sandy
y
sandy
~ September
2008 ~
sandy sandy
September 1st ~ Change
| Labor Day here,
in Southern NJ, signals shorter days, cooler temperatures and
the change of summer into fall. Many of my hummingbirds have
already left on their bi-annual, seemingly impossible migration.
My daily Summer Sketching
Blog has come to an end for another year. Dried up yellow
and brown leaves are appearing and falling to the ground. It's
a busy time of preparation and change. I've got shows and workshops
just around the corner. After my last few Spirit Art letters
on "effort", "communication" and "subscription
changes", I have had some wonderful feedback and pleasant
surprises. Thanks to all (25+%) of you group members who took
the time to let me know you were still out there! All other members'
subscriptions have been changed to "no email" - read
on web. |
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Quotes from You Spirit
Art Readers:
"I truly enjoy the efforts
you put into your writing, finding inspirational verse, and most
of all, your drawing everyday, and your Spirit Art. I truly hope
that in this life, we will meet personally, because I think of
you as my "horse crazy, New Jersey, artist FRIEND".
Please keep me in your loop. Your Wyoming bud," ~ Sandra
Larimore
"Thanking you for some quiet
moments of reflection. Keep on inspiring; as I believe it is
not the feedback that you are seeking, but making lives reflective
and more fulfilling." ~ Louisa Kelly
"Some people are givers
and I think you are one of them. Also, being the artistic type,
and I'm also speaking for myself, it always feels good to receive
some praise for the work done. I get more pleasure for my photography
when somebody acknowledges that the photo really means something
to them. Anyway, you are really not alone but part of a huge
community of like minded individuals, although you certainly
work a lot harder at it than I do and probably more than most.
I imagine that working from a home studio can also leave one
with a feeling of being isolated; that feeling and need to connect
with another understanding human being is a very powerful one
and it often doesn't happen at a deep enough level to satisfy
the soul. It is like you are speaking one language and everyone
else is speaking another."
~ Martin Kavanagh
"The spirit of beauty and
creativity are yours to give and ours to behold and buy if it
moves us. A potentially more to the point question would be,
'How many of those I reach enjoy my art enough to not only reach
out and tell me, but end up purchasing it, making what I am doing
a worthwhile effort?'" ~ Carol Anderson
"Keep the emails coming........
Your mailings are the only ones I enjoy opening!
~ Kathy Branson
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Now License This Image Through iStockPhoto!
Wildflower Bouquet III
- 9" x 12" Watercolor Sketch
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Quotes from You Sketching
Everyday Readers:
"What an exquisite watercolor!
You captured the supreme essence of summer - the carefree abundance
and beauty of the outdoors... just lovely. Thanks again for sharing
your work!" ~ Carrie Mesrobian
"Sandy, I'm sorry to see
the summer blog has come to an end--it's so hard to realize that
the whole summer has fled away from us once more. I really do
think that this year's sketches went far beyond mere doodles--there
were many memorable ones and a lot that I am sure should be "paintings"."
..~ Love Bobbie
"Gorgeous! We will miss
having such beauty delivered to our door (computer, actually)
every day! Thank you very much for sharing your talent and love
for beauty, Sandy!" ~ Hugs, Deb & Clyde
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sandy sandy
September 4th ~ Sketching Everyday
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Last week I was contacted by
Ralph Serpe; artist, writer, musician and webmaster, about having
my "Sensational Sketches In Six Simple Steps"
featured on his blog. He writes; "I own and maintain a very
popular blog on Art Instruction. My site receives over 20,000
unique visitors each month, and I have a subscriber base of nearly
9,000 artists, all hungry for fresh new content." I checked
it out and saw it was of very high caliber. Of course I said
YES!
Please visit: http://www.artinstructionblog.com
and check it out.
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Comments about my
demo :
"Sandy's six steps are truly
simple to follow, and inspirational to beginners like me."
~Nzo-Nguty Etahoben
"Great article, I'm printing
it out and stuffing it into my sketchbook." ~ Cindy Davis
"Thanks for the tutorial.
It is great and clear. I was looking for something like this
for a long time." ~ Aramond
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I did this sketch today from
the wildflower bouquet Jerry got for me on Sunday. The stand
was closed, but when Jerry told the lady, Mrs. Knight, who I
was, she remembered me from a hummingbird presentation I did
at her garden club. When he told her I was painting them, she
marched out into the garden and cut these for me. I wanted to
sketch them again to go with my special announcement today. Like
summer, I guess I don't want to let go of my "SketchingEveryday"
just yet.
See my sketching posts displayed
in reverse-chronological order, on: http://www.sketchingeveryday.com
My sketching posts are presented
in chronological order on:
http://www.drawingeveryday.com
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Now License This Image Through iStockPhoto!
Wildflower Bouquet IV
- 9" x 12" Watercolor Sketch
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September 8th ~ Gift of the Red Bird
| Yesterday I went
to an art show opening by collage artist and friend, Ellen Barnett.
She lost her 42 year old son in a corporate plane crash a little
over a month ago. As her son, Alan, would have wanted, right
now Ellen and her husband are carrying on with life as best they
can. This sad situation always reminds me of a deeply moving
book about loss and spiritual renewal called; "Gift of the
Red Bird", by Paula D'Arcy. At age twenty seven, Paula lost
her husband and young daughter to a drunk driver. Miraculously,
she and her unborn child survived. I recommend this inspirational
little book highly. You can read more about it, including excerpts
here on Amazon.: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0824519566/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link |
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From my animal
spirits book on Cardinal:
Cardinal is the largest member
of the finch family who's color is part of its message. This
red bird symbolizes heightened awareness and represents illumination,
strength and contrast. The presence of this species can be signaling
a time to renew your spirit by paying more attention to your
health and family relationships. Cardinal has also been associated
with reincarnation, especially with the spirit of family members.
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"Gift of the Red
Bird" , original watercolor ~ *Sold
See photos and more information
about Ellen's nice art exhibit on my
web log.
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September 11th ~ We Remember
| How good is your
memory? I bet everyone reading this can remember what they were
doing on 9/11/01 when they heard the horrific news. Today is
the seven year anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks
that changed our world as US citizens forever. We should all
take some time today to reflect and give thanks for the many
blessings in our lives. Lets never forget September 11th, 2001. |
Quotations on Memory:
"We do not remember
days; we remember moments." ~ Anonymous
"We both know what
memories can bring; they bring diamonds and rust." ~ Joan
Baez
"We do not know
the true value of our moments until they have undergone the test
of
memory." ~ Georges Duhamel
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"Liberty" ~
original watercolor ~ *Sold
My
Tribute.
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September 15th ~ Discovery
| My mantra to the
students at my Three Day Spirit Art Workshop was; "The process
here is more important than the product." As author of "The
Artist's Way", Julia Cameron said; "You will learn
to enjoy the process and to surrender your need to control the
result. You will discover the joy of practicing your creativity.
The process, not the product, will become your focus." Students
successfully solidified synergy in the discovery of seeing, study,
skills and most importantly of self. |
Quotations on Discovery:
"Painting is not
a means of communication or even self-expression, but rather
a process of discovering, or uncovering." ~ Louis de Brocquy
"To find one's way
anywhere one has to find one's door, just like Alice,
you see. You take too much of one thing and you get too big,
then you take
too much of another and you get too small. You've got to find
your own
doorway into things." ~ Paula Rego
"A discovery is
said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind."
~ Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
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"Butterfly Transformations"
16" x 20" ~ Double Matted and Framed
silver level ~ original watercolor ~ $399.00
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sandy sandy
September 18th ~ Individuality
| My Inspiration
Everyday Quote for today by Mark Twain, got me thinking about
Individuality. In art, it is what makes an artist stand out from
the crowd. Of course, there must also be some degree of technical
skill and design knowledge to execute a successful piece of art.
I believe it is its individual uniqueness however, that gives
any art it's immortality. |
Quotations on Individuality:
"How do you put
your distinctive stamp on your paintings? One way is to limit
your equipment, brushes and number of colors." ~ Anonymous
"Individuality of
expression is the beginning and end of all art."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"No one else but
you can make your marks. Listen to your bones. Speak with
your spirit. Edit with your head. Live with your heart."
~ Susan Holland
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Now License This Image Through iStockPhoto!
"Fall Wildflowers"
16" x 20" ~ Double Matted and Framed
silver level ~ original watercolor ~ $399.00
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September 22nd ~ Production
| I'm still thinking
about last week's workshop and the concept of production. As
I often tell people, one painting just leads me to the next.
Just as the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single
step, so the art journey begins with a single painting. In order
to gain proficiency as an artist, as in any pursuit, the key
to mastery is through repetition. |
Quotations on Production:
"Don't tell me how
hard you work. Tell me how much you get done." ~ James Ling
"The production
of work is cumulative; nothing is produced in isolation and
everything contributes something to the next piece." ~ Henryk
Ptasiewicz
"Give me a museum
and I'll fill it." ~ Pablo Picasso
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"Seaside Solitude"
8" x 10" ~ Silver Level ~ original watercolor
Double Matted and Framed ~ $149.00
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September 25th ~ The Spirit Land
| In a lecture called
"The Spirit Land", Joseph
Campbell compares Native American mythology and religion
to that of our Western World's Christian-Judaism beliefs. Joe
says; "There is not a conflict between mysticism and science.
There is however, a conflict between the science of 2000 BC verses
2000 AD. If you look at the basis of religion as myth, you see
that it was composed by people a very long time ago. It has nothing
to do with the experience of our lives today and we are in trouble
for it. The Old Testament speaks of man's superiority over nature,
and refers to it as that which has been given to him to take
and to master." This last observation is in direct conflict
to my own spiritual beliefs and to those of most Native American
cultures. |
"This we know; the
earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth.
All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man
did not weave the web
of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the
web, he does to himself."
~ Chief Seattle
sndy |
"We Are All Connected"
16" x 20" ~ Double Matted and Framed
silver level ~ original watercolor ~ $399.00
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September 29th ~ Our Family
| Although likely
not historically accurate, Chief
Seattle's 1854 oration, upon surrendering his homeland to
the white man is extremely powerful. It is a most compelling
message about our connection to nature and about honoring the
"God" in all life. |
Quotations from Chief
Seattle's letter:
"Every part of the
earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every
sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every
humming
insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people."
"We know the sap
which courses through the trees as we know the blood
that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and
it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the
great eagle,
these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow,
the
body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family."
sndy
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"We Are Family"
~ * Sold
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October 2008 ~
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