Be Active, Energetic And Faithful

"When you do a thing,

do it with all your might.

Put your whole soul into it.

Stamp it with your own personality. 

Be active, be energetic and faithful,

and you will accomplish your goals."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

#DrawingEveryday • 8-31-19 • Watercolor Sketch on Cotton Rag

The whole summer of sketching every day 2019 has passed. For 92 days,

from June 1st - August 31st, I drew and painted as part of my daily routine. 

The benefits are immense. The skills of seeing and hand-eye coordination are

developed and refined by daily practice, in my opinion, like no other can.

See my daily attempts in reverse (blog) format on SketchingEveryday.com

"Among all the accomplishments of life,

none are so important as refinement;

it is not, like beauty, a gift of Nature,

and can only be acquired

by cultivation and practice."

~ James Ellis

 

X ♥  O

P.S. I am not done sketching and creating every day though!

I have signed up for another challenge for the next 30 days.

It's called the 30 Day Creative Gathering.

You can find out more about it on facebook here.

Maybe you'd even like to join us!

A Wolf With Flowers (Day 10)

"A fox is a wolf who sends flowers."

~ Ruth Brown

Sly As A Fox

~~~~~Alcohol Inks and Watercolor on Yupo paper~~~~~

See painting specifications and price here.

In many cultures, the astute fox is seen as a creature of great secrecy, intellect and even trickery. The fact that in real life, they have been known to "charm" their pray could be partly to blame. Engaging in a playful game of tag with a young rabbit for instance, only to turn on them at an opportune moment could probably qualify them as a trickster or even be seen as a magical spell. On a positive note though, the fox's skill of camouflage is second to none. Once we had a mother and her cubs living right near the barn, virtually under foot, undetected for months. I admire that trait and wish I could be more like a fox sometimes; quiet, cautious and observing, instead of impetuous, brash and imprudent. All through my life, born in the year of the horse, I've been more like an untamed fiery mare than a vigilant, reticent fox though.

X ♥  O

Fox ~ Symbol of Observation and Camouflage

"The fox's ingenuity teaches us how

to acquire that which we desire."

Fox Spirit ~ Cunning Survivor

Day 16

Invisibility ~ Reasoning ~ Planning  ~ Attainment

See painting specifications and price here.

Tip of the day:

I've got a real easy one for tonight! Store your tube paints in plastic zip-lock bags and separate them by color family. The colors make them real easy to locate and if there's a leak, it's less of a mess. I think the bags also keep the paint fresher. 

Store your tube paints in plastic zip-lock bags and
separate them by color family.

You can store all the bags in one or two large gallon size zip-lock bags and all your colors are handy when you need to lay out or replenish your palette. 

You can store all the bags in a large gallon size zip-lock bag

Thanks for all the comments from old friends and new!

I hope you are having a great day.

Thanks for stopping by!

X ♥  O

Lessons From The Fox ~ SOLD

In-Between Times

5.5" x 7.5" original watercolor on Yupo paper, matted to 8" x 10" - $85.

acid free, white core mat with a foam core backing in an acetate sleeve

ready to fit into a standard 8" x 10" frame.

• SOLD

A magical creature of the night, fox is

usually most visible to us at dawn and dusk;

the in-between times, when the veil

between the physical and metaphysical

world is the most diaphanous.

Insulated From the Cold

5.5" x 7.5" original watercolor on Yupo paper, matted to 8" x 10" - $85.

acid free, white core mat with a foam core backing in an acetate sleeve

ready to fit into a standard 8" x 10" frame.

When it is cold, the fox wraps itself

in its thick insulating tail.  

Likewise, individuals with fox totems

will find the ability to insulate

themselves from anything that seems cold,

especially relationships.

These are some of the paintings that

have come through me during the

past couple of weeks.

If you would like to find out more about

animal totems and the messages they offer,

be sure to sign up for my

Animal Spirits Book Giveaway.

Wishing You Many Blessings,

Sitting Pretty - Camouflage, Patience and Observation ~ SOLD

Sitting Pretty

5.5" x 7.5" original watercolor on Yupo paper matted to fit a standard 8" x 10" frame

Sold •

Do you have animal totems? Or should I say, do you believe in animal totems? Since I got very little response to yesterday's post, I was wondering if anyone here is interested in the subject at all.

Regardless of the lack of interest or feedback online, the fox has still been with me all this month. Although no real life individuals have showed up here at The Sandarosa, I find myself being lured by fox's charm and now have two more of these watercolors in progress. I want to make a collage of my foxes like the one for the 30 in 30 Challenge when I'm done with the set. A nice comment on my Animal Spirit Lens today sent me there for a long overdue visit. Although I've learned a lot about photography and Photoshop the past four years, I fear that delving too deeply into the world of stock photography has had a toll on my watercolor art and marketing. The fox is a very suitable totem for me at this time because of all the industry shake ups that are presently going on in the world of micro stock. Current events leave me questioning my path, evaluating options and altering my career path yet again. Sound familiar anyone? It hasn't got me worried though, because I know that when one door closes, another always opens. Fox is here to remind me of the virtues of camouflage, patience and observation.

I started painting on synthetic Yupo paper about fourteen years ago, but switched back to regular cold press Arches in an effort to consolidate my style. Profoundly influenced by last month's challenge, Yupo paper has been the vehicle of choice for my paintings so far in February. After all this time, some of the  Yupo pieces I've done in the past, remain some of my favorites. Here are a few from my archives. What do you think of them? Your critiques are appreciated.

Be sure to visit my last post and leave a comment if you are interested in having your name added to the drawing for a free copy of my Animal Spirits book.

Thanks for reading and please share 

my book giveaway with your friends.

Best Wishes,

Fox Medicine - SOLD

"Nature is my medicine."

~ Sara Moss-Wolfe

Fox Medicine

5.5" x 7.5" original watercolor on Yupo paper, matted to 8" x 10" - $85.

acid free, white core mat with a foam core backing in an acetate sleeve

ready to fit into a standard 8" x 10" frame.

• SOLD

A special thanks goes out to Sally Vennel

for the use of her fox photography for painting reference.

Fox medicine teaches us about camouflage, observation and ingenuity. If fox has come into your life, pay attention. It may be a time to step back, regroup and plan a new strategy. Kicking off spring, I am having a book giveaway! To be eligible to win one of my Animal Spirits books, just leave a comment here on this post.

An Awakening to the Presence of Animal Spirits is a simplified guide book with full color illustrations that feature over sixty popular animals. Enjoyed by nature lovers with an open mind, the text and images help readers to become more aware of animal totems and the messages they offer us daily. 

Every time you comment on a post on this blog between now and the closing, you get another chance to win! The winner of this drawing will be generated by random.org at 12:00, noon, EST this Spring Equinox, March 20th, 2013 and is open to all residents of the USA and Canada. 

Thanks for reading my blog and adding your comments.

Lets all get to know each other better in 2013.

Have a great day and please share 

this giveaway with your friends!

Luminous Eyes ~ SOLD

"Who can believe that there is no soul

behind those luminous eyes!"

~ Theophile Gautier

Luminous Eyes

5.5" x 7.5" original watercolor on Yupo paper, matted to 8" x 10" - $85.

mats- (acid-free - white core) with foam core backing in an acetate sleeve

ready to fit into a standard 8" x 10" frame.

• SOLD

Here is today's watercolor painting on Yupo paper.

The drawing for this fox took me forever,

but the painting was a breeze.

It surprised me and flowed right off the brushes.

I just love when that happens!

Thanks for looking!
As always, your feedback is appreciated.

Have a happy, relaxing and creative weekend!

X ♥  O

Fluff and Stardust ~ SOLD

Fluff and Stardust

5.5" x 7.5" original watercolor on Arches paper, matted to 8" x 10" - $85.

mats- (acid-free - white core) with foam core backing in an acetate sleeve

ready to fit into a standard 8" x 10" frame.

• SOLD

This is the exact same painting as the one I posted yesterday, only it's done on Arches cold press, watercolor paper instead of Yupo paper. Hard to believe, isn't it? They are so totally different.

The little fox in the reference photo I painted this from is all fluff.  And boy, she needs it in Crested Butte Colorado! It can get down into the minuses for days at a time. Sally Vennel's photos of her awesome, winter, high country foxes have got me all charged up. Their luxurious winter coat is pale, almost a buff, compared to summer. Maybe that's so they blend into the snowy landscape better. I met a few of Sally's foxes when I was out there visiting one winter. What a beautiful and awe inspiring animal they are!

Which do you like better, yesterday's Foxy One on Yupo paper or today's Fluff and Stardust on traditional watercolor paper? I find that some people definitely prefer my work on one paper over the other and some like them both equally. I'd love to hear some opinions. Thanks so much for reading my blog. 

As always

X ♥  O