north shore of Long Island 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.

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.

A Day on the North Shore of Long Island

The weather here in New York is hot, hot, hot! It’s only June. I’m not complaining about the heat, no way. I’ll take it hot any day. You know what kind of winter we get here? It’s not fun, for me anyway. I can’t seem to get myself warm enough in the winter. When the summer rolls around and everyone is dragging and complaining about the heat, I’m all smiles. Yes to summer weather, every time.

So I won’t be painting in the heat of mid-day. I’ve been waiting until the sun starts going down in the afternoon. I wish I could get myself out there in the early morning, but there’s too much to do in the morning around here. I like how the light looks very early in the day. Anyway, forget it. I have to get my things done early, get out and be back by lunch time. Then the rest of the day is mine.

The Mr. was home on Sunday, rather than fishing out east. He suggested visiting a custom car show that a friend mentioned, nearby in Glen Cove . That’s the other mania: cars. Drag racing is in the blood. The Mr. and the Sons watch it on TV, talk about it, go to sanctioned events, and had/have cars they’re developing. Car people just want to look at and talk about cars, a very benign bunch. All cars, all the time. Ok, so I don’t mind it either. Unless my guys want to spend money on car parts, then I get crabby.

The car show was at a lovely shore-side park called Morgan Park, on the north shore of Long Island, so the setting was lovely. A band was playing, food and cold drinks were available, some vendors selling car stuff, and cars. Parked all over the private park were all kinds of cars as far as the eye could see. Old cars and new cars of every model, shape, size you could think of. Over the sea of shiny waxed, colorful cars and chrome, was the blue of Long Island Sound. Boats bobbed in the calm water. The sky was clear with puffy clouds and the water sparkled. Great! I love being near water so I could ignore the cars. (Except for the 1963 Buick Riviera I saw, one of my pop’s favorites. Hi Pop!)

The park was very pretty and had walking paths along the shore with this lovely, stone pergola at the end where people were fishing. Another park and museum near this one is Garvie’s Point which houses Native American artifacts and such. The area is a great place to draw or paint. Seeing the signs on the road pointing to Garvie’s Point I thought I’m going to have to visit alone one day this summer and make it an Artist’s Date.

Good idea.