A Day at the New York Botanical Garden

On Sunday I went with two friends to the NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx. We planned to sketch but there were several things going on there. First there was an exhibit of impressionist paintings, then an impressionist garden, and a Plein Air Invitational Paint Out. Several artists whose blogs I follow were going to be there and I was hoping to see them.

After viewing the impressionist paintings in the library we walked and found several of the plein air artists. I talked to a few and then found a spot along the Bronx River where there was some shade.

Then I moved over by the rose garden and painted the view looking in through on of the gates.

Someone told us that James Gurney (http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.ca) was a little further up the hill so we went to check. Not only was he there but Shari Blaukopf too (https://shariblaukopf.com). Shari gave a workshop in NY recently and I would have loved to take it but I couldn't work it out. We spent most of the rest of the day watching both of them paint. They were so gracious and informative too. They were right next to each other and we kept going back and forth to watch.

Here is the piece that James Gurney was working on. He had two models in period costume posing for him.

James Gurney at work.

Shari Blaukopf with her first painting done earlier in the day.

Shari painting flowers in the garden.

The models that posed for James.

Left to right: James Gurney, Me, Suzala, Arthur, Shari Blaukopf

The day was also filled with lots of beautiful flowers. Here are a few.

15th Annual Fire Island Lighthouse Show

Tonight was the reception for the 15th Annual Fire Island Lighthouse Show and the night couldn't have been more perfect. Most of the paintings are related to the sea in some way. Here are the two paintings I exhibited in the show. Both are 8 x 10 and were done en plein air at the lighthouse.

Standing Guard

Walkway to the Light

The exhibit is held inside the lighthouse where racks are set up to hang the paintings and photos. There isn't a lot of room to take photos, but I was able to take a few.

Kathy Wayman

Me with one of my paintings.

Ruth Johnson and I had our paintings hanging together.

Alma and her large painting.

Carol Corbett and her painting that sold already.

Joan Sicignano and her painting (up top).

We headed outside to watch the sunset over the bay....along with a few other people.

Robert Moses Views

It was a good day at the beach the other day. I drove to Robert Moses State Park and did a few ATCs for my exchange next week. 

Here is the Fire Island Lighthouse.

Here's a view of the dunes.

Tomorrow night there is an art reception at the lighthouse. I have 2 paintings in the show. Stay tuned and hopefully tomorrow I will have some photos from the 15th Annual Fire Island Lighthouse Art Show.

Beach Boys

On my jaunts to the beach lately I've ben looking for models to sketch. I found this guy relaxing on his blanket.

This guy was seated on the sand next to two women. I only sketched him on my iPad and was doing it out in the bright sunshine...not an easy thing to do because of the glare. I missed quite a few spots of color.

Flo's Revisited

I don't know how many versions of this scene I've sketched through the last few year. This was our sketch location last Wednesday night. We usually sketch at Flo's in Blue Point a few times each summer.

Roses

On Tuesday my plein air group met at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. There were some lovely roses blooming there so a few of us focused on them. The first two roses are ATC sized (for my exchange) and the last one is 5 x 7.

Sayville Garden Tour

Today I participated in the Sayville Garden Tour. There were 6 gardens to view on the tour and in each garden artists and musicians were scheduled. I had seen 3 of the gardens previously, so I picked two gardens to paint in from those I had seen. The first garden had several views that I wanted to paint, but the front entry and garden caught my eye the first time I was there, and that was what I painted. The only problem was that I was standing in full sunlight for the entire time. I was able to shade my paper with my painting umbrella, but not my body, so by the time I was done I was hot. The homeowner, Carolyn kept offering me cold water and when I was finished she let me go inside and wash up and cool myself off before I headed to the next garden. Here is the painting I did and it was SOLD to the homeowners. Yay!!!

Then I dashed off to the next garden I had been assigned. Again I went with the view I had seen the other day, and I'm glad because there were several spots I liked. This time I was able to stand in the shade to paint and the homeowner had a big jar of lemon water for the visitors to the garden. Here is my painting looking at the area near one of the side gates. The woman who owned the home loved the painting. She took my card and told me she had to check with her husband before she could buy it. I hope that isn't the kiss of death for this painting. lol

Here is the view I was painting.