Magnolias

After painting the small square magnolia the other day I wanted to go back and paint a larger version. This was done at Clark Botanic Gardens in Albertson. It is about 5 1/2 x 15.

Since today is the last day of the month my fake journal, "Floral Fantasy" has come to an end. You can check out the last sketches and post here.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

47th World Wide SketchCrawl

Last Saturday was the 47th World Wide SketchCrawl, the day when sketchers all over the world go out and sketch wherever they are. Then the artists or groups post their work on sketchcrawl.com for everyone else to see.

My friend, Susan and I started our day sketching on the E Train going into the city. The sketching was fine until it got too crowded to see anything but the person right smack in front of you. Here are a few train sketches that I did.

When we got to 14th St in the city we met up with the NYC Urban Sketchers by the new Whitney Museum that is opening downtown on Gansevoort Street. It was a cold morning, so I looked for a spot to block the wind where I could still see part of the new Whitney Museum. I personally think the building looks out of place in the area...the outside design is too modern to fit in with the warehouses, brick, and cobblestones that give the Meatpacking District so much charm. I am sure it is gorgeous on the inside, but that will be another day. Here is my sketch of part of the building.

I found the Gansevoort Street entrance to Highline Park more to my liking...and I was sitting in the warm sunshine in a spot where the wind was blocked. Yay! Several other NYC Urban Sketchers had the same idea so there were several of us sketching from that same warm spot.

After lunch a number of us ended up in a lovely, sunny square with an assortment of views in every direction. It even felt warm enough for me to take off my winter coat and scarf and enjoy the day. In this sketch the restaurant was the star. They had a nice crowd of people eating there so I guess the food was pretty good at Serafina.

This next sketch was done from the same location. I just pivoted my chair 90 degrees to my left.  Mark, Michael, and Michael were the stars. They were all engrossed in their sketches too.

I don't know why I only took one photo of the day, but here it is.

Usually about 3:30 we all meet at a restaurant or bar to have a drink, share our sketches from the day, and often continue sketching. Sometimes we get to see sketchers we didn't even know were sketch crawling with us. We didnt ge't to do a big group show and tell at the end as planned because all the places in the Meatpacking District were much too crowded for our group and slowly people started leaving as we searched for a spot to gather. About 10 us that were still around gathered in a nice park to share our work and stories of the day and opinions about the new museum building. I got to see a few sketchers I hadn't seen all day so I was glad that quite a few people stayed around. It was a busy day!

Yes, my fake blog, "Floral Fantasy" has a new post...only 1 more day and it will end. Check it out at floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Briermere Farm

The farm stands are slowly opening up on the east end of Long Island. Briermere Farm stays open until Thanksgiving and then shuts for a few months. I was out east and was glad to see it had reopened for the season.

"Floral Fantasy," my fake blog is continuing for a few more days. Please check it out.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Last Wednesday was a rainy night so the Patchogue Sketch Club changed our plans to an indoor location, Starbucks in Patchogue. I always look for a different view to sketch. This guy was right across from me and didn't seem to notice I was sketching him.

Please check the update on my fake blog, "Floral Fantasy."

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Tree In Bloom

Our trees and plants are finally starting to bloom. I caught this one at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum this past week. I love the pink blossoms.

I am nearing the end of the "Final Fantasy" blog posts. Check out the latest.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Magnolias

This week I went to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale. The magnolias looked so good I had to sketch them. This is about 5 x 5.

Check out today's post at "Floral Fantasy" my fake blog.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Jim

Jim posed for us this week at our portrait group. I had no trouble with his face, but the positioning of his arms as he leaned forward on his guitar did. I think his arms still look too short for his body. The foreshortening got me.

I have posted today's "Floral Fantasy" post.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Hospice Art Show

On Sunday I joined 9 other artists doing a fundraiser for our local Suffolk Hospice and Visiting Nurse Service. The show was the 4th annual was "With One Stroke" and was organized by my friend, Lorraine Rimmelin.  Each participating artist as well as several other artists we knew, donated a piece of artwork for a raffle and we raised about $1,500 for Hospice. 

Of course I couldn't let the day go by without sketching the event. I started it at the beginning of the show and worked on the sketch when it was slow. You can see that the artists were positioned around the room, and in the middle were refreshments, including an open wine bar.

Here is a photo of me working on the sketch. People enjoy seeing artists at work and several of them recognized people they knew in the sketch.

Here I am with my friend, Rosamaria who had the table next to me.

My friend, Marlene is known for her pet portraits and she was working on one of them through the course of the show.

Sales were slow, but I think each of us did sell a few things. I think the fact that it was a gorgeous day outside kept people from stopping in. The fundraising was the important part anyway and that was a success. We always have a good time together at our events.

Please check up on my fake blog "Floral Fantasy." I have 1 more week to go in the flower shop.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Roosevelt Island

On Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers went to Roosevelt Island which is a narrow island in New York City's East River. It is accessible from Manhattan by a tram. I got there before the other sketchers so I used that opportunity to go up near the boarding landing and sketch the tram from above ground. It was a quick sketch.

Once we got to the island we walked towards the Roosevelt Memorial. On the way we passed interesting ruins from some of the buildings that had been on the island when this was used mostly for hospital buildings. This particular one was the smallpox hospital. It is in ruins and they have a lot of scaffolding around it. Money is being raised to restore the building.

While I was sketching the above sketch I sat in the Franklin D.Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. The steps lead up to a great view of Manhattan.

Lunch was followed by a very long hike to the northern end of the island where there is a lighthouse. All of us sketched it...you can see a few sketchers in mine. We opted to take the free bus back to the tram station.

It was a full day of sketching.

"Floral Fantasy" has been updated for today.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

LIRR Sketches

This past week I ventured into the city twice...each time on the Long Island Railroad. I get on at the first stop so I try to plan my seat selection so that I will have at least one person facing me. The trip is about 1 hr 20 min so I have the opportunity to do several sketches...as long as nobody blocks my view. This first man was curled up by the window trying to sleep. I think the only time I saw him move was when the ticket clerk came by. I wish I could sleep that easily in a vehicle. Just about the time I was done with the sketch a woman sat down next to him and blocked my view. It is good to sketch fast.

Facing me in the center of the train car was this man on the left. Luckily I sketched him quickly because he got off long before we reached NYC. The man in blue was facing him. In the middle of each car there are two rows of seats that face each other. I made sure I was on the aisle so that the seats didn't block my view.

The next two people were sketched on the return trip home. 

Please visit my fake blog for today's update.
floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Short Beach

The other day it was nice and I knew I had to go out and paint. I drove up to Short Beach which is in the Town of Smithtown and will soon be off limits for me to visit without someone along who is a resident.  I called my friend who lives up there to come and meet me, and she did. Luckily I did most of the painting before she arrived. We spent the whole time she was there talking. I don't think we've seen each other since the fall, so we had a lot of catching up to do. 

The color of the beach grasses was great with the bits of water between them. Within an hour all the blue of the water was gone and there were just small puddles and mostly mud. The tide changes quickly. I was happy with the way this came out. This is 5 x 7.

While we were there we noticed a huge new osprey nest up on one of the poles in the parking lot. If you look carefully you can see one of the birds at the top edge of the nest. I'm always amazed by the size of their nests, and a lot of the parks here put up nesting poles for the osprey.

"Floral Fantasy" has another post...visit if you can.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Julia & Svetlana

Last Tuesday I was able to get two portraits done because both of my groups met. The South Bay Art Association group meets every Tuesday morning, but the Wet Paints Studio Group meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. This month was an overlap.

Here is Julia.

Here is Svetlana.

"Floral Fantasy" has been updated for today.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Gilgo Beach & Overlook Beach

Driving back from an appointment this week I took a route called Ocean Parkway that goes along a small barrier island that has a number of beaches along it. 

As a teen I always heard about the surfers on Long Island going to Gilgo Beach to surf. I never went to the beach there then but sketched there last year and went back there again this week. I focused on the bay side looking over the marsh. Someone asked me if that was a cross out in the marsh but it is actually a platform for osprey nests. This is about 4 inches square.

Then I continued along the road and stopped at Overlook Beach. This is a beach where you have to be a resident of Babylon, which I am not. Right now you can park because they aren't officially open. I was able to park up close to the dunes...which in case you didn't notice the sign, they want you to keep off of.

"Floral Fantasy" my fake blog, has been updated for today.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Indian Island View

This painting was done in the same park as the previous post. I liked the trees against the sky but in order to get back far enough to see the beach and the grasses I had to sit in the parking lot. I thought it would be safer to sit in my car than worry about someone driving into me while I was painting. This is about 3 x 8.

Please visit "Floral Fantasy" my fake blog to see today's update.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Indian Island Cove

This was painted at Indian Island on the north fork of Long Island. It was a warm day and I did get to sit on the beach for a while to paint this. Yay!!! This is about 3 x 7.

If you remember back to my April 7th post about the Bellport Acoustic Jam session, I told you that the publisher/editor of Bellport.com asked for copies of the sketches to put on their website. Here is a link to the article. You can see my friend, Gina's sketches too.

http://bellport.com/vnews/vn_seen.htm#sketches

Day 16 of my fake blog is posted on "Floral Fantasy." Come and see my floral page for today.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Sketching at Sotheby's

On Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers went to Sotheby's Auction House on 71 St & York Ave. It sounded like an odd place to sketch and some of us were a bit concerned that we would be out of place there, but they could not have been more welcoming! There was such a variety of items to sketch.

I started with the building itself...with all those flags it looks very impressive. I sat across the street to do the entry.

Then I moved up to a floor that had among it's contents a Monet, a Renoir and other lovely pieces of art, including this sculpture. I did this one and the one above in my Strathmore Toned Sketchbook.

There was a designer showhouse going on another floor. Designers and design firms each decorated a room. It doesn't show well in this photo but the walls of this room that I sketched were bright pink. The bed was adorned with different strips of brightly colored silks that stretched from overhead and down the bed posts. Then there was a fur throw and decorative pillows. In front to the left was a beautiful table with assorted pieces. The colors called to me so I sat and sketched from across the room. The designers (mostly young) kept walking around. I met the young man, Robert Dean Harris, who had designed this room. I spoke to him and told him how the color really attracted me, and he thanked me and told me he liked my sketch. When he left an older gent who was sitting in the corner asked me if I sell my work and was this piece available. Hell yes! I told him my price and he bought it. He was either the father or grandfather of the designer and bought it for Robert as a remembrance of his first display at Sotheby's. Now I can say that one of my sketches sold at Sotheby's! LOL

I'm sorry this isn't a better photo but I snapped it quickly before giving it to the client. The lighting wasn't great for the photo and I also have a big shadow on the right side.

After lunch I sketched part of another of the designer rooms, this one by Ashley Darryl.

The only bedroom I saw in the designer showhouse had some wonderful still life setups near the bed and by the couches in the room. This was on the cocktail table by the couches.

My last sketch was of Janet who was off on the other side of the room sketching next to the bed.

I must say it was a productive and exciting day.

"Floral Fantasy," my fake blog has been updated.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Near Smith Point

On my visit down to Smith Point, which is part of Fire Island, I stopped at the Smith Point Marina. This is the view from there across to Smith Point Beach.

I sketched these rocks in the parking lot at the beach. It is on the bay side of the island. While I was sketching this 7 deer and a red fox came strolling along. They often feed on the grasses, especially now when there is so little traffic in the parking lot.

Day 14 of Floral Fantasy is posted. I included a few friends who are also doing fake journals in my sketches there yesterday and today.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Beach Landscapes

I was down by Smith Point Beach and did a few sketches. These are about 3 x 6.

Today is day 13 in "Floral Fantsy" my fake blog. Please join me there.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Tyler

This was done when my portrait group met on Tuesday morning. There are parts I'm happy with but I  think I made his nose and face too long.

My fake blog "Floral Fantasy" has been updated here.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

Starbucks

The Patchogue Sketch Club was scheduled to go to Flo's on Wednesday, only to find that it was closed. We quickly changed gears and headed over to Starbucks. There is always something/someone to sketch there.

The new post for "Floral Fantasy" is posted.

floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com

More Musicians

On Tuesday my friend, Susan wanted to go sketch the big band that plays in a local "dive" bar. I'm not one for going out to bars, especially without my husband, but this is for art. lol Tommy James and the Black Tie Affair Orchestra play once a month on the first Tuesday of the month. We've sketched them before. It is hard to find a place to sit and be able to see well. We find the front corner of the bar usually works well if people don't congregate and block the view. lol

The journal over on "Floral Fantasy" continues at:
floralfantasybyjoan.blogspot.com