Saturday, November 30, 2019

Junda's Pastry

A bit farther west in Jamesport is Junda's Pastry shop. I haven't stopped there but the reviews are very good. Pies and strudel seem to be what they are famous for. The building is up on a bit of a small hill so it is hard to miss it.


Friday, November 29, 2019

Main Road, Laurel

This is the next page in my concertina sketchbook that is focusing on the main road that runs through the North Fork of Long Island (Route 25). I had planned to go a little farther east today, but there must have been an accident because I reached a certain point and the traffic was at a standstill. After sitting in the same place for about 10 minutes I just turned around. This little barn was tucked in off Main Street in Laurel.


Thursday, November 28, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who are celebrating.
Thanksgiving is nearing its end here on the east coast. I hope your Thanksgiving went better than the one in this video. It is one of my favorite scenes from "Raymond." I think we all need a laugh at the end of the day.


This morning I did a food related sketch for the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt. The item was "Something I don't like to eat."


Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Lufker Airport

I was passing by Lufker Airport in Moriches when I saw this plane at Lufker Airport. I don't know why the cockpit was covered...but I sketched what I saw. lol


Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Paintings for PALS Show

I spent the last few days finishing up and adding details to the paintings I will be hanging in the PALS (Plein Air Limner Society) in December. I had to hand in the titles so I needed to finish them to decide which ones I would hang and which ones I would just mat. I know two of these were posted when I did them, but I have worked on them quite a bit. Anyway, here are the three I decided to submit. Strange that this year I'm not putting in any landscapes.

"On the Wall" 8 x 10 watercolor

"Potted" 8 x 10 watercolor

"Sunflower Show" 8 x 10 watercolor

Monday, November 25, 2019

Beach Visit

With all the events I've had lately and our rainy letter it seems I haven't been down to the beach in a while. So I took a ride over to Robert Moses State Park. It was too cold and windy to sit outside so I positioned my "mobile studio" so that I had a good view of the Fire Island Lighthouse over the dunes.


Sunday, November 24, 2019

Late to the Party

Back about a week and a half ago I started a sketch of some snowmen with the Patchogue Sketch Club. There were 4 snowmen in the set but I only had time to do 3 of them. I thought about finishing the last one at the library this week but I couldn't find the sketchbook the original sketch was in. I looked several times and finally gave up. Today I was rearranging my overflowing sketchbooks in the closet and guess what popped up. So I got out the figurine and sketched it before I lost it again. #4 is late but he has finally arrived at the party.


I am hosting Scavenger Hunt #611 over at Wet Canvas in the "Artwork from Life" forum. For those of you who don't know about the hunts,  each 9 days someone different posts a "scavenger hunt list" of 26 items for people to sketch. You can sketch 1 or all 26 in any medium(s) you want and we post them in the forum. For my hunt there are several thing that need to be foods. I like the way these quick sketches came out so I'm posting them here.
The avocado is "something I like to eat."


The pizza slice is "you eat it cooked" although it would also qualify for something I like to eat. lol




Friday, November 22, 2019

Greenhouse Doorway

I had hoped to have this finished, but it still needs some additional work. Last week my plein air group went to the Bayport Flower House to paint. We usually head there for our last outing before the holidays. This year we planned to go there two weeks in a row. We walked into a greenhouse that was filled with every color poinsettia you can imagine...but I saw this doorway at the end of the aisle and knew I had to paint it. It was a rainy day and the windows were all steamed up with a few clear spots where you could see the outside. How could I not paint it? I was lucky I did it that week because when we went back the windows weren't steamed up and it looked different.


Thursday, November 21, 2019

More for the Showcase

The Patchogue Sketch Club is doing the showcase at the front of the library for the month of December, so we are doing winter/holiday/Christmas sketches to fill it. This week I brought along a gold twig star that I bought the other day and two of my favorite Christmas characters.


Wednesday, November 20, 2019

New Alcohol Ink Tiles

With the holidays right around the corner I've been working on some new alcohol ink tiles. Last year I did 2 Christmas fairs as well as the show my plein air group does each year, so I needed tiles for those and for my friend to sell in her shop. Here are a few of the newest ones. All of these went to The Catbird Seat (my friend's shop) in Sayville. I will work on more so that I have some for the plein air show and sale.





Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Starbucks

Yesterday was a chilly, rainy, raw day and after a few errands I wanted to go sketch somewhere local. It was raining and I needed to use the windshield wipers so sketching from the car wasn't a good prospect. I ended up at a Starbucks in Bohemia, but one that I hadn't been to before. I was hoping it would looks a bit different inside...and it did...sort of. They were set up for Christmas with a tree and decorated gift boxes beneath it. I think it is a bit too early for a tree, but I sketched the view and included it anyway. The lady behind the counter was thrilled to see that I included her in the sketch.


Monday, November 18, 2019

Spring Lake Golf Club

It has been too cold and nasty out to see golfers out on the greens, but I headed over to Spring Lake Golf Club in Middle Island the other day. I liked the contrast of the autumn colors against the green grass.




Sunday, November 17, 2019

Patchogue Lighthouse

In Patchogue out at the end of one of the jetties near the ferry to Fire Island is a small lighthouse. I followed the construction of this project for a while sketching some the equipment that was being used. You can see one of those sketches here.


Saturday, November 16, 2019

Draw-A-Thon

Twice a year the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan has a Draw-A-Thon as a fundraiser and the NYC Urban Sketchers usually attend. It starts at 9 AM and ends at 5 PM. There are two large rooms set up with models. One has nudes and the other has costumed models. Once you pay your admission you can sketch for as long as you want during those times. It is grueling to sketch that whole time, so my friend, Suzala,  and I got there about noon and sketched until about 4:30.
I started off in the room with the nude models. This one woman captured my attention. She was big and had a shape that was fun to sketch. There were some 2, 5, and 10 minute poses. The first two pages were the quick poses and were done mostly in watercolor pencils and are very light so they don't show all that well.



These were done with my Elegant Writer pen and each was a 10 minute pose.



Then I moved into the cafeteria where the costumed models were posing. This particular model held the same pose all day so that people could do a complete painting of her. She had great dreadlocks. This probably took me about an hour.


Next I sketched the people around me in the room as well as the two other models who were doing what I believe were 15 minute poses. The one in the black and white on the left did several costume changes but the one more toward the middle I only saw in one outfit.


Friday, November 15, 2019

Concertina Sketchbook Part 3

I took a ride back to the North Fork yesterday to continue the sketches in the concertina sketchbook. I had two pages left, but I came across this scene near Mattituck that just wouldn't have worked on only one page so I did it across two pages. It probably would have worked across 3 pages too because to the left of the barn was a really open field with absolutely nothing except the foliage in the background. But I had only two pages left yesterday. I am now in the process of adding another strip that will give me 4 more sketches...but that may not be enough to go all the way to the end of Route 25. lol


Thursday, November 14, 2019

Somebody's Missing

Last evening the Patchogue Sketch Club met at the library. Our theme was "Winter" but most of us brought in objects that fit Christmas. We are doing an exhibit for the month of December in the showcase in the front of the library. I brought along a basket that had some figurines inside that spelled out S-N-O-W. I did the first three but didn't get around to do the fourth snowman with the letter W. Hopefully I will have time soon to get that one sketched, and when I do I will post the finished sketch.


On Tuesday we had a reception for the project we did back in May called "Close Up on Patchogue." You may remember this was the project where we divided up a larger image into 1 foot square canvases that we painted and then put it back together. One of the trustees of the village bought the cooperative work in his wife's memory. She passed away this year and had been a big force in the Patchogue arts scene. He had it permanently hung in the Patchogue Village Hall. Here are a few photos from the other night.








Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Bubba's Burito Bar

After sketching at the East Islip Marina I headed into Islip for lunch. There is a cute place called Bubba's Burito Bar. It gets very crowded and recently they enlarged the place. I hadn't been back since they finished. I don't think they created much more seating (which is definitely needed) but it is a bit roomier and there are low tables in addition to the hightop along one side as well as a bar with seating. The counter where you order is still a fun spot with openings you can look through and see the workers in the kitchen. I always love seeing the names of the different beers that they have. I lucked out and got a table so I was able to sit and sketch the counter. I did the sketch in pencil and went over it with ink at home. I didn't want to take up a table for too long. :)


Tuesday, November 12, 2019

East Islip Marina

I know you can't tell from the image, but this painting is 2 inches by about 5 1/2 inches. It was painted down by the East Islip Marina. We were surprised with a beautiful day yesterday with temps about 65 degrees and no wind for a change. I was able to sit outside and sketch and then take a long walk along the marina boardwalk. Today the weather has changed dramatically. We started at about 54 degrees this morning with rain. The temperature has been dropping all day and it is only about 33 degrees right now. We had snow flurries  for a little while but the rain took over. Hope the weather where you are is better.


Monday, November 11, 2019

Concertina Sketchbook Part 2 & Exhibit

Yesterday I went back out to the North Fork along Route 25 with my concertina sketchbook. I saw this yellow barn along the roadway and of course I pulled over to sketch it. I did think yellow was an odd color for a barn and was tempted to change the color...but didn't.


Riding through Mattituck I noticed this taco restaurant but had already passed it. I did a u-turn and went back and parked outside. I was originally attracted to the building but then I saw that airstream on the side and couldn't resist. It looks like the airstream is used in warmer weather as part of the restaurant. I also loved the name of the restaurant..."Mattitaco" for a taco place in Mattituck. lol The sign wasn't in front of the planter. It was higher up on the building, but I wanted to include it.


There are two more pages in the double strip in this sketchbook. I may add an additional strip to give me four more pages so I can keep driving and sketching.

I have an exhibit of 12 of my framed sketches that I did on my trip to Venice back in April. The sketches are in a shop in Patchogue called The Cheese Patch and they will be hanging there for the entire month. Yesterday there was a reception for the show. Here are a few photos.

The painting on the bottom right, of St Mark's Cathedral sold at the reception.






Sunday, November 10, 2019

Cloud Study

I love when there are interesting clouds in the sky and the artist in me looks at them and thinks...ah, there's cerulean blue, there's a touch of ultramarine and some indigo...but wait...a touch of quin gold. This was painted down by the beach in Sayville.


Saturday, November 9, 2019

Red Umbrella and Table

When I was in Riverbed the other day I stopped at the Roadhouse Brick Oven Pizzeria. They have a white pizza with spinach that I just love. I ate inside but when I went out to the parking lot I was attracted to the picnic tables along the river. The bright red tables and red and white umbrella really stood out against the autumn foliage.


Friday, November 8, 2019

Return to Quogue Wildlife Refuge

My plein air group scheduled a return to the Quogue Wildlife Refuge this week. It was a miserable, rainy day. Luckily they have a nice building with big picture windows where we were able to sit and paint.


Thursday, November 7, 2019

Geometric Shapes

Last night the Patchogue Sketch Club met for an evening of sketching geometric shapes. Everyone brought along what they had and we shared. Some geometric shapes aren't easy to find. We had no cones!


Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Bay Avenue

I think every town around here has a Bay Avenue. This is the view down Bay Ave in Islip. It ends at a small bay beach on the water. I liked the diminishing street lights looking down the road. Of course, like most of the streets here that end at the bay there is no parking along the street. I just ignored that and pulled over on the shoulder to paint for a while.


Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Woods View

With the leaves changing color there are a few spots where the color is pretty intense, like here along Montauk Highway in Moriches.


Sunday, November 3, 2019

North Fork Concertina - Sketches 1-4

Yesterday I didn't feel like taking the train(s) to meet the NYC sketchers in Brooklyn. It just sounded like it involved too much energy. Instead I decided to head out to the North Fork of Long Island, a place I love to sketch. Usually when I go out there I gravitate to the same kind of spots all the time...the farmer's markets. So I came up with a sketching plan that was semi-successful.

Before I left home I made a concertina (accordion style) sketchbook from a sheet of paper from a Winsor Newton watercolor pad. I cut it into strips that were 6 inches high and marked off and folded pages that were 6 inches long. Then I glued 2 strips together giving me a length that was 8 pages long.

My plan was to start right at the corner where the "North Fork" begins which is where Rt 105 and Rt 25 intersect outside of Riverhead. Cruising along Rt 25 my plan was to drive about 1 mile and pull over to sketch whatever the view was. My first stop was at 1.2 miles on my odometer where I had a view of the Woodside Orchard store in Jamesport. It sells pies and cider and things like that. I parked across the street and sketched that view.
#momentsketchers


When I finished that sketch I drove another 1.2 miles and found myself right near Jamesport Vineyard. I drove into the parking lot, sat my mobile studio near one of the buses there for a tour, and sketched the vines and building. All the grapes have been harvested and the leaves on the vines are turning autumn colors.


Next driving through Jamesport I came across this field of cabbages growing with such great green colors that I had to stop the car. I had driven a little over a mile to this spot. I must admit I had painted from that location before but I don't know if there had been cabbages growing or something else at the time.


Now this was where the "drive a mile" fell apart.  I had to find a restroom and I was starving! So mileage went out the window and I drove to find lunch. That took a while and I didn't want to go any farther east, so I turned around and headed west stopping at the first place that called to me. That was the Cutchogue Diner.


By this time it was already 4:30 and I decided to buy a few veggies at the farmers' market and head home. I do plan on going back out there and finishing the pages in the sketchbook I made. Hopefully I will get to do the rest soon. 




Saturday, November 2, 2019

Seatuck Visit

We had a few rainy days recently and I was in Islip to do early voting. Since I was already there I decided to stop at the Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge. I have sketched there several times in the past and when we were there a few months ago I decided I wanted to go back and do a sketch of this room with this couch. My friend, Maureen, works there so I also got to see her while I was there.


When I finished I moved into another room and did a sketch of the view out the window. The property was originally part of the Scully estate and was donated to the Audubon Society who used it as a wildlife sanctuary and nature center. Suffolk County purchased it from Audubon and continues to maintain it as a wildlife preserve and sanctuary.


Friday, November 1, 2019

Quogue Wildlife Preserve

The day that I sketched the goose below, I was working on a watercolor of the view by the lake. The leaves here have finally come into color. It had been a drizzly morning and I did have the option to paint from inside. I liked this view better...and the rain held off the rest of the morning.