Uncle Giuseppi's

 Around Thanksgiving we had a new market open in Holbrook. Uncle Giuseppi's Market is an upscale Italian shopping experience. They have pretty much anything Italian I can think of. There is a fresh seafood counter, a butcher, fresh pasta and sauce, a huge deli, a gelato stand, coffee & expresso, a pizza stand, fresh soups, etc. The last time I had been there I decided it might make a good location for an indoor sketch day. There is a seating area at the front of the store with tables and a microwave if you need one. I headed there, grabbed a decaf coffee, and sat at a table looking at the checkout aisles. Of course there was something to separate the checkout from the seating area, but I ignored the plants and the lovely Italian ceramic bowls and plates for sale on the shelves. It turned out to be a good spot for sketching and I was able to catch some shoppers, the cashier in front of me, and the backdrop of areas of the store. I showed the sketch to the cashier and she was thrilled that I sketched her. She called over another woman who had been sneaking looks at the sketch while I was doing it. They had me show it to the store manager who was impressed. 

Landscaping Truck

 The other day I spied a few landscaping trucks in the parking lot of one of our local strip malls. I like sketching things that have a lot of clutter and all the hoses, brooms, and shovels made me smile. Next I'd like to sketch one that has the back hatch open and the workers nearby.

Memorial Day

I was home on Memorial Day and decided to check out the local events to honor the veterans here in Holbrook. The ceremony was held at the Holbrook Vietnam Memorial. The parade started on Main Street at 11:00 and ended at the memorial. I sat and sketched the memorial before the marchers arrived. It was decorated with floral arrangements. 

Finally I could hear music and the marchers came into sight. I decided to sketch a little of everything...the police officers with the American flag, a bagpiper, and a family watching the parade. It was nice to experience this with other people from my area...just honoring those that gave so much.

Holbrook House

We had a lot of very cold days recently so if I went out I was painting indoors or from my mobile studio. This house is directly across the street from my church, Good Shepherd. I sat in the driveway of the grounds pulled all the way over so I was out of the way. I'm always attracted to the trellis in front of the house. 

San Succi Preserve

 I sat outside the entrance to San Succi Preserve in Holbrook to capture the snowy view there.

Our temperatures were still freezing today, but warmer temperatures are supposed to be on their way. The snow will probably be gone soon, so I'm glad I sketched it a few times.

Lombardi's

 As I said I couldn't stop painting direct watercolors. This is a gourmet market near me...a bit of brickwork, flowers, trees, an umbrella, and some lettering. The white lettering was done with a white gel pen.

Snow by the Fence

 I had mail to take to the post office the other day, so after I dropped it off I sat in the post office parking lot in Holbrook to paint this snowy view. The snow has lasted longer than I expected. This was done in my Strathmore Toned Beige Sketchbook. White gouache was added for the snow.

The Loft

Upstairs at the Sachem Library in Holbrook they have an area called "The Loft." It overlooks the downstairs and has cubbies where you can sit and be separated from other people. There are a lot of small tables around too as well as a few comfortable chairs. It was a good place to hang out and sketch on a rainy day.

Usk Sketchmas Day 8 & 9

 The day 8 prompt for the Usk Sketchmas was a "warm drink." I headed over to Dolci Momenti Bakery in Holbrook where I indulged in a cappuccino and a nutella filled pastry to go with it...definitely an indulgence.

Day 9's prompt was a "lane with garbage bins." I didn't time it right to find trash bins along the street but did find two tucked in a corner behind a small strip mall. 

Direct Watercolor #1

 Once again I am participating in the 30 x 30 Direct Watercolor Challenge hosted by Marc Holmes and Uma Kelkar. The idea for the challenge is that for the month of June the participating artists complete 30 direct watercolor paintings...no pencil lines (or very little underdrawing). I have participated since 2018...six years and have happily completed the challenge each time. Yes, once in a while something comes up and you can't complete a painting that day, but you can catch up and do more than one another day...or extend your challenge for another day or two. There is no pressure and no "direct watercolor police."

This sketch was done on Grundy Avenue in Holbrook, right across from the church I attend. I painted this on location and since it was a weekday afternoon, I had no problem sitting across the street to work.

Odd Couple

 Yesterday was a damp day with showers most of the day. I had a few errands to run and then looked for something outdoors to sketch. I've been to Bello Poultry Market in Holbrook to sketch before...but only from the outside. On the side of the parking lot there were two statues, one of a rooster and one of a cow. Now how could I pass that up? I angled my car a bit and needed to use the wipers so I could see, but I did sketch both of them. Some day I will go inside the market and check that out too.

One Week 100 People - Day 4

 I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to have much time to sketch in the morning. Jerry and I had back-to-back eye doctor appointments and I stayed in the room with him, so I only got 2 sketches done in the waiting room before we were called in.  We were there for a long time and then went out to lunch. Of course I didn't have a view of other people in the restaurant...oh well!

After I dropped Jerry off at home I went to our local library. I was able to get a few more sketches done there and my tally is now 81 sketches. I added watercolor when I got home.

Centerpoint Church

  This lovely church, Centerpoint Church is just down the street from me. The whiteness of the doors with the wreaths made me do a u-turn and come back to sketch this. 

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.

 

Local Eatery

 The other day I went out and was hoping to find something locally to sketch. This restaurant, called Hummus is in my town, Holbrook, (which I don't find too scenic). My actual town center has mostly strip malls with cookie-cutter buildings and parking lots in front. Hummus is a bit different because it is on a triangular corner and the parking is in the back. It is there by itself next to what I think is an insurance company. The colorful exterior and umbrellas make it a bit different, and now it has a little car parked out in the outdoor seating area. They have Mediterranean fast food and is quite good.

Snowy Woods

We had a bit of snow this morning and it made things look so pretty. I didn't get out until this afternoon and I had errands to run. This was the view in front of where I parked at the post office in Holbrook.

Carousel Horse

The other evening the Patchogue Sketch Club was meeting at the Sun Vet Mall in Holbrook for our weekly sketch outing. At this time of year we need to have an indoor location. I wasn't looking forward to it because it is one of those small malls that all the stores are pulling out of. It isn't scenic at all. Imagine my surprise to find that along with the Santa setup they brought in a carousel and a Christmas train ride. Lucky for us nothing was operating yet, so the carousel wasn't moving and I was able to sketch the horse that was right in front of me. (I have sketched moving carousels before and they are not easy...a different horse or creature stops in front of you each time. lol) We do plan to go back and sketch Santa or the train another time.

Holbrook Carnival

This has been one busy weekend of sketching for me. Today the weather wasn't great...mostly overcast with light showers from time to time. I went out early in the day to an art show and visited with some friends doing the show before we walked around to see the art.

When I got home I debated if I should go to the pool and get some exercise between the showers, but decided it was too cool. So I grabbed my bag of sketching supplies and headed to the carnival here in Holbrook. It is run by All County Amusements who handle most of the carnivals in the area. I've sketched at their carnivals before.

First I stood near the kiddie caterpillar ride. Luckily the rides didn't last too long so I was able to sketch a bit more each time the ride stopped.

Next I sketched the umbrella ride. It isn't easy to sketch a moving ride, so I sketched the cars as they stopped to slowly unload. While I was sketching the owner of the carnival came over to see what I was doing. I gave him my art business card so he could see the sketches on my blog when they were finished. He said the purple car is his favorite...mine too.

I did the above two sketches standing up, but I found a bench to sit on to sketch the "win a 

live goldfish" toss game.

This last sketch I did from the same bench looking over at one of the "food" stalls.

I got it sketched and painted about half way when it started to drizzle...not good for watercolors. lol

So I finished this one when I got home.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Slowly I am seeing the Christmas tree displays popping up here and there. It was a definite sign when I saw a big flat-bed truck filled with trees the other day.

Yesterday I sat in the car in the parking lot of a local strip mall with a stand-along flower shop. They were just starting to display some of the wreaths and trees...but I didn't hear any music there yet.

This is about 4 x 6 done at Vinny's Flower Box in Holbrook.



Tree Trimmin'

I couldn't do the LIPA crews and leave out all the tree trimmers that made it possible for LIPA to do their job. On my way home yesterday I came across this crew hard at work. By the time they were done there was nothing left of the tree at all.