Hecksher State Park View

Hecksher State Park is on the bay in Suffolk County. To me it seems like it isn't kept up well. There are areas that have beach access on the bay but there is little access to those beaches. A certain parking lot has been partly flooded for years. You have to drive through gigantic puddles to get into the parking lot. That was where this sketch was done. I used watercolors and Neocolor II for this painting. 

Hecksher Park View

The other day we had sunshine but windy conditions. I headed over to Hecksher State Park in East Islip and painted the view across the dunes. This park is located along the Great South Bay.

Final Sketches of 2023

 I've been having fun with the continuous line sketches so I thought I would do one final one for 2023 of my breakfast. I almost always have the same breakfast...a swiss cheese omelette with spinach. My holiday plate makes it a little more festive.

My final plein air sketch for 2023 was done down at Hecksher State Park in East Islip. It is a huge park that is right on the Great South Bay with views across to Fire Island. The parking lot I was in had some huge puddles from recent flooding or high tides. It could be either but this particular parking lot seems to always be partly flooded. The ducks were quite happy, but the human visitors had to drive through some of the water to get out of the lot.

Clouds over the Bay

Sometimes the clouds are what attracts me to paint something. I saw the sky and knew I had to find an open area to see far in the distance. Although Hecksher State Park is on the Great South Bay in Islip, you could see all the way down to the Captree Bridge in the distance. 

Beach Cottage

 One day last year I was riding around Hecksher State Park in East Islip, just exploring to see what was in the park. I came to a section of about 15 cottages along the water. They are all built with huge glass windows facing the bay. I've looked at photos of the insides and they are pretty nice. They have 1/2 bedrooms, a cooking area, a stall shower (I don't know if it is indoor or outdoor), and a sitting area. Every time I go past them the parking area is closed because it is off season or you need a pass. This time I decided to pull up to the chained gate and sit and sketch. At this time of the year there is nobody in this area of the park other than people driving by on their way to the park exit. Nobody bothered me. I'll have to go back and sketch another one.

Hecksher State Park Views

 Hecksher State Park is a 1,657 acre on the Great South Bay in East Islip.Heckscher State Park is a 1,657-acre state park on the shore of the Great South Bay at East. It has beaches, boat ramps, picnic areas, walking trails, and even cabins to rent. I headed over there the other day because the sky finally wasn't the grey, dismal sky we've been seeing. One of the hunt items was a sky scape and there were finally some interesting clouds in the sky.

I was sitting in an area the was for boat washing, but I didn't think anyone would mind since there were no boats out in the cold. This gull didn't seem to mind either.

Walk by the Water

 You know how I love to sketch down by the water. This was done down by Hecksher State Park in West Islip.

Earth and Sky

We were having some great clouds in the sky so I heeded down by the beach so I would have a wide open view. This was done from the parking lot at Hecksher State Park in East Islip.

By the Water

 You know I get down by the water as often as I can. Today I went to Hecksher State Park. The clouds above the beach grasses and the trees were so interesting.

The other day I was down by the bay in Sayville. The parking lot had a lot of cars and gulls. They are always fun to sketch.

Sometimes the gulls even stay still for a little while...but don't count on it. lol

Portrait Party & Digital Sketch

For today's NYC Urban Sketchers event we had a portrait party. We've done them quite a few times IRL but today's event was organized on Zoom. Anyone who wanted to attend who didn't know how to use it was tutored by someone who did so that everyone was ready. We all met in the Zoom "auditorium" where Mark welcomed everyone and explained what we would be doing. There was a morning sketch event and an afternoon event. We were split up into random groups of anywhere between 6-8 sketchers and sent off to our meeting room. Each person in the group posed for a 10 minute sketch. My morning group only had 6 people so we finished a bit early. That gave us time to chat with each other and share the sketches we had done. A few of our group were people I am friendly with but some were new to me. One woman was from Calgary. I sketched out each portrait with a water-soluble graphite pencil, and then went over that with permanent ink. Then I added watercolor on top. Here are my sketches from the morning.

At 11:55 we all went back to the "auditorium." Some people went and had lunch, some posted their sketches, and some of us just hung out there talking because it was the first time many of us had seen each other since social isolation began. It was fun to catch up with everyone.

After the lunch break those of us who stayed for the afternoon session or who had just joined for the afternoon session were assigned to another breakaway group meeting to sketch. This time there were 7 people in my group so I got to sketch a total of 11 people. Here are my afternoon sketches...remember each of these was created in 10 minutes.

Of course we were indoor sketching on one of the nicest days we've had in nearly 2 weeks. As soon as we were done with the portraits I headed out for a ride down to Hecksher State Park in Islip. I sat facing the water and sketched with ArtRage on my iPad. Some people were on the sand enjoying the sunshine on one of those orange inflatable cushions. There were a lot of people down by the bay, but for the most part they were in small groups and keeping distant from other people. I didn't get out of my car...just sat with the window open and let the sun shine in.

Hecksher State Park Views

On Sunday I was craving some plein air car time. I drove over to Hecksher State Park in Islip. It is right on the Great South Bay and has distant views of Fire Island and Robert Moses State Park. I found a spot in one of the parking lots where I could see one of the long bridges that cross the Great South Bay.

Then I angled the car slightly and painted the beach grasses.