Wishes for a Wonderful Holiday!

The Artists at the Esplanade held great party for our Holiday Open House. Even Lulu our mannequin was decked out for the party. The weather was perfect for viewing the short but sweet Marco Island Boat Parade, and artists were in a party mood. We all had a wonderful time sharing refreshments, and Season's Greetings and Merry Christmas to everyone and enjoying the beautiful harp music of Kim Adamson. Thanks for stopping in!
Holiday Hours can be found on our website. You might be needing a last-minute handmade gift!

While I'll still be at the studio, I'm taking time off from this blog between Christmas and the New Year. It's a time to be spent with family and friends, a time for reflection and renewal. I'll be enjoying Christmas, and then will get very busy cleaning out the old and focusing on the new.

I like to start each year fresh. I agree with artist mentor and coach Alyson Stanfield who suggests that you look back and write down your accomplishments of the past year and then look ahead to what you'd like to accomplish in the year ahead. Try it. You'll be amazed at what you've done!

Rightside Gallery served a warm mulled wine that smelled heavenly and tasted just as good. We kept it in a crock pot between our Christmas trees. Here's the recipe as my gift to you!

Jo-Ann's Christmas Mulled Wine

Make a sugar syrup with 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water. Add 6 whole cinnamon sticks, 6 whole cloves, s few shakes of nutmeg and the zest of a lemon and an orange. Bring to a simmer, simmer 5 minutes. Add:

2 bottles red wine (cabernet is fine)

1 bottle blackberry wine ( if you can't find the blackberry wine, a brandy would work

Top with leftover lemon and orange slices. Serve quite warm.

It's been a tough year, and a tough decade. Let's bring in the New Year with hope and promise for a better future. Best Wishes for Wonderful, Joyous Holidays and for a Happy, Healthy New Year to you and yours!

Holiday Open House, Out on My Own, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Out on my Own

5x7 acrylic on board

Sold

Today's daily Everglades painting is a scene out on the Marsh Trail, and yesterday's early morning fog ensured it would be a quiet, subdued daily painting. The stillness of the water and the reduced values and color make the scene peaceful and serene. The single palm is alone but not lonesome on soil raised just enough above the swamp to allow its growth.

Tomorrow will be our Holiday Open House. You're invited to come along anytime between 5-8. We'll share a glass of holiday cheer and watch the Marco Island Boat Parade when it comes through Smokehouse Bay. If you're afraid that parking might be a problem, just park in the City's Farmer's Market lot a short walk away.

Seth Godin, One of a Kind painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

One of a Kind

16x20, acrylic on canvas

$400

This palm caught my eye at the head of the Marsh Trail, the new trail into the Fakahatchee only a few miles from Marco Island. It was absolutely glowing in the warmth of the late afternoon sun. I took a photo and wanted to paint it before the memory faded. A few minutes later the sun had moved in the sky and the palm didn't have nearly the same appeal.

Times are fast changing, and one way I try to stay up to date is to read the blog of Seth Godin. He wrote "Tribes" and he's trying once again to update our thinking. His ideas are revolutionary, and he has an extraordinary group of friends You can get his new ebook, free, here.Wish I had time to figure out what a riff is--I'll save that exercise for later!

At My Side painting by Everglades Artist JoAnn Sanborn

At My Side

42x60

AT MY SIDE is a painting of two palm trees side by side at the water’s edge. The taller of the two is a little older, and seems to be sheltering the other with its fronds. Both are solid, well defined, and healthy. They have grown on land that rises a little above the rest of the sawgrass prairie, hat supports them and allows them to flourish.

There’s variety in the grasses at the water’s edge in both color and size, and the passages unifies the painting as the eye moves across. The opening onto the prairie allows the eye to move into the painting onto the water-rich prairie, into the future, into the unknown. The way in is smooth rather than rocky and the ancient limestone below is solid. This, along with a light breeze gives movement and life to the landscape.

The sky is dark, but morning clouds are beginning to brighten the day. They have variety in size and color as well, but not enough movement to disrupt the serenity of the morning. The scene is quiet and peaceful, rich with the promise of a new day.

Corn Plant, Volunteer of the Year

I hate to admit it, but another day has gone by without a daily painting. I've got a large commission due tomorrow, and in order to keep to schedule, I've put other work aside and have been working on the commission in my home studio as well as at the new Esplanade Studio.

The heady smell of our corn plant in bloom just outside the studio distracted me and drew me outdoors for this photo. Corn plants are a slow growing neotropical pole shrub that looks similar to vegetable corn when young. They bloom in December and the scent is particularly strong at night. It's sweet fragrance is noticeable from hundreds of feet away and easily recognizable. It's accompanied by a sticky pollen that insects and hummingbirds love.

Congratulations to Keith Dameron who was named Volunteer of the Year at Marco Island's Christmas Island Style Gala last night. Keith's wide range of interests and enthusiasms has led him to support many island organizations, and he's been particularly supportive of the arts. We share the goal of building community through art awareness and art opportunities on the island. Way to go, Keith!

Full Moon, Commissions, Painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Today's Everglades painting is a 16x20, started and worked on just for the pleasure of it. I've been busy with commissions, including a large one due next week in soft neutrals with a touch of greens and blues, another of the Adirondack Valley, and another painting I'll give as a Christmas gift.

I usually have several paintings going at a time since it keeps the work fresh picking it up anew several times a day. It keeps me from getting bogged down in one paintings issues, which often solve themselves if I see them out of the corner of my eye while I"m working on something else.

Still, it was fun to do just what I wanted for a while! This painting will get another go-over before I'm done since the sky isn't quite right yet, but I love the dawn softness this scene will portray.

Have you been enjoying the glorious full moon we've had this week? A couple of days ago it was positively glowing when I left the gallery at the Esplanade and headed home. Lovely!

Prairie Radiance

5x7, acrylic on board

$150 Framed and shipped

Everglades prairies are wide swaths of open, treeless land covered by sawgrass and other wetlands plants. The freshwater prairies are called marl prairies. Marl is rich mud or mudstone over the limestone, holds in moisture and is wet enough for some plants to survive through the driest season.

The sawgrass is shorter here than in the sloughs, and the land will also allow a lantana or swamp lily to flourish. Alligators live on these open prairies, and the paths they make through the prairies are used by other animals like the deer and the panther.

The sawgrass that covers the prairies is not a "true" grass, but actually a member of the sedge family, characterized by sharp teeth along the edges of each blade. The grasses were once over nine feet tall south of Lake Okeechobee in areas of rich soil now covered by sugar cane production. In drier areas the grass is shorter.

Fires are a natural part of the cycle of the prairie and play an important role in sawgrass habitat. Fires limit the invasion of woody vegetation that would eventually change the marsh, but the wet roots of the sawgrass protect it from the flames even though the parts of them above the ground may burn.

We're just starting the dry season here in south Florida, and will begin to see changes in the patterns of plant and animal life as the dramatic storms of our wet season decrease and fire danger increases.

Turkey, Ben Franklin, and More

We spotted this fellow showing off to a few of his friends on a visit to Maine. Isn't he magnificent? Just what Ben Franklin must have been thinking about when the country was choosing the national bird. The turkey, however, lost out to the Bald Eagle. Oh, well. Bald is beautiful, too!

The Fall Arts and Craft fair at the Marco Island Center for the Arts on Saturday had just the right amount of visitors and artists. It was a small, intimate show, with enough time to talk with everyone, artists and collectors alike. Three of my paintings went for home visits, and may be adopted.

I'm taking time out this week to visit with family over the Thanksgiving holiday and will be doing what fits into their schedule this week. Such a pleasure to be with adorable grandsons. You may remember with Nate did a great painting of me painting in my studio last year. I'll cook a large turkey with all the trimmings and share the leftovers, especially the pies, with everyone.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to look at what's important to us, and to remember how fortunate we are to live here on beautiful Marco Island with the natural world so close. Whatever your own situation this Thanksgiving, take a moment to reflect on our troops, so far away from family and friends, in such difficult situations. You can send them a card to let them know that they're appreciated. Thanks to Xerox, (and Diana who told me about it) it's easy and will only take seconds to send a soldier a thank you card by clicking here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Arts & Crafts show tomorrow, Lifting Clouds daily painting by Everglades artist

Lifting Clouds

5x7, Acrylic on Canvas

After years of doing outdoor art shows almost three weekends every month from November to March, I've really enjoyed being in one space at the Esplanade Studio. But today I'm packing the car and setting up for the Marco Island Center for the Arts Fall Arts and Craft show to be held on Saturday.

I haven't done it since the Spring, so there's a lot to think about. Will the tent be fine when I set it up? Will I remember how? Paintings? Sales info? Hanging materials? Display materials? Signage? Chair? Then there's the actual physical packing, getting the car ready and lugging everything in and out.

It's a lot of work, but so nice once it's done. It's fun to see the artists who come from far and wide to display their work, and nice to visit with my collectors and people who may become collectors or just enjoy looking at original art.

Try to make time to stop at the show. It's one day only, Saturday, November 21. This will be a small show, but very important to helping out the financially endangered Marco Island Center for the Arts. They'll ask for a two dollar donation if you come--give more if you can!

Foggy Morning

5x7, acrylic on board

$150

Several of the artists who met for almost three years at a once a month art talk luncheon are involved in the Artist Colony at the Esplanade. We're on regular schedules, and don't seem to have time to just sit around, have lunch, and discuss art.

It seems silly to take the time since we have the opportunity to see each other around the complex. But we're much more likely to say "Did we get our first electric bill yet?" (we did, and it's affordable, thank goodness!) than what did you think of the Founders Show this year?

I miss our sit down, relax, and talk about art luncheons. I want to know what each of my artbfriends are up too--not running around the Colony, but in their art minds. I want to see their latest work and hear what it means to them. Maybe we can plan a breakfast soon.

Palm Reflection

5x7, acrylic on board

$150, framed and shipped

Ribbon Cutting at the new Artist Colony at the Esplanade. All seventeen of us are in the photo, but I'm behind the guy in the wheel chair and the woman with the scissors. It was a fabulous event that met all of our expectations. We were delighted to have so many segments of our community turn out for the event! When the artists party, we do have a good time!

We're all part of the Artist Colony, but have decided that names for our three separate storefronts will help people to locate us within the complex. My studio mates are still debating a name for ours. The group gallery, nine artists, have named themselves "Waterfront Gallery to highlight their location. The other studio/gallery of three artists named Portside, again for their location.

It would seem that Starboard Studios and Gallery would be a logical choice, but some don't like it. For others, we're re as far apart as can be on a proper name. Here are some of the suggestions:

Northcourt Studios & Gallery
Marina Studios & Gallery
Harborside Studios
The Rightside Gallery
Rightside Gallery
Number 5 Gallery & Studios
Gallery 5 and Studios or Art Gallery 5 & Studios
Force 5 Studio and Gallery
Marco Art Gallery and Studio
Courtyard Studios & Gallery
>MI Gallery and Studios
Gulf Coast Gallery & Studios
Studio 760

We're certainly trying. I've changed my mind several times, but now like Marina Studios and Gallery. Maybe that's because I'm from Gloucester, MA, and a lot of the very best studios are along the waterfront in the Marinas. I could also go with Starboard or Courtyard. What do you think?

You're Invited!

Artist Colony at the Esplanade

Grand Opening

Thursday, November 12, 5-8 pm

Meet the Artists!
Carolyn Burger, Darren Clack, Tony Dallman-Jones, Maggie DeMarco, Robert Frettoloso, Tracy Gudgel, Sandy Howe, Inez Hudson, Claire Keery, Carolyn McAndrew, William Ward Mosley,
Betty Newman, Tara O'Neill, Susan Patton, Phyllis Pransky, Pat Perroti and Jo-Ann Sanborn

An evening of art, music and other delights!

Artist Colony at the Esplanade
740-760 North Collier Blvd
Marco Island, Florida, 34145

Hope you can come!

Directions

Marco Island Center for the Arts Birthday Bash

The Marco Island Center for the Arts 40th birthday bash was lots of fun. It was back to the sixties with Harvey Wallbangers, great outfits, simple but delicious food, terrific decorations and a good time had by all. It was so nice to see long time Art League supporter and artist Charlie Horn looking terrific and having a wonderful time.

Collaborative 40, the painting above, is the result of 40 different artists taking a prepared panel and using their own creative image and materials to complete it. Everyone had their own panel favorites.

Because there is Velcro on the supports and Velcro on the panels, they can be arranged in a variety of ways and in any direction. A number of party guests tried their hand at arranging the panels to suit themselves. Some lucky party participant will have the opportunity to arrange the artwork for final installation. Can't wait to see it!

Yes, I've been painting the daily paintings, but am having some difficulty getting a decent photo to post. They look fine in my new camera at the studio, but awful when I get them to the computer. Hope to overcome this soon!

Fab Five Exhibition, Marco Island

Artists Betty Newman, Jo-Ann Sanborn, Inez Hudson, Tara O'Neill, and Phyllis Pransky are Marco Island's Fab Five!

So much art to see on Marco Island these days! The new Artist Colony at the Esplanade with 17 artists in 3 locations makes for a great art walk. But don't stop there! If you haven't visited the Blue Mangrove Gallery, just across the way in Town Center Mall on Marco Island, you're missing something special.

Owner Christie is a great supporter of the arts and artists, and the Fab Five Exhibition is the first of it's kind on the island. She's chosen five island artists for an exhibition, and the reception was held last Wed evening. A nice steady crowd turned out for the event. The gallery looked great and the reception was lots of fun.

Someone asked me if we were in competition. My answer was that art is very personal, and that when people look at the wall of fifteen paintings, three from each artist, any two people probably wouldn't pick the same favorite. Since we each have our own style, some people will respond stronger to some artists than others.

We grow by knowing each other's art, learn from each others critique, but we share each other's joy when a painting finds a good home.

Out with the Girls

5x7, acrylic on board

$150 framed and shipped

Reception Tonight

Five Fabulous Femmes Exhibition

Inex Hudson, Betty Newman, Tara O'Neill, Phyllis Pransky, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Blue Mangrove Gallery

5:00

See you there!

Artist Colony artists were up for some fun

On the night the pumpkins danced

With bats and goblins all around

We were all entranced!

Visiting an Artist's Studio or Gallery, Happy Dance daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Happy Dance

5x7, acrylic on board

Sold

Those of us who have space in the Artist Colony at the Esplanade on Marco Island are doing the Happy Dance, just like the palms in today's Everglades painting. You may be quite comfortable visiting an art gallery or an artists studio, but if you're not, here's a few tips.

I've often had collectors visit my home studio. They've called ahead, know my work, may have something new in mind, or just want to see what's new. When I know someone is coming to visit I usually make my studio as neat as possible, and stop painting to spend time with the visitor. It's a little different at the Artist Colony.

At the new Artist Colony at the Esplanade and we're open to the public for many hours a day in a combination studio gallery. Anyone is welcome to come in, wander around, and see what's going on. Here's some advice to make stepping into an artist space a little easier:

Do come in. We're open because we want to introduce you to ourselves and our work. We may be at the easel painting or doing other chores like packing a painting for shipping or sketching out our next painting. Don't worry about interrupting us. We'll probably greet you, tell you what we're about, and then let you wander.

The work will probably be all around you, so feel free to take as long as you want to enjoy the work, and to identify any artwork that you'd like to know a little more about. Certain artists works will most likely to appeal to you more than others. We understand that.

Talk with us about what you see. It's OK to ask questions about the subject matter, the technique, or the color or design decisions that the artist has made. "Why did you paint the sky purple?" or "What is the inspiration for this painting?", are questions most artists will be happy to answer. It is best not to ask questions that are clearly geared to obtaining trade secrets.

It's OK to not like everything. Art is very personal. You will probably like one artist's work more than others, and you will like certain paintings from the same artist more than others. If the art is original and considered, each piece will have a unique feel and response and it's OK to like some more than others. The artist probably does, too.

You don't have to buy. The purchase of a new piece of art is rarely a spur of the moment decision. Take your time, look at the work, and decide the style and subject matter are something you'd like to live with. You can start to follow that artist, become familiar with their work, and eventually become a collector.

However, when you do fall in love with an original, you should immediately indicate your interest in the piece to the artist so that you are not disappointed if a painting you especially like is sold to someone else.

Enjoy your visit. We'll be glad you stopped in. You may find that looking at, learning about, and talking about art is enjoyable. Come back often!

What is Art? At Water's Edge daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

At Water's Edge

5x7, acrylic on board

$150

Today's daily painting of a still morning at the edge of the swamp reminds me of the quiet places in my soul. Elusive, but treasured when I can find my way there.

What is art? Empty Easel asked this question on their blog this week. The question provoked thought, so I've done a little research on the subject.

Many of the objects we value and admire in museums are useful, if beautiful, objects of everyday living in the past. For centuries those with the means to have beautiful things around them did, and those who could not envied them.

The idea of art as art emerged during the Renaissance when beautiful objects became valued for themselves rather than being something practical and useful. Then along came Andy Warhol who showed us that almost anything can be art, totally confusing many people.

How to determine whether beautiful, everyday things are crafts, or might be art? Tolstoy says it is only " upon this capacity of man (the viewer) to receive another man's expression of feeling (the artist) and experience those feelings himself, that the activity of art is based."

Artist Shelley Essak, in her essay What is Art for about.com makes sense with her answer of form and content. Form being the design and materials, and content being the artists portrayal of intention and our reaction to it.

An artist works at creating art because they have a need to create, to find ourselves and our spirit through our work. Yet the reaction and response of the viewer is as necessary to the art as is the need of the artist to create. What's your take?

Artists in Spaces, In the Pink, daily painting by Everglades artists JoAnn Sanborn

In the Pink

5x7

Sold

Things seem to be calming down a little as the Artist Colony at the Esplanade begin to settle into a new routine. There are still issues to deal with and things that come up every single day that require attention. Seventeen different artists, many who didn't know each other, with their own ideas, styles and baggage all doing something new and innovative together is quite a challenge.

One for all? We're working on it. Individuals making decisions for the group good rather than self-serving? We're working on it. Hosting a fabulous Open House next month to celebrate our good fortune? We're working on it. Learning about the needs and cares of each other? We're working on it. Having this kind of a life-changing art experience? Priceless!

We're all learning new things. A studio gallery is a combination of a studio, where an artist usually works alone, and a gallery, where the public is invited to see the artwork. Although I had done several demonstrations, it took me a while to get used to work standing quite close to the front window to paint, and anyone walking past might stop to look.

There are interruptions to the work, but happily some end in making new friends or making sales. I'm at a point now where I am fairly confident of at least getting a daily done, and will write the blog regularly, so once again you'll be hearing from me three times a week.

The public who comes to visit tell us how much they like to visit. I like it, too, and feel very fortunate indeed to be part of this exciting experiment.

Nikon, Rob Hazzard, Everglades painting by artist JoAnn Sanborn

Today's painting was a gift to my daughter and her husband nearly 17 years ago. It hangs in New England, in a lovely traditional living room, comfortable among antique wood furniture and the lovely creams and yellow colors they've chosen for the room.

This was my second Florida painting. I was still not at all familiar with the foliage here, and it's probably some Alligator Flag or some pickerel weed. If I remember, I got carried away by the light and reflections. I'm still enchanted by the light and reflections in the Everglades.

The reason we're going so far back in time today is that my favorite little Nikon Coolpix camera, used to photo my daily paintings was dropped and broken. Oops. That's why the last couple of photo of the dailes were a bit "off."

Diligent searching indicated that my camera can be replaced at a reasonable cost, but it will take a while to get here and I just don't like my husbands big fancy camera. It doesn't quite understand what I want.

My painting now has come companions. A corner of that New England living room has become an artist's studio. My daughter's husband, Rob Hazzard, has become a fine artist, and has a number of paintings you might enjoy seeing. Take a look!

Sunflowers, Chad Oliver, and me! New Day daily painting by Everglades Artist JoAnn Sanborn

New Day

5x7, acrylic on canvas

$150

The Southwest Florida environment continues to delight and amaze me. The sea of sunflowers in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, that appear in October most, but not every year, are just beautiful.

I learned about them through the newscast of NBC-2 reporter Chad Oliver, who often covers stories of interest to me and to others who love this environment. I can't seem to upload the video, so here's a link to the page that tells the story and a video of the scene.

Chad also covered the Artist Colony at the Esplanade this week. It was a pleasure to work with him and his cameraman. The segment about the artists was aired several times, but if you missed it, you can see it here. Thanks, Chad!

Singing the Blues, Daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Singing the Blues

5x7, acrylic on canvas

Sold

Events are moving along well with the new Artist Colony at the Esplanade. The third vacant storefront will be filled with a group of artists who met earlier this week to organize. This space was originally envisioned to meet the needs of a number of Marco artists who don't have the time, work, money or commitment to fit into the larger spaces in a cooperative arrangement.

However, when the interested group met to organize, they decided that they each wanted to be able to leave their materials and to have a spot to call their own, so they will limit the number of participants to fit into the space.

I'm a little disappointed for those who can't be accommodated immediately and would have prefer ed a more inclusive arrangement, but it's a great group of artists who will work hard to work together to make the space a special art place. They'll be in operation around the first of November, after doing some preliminary work to the space to prepare.

Singing the Blues, just finished, has been traded to artist William Ward Mosley for one of his works, given to me last spring, when we agreed to trade. Bill and his wift Pat stopped by to check out the new studio space yesterday, a perfect time to pay my debt and give them their choice of a daily painting.

Meanwhile, I'm finding that moving into new studio space takes some getting used to. I've started to make it my own by putting some of my inspiration things around. I've got a few art books to inspire me when I need a boost. I've painted a couple of dailies, and will start a larger piece today. It's time to let go of the organizational stuff and get to work!

National Wildlife Refuge Week, End of the Day daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

End of the Day

7x5, acrylic on canvas

$150

I love a win-win partnership and that's just what's being celebrated in Collier County this week. It's National Refuge Week, and shared funding between the Florida Department of Transportation Enhancement Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge Roads Program and the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast Refuge Complex has provided new access to the Marsh Trail at the north end of the 10,000 Islands Wildlife Refuge.

The improvements include a parking lot, an information kiosk, a boardwalk leading to the trail, a watercraft ramp. There will be a handicap accessible observation tower by the end of November. The new access will be of particular interest to kayakers, who can glide through the marsh grasses silently, really becoming part of the landscape.

There are over 550 National Wildlife Refuge System properties throughout the US with the primary mission of wildlife protection and preservation. The first refuge was established over 100 years ago by Teddy Roosevelt at Florida's Pelican Island to protect birds from plume hunters who nearly decimated the population because the feathers were used in such large numbers on women's hats.



No thoughts of feathery hats for these two. We were exhausted at the end of the first day for Artist Colony at the Esplanade, but filled with a great sense of satisfaction! Studio and gallery space has been cleansed with a sage smudge to get out any fail-store-cooties without triggering the fire alarms and we're welcoming friends old and new Wed-Sat. Hope you'll stop in!

Stary Night, Hunter's Moon painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Hunter's Moon

12x12

If you were up early and outside this morning I hope you took a moment to look up into an absolutely dazzling morning sky. The stars were gorgeous, bright and twinkling. Brightest planet Venus was clear in the low eastern sky and the constellations were perfectly outlined above.

A good way to tell if you are seeing a planet or a star is that stars twinkle and planets do not.
According to Night Sky Info, twinkling of stars, technically known as stellar scintillation, is caused by the Earth's atmosphere. Because stars are so incredibly distant from us, any disturbances in the atmosphere will bounce around the light from a star in different directions. This causes the star's image to change slightly in brightness and position, hence "twinkle".

There's some great stories about twinkling stars here or you can enjoy this wonderful Starry Night presentation of Van Gogh's paintings. Thanks for sharing it, Carolyn!

Less and More, Big Cypress Autumn painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Big Cypress Autumn

24x36, acrylic on Canvas

Available

Today's Everglades painting is one that just came back from a gallery on Captiva Island. I've sold paintings there, but nothing so abstract. My guess is that sea and shore paintings are more popular than Everglades in that area.

Posting the dailies may be a little spotty in the next couple of weeks. Organizing the Esplanade project was more time-consuming than I had hoped, and although things are moving well there's more to be done in organizing the group gallery. It's a lot of work preparing my new space, and packing up to move the studio. I'm behind on some promised commissions, although I did finish one this weekend. There are other issues to deal with, too, and something had to give. It was today's daily!

Today we'll travel to New Port Richy and pick up the paintings that have been on exhibit at the NPR Gallery there for the last two months. Eight hours round trip. It was a nice opportunity, but nothing sold, so I'll have those paintings back in inventory. Tomorrow it's off early to begin cleaning up the new space in the Esplanade. The big move will be on Friday.

Other news is that I've become as affiliate of Alyson Stanfield of ArtBiz.com Her book, I'd Rather be in the Studio is chock full of information for a self-representing artists and the materials she produces are always worthwhile. If you are an artist and haven't read her book, order it today! She's starting a Cultivating Collectors class that sounds terrific. You can click on the link above, or there will always be one on the right side of the blog.

Hopefully the thunder rumblings outside this morning won't make the trip to New Port Richy a wet and miserable one!

Boat Trip, On the River, daily painting by Everglade artist JoAnn Sanborn

On the River

5x7, acrylic on board

$150, framed

Marco Island is the first and the largest of the 10,000 islands. Protected since the 60's, the 10, 000 islands wild life refuge is home to the largest mangrove forest in the world and a number of endangered species.

A boat trip from Marco Island to Goodland will show you a few more of the islands, and bring you other rewards as well. As you lose sight of the buildings on Marco the sounds of civilization fade, if you can let time slip away it could be a hundred or a thousand years ago.

The light sparks on the water, and a soft breeze gently moves the higher branches of the trees. A silver fish jumps with a rainbow splash. A ray of sunlight spots a great blue heron in the mangrove legs, his head turned and his sharp eyes watch the water for lunch. A red shouldered hawk sits high on a bare branch waiting for some small creature below to venture into the open and become his prey.

If you're very fortunate, you might see the flock of roseate spoonbills that frequent the tidal sandbar off to the right. You are most likely to see them early or late in the day. The spoonbills, arge wading birds are one of the most striking birds found in North American. It's a bright, almost shocking pink, nests in the dense mangrove forests, and consumes a varied diet by wading in shallow water with bills partially submerged swinging its head back and forth in a sideways motion. When it senses prey, the bird snaps its bill closed and swallows its prey.

If you don't live nearby and your're not able to take the trip yourself, you can get a virtual tour here and a map of the islands here.

Choices, Soft and Still daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Soft and Still

5x7, acrylic on board

sold

Today's daily painting is a soft and quiet Everglades scene. The landscape here has so many voices, from active to passive. Nature chooses for us, we don't get to choose what the day will be like. If we could, what would you choose?

It’s especially difficult to choose for someone else, as a new collector pointed out to me a few days ago while looking through my daily paintings to pick one out as a gift for friends. “I know what I like, but choosing for someone else takes much more thought." she told me as she looked again and again. Her personal choices tended towards the more colorful, active landscapes, and but she thought her friends would prefer something more peaceful and serene.

After spending some time, she finally used the process of elimination to reduce her choices to five. She wanted to be able to mail the real thing, a gift in a box, not a gift certificate, so I finally packed up five of the small daily landscapes so that she could take them home, elicit the help of her mother who also knew the couple, and ponder the paintings at her leisure.

She came back two days later comfortable with her choice. You can see it here. I reassured her that if the gift recipient looked at the blog and chose another, it would be an easy matter to exchange for the one they might prefer. She went off happy with her gift choice, and I’m delighted to have made a new friend. Thanks, Janet!

Agony of Art, Not a Breeze painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Not a Breeze

24x30, acrylic on canvas

This Everglades painting is my entry for the exhibition "Show of Shows" at the Naples Art Association. This is a member show, no jurying, so you get to see a nice variety of art and exactly when the artists choose to enter. The reception will be Friday, September 25th, from 5:30-7:30, and cost $10 if you're not a member, but you'll get wine, and some nice refreshments.

When I sent in the entry for this show the painting was only a small seed in my brain. No problem, I though. I'll just send in a title and paint the painting in time to be done for the submissions.

Ugh. The painting just wouldn't come. I started several times and struggled over the composition and color choices. The painting accompanied me to the artist luncheon for critique, where I received several excellent suggestions. Unfortunately most of them were forgotten as I struggled on, still unable to bend the painting to my vision.

Occasionally, on rare and joyous occasions, I've gotten into the "zone and had a great painting just flow off the brush with amazing ease. Other times something gets in the way of doing it right! Could it be my worn out brushes? Do I need a new palette? A fresh approach? Some new subject matter? Clearing my mind? Opening my mind? Gaining additional knowledge? Too much knowledge? Ugh, the frustration!

Why is it that sometimes the most difficult things come easy to us, and easiest things so hard? The painting was finally framed at noon on Saturday and delivered by one. I don't like cutting things quite that close!

Reality! Along a Stream daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Along a Stream

5x7, acrylic on board

$150, framed

Art Tabletalk, a group of professional artists who meet once a month to talk art, met yesterday and could talk of nothing else! Artists at the Esplanade is becoming a reality!

Marco Islands not-for-profit arts agencies, the Marco Island Center for the Arts and the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts have joined forces and graciously agreed to become leasees of vacant retail space in Marco Island's Esplanade. The artists involved will be required to maintain memberships in both organizations.

The two organizations will jointly sublease three storefronts. Two will be for seven artists who will open studio galleries in shared space. The third will be reserved for a group artist cooperative gallery where there will be working and display space, provided they can organize in an acceptable way.

The agreement is temporary, and we'll have to be flexible as time passes. Each party can cancel with a 30-day notice. The Esplanade will be looking for paying tenants once the economy approves. Artists traditionally have improved an area until they are priced out. We're used to this, and will just have to move on when the time comes. In the meantime, we'll be paint some fabulous paintings, having some fun, and make new friends in the community.

We'll start to move in some time around October 1, with perhaps a Grand Opening in November as part of the United Arts Council's Celebrate the Arts! Stop by and say hello!

Take a Deep Breath, daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Take a Deep Breath

5x7, acrylic on board

Sold

Do you notice the sound of the frogs, a gentle breeze rustling the palm fronds or the eagle soaring overhead? If you live in South Florida, take a moment to enjoy the nature that's all around us. In addition to unique and amazing wild life, like the gopher turtles and the owls, and sea turtles, the very air can give you joy.

The sunsets and sunrises this time of year are almost always glorious shows of natural light. Sometimes the late show is quite dramatic as the storms roll through, like in today's Everglades painting. Other times it's the quiet layering of soft salmon, mint green and a gentle turquoise on the horizon as the sun comes up that might make you sigh with delight.

As you go about doing whatever it is that you have planned for today, at some point step outside, take a deep breath and listen to what our earth might have to tell you. It just might make your day!

Artists at the Esplanade, Lovely Morning daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Lovely Morning

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas

$150 framed

It is a lovely morning today, with only a few clouds on the horizon as the sun comes up, both in today's painting and on Marco. But many artists on Marco Island, involved in the potential use of provided studio space at the Esplanade, are holding their breath and crossing their fingers rather than enjoying the view.

We haven't had a good nights sleep in a month! There are eighteen of us so far, Nine looking for studio space and another nine hoping for group gallery, or co-op space. It's expected that the gallery space will draw many other Marco artists as the plan becomes reality.

In order for the proposal to the benefit Esplanade management, the boards of Marco's two non-profit art agencies, the Marco Island Center for the Arts and the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts must agree to lease the space from them and then sub-lease it to the artists. And the devil is always in the details.

These community organizations are doing a terrific job of trying to keep the idea alive while struggling through the necessary nitty-gritty to make it work. Leases are being review by lawyers and insurance issues are being investigated to ensure the protection of the non-profits. Potential costs are being considered, and everyone agrees it shouldn't cost the non-profits. The boards of both organizations will be meeting this week to determine whether or not they want to participate.

In any case, should one or both step up, the artists of this community will owe them a a huge debt of gratitude. They chose to be innovative, progressive, excited and open to the idea, and now are doing the hard work and critical thinking necessary to make it. Artists at the Esplanade can and should work to the benefit of all.

We should have answers by the end of the week. However you work for the best, prayers, lucky charms, positive thinking, energy flow, now is the time!

Snail Kites, Still Morning, a daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Soft Rain

5x7, Acrylic on Canvas

sold

Snail Kites are medium sized hawks that flourish in lowland freshwater marshes like the Everglades. In the Big Cypress basin, snail kites use the Lostmans and Okaloacoochee sloughs, Hinson Marsh, and the East Loop and Corn Dance units of Big Cypress National Preserve. They thrive in shallow open water that is clear and calm.

The males are a blue-gray and the females are soft brown with a longish tail and rounded wings. They're birds of prey, in the same family as other hawks and eagles. They fly with much wing motion, always looking down to search out their favorite food, the pond, or apple snail. Apple snails are a large, freshwater snail, and provide the kite with 99%of it's food.

The snail kite is dependent on the hydrology and the water quality of it's watersheds. Watersheds in southwest Florida have experienced pervasive degradation due to urban development and agricultural.

Drainage of marshland has reduced the habitat of the pond snail, limiting the food supply, and egg taking by collectors in the 1950's drove the number of Snail Kites down, but the species may be rebounding a bit today.

Why Snail Kites? We have a huge population of snails in our yard this year. Recently a large hawk landed in a small space between the house and a mixed border. We wondered what it might have been after. I've been researching the hawk, and because of it's clumsiness, it's red beak and legs, it might have been a snail kite.

Better after a snail than some of the other creatures it might have been! Of course it was gone by the time I got my camera.

Working from Home, In the Pink daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

In the Pink

5x7, Acrylic on Canvas

$150, framed

I've been fortunate to have two dear sisters-in-law visiting here on Marco, one for the past month, another for the last two weeks, and a brief daughter visit over the weekend. Phew!

Like most Marcoites, we welcome the visits of those we love. There's sharing and laughter and catching up. There's help too, since neither of these two would sit still a minute when there was something to be done. Then our guests are gone, our tummys are expanded and our houses are all too quiet.

Visitors are a special challenge when you work from home. Sometimes there are guests staying in the studio, although that was not the case this time. Sometimes we just get too busy showing off paradise and washing the towels, and painting has to take a back seat.

When you work from home no one realizes you should be two hours into your working day when you linger over coffee. Their vacation must become yours. So this month I missed a couple of deadlines, and an opportunity. Yet, I made a few deadlines and an important meeting.

Guess it's a balancing act, and it all worked out. I'll miss them.

Everglades Painting by artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Today's Everglades painting is one that I've been working on for a while. It's not done yet because I can't get it quite right. I like the color scheme, so it may be the color temperature. The light is cool, and the colors are as cool in the sun as they are in the shade. Warm up the shadows? Tried it. Warm up the light and cool down the shadows? Tried it.

On the other hand, may be it's the composition. There's a problem with the integration of the parts of the landscape. Rather than look like two groups of friendly palms, these look more like a confrontation ready for a gang war.

So, this holiday weekend with family visiting and so many things on my mind I don't have a "daily" for you. But feel free to comment on this 18x24 size that's driving me nuts!

Clyde Butcher Muck About, Muck About daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Muck About
5x7 acrylic on Canvas
$150, framed

It's Labor Day weekend, and I urge you to take a ride out to the Everglades, visit Niki & Clyde Butcher in their Big Cypress Gallery, and if you haven't done it, participate in a Swamp Walk.

Every Labor Day weekend, the Butchers invite you to their property for their annual Muck About. You can bring lunch, they'll have bottled water, and picnic among the cypress trees. Clyde and Niki will be on hand and available to talk with you. A guide will take you on a walk through the swamp, and introduce you to the flora and fauna of the area, and maybe some of the swamp denizens as well.

Cost in the past has been $25 for the swamp walk. This year, it's $75, but you receive a $50 gift certificate for the gallery as well as the walk. Guides have changed from rangers from the Big Cypress Preserve to Dragon Fly Expeditions, and according to the website the walks will be much more intimate. You can make reservations and learn about what to wear here and check out a video showing a walk.

It's quite an experience, and if you haven't done it I highly recommend it.

Marco Island Arts Ordinance, Just a Few Clouds daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Just a Few Clouds

6x6, acrylic on canvas

$125, unframed

Today's Marco Island Eagle headlines with an article about the proposed Arts Ordinance for Marco Island. Proposed by the Arts Advisory Committee of the City, and now before the Marco Island Planning Board. The ordinance would require new commercial properties over 5000 sq.ft. or those renovating up to 50% to pay a small fee either to purchase art of their choosing and approved by the council, or to put the money into a fund for the purchase of art elsewhere in the City.

You've often heard me speak or read me here about the value of art to us as humans. Art in our community is very important. Art both helps to build community through shared experiences, so important on Marco since almost everyone comes from "somewhere else," and art helps to expand our minds as we contemplate the what, why, where and how of it.

Today, lets look at art from a business stand point. People want to live where there are art events and art opportunities. Communities having these amenities have an edge over those who do not. This means that every realtor on Marco Island should be in favor of this ordinance.

It's a fact that the Arts return dollar for dollar spent. Every dollar spent on the arts comes back to a community by helping to sustain business growth and provide business opportunities, as well as making a community a desirable place to live.

We're a community of permanent residents now. Lets provide for something beyond the beach!

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a member of the Arts Advisory Committee for the City. The committee advises the City Council on Arts affairs. This committee has been working for five years to produce an ordinance for the city. Now let's get it passed!

Multidirectional panel, painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Here's my entry for Marco Island Center for the Arts Fortieth Birthday Bash to be held in early November. Forty Art League Artists will complete a 12x12 panel which will become part of a larger painting. The finished painting will be eight panels wide and five panels high.

If you're doing a panel, please be careful with tape. My panel had "issues" because the blue painters tape that I used somehow decided to fuse itself to my panel after just a couple of minutes leaving dirty glue residue. When I tried to wash it off, off came the finish of the panel. Panic and some cursing ensued, but I finally got it mostly under control.

I wanted the panel to be multi-directional as design from any angle, as you should, if you're doing one. That way the work becomes interactive, as the viewer can move any of the panels any way they like in the whole crazy quilt of the painting. The panels will have velcro tape put on the back, and can be redesigned again and again at the will of the viewer.

If you are an Art League artist and you haven't picked up your panel, call the Art League soon to reserve yours. They're going fast. This is a great opportunity to participate in something both fun and lasting.

Artists at the Esplanade, Early Light daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Early Light

5x7, acrylic on canvas

$15o, framed

It was quiet and still when I walked this morning, with the sky full of stars in the early light, a peaceful start to a new day. What will the day bring?

I needed that peace because I'm so very excited, but still holding my breath with fingers crossed, as the possibility of Artists at the Esplanade becomes a reality. The retail spaces at the Esplanade on Marco Island have never been full, and several spaces were vacant with the depressed economy.

By accepting a proposal to allow artists to utilize retail space, the owners are showing innovation, forward thinking and risk-taking. They'll benefit by having a tax break by leasing through the islands non-profit arts agencies , details still in progress, but it still took courage to take the leap.

Artists will bring color, excitement and action to the scene. Spaces will be shared and the requirement is to maintain a working studio, spending at least 30 hours a week on-site and selling only what you produce. One site may be held for a group gallery. Think of it--something rare today-a working artist colony!

If we can keep up the momentum, and not get bogged down with greed, minutia or spoilers, studios will be opening around the first of October. I'll keep you posted!

Eye Rolling, Morning Show daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Morning Show

5x7, acrylic on canvas

Sold
"You may have a hard time tolerating certain people around the house or workplace today -- especially if they're hung up on petty concerns. You can't hide the rolling of your eyes this time!" My horoscope for today.

I normally wouldn't even look, but my proposal to provide artist studio space in vacant retail space in the Esplanade has been accepted. There's a meeting to work out details this afternoon.

It could be wonderful for both artists and the City of Marco. Oh, God, please control the eye rolling! And add a dose of tolerance too.

Marco Island Marriott, Enjoying the View daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Enjoying the View

5x7, Acrylic on Canvas

Sold

Perhaps you've noticed that the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort and Spa is getting a face lift and the brown and cream tiles decorative tiles that made the Marriott a landmark on Marco Island have been removed. The Marriott was designed by Island architech Herb Savage over 40 years ago and the tiles have been there ever since.

Since no one seemed to know the future of the facade, members of the Marco Island Arts Advisory Committee visited the Marriott and met with General Manager Rick Medwedeff to ask him about future plans for the very visible landmark.

Mr. Medwedeff graciously explained that due to corrosion of the bonding materials, the tiles had begun to fall off. Since some of the tiles weighted as much as 150 lbs, this constituted a safety emergency for the Marriott Resort, and the decision was made to remove the rest before someone was injured, and to patch and paint the facade as a temporary fix.

Since it will be impossible to restore the historic tiles, a new design is being considered. Construction for a new facade will begin in 2010. Since the new design is still under consideration, it's not yet being made public, but the committee has been assured that Marriott takes the condition of it's Marco Island facility very seriously and that the new facade will be both appropriate and beautiful.