferry back hoping it wouldn't be as crowded. We did have to stand on line for a bit, but got seats for the return trip.

I have to say that by the time we got home (about 8pm) we were exhausted! It was a long day out in the heat and we were carting our supplies all over the island. Was it worth it? Definitely!!!