Chinatown Market

 Two sketching friends and I recently went to Chinatown in Flushing. Although the area it isn't as concentrated as the Chinatown in Manhattan, you experience the same vibe...the markets on the street, vendors selling everything under the sun, restaurants with Chinese lettering, a lot of people, and a crazy amount of traffic. In area this Chinatown is even bigger than the one in the city. Anna, Susan, and I parked ourselves in our sketching chairs in what looked to be about half of a parking space. We were sandwiched between two trucks belonging to vendors, so we felt like we were pretty safe. CH Food Mart was on the corner and deliveries kept arriving while we were sketching. Luckily those delivery trucks didn't block the view for long.

Here are Anna and myself in our little spot. I'm in the red shirt.

Bellport Apothecary

 I've sketched the Bellport Apothecary before, so I looked for a new view. This time I was looking right at the building. Seems like I forgot to fill in the menu boards. That would make things confusing for customers. lol

Plate Hibiscus

While walking around Old Westbury Gardens we went to a garden by the Thatched Cottage. There were these HUGE hibiscus flowers that I believe are called plate hibiscus. They were as big as my head. lol Of course all three of us sat down to paint them.

Here are a few photos of the garden near the Thatched Cottage.

 

Old Westbury Gardens

Last week I went to Old Westbury Gardens with several artist friends. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the former home of John S. Phips and his family. The estate is surrounded by 200 acres of formal gardens, landscaped grounds, woodlands, ponds and laked. We started out at the formal walled garden which is spectacular.

Drift 82

 Drift 82 is a seafood restaurant along the canal by Sandspit Marina in Patchogue. I sketched along the outside deck of the restaurant and caught the hostess and a waitress in action. If you look at the mileage markers on the right, all the places listed are Fire Island Beaches. From the Sandspit Marina you can catch a ferry to some of them.

Sketch Collection

These sketches were done for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts. 

Mac & cheese...Italian style.

Jam done with Posca markers.

Watercolor corkscrew.

Posca lemon.

Soup Dumplings

 I don't get to sketch my food very often, but I went to a food mall that had a variety of foods, including these soup dumplings. I ate a few as I was sketching...I just moved around the remaining dumplings.

 Last weekend the NYC Urban Sketchers met at the High Line, an elevated park in NYC. Our goal was to sketch a structure called "Old Tree" by Pamela Rosenkranz. I brought along my water-soluble red pen figuring it would help catch all the small details on this red tree. I combined it with my red watercolors. It reminds me of the tree of life. This is a temporary exhibit and the sculpture will be replaced with a different one soon. Next up is a sculpture of a giant pigeon.

Next I moved to a location where I could see a real view of the High Line and the beautiful plants that were incorporated into the park made from an elevated train tressle. I love that the train rails are still showing in the garden areas. Also you get a nice view of the surrounding buildings.

Next to the High Line in Hudson Yards is a unique structure called the Vessel. It was open for a few years and you could climb all the way to the top. However several people jumped to their deaths in a short span of time, so the structure is now closed to the public while they do something to make it safer. I did this mostly with direct watercolor and a few raindrops kept falling on the painting, but I was able to make to work even with the wet paints. Looking at it I'm sure I will never climb up on it if it reopens.

Sayville View

 I like finding a spot where I can see into a town like this one looking into Sayville at the corner of Main Street and Railroad Avenue.

Sketch Update

 Here are some assorted recent sketches done for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts. I did a few, like the eggplant, the apple, and the lavender using Zebra fountain pens with water-soluble colored inks and added watercolors. The pens bleed nicely.

I had my iPad with me at the pool recently and did this sketch of one of my pregnant neighbors. It was hard seeing what I was doing in the bright sunshine but I did my best.

Mosaic Pillar

Last week the Patchogue Sketch Club met at the Terry Street Garden to sketch the new sculptures installed there. This post was a part of Eileen W. Palmer's community mosaic installation, "Handmade: Story Pillars." She covered each pillar with small sections of mosaics created by members of the Suffolk community. Eileen's creation was so unusual and beautiful. In addition to putting the mosaics together in a cohesive, harmonious pattern, she included a QR code and photo for some of the artists. The QR code took you to a youTube video that she created telling that person's story. The whole idea was impressive.

Here are a few actual photos of her sculptures.

 

Assorted Sketches

Here are a few sketches done for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts. 

Direct watercolor of cherries.

 

Direct watercolor of a spice.

Continuous line of assorted items.

Ink & watercolor sketch of a piece of fruit.

 

Silly Lily Colors

 My plein air group went down to the Silly Lily Fishing Station in Center Moriches last week. Between the yellow building and the colorful boat I was in heaven.

Red, White, and Blue

 I've sketched this house in Bellport several times in the past. It is positioned well and this day the shadow on the fence looked so nice.

Tool Shed at the Herb Farm

Last  Sunday morning I took a ride to the Peconic River Herb Farm. There are a few cute buildings and lots of pottery and fun scenic spots to sketch. I picked the Tool Shed. Isn't it a cute building?

Northport Beauty

 Last week I headed over to Northport to paint. There are some really lovely houses and buildings there. This one was up along the Bayview Street and overlooks the park by the harbor. I sat in the park looking back at the town.

Snowflake Stand

Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe is a treat in Riverhead. They have the BEST ice cream, and I have a difficult time passing by and not stopping. My favorite flavor is peanut butter cup crunch! 

Flo's Famous Luncheonette

 I haven't visited Flo's in Blue Point since last year. I stopped by last week on a drizzly day and did this direct watercolor from my mobile studio. Flo's wasn't open, but for some strange reason the umbrellas were up and open. Maybe they were hoping the rain would stop and customers would come by.

House with a Fountain

This house in Sayville has a beautiful fountain in the front. I love passing by and seeing the water splashing. The building is stucco, and it sets off the fountain nicely. But at some point they turn off the water for the winter and the entire fountain is wrapped up.  

Sunflower

My plein air group has made two visits to the sunflower field in Center Moriches. The sunflowers were past their peak, but still had a certain charm and made good subjects. I still haven't finished the first painting I started there this summer. Eventually I'll finish it and post it. This one is smaller...about 5 x 7 on Khadi watercolor paper which is handmade and rough. I bought a pack of it when I was in the Sennelier store in Paris a few years ago, so it always brings back good memories.

Week's Boat Yard Barn

 I can always find a view of something to sketch at Week's Boat Yard. It would be interesting (but impossible) to see how many sketches and paintings I have of it. lol

Food Truck

 I was at the Sayville Farmers Market recently and saw this great view of a food truck. It was a brutally hot day, and I was sketching from my mobile studio with the AC on, so I couldn't tell what they were serving. I'll have to check it out the next time I'm there.

Digital Sketch and Continuous Lines

 I've been trying to sneak in digital sketches done with Procreate when I can, like this one of shoes 

done for the Creative Spark.art Scavenger Hunt that is going on.

For the last hunt I needed to sketch something from my kitchen cabinet. I did it as a continuous line and then added some watercolor. I'm including the continuous line sketch. Look how the watercolor transformed this.

Another item I looked for was something from the bathroom cabinet. Again it was done as a continuous line.

Entrance to Sayville Park

 For one of the Creative Spark.com Scavenger Hunts the item was an entrance or exit. This is the entrance to Sayville Park from Elm Street.

Dahlia Daze

PALS, my plein air group visited the Bayard Cutting Arboretum recently to paint the dahlias. I am always fascinated by the different colors and the kinds of petals. 

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