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~ May 2009 ~
sandy sandy
May 4th ~ Nature
| Here in the Mid
Atlantic region of the USA, winter almost instantly gives way
to summer. There is an interim rainy season between the two seasons
which acts as a nurturing placenta, an enveloping veil of gray.
Finally, after weeks of gestation, life emerges once again, straightaway
exposing the new born vibrant green foliage and striking color
contrasts. Not unlike the infancy and childhood of mankind, delicate
shoots and blooms quickly transform into the substantial stalks
and fruits of youth and adulthood. I took this shot of an apple
orchard last week. Today when I passed, the blooms were already
gone.The cycle of life speeds up with each passing year. That's
why it's important to slow down occasionally and take time to
look around us, appreciate the beauty of nature, take a deep
breath and smell life's fleeting roses. |
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The artist and the photographer
seek the mysteries and the adventure of experience in nature."
"Poor, dear, silly
Spring, preparing her annual surprise!" ~ Wallace Stevens
"Study nature, love
nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you." ~
Frank Lloyd Wright
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sandy sandy
May 7th ~ Spring's Spirit
| This is my acrylic
version of what I think is a really great tree specimen. I took
the characteristic shape and the bloom detail from my reference
photo and used artistic license to accentuate my subject's
gesture and personality. I often think of one of my favorite
Robert Henri quotes from his book, "The Art Spirit",
when I paint trees. "In a tree there is a spirit of life,
a spirit of growth and a spirit of holding its head up."
Then I try my best to translate those vital qualities into paint
in order to express the essence and captivate my viewers. |
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"Rather paint the
flying spirit of the bird than its feathers." ~ Robert Henri
"The artist alone
sees spirits. But after he has told of their appearing to him,
everybody sees them." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Blooming Crab Apple ~
"Spring's Regalia"
11" x 14" ~ gallery wrapped acrylic ~ $449.00
sandy
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sandy sandy
May 11th ~ Renewal
| A full blown glorious
Spring awakening is upon us! Bug free warm breezes, budding plants
and blue skies prevail. The sunshine has inspired my Muse
and renewed my adventurous spirit. Spring is here and the change is
rejuvenating! |
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"Oh, Spring! I want
to go out and feel you and get inspiration." ~ Emily Carr
"Human beings, by
change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"The function of
art is to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we
cease to see. The artist reinterprets the familiar scene,
and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it." ~ Anais
Nin
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Close Up Crab Apple ~
"Spring's Renewal"
11" x 14" ~ gallery wrapped acrylic ~ $449.00
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sandy sandy
May 14th ~ Drawing Everyday
| Only two more weeks
until my "Drawing
Everyday " project starts up again! This will be my
forth year posting a drawing every single day from June through
August. A little nervous and excited, like the Thoroughbred in
the starting gate, I'm chomping at the bit in anticipation. I
truly believe that one must know how to draw well before
ever attempting to paint. If any of you artists out there are
serious about improving your drawing and would also like to take
this sketching everyday challenge, let me know and I'll come
up with a plan to get you involved! If you'd like to get my summer
blog posts,"Sketching Everyday" in your inbox, just
write to me with "Drawing Everyday Subscribe" somewhere
in your email and I'll add your name to that google group. |
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"Realize that a
drawing is not a copy. It is a construction in very different
materials. A drawing is an invention." ~ Robert Henri
"Every good painting
must be based on a good drawing. Drawing is like the bones to
the human body." ~ Diana Kan
"You can eliminate
color and still have a painting that works, but you must have
drawing, value and design." ~ Matt Smith
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Now license this image through iStock.
My last sketch of the
summer ~ Sunday, August 31, 2008.
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sandy sandy
May 18th ~ Doodling
| I just got an email
today saying that doodling is good for the memory! The article
claims that doodling helps keep people more alert and reduces
daydreaming. In this study, half of the group doodled while listening
to a boring monologue. The other half did nothing while listening.
Later, when asked to recall what they had heard, the doodlers
recalled almost 30% more information than the ones who didn't.
I was always getting in trouble in grade and high school for
doodling. Just think, I may have actually been a better student
if I had been allowed to continue with the practice! And who
knows what other benefits it may hold! |
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"A pencil is quiet,
clean, odorless, inexpensive, and lightweight. I can slip it
in my pocket and take it with me everywhere - my secret friend."
~ Sherry Camby
"Do not fail, as
you go on, to draw something every day, for no matter how little
it is, it will be well worth while, and it will do you a world
of good." ~ Cennino Cennini
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WARM UP EXERCISE
I started my Sept. 12th, 2008 workshop with a warm up exercise
I came up with at the spur of the moment. Holding the pencil
like a wand, I encouraged students to use their whole arm and
wrist while making various scribbles on their paper. Everyone
seemed to agree that this helped them to loosen up for the sketching
to follow. So you see, doodling may have multiple benefits! |
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sandy sandy
May 25th ~ Purpose
| Bob Dylan, who
by he way, just turned 68 yesterday, said; "Art is the perpetual
motion of illusion. The highest purpose of art is to inspire.
What else can you do? What else can you do for anyone but inspire
them?" I think the accomplishment of inspiring others ranks
right up there at the top of my list of my purpose in life as
an artist. Perhaps that is why I continue to create, paint, write
and blog. Even though I rarely get any feedback from my
followers, in my mind, the few who do take the time to respond
perhaps represent a larger silent majority. Many thanks goes
out to them. Even a small glimmer of inspiration and appreciation
from my audience is always a fueling affirmation to my path and
purpose. |
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"The artist has
a special task: that of reminding men of their humanity and the
promise of their creativity." ~ Lewis Mumford
"The purpose of
art is nothing less than the upliftment of the human spirit."
~ Pope John Paul II
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| Next Saturday I
will be participating in a fund raiser for the Cedar Run Wildlife
Refuge. This is one of the paintings I will be donating. It
is a 5" x 7" oil on canvas board. Find out more information
about this "Wine And Wildlife" event by going
to my Web Log. |
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sandy sandy
May 28th ~ Time
| The most common
question I hear about my work is "How long did it take you
to paint that?". I hear it so often that I usually interject
after the "How long" escapes form on the person's lips.
My favorite answer is; "The good ones are painted quickly
while the bad ones take me forever". |
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"How long did it
take you to paint this picture?" One hour... plus 35 years."
~ Sylvio Gagnon
"The public wants
to understand and learn in a single day, a single minute, what
the artist has spent years learning." ~ Paul Gauguin
"Even though it
may only take one hour to produce a great work of art, there
are years of nurtured vision and feeling in every stroke."
~ Susan Easton Burns
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| This is another
one of the paintings I will be donating this Saturday at the fund
raiser for the Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge. It is a 5" x 7"
oil on canvas board. Find out more information about this
"Wine And Wildlife" event by going to my Web
Log. BTW, It took me a little over two hours (and 35 yrs.)
to paint this and I used photos I took at the refuge as reference.
:-D |
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June 2009 ~
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