Snow!!!

I'm usually a few days behind in my posting, but I'm going to go out of order and post today's work. We had snow that started last night. It looked beautiful last night because the snow was sticking to everything.

Supposedly we had about 2 inches of snow in this area, but this morning it was already compressed because it had started to drizzle lightly. 

By 7:30 this morning I had the blinds open and I was sitting by the living room window painting. I knew that if I waited until I went out later most of the snow would be off the trees and the bushes. So I squeezed myself between the side of my end table and the arm of the couch and painted the view out the living room window. This was done in my Strathmore Toned Tan Sketchbook with watercolors and some white gouache.

I did go out around 11:00 and sketched by the woods down the street. The snow on most of the trees was gone by that time, but there was still snow on the ground. It was drizzling but I had a view out the side window of my mobile studio.

Now that I'm done with my sketches of the storm I hope the rain finished washing the snow and slush away and that it is warm enough overnight that nothing freezes.

 

Shore Road in Bellport

 This sketch was done sitting in my car looking down Shore Road in Bellport. I liked the vantage point of sitting at the top of the hill and having the fence go down along the road. The Bellport Dock is down where the stop sign is but on the right. Straight ahead are the racks of kayaks and then the bay comes in as you look toward Brookhaven.

Mastic Water View

 A friend took our sketch group to this marina in Mastic Beach once. I haven't been back since. The boardwalk along one side looks like it has seen a few too many high tides and is quite uneven...but it makes a good subject.

The Delica-Sea

I love when people are clever with names, like this deli near the water in Babylon called The Delica-Sea. (a take on delicacy) lol I had headed down to the water in Babylon to sketch a restaurant I've been to there, but it wasn't open and held no interest without their normal colorful tables and umbrellas outside. Instead I wandered around a bit and found this deli which also wasn't open, but it looked interesting enough to pull out my materials.  

View from Kings Park Bluff

If you head up to the north shore along the Sagtikos Parkway to nearly the end and head east you come to the town of Kings Park. There is a park called Kings Park Bluff with a nice view out over Long Island Sound where you can park on two different levels. I drove over there the other day and parked facing the water. A woman and her husband came along and sat on the bench in front of me. I sketched her first and by that time he had left her side. Of course he came back after I was nearly done, but he didn't sit back down.

 

The Museum of Natural History

When the NYC Urban Sketchers announced out location was going to be the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan I was so excited! I hadn't been there since 2015!!! Here is my post from that visit. I think it is funny that I returned to two of the same locations in the museum on Saturday.

My friend, Susan and I were first on line outside the museum waiting for it to open. I knew it would be crowded so as soon as we were allowed inside I raced upstairs. Not only was it a Saturday but it was the beginning of President's Week and all the kids have the week off from school. I love the dinosaur room, especially T-Rex but it is very difficult to fit a tyrannosaurus in a sketchbook. I think I missed the last few bones on his tail.lol I found a corner in a raised area where I had a wall behind me and a railing on my left...a good place to sit and sketch where people wouldn't be tripping over me or knocking into me. This sketch took me about 1 1/2 hrs. One of the security guards kept coming over to see how I was doing and loved the sketch. My friend, Ana came into the room and joined me, sitting nearby so we were able to talk and watch each other's property if we needed to get up. A lot of people stopped by to comment on what we were doing and it was fun talking to them.

The sketchers were meeting at noon for lunch but I decided to just keep sketching. It is nice to socialize but breaking for lunch down in the cafeteria takes away too much time from sketching. I knew I could socialize later in the day. Instead of taking a lunch break Ana and I went down to the Hall of Ocean Life to sketch.  This is where the blue whale is displayed. The blue whale model is 94 feet long and very impressive. The setting for it is perfect! Of course the room was very crowded but Ana and I found an out-of-the-way spot to sit. I know that there are many areas of the museum where the lighting isn't really good for sketching so I brought along a light to help me see. I attached it to my sketchbook.

Here I am using my light to help me see what I was sketching. My thanks to Ana for taking this photo.

Here is the sketch I did of the blue whale.

My third sketch was a repeat too. In the area that has African animals there is a display in the center with wonderful African elephant models. I sketched a few of them. This room was also very dim, so my light came in handy again.

At 3:00 the sketchers gathered in the cafeteria downstairs for our "show and tell." I always enjoy seeing what everyone selected to sketch, how they approached their sketch, and what materials they used. Sharing ideas with other artists is so inspiring.

 

Not Just Bows

On a mild day recently I took a ride out to Greenport which is a town at the eastern tip of Long Island's north shore. Although the town has been built up a lot recently there are still some interesting shops and buildings to be found. I sat outside Not Just Bows to do this sketch. I like that it had signs, a flag, items hanging outside and reflections on the windows. This is the last actual sketch in my concertina sketchbook that I made. I just have to figure out what I am going to put on the cover. Then I'll see if I can make a video or a slideshow of the whole thing.  

Northport Gazebo

 We had a warm day last week and I drove up to Northport. It was warm enough to sketch from outside the car. In the park by the harbor there were quite a few people walking their dogs and some people just enjoying sitting out in the fresh air for a while.

Dolls

When the Patchogue Sketch Club met last Wednesday our theme was dolls. My friend, Rosanne brought a few extras from her doll collection because she knows I don't have any. The dolls were so cute. One gent brought 3 dolls that had been part of his mother's doll collection and she is in her late 90s. 

When

Moonbeam Shop

 On the grounds of the Sayville Maritime Museum are a few small buildings. I'm not sure what is inside Bob Grooms Moonbeam Shop. I've never see it open, but it was fun to sketch.

Animal Sketches

 I recently headed over to the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank. It was a fairly nice day and I figured it would be a good day to be outdoors sketching some animals.

The rabbit kept hopping away or turning around and hiding, but I did get a sketch. The pig stayed pretty still lolling about in the mud.

The goats are always very curious and come over to the fence to check things out. It has been years since I've been able to sketch the cows there close up. They kept having them out in the farthest part of the field so I couldn't see them. This time there were a group of them in the feeding area near the trough. Buttercup hung around where I could sketch her.

NYC Fire Museum

Last Saturday the NYC Urban Sketchers met at the NYC Fire Museum on Spring Street. The building was an actual firehouse with two floors of exhibits and a third floor party space. It is very popular for kid's birthday parties and there was one going on on Saturday.

I headed up to the second floor. There were wonderful vehicles and fire-fighting equipment on display from back in the 1800s and early 1900s. A number of them had signs with information about where and when they were manufactured and where they were used. This hand-pulled hose real was so elaborate and I loved the tiger insignia on the sides. So here is Tiger Hose Company No. 8.

There were small display cases containing all sorts of memorabilia like fire hats, shields, replicas of engines, and other things. My friend, Shawne happened to be sketching right in front of me, leaning against a display of shields. I thought she would only be there for a few minutes so I started with a sketch of her and slowly added some of the surrounding cases. She ended up to be still standing there when I was finished with the whole sketch.

I headed back down to the first floor and found a few friends sketching the historic engines. I wasn't sure I wanted to do that, but I noticed there were several mannikins in full gear so I got started on a sketch of one. I really liked the way it came out in ink and wasn't sure if I should add color...but I did and I'm happy with how it came out.

I was hoping I would have time to do another sketch of a fireman on the back of one of the trucks, but our show and tell started about midway thru my sketch, so I didn't get to finish. I did take a photo so maybe I will finish it yet...but it isn't as exciting as sketching it on location.

 

Along the Canal

 There are many docks and marinas along the canals or small rivers in Sayville that run down into the bay. This was sketched along Browns River Road on the opposite side from the ferries.

Fish Market

 The Fish Market is located on Main Street in Patchogue. In order to sketch it and see the entire building I ended up sitting across the street behind a wrought-iron fence of a parking lot. It did give me a view of the whole thing until traffic stopped for the light. I liked all the signs and color.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

 

The above cupcake was sketched from a treat I purposely bought to use as a model from 

the Dolci Momenti Bakery and Cafe in Holbrook. 

It was as good as it looks.

Old Barn

There is a spot in Center Moriches that is posted as preserved land belonging to Brookhaven town. On the property are several barns in various states of disrepair, like this red one. It looks like it needs a little love. Of course you know I love things like this to sketch! 

Weeks Boat Yard Storage

 I drove over to Weeks Boat Yard in Patchogue to sketch the other day but there are so many large boats wrapped and sitting there out of the water for the winter that there was really nothing much to sketch. I ended up sketching one of their storage sheds and the things that were around it.

Near the Bay

Sayville has some lovely houses down by the Great South Bay. I can just imagine sitting on this porch watching people pass by. 

 

Patchogue Lighthouse

Down at the Sandspit Park Marina in Patchogue there is a new, small (22 foot) lighthouse that was built in the last few years. I don't know if you are allowed inside it, but it looks nice at the end of the parking lot. I found a view with a tree in the foreground and the lighthouse past it.

 

Cool Beans

Last Friday was a very cold day here in NY. I knew if I went out I would have to find an indoor location to sketch. There are a few fairly new coffee places that have opened. Although Cool Beans in West Sayville has been opened about 2 years, I hadn't stopped there yet. This was my chance! Patrick, the owner was very friendly and outgoing...charming the customers who came in. Unfortunately Cool Beans doesn't have a great location and really has very little foot traffic because it is outside the main shopping area of Sayville. It is next to the post office but that apparently doesn't bring in much business. It is a shame because the coffee was good and it was a fun place to sketch. A newer coffee shop just opened in Sayville where a Starbucks used to be, and Starbucks is opening a drive-thru location in Sayville instead. That doesn't bode well for Cool Beans. 

Before I left I showed Patrick the sketch and he couldn't believe I did it while I was sitting there. He was so happy and bought it from me. I wish him luck and I will have to stop by again...maybe I will sketch the other end of the counter. lol

Fire Island Lighthouse

I went over to Robert Moses State Park last Thursday, figuring that by Friday it would be too cold to venture over there. That's when we had the cold snap. It was too windy to take a walk or to sit outside so I parked so I had a view over the foliage and went to town. 

Horse Theme

 Last Wednesday the Patchogue Sketch Club met and our theme was horses. Luckily several of the other members had statues and horse models for everyone to use. I borrowed this one to sketch.

You can see from these photos that we had no shortage of models.

We do a lot of our sketching at the Patchogue/Medford Library. For the month of February our group has some of our sketches in the showcase at the front entrance of the library. The 3 sketchbooks on the top left are mine.

St James Building

This building is in St James right near the railroad station. I think it is an insurance office. It was a little different but that strange overhang was a problem getting the perspective right. The cellar door is on the wrong angle too! Maybe the vibrations of the trains affected the building. lol 

Tola

I'm always looking for buildings that would be fun to sketch. Tola has branches in 3 of the local towns here. I've seen the one in Westhampton Beach but the building never called to me. I haven't seen the one in Fire Island Pines yet since I haven't been over there on the ferry. This one is in Bellport and the fact that the tree and the street light could be in the picture frame sold me on this view. Someone wanted to know if the man was standing on the flower box, but it is a mannequin. lol

 

Small Sketches

 I keep a small sketchbook in my purse...just in case. For instance, my husband may still be eating Buffalo chicken wings when I'm already done. I can sketch!

We can be seated in the waiting room at the eye doctor's office and there is a woman and her son there who are calling out to be sketched.

Jerry's eyes have been dilated/or he has had drops put in before the doctor comes in to see him. I can sketch him while his eyes are closed.

I do a sketch of something small for Creativespark.art's scavenger hunt.

There are many opportunities to sketch and I like to take advantage of them.

How about you?

Cedar Beach

The other day I went up to Port Jeff where they were having a winter festival with ice carvings and all kinds of things. After riding around and around without finding parking I gave up. I headed over to Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai. The dunes attracted me for a sketch.

Brooklyn Museum

On Saturday I drove to meet the NYC Urban Sketchers at the Brooklyn Museum. A friend and I headed up to the third floor to the Egyptian collection. I've sketched their collection before but I had to go revisit it. 

Here is what I sketched back in 2018.

The Brooklyn Museum didn't open until 11:00 so I only had time for the once sketch before our lunch break. The socializing is an important part of the day and sometimes (like Saturday) I got to chat with one of the sketchers I hadn't seen since before Covid. 

Then I headed upstairs to the Canadian Inuit collection in the Art of the Americas gallery. My friend, Mark was already in the room sketching one of two of the house posts on exhibit so I started my sketch there. It slowly grew into most of the room as I sketched a few other items including a baleen whale mask that was on display.

At 3:00 we had "show and tell" down in the lobby. I think we had about 20+ sketchers on Saturday. It is always so great to see the different items that people selected to sketch or how they did the same item I did, but in their own style. When we were done I figured I had enough time to head back upstairs and sketch one more time. In that same room I found a Kachina doll from the late 20th Century created by a Hopi artist.

Good Ground Antiques

 I took a ride out to Hampton Bays recently. I like looking for buildings that are not the typical strip mall shops. This one in Hampton Bays fit the bill. It is an antique shop.