Wednesday Sketch Evening June 30 at 6:30PM - BYOC

We are going to try the Brookhaven Hamlet Gazebo on Wednesday night. Some folks doing some plein air painting there say its a nice place.

Directions coming from Patchogue, go through Bellport (via South Country Road) past the Gateway Theater and at the next traffic light, make a right onto Beaverdam Road. Make your next left onto Fireplace Neck Road. Drive pass the Brookhaven Elementary School. The Gazebo will be on your left, just park on the road. There's ducks, flowers, a wooden bridge, and the gazebo to sketch.

Last week's sketches...

These are some sketches done by Tom Degruyl during last week's sketch outing in Bellport.

The Artist Magazine July/August 2010

I am not finished reading this issue yet but I did just read an article tonight about sketching under the "Brushing up" feature...It's called "Draw once, Crop Often." It talks about the value of doing sketches before you paint. It improves your compositions for your paintings. Then, deviating from the thumbnail sketches that many artists do, this article talks about doing what you see, then cropping them as you go to try to get to the best composition. It's an interesting concept. I always sketch a few thumbnails in my sketchbook first before doing any painting and the best composition in the thumbnail sketches is the winner and gets to be a painting.

I also find that sketching first, then starting a painting, improves the painting and also clears my mind as a prep for painting...I can tune in the right brained side and it clears my head to focus better on painting.

So check out that issue, it also has some pretty good articles on plein air painting.

Sketches from last week

I am just catching up...here are some of the sketches done last week at Corey Beach.

Wednesday Sketch Evening June 23 at 6:30PM - BYOC

This week, since we haven't been having luck with the weather over at Corey Beach, we are going to sketch on Main Street in Bellport. As a basic meeting place, we can meet near the Phoenix Gallery, then folks can move on to sketch what interests them. There's a few storefronts, restaurants and and ice cream parlor in that intersection near the gallery. Just set up your chair and sketch whatever floats your boat...

Wednesday Sketch Evening June 16 at 6:30PM - BYOC

This week we will be making another appearance at Corey Beach in Bayport. There's a beach, boats, restaurant, bay, docks, all sorts of fun stuff to sketch, rain or shine, we'll be there.

Here are the directions again:

If you are coming down Main street from the West heading East, you will pass Nichols Road, down the road a bit will be Mexican Restaurant, Meson Ole', just past the restaurant, turn right at Atlantic Ave. Go all the way down Atlantic Ave almost to the end and make a right on Middle Road. Make a left at FLO'S snack stand and go down to the end, make a right and we'll be along that road.

If you are coming down Main Street FROM Patchogue, look for the Yellow sign of the Meson Ole' Restaurant and turn LEFT on Atlantic Ave BEFORE you get to the restaurant, if you pass the restaurant, you went too far. Once on Atlantic Ave, go all the way down Atlantic Ave almost to the end and make a right on Middle Road. Make a left at FLO'S snack stand and go down to the end, make a right and we'll be along that road.

If you go to this link, there is a little map that has points of interest in Bayport and you can click on that for more detailed directions.

http://www.goby.com/corey-beach-brookhaven--near--blue-point-ny/e-1928890

Dust in the City aka the Canyons of Man

You heard of Sex in the City, well this is Dust in the City. Pastel Artist Richard McKinley ventured into a new venue, painting Manhattan. If you are interested in reading about pastels, you can go to his blog at:

http://pastelpointersblog.artistsnetwork.com/default,date,2010-06-01.aspx