Shine Your Light!

"Those who are at times described as being

“too emotional” or “complicated” are the 

very fabric of what keeps the dream alive 

for a more thoughtful, caring and humane world.  

Never be ashamed to let your feelings, smiles 

and tears shine a light in this world."

~ Marc Chernoff

'Shine On" ~ 5 x 7" Matted Alcohol Ink Painting on Vinyl

 I love working on black substrates but the tiles limit us to a small size. This is one of my first attempts on mat black vinyl. The inks work good on the mat vinyl too. I ordered the 40 pack of glossy 12 x 12" vinyl and it's a great deal.  I'll cut them to various sizes - with 4 x 6"'s I'll get 6 pcs. out of ea. sheet for my studio classes. I'm gonna try it with my students on April 7th! I also ordered some black boards from Blick that I'm going to try too.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Have a really great day!

X ♥  O

Strength Supersedes Struggle

"We grow because we struggle,

we learn and overcome."

~ Robert G. Allen

I am an avid collector of inspirational stories and quotes. Some of these treasures date back as far as high school. The really special ones have been read many times and I think of them often. A few of these pieces have even inspired my art and writing. It has been a while since I reread and posted this one, so I thought it might be a good story to go along with this piece. Many of these scenarios, like the one posted below, are "Author Unknown".

BUTTERFLIES ALWAYS REMIND ME 

OF THIS BEAUTIFUL STORY:

STRUGGLES

An Inspiring Story About How Struggles Strengthen Us

When he was a small boy, he had loved butterflies. Oh, not to net and mount them, but to wonder at them and their habits.

Now a grown man with his first son to be born in a few weeks, he found himself once again fascinated with a cocoon. He had found it at the side of the park path. Somehow the twig had been knocked from the tree and the cocoon had survived undamaged and still woven to the branch.

As he had seen his mother do, he gently protected it by wrapping it in his handkerchief and carried it home. The cocoon found a temporary home in a wide-top mason jar with holes in the lid. The jar was placed on the mantle for easy viewing and protection from their curious cat who would delight in volleying the sticky silk between her paws.

The man watched. His wife's interest lasted only a moment, but he studied the silky envelope. Almost imperceptibly at first, the cocoon moved. He watched more closely and soon the cocoon was trembling with activity. Nothing else happened. The cocoon remained tightly glued to the twig and there was no sign of wings.

Finally the shaking became so intense that the man thought the butterfly would die from the struggle. He removed the lid on the jar, took a sharp pen knife from his desk drawer, and carefully made a tiny slit in the side of the cocoon. Almost immediately, one wing appeared and then outstretched the other. The butterfly was free!

It seemed to enjoy its freedom and walked along the edge of the mason jar and along the edge of the mantle. But it didn't fly. At first the man thought the wings needed time to dry, but time passed and still the butterfly did not take off.

The man was worried and called up his neighbor who taught science. He told the neighbor how he had found the cocoon, placed it in the mason jar, and the terrible trembling as the butterfly struggled to get out. When he described how he had carefully made a small slit in the cocoon, the teacher stopped him. "Oh, that is the reason. You see, the struggle is what gives the butterfly the strength to fly."
 
And so it is with us. Sometimes it's the struggles in life that strengthen us the most. ~ Author Unknown

Did you enjoy this story? Have you read it before?

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Have a really great day!

X ♥  O

MAY MADNESS SALE!

"I started collecting art... simply because 

I wanted pictures to hang on the wall. 

I noticed what a difference a picture 

could make to the ambience of a room, 

and indeed how shifting work around 

could change a room's whole feeling."

~ Michael Audain

IN HONOR OF . . . . BIRTHDAYS - WEDDINGS - ANNIVERSARIES 

GRADUATIONS - CHRISTENINGS - FATHER'S DAY . . . . .
Buy any original painting 

(16 x 20" or smaller)

and get it framed  FREE!! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 10 DAYS ONLY - MAY 21 - MAY 31

Wishing You Much Joy and Many Blessings! 
X ♥  O

Purge, Emerge and Flourish

"If we go for the easy way,
we never change."
~ Marina Abramovitt

Alcohol Ink on Ceramic Tile

My September Alcohol Ink Workshop

is now more than half filled.

Don't get shut out! For information and to register,

please go here.

Alcohol Ink on Ceramic Tile

AND new workshops have just been added for 2015.

Including a Watercolor Workshop on Sat., October 3rd.
We'll be painting trees on cotton rag and Yupo paper!

 Enjoy what's left of your summer.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Creating!

X ♥  O

Color Your World

"Art is the only way to run away
without leaving home." 
~Twyla Tharpe

"Mesmerized" Alcohol Ink Abstract Prints

It has been nearly a month since my last blog post here! The summer just kind of got away from me. I've been immersed with painting, planning and holding classes, workshops and Drink and Ink events. And there are so many hungry hummingbirds to feed (2 gallons of nectar a day) here at The Sandarosa. Then there's grass to cut, flowers to water and manicure and dozens of other critters to care for. Needless to say we have been occupied.

Amid the hustle of summertime life here on the farm, I did manage to finally get twenty-seven of my alcohol ink abstracts, including the one pictured above,  uploaded to a print-on-demand site. Many favorites are now available for purchase as art on canvas, paper, metal and acrylic in many sizes and 72 varieties. Pillows, shower curtains, tote bags, greeting cards and cell phone covers are also now offered. Numerous items would make affordable, unique gifts. It's not too early to get a head start on holiday gift giving either. Please take a look! I'd love to hear your feedback. You can browse my large selection of abstract prints-on-demand here.

I hope what's left of your summer is going well everybody.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Creating!
 X ♥  O

The Summertime Blues

"You ought to have seen what I saw on my way
To the village, through Mortenson's pasture to-day:
Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum
In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!
And all ripe together, not some of them green
And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!"
~ Robert Frost

Hand Painted, Signed 4 x 4" Ceramic Tile with Display Easel

We had a humdinger of a storm with tornado winds here in South Jersey on Tuesday, June 23rd. Along with thousands of others, we lost power for three days, which seemed more like a week. The strong winds brought down lots of trees on our property, but all our buildings and animals were spared.

 

We are lucky. The power is back on here but clean up continues to the distant sound of chain saws and generators.  

Some of our neighbors are not so fortunate. Many huge trees took down electric lines. These folks are still without power, waiting for assistance.

The tornado had a field day at the home of a neighbor of my friend. Their insurance company has yet to return their calls and they were told by a contractor that there is well over 100,000 in damages to this old log cabin.

 

Sometimes there just

"ain't no cure for the summertime blues". 

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe and happy creating!

X ♥  O

Workshops Can Help Unleash Creativity

"It seems to me that the whole purpose 

of workshops is really twofold. 

One - to help people make better pictures

and two - to unleash their creativity  to

the fullest amount that they possibly can."

~ Freeman Patterson

 Announcing my next alcohol ink workshop! 

Attendance is limited to eight artists, so don't delay.

See more information and reserve your spot today!

Happy participants from the 5-9-15 alcohol ink workshop.

"You can't use up creativity.

The more you use, the more you have."

~ MayaAngelou

"Alcohol Inks offer an exciting artistic future
for creative people to interpret in they own style,
with the skills that Sandy shares with them!
IT'S AN ARTISTIC ADVENTURE!"
~ Irvane S.

Happy creating everyone!

As always, thanks for your friendship and feedback!

X ♥  O

The Most Important Thing Is To Bloom

“The lilac branches are bowed 

under the weight of the flowers;

blooming is hard, but the 

most important thing is - 

to bloom.” 

~ Yevgeny Zamyatin

"Lilacs in Bloom"
16 x 20" Matted Alcohol Ink on Yupo paper
email: sandy@sandysandy.com for purchase info.

Time is going by so quickly. The hummingbirds have arrived and the lilacs are in full bloom. I've moved the pansies into the shade to try to protect them from the heat. It seems, once again, we are going straight into summer from winter.

There is still one opening for the May 9th Alcohol Ink Workshop. Why not treat yourself to a fun, stress free day of art and entertainment?

Preparations are still ongoing for my Drink and Ink Party at The Tabernacle Inn. Be sure to sign up before May 9th to reserve your spot and pick your design.

"Life beats down and crushes the soul

and art reminds you that you have one."

~ Stella Adler 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Creating!

X ♥  O