Sketchcrawl #20

My sister and I did the Worldwide Sketchcrawl on Saturday, which was a rainy day in our area. We started at the Wildlife Center in Wycoff, NJ and sat in the gazebo by the pond. It was just barely drizzling, so we were able to stay dry there.

Next we went to the Hermitage, a historic building in Hohokus, NJ. The building has ivy creeping up the wonderful brickwork. At this point it was raining so we had to find a place with a good view where we could park the car. That took a bit of maneuvering, but we did get a nice view of the side of the building.

Our last stop was Roessler's Nursery in Allendale. I parked facing the pumpkin displays so we could paint from the car. By now it was pouring and the visibility out the front window was limited at times. I had to keep turning on the windshield wipers so we could see more than just a blur. I think I got a good result. The day was a lot of fun, especially sharing the time with my sister, Mickey.

Autumn I

This is another ATC done for my exchange. I collected a few gourds at the farmstand and used them in this one.

Sunflower I

This is a 2.5 x 3.5 ATC that I did for the "Anything Goes" exchange on WetCanvas. I love sunflowers, but haven't had much success painting them larger. I was happy with this tiny one, and have done several more since I painted this one. I'll post those after they are received at their new homes.

Dunes in Autumn

This was painted in plein air at the beach the other day and is 7 x 10. Robert Moses State Park has a wonderful boardwalk that meanders through the dunes to and past the lighthouse. I've painted the lighthouse several times, but wanted to focus on the vegetation on the dunes themselves this time. There are more flowering shrubs at this time of year in yellows and reds. It was a lovely spot.

I'm Hiding

This is 4 x 6 and was done in ink and watercolor for the Weekend Drawing Event on WetCanvas. Someone hosts each weekend and supplies 16 reference photos to pick from. You can do any medium and as many of them as you want. This guy attracted my attention. My thanks to my friend EP (eyepaint) who hosted and supplied the photos.

Autumn Reflections

This was done yesterday on location at the Connetquot State Park here on Long Island. There is a river that runs through the park and this was done up near the fish hatchery. It was my first time in that part of the park but I plan to return. Because I got to the park so late I only did a 4 x 6 of this view, but I plan to go back and paint there again.

Light Above the Dunes

This 4 x 6 was done in plein air and is for the Vacations/Holiday Dreams Exchange on Wet Canvas. That is the Fire Island Lighthouse in the background.

Beach Grasses

As the beach season here is winding down, I'm trying to capture what I can on the days that are warm enough but aren't too windy. This is 7 x 10 done on a day that I was sitting with a building blocking the wind. The far structure is a building with a few exhibits telling about the Fire Island area.

Watercolor Sketches

I went out plein air painting to a local farm to do some sketches for the Scavenger Hunt on WetCanvas. Animals aren't the easiest to do...they don't really stay put. I had some little 6 year old boys watching me do the birds. They wanted me to do all of them. There were probably about 8 of them in the enclosure. I did a goat too but he seems to have wandered off.

Hear the Waves

I love spending time at the beach and the beach grasses against the ocean are a wonderful subject that I return to over and over. This is 7 x 10 done in plein air.