It seems like 2016 just sped by in a flash. My thanks to all of you who have stopped by to read, comment, encourage, or support me this year. It means a lot to me! I love "artists supporting artists." I enjoy doing this blog and appreciate that some of you visit so often. Visiting other blogs is a favorite pastime of mine too. So thank you all for sharing your time and work with me. I will be over to visit again soon!
Now that the end of the year is here, I'd like to do a little review of 2016.
In January I participated in Leslie Saeta's "30 Paintings in 30 Days." I did my paintings in a square format this year and all of them were florals done from my own photos.
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| Lady Slipper © Joan Tavolott |
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| Purple Water Lily © Joan Tavolott |
I did some sketching on my iPad, but haven't had much time to do that lately.
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| Starbuck's Counter © Joan Tavolott |
In February a friend invited a group of us to sketch some of her teacups and teapots. I can't wait until Pat Sweeney invites us back again.
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| Pat's Teaset © Joan Tavolott |
We had lots of snow in January, so I put on my boots and winter gear to head outside to sketch. These are two of my 3 minute sketches done with an Elegant Writer pen and my water brush.
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| Wintry Walk © Joan Tavolott |
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| Snowy Forest © Joan Tavolott |
In March my sister and I headed down to the Springmaid Watermedia Workshops in Myrtle Beach, SC. We took a portrait/figure class with the master, Ted Nuttall. This is one of the portraits I completed and I was really happy with it.
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| Lucy Sketching © Joan Tavolott |
After the workshop was over we stayed an extra day down there and traveled to Georgetown, SC to sketch, have lunch, and enjoy the shops.
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| River Restaurant © Joan Tavolott |
Easter came early this year, and I found the Easter Bunny in Bellport.
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| Smile for the Bunny © Joan Tavolott |
April of course meant participating in "Fake Journal Month." This year I pretended I was working at a aquarium. I had a lot of fun with the pages for this journal.
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| Otter Page © Joan Tavolott |
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| Koi Pond Page © Joan Tavolott |
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| Shark Tank Page © Joan Tavolott |
I also sketched at the Sideshow Sketch Night in Patchogue which is a totally different kind of sketching. In this case there were models in various stages of dress/undress with timed poses. It was fun!
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| Sideshow Sketch © Joan Tavolott |
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| Sideshow Sketch © Joan Tavolott |
In May I again took part in "Every Day in May" a challenge with prompts for each day of the month. Here are just a few.
I met up with an internet friend from Australia who I had never met in person before. Wendy Barrett (
http://wendybarrettpainting.blogspot.com) and I sketched together and shared our stories. Here we are in Central Park near Bethesda Fountain. It was so much fun to meet her and get to show here a little of my city.
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| Central Park with Wendy (left) and me. |
We sketched in the middle of Times Square which is always crazy.
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| Times Square © Joan Tavolott |
Grand Central gave us good views to sketch.
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| Grand Central Clock © Joan Tavolott |
And Bethesda Fountain was just charming.
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| Bethesda Fountain © Joan Tavolott |
My niece, Caity graduated in May from Smith College in May. I went up to Massachusettes for the weekend and even sketched the ceremony.
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| Smith College Graduation © Joan Tavolott |
June gave me some sketch time at the beach...which I always love. The models are great and the water views are wonderful.
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| Beach Dunes © Joan Tavolott |
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| Beach Babes © Joan Tavolott |
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| Friends © Joan Tavolott |
I took a sketching trip with two friends to Coney Island in Brooklyn. It was fun to capture the life and energy of the place. I hadn't been there since I was a kid.
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| Nathan's Hot Dog Stand © Joan Tavolott |
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| Coney Island Wonder Wheel © Joan Tavolott |
I had a commission to paint a house as a gift for a bride. It was done from photographs. The wedding took place at this property in Warwick, NY.
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| Warwick House © Joan Tavolott |
A few other sketchers and I went to the NY Botanic Gardens to sketch. While we were visiting there was an invitational plein air paintout with a group of artists. We did get to meet James Gurney and Shari Blaukopf who I follow. They were so gracious and informative and it was really interesting to watch them paint.
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| James Gurney, myself, Suzala, Arthur, Shari Blaukopf (photo by Susan Toplitz) |
The Fire Island Lighthouse show always takes place in June. It is a great show and the location (in the lighthouse) is perfect.
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| At the FLIPS Show |
My plein air group participated in the Sayville and the Bellport Garden Tours. We sketched in the gardens while people were touring them. I was lucky enough to paint in several of the beautiful gardens and sold two of the paintings to the homeowners.
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| Sayville Garden © Joan Tavolott |
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| Bellport Garden © Joan Tavolott |
July was fun and included a trip to Maine when my niece and her boyfriend from Australia were visiting. I got to sketch down by the beach as well as in town.
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| Popham Beach © Joan Tavolott |
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| Pine Tree Yarns © Joan Tavolott |
I met some fellow sketchers along the Nautical Mile in Freeport for a day of sketching.
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| Lunch on the Nautical Mile © Joan Tavolott |
At Patchougue's "Alive After 5" one week, a model and her pet cobra posed for us. Zoe and Fantasia (the snake) were so much fun.
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| Zoe and Fantasia © Joan Tavolott |
Bellport hosted their second annual "Dog's Night Out." The goal was to encourage people to adopt the dogs in the shelters and raise money to help the Brookhaven Animal Shelter. There was a dog parade with the animals up for adoption riding in cars.
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| Dog's Night Out © Joan Tavolott |
In
August I did a few iPad sketches that I was happy with using ArtRage.
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| Beach Warmth © Joan Tavolott |
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| Lifeguard © Joan Tavolott |
I attended another Sideshow Sketch Night. This one had a bit of glamour.
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| Sideshow Glamour © Joan Tavolott |
In mid-August my husband and I headed off to Venice for a month. He worked on his music and I sketched from the moment we got to Kennedy Airport, and daily while we were in Venice. Here are a few samples.
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| Airport Bar © Joan Tavolott |
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| Where Are We? © Joan Tavolott |
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| Rooftop View © Joan Tavolott |
We were in Venice for a few weeks in September too. While I was there I tried to do some painting as well as some quick sketches in ink, some of which were done with a brush pen.
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| Vaporetto Sketches 1 © Joan Tavolott |
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| Vaporetto Sketches 2 © Joan Tavolott |
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| San Marco Square © Joan Tavolott |
When we returned home I joined the NYC Urban Sketchers in Park Slope, Brooklyn for a day of sketching. I love the brownstones there.
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| Park Slope Brownstone © Joan Tavolott |
PALS visited the Hummingbird Sanctuary.
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| Hummingbird Lures © Joan Tavolott |
The NYC Urban Sketchers went to Astoria Park where we sketched the Hell's Gate Bridge...
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| Hell's Gate Bridge © Joan Tavolott |
and the Triborough Bridge, aka the RFK Bridge.
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| Triborough Bridge © Joan Tavolott |
In October I participated in "Inktober" where we sketched something in ink every day. This was the perfect time to try new pens and even sketch with a twig.
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| Tombstones © Joan Tavolott |
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| Beets in Ink © Joan Tavolott |
PALS went out to Andrews Family Farm to paint. This painting was bought by the owner of the farm.
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| Fresh Picked © Joan Tavolott |
My friend, Susan and I went out to Greenport to paint. I loved the shadows on this house.
We also took a trip into NYC to sketch in Central Park by the Boat Basin.
Halfway through the month my husband and I took a road trip to Texas to visit friends. I continued with my Inktober sketches including one of the longhorn cattle on the ranch we were visiting.
came and met me near the Riverwalk area. We checked out the gallery, had a nice long relaxing lunch while we talked, and then sketched together. We had so much fun talking and sharing. I was so lucky to be able to meet her!
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| La Villita © Joan Tavolott |
Our trip back home started at the beginning of
November. We stopped in Nashville on the way back. I sketched the street in the popular downtown area.
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| Downtown Nashville © Joan Tavolott |
It was fun to sketch in a few of the Nashville bars too...like Layla's
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| Layla's © Joan Tavolott |
and the Stage.
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| Enjoying The Stage © Joan Tavolott |
It was a long drive back and by the time we got back home autumn was in a blaze of glory. My plein air group was invited to paint near a pond on a private estate.
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| Autumn's Glow © Joan Tavolott |
On Veteran's Day I found a tombstone for a Revolutionary War soldier in a local cemetery.
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| Veteran's Day © Joan Tavolott |
I just had to record the electrical work that has been an ongoing project in our neighborhood. It did hold up traffic quite often.
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| Electric Work © Joan Tavolott |
The NYC Urban Sketchers met in downtown Manhattan to sketch St. Paul's Chapel.
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| St Paul's Chapel © Joan Tavolott |
I tried a new medium that I've been looking at for a long time...alcohol inks. These were done on glossy white tiles. I was able to do landscapes...
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| Alcohol Ink Landscape © Joan Tavolott |
and flowers.
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| Alcohol Ink Flowers © Joan Tavolott |
December arrived and I tried my best to capture some Christmas scenes.
Like this store in Sayville.
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| Therapy © Joan Tavolott |
And this view at the Bayport Flower House.
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| Bayport Flower House Trees © Joan Tavolott |
Or this festive display of wreaths in Middle Island.
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| Wreaths © Joan Tavolott |
I painted a few more tiles with the alcohol inks.
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| Moonrise © Joan Tavolott |
On this one I tried to be more realistic and this one sold.
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Beach Dunes © Joan Tavolott
This year there were several new things I tried. I made a few handmade books for my travel sketching. I tried some new techniques, signed up for a few online classes, one of which I started but with traveling never completed. I will have to start that one over since it is on perspective with Stephanie Bower and I feel I need to learn all the steps. I also recently downloaded a workshop with James Richards that I hope to start in the beginning of the year. My artistic journey for 2017 is just starting and I am looking forward to what it brings.
I hope you have enjoyed a trip through my year. I hope you will continue on this journey with me in the coming year. Thanks for being here!!!
Happy New Year! |
