Lease, and Spring Morning, painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Spring Morning, 2014, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 8"x 10"

After being told by the landlord that my studio/gallery space was going to be leased to someone else even though I was a "model tenant," I've been given a reprieve. Barring any unforeseen issues, I'll soon be signing a new, three-year lease to stay at the Esplanade.  

In the interim I've thought of little else.  Every option was considered. Find space elsewhere. Paint at home and have a show now and then.  Join in with other artists. (thank you VERY much for the invitation!) Go back to outdoor shows or the Farmer's market.  Look for a gallery. Retire.  Retire?  Nothing felt quite right.  

In the end, keeping the studio/gallery was what seemed best for me, so I asked the landlord to reconsider this decision.  Upon receiving my business and marketing plan, financials, and a strongly worded plea, I was reconsidered as a tenant and approved for a three year lease.  It's not all roses, since the new lease is a tough one and I'll have to work very hard, but I'm comfortable that the decision is the right one.

So I'll sign the lease and be at the Esplanade for another three years.  Many thanks to all of you who comforted me, stood up for me, spoke up for me, called me, emailed me, helped with the financials, review the legal stuff, and generally supported my plea. It wouldn't have happened without YOU and I am most truly grateful for your support. 

Come in for some coffee and art chat.  I'll be at my easel!

900th Post! Journey, painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Journey, 2014, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Oil on board, 8"x10"

 

When you get comfortable with the colors on your palette, know what to expect of each one, know how it will react with all the other colors you squeeze out for your working day, and exactly how it will mix, it’s time to add a new color to your palette.  Or perhaps try a whole new palette. 

An artist should never get too comfortable with any materials and methods that allow staying in a comfort zone for too long.  That’s not the job of an artist.  Experiment, try a color, method or material, think about your work with a fresh eye. Comfort equals complacency, and complacency stifles creativity. 

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because I’ve been painting the Everglades for a long time now.  Still, after examining my motives, I know I’m not done yet.  I continually see new things, new colors, new forms.  The light continues to be fabulous,  and it intrigues and inspires me.   I don’t copy nature, my paintings come from something deep within me that resonates with this ancient landscape.  The day I feel complacent and the work becomes easy, I’ll try something new. 

 

I feel the same way about this blog.  I started writing in 2007, and today marks my 900th blog post!  When I started there was no Facebook and no Twitter.  Now I use social media to connect with my collectors, and both art and social friends.  But the blog is my web journal and I'm not ready to give it up completely.  I'm not as faithful as when I named it Jo-Ann Sanborn Daily -- what was I thinking??? Still, look for post 901 soon! 

Back to the Glades, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Back to the Glades, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

oil on board, 8"x10"

 

 

Although some of us are getting just a little sick of all the summer rain we've been having, the Everglades are full of water right now, just as they should be.  The Everglades has two seasons, the wet and the dry, and summer is wet, wet, wet! 

 

As the water rises, animals that had congregated together during the winter dry season to share moisture spread out to mate, bear litters, and gain weight from the abundant fish and frogs, and other food sources. 

 

It's all part of the natural balance.  It's just not always perfect for people, who plan a visit to South Florida expecting every day to be a beach day, and this year seems wetter than ever.  Sorry, folks!

Up the Hill, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Up the Hill, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

oil on board, 8"10"

 

Time to move on and get back to the Everglades, so this will be the last post of the paintings done in France for a while.  I took hundreds of photos, so will probably use them as reference for paintings from time to time.  

 

I thought you might also like to see some of the postcards as well, so I've posted a few below.   Most of them are gone, to thank-you's, grandkids, and others, but they are fun to do, so I'll keep up the practice, and there will be a few in the studio for you to frame if you'd like. 

 



 

 

Lily Pond, Le Vieux Couvent, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Garden Pond, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 8"x10"

 

At Le Vieux Couvent, in Frayssinet, France, this little lily pond is just off the studio patio.  There are several large bull frogs in the pond, and if you were very quiet they would begin to sing.  Well, croak.  Loudly and with character. 

 

As soon as you moved closer they would dive for the bottom.  It took me several days to actually see one, but once I knew what I was looking for--mostly two bulbous eyes and a pulsating throat--and learned to move quietly enough, I could pick them out of the green that camouflaged them. 

 

You can see this little painting and the others from my trip if you get your "oui, oui" on and come to tea, Friday, June 12th, 4 p.m in the studio.  Joanne Lawand will join me in showing you our best French paintings, show photos of the trip, have a small little contest, and draw a name for winning one of the French scene post cards.  Hope you can come!  

Door in Frayssinet by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Le

Door at Le Vieux Covant, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

8x10, oil on board

Yes, you are on the correct blog but this is not the Everglades! There are so many picturesque scenes here at Le Vieux Covant in Frayssinet, France, that it is hard to decide what to paint first.

As many of you know, I am not an oil painter. I've tried them on and off over the years and decided that they were not for me, yet I am using them on this trip trying to keep an open mind about it! And, there's a possibility I'll become a convert, or at least a user!

I'm traveling with a wonderful group of artists, led by artist Dreama Tolle Perry. We are living in a group of beautiful old buildings that have been converted into a place for artist retreats. The food is magnificent, the beds comfortable, and the abundant painting scenes on the grounds are covered with fragrantly scented roses. Charm everywhere you look.

There are nearby ruins, lily ponds with magnificent bull frogs, stone steps and church bells, sheep and cows. All told, it is a painters dream, and I feel so fortunate to be here. More to come!

Posted with Blogsy

Issac, Sloughs, and Studio Assistants! Slough in the Glades daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Slough in the Glades, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

 acrylic on linen board, 8"x10"

 

Sloughs are filling up as the summer rains drench the Everglades landscape.  If we get storm Issac next week, the winds will help blow out debris and clean the land, in additon to adding much needed water to the environment.   Huricanes are a little less helpful to people, so pay attention and be prepared!  You'll find good information on the NOAA site, here. 

 

My  get-a-kid plan is working well.  My new studio assistant has been a great help already.  She's a busy teenager, but having her available even a couple of hours a week has already proved a good decision.  

 

Her first job was to take a huge shopping bag of clippings and make sense of it.  I've been stuffing stuff into that pile for years, thinking "someday....."  She returned the mess to me in two three-ring binders.  Every show, postcard, newspaper article, award, and note, all sleeved, and separated by year and date.  Even more impressive that she just DID it, without even a single phone call or question.  Wow! 

 

When you have everything ready, it's easy to start to paint.  Yesterday she unwrapped five boxes of new canvases, and broke up the cardboard that I'm not saving for shipping. In the next few weeks she'll to tone them in the warm dark I use for priming. These two simple chores will save me hours of work and I'll have exactly what I want all ready to go. 

 

If all is still going well, we'll move on to cataloguing the paintings.  This job has been on the top of my to-do list for at least three years.  I put it off over and over.  She loves a challenge.  Together maybe we can get it done.