Lily Lake

This is just a little watercolor in my moleskin notebook captured on the spot at Lily Lake yesterday.

Painting at the Suffolk County Farm

It is always a challenge to try to paint in plein air, but painting live creatures is always fun!! These were done at the Suffolk County Farm near me. I've painted there before and really enjoyed it, so I stopped there yesterday when the weather was nice and warm...maybe a bit too warm. The chickens don't stay put, the sheep are too far away to see the detail of their faces because of their shaggy fur, but the cows are always content to stand at the fence and eat and pose for as long as I want.

Arboretum Gazebo

A sunny day found me at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale yesterday. I love gazebos, even though I find them a nightmare to sketch with all those posts! This one had that lovely tree with the blossoms to set it off.

St. Mary's

I'm always driving around looking for something different to paint and this surely was. The brickwork was so unusual that I had to stop the car and pull out my moleskin to paint this. It was done in ink & watercolor.

Yaphank Garage & Scarlet Barn

Sometimes just a short drive brings you something different to paint. "Yaphank Garage" is like stepping back in time. I don't know if the gas pumps actually work, but the place was so different I had to sit and paint it. This one is 4 x 6. "Scarlet Barn" was painted from my car out on the east end of Long Island. Much of the area was once farmland and much of it is now developments or land bought up by the many wineries that have sprung up. This barn is on the property of the "Red Barn B&B." I painted this one from my car. It is 7 x 10.

Sitting in the Sun

This is another ATC (2.5 x 3.5) that was sent out as part of the exchange I've been doing on WetCanvas. I think I used the same reference photo for this one as I did for the camellia pour recently which is posted back a little ways.

Flamingo

This was done for the WDE on WetCanvas from a photo reference by "changingpaths." Thanks for the great reference, Cyd. This is 7 x 10. The original reference had many flamingos, but my limit is one. Hope you are "in the pink" like this beautiful bird!

Horton Point Lighthouse

Yesterday we had beautiful, sunny, warm weather so I took a drive further east. I've never been to this lighthouse before, so I had to paint it. I forget that when you're by the water it is usually a bit colder. I was sitting on a bench and I was freezing by the time this was nearly done. The last bits of it I did inside my car which was warm from the sun. This is 7 x 10.

Fresh Paint

I love being able to paint outdoors! I'm not sure this guy felt the same way. lol This was done in Sayville were the fishing boats are stored for the winter. Yesterday I think there was someone repainting almost every boat I could see. I couldn't resist this. It is done in ink & watercolor in my little moleskin sketchbook.

Along the Stream

This is 7 x 10 and was painted for the WDE on WetCanvas from a reference supplied by Elaine. I love rocks and water, so this was one I couldn't resist. Every time I paint rocks I think of my class with Jerry Brommer...Thanks, Jerry!

Cactus Flowers

This is about 6 x 8 and done in ink & watercolor. It was done for the April project in the Southwestern Art forum on WetCanvas. The reference was provided by my friend, Jo Castillo, who is a wonderful pastel & oil painter who lives in Texas. I love flowering cacti but they are rarely seen here in NY, so I couldn't resist painting this. Thanks Jo!

22nd World Wide SketchCrawl

Saturday, April 11 was the World Wide SketchCrawl. The weather in NY was rainy so my sister, Michelle, and I needed an indoor spot to sketch. We decided to drive into Manhattan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We sketched in the Greek and Roman art collections. My sketches include left to right - part of the columns and upper floors as seen from the bench we were able to find and a marble statue of a seated muse. Because we were in the museum we couldn't sketch with anything other than pencil. The second page of sketches include a marble statue of Herakles seated on a rock and an urn that is a piece of Roman funeary art. I added color with my watercolor pencils and wet them with water when I got home. The third page is a marble statue of a Greek youth with another room in the background. I also found a spot that had a wonderful view of the city out one of the museum's arched windows. We were there for about 4/5 hours and then drove down to see the American Watercolor Society Show at the Salamagundi Club on 5th Ave and 12th St. We were lucky enough to find parking on the street right outside the building, so when we were finished viewing the paintings, we came out, sat in the car, and sketched the building. All in all, it was a fun adventure sketching in Manhattan.

Happy Easter ("Odd Man Out")

Happy Easter to all! (or Happy Passover or just Happy Day if you're not celebrating.) This was the painting I used for my Easter cards this year. I had seen someone do a painting of Peeps once, and that thought just stuck in my head. This is about 6 x 8 and was done from my own setup. As soon as I finished the painting I gave all the Peeps away so I wouldn't eat them.

A Touch of Blue

This is another ATC (2.5 x 3.5 in) done for the WetCanvas exchange I'm doing. I was intrigued by this blue flower...a clematis maybe?

Scenic Cove

This is a half-sheet painting done from a photo reference I took in Maine last summer. It has been sitting in my living room for quite a while while I keep playing with it. I think I need to stop now.

Winter Ride

This was done right after I came home from my workshop with Eric Wiegardt. I was still thinking about painting snow the way he did. The people were from some photos I took during the snowstorms here this winter. The painting is 11 x 15.

Waterlily Pour

This was done with the same process like the camellia below. I had fun with the negative painting around the lily pads. If I had the room, I'd like to try one in a larger size. This is only about 7 x 10. It's so difficult to not drip paint on everything in the area while you tilt and tip and pour paint.