Long Island Aquarium - Part 1

I found out recently that the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead allows free entry up to 7 days before or 7 days after your birthday. Since it was my birthday yesterday, I planned a trip to the Aquarium on Tuesday. I brought along my iPad and planned to do at least one digital sketch. I sat myself down in front of the octopus tank. For the most part he/she was friendly when I was by myself, but as soon as there was noise (little kids) he/she hid behind the structure in the tank. The octopus NEVER stopped moving...and that is 8 legs of movement! I'm glad I was working on the iPad because if it was a regular sketch I would have been erasing like crazy.

I also sat in front of the coral reef tank. Luckily the coral stays fairly still...but the fish keep moving. This was fun to do because it was so colorful. I spent a lot of time on this sketch and tried using several layers.

Don't worry. I didn't abandon my traditional sketching on paper. I'll post that sketch tomorrow.

Alvarez Pizzeria

 I pass this pizzeria quite often when I go into Patchogue and think about sketching it.

I've never tried their pizza but it was a fun place to sketch.

Fire Island Lighthouse

I can't even take a guess abut how many times I've painted the Fire Island Lighthouse. I hadn't been down to the beach in quite a while because we were away. I needed to get there for a visit. The day was windy and cold but I was going to sit in my car to paint anyway. Can you tell that this is one of my favorite places? 

 I did get out of the car to take a few photos.

Autumn View by the Marina

Down in West Sayville I spied a spot where I could see a bit of a marina peeking through the autumn leaves. After the rain the other night and the wind this week the trees are looking pretty bare. I'm lucky I sketched this when I could. 

Museum of the American Indian Sketches

The Museum of the American Indian has a great collection of artifacts and items from many, many indigenous groups from the Americas. It is also a beautiful building and had once been a US Customs house. My only complaint is the rooms with the artifacts are dim and it is hard to see what you are sketching. But the lighting is probably kept that way to avoid damage to the artifacts. Of course I have an LED light that would have helped but couldn't find it in my backpack...and of course I found it at the end of the day.lol

I began sketching down on the first floor which has some contemporary art. The top sculpture is titled "Ooski" by Jim Schoppert from Juneau, Alaska (from 1982).

Next I did the sculpture on the bottom left by Michael Massie titled "The Look of Confidence was Apparent." The title made me smile. The artist has several similar sculptures made of stone, caribou, and other materials.

After lunch I headed to the second floor. The third piece I sketched is much older...from Arizona in 1890 and is a Quechan or Mohave effigy jar.

There are also some beautiful costumes and pieced of clothing.

This is a Quiche'Maya Dance Outfit from Guatemala (1920-1926). The deer head was interesting too.

There was lots more to sketch but I ran out of time. I'm sure we will be back there again to sketch.

Before and After

Yesterday I decided to go into the city and join the NYC Urban Sketchers. My usual partner on these trips wasn't going in, so I took the train from Ronkonkoma to Penn Station. It is usually a pretty nice trip because I get on at the first stop and can pick my seat to give me a sketching view. I sat where the center seats of the train car face each other, but I felt it was too close to sketch the people in the other center seats. Instead I focused on a man 2 rows back and across the aisle. He was seated with a woman but I could only get a glimpse of her thru the seats. This was my "before" sketch...meaning before I met the group at the American Museum of the Native American. Those sketches will be in tomorrow's post.

It had been a fairly cold day and we were happy to be inside. When we came out after our show and tell the sun was shining and it felt rather mild. I started walking toward the subway station and turned to see the autumn colors against the tall downtown buildings along Battery Park. So I stopped, pulled on my hat, took out my small sketchbook and materials and painted the view. This was painted quickly because I was standing up and trying to balance my equipment without dropping anything. It is a direct watercolor done "after" our time at the museum.

Goodbye, Friend & Pathway Thru the Color

It is with great sadness that I report that my internet friend, Michael Perchard passed away today. He was known on Facebook as Michael East Boston. Although I never met him in person, his constant support, good humor, and artistic joy gave us a special connection. Michael loved painting the ocean...and waves. He went out of his way to be nice to people. He was a big supporter of organ donations and received a double lung transplant in 2017. Without the immunity we count on to fight off sickness, he recently caught Covid twice and didn't survive this last bout. His posts always made me smile and I will miss him. Wait for us in that big art studio in heaven, Michael!

I can still find autumn colors if I search hard enough. There are a lot of areas where the leaves are all off the trees. This was painted in Brookhaven. 

Local Color

This time I didn't go far. This scene was right outside our development. 

Happy Thanksgiving

 The autumn colors that are still around fit perfectly with the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope that today you find time to appreciate the people and things that make your life special. My thanks to all of you who stop by to visit my blog and some of you who leave such nice comments. I appreciate all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This was painted by one of the walkways at Sunken Meadow State Park in Smithtown.

Bellport Colors

 The colors were especially vivid a few days ago when I was in Bellport. I always like views down the street. The building on the left is part of the Bellport Fire Department.

Draw-A-Thon

On Saturday the High School of Art and Design held a Draw-A-Thon fundraiser. We had a nice turnout of NYC Urban Sketchers at the event. As in previous years once you pay the admission you are given a wristband which is color coded. One color has access to both rooms and the other is for underage students who cannot enter the "nude" room without a parent. 

I started off sketching in the room with the nude models. There were usually 5 models posing at the same time. One was in the same pose for the entire 9 hours, but a few do much shorter poses. This model started with short 5 minute poses but quickly moved up to 15/20 minute poses.

Then she was joined by another model.

This was the model that held the same position for the entire day. I couldn't pass up sketching her hair

...it was wonderful!

Then I moved to the second room which had costumed models. I got there just in time for a long break for the models so I started sketching the sketchers in front of me. When the models resumed posing I added them.

My friend and I were there from about 10:30 to 4:30. If it wasn't such a long ride home we probably would have stayed until it ended...and joined the pizza party that is held at the end of the day.

Thanksgiving Theme

On Wednesday last week my sketch group met at the library and our theme for the night was Thanksgiving. (Due to the holiday prep we aren't meeting this week.) Tina & Brian (married sketchers) brought two 1/2 pies to sketch (blueberry and pumpkin) and cut them up into small pieces. That was good because you know what I am like when I try to sketch food. It always has a bite or two taken out...if it survives at all. lol It was easier to resist in the company of other sketchers. Maybe that is the secret.

We also had several still life setups on the table. This one included gourds, a pumpkin, and a small scarecrow.

Yellows and Golds

 I am still lucky enough to find some locations with a lot of autumn color, like this spot in Bayport.

Poinsettia

My plein air group met for our final session this week at the Bayport Flower House. It is our location for our last paintout every year. I went into the greenhouse which is filled with a rainbow of colors of poinsettias. I picked a pink one to paint.

 

Procreate Sketches

 I have been doing some of my sketches for the creativespark.art Scavenger Hunts using Procreate. I figure if I experiment enough maybe I will start feeling more comfortable using it.

The prompt was for a vegetable and the challenge to hold it in your hand.

This sketch was to do jelly/jam. I figure preserves is close enough.

The hunt this week called for something electrical...like this pencil sharpener.

A chair was also on the list this time. My proportions are a bit off in this.

"Three" was the item this time.

Autumn Colors Near Kaler's Pond

 When I was near Kaler's Pond Park in Center Moriches the other day the autumn colors were really vibrant. Looking at this now I realize I didn't include the wires on the telephone pole or the lines in the roadway on the right. I'll have to go back and add them.

Yaphank Tree in Autumn

 I've sketched this tree by Yaphank Lake many times. I like the shape of it, especially the branch that leans to the left.

Long Island Maritime Museum Fundraiser

A few years ago I participated in a fundraiser for the Long Island Maritime Museum. They had local artists paint on pieces of shingles that had blown off their boathouse during one of our big storms. Right before I left for Venice I was contacted and found out that they were doing another fundraiser. I took some shingles to work on but ran out of time to get them done. I thought I missed the deadline but last week I found out that the fundraiser was going to be held starting this coming weekend. I decided to participate and I did three paintings this time. The largest is 17 1/2 x 4 1/2 (the second one down). The other two are about 11 x 4 each.

Here is some information about the fundraiser. I dropped my pieces off today and some of the wonderful work by the other artist was already on display.

 

Pumpkins and Gourds

There are some people that don't like the bumpy pumpkins but I like some of them. They are so different. These were displayed at Olish's Farm in Eastport.

 

Costume Jewelry

 The Patchogue Sketch Club met indoors this week and our theme was costume jewelry. I brought in a few items to create a page in my sketchbook.

Avalon Preserve in Autumn

 I was up in Stony Brook the other day and found some color by the Avalon Preserve. It looks very different from what it looks like when all the yellow flowers in the field are in bloom.

Venetian Windows

 I intended to do a page in my sketchbook of Venetian windows, but didn't get to complete it. Here are the few that I did from inside our apartment.

Across the Bridge to St Mark's Square

 I found some sketches of Venice that weren't loose but were in a sketchbook that I had with me.  This sketch is of a back calle behind St Mark's Square. If you go up the steps and through the arches you will find yourself in the middle of the wide-open St Mark's Square.

Autumn in Bayport

 I am starting to find a little more color around my area. Does that mean there is more to come? I hope so!

A Bit of Color

 Every once in a while I spy some color off in the distance. I think this came out a little brighter than IRL.

Autumn Colors

I was afraid that by the time we arrived home all the autumn colors would be gone. I must say that we missed most of it. Here and there you can find part of a tree that is brightly colored by it seems that many of the leaves have already fallen and that the colors are really a muted brown. I don't know if the strange weather we had is the reason for this, but I was happy when I found this tree on South Country Road heading into East Patchogue.

Antica Trattoria Poste Vecie

 This restaurant, Antica Trattoria Poste Vecie catches my attention every time I see it. It is right by the Rialto Fish Market so I have passed it, and photographed it many times. I think this was the first time I sketched it. When I posted it on FB my brother (who was in Venice in Sept) posted his photo of it under my sketch. lol To make things more amusing, right before I left for Venice there had been a Hallmark movie about a woman in Venice and in the story her friend's family owns this restaurant and they show it in the movie. lol It just keeps popping up.

One of the items I needed to sketch for the scavenger hunt I was doing at the end of the trip was a child. Most of the time kids don't stay still long enough to sketch them. I was on the vaporetto sketching this scene when a woman happened to come inside carrying her child. There was still a little room on the page so I squeezed the baby in on the right side of the page (and part of the woman too).

Textures Everywhere

 It was a damp, drizzly day so I hid under one of the sotoportegos, which are passageways that go underneath a building in Venice. The lighting wasn't too good and the view wasn't the best...but I wasn't getting wet. lol Over the far wall you could glimpse a canopy of some sort. I wonder what it was for.

While I was away I was dabbling a little in Procreate. Most of what I sketched that way was for the Scavenger Hunts on creativespark.art. I did a few things...

like this feather...

and a bit of the living room at the apartment. I don't know why this chair (and its matching partner) were so short. There were several seats that were much smaller than normal.

On the plane from Rome to JFK I pulled out my iPad to sketch. There were two people sitting one row ahead of me and across the aisle. I figured we were on a plane and I had a captive model. I started sketching this guy, but at some point he got up and moved to a different empty seat in front of me, so the sketch never got finished. I'll share it anyway.

This sketch below was for the last scavenger hunt...fruit and a leaf, done after I came home.