Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day!

"When I was a girl of fourteen,
my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand
to have the old man around.  But when I got to
be twenty-one, I was astonished at how
much he had learned in seven years."  
~ Author unknown

I am so grateful to still have both my parents here.



My dad has always been there for me, in good times and in bad. He has bailed me out with a helping hand when trouble hits and has celebrated my successes when few others seemed to care. I am the oldest of four siblings and like with most kids, it wasn't always smooth sailing. As time goes on though, our father/daughter differences have become less, as our bond grows ever stronger. Thank you so much for all the love and support you've showered on me over the past half+ century, dad! I love and respect you dear father, mentor and friend ~ with all my heart!


Here are some recent photos of my dad, 'Big Al' Sandy.





HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO MY DAD!!
And to All Dads Everywhere!!

X ♥  O
 


Friday, June 14, 2013

Nature's Garden Collection

"Be like the flower,
turn your face to the sun."
– Kahlil Gibran


Nature's Garden Collection
Watercolors on Yupo paper, varied sizes

I've made and shared several collages of my Yupo painting collections this year. I didn't know how to link them up to their feature page until I saw another artist do it this way. Each number links to a larger view and details about the corresponding piece. 

1.  2.   3.   4.   5.   6.   7.   8.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Springing Into Summer ~ Tulip Treasures

"Find what makes your heart sing
and create your own music." 
~ Mac Anderson








Tulip Treasures

7.5" x 5.5" hand painted watercolor on Yupo paper, matted - $85.
acid free, white core mat & foam core backing in an acetate sleeve
fits a standard 8" x 10" frame / Framed - $105.



Painting Options


The symbolism of the tulip is
affection, perfect love, new life
and spiritual awareness.

Although it looks and feels like spring weather left us a while ago, the first day  of summer isn't until next week, June 21st. As usual, Jerry has been busy filling up the yard with flowers and vegetable plants. Here are just a few shots of  
Sandy Land this morning.





Please share my work with your friends.

Thanks  for visiting and have a great day!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Summer of S A N D Y and the Perseverance of the Daisy ~ SOLD

"Perseverance is not a long race;
it is many short races one after another."
~ Walter Elliott




Dancing Daisies
SOLD •

"Just picked it up, it is even more lovely than it looked online!  Thank you so much!" ~ Annette


The symbolism of the daisy is
friendship, loyalty, love, beauty
and perseverance.

It's The Summer of Sandy and I'll need the perseverance of the daisy. The next three months will be spent rebuilding websites, revamping my business plan and of course, painting.

Instead of continuing with my yearly tradition of Drawing Everyday this summer, I'm studying and re-learning Dreamweaver CS5.5 so I can totally rebuild my websites. I know it will be time well spent. The use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and advances in web technology have changed web design significantly over the past few years.

After much frustration trying to follow the Adobe, Lynda.com and CreativeLive Dreamweaver tutorials, I found this GREAT FREE DREAMWEAVER COURSE by TimothyTraining.net. There are 42 videos in the DW course and for an optional $29. I downloaded additional course materials and over 80 website templates!  If you are interested in exploring this further, here's the Introduction to Dreamweaver Tutorial. Whoa, what a deal!  I am in shock and in heaven. Now, with Timothy's easy to understand, expert step by step guidance, I know I can do this! I'm finally making headway!! Horray, Thank you Timothy! And thank you DrawingEveryday / SketchingEveryday fans for understanding. Perhaps I'll be back at daily drawing and blogging about it next summer! 


Have a great season and proclaim your summer now!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

In The Meadow - En Plein Air

  May all your weeds be wildflowers. 





In The Meadow

11.5" x 15" hand painted 'en plein air' watercolor on Yupo paper
16" x 20" matted - $269. / framed - $299. / art only - $249.
acid free white core mat -  foam core backing
solid burl-wood frame

Painting Options


Yesterday I competed in the Medford NJ, "2013 Paint Our Town - Plein Air Challenge". Although temperatures soared into the mid 90's, I managed to find a shady spot and held up pretty well. This year the event took place on the Medford Leas Retirement Community's 160 acre impressively landscaped grounds. It was lots of fun and a very well run event. Upon arrival, our painting surface was marked and we were supplied with maps and information about possible painting locations.


Here is my set-up.


I learned so much, on many levels through participating.  I haven't really painted on location in years and setting up and working outside is not like being in the studio where everything's at your fingertips! The only thing I forgot was a spray bottle and my paints kept drying out.  I'm planning on putting together a "Checklist for Plein Air Watercolorists" in my next newsletter. Be sure to sign up to receive it in your inbox.


This picture of me  was taken by Beth, a sweet resident I met
who contributes to the community newsletter.


It was really good for me to get off the property. I tend to be a hermit. Most days, I'm here in my studio, painting, on the computer or hanging out with my critters. It was good to get out in public and it was definitely good to get out of my routine and comfort zone. Even though it was a lot of work, I'm charged up to do it again, hopefully when it isn't so darn hot.


Cutie Pye inspects the maps, brochures, and winnings.

Everyone I met or was reacquainted with was so nice! There was even a reception with food and wine after the judging. I am happy to report that I got a second place award and a cash prize for my painting of Katzell Meadow, titled "In The Meadow". That was just the icing on the cake though. The true prize was just being there in the moment, observing, feeling, painting, outside, in the zone, in the meadow.

Go to the meadow to stretch and grow
Get lost in her plume topped amber glow
Sparkling with gems in every color and size
Joyful appreciation the true grand prize


When is the last time you tried something
out of your comfort zone or routine?

What was it?
  What did you learn from it?  

 As Always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Pretentious Poppies

"If you've never been thrilled
to the very edges of your soul
by a flower in spring bloom,
maybe your soul has
never been in bloom."
~ Terri Guillemets





Pretentious Poppies

5.5" x 7.5" hand painted watercolor on Yupo paper, matted - $85.
acid free, white core mat with foam core backing in acetate sleeve
fits a standard 8" x 10" frame / Framed - $105.



It has been very quiet around here.
My parents took off for home yesterday.
We had a great visit and did a lot of fun things
while they were here.

Sister, Denise, Mom & Dad playing miniature golf  in Ocean City, NJ


Mom concentrating on her bird painting

Mom and I enjoyed doing art together.
She left with two matted 8" x 10" florals
and three framed 5" x 7" bird watercolors
that now hang in their motorhome.
She likes them so much, they will hang
in her house when not traveling.

My art lessons gave her a new found enthusiasm for learning.
I hope she finds some classes to get involved in at home.

"Get over the idea that only children
should spend their time in study. 
Be a student so long as you still have something to learn,
and this will mean all your life."
~ Henry L. Doherty

Thanks for stopping by!
As always, your comments are most appreciated.