Worldwide Sketchcrawl #19 - June 20, 2008

My sister, Michelle and I did the Worldwide Sketchcrawl on Saturday, June 20. We went to Van Saun Park in Bergen County, NJ. Our sketching started with the Bergen County Millennium Carousel which has assorted animals, not just horses. It was fun to sketch, but the carousel isn't designed for artists who are sitting there trying to sketch or paint. It doesn't stop with the same animal in front of you each time, so we kept moving each time the carousel stopped. I got to do one traditional carousel horse and a lion. Next we headed into the zoo, looking for the slower-moving animals to sketch. I did get to do the Greater Rhea (which looks like an ostrich), some Red-Footed Tortoises, an American Alligator, a Great Blue Heron, an American Bison (mine looks like a large furry rodent to me), and some American Elk. We finished up with a trip back to the carousel to do another animal. I picked the camel and finished it just in time because they shut the carousel down promply at 5. Once they put down the solid metal gates you couldn't see anything. All in all, it was a fun day of sketching!

Yellow Umbrella

This is one of my recent small beach paintings. It's postcard sized (4 x 6). I enjoy capturing some of the finer beach moments!

Woods

This is 4 x 6 and was done while sitting on my patio gazing out at the woods. Of course in real life you can see the fence and roofs in the background. It was fun to just paint the woods.

Bridge at the Lake

This is 7 x 10 and was painted at Hecksher Park in Huntington, Long Island. The lake is man-made with a couple of nice stone bridges. I caught the swan passing by. He was on his way back to sit with and protect the female swan who was sitting on their eggs.

Empty Chair

This is about 6 x 6 and was done while I was at the beach last week. There is always something to capture there!

Rhodies

This is 4 x 6 done from one of the bushes on the property where I live. I had to paint the rhodies again before they were gone.

Greenport Porch

This 7 x 10 watercolor was done in Greenport at the end of Long Island's North Fork. At one time this was called "The White Lion Inn" but is now a private home. Either way it looks like a nice place to sit in the shade and watch the world pass by.

Fruit Delights

This is 7 x 10 and was done for the scavenger hunt on WetCanvas. We needed to sketch (or paint) 2 different fruits. I bought cherries for the specific purpose of painting them...eating them will come later. I think they balance nicely with the purple grapes.

Shaded

This is the time of year I get to try my hand at painting lots of people at the beach. Since I spend so much time at the beach in the summer there are constant unknowing models to pick from. This is 4 x 6. I couldn't resist this little girl with her big floppy hat and those big red sunglasses. I just kept hoping she would stay there long enough for me to finish painting.

At the Waterfall

This waterfall was done as part of the WetCanvas "Let's Get Wet!" thread. It is 11 x 15 and was done from several of my photos combined into one painting. I'm happy with the way the splashes and the refelctions came out.

Secluded Pond

This 7 x 10 painting was done at the same arboretum as the last painting. They have gorgeous rhododendrons in bloom there. They even snuck into the pond area making this spot look even nicer than usual.

Pink Blooms

I don't paint flowers very often, but the abundance of flowers this spring has called me a few times. This was done in plein air at the arboretum I've been going to. The rhododendrons have been spectacular. This is 4 x 6.

Vined Porch

4 x 6 ink and watercolor done of one section of the porch on the manor house at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. I love vines that climb and creep along the roof. Tried to capture them while the flowers were in bloom.

Sandy Beach Path

I did this at the beach the other day. It is 7 x 11 and I painted sitting between the dunes to keep out of the wind. I'm always fascinated by the dune foliage and the fences. This particular beach has had such erosion the past two winters. The water is so far up the beach.

Sunlight and Shade

This is my second painting of the historic house on the Longwood Estate on Long Island. It is a pre-Revolutionary war home. The last time I did the right side of the house. I plan to go back and do some of the barns on the property. This is 7 x 10.

Beach Sentry

I did this 7 x 10 watercolor of the Fire Island Lighthouse in plein air last week. I really love lighthouses, and this one is one of the few that I've found that you can get close to from any angle. I did hike about 1/2 mile to get to be right in front, but it was worth the walk.

Over the Rocks

I did this 11 x 14 painting for a class I was participating in on the WetCanvas site where we were doing water. We worked on reflections for a while and then everyone started doing waterfalls. I always found waterfalls difficult to paint, but after reading the tips given by the people in the group, I did two paintings. I was pleased with the way this one came out.

Crimson Fire

This 4 x 6 was done for the WetCanvas postcard exchange. I used a sunset photo I had taken when my husband and I were driving cross country. I love the silhouette of the tree against the colors of the sky.

Seat at the Edge of the Lawn

This 4 x 6 ink and watercolor was done in plein air this weekend at a local arboretum. It looked like a perfect place to sit and contemplate life.

Sunset Walk

This was done for the WetCanvas postcard exchange. My reference was a photo I had taken at Hilton Head, SC. It was actually a sunrise photo. I like the silhouette of the couple walking along the beach...sort of romantic!

Darkening Hues

This is another 4 x 6 painted for the WetCanvas postcard exchange. It was painted from a photo I had taken at sunset here on Long Island looking across Shinnecock Bay.

Acadia Tranquility

Here is another 4 x 6 done for the postcard exchange. This was done from a reference photo taken at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine. I was attracted by the silhouette of that lone tree.

Laguna Illuminated

This postcard (4 x 6) was also done for the WetCanvas exchange. I used a reference photo taken in Laguna Beach, California.

Golden Touches

This was done for the WetCanvas postcard exchange. It is 4 x 6 and was done from a photo I had taken in California. When I posted it on the WetCanvas site, several people commented on the fact that the cloud looked like an angel or cherub. If you look carefully it does!

Sunrise Beyond the Dunes

I did this for the postcard exchange on WetCanvas. It is 4 x 6 and I think it is my favorite card I did for the series. I'm working on a similar larger version of this. It was painted from a reference photo I had taken out at Montauk Point on the end of Long Island. We get some super sunrises here on the east coast.

Evening Dance

This is another 4 x 6 painting I did for the postcard exchange. I used a photo I had taken in Hawaii many years ago.

Barn View & Animals

I don't normally post more than one painting at a time, but these go together. I did the barn on location on Wednesday here on Long Island at the Suffolk County Farm. It is a 7 x 10 watercolor that I did from the front seat of my car while sitting on the service road of a major highway. I went back to the farm on Thursday to sketch. Instead of doing a building or landscape the animals caught my attention. The last two sketches are in my watercolor moleskin notebook and are each about the size of a postcard. This was a stretch for me since I rarely do animals.

Symphony of Color

This was done for the WetCanvas postcard exchange. It is 4 x 6. I used a photo I had taken in Laguna Beach, California as the reference. These flowers were very unusual and were red. I like their silhouettes against the sky.

Harbor Glow

This is part of a series of postcards I did for the WetCanvas postcard exchange. I did 23 watercolor postcards for my theme which was "Sunrises, Sunsets, and Beautiful Skys." This was done from my own photo taken in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Venetian Bridge View

This is the last of my 2.5 x 3.5 pen & washes that I did for the WetCanvas ATC exchange. It was done from one of my own photos taken in Venice. The windows are so often adorned with flower boxes, and laundry hanging is a very common sight there.

Worldwide Sketchcrawl - March 2008

My sister, Mickey and I participated in the Worldwide Sketchcrawl this weekend. I arrived early at her house, so I sketched a house in her neighborhood in ink & watercolors. Then we headed off to the Ft. Lee Historic Park which overlooks the George Washington Bridge. Sketching the bridge was a nightmare but I gave it a shot. I also sketched one of those viewers you can use if you have a quarter, but since the bridge was nearly in our faces, I just sketched the viewer. The park has some replicas of Revolutionary War buildings used by the soldiers. One "soldier" was sitting outside sewing a new pair of britches. He graciously agreed to pose for us. While we were sketching we also got a bit of a history lesson life for a soldier at that time. On the nearby tables there were artifacts from that time, so I sketched a pair of old shoes and a thick rope. We had a little more time left so we stopped at a marsh area near my sister's house. Most people were birdwatching, but we sat on one of the observation platforms and painted the marsh. I even found a bird hidden in the tall grass.

If you are interested in seeing some of the sketches done in other parts of the world you can check out this link: www.sketchcrawl.com and click on "forums." Some of the work is really amazing.

Tuscan Street View - ATC

Thiis 2.5 x 3.5 ATC was also done for the WetCanvas project. I used 2 photos I took in Tuscany to combine buildings for the right and left side of the painting. Many towns in Tuscany look almost deserted like this from about 1 to 4 when everything except a few restaurants close down.

Workshop Paintings - Day 4

On day 4 of the workshop with Gerald Brommer we worked on incorporating the environment, weather, time of day, season, and activities of people or animals into our paintings. Again we selected a reference photo and did at least 4 sketches. Then we were to do 2 paintings of the subject, changing the season, weather. etc. I picked a photo I had taken on Monhegan Island in Maine. Jerry had done a demo of painting fog so I did one version in sunlight and one in fog. Each gives a very different feeling about the subject.

Sweet Easter Dreams

Happy Easterand Happy Spring! This 5 x 7 was done for the WetCanvas Easter card exchange. I also made prints of it to use as my Easter card to family this year. I set up the still life for this and nearly ate it before the entire painting was done.

Workshop Paintings - Day 3

Day 3 of our class with Jerry Brommer focused on the mood of the painting. We selected our reference, did 4 sketches, and then did paintings from 2 of the sketches. We came up with 3 visual adjectives to describe each painting we were working on. When each painting was finished we wrote the adjectives on the back. Later as the class walked around to view the paintings, they would check to see if the painting captured those words. For the first painting (Approaching Storm), my adjectives were ominous, cloudy, and grey. For the second painting (Marsh Sunrise) my adjectives were serene, clear, and open. This painting assignment definitely showed us the different emotional impact paintings have and the mood each gives.

Workshop Paintings - Day 2

During the second day of the workshop we used our own references to find 4 or 5 elements we wanted to use in our paintings. Then we did at least 4 sketches using those elements. The aim was to rearrange the elements for each painting, making each part more/less dominant by moving it to the back or front of the painting or to a different spot in the painting, changing the colors, etc. Using the same subject there is an incredible number of possible paintings based on these changes. (So much for not having anything to paint!) Both of these painting were done from elements in 2 photos I had taken in Maine.

Workshop Paintings - Day 1

I just finished taking a watercolor workshop with Gerald Brommer on content and emotion. The first day of the class he had us do 5 minute sketches of 12 landscape slides. We picked on of our sketches and did 2 paintings of the exact same scene. One painting was done as a high key (light valued) painting and one was done as a low key (dark valued painting). I definitely showed how the values change the emotion of a painting.

Sorrento View - ATC

This is a 2.5 x 3.5 ATC done from my own photos of Sorrento. We were staying in a hotel that was about a 20 minute walk from town, but all uphill heading to the hotel. The good thing was the beautiful views high up from the hotel. This was one of the ATCs done for the WetCanvas exchange.

Toward the Tuscan Hills - ATC

I did this 2.5 x 3.5 ATC from photos I had of a little Tuscan town. I think I was at one of the highest points of the town when I took the photo and you could see far into the distance. This was also done for the WetCanvas ATC exchange.

Spanish Villa - ATC

I used a reference photo I had taken in Spain for this 2.5 x 3.5 ATC. It was also done for the ATC exchange on WetCanvas. I loved the terra cotta tiled roof and the tiles on the steps. This would be a place I could easily go to sit and relax and spend siesta time.