Two of my grandsons think fishing is the most important thing they do. Their father is a fisherman, and since they were very small he would wake them before dark, give them some breakfast, and by first light every Saturday they would be on the water in a canoe. I'm still not sure how he keeps them still for so long, because on dry land they rarely stop moving. They'll be coming to visit next month and you can bet fishing will be at the very top of the must-do list! This painting, Fishing Hole is a spot off Route 29 where you often see a family by the water with their poles hoping to catch their supper. I just finished it yesterday and will have it with me at the Bonita Springs Art Festival this weekend at the Promenade off Rt. 41 in Bonita. Come and visit if you can!

Walk by the Gulf can be found at the dental office of Dr. Nick Marciano in Bonita Springs. One patient has already called me to say how much she enjoyed viewing my paintings while Dr. M. did his work. If you are in the Bonita Springs area and looking for a larger painting, the office doesn't see patients from 12 to 1, so it's a good time to visit.
The ArtQuest Docent Tour on Marco was fun yesterday. We met some new people and learned some new things about the ArtQuest artists and had a nice lunch at Bayview in the Esplanade. Orion Bank's Keith Dameron came out with some goody bags and nice cold water when the tour stopped by to see the sculpture Ageis. Thanks, Keith!
Tonight is the Gala Auction for the Naples Art Association's Canvas on Third. There were a number of really great works and some fabulous nationally known and local artists. The word is that the bidding for marine artist John Stobbart's painting is already over $20,000! There are a number of other pieces that should show very well and the NAA should make a bundle! There will be something for everyone, though, and I just hope to get enough bids to make a decent showing!

The Naples National was hot, hot, hot with both fabulous art and wonderful whimsical things to see and purchase , and a nice crowd turned out to do just that. The Naples Art Association sponsors the show, and it's hands down Naples finest of the year. We were fortunate to be back under some trees as the weather was really steamy. The Association put on a nice artist reception as well. I think that the reception should be the time to announce the artist awards, but the ribbons didn't get to the winners until after noon on Sunday. Maybe it was just too hard to decide! The new promoters did a fine job of responding to the multitude of issues that come up on a show that large, and my dear husband Bob spend most of two days as an "artist liaison" volunteer. I especially enjoyed watching the fine artwork of artist Darlene Pearse just fly off the walls, and meeting Everglades photographer and writer Jeff Ripple. I've admired his work for years so it was wonderful to be able to meet and speak with him. He spent two years living in "the swamp" on Clyde Butcher's studio complex, and has a deep interest in preserving the land. Check out his website and his books! Congratulations to the Brineys for their purchase of Misty Meadow which they say complements their home perfectly, and to the Grecos for their purchase of "Pink Sky."

Here's my second painting from Canvas on Third. I'll admit that I cheated a little by eliminating all the cars, making the road more of a path, and shrinking the building. What started out as the Ridgeway Pub when I started and just kept getting smaller and smaller as the day progressed. I guess that living here for me is much more about the environment than shopping and eating! Well, sometimes. Besides, there are a number of great paintings by people who really love to paint street scenes. The painting that I showed you yesterday will hang in Amano's great little home goods store on 12th and Third until the auction next week, and this one is available and will be with me and at the Naples National Art Festival this weekend. It takes place on 8th Street South and Cambier Park, and it's one of the very best shows if you are in the area. Hooray! Spell check is fixed! Have a great weekend.

Here's me, painting on the corner of Third Street and 12th Avenue painting for Canvas on Third. Quite a way from my dear Everglades, but it was a fun time, with many well know local artists taking place and a great turnout by the public as well. John Stobbart was probably the most famous, and lots of people were looking for him as he painted near the Naples Pier. His painting already has a great bid! Here's mine, across the street from Tommy Bahama's. I couldn't seem to get a good photo of it this morning as I'm rushing around trying to get it framed and into Naples and back for an early meeting. It's not nearly quite so gold, but it's too cloudy and too early to get good color for you. I did a second painting, too, looking toward the gulf which I'll show you tomorrow. Gotta run!

For the next two days you will find me on Third Street South and the NW corner of 13th Avenue in Naples, where I'll be painting out as one of 36 artists supporting "Canvas on Third," a fundraiser for the Naples Art Association. The completed paintings will hang in Third Street businesses for a week and be auctioned off at a Gala as the Art Association next week. My painting will be hanging at my sponsor's Amano, so look for it there when you go in for some fun new home goods. Thanks, Amano, for your sponsorship!
As I'm getting ready to go I'm watching the sky. It sure looks like thunderstorms today, and the light is really flat. Hopefully the weather outlook will improve with the rising sun! Apparently the organizers will not care if you paint the scene in front of you or work from a photo of your own. Buildings and street scapes are not really my thing, but I'd like to be true to the spirit of the thing. Oh well, we'll see what the day brings!

Did you know that you can visit my studio by boat? We've been having such beautiful weather lately that it might be fun to spend time on the water and make a studio visit too. My home/studio is located on a Marco Island a canal, accessible from the Marco River. Call ahead, and I'll give you directions from the Jolley Bridge. You can pull up to the dock, have a cool drink on the patio and come into the studio and see my newest work!
We spent the weekend at the Marco Island Center for the Arts, at the annual Celebrate the Arts Festival. It's Marco's finest art show with wonderful artists from all over the country and a great quality of work. The crowd was a little light, and I wish the event had received more community support. Then again, it was hot and sunny, perfect beach weather, and "down here" we compete with that all the time. Congratulations to the Gustafsons, new collectors with "Between Dusk and Dawn," to the Halls, and to returning collectors Caruso's and Erbs. Thank you, I appreciate your support. Enjoy your new work!

The landscape softens when there's a lot of moisture in the air, and here in South Florida that happens more frequently in the summer months when there is daily high humidity. This winter we've had a number of days when it's been as humid as summer and just plain hot. This paintings was inspired by one of those mornings when the night was cool and the warmth of the morning brought up enough moisture for a bit of fog, deliciously softening a landscape that can be brutally sharp at times. The Everglades landscape has a personality and moods to explore just like most people. I've been interpreting these moods through my paintings for many years and it's still my pleasure to show you this ancient landscape. Today I'm off to the studio to finish up some last minute framing and then to the Center for the Arts to set up for the weekend show. I'll be doing a demonstration at my booth on Saturday at 11. Hope to see you there!

The pool is chock full of water this morning after a night of heavy rain and very strong thunderstorms. I expected the swales to be full, too, but all the work the City had done to improve drainage on Marco has really helped. We remember times when we would wait to go home because the water was so deep the streets were impassible in our low-slung car, and more adventurous drivers might be stalled or misdrive into the swales because the roadway was hidden.

I've been busy in the studio and the two mini-paintings I promised are just about finished. I've been working on a couple of larger paintings that have eluded completion and hope to get them done today and then we'll go out for some fun. The Foundation for the Arts own has orgainized the Marco Island art galleries to present the first ever Gallery Walk from 5 -7 today. You can start at any of the island's galleries and pick up a list of the others that will be opened. You'll see some wonderful art and have some refreshments, too. If the event is a success it may become a monthly event. We'll meet collectors from NY who own several of my paintings for dinner. Bob and Maribel are fast becoming friends, and we welcome their call when they're in town. Hope to see you tonight Gallery Walking on Marco!

Everglades Creek Painting by JoAnn Sanborn

It's been so much warmer on Marco Island this winter I seem to be working on warm color paintings more than usual. This painting, Everglades Creek, was finished yesterday. I used gesso for the white in the clouds this time since it keeps the acrylic paint open longer for more pushing and pulling without drying too quickly. I mixed it with some medium for adhesion and some paint for color. But this morning is cool, and doesn't look like we will have many clouds in our sky today. I'll try to do a small painting or two with the wonderful feeling and the rich colors of the morning skies we've been enjoying. I need a few more small things for the Marco Island Festival of the Arts at the Art League here on Marco. There'll be something for everyone, including an antique car show and the Marco Idol music contest.

Turner, Hot in the Sun Everglades painting

Did you see the beautiful colors in the morning sky on Marco Island today? There was a wonderful soft quince color at the horizon, turning to a gold, then a soft green-grey fading up into the light blue of dawn. Gorgeous! Check out the Marco Island Sky here on the Sun Times Website. The beach is on the western shore, so even you look very early in the morning you may not see what I see looking into the Eastern sky where the sun rises, but you'll still get a great view of the beach! It's not easy to paint the light of the sky in a natural, airy way, and very easy to have it look false! JM Turner was a master at painting airy, voluminous skies. Check out some of his skies here. He kept his methods to himself, and left few notes, so we don't have a lot of information about how he worked. I study the properties of both natural light and paint properties in the hopes of portraying natures glories in a way that makes our hearts sing.
Yesterday took an unexpected turn, and I had to leave the studio for most of the day. Just had time to finish "Hot in the Sun", another painting inspired by Marco's own Resident's Beach.

Well, as you can see I really mixed it up this morning! I've been working on a new Artist Statement to go on a flyer for a handout, and I've posted the words in progress on the blog twice. Sorry for the mix up and the double post! Jo-Ann

The fragile beauty of the Everglades continues to fascinate me. Interpreting them through my art has become my mantra and my mission. I value the solitude of the open prairie, delight in the way the breezes dance across the marsh grass, and wonder as the clouds or showers race over the landscape. The light moves and changes with the moment. I want to make the viewer stop and take notice of a landscape that may have gone unremarked, and to show them my appreciation for time when light and color and nature all come together as gift of nature. That special moment in time may never come again. Come visit my Everglades and see for yourself!
One of the easiest ways is to Learn about the Glades is to visit the Big Cypress National Preserve. A preserve has rules that aren't quite as strict as a National Park, but the activites are weighed to keeping the land for the future. Park Ranger Lisa Andrews stopped by recently to tell me that the Big Cypress is easier than ever to access. They've a nice boardwalk, many trails, and offer guided tours. Maps can be picked up at the Nature Center on Route 41, the Tamiami Trail. They also have a great residency program for artists, photographers and poets!
You've seen this painting before, but I've given it another pass and a new life!

This pear sat in the sun on my windowsill just begging to be painted, and I painted it quickly before my dear husband could have it with breakfast! Two sisters and a friend, who make a visit to my studio part of their time on Marco Island, stopped by last week and fell in love with my small pear painting. The sisters are art collectors owning a number of my paintings, and share and exchange them with each other from time to time as suits them. The were looking for a mini painting as a gift. I'm out of mini's, but they found the pear and it is now framed and ready to travel home with them. It's rare for me to paint anything but the Everglades and the South Florida landscape. It's still exciting to me, and I haven't tired of it yet. Each day some new aspect of the trees or the light captures my attention and sets my brush dancing! I'll do them an Everglades mini for the gift they wanted today!

Yesterday's Marco Island Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Marco's Wet Paint Live was a hugh success. Quite a mouthful, repeated often to explain the benefit to the many people who came out to view the artists painting. The weather was perfect with beautiful sunshine, warm and balmy temperatures and just enouogh clouds for a painting. After painting out all day, the artists rushed to change their painting clothes and take their finished painting to the gathering spot at the Hideaway Beach Club where anxious buyers were already waiting! The food was fabulous, buyers enjoyed the art show, the artists enjoyed talking about the challenges of their various sites and seeing each other's work, and the auction generated high excitement as each artist was introduced and every painting sold to active bidders. My thanks go to the Caruso's, successful bidders on my painting, pictured here. The scholarship fund is off to a good start and the event is sure to be repeated next year. Apologies to viewers denied entry into some of the members-only sites. That will be resolved in the future.