New York Botanical Gardens - Part 1

 Last weekend my friend, Susan and I decided to go to the New York Botanical Gardens. We are sharing a "senior dual membership" and as long as you visit twice, you come out ahead. The NYC Urban Sketchers were going to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens but from experience we know that gets much too crowded on weekends when the cherry trees are in bloom. The gardens in the Bronx are much larger so the crowds are spread out much more.

Another friend of ours who we haven't seen in a long time (probably before Covid) was going to be there in the morning because her son takes a nature class there on Saturdays. Elaine dropped him off for the class, and we all sketched by the Conservatory until she had to pick him up. It was great to catch up with her after such a long time.

Elaine and Isaac left about noon and Susan and I hopped on the tram to go to paint the cherry trees at the top of daffodil hill. The sign there says there are 1 million tulips planted on the hill. I haven't counted them but from my estimates the sign must be right. Here is a photo of just part of daffodil hill. Now imagine that view in multiple directions!

I sat at the bottom of the hill and painted the view above.

As you can see I was concentrating more on the trees than the daffs...and I didn't stop.

I will post more tomorrow.

Printmaking

It seems like my art groups are getting me involved in printmaking. Last week the South Bay Art Association did gelli prints at our monthly meeting. I haven't done any in a long time so it was fun to play around with them. Luckily I brought my own brayer and some supplies, because the brayers they supplied were soft foam and didn't work well. Some of the members had done gelli prints before but the members who hadn't tried it before were a little lost. There was really no instruction, so I tried to help the members near me who looked lost. It wasn't a really conducive atmosphere to do prints because of the crowd, but we had fun talking and seeing some of the results people got.

Here are the three prints I made.  

Here I am with my creations.

Then last night the Patchogue Sketch Club also did prints. We will be doing some sort of print making for a few weeks. We used styrofoam as a print plate this time, carving into it with a ballpoint pen. People got some interesting designs and most of the prints came out pretty nice. Here is my print and the ghost print. I had to remember that the lettering has to be carved backwards so it will print the right way.

Sayville Beach Commission

 Back in March I was contacted by a young couple who bought a few of my watercolors at The Catbird Seat in Sayville. They loved my work and asked me to do a commission of Sayville Beach. I asked them what view they wanted and suggested that if they were going to be in the area that they send me a photo of the view they wanted. So they did, and explained that this view was where he had proposed to her. They also sent me a photo of the proposal. They wanted the painting to look like summer, and gave me the freedom to move things around or add things to make the painting look better. But they did want the remnants of the docks that were in the water. Of course it couldn't be done on location, but I did my best and met with them last week to give them the painting. They were thrilled! I think this is the 6th painting of mine that they have now, because they bought another one of mine that they had seen online.

Here is their engagement photo at the beach.

Planting Fields Arboretum - Day 2

When I woke up on Tuesday and saw that we had another beautiful day, I called Suzala and told her I would meet her at the Arboretum. I knew I couldn't go on Wednesday, so it was best to get there while I could. This time I painted the view into the walled garden. Again the cherry trees were just amazing!

For my second painting I did a smaller one (5x7) up near the manor house. There is a small pond down some big stone steps, and the falling blossoms from the tree collected in there.

I left the gardens about 3:30 but Suzala kept on painting. She also went back on Wednesday, but the cold and the dampness cut the day short for her.

Planting Fields Arboretum - Day 1

My friend, Suzala wanted to go painting last Monday because it was supposed to be such a wonderful day weather-wise. She suggested going back to Camusett Park, but I thought that was too far. I get caught in too much traffic heading east after 3:00 so I prefer to be closer. I suggested going to the Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. I told her there should be cherry trees in bloom and buildings too. It was spectacular! I painted this cherry tree with the greenhouse behind it. In addition to my regular watercolors I used watercolor crayons to give this a little more texture.

I moved on to another part of the park after finishing the first painting. This section is a huge open field with several cherry trees at the top. There were so many people who came just to take photos with the cherry trees. There was a bride and groom, several ladies in gowns, and other people dressed nicely and wearing big hats like the woman in this painting.

I finished painting around 3:15 and by the time I left the park I got stuck in traffic heading east. That is a problem I encounter a lot. I didn't get home until nearly 5:30. That's rush hour on Long Island.

Suzala said she was free the next day until about 5 when her first art student arrives and was planning on going back to paint again. I told her I didn't think I was planning to go back to the Arboretum but if I changed my mind I would let her know.

 

City Trip

Last Sunday I made a solo trip into the city. The American Watercolor Society Show was going on at the Salmagundi Club, and it is one of my favorite exhibits. Since I was going in by train I did a sketch on the LIRR going in. This lady had such bright red hair (dyed).

I went in to the city on the 8:20 train which arrived in Penn Station around 9:40. The exhibit didn't open until 1:00, but I had a plan to sketch before it opened. I took the subway down to 14th Street and walked over to Union Square. There was a beautiful cherry tree in bloom right by one of the subway entrances in the park, so I sat myself down on a bench and started painting.

Then I meandered around Union Square for a little while. There are always vendors selling something, and they were also having some Earth Day events and exhibits. I sat at a table and sketched looking uptown. I included some of the people conversing, some vendors, and a bit of the exhibit booths from the Earth Day celebration. I lasted there until about 2:00 and had just packed up my materials when it started to rain lightly. I ducked into Whole Foods and grabbed a snack (fruit) and waited for the rain to stop.

The AWS show was great! There is always some amazing work...and a few pieces that make me shake my head. I really enjoy seeing paintings by people I know from workshops I've taken, or from following them online. I was a nice ending to my day in the city. By the time I got home it was around 6:30...definitely a full day.

Cherry Blossoms and Forsythia

 When the first cherry blossoms started appearing I would pull over and sketch them, like these blossoms and the yellow forsythia in Oakdale.

Cheers

 The Patchogue Sketch Club had hands as a theme recently. I didn't just want to sketch my hands, so I worked from a reference photo instead. Cheers!

Magnolia Blossoms

Last week I took a ride to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River. I was looking for cherry trees in bloom, but instead I got sidetracked by this saucer magnolia instead. They always look so fragile and I'm afraid one strong wind will come along and they will fall to pieces. 

Caumusett Park View

Last week I joined my friend, Suzala painting at Caumsett State Park in Lloyd Harbor. We focused on a view looking out of the park toward the water. After quite a few cool, rainy days, we had a beautiful warm, sunny day.

 

Before & During the Eclipse

 The day of the lunar eclipse last Monday, I headed to Sunken Meadow State Park to experience it. I wanted to be around other people, and since it was going to last a while it was important to be someplace with bathrooms. lol I got there early...about 1:00, checked out how the sun was positioned, and went down on the beach. To see the sun and moon meant facing away from the Long Island Sound. Since I was early, I started sketching the view in front of me which is the concession stand up on the boardwalk with a few people sitting in chairs. After the eclipse started I decided not to actually sketch 

 After the eclipse started I decided not to actually sketch the eclipse itself but did do a sketch of a few people watching it happen.

I liked looking through the eclipse glasses. The view was really good that way. I tried to take some photos putting an extra pair of eclipse glasses in front of the lens on my phone. (That's why this photo it is so dark.) It was interesting to watch, but during the last one I saw in California it got dark like sunset. It didn't get much darker here so I was disappointed in that respect.

Cooper's Beach Views

 Recently I took a ride out to Southampton. In season the beaches there are nearly impossible to go to unless you are a resident. Mere mortals, like myself, are charged $35 or more to park. Needless to say, I do not go there unless it is off-season even though Cooper's Beach is often on the list of the Top 10 Beaches.

It was windy and cold with a somewhat stormy-looking sky so I sat in my mobile studio up by the few parking spots overlooking the beach itself. From my car I couldn't see down to the beach and the water's edge. It looks like there was a lot of erosion from our winter storms.

Here the dunes had a small opening where I could see a bit of one of the beachfront million-dollar houses.

Tulips Past Their Peak

I kept my Easter tulips for quite a while. They are fun to sketch when they start drying up and losing their leaves. I wanted to include the entire plant so I sketched it across a double page spread.

 

Outside MoMA'a PS-1

 The NYC Urban Sketchers met at MoMA's PS-1 in Queens on Saturday. It is a museum featuring very modern art in a restored former school building. Suzala and I checked out a few of the exhibits and the building itself before deciding we would attempt to sketch out on the street in front of the museum. It was cold and windy, but we were bundled up and there were chairs outside to sit on. The view we saw was more interesting than inside the museum itself with the train trestle, buses, cars, and people. Our plan was to sketch outside until we were too cold and then go into the basement boiler room of the building to sketch the wonderful things there.

We lasted for almost 2 hours, until our hands were freezing. We decided we needed some food and went looking for lunch before going back to join the group for show and tell.

The Hermitage

Last Friday I finally got together with my sister, Mickey in NJ. We usually plan to do something art related when we get together. It was a cold and windy day so we decided to try sketching some cherry trees from my mobile studio. Unfortunately we couldn't find any that were in a location where I could park the car and have a good view. Instead, we headed over to The Hermitage, a historic house nearby in Ho-Ho-Kus. The architecture sure kept us busy.

Jamesport Country Store

 The Jamesport Country Store is a fixture on the North Fork of Long Island. It has been there for as long as I can remember. I was inside many years ago, and it seemed to have a bit of everything. If it isn't inside it must be in the collection of odd things outside the store, like the bicycle built for two. I've wanted to sketch there for a while but there never seems to be any parking in front. I found a spot recently and sat in my mobile studio long enough to do this entire sketch. A man kept coming back and forth between the store and his old truck, carrying things. I guess he was the owner or manager. After several trips he came over and asked if I was OK or if I needed anything. I showed him what I was doing but he seemed puzzled by that and just walked away. lol

Peony Tulips

Jerry's niece, Beth, gave me some peony tulips for Easter. She had given me yellow ones last year and remembered how I liked them. They droop so nicely. This was done in my Strathmore Beige Toned Sketchbook with watercolors and white gouache.

Tulips - Version 2

I sketched the tulips again, this time using Zebra Zensations fountain pens with colored inks. Until I did this one I didn't realize that the ink in the pens was water-soluble.

 

Travel to the City

 Last week I traveled into Manhattan to meet the NYC Urban Sketchers at Salon 94, an art gallery/museum on E 89th St. I took the Long Island Railroad into Grand Central. On the way this lady was sitting diagonally across from me with her dog. I was hoping to be able to sketch him upright, but he was comfy snuggled down on the seat.

The group wasn't meeting until 11:00, but I went in early enough that I had time to sketch in the Grand Central Food Court by a place called Donut Plant. For most of the time I was sketching there was a line of people waiting to be served. I didn't indulge.

Tulips

I picked out a potted tulip plant at the Bayport Flower House for Easter...of course I sketched it.

 

Lifted Up

 

Here on Long Island there have been a lot of houses that have been lifted up due to flooding conditions from the hurricanes and storms we've had in recent years. This house down by the water in Patchogue was lifted up recently. There is a new foundation ready. It will be interesting to check on the progress with this house. I love the steel beams coming through the house and out the sides.

That sketch reminded me of construction. Here's some equipment I came across.

Art Supplies

Art Supplies was the theme for the Patchogue Sketch Club recently. I pulled out a bit of everything that I had for sketching...pens, bottles of ink, brushes, a mini watercolor set, a pencil, and some crayons. 

Signs of Spring

 Spring has finally arrived on Long Island. Right now the daffodils and the forsythia are in full bloom. I went into Sayville last week and sketched a few spots where the blooms were.

First Robotics - Sketch 2

 After the band concert that I posted the sketch of the other day, I remained right where I had been sitting in the morning. I had a clearer view now because they had removed the row of seats in front of me, so there was nothing blocking my view. This time I was able to see and sketch one of the robots in the center.

We didn't stay for the entire competition on Friday because my friend, Suzala, had to get home to work with her art students that had lessons scheduled starting around 3:30. It had been a fun day of sketching.

Meanwhile I did some sketching for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt that was going on.

Here is a bit of my breakfast.

And a sketch of a vehicle.

Happy Easter & Sketches from the Central Park Area

Happy Easter to those who are celebrating. 

Yesterday I sketched with the NYC Urban Sketchers.  Our destination was Salon 94 on 89th Street near Central Park. There was a bit of a mixup, and we were told we couldn't sketch in the gallery, although some of the sketchers weren't noticed and managed to sketch for a while. Since the weather seemed promising most of the sketchers headed up to 5th Ave and Central Park. Many of us sat outside of the park to sketch, some sketchers went into the park, and some sketchers went into the Metropolitan Museum. The view that the group I stayed with was 89th St and the Guggenheim Museum on 5th Avenue. I couldn't decide what I wanted to sketch, so I did some small sketches of what was in front of  me.

I started with a sketch of the Guggenheim on the left and then the streetlight, signs, and birds right in front of us. Then I sketched looking down 89th Street with the buildings, cars, and foliage that I could see.

My final sketch on the page was of some of the other sketchers sketching while sitting in front of the wall enclosing Central Park. I had a bit of lunch and then headed into Central Park. I didn't go far. The cherry blossoms had started to bloom so I sat in a spot where I was out of traffic but could see the blossoms. That is the painting I posted at the top of this page. 

At 3:00 we had our "show and tell." It was interesting to see what everyone had painted since so many of us had wandered to different locations. The Guggenheim Museum was a popular subject, but there were some other good locations and some sketches that had be done in Salon 94. People started to leave but a group of about 8 of us decided to go back into Central Park and do one more sketch. The spot we picked included a blooming cherry tree with the Guggenheim Museum behind it.

First Robotics - Lunch Concert

 At around noon the First Robotics Competition took a break. I was in a luck seat because they took away the row of chairs that were in front of me and I then had a front row seat to a concert at lunchtime. There were about 9 musicians from Long Beach High School who performed. I didn't know how long they would play so I started with the first musician that was on my left. After I finished enough of that one musician I moved to the next in line. I guess they played for about 30 minutes, but I was only able to sketch three of them before they left. They were actually very good. I'm glad I didn't try to do the whole group because I wouldn't have had enough info to complete the sketch. When the group was leaving a man came over and told me that his son was one of the musicians I had sketched and asked if he could take a photo. I said yes, but told him the sketch wasn't finished yet and if he wanted I would email a copy to him. I did later when I got home.

First Robotics Competition - Sketch 1

Last Friday I joined my friend, Suzala, at the First Robotics Competition that was being held over two days at Hofstra University. Suzala and I sketched there a few years ago and thought it was fun. I still haven't figured out how the competition is scored, but that doesn't affect my enjoyment of sketching it. I was able to sneak into a seating area that I believe was supposed to be for judges, but nobody stopped me and I had a 2nd row seat to what was going on. Most of the teams were from local schools with a few teams from foreign countries. Each team dressed in attire that was somehow connected to their team name. The two people on the left were in cowboy hats, but I don't know what their team name was. I like the uniforms on the referees. The competition moves quickly and teams are on and off the floor fast, so this sketch has bits of assorted activity that was going on. 

Old Gas Pump at Yaphank Garage

 It is rare to find old gas pumps and the ones (3) at the Yaphank Garage are in excellent condition. They are no longer in use at the restored Shell station from the late 1930s but only serve as part of a museum. The inside of the building that you can see through the windows shows what the office would have looked like back then. I've sketched/painted this station several times.

Collage

 Last Wednesday the South Bay Art Association had our monthly meeting and there was a collage workshop. I brought along some gelli printed paper and the instructor, Derek Owens had tons of collage fodder, especially fabric.

Along Brown's River

This is a direct watercolor done along Brown's River in Sayville.