Bodhi's at Corey Beach

 For the Creative Spark Scavenger Hunt recently we had to sketch something used for sports, so I sketched the surfboard that is part of the outdoor decor at Bodhi's Shack down by Corey Beach in Blue Point.

Bodhi's in Winter

 OK, spring has finally officially arrived, but this was sketched while it was still winter. I headed down to Corey Beach in Blue Point last week for inspiration for another postcard for the project. Bodhi's Beach Shack was closed up but the fun signs and the surfboard made me think summer. I'm ready for my feet to be in the sand and the sun warming my body. How about you?

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.

Greek Festival

Last Sunday the forecast was for scattered strong storms. I went to the pool early to do my exercise, but it didn't seem nice enough to stay there. After I came home I decided to check out the Blue Point Greek Fest held by St. John's Greek Orthodox Church in Blue Point. There was a very small area with rides and carnival games. I sat across from the booth where you threw darts at balloons. It was a colorful spot for sketching. Unfortunately right next to me was the game where you test your strength with the sledgehammer and try to ring the bell. Nobody was ringing the bell, but the sledgehammer was very loud.

What I liked best at the festival was listening to the live music by Tommy Kavounidis (tommykavounidis.com). I sketched him while he was playing a Greek bouzouki. He loved that I sketched him.

I didn't try any of the food (which looked yummy) while I was at the festival but I got a piece of baklava to go. All week long I had been seeing postings on Facebook showing photos of the women making huge trays of it ... so I couldn't resist. It was delicious!

Blue Point Pinks

I still have a few paintings of cherry blossoms to post even though the blossoms are pretty much gone here. The greens have taken over. This was painted down by Corey Beach in Blue Point. 

Snow Along the Canal

There are a few canals in Blue Point. This one runs through a small park near Flo's. I was able to park right along the side of it. There was a woman sitting next to her car and feeding the gulls so I quickly sketched a few of them into the scene while they were swooping down to grab what she was tossing.

Over on CreativeSpark there was an interesting item for the scavenger hunt. We had to find a playing card and sketch the numbered side as well as the back of the card. I dug out a very old deck of cards. From what I remember I got these the first time I flew anywhere. It was maybe 1968/1969 when I was all of 20 years old. A friend and I flew out to CA, stayed with her cousin and his family for a few days, and then drove up the CA coast. Neither of us could legally rent a car on our own and her dad rented one for us, but Suzanne had to do all the driving. The trip was a lot of fun and we met two sailors on a cable car in San Francisco. We hung out together all day and then the next day they took us on a tour of their aircraft carrier. We also went horseback riding and I was thrown off my horse. (And I have never climbed back on another one to this day.) At the time the airlines gave you all kinds of things when you were on board if you asked. I got the deck of cards. The box is really worn and I'm not sure if all the playing cards are still inside, but it was fun to sketch one of the cards.

 

Washville

Car washes are always interesting because they are so busy...especially on the weekend. It was hard to catch a vehicle exiting the car wash. They move off so fast. This was done at Washville in Blue Point. Luckily there was an empty parking lot across the street because I needed a bit of distance to get everything in. 

Bodhi's Beach Shack

 My plein air painting group (PALS) met down in Blue Point near Corey Beach last Tuesday. It was a windy day but we sat near Bohdi's Beach Shack to paint. By the end of the morning I has as much sand in my palette as their was on the beach. lol Bohdi's is an interesting spot and I've sketched there before. It would be more fun if there were people there, but at 10 am on a Tuesday they were closed.

Reading my friend, Jo Castillo's blog today I was reminded that yesterday was D-Day. I didn't see anything about it on the news or any stories. My thanks to Jo for sharing a post she wrote about her brother, Powder, who served in WWII and fought in the Invasion of Normandy. My thanks go out to those who served and gave so much for our freedom.

Dock in Blue Point

I did another sketch in the small book for the sketchbook project. This is a small dock area in Blue Point. Luckily there are a few spots where you can see in through the reeds.

Autumn Colors

 It seems like just overnight the leaves started changing color here. Of course we don't get the abundance of reds and oranges like they do in New England but every once in a while the sun lights up some of our colors to make them super bright. This tree scene was between two houses. Just because I've been saying I have to do something different I used gouache on this painting. Basically gouache is rather opaque and is used from darks to lights like oils. I am still working as if I were using watercolors and keep adding darks when I should be adding lighter tones.lol I was pretty happy with the way this turned out. It was painted in my Strathmore Toned Tan sketchbook.

Inktober Day 18

I used my Noodler's Brown ink in my Lamy pen for this Inktober Day 18 sketch. It was done down by the bay in Blue Point.

Inktober Days 4 & 5

For my Inktober Day 5 sketch I used my Lamy Safari with Noodler's Brown Ink. To me the color looks more like sepia than brow.  The ink is water-soluble so you can get some nice shading. My model was a rooster fountain in front of Bello Poultry Market in Holbrook. I've sketched the rooster before but they seem to have spruced up the entrance to the market.

Today's Inktober sketch was done with my PALS Plein Air group. We met down at Corey Beach in Blue Point on a damp, chilly morning. All of us were bundled up in fleece jackets or heavy sweatshirts. I didn't think I was going to last for too long so I didn't work on actual watercolor paper (mistake) but on sketch paper. First I sketched it with my Micron black pen...but you know how I love color so I added it after I took a photo of the ink only version.

 

Flo's of Blue Point

 Every year the Patchogue Sketch Club makes a sketch visit to Flo's in Blue Point. Due to Covid restrictions there aren't as many picnic tables set up, but the other night the tilted, striped umbrellas caught my eye. There were a number of dogs there with their owners so I captured one of them too.

Corey Beach Shed

 On sunny days I'm always tempted to head to one of the local beaches. This is the lifeguard's shed at Corey Beach in Blue Point. I've sketched it in the past. I think I dropped the sketchbook in the sand three times while I was sketching that day. I guess it could only add a little texture. lol

Bayport Water View

 There is a nice small dock with parking on the Great South Bay in Blue Point. It has a nice gazebo too, but right now it is behind fencing while they are doing renovations to it. Facing out there are water views in both directions.

Colorful Corner

  I wonder how many miles I put on my car each fall looking for autumn colors. Although most of the leaves have fallen off the trees every once in a while I find a spot with some color. This was on a corner in Blue Point. I edited out the street signs.

Blue Point Diner

 I am always looking for someplace different to sketch. I've passed the Blue Point Diner many times but couldn't find a good spot to sit in my car. I saw it the other day and made several u-turns to find a spot where I could see. Where the plants and steps are on the left a car was parked. Of course as soon as I started sketching the car, which belongs to the owner/manager, it backed out of the space and was gone. So I erased the car and continued sketching. I was happy with the way it came out.

Beach Sketch

 The other day the weather was so perfect I had to head over to the beach for a while. Corey Beach in Blue Point is only about a 15 minute drive and now that it is off season I can park there easily. Quite a few other people seemed to have the same idea. There were people sitting on the beach in beachchairs, little kids playing in the playground and on the swings, and a number of people sitting at picnic tables having lunch. I brought my chair down on the beach and pulled out my sketchbook. It was the perfect way to pass some time in the sun.

Corey Beach View

 It was so sunny and nice the other day so I decided I wanted to sketch down by the beach. I headed to Corey Beach in Blue Point. It turned out that it was much too windy to sit on the beach and sketch so I ended up sitting in the passenger side of my mobile studio to get a view of something more than the big SUV that was parked in front of me. I am assuming that this little building is for the life guards and storage of their gear.

Starbucks

The Patchogue Sketch Club had plans to paint outside last Wednesday, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Due to the rain we headed inside the Starbucks in Blue Point.