Sometimes that scene comes along that you have to capture. While I was painting the cherry tree in Setauket in the last post, a car pulled up along the bank across from me and a family climbed out. The dad and one of the young sons stood there and the dad was teaching the little boy to fish. It was such a great scene! As with most sketches of people I had to do it immediately before they moved out of my line of sight, which they did a little while later.
It took a while but the cherry trees here finally started blooming. This one was in Setauket. I used a combination of watercolors, watercolor pencils, and watercolor crayons to try to get some of the texture of the blooms on the tree.
A bit of a cloudy sky...
The Patchogue Sketch Club had an evening of printmaking. I made a new design of an iris.
While on my walk I came across a tree with white flowers.
These were all done for Creative Spark's Scavenger Hunts.
This is a portion of the Great South Bay as seen from the Blue Point Dock.
With what has been going on in our country I had to take part in the "Hands Off" protests that took place on April 5. My friend, Suzala, and I took part in the protest that was held in Mineola. It was rainy and cold here on Long Island, but that didn't affect the turnout. Both Suzala and I documented the day with our sketches. It was a bit difficult to sketch in the rain.
The Patchogue Sketch Club met recently at the library. Our theme was abstract which didn't tempt me in the least. Instead I sketched a family that was at a table nearby playing cards. I was amazed that they stayed as long as they did.
Happy Easter!
I am a little behind again and between the holiday and trying to get organized after the workers were here, things have fallen by the wayside. I did get out to sketch some flowers that Jerry bought me for Easter.
Quite often I do a still life for a few of the items in the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt. From what I remember the items were, fruit, in a bottle, in a tin, in a box, and an animal.
A few weeks ago our develpment notified us that due to excessive leaks the water pipes in our section would have to be replaced. It involvolved cutting holes in the ceiling of our kitchen, pantry, entryway, laundry closet, 2 bathrooms, and a walk-in closet in the bedroom. I had to empty several closets and ended up with those things in piles everywhere. When the repairment finally started they hung plastic sheeting across the kitchen and dining area. I skteched them as they worked. I really can't complain because they worked well and cleaned up at the end of each day.
I was riding around looking for a shop to sketch since I was up in Port Jeff to drop off paintings. I saw this 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1 parked in front of one of the stores. I couldn't resist it! I sketched the car first figuring it would move soon...but it didn't. I'm not a car buff so I Googled a photo of it to find out what kind of car it was.
We had some damp, very windy days so my mobile studio came in handy. I was hoping that some of the trees would be in bloom at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in locations where I could see them from the parking lot, but that didn't happen. I could see large areas of blooming daffodils, so I settled for that. Right before I pulled into a space a man had been over by the flowers. He came back to his car with a fistful of daffodils that he handed to his girlfriend/wife and they drove away. Although it is called a "cutting" arboretum picking the flowers is not allowed!
The NYC Urban Sketchers visited the area of Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights. I started the day sketching he street by the 74th Street Station of the #7 elevated train. The area is filled with stores, restaurants, and businesses that mostly tend to Indian, Asian, Malaysian, etc groups. It was a colorful and interesting place to sketchl
After a lunch of delicious dumplings from one of the many food trucks in the area, my friend, Susan and I moved over to Diversity Plaza itself. Here tables and booths were set up selling colorful and interesting clothing, fabrics, trinkets, jewelry, and all sorts of items from the different cultures. I sat looking at a table that was piled high with sari-style clothing for women. The table belonged to two women, but it was interesting to note that after they had been selling for quite a while, a man came with his merchandise to sell. Susan was sitting by another merchant and his family and they explained to her that because he was a man she had to move and share part of her space with him, even though she was there first. The vendors and my friend are all in the sketch.
Recently I went over to Silly Lily in East Moriches. I've been there many times so I'm always looking for a new view to sketch, like this one.
The South Bay Art Association had their monthly meeting for March with a demonstration on negative painting in watercolor done by my friend, Lorraine Rimmelin. She is a master at this painting trees and all sorts of things this way. We all got to try negative painting using stencils of various objects. I selected the seahorse. We toned the paper in random spots very lightly and then lightly traced our pattern in several spots. For each successive layer the value of the color got darker around the shapes. It was a fun lesson!.
Both of these were done as items for the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt.
The clementine was done with watercolors and a bit of white ink added to show the fibers.
This is probably the last of the postcards that I did for the postcard project going to Ukraine. The cards went out a while ago and Mary Jo Ernst received them. I hope they brighten the lives of those who receive them. This was done with acrylic inks.
Recently I drove over to the White Cap Fish Market and Restaurant in Islip. I like the buildings and the semi-nautical vibe of the buildings along the canal. The restaurant was doing a fair business as I sketched. I'll have to try to sketch it in the summer when the outdoor deck is filled with diners.
A few weekends ago I joined my friend @suzala at Hoffstra University for the First Robotics Competition. We've gone a few times in the past since she and her husband were involved with the local groups for a long time. Rick still works at the events here on Long Island. The competitions are quick moving and not easy to draw, but I try to find people that are officials that are usually standing pretty still. It is loud and full of energy.
I enjoy doing continuous line sketches, but it seems like I tend to stick to bottles, cans, fruits and veggies. Maybe I need to try a new subject as a continuous line. These were done for Creative Spark Scavenger Hunts recently. A friend of mine often does blind contour drawings. I need to practice those too.
We are finally getting some signs of spring here. The crocuses were the first to appear. I headed over to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum and found this group of crocuses waiting to be sketched.
There is a greenhouse located in West Sayville between the West Sayville Golf Course and the Long Island Maritime Museum. It is a not-for-profit greenhouse that offers job training and coaching to individuals with autism in partnership with the Suffolk County Department of Parks. I've sketched it from the outside several times, but have never yet been inside. Apparently they grow the plants for the many Suffolk County parks.
There is an interesting area near Oakdale called Idle Hour. It was part of one of the Vanderbilt estates and later the main house was dontated to Dowling College for their main building. The remaining small buildings which a greenhouse, two guardhouses, stables, pens for animals, a hen houses, small barns, etc. Over the years they have been converted into small, very interesting buildings. At one time this was an art colony. I can't imagine how cramped they are inside and would love to have a peek into a few of them. This is one of the larger buildings in that area that is attached to another section that I believe is also part of the same house.
I did a few still life sketches using veggies. Most of these were done for hunt items for Creative Spark's Scavenger Hunts. The top and bottom one were done postcard size so I could use them in the postcard project.
I love scenes like this of docks along the water where you can see the boats and pilings. This was painted along Brown's River Road in Sayville.
In between the landscapes I've been painting for the postcard project I've been doing some sunflower paintings for Ukraine. I've been doing them from my own photos. I'm behind posting the cards here, but today I mailed the finished cards to my friend, Mary Jo who will be sending them to Ukraine. This one was done with acrylic inks. I like the rich colors they created.
