Greenport Archives - Dora Sislian Themelis Art

Painting is Electric Energy

Another day, another painting start

What is it about painting that gets the electricity going? If I could feel like I did after starting this latest watercolor, I would bottle it and drink it every day to keep that momentum going. It is so weird.

After pulling the peach at the beach painting off the watercolor block, I hunted around for the next subject. It could take forever if I didn’t start something new immediately, and then I’d be arguing with Mr. Resistance again. You know he’d win, too, right?

Remembering the vacation we took a couple of summers ago out on the east end of Long Island, and some of the great photos I took there, I hunted them up yesterday. Of course, I had a different computer then, which crashed. The photos are in it. No worries, I looked for them here on the blog and started in.

It’s a nice, calm scene at Cooper’s Farm. I like the tractor. Okay. Something about painting just gave me a jolt that lasted into the evening. I kept thinking about it, and planning my next session wishing I could paint again at around 11PM last night. I mean, I could, but people are around and the painting is sitting in the dining room, not the studio.

Whatever. The feeling is still with me now as I write this. Today is an outside, running around day, so painting will have to wait until I return.

Funny how I decided I needed to try to work from photos rather than life, and now that’s all I’m doing. Is it like I’m on a kick or what? Also funny that I have a couple of different gourds from the vegetable share and I completely forgot about painting them. Totally out of my head.

Maybe I will have to also break with my tradition of working on one painting at a time to go ahead and paint those gourds on another block of paper? Ya think? Gee, what a concept!

Sometimes I knock myself out. Whack.

Painting on Sunday

The weekend was pretty quiet around here and I had hoped to get many things done. The Mr. had planned a fishing trip with his buddies so I planned to be home getting the house ready for holiday decorating. My Sunday was set! I even hoped to take time out to paint something for twenty minutes.

The fishing trip was leaving from Freeport, NY, on Long Island. Freeport is on the way to Jones Beach and very close, which was a plus to The Mr. He’s gone fishing out of Montauk on the south fork and Greenport on the north fork, and every where in between. This trip was a short drive to the boat, but then the captain takes the fishermen out in the Atlantic Ocean for three hours to the spot. Gear, food, and men were ready for a full day. The boat was leaving the dock at 3A.M. Sunday morning and expected to return by 7P.M. Sunday night. All day.

I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Usually I’m the pancake lady on Sundays. Now I could sit with my little breakfast, my hot coffee and my newspaper. A quiet morning is one of my best times. If I’m pancake lady I’m so busy making them that my coffee gets cold before I can enjoy it. This time, nice hot coffee! I daydreamed of the day ahead, what I would get done, and what I was interested in painting.

Since I was invited to join a new blog The Little Art Club, I thought I would try the theme “Candy” in a twenty minute time slot. It would be just enough time to paint something as a start. Ideas floated around in my head while I sipped my coffee. When I was ready I headed off to paint for twenty minutes. Heaven, and it was still morning! Later in the day I worked on this another twenty minutes.

(I tried linking to the blog for this post, but it seems it’s unavailable. I wonder what happened?)

Around 11 A.M., The Mr. called to say they were already back from the trip. It seemed that another fisherman collapsed as they started casting their lines. Frantically, the captain, his mates, and the other guys performed CPR to try and revive the man. The Coast Guard was alerted and they tried to help, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful. When the boat returned to the dock three hours later, they were met by the police, detectives, fire personnel, and ambulances. The Mr. and his buddies had to give their names and statements. Needless to say he was home early.

Rocks on the Beach

Beach vacations are pretty much similar where ever you travel, some more luxurious than others. We’ve been to quite a few different places where the beach is the main idea and each destination is unique.

Cancun, Acapulco, Nassau Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Greece, Long Island, Las Vegas, oops Las Vegas has pools, all have some aspects that are similar and different. Some have sandy beaches and others have rocks.

The Mr. was born in a Greek island with rocky beaches so that’s what he looks for in a beach. In fact, most Greeks are lured by calm waters and a rocky beach, something that resembles home to them. But I’m a New York girl so what do I know other than sand and waves like Jones Beach and Pt. Lookout? Rarely did we travel to the Long Island Sound with it’s calm waters. It’s fine with me, I’m drawn to the water, rocks or not.

One fascination Greek island people have is watching the ferry arrive with it’s passengers, trucks loaded with produce, cars and stuff. The ferry is so huge and things keep coming off. Then it gets loaded back up with the same stuff going the other way.

In Greenport there are ferries that shuttle all the same kind of stuff and people to Shelter Island, all day and night, back and forth. So of course, we’re fascinated by all the action. They loaded a huge tractor trailer onto this little ferry, plus people in cars, people with bicycles, and just people on foot! I was in awe, just like we are when we’re in Greece! I know, whacko.

When we were finished gawking at the ferry coming and going we were ready to head back to the beach. The sun was high in the sky and glistening off the clear blue water. Not many people were on the beach so it was all for us to enjoy. Like I said, Heaven is an empty beach!

Except for the seagulls. No matter where you go seagulls will take your food, throw it around the beach and eat it.

Our last full day I took out the watercolors at the urging of The Mr. He said, You brought your set out here, now get to work! Oh gee, thanks. I was so happy to do nothing on this trip, absolutely no brain waves nothing. But OK, it was time, and the rocks looked so interesting.

I began sketching out a few nearby rocks with some dried seaweed clinging to them. So The Mr. says, You’re going to paint rocks? What’s wrong with the water and the sky? I don’t know why but rocks are neat and painting the scenery was sort of intimidating with watercolors. And anyway, I have pictures for later.

Without penciling in the subject I just went with the paint. The brushes I keep with the set have a great point so I can sketch with color and blend in the paint with the side of the brush. I added color and tried my best to keep the whites white. The good thing about this little travel set is the limited palette. That seems to keep me in line or I’d add every color I can get my brush into. Bad, good, I don’t know, but that’s what my brain tells me to do.

I thought I would try to paint every day on the trip, but thinking about doing it was stressful. I needed to wind down my brain and think of nothing and of doing nothing. Once I started painting I guess by that time I was really ready for it.

OK, when’s the next trip?

No Stress Vacations Are Perfect, and a Sunset to Boot!

What kind of amenities do you look for when you travel? If you ask me, I need a clean and quiet room. No bugs. Close to the water and restaurants. That’s pretty much it. Now, if I’m in Las Vegas or the Bahamas, that’s a whole other set of priorities and expectations except for the a fore mentioned amenities, but on a more luxurious scale. We were interested in getting away to change our scene as close as possible with the least amount of stress involved. This was perfect.

In little towns like Southold and Greenport you can’t expect luxury. This is farm country, wine country, old maritime fishing villages. You’re not getting luxury here. Maybe the Bed and Breakfasts are a little more plush, but don’t expect too much. I certainly don’t. Like I said before, clean and beach is what I need, and what I got. The Long Island Sound was so clean and clear this year it was a pleasure to be so close to it.

The rooms at this little place have efficiency kitchens, OK; they’re clean, OK; they face the beach, big OK; air-conditioned, OK; a short drive to a cool town for dining, OK. Downside-the refrigerator went on and off all night, the road out front was noisy with traffic all night, an illuminated EXIT sign inside the room (code) was lit up all night, the air-conditioner was either too cold, or when turned off the room was too hot. OK OK OK.

The one thing that made us crazy was a noise we figured out was a cricket in the wall. It chirped at intervals with the refrigerator, all night long. I wanted to find it and kill it, but we couldn’t do either. So we decided we’d nap on the beach, eventually. Seems there’s a lot of history here on the north fork of Long Island especially during the Revolutionary War. Along the main road there are these signs telling of raids and war activities. There are tales of pirates, too.

We visited Greenport for dinner every night. Many restaurants there have outdoor dining and a few are right on the docks. Boats large and small can pull up to the docks of the marinas and stay for dinner or moor for the night. When the weather is good it’s a beautiful place.

We had great food at Claudio’s Clam Bar right on the water, surrounded by boats, the water, Shelter Island across the bay and the most beautiful sunset you could imagine. As I’m not so great at remembering to take pictures of everything, we were half way done with dinner before I thought about it! We really enjoyed the freshest seafood around. After dinner we walked around Greenport investigating all the boats docked at the piers, window shopped at the antiques and quaint shops, listened to jazz at a gelato and dessert bar. The sun was setting so spectacularly that we had the great idea to grab some coffee to-go and run back to our hotel to have the amazing apple tart we bought on our way from Briermere farm. Dessert and coffee, the beach and the setting sun were the perfect end to a perfect day.

Of course I remembered to take a picture of the apple tart. Wouldn’t you?

Heaven is an Empty Beach on Long Island

We’re back from our quick trip to the east end of Long Island, New York in the town of Southold near Greenport. These few days were a great break from our normal routine and I must say it was much needed. Do you ever realize how much you need a vacation until you actually go? I knew it was the right idea as soon as I made the reservation for three nights out there.

To me travel is stress. Being able to just get in the car and drive to a destination was the least amount of stress involved, unless there is traffic. But really, if you’re on vacation with no timetable, no one expecting you, no reason to be anywhere at any time, who cares if there’s some traffic? Yes, we had a little bit of traffic. The usual suspects were involved, meaning people who need to see all the aspects of a three car accident. OK, there were police cars and tow trucks, one really beat-up-from-all-sides car and two other beat up cars on the Long Island Expressway heading east. Rubberneckers abounded. After we passed it we had smooth sailing.

First stop on the way was in Mattituck at Cooper’s Farm. This is the best farm stand out east with the most vegetables you can pick on your own, or just buy what they’ve already picked. We go all U-pick. The most beautiful and large beefy tomatoes, long crunchy cucumbers, glossy eggplants and peppers, sweet as anything watermelon. Delicious.

Actually, our real first stop was at Briermere Farm for the best buttery apple tart there is in New York. We can’t visit the north fork without a stop here. Neither can anyone else. Every time we stop in there’s a line out the door. Each time the door opened, out wafted the smell of butter crust and sweet fruits. Breathe deep! I was so excited I forgot to take pictures.

We arrived at our little hotel/motel around four o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was behind some hazy clouds, but the air was still hot and humid. Just how I like it. We settled in, put our things away, donned our bathing suits and headed across the street to the almost empty beach, where we sat until well after 7 P.M. The waters of the Long Island Sound were calm as oil, the Mr.’s phrase. The summer air had almost no breeze, but the clouds above kept changing patterns as the sun went down over Connecticut.

Heaven is a warm summer day and an empty beach.

Taking a Hop, Skip and a Jump

While I tried to get the Mr. to take a trip to somewhere this summer, the only idea he liked was to stay local. Forget Greece, Las Vegas, Bahamas, or Florida. A short road trip it is, with no housework in sight!

We’ll be visiting the east end of Long Island, on the North fork, in farm and winery country. While I don’t know if we’ll be going to any wine tastings, I am hoping the weather is hot and humid, perfect for sitting on the beach. Weather is not something you can predict with any measure of accuracy and any outside activity depends on the weather. Being a person who likes the heat, the weather better cooperate. Earlier it was cloudy, rainy, but hot and humid. Now the sun is showing up. It better!

Last week the humidity lifted and we were left with temperatures in the low 80’s and high 70’s. That’s cold to me! That’s get out the woolies weather! I never complain when the temps go up into the high 90’s! Nope, not me! I am in hog heaven when it’s hot, hot, hot! I know what New York winters are like and I never complain about a sweltering New York summer. Yup.

So I will probably..scratch that, definitely be AWOL from the blog. I don’t have a Blackberry, or a netbook, or an iPad. You’ll all have to carry on without me. Rest assured that pics of my days will be forthcoming. I plan to bring along my travel watercolor set and my ink pen with a drawing pad. Morning pages will be coming along too, which I will have to sneak because the Mr. always wants to know what I’m writing about. Will I get to do some art while I’m sitting in a beach chair all day long? We shall see, won’t we.