Gardens of Long Island

Sag Harbor  is located on the east end of Long Island. A quiet town which has charm everywhere you look.  This old house which was abandoned, intrigued me with its tangled mass of vegetation, exposing only small parts of the white house and the forgotten porch.
Gardens come in all sizes, and forms.  One thing they all have in common is the joy they give us.  Whenever I come upon a garden, I often remark on how good this place makes me feel.  Being surrounded by nature, organized by humans.  Gardens reflect the personality of the owners, therefore, I consider them a portrait.

  Visiting the Peconic Herb Farm, on Long Island is a treat that I look forward to having.  One never knows what will be displayed in their barn.  All types of garden items, stimulating the imagination

  

The Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, Long Island is a wonderful place to visit in every season.   I often find secret gardens which are tucked away amongst the massive vegetation.  While strolling through the gardens you come upon Coe Hall,  the stone house which is surrounded by beautiful plantings.

Another wonderful garden spot on Long Island is Westbury Gardens.  There are formal plantings which  are perfectly designed to compliment  the beautiful house with its magnificent architecture.

Please visit my web site angeladaleo.com to view more gardens.

All About Manhattan

 
"Trinity Church" Any one who visits the Wall Street area, where the stock exchange is located, cannot help admiring the beauty and wonder of this historic landmark.  Trinity church is another favorite place I love to visit and love to paint. 

Manhattan is a painters paradise.  There are scenes to be captured everywhere you turn.  Each season adds new inspiration.  I selected some of my favorite places to share with you.  

 

"The Place where Music Lives" is a scene of Carnegie Hall and the  Russian Tea Room. The look of 57 th street has changed since I painted this scene.  I wanted to capture the beauty of the building, and the historic Russian Tea Room as I remember it. 

The painting of the"Horse and Carriage Ride Through Central Park"
is a common sight when visiting the park. I often cut through the park which offers a sense of calm, amongst the hustle and bustle of the city around you.  The gentle clacking of the horse and carriage is a peaceful sound which I enjoy.

There are two paintings "A NY Lunch" and "A Walk Along Central Park" of  strolling along Central Park.  I like to include the hot dog vendors, they are found on every street corner in Manhattan.  They give the city a touch of humanity against all the big buildings.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a favorite place to visit.  I especially love it in the rain.  The reflections of the building, the coloring, and all the umbrellas add the the charm of this popular series "The Met in the Rain"

 The painting "Central Park"  is one of my favorite.  I love the city when it snows.  The dark sky set a beautiful backdrop for the glistening buildings, showing off the familiar copper roof of the Essex House.  A great way to tour the park on a snowy evening.

  

Orchid Fantasy

Fantasy Orchids is part of a series, Fantasy Florals.  Flowers often do not need to be described.  Often it is not so much what they look like, but rather the sensation they cause.  Sometimes it is the amazing colors nature has created, other times it is the way they act, dancing in the wind.  

To capture the emotion of flowers, I often rely on spontaneous painting methods, working on various supports, canvas as well as multiple types of papers.  I also use various mediums, watercolors as well as liquid acrylic and Dr. Ph. Martin's Hydrus, pigmented liquid watercolors.

The painting featured in this blog is painted using Hydrus.  The liquid consistency of  Hydrus gives me an opportunity to drop the pigment on the paper and create unusual effects.  The colors stay vibrant and once dried will not lift, so I can overlay colors without smearing them.  Spraying areas, tipping the surface and letting colors run is another way of creating interesting effects.  

Orchid fantasy was inspired by my visit to the Bronx Botanical Garden during their annual Orchid show.  Going through the maze of orchids in the conservatory left an impression of orchids everywhere in every color, shape and size.  I needed to find a way to capture that image.  Drawing what an orchid looks like was not the answer. Dropping pigment on paper or canvas gave me the start I needed.  After the burst of colors, I then negative and positive painted  to introduce some suggestion of the orchid shapes.  The difficult part of this type of painting is to know when to stop.  I always allow the viewer to participate in my paintings, giving them the pleasure of finding flowers and to finish the painting.