Cedar Beach View #1

A friend suggested heading up to Cedar Beach in Mt Sinai to do sunset paintings recently. We got up there about 4:30 and were joined by a third artist. For my first painting I sat on the boardwalk and was overlooking the dunes. The sky kept changing.

Beach Dunes

The sun came out and I headed down to Robert Moses Beach one day last week. Although it was sunny it was still very windy, so I sat near a building to block the wind. This dune was in my line of sight. 

Wading River View

There is a road in Wading River that goes right along the Long Island Sound with homes tucked between the dunes. I'm not sure how often they flood, but it was nice when I was up there.

Dunes at Cupsogue Beach

If you follow my blog you are aware of how I am attracted to the beach, the dunes, and the foliage that is there. Cupsogue Beach in Westhampton has some really nice dunes and a great beach. I'll have to make a point to get there this summer.

 

Beach Fences

 At the end of Dune Road in Westhampton is Cupsogue Beach. I was there on a cold, very windy day. The beach fences and their shadows attracted me.

Beach Dunes at Cupsogue Beach

I took a ride down to Cupsogue Beach in Southampton. It is at the very western end of Dune road. It was a cold, windy day so I happily sketched from the comfort of my mobile studio.

I heard noises up on the roof of my car, and then I saw feet standing on the sunroof. Before I knew it I had a visitor sitting on the front of my car. If I knew he was going to stay as long as he did, I would have sketched him too.

I moved the car a bit and got back to sketching another view from my mobile studio. Both of these are 4 x 6 paintings for the postcard project.

Beach Dunes

 It had been too long since I went down to the beach. I didn't pick a warm day, but it was clear and sunny at Robert Moses Beach. I was happy painting in my mobile studio.

Salt Shack Sketches

My friend and I planned to meet at a car show at Tobay Beach along Ocean Parkway to sketch. By the time I got near the beach, the backup traffic was at a standstill and I had been sitting in traffic for more than an hour and still had a long distance to go. I called her to let her know I wasn't going to make it, and as soon as traffic inched along enough for me to make a u-turn I left. 

As I was heading home I came near Cedar Beach, and I noticed people entering the parking lot. I decided to check and see if the beach building was open. I was surprised that not only the bathrooms but the restaurant (Salt Shack) and bar were open too (but with limited food). It was a beautiful, sunny day and a lot of people were enjoying the outdoors. I sat on a fence by the dunes to capture this view of the building.

When I finished I grabbed something to eat and headed back outside. There was a live band playing on the outside deck and everyone was enjoying the music and the sun. Right in front of me was a couple with a lady in a wheelchair. From their interaction I assume that the older lady was the woman's mom or grandmother. As the music played they held hands and moved to the music. It was a really sweet scene, and I couldn't pass up sketching it. I may have missed sketching at the car show, but I thoroughly enjoyed the day!

 

Smith Point Beach

 Now that it isn't freezing cold or raining I've been down by a few of the beaches. This is Smith Point Park. A lot of the dunes were destroyed by the recent wild storms and flooding that we had. Hopefully they will do some work to add some sand for protection of the beach.

Beach Entry

 I guess you can tell how much I love the beach. There is always something to sketch or paint. This was done at Smith Point Beach.

Snow By The Dunes

 The weather has improved since our snow storm and with a few days of above freezing temperatures and some rain, a lot of the snow is gone. Smaller piles still exist where the snow was plowed and some of it just settled in by the dunes. This was sketched from my mobile studio near Sayville Beach.

Dune Path

 I've been too busy to go down to the beach recently, but I took a drive there today. The beach always relaxes me. Although it was probably warm enough to sit outside I opted to sit in my mobile studio to paint. This was done at Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island.

Direct Dunes

 I am always looking for dune views that are a little different. I've done this one before but this was from another viewpoint. Sayville has a lot of them. This is another direct watercolor for this year's 30 x 30 Direct Watercolor Challenge. 

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.

Out With the Old - In With the New

 Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a joyful, healthy, safe, and loving 2021!

Even if we haven't had the greatest year, I think most of us have learned to be more appreciative of what we have and not take our loved ones for granted. Celebrate what you can and when you can.

Here is my last sketch of 2020 done at Lake Ronkonkoma of the view across the lake.

Here is my first sketch of 2021. If I am not visiting family or friends somewhere for the holiday I try to get down to the ocean on New Year's Day. I went to Robert Moses State Park where the Fire Island Lighthouse stands. There are always so many people who have the same idea as me. I enjoy seeing so many families out enjoying the day together. 

There are also always people who come down to the beach and celebrate the new year with food and drinks, often tailgating from their cars. This group looked like they were enjoying each other's company. They visited for quite a while (of course not quite long enough for me to finish the entire sketch, but luckily I took a photo just in case). I hope they were safe being with each other. Although they were outdoors and probably far enough apart, they weren't wearing face coverings. Of course I was safe in my "mobile studio" away from them.

Inktober 2020 Day 19 - Dune View

 Today was a beautiful, mild day so I decided to head to the ocean. I never got there all summer due to my husband's health because it takes a bit longer than going to the bay beach nearby. So this was my first visit to Smith Point Beach in a long while. I sat in the sunshine overlooking the dunes. I think it helped restore a little of my soul. This was done with my Elegant Writer pen.

Beach Scenes

On Sunday (which now seems like eons ago) I headed over to Robert Moses State Park to sketch. It was a sunny day but very windy, so there weren't too many people around. I sat in my mobile studio looking at the dunes and painting while several groups came to enjoy the actual beach. I like that most walkways down to the beach have their own unique fences so they usually look different.

Then I drove down to the other end of the parking lot which faced a fence. The Fire Island Lighthouse was visible in the distance. This time I sketched on my iPad with my ArtRage program. If I stop using it for too long I forget what I'm doing.

An update on my hubby. He came home from the rehab facility today. Unfortunately he had a fall about a week and a half ago and pulled the muscle in his good leg. Right now he is in a lot of pain and can't stand or put any pressure on the leg. That made for a very challenging day for me and my sister-in-law. (Thank heaven for her help.) It also felt like the day lasted about a week. Hopefully with bed rest his muscle will heal. He had been doing so well before that. I am looking forward to seeing that again.

Beach Dunes

Somehow I forgot to post this sketch that I did at least a week ago. I drove over to Robert Moses State Park. It was a sunny, windy day and I sat in my "mobile studio" facing the water and the dunes. That definitely was a calming place to spend some time.

Beach Dunes

This was done a bit from imagination after looking at one of my beach dune sketches. It will be added to the collection for the troops.