Sketches: Ink and Oil

The jetBlue flight wasn't too bad, only a half hour's delay and that allowed me to grab a few ink sketches.

This morning at the street park in front of the post office, I saw a white-haired guy sitting on the bench reading a book and smoking a pipe as he did yesterday. That told me that he must be a regular park goer. He seemed to enjoy reading in the sun. People in Florida may not understand why New Yorkers like to sit in the sun in June. At least in the morning when people still need to have a jacket on, it is very comfortable sitting in the sun. So I went over and asked how long he was going to sit there. He told me he would sit for 45 minutes more. That was enough for me. I asked to do a quick oil sketch of him. He granted me the permission. His nickname is Loco, an Armenian Greek immigrant. He had a full bag of books in the area of philosophy and religion. He was a pleasant talker and had with him photos of his parents and girl friend. It is a good practice even though I know I am not satisfied myself.

Oil 9 x 12

In the afternoon, I planned to paint a stone arch doorway in the front yard of an apartment building. With a pot of purple flowers hanging there in the morning sun, the arch looked beautiful. However, in the afternoon the whole side of the building was in the shade with the sun being behind the building. I must have mistakenly remembered the street as east-west and thought it would also be shone in the afternoon. Reluctantly, I kept walking till I came to the Rhenereich Playground. Some people were sun bathing inside. I then made the following sketch of an unknown lady reading the in the sun.

Oil 9 x 12