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~ October 2009 ~
sandy sandy
October 1st ~ Fun
| Everybody needs
to have a little fun in their life. Without it, we can become
dull, boring and depressed. I am lucky, because for the most
part, I have lots of fun doing my art and working on my computer
everyday. Like Jean Bradley said, "It is so much fun
exploring each new small advance. Magic happens with a series.
It's wonderful to trust your inner instincts and turn off the
brain chatter now and then." I also make sure I have fun
on a regular basis with friends and family. Just this morning,
I went on a wonderful autumn trail ride with my friend, Betsy
and my two horses in the forest. It's refreshing, exciting, and
for me, extremely necessary stuff. |
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"People rarely succeed unless
they have fun in what they are doing." ~ Dale Carnegie
"If painting weren't so
difficult, it wouldn't be fun." ~ Edgar Degas
"It's way too much fun to
have technology tools to play with!" ~ Deanne DeForest
|
dy
| Today's painting
is a continuation of my fun Halloween series. "The Headless
Horseman Rides Again" ~ 0riginal watercolor 16"
x 20" ~ $399. double matted and custom framed |
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sandy sandy
October 8th ~ Themes
| I tend to be a
bit obsessive and at times, a little immature for my age. Those
of you who know me personally, probably will agree. So when I
get hooked on a theme with my painting, I often get a child
like enthusiasm that makes some of the more serious folks just
roll their eyes. Like I always say, one painting almost always
leads me to the next. In my mind, they really do speak to me
and often take on a life of their own. When I follow their
lead, it's an exciting adventure and I never know where
my unfettered imagination will dock. |
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"Different themes inevitably
require different methods of expression. This does not imply
either evolution or progress; it is a matter of following the
idea one wants to express and the way in which one wants to express
it." ~ Pablo Picasso
"After finishing the work
I start rearranging the parts again and eventually start to work
with themes images and thoughts and things." ~ Tim
Zuck
"Exploit a subject or a
theme to its greatest potential by bringing all possible reference
to bear then put aside the reference and create again using
the potential of your unfettered imagination." ~ Robert
Genn
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 dy
| I'm still having
fun thinking about Halloween and the headless horseman! I am
posting my newest addition here today. "The Curse Of Sleepy
Hollow" original watercolor ~ 16" x 20" ~ double
matted and framed, $399.00 |
|
sandy sandy
October 12th ~ Learning
| Recently I signed
up for some online software and photography courses by Creative
Techs out of Seattle. Seeking out help with my photography
and computer programs, I came across this incredible learning
opportunity. I've completed a couple of projects using tips from
their free webinars since then. With the help of their in-depth,
methodical approach, I'm making satisfactory headway. So, it
just goes to show that if the old dog is willing, it certainly
can be taught new tricks! |
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"I am an adamant student
of life. I dispute my arrogant claim that I know everything already.
I will do terrific battle with my defensive disinclination to
learn. I affirm that in order to grow as an artist,
I must remain an alert learner." ~ from "Affirmations
for Artists" by Eric Maisel
"When the student is ready,
the teacher will appear." ~ Unknown
|
| The Jersey Devil
Meets the White Horse" ~ 8" x 10" original watercolor
double matted and framed ~ $149.00 |
|
sandy sandy
October 15th ~ Disappointment
| With the current
economic landscape and extreme climate conditions, one cannot
help being disappointed from time to time. I feel it now,
more than in previous times in my memory. Often we set ourselves
up with hopes and expectations, only to find them dampened
by monsoon rains and empty dreams. What's a person to do? To
give up is death, a kind of non-existence. The only course I
see, is to take hold of the reins, sit back, brace yourself and
try to ride the bronco out. Only the strong survive and when
the going gets tough, the tough will get going! |
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"No man, with a man's heart
in him gets far on his way without some bitter, soul-searching
disappointment. Happy is he who is brave enough to push on to
another stage of the journey." ~ John Mason Brown
"Anytime you suffer a setback
or disappointment, put your head down and plow ahead." ~
Les Brown
"Enthusiasm is followed
by disappointment and even depression, and then by renewed enthusiasm."
~ Murray Gell-Mann
"Whoever lives sincerely
and encounters much trouble and disappointment without being
bowed down is worth more than one who has always sailed before
the wind and has only known prosperity." ~ Vincent van Gogh
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| "The Jersey
Devil At Home" ~ 16"x 20", original
watercolor ~ double matted and framed ~ $399. It will most
likely be on next year's Cranberry Festival Yearbook. It looks
like we are going to get washed out of this year's two day show
all together this coming weekend. :- ( |
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sandy sandy
October 19th ~ A Trip Around
The Block / Country Style
| I've been around
the block a few times. I can remember going for many walks around
the block as a kid. It's a nice trip because you'll always end
up back where you started. Maybe that's where the metaphor is.
Anyway, today I took a drive around my block. I meant to keep
track of the milage, but failed to do so. I'm guessing it's over
a 30 mile round trip.I do it every so often and it seems to be
a tradition, especially in the autumn. My block takes me up my
road a piece where it turns to dirt. It continues on to the remnants
of the old settlement of Friendship and then on to Speedwell,
a shell of a once thriving Pineland's Village. From there it's
on to Chatsworth, "the capital of the pines" with a
population of the entire township of about 1,200. In 20-25 minutes
from there, I'm back to the tiny town of Tabernacle and then
up the road 3.2 miles to the Sandarosa. |
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"God made the country, and
man made the town." ~ William Cowper
"When I go out into the
countryside and see the sun and the green and everything flowering,
I say to myself Yes indeed, all that belongs to me!" ~Henri
Rousseau
"I roamed the countryside
searching for answers to things I did not understand." ~
Leonardo da Vinci
"Not rural sights alone,
but rural sounds,
Exhilarate the spirit, and restore
The tone of languid nature."
~William Cowper
|
y sandy
| This is one of
my favorite images from today. Check my
web log for more shots from "my trip around the block". |
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sandy sandy
October 22nd ~ Technology
| With the help of
my good friend and mentor, Nanolou, and countless hours of work
and study, today I am feeling encouraged that one day in the
not so distant future, I may see some real light at the end of
the tunnel. In photography, as in any art, the more one practices,
the sooner they will feel more confident and skillful. Nan and
I have been on a marathon shooting spree this week and plan on
going back out to Haines & Haines, Pine Island Cranberry
Bogs in Chatsworth again tomorrow. Hey, you know the old saying;
"Make hay while the sun shines". |
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"Technology: No Place for
Wimps!" ~ Scott Adams
"Once a new technology rolls
over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part
of the road." ~ Stewart Brand
"The proper artistic response
to digital technology is to embrace it as a new window on everything
that's eternally human, and to use it with passion, wisdom, fearlessness
and joy." ~ Ralph Lombreglia
"For artists diving into
a new technology, it is a triple short-cut to mastery: you get
a free ride on the novelty of the medium; there are no previous
masters to surpass; and after a few weeks, you are the master.
Try that with the violin." ~ Stewart Brand
|
 ysandy
| "Today's photo
was taken in the cranberry bogs of New Jersey. The shot shows
the conveyor which moves the berries from the water up into the
trucks. I used a preset in Adobe
Lightroom, a new software program I'm learning, for this
black and white and "red only" effect. I think it's
pretty neat, but Nan says it's been over used and is a bit cliché.
She also says she's going to get me up to speed and modernize
me. I posted three more photos from the bogs on my
web log today with the same effect. Take a look. What
do you think? |
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sandy sandy
October 29th ~ Failure
| When learning something
new, or expanding our skill set in any application, we have to
be willing to fail. I learn much more from my mistakes than from
my successes. It is not always easy to deal with the frustration
in learning something new however. When exasperation dominates
my day, I try to remember that the only true failure is giving
up. As long as you push ahead with determination, learn from
your mistakes and look at your setbacks as stepping stones, eventually
success will prevail. |
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"If at first you don't succeed,
try, try again." ~ Unknown
"Develop success from failures.
Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones
to success." ~ Dale Carnegie
"Success is not final, failure
is not fatal. It's the courage to continue that counts."
~ Winston Churchill
"Failure is just another
way to learn how to do something right." ~ Marian Wright
Edelman
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~
November 2009 ~
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Get inspirational
emails with images delivered free to your mailbox as posted.
Just email
me
with "spirit
art subscribe" in your email. ~ Sandysandy |
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