December Morning

Looking back, 2007 was a mixed year, full of highs and lows including some great travel, friends, ArtQuest, a fabulous family week, and far too much time spent in doctors offices, mostly with my dear husband. We'll go into the new year still seeking solutions.
It's been a year of growth as an artist. There's a lot more competition than a few years ago, and I'm sharing my precious Everglades with a number of artists where once I was almost alone in painting them. Working hard to meet these challenges will help me to stand out and to make me a better artist. Let's look forward than backward. One of my resolutions will be to spend more time at the beach! Let's hope one of your resolutions is to purchase a Sanborn painting! Happy New Year!

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Between Dawn & Dusk

I like to start each New Year fresh and clean, reducing the baggage carried from one year to the next, both mentally and artistically. I'm running out of time, and in the studio, have been working from my "unfinished" or "needs work" pile. These are paintings that I've lost the inspiration for, or can't quite get the mood, or have a composition issue. Today's painting is one that was started last spring, as a demonstration at the Art League of Marco. Since I only had 45 minutes, I didn't finish the painting that day, and since then it has been hanging in the studio waiting for some attention. After working on it now and then over the last couple of weeks, I finished it yesterday! It's actually a little brighter than pictured here, and the result is a rather pleasing feeling of mysterious light hard to find in the mid-day.

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I hope that your Christmas was a special day filled with love. Mine was. It is truly a special time of year. You may find unexpected pleasures if you open your heart rather than be lead by your own expectations!

It was with much pleasure that I learned artist Jan Kolenda has purchased my Morning and Evening pair of paintings shown in a National Association of Women Artists show at the Coral Springs Art Museum. Jan is a clay artist who teaches at the museum. Her work also centers around the beauty and mystery of the Everglades so we have much in common. I'd love to get over to the other side of the state soon and see her work in person, but you can check it out here. Jan told me that she has a special place to hang the paintings in her home.

Today's painting is another mini. Congratulations to Kathy, one of my favorite people in the whole world, who received a "mini" for Christmas as a surprise from her husband! I hope it's the one you wanted, Kathy! If not, just come by and switch!

The palette knife was used quite a bit in this painting to help develop the interesting layers of color. I'm working to deepen some of my artistic inclinations and to provide the viewer the opportunity to spend more time investigating the painting. Paintings need to speak for themselves, since their artist isn't always there to interpret, and every artist wants the viewer to stay with the painting long enough to see it's depth and to develop a relationship of their own. The subtle layers of color help to lead the viewers eye and the strong atmospheric perspective takes you back into space. I like this one so much that the price will be a little more than usual.

We had expected to be with our dear families up north this holiday, but will be here on Marco instead. We would have been driving, so maybe with all the snow and ice, it's a blessing in disguise. I'll be thinking of them and still enjoying the family we have here.
May the best of family, food and gifts be yours on this holiday, and may the magic of Christmas bring you peace and joy. Merry Christmas to all! SOLD

I've been wanting a little more texture in some works, and decided to experiment with Late in the Day. I first textured the canvas with a thick layer of gel, and the proceeded with many layers of glaze. After working for a number of days, and letting the layers dry thoroughly between layers, I finally achieved the almost iridescent quality that I wanted in the background. Several of the layers contain gold paint, which peeks out inoffensively now and then!
Last night my husband and I attended a reception at the Sweet Art Gallery for an exciting show of local work including four of my pieces. The artists had a great time visiting and admiring each others work, the great crowd seemed really interested in the paintings. The gallery itself is faux painted beautifully letting you know you are somewhere special even before you go in. This show will be up till mid-January, so stop by if your able. Sweet Art Gallery, 2054 Trade Center Way, Naples.
Hope that you are almost done with the "have to's" for Christmas and down to the "want to's." Sing a few Christmas carols and have a great weekend!

The cold weather up north means that more people want to come to our area for a break from the worst of the wintry weather. If you are "off island" and somewhere cold, picture yourself sitting on the beach under this shady palm! There are many available rentals on the market this year. Two days ago an art collector came to my home studio to pick out a painting for her rental unit. She had seen my work in an outdoor show last year, wanted something to enhance the bedroom, and was sure that a Sanborn original would help her unit to stand out. She brought fabric and pictures and we spent some time finding three good possibilities! Then came the agony of choice! She loved them all. Finally she took the three paintings to the unit and the right choice was immediately clear. Congratulations, Martha, for your purchase of "Edge of a Pond."

Another beautiful day on Marco Island yesterday while the northeast suffered another snow storm. Maybe suffered isn't the right word, at least for the children. My grandchildren tell me they had a wonderful time sliding and playing outside before the snow turned to ice. One little guy slid into an icebank and will have a sore face for a couple of days. We expected to go north for Christmas but events have conspired to keep us here in the south. I'm very disappointed as I was really looking forward to a white Christmas and the kids, but will enjoy the family we have here and try to make the most of the extra time. Today when I take a break we'll be boxing and out shipping all the gifts we had expected to take in the car with us!

Artist Rachael Kennedy and I set off for a morning of painting in the Everglades. She hadn't been out for a while and didn't like going alone. We're just so used to having people around that it can be a little creepy in some of the back country all by yourself. I'm more uneasy Florida than I ever would be in my native New England, and have talked with people from here who feel the same way about there. I'm wary of alligators and they are more nervous about Moose! Doesn't stop me from wanting to paint out there, though. Perhaps the exotic-ness of it is what attracts. Anyway, we had plenty of company from the alligators on our deserted road. This old guy has been there for years. In the last couple of years he was joined by another. Yesterday we probably saw at least ten, all lying in the weak light. Fortunately all were across a canal!

We didn't actually put paint to canvas--as we dragged all our stuff out of the car some large clouds came up threatening rain and the light went flat, so we returned to the car and did some exploring. One of our stops, close to Marco was the historic Horr House. The remains of an old pineapple plantation will shell tabby walls can be seen on Key Marco. I had painted here before, but Rachael was particularly interested since she's one of five artists doing paintings for the Marco Museum. We were advised that there were snakes inside, and lots of fire ants on the property, so we approached gingerly! Then, to Artist Tabletalk, a group of professional artists who meet each month for art talk. We helped artist Tara O'Neill to celebrate a big birthday, and the conversation was all about Art Basel and wet paint.

Many of you around the country have had a cold, wintry week, with more to come. Blowing winds, cold, slush, freezing rain and power outages are all the news. Perhaps this little mini-painting will brighten your day! Balmy winds, breezy palms, and a view of the gulf might lift your sprits. Today, before I start painting, we'll take a trip to the Marco Island farmer's market for the wonderful fresh vegetables and flowers. It's great to have it back after summer lull. The colors are so pleasing, everyone is there, and in just a short time you can have a bag filled with good healthy food for the coming week! We'll have six more months of beautiful weather before the summer rains come again.

One reason for starting this blog was to become more computer literate. Now that I depend on it, it's frustrating when it doesn't work. This morning the system was down for several hours. UGH! While waiting for things to sort themselves out, I finished Marsh Morning, showing the soft glow of a quiet morning with a trio of palms greeting the day.

I'm still not sure that even this blog is working correctly. Does anyone ever try to leave a message here? Some of you write me directly, and I welcome your comments and thank you, but would love to have someone try to leave a comment on the blog. You can do this anonymously!

In addition to painting this weekend we attended a Christmas Boat Parade party at the home of some friends. What a party! We were treated to good music, good food, good friends, and an absolutely gorgeous sunset over the water. The creativity and sparkle of the boats was an added bonus. Thanks, Carol & Jim!

Fakahatchee Fantasy Everglades Painting

Almost all of my images come from the land itself rather than my imagination, however I've had to be home a little more than usual lately and that still means painting every day. I've been wanting a little more texture on the surface, so I texturized this canvas with a thick layer of gel before beginning to paint. That gave the grasses a nice texture from the start. I just went on from there, developing the image and making sure that the layers of glazing gave the image a deep glow. There's a small moon on the horizon, a deep, deep sky, the ever-present grasses and, of course, the water, inching slowly through the grass to the gulf.

Congratulations to Dr. Nicholas Marciano who has several of my paintings hanging in his Bonita Springs dental office! Have a great weekend!

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Mini-paintings are a great way to get started in the morning. You get reacquainted with the paint and the feel of the brushes before starting something larger or more serious. Sometimes a mini is all that gets done. Today I'm off to a meeting of the Leadership Marco Wet Paint Live committee of the Marco Chamber of Commerce. I'm really excited about the idea that Marco business people are becoming aware of what the arts can do for our city. The arts can strengthen the economy of an area, and there are statistics to bear this out. Cultural tourists stay longer and spend more! So I'm willing to spend of my time working to help build partnerships with the business community. ArtQuest is such a project, and so is Wet Paint Live. After that, I'll check on my poor husband who has thrown out his bad back, and then go to Bonita Springs with some paintings for a dentist with a new office. He's an art collector looking for something for help his patients to "zone out" while he does his work. Some beach somewhere???? Sold

These palms are on the Marco Island side of the Jolley Bridge and are set off beautifully by the gorgeous bougainvillea below them. My inventory of small paintings is low, so I'm going to concentrate on building it up before the busy winter season.

Art in the Park on Saturday was almost a disaster for us. We were already handicapped due to my husband's carpel tunnel surgery and expected him being one-handed to slow us down. Then, our tent, which had a part on order, completely fell apart when we tried to set up. Thanks to Show Chairman Tom Taylor we were able to borrow a tent rather than have to go home and wait for parts. Tom handles any show problems with a warm heart and a cool head and is a real asset to the Naples show scene. Turned out to be a beautiful day although the crowd was light as it often is this time of year. There was plenty of time to visit with one of my dearest collectors. Kevin has more of my paintings than anyone, and a great eye for some of the best!

The Art League of Marco Island held a lovely reception yesterday for their "Wrap Up Art" show. The idea of the show is to encourage people to purchase art for themselves and others during the December gift giving season. The Art League gift shop is a great place to shop for gifts too. I received an merit award for my painting "Sunday Morning", and was delighted to learn that my other entry into the show had been purchased. Sold

Here's the second of the pair of paintings that I sent to the Coral Springs Museum of Art for a National Association of Women Artists, Florida Chapter show. I've just learned that I was given a Judge's Preference award for the pair! Painting scenes like this is what I love to do, but it's validated by an award or a purchase. Should we need awards? No. Do we love it? Yes! Helps us to know that we are on the right track. It's sort of like getting a good performance evaluation at a regular job! The colors on the painting aren't quite as green as this photo, but I can't redo the photo until the painting comes back!

Did you see the rich warm beauty of the Hunter's moon the last few nights? The moon comes over the house and it's light wakes me early in the morning just like dawn always does. I couldn't resist a painting!

We spent the weekend at the Naples Art Association's Renaissance Art Festival. The new directors provided good management and there was good attendance by a crowd preferring the art show over the weekend mall scene. I was delighted to be the recipient of a Judge's Choice Award. It was also fun to see and meet a number of good friends, and to talk with other artists from near and far about the art world. I go home tired by inspired! Congratulations to an anonymous new collector for the purchase of "Happy Dance"

On the Nile daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

We loved the outdoor Deland, Fl. Art Festival last weekend. It was a nice show with lots of community response, from the large number of kind and helpful volunteers to the crowd who came out to see the work. Many carried treasures home. Congratulations to several new collectors. "On the Nile" went to B. Parker, and O West purchased "Spring Breeze." We met a pair of young art collectors who looked, thought, and bought. We had a nice conversation about starting an art collections. I told them that they were among the one percent of the American public who buy original art and and to always follow your heart! Glad to have M. Handley, who purchased "Evening Shadows" and J. Beck who purchased "Magic Moon" among my collectors!
Hope that you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. Our will start soon, and we'll take a minute to be thankful for so much in our lives.

Quiet Evening

Quiet evening is a time for relaxation and contemplation. I love to sit on the dock as the sun goes down and just enjoy the moment. I've been too busy lately to enjoy quiet moments and have to be satisfied with getting things done and crossed off my list! This painting will go as one of a pair to a National Association of Women Artist's show along with another of the same spot painted in the early morning.
Last week was ArtQuest 2008 unveiling week. I'm chairman of this event, sponsored by the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts. Visit to see more of the ArtQuest sculptures. There are links to the sculptors, too. It was a great week, and we knew we had done it right when sculptor Fred Caravetta, unveiled his "Dancing Terns at the the Marco Island Civic Association's Residence Beach. He loved the placement so much that he said "This sculpture has found a permanent home!" What a great gift to our community! What an inspiring week! Thanks, Fred!

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I've been painting the Everglades and South Florida for almost 15 years now, and still never tire of an interesting clump of palms! I love their shapes against the background, against the sky and their interaction with each other. The light moves through palms in ways that just doesn't happen with northern trees-there the light tends to sit on top rather than pervade the shape. Oh, and a breeze can change everything. I'm a regional painter still excited by the landscape that is my muse. When this landscape becomes dull and routine I'll change to another subject! This is the painting that was changed dramatically with just a few clicks of the mouse!

It's ArtQuest week on Marco Island, and the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts had put a lot of effort into bringing you some very interesting sculptures. Unveilings are planned for Thursday night, and on Friday there will be a luncheon to meet the artists. Hope if you're in the area you'll come along. More information at http://www.marcoarts.org/

It took just three clicks of the mouse to completely change style and color of my original painting. This image was created by taking a picture of one of my paintings and using the photo program to just "play" with the image. Because I don't use a sophisticated program, I was bound by the structure of the original. The values didn't hold, as they did in some formats, but this was the most interesting version. I printed this revision on my ink jet printer on canvas paper. It looks pretty good, but has no archival quality at all. The colors will soon fade. This "revision" would last longer if I had printed it with giclee inks, but the quality and longevity could still be questionable. A giclee in a reproduction, or copy, usually of an original painting, but refers to the printing process rather than the creative process, whereas a "print" is a work of art hand printed by the artist, as in a woodcut or engraving. The image I'm showing you today is neither a print or a reproduction--just a computer-altered image made by an artist just to see what happens when a few buttons are pushed. I'll show you the original next!

The first outdoor show of the season took place on Saturday. We have a new tent, so set up was not as easy as usual but will get easier as we become more familiar with the slightly different style. It's great to have a higher ceiling and more light. This time we were lucky as my brother is visiting and was happy to lend a hand. I enjoyed seeing old friends and met some new ones, and was delighted that some of my collectors came by to say hello and see what's new. Two people who have admired my work in past bought paintings. Thanks!
This small painting was done for the Art League of Marco Island's Mini-Master Fundraiser. I used the acrylics as watercolor on paper here. If you are on Marco, or close by, the show will be a great way to pick up a small piece of local art at a good price. The pieces will all be 5x7, done in a variety of styles, and look wonderful framed and hung or used as table paintings. Click here for more information

Afternoon Breeze

In the last few days I've taken down the Everglades show, delivered three sold paintings, cleaned out my studio, worked on two paintings for a National Association of Women Artists upcoming show, spent a day volunteering at the Naples Art Association, finished two mini paintings for the Art League of Marco Island, and am getting ready for the first Art in the Park show this Saturday. If you're in the Naples area, Art in the Park is a juried show held the first Saturday of every month, right beside the Von Liebig Art Center on Park Street. I'm also the chairman of ArtQuest, a public exhibition of national and international sculpture on Marco Island presented by the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts. The unveilings will be later this month, so there's a lot to do! Phew!

Afternoon breeze is a painting that I've had for a while. I took it out and did some last minute enhancements so I'll have it at the show on Saturday. It's rich, saturated color and I love the way the sunlight moves in the breeze!

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Oh, the places we've been and the things that we've seen! My husband and I are just back from a fantastic Mediterranean cruise, traveling with a group of compatible friends. We started with two days in Barcelona, a city filled with outdoor sculpture, exciting architecture and the famous and incredible Gaudi's Unfinished Cathedral. What a sight! Some of the bell towers have just been topped with fruit and look like an ice cream delight. Barcelona is a city we will put on the list for a longer visit in the future. From there the beautiful cruise ship 0Millennium became our home for the next two weeks. From the ship we visited several of Europe's most exciting places, ending with two days in Venice. I'll share some tidbits from our trip, and will be pointing again by tomorrow. As much fun as it was, there's no place like home, and I'm happy to exchange my walking shoes for some comfortable sandals and get back to the painting that I love.

This regal group pf palms reminds me of friends going out together for lunch or dinner, all chatting happily as the the group forms and reforms along the way. I've exaggerated the height of the palms a little to enhance their character. The early morning clouds in the sky are dissipating in the warming morning sun. I'm going to let it sit for a while and may do some color adjusting later.
This will be my last post for a while since we'll be traveling again and leaving our home to relatives displaced by a damaging leak. We're fortunate to have a great group of travel friends, ensuring us the very best of times. I'll have some photos to show when we get back! Have a wonderful month!

Museum of the Everglades staff did a great job of putting out some yummy food for the reception on Saturday, and a number of friends old and new attended. It's easy to make new friends talking about art. Congratulations and thanks to new collectors Michele and Leo Deutsch of Marco Island who purchased "Family" and to Judy & Steve Aldrovondi, who added "Rain is Coming" to their collection of my work. I probably won't get much painting done in the next couple of days. We'll be busy helping family who are coming back from the north tomorrow following a major leak in their condo. What a mess!

The values and color are now working together to enhance landscape in a way I first envisioned. It's softer, lighter, and has more emotion that yesterday's work. Your eye moves around it better and longer, and you don't fall off to the left.
A friend told me yesterday that looking at the landscape paintings and reading my blog "lowers her blood pressure." What a great compliment! I do believe that taking time to enjoy a moment of natural beauty can be deeply satisfying to the soul. Try it!
If you are in the Marco area, I hope you'll join me today at the Museum of Everglades City from 2-4 at the reception for my work. The show will be up for the month of October. And let me know if you are having trouble joining the blog as there seems to be a problem!

One of the most asked questions on the show circuit is "How long did it take you to paint that?" It's a question I dread, and usually try to turn the conversation to why I painted it rather than the length of time it took. Does it speak to you? Do you like the colors? Have you seen a sunset like that? Sometimes you can really be "in the zone" totally focused and the very best painting comes easily. Other times, it's agony and hard work. Today was agony. I spent a couple of hours of working on this small painting. The more I worked the further I got from the original idea. Finally I took it out to the kitchen sink and for a good scrub! It's now closer to the original in feel and composition and ready for a new start.

Congratulations to Ann & Jim Beatty of Illinois, on the addition of "Morning" to their collection.

My husband and I took about twenty paintings to the Museum of the Everglades in Everglades City to hang the upcoming show. The Museum Director graciously lent a hand, and as we hung, Museum staff regaled us with stories of the area. Please join us on Saturday as the Friends of the Museum hold a nice reception on Saturday from 2-4. I'll be there to talk with you about my work. It's about 1/2 hour from Marco and the drive is on the scenic and lovely Tamiami Trail. You'll pass palm hammocks and cypress stands and some wide prairies. If you're fortunate the light will provide much interest as it moves over the landscape. We were happy to see the water at higher levels than the last time we were out. This beautiful palm was standing by itself on the side of the road just begging to be painted as we returned from hanging the show. I didn't have time for a large painting, so this one is a mini. Watch for it on the right if you drive out on Saturday!

First thing in the morning while the coffee is brewing, I walk outside to pick up the newspapers. Venus has been dazzling in the early eastern sky. I've watched it climb higher as the month goes by all too quickly. If you get up early and haven't seen it take a peek. You can't miss it and it's magnificent!

On another subject entirely, you may have had a problem if you have been trying to join this blog to get direct e-mails. I've put back in the unattractive Google logo, and it seems to work now, but if you're having problems just e-mail me directly, I'll add you directly. You should be able to join without opening a Google Account, which isn't anything but the extra step makes some people nervous!

I put a final layer of clear medium on "Setting Sun" yesterday and it will go with me to hang the Museum of Everglades show today. Hope you can join us for the reception on Saturday from 2-4 [m

It was a busy weekend getting ready for the gallery show at the Museum of the Everglades. We'll hang the show on Tuesday. I sorted paintings, touched up frames, made labels, developed the price list, printed handouts, updated my personal information and created a gallery book. I didn't get any new paintings completed, so I'm going to share with you a couple of the oldest paintings that I have photographs of. Here's a very large unfinished still life from the early nineties and an abstract done for my brother in law in the late seventies. Quite a change from my Everglades work!

I'm a Southwest Florida regional painter, and it's my obligaton to introduce you to my version of the landscape, and hope that you will respond to it in a positive way. Sometimes I'm less satisfied with an image on the first go-round and having to dig deeper to get the depth of quality and emotion that I want to show you. This seems to be happening a lot lately. Is it artistic growth or just insecurity? In either case you'll notice that "Storm Light" has changed quite a bit since earlier in the week. The clouds vary in shape now, and the light is more dramatic, with more contrast and a predominance of gold. Now I'm satisfied!

After adjusting the clouds in yesterday's painting I was able to finish this painting as well. You may have seen the beautiful pink-yellow morning a few days ago. The quiet stillness of morning with light on the water brings peace to the soul. This painting will be in the Museum of the Everglades show later this month.

Some people are attuned to dramatic moments of nature, while others are more attuned the actions of people. I can be fascinated to watch ibis eating in a swale or a gorgeous cloud building in the northern sky while these events go totally unnoticed by my husband. But he notices a new walker or runner on our street while I think nothing of it. The drama of changing light as a storm moves through has always fascinated me. It doesn't always come easy in a painting, though, and it took me most of the weekend to get the feeling that I wanted in this painting about a summer storm. Do you like it? Many of you comment by email to a painting you like but do you know you can do it right here, on Comments, below! Others will see your comment but not your name. Either way I love to hear from you! Today I'll be busy making one more pass at Stormlight! The clouds in the background are just too much the same size, and I want to vary them a little more for your interest!

I was gloriously, happily, delightedly out in the Everglades yesterday, and the light was strong and good and there were paintings everywhere waiting to be painted. When the light is "good" the landscape looks lush and inviting and willing to give up it's secrets to an artist. When the light is bad the landscape is flat, without any depth, and not inviting to paint. Luckily that's not often and yesterday was perfect. Driving back, the afternoon clouds put on a beauty pageant for us and we were treated to the sight of an Everglades mink. You can learn more about the Everglades animals at My Everglades Backyard. It's a good site for children, but I learn a lot too!

This dolphin sculpture was donated to the City of Marco Island following a Dolphin Sculpture fundraiser some years ago. It looked as though it had been hit by a car, and was in sad shape as a welcoming committee to City Hall. The City took it to an auto body shop for structural repairs, but she still needed some repainting. Since the artist who originally painted this one is no longer available, I volunteered to do the work. She's recovering well and will get a final touch up this week. Bob and I also painted a dolphin for this fundraiser. I can't seem to find an image of it, but here's a photo of our original sketch. He's a sculptor, and we often discuss each other's work, but this was our first "hands on" "collaborative" effort. Wow--did sparks fly! Different aesthetic visions? We both ended up happy with the results, and our dolphin, called "Catch of the Day" is now in a private collection.

I worked quite a while to get the values just right in this little painting. The palms and their composition were appealing, and the group seemed to acquire almost human characteristics as I became more familiar with them. Notice, too, there's a nice play of complimentary colors going on, red and green, yellow and purple. Now off to a day in Naples doing errands there. Have a wonderful weekend!

I'll be working today on this small painting similar to one I did last week. The arrangement of palms against a background of brush fascinate me and I return to this theme again and again. While it's a strong composition, the color balance is not quite right. The blue of the background upright brush is too strong, the light of the sky doesn't match the intensity of the light on the ground, and the horizontal of the grass against the brush is too distracting. Phew! I'd better get busy!

Water's Edge daily painting by Everglades Artist JoAnn Sanborn

A little late getting started this morning. We were out late, last night with good friends, talking about traveling together later this year. Good food, good wine, and lots of laughs. Thanks, J & R! I did manage to finish this serene water view before heading out. There's lots of glazing over the water to give it depth and light, and the square format's nice, too.

This is my studio, once a bedroom and occasionally a guest room. To my left is large glass door that gives me good light and looks out over our dock and canal. I love being by the water, and might run out if I see a dolphin or manatee passing by--or even a boatload of friends. People who are interested in my work are welcome to visit the studio, either by car or boat. I've got a good selection of paintings right now. Just call ahead first since our schedule is flexible and I might be out in the glades painting!

Famed Everglade photographer Clyde Butcher's is holding his annual "Muck About" is this weekend. Every Labor Day weekend Clyde Butcher invites the public to go for a walk in the River of Grass. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the Everglades in a non-threatening way, wonderful fun, gives you a great appreciation for the land and if you're lucky you'll get to meet Clyde. All three days from 9-3, $20 per person. Wear old closes and shoes and plan to get wet! This is truly something not to miss! Pass it on!

The Studio Gallery, which represents me here on Marco Island, will close for a couple of weeks for September vacation. I've taken back some of the paintings they had, and will give them new pieces for the fall. Thee October show at the Museum of the Everglades is coming together, and I have some new pieces for that. As it always does this time of year my small studio is getting very crowded, so it's a great time to buy a painting! "Nine of a Kind" is fun and colorful, and would look great going up a stairway, in a long line over a soft, or as a large piece here. The pieces are light enough to be hung on push-pins so you can change it around to suit you without banging up your walls!

Sometimes nature gives us the most incredible gifts of beauty. They all have to do with the effects of light in our environment. Such moments are fleeting, and if you are not alert and open to them you can miss them completely. As an artist, if I can get one of these moments down in a way that satisfies me, I've had a good day.

I spent part of yesterday with another artist, someone who ask if she could come over and "watch me paint" She wants to transition from water color, which she's done for years. We had a great time and shared some good art talk, and I've made a new friend.

We won't have the dark greens and drying up colors of fall for while yet, but for me it's the last week of summer. Kids have started back to school and there is a slight crispness to the early mornings. This morning I was fortunate enough to see fabulous clouds of an early morning thunderstorm building in the south just as the sun came up to light them magnificently in lush creams and pinks. I tried a photo but just couldn't capture the beauty well enough to pass it on, and didn't want to wake Bob, who's the real photographer!

Congratulations to Physician's Regional Hospital for purchasing "In the August Sun" and "Alone with a Palm!" They're at the framers now and you should see them soon in the lobby of the Dr's office building on Collier Blvd.

Recent summers have been spent working "en plein aire," but for a variety of reasons it just hasn't been possible this summer. I've been mostly working in the studio. In the field an artist tends to be more responsive and immediate, and the in studio more thoughtful and reflective. As artists we need a need a little of each if we are to grow in both spirit and technique. The studio time has been valuable, but I look forward to getting out in the field again next week! This painting was started back in May, and I'm finally satisfied with it. Have a great weekend!

What to do on a stormy day? Take a ride and make a painting! The clouds are dramatic and the light is mutable on a day like this. You can smell the moisture and the fresh earth. The rain fills up puddles and you understand why the everglades are called the river of grass.

In summer, usually in the early morning, sometimes the light just saturates and infuses the the landscape with color. The feeling is magical--sort of being bathed an apricot glow. I started this painting a while ago and just finished it up. I've been asked to be the featured artist in the Museum of the Everglades this October. Maybe you will see this painting there!