En Plein Air: Dollar Store (oil 9 x 12)

En Plein Air: Misty Rain (Oil, 9 x 12)

The overnight rain was extended into early morning. It was kind of like misty fog. Occasionally it became a little heavier. I could feel the rain drops even standing under a big roadside tree. It was a street corner of Greenway North in Forest Gardens.

Plein Air Oil Sketch and Drawing s of Eddie Sweet Shop

It was drizzling this morning. When the sky cleared up, my friends and I decided to go out to paint. We met at Kew Gardens Long Island Railroad Station. I did an oil sketch of the Odradeks Coffee House. At first I outlined two customers sitting outside. Unfortunately, before I could block in color, they took off. So I scraped the whole thing and started all over again. After I was done, we decided to go to an old ice cream stop on Metropolitan Road named Eddie's Sweet Shop to sketch. Can you believe the store was founded in 1911?

Odradeks Coffee House

Oil 12 x 9

 Artist David

Employees at Eddie's Sweet Shop

Customers at Eddie's Sweet Shop

Artist Ariel

En Plein Air: Maple Grove Cemetery (Oil, 9 x 12)

I went this afternoon to Maple Grove Cemetery and made the following oil sketch. It was a beautiful cemetery with some old old graves. Honestly I always think cemetery is a good place to paint. Once you are inside a cemetery, the tranquil environment always gives you a clam feeling and makes you think the past, present and future of your life.There is something you can perceive only with your emotions. From an aesthetic perspective, I think the gravestones of different sizes and shapes really imply the principles of design. They are a perfect embodiment of unity vs. variety. Besides, they provide a strong sense of visual rhythm.

Sketches on F Train, NY

En Plein Air: Drizzling (Oil, 9 x 12)

I tried to take a chance again this morning, thinking it would not rain hard, but I was wrong. Shortly after I set up, it began to drizzle, and it got harder and harder till I had to stop.

En Plein Air: A Puddle in the Park (Oil, 12 x 9)

The rain didn't stop till dawn this morning, so it was still cloudy and dark outside when I got up. I decided to go to the Forest Park in spite of the fact I knew there were chances of rain again. When the road in the park went uphill and eased to the left, I noticed a puddle on the roadside reflecting the lamppost and the trash can which was actually an oil drum which it was a common practice for the forestry management to use for garbage collection. I immediately set up and began to paint. Alas, I forgot my medium! So I made a painting with paint directly from the tube. Including the setup the whole thing didn't take as long as an hour. I had to call it a day when the rain was getting heavier.