2013 Was A Very Yupo Year

"There is no harm
in repeating a good thing."
~ Plato

I just finished this painting and it is headed up to NYC to be included in

the corporate collection and gallery display of Legion Paper.

You can see snapshots of my trip to Legion Paper

and my Yupo Paper Demonstration on facebook.

See my NYC 2014 Spring Demo Schedule here.

Starry Starry Moonlit Night

11.5" x 14.5" original hand painted watercolor on Yupo paper

Signed and certified by Sandy Sandy

Corporate Collection, Legion Paper, NY, NY

• SOLD

Marketing Director, Marc Schotland, liked my "swirl series",

so I did several versions and this is the one he chose.

Looking back, it has been a Very Yupo Year!

I never dreamed that I'd paint over 160 "keeper" watercolors

on the slick synthetic surface in 2013. My success was largely

facilitated by the jump start I got listening to the Leslie's AHA

blog casts and participating in Ms. Saeta's 30 in 30 challenges.

In January 2014, I'll be doing my third

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge with Leslie Saeta

along with over 200 awesome artists worldwide.

I'm getting a little nervous though, because I'm still not
sure what my next month's theme will be.

In January 2013, I did "Paintings Inspired by Quotes About Trees"

and in September I did, "Legends, Myths and Folktales".

If you've got any ideas or suggestions, I'm all ears!

Follow along, come join in the fun and paint if you have the gumption.
In any case, wish us all luck and stick-to-a-tive-nous!

As always, thanks for stopping by.

Oh, one last thing, I'd really appreciate a small favor tonight.

Please share my work and spread the word about my 

year end studio sale to your family and friends.

It would mean so much to me.

X ♥  O

THANKS FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP!

Best Wishes Always to You and Yours

30 Days of Myths, Legends and Folk Tales ~ In Watercolor on Yupo Paper

“It has been said that next to hunger and thirst,

our most basic human need is for storytelling.” 

~ Khalil Gibran

Myths, Folk Tales and Legends Collection

Watercolors On Yupo Paper In Varied Sizes

This is a collage of artwork done for the 2nd 2013 30 Paintings In 30 Days Challenge. Each number and title links to a larger view with painting details and the story that inspired each piece. 

              1. Kokopelli's Magic      2. Sing A Song Of Sixpence      3. Magical Unicorn

4.  Jersey Devil On A Starry Starry Night      5. Kokopelli's Nighttime Magic

6. Kokopelli's Daytime Magic      7. Beloved Local Dragon     8. Pretty In Pink

9. Baa Baa Black Sheep      10. Jersey Devil On A Spooky Starry Night

11. Eagle's Keen Eyesight      12. Friday The 13th      13. White Buffalo Woman

14. The Dreamcatcher      15. The Tortoise And The Hare      16. Rainbow Crow

17. Eloping Elephants      18. Talk Like A Pirate      19. Buried Pirate Treasure

20. Bad Luck Bananas      21. Blue Moon      22. Moving Into The Dark

23. The Dragon's Haunt      24. Mermaid Dream      25. Flying Horses

26. The Colors Of A Hummingbird      27. The Heron And The Hummingbird

28. Spring Bunny      29. The Wolves Within      30. The Creation Of Butterflies

“Stories make us more alive, more human,

more courageous, more loving.”

~ Madeleine L’Engle

See my first 30 Paintings in 30 Days Series,
"Paintings Inspired By Quotes About Trees" January 2013.

I hope you can find one or two that resonate with you!

X ♥  O

The Creation of the Butterflies ~ Local Lenni Lenape Legend ~ # 30 of 30

"Myth opens the world to the dimension of mystery,

to the realization of the mystery that underlies all forms."

~ Joseph Campbell

I was delighted to discover another legend from a local Native American tribe, the Lenni Lenape. "How Butterfy Came to Be" tells of how Creator made butterflies from a sack filled with all the colors of nature. As an afterthought, he took the songs from the winged ones and added them to the mix. Upon opening his sack, thousands of beautiful singing butterflies filled the air. The people rejoiced but the songbirds were not happy. Creator agreed that it wasn't fair to take away the one thing that set the birds apart from the rest of creation. So that is why the butterflies carry their beauty in silence today.

☻
#30 of 30 -

Myths, Fables, Folk Tales and Legends

The Creation of Butterfly

11.5" x 14" hand painted original watercolor painting on Yupo paper

20" x 24" matted - $369. / framed - $399. / art only - $319.

acid free white core mat -  foam core backing

solid burl-wood frame

Painting Options

triple mat w/ backing $369.00 USD triple mat / framed $399.00 USD painting only $349.00 USD

I really struggled with the challenge this time. I am sure some of you other participants can relate! Yikes, I got behind a couple of times and had to do two "keepers" in one day. I really WAS painting everyday, sometimes more than one - sometimes repainting a piece two or three times before I was happy with "showing it in puiblic". That's the luxury of not being in a challenge. ☻ I made sure I never got more than one day behind though, because if I did, that would mean doing three paintings in one day just to catch up! Daily posting has been very time consuming for me too. I was relieved to have finished this last painting yesterday on time! After two attempts of getting a decent photo of it though, I decided to wait, reshoot and post it today. I gave a private Yupo lesson this morning, so time was spent organizing piles of books, files and supplies and "de-challenging" my mind and studio.

There were times this past month, when I wasn't so sure I could do it this time. I'm very competitive with myself and quitting or not meeting my goal would have been more painful than pushing aside everything else in my life to finish. I feel like a kid who has had awful growing pains and has just gone through a major growth spurt. Yes, growth can be uncomfortable, even painful at times. Now that it's over, I can whole heartedly say," I am really glad I took and met Leslie's Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge for the second time this year"! Woo Hoo! Time for a celebration!

 Honestly, I'll say it again; I don't think I could have done it

without all you guys cheering me on.Thanks so sooo much!

X ♥  O

The Wolves Within ~ Native American Legend ~ # 29 of 30

"The battle line

between good and evil

runs through the

heart of every man."

~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 

This painting depicts the one of my favorite Native American stories, The Wolves Within. The story goes that there are two wolves living inside of each one of us. One wolf represents good - joy, love, kindness, respect, generosity, truth and peace. The other represents evil - hatred, jealousy, sorrow, greed, anger, dishonesty and resentment. Each day theses wolves do battle with one another.  At the end of the story, the child asks the grandfather which one will win. The old man replies with the words; "The one you feed".

#29 of 30

Myths, Fables, Folk Tales and Legends

The Wolves Within 4" x 6" original hand painted watercolor on Yupo paper Acid-free Mat w/ Backing in sleeve - 5" x 7" Signed and certified by the artist. • sold

The Wolves Within

4" x 6" original hand painted watercolor on Yupo paper

Acid-free Mat w/ Backing in sleeve - 5" x 7"

Signed and certified by the artist.
• sold

Which one do you feed?

What's A Bunny Got To Do With Easter? ~ Legend # 28 of 30 ~ SOLD

"I like narrative storytelling

as being part of a tradition,

a folk tradition."

~ Bruce Springsteen

In ancient Egypt, the rabbit was a symbol of life and fertility which carried over to Greece and Rome. The pagan tribes of Europe honored the goddess of fertility, Eostre, who was said to be accompanied by a hare. In the 1500's, the Germans were the first to introduce a rabbit that left eggs and candies for children the night before Easter. They brought the tradition to America, where the legend grew and gained popularity. So the answer to the question, "What's a rabbit got to do with Easter" is; "absolutely nothing".

#28 of 30

Myths, Fables, Folk Tales and Legends

Spring Bunny 5.5" x 6.5" original hand painted watercolor on Yupo paper Acid-free Mat w/ Backing in sleeve - 8" x 10" Signed and certified by the artist.

SOLD

Spring Bunny

5.5" x 6.5" original hand painted watercolor on Yupo paper

Acid-free Mat w/ Backing in sleeve - 8" x 10"

Signed and certified by the artist.

I remembered to stop a couple of

times to shoot the progress.

Only two more paintings to go, but it just doesn't seem to be getting any easier. I am exhausted and confess that I can hardly wait for Tuesday to be here. When I told my hubby this morning, "only 3 more to go", he said; "Good, then you can clean." Then he broke down and vacuumed after he saw a dust bunny the size of one of the cats! My mind has gone to mush. I know a lot of the other 300 plus participants are feeling the same painting/posting fatigue.

 Honestly, I don't think I could have done it

without you guys cheering me on.Thanks so much!

Have a great night!

X ♥  O

The Heron and the Hummingbird ~ A Native American Legend ~ # 27 of 30

"The individual has to find an aspect

of myth that relates to his own life

Myth opens the world to the dimension of mystery,

to the realization of the mystery that underlies all forms."

~ Joseph Campbell

The Heron and Hummingbird is a story a lot like that of the Tortoise and the Hare. There was a race between Heron and Hummingbird to see who had the right to eat fish. It seems in the old days, Hummingbird liked to eat small minnows. Hummingbird was so far ahead in the race that he got distracted by some pretty flowers. While enjoying the sweet treat and pretty scenery, he didn't see Heron passing him by with his great silent wings. Needless to say, Hummingbird lost the race and today Heron eats fish while Hummingbird feeds on insects and nectar.

#27 of 30

Myths, Fables, Folk Tales and Legends

Hummingbird and Heron Signed and certified by the artist. Purchase this painting here.

Hummingbird and Heron

Signed and certified by the artist.
Purchase this painting here.

Wow, only three more days of the "30 paintings in 30 days challenge". I really can't say it went by too fast. It really was hard for me to keep up this time. I know I did it to myself by painting a few bigger pieces and by choosing such a varied and complex theme. I really did not keep it simple this time. (Lesson to self - Next time - Keep It Simple!) I've been doing no cleaning, no cooking, no riding, no shopping, no socializing, no relaxing. Just eating (mostly take-out and sandwiches), sleeping, taking care of critters, painting, shooting and posting! I'm exhausted! Thanks so much for your comments and support though. It keeps me focused and means more than you can imagine.

Hope you have a great Friday night!

How the Hummingbird Got His Colors ~ Legend # 26 of 30

"Every human being has

a personal legend to be fulfilled

and this is our reason for being in the world"

- Coelho

According to a Mayan Legend, Hummingbird got her colors as a wedding gift from the other birds of the forest. The title of this post is "How the Hummingbird Got His Colors" because my painting is obviously a male. I am really missing my little cuties, as droves of them vacated the place in a hurry about two weeks ago. I still have four of my fifteen feeders up and we saw a few stragglers earlier this week. It's unusual for them all to be gone already. I hope that isn't an indication of a hard winter or worse. We certainly don't want to experience anything like "Superstorm Sandy" this fall!

#26 of 30

Myths, Fables, Folk Tales and Legends

The Colors of a Hummingbird 11" x 9.5" original hand painted watercolor on Yupo paper Acid-free Mat w/ Backing in sleeve - 16" x 20" Signed and certified by the artist.

 The Colors of a Hummingbird

11" x 9.5" original hand painted watercolor on Yupo paper

Acid-free Mat w/ Backing in sleeve - 16" x 20"

Signed and certified by the artist.

Thanks for following my blog and taking the time to look at my work.

X ♥  O