Arts Afire Ignites the Arts on Marco Island! Changing Light painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Changing Light, Jo-Ann Sanborn, 2011

acrylic on canvas, 30"x30"

Arts Afire!, Marco’s celebration of Arts and Culture, starts tomorrow, and there are so many wonderful opportunities for people to see, view, and participate in a wide range of arts and culture events over the 10 days of Arts Afire!

One event that is sure to be well attended and VERY special will be Flashpoint, a Kick-Off Party at CJ’s on the Bay held by the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce on Monday, March 14th.  In addition to the literary and performing arts delighting you, the Artist Colony at the Esplanade will provide an opportunity for your participation in the Visual arts, but that's only a small part of what will happen at Flashpoint. Flashpoint will truly light the spark of arts and culture on Marco, and will delight you.  Don't miss it! 

On Wednesday, March 16th, The Artist Colony at the Esplanade will have demonstrations by each of the Colony artists all day long.  Stop in and have the opportunity to look deeper into each artists muse.  Some will demonstrate or show you a special technique, some will talk about their own art, and some, about the art of others.  Here's our schedule"

10:00 Waterfront Gallelry and Studios, Karen Swanker - Found objects

10:30      Rightside Studios, Darren Clack

11:00     Waterfront Studios Gallery and Studios, Maggie DeMarco - Glass Painting

11:30     Portside Studios, Inez Hudson - Inspiration

12:00     Rightside studios, Tara O’Neill - Art with an Intimate Focus

12:30     Waterfront Gallelry and Studios, Tom Gallagher - Watercolor techniques

1:00     Portside Studios,  Amanda Ganong

1:30     Rightside Studios, Betty Newman - Painting on Water

2:00 Waterfront, Tony Dallman Jones Sculpting with Light - 22nd Century Art

2:30     Portside Studios, Carolyn Burger - The Diversity of Acrylics

3:00     Rightside Studios, Jo-Ann Sanborn - Everglades, Light and Love

3:30     Waterfront Gallery, Claire Keery - Collage and Assemblage as an Artform

The week will culminate in a fabulous Afterglow Gala at the Island Country Club.  Tickets can be purchased online here. 

What a week!  Here's a SMALL sampling of the weeks events:

Opera!  (Opera Naples at Lutheran Church on Sunday - costumes and scenery!)
Dance! (Spotlight Dance at the Esplanade Monday)
History! (Museum on Sunday)
Song! (Ray and Mary Ellen Friday)
Flowers! (Art in Bloom at the Art League)
Movies! (MIFA Wed and Mackle, Friday)
Art show and all day entertainment!  (Art League)
Art of Flaming Food (Bergman at St Marks Tuesday
Photography!  (Clyde Butcher Lecture Wed at Historical Society)
Mimes and more! 

This can be wonderful!  It's still growing, but you can download a copy of the latest Arts Afire! schedule of events here or pick one up in any of the studios.  I'll be taking the week off from this blog to enjoy the events.  See you out and about!   

Gallery Show, Earth, Water, Sky painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Earth, Wind, Sky, by Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 16x20

Earth, Wind, Sky is one of the Everglades paintings sold at the gallery reception last evening.  A relatively simple painting, it has a nice quality of moisture to the air that gives it a softness and distinction not always achieved. 

Thank you, Aura Fine Art Gallery, for a wonderful show and a fun reception.

The gallery was beautifully hung with my paintings, with a lovely "goodies" table and plenty of wine.  A woman was hired to stand outside downstairs and make sure people knew about the opening and could find their way up to the gallery, and Barbara and Tim were welcoming and helpful.  Being helpful at one point meant moving paintings here and there at my request as collectors wanted to see two paintings together or in different light.  Thank you! 

Several painting were sold to some of my very dearest collectors.  I was surprised and delighted by very special collector friends who came straight from the airport to attend the show!  Others I hadn't seen for a while warmed me with their greetings.  Thank you! 

Some of my favorite artists came, too, like John Bartolus of Historic Cottages of Naples Calendar fame, and Shannon White, an artist friend now turned jeweler.  (they'll have to get online!) Richard Rosen, fabulous ceramic artist stopped by, too.  Thank you!

Students came.  I love teaching, and to have students come out to one of my shows is an honor.  Thank you! 

Walking into a gallery filled with your work and having people tell you that they respond to this piece or that is just about the best thing that can happen to an artist.  I'll float on this one for a long time!  Thank you! 

The show will hang through February 24th, so if you missed the reception you are still welcome to stop by Aura Gallery and visit the show. It's on 5th Avenue South, just above Chops in downtown Naples. In the meantime, maybe I'll see you at the Left Bank Art Fest at the Esplanade on Saturday.

Reception Invitation, Last Stand painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Last Stand, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Acrylic on Canvas, 9 12x12 pieces

You're Invited!

Corner of the Glades

New Work, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Reception February 10th, 6-9 pm.m

Aura Fine Art Gallery

837 Fifth Avenue South

Naples, FL  34145

upstairs over Chops!

I’ve been asked to hold a solo show at Aura Fine Art Gallery in Naples, and I've been working on new paintings since early summer when the show was first offered.  The gallery is showing three pieces of my work in anticipation of the show, and I'll deliver another 22 paintings next week. 

Most of the scenes are from the Fakahatchee.  It's been difficult for me to get further afield this year, and some great new access has come available close to Marco Island. Some of the new paintings have been previewed on this blog, and other pieces haven’t been shown anywhere yet.

The painting above, Last Stand, is a new, colorful, nine-piece painting that will be sold as one piece.  I painted something quite similar but different quite a few years ago that's hanging in a dentist office, and wanted to explore the idea further.  It can be hung as shown, or the pieces can be configure to fit your space needs or your aesthetic.  There's been quite a bit of interest as I've worked on the piece in the studio, and you can see it in person at the reception. 

You are invited to the reception, Thursday, February 10th, from 6-9. If you haven’t received a post card about the show from me, it’s because you are not on my mailing list, you have moved and didn’t tell me, or I don’t have your complete address as in the case of some condos. 

In addition, he Post Office is returning the cards to me with a “not deliverable as addressed” label. Yet when I check the address, it is exactly as it appears on my list, delivered previously, or if I check the phone book or online, the address is correct. Almost 10% of the cards have been returned for unknown reasons.  It’s an infuriating waste of money to put stamps on mail that is not delivered even though the address seems correct.

If you have not received a card from me you are still invited! You're welcome to bring friends, too.  Put it on your calendar right now, come along and join the fun. We’ll have a good time, you’ll see my latest work, and if things go well some paintings will be going to new homes.

If you are not able to attend the reception, the paintings will be on display at Aura Gallery from Feb. 10 to Feb. 24. Thanks, Barb and Tim for this opportunity! 

Oh, if you’d like to be added to my snail mail list (at your own peril) you can email me here.

Friendly Neighbors, painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Friendly Neighbors
12x16, acrylic on canvas
$400

This lighthearted little painting, friendly neighbors, is cheerful and colorful. You can see it in person at Celebrate the arts, the Marco Island Art League's fine arts show this weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 10-4. I'm hoping for no rain or wind!

As a exhibitor, I always hope for friendly neighbors at the shows. Set up and tear down occur in very close quarters and can be stressful. Everyone tries not to infringe on the space of someone else, get in their way, or park to confine, but a smile or kind work from a neighbor can make the task pleasant, while a grouchy neighbor just adds to the stress!

There will be close to a hundred high quality arts at the Art League show, including painting, pottery, sculpture and jewelry in addition to a nice selection of entertainment, children's activities, and refreshments, too.

The show is a fundraiser for the Art League. Many have suffered financial difficulties during these hard times, and the Art League is no exception. With a hands-on effort from the board, support of the members and the business community, the Art League is slowly working their way out of debt and back to fiscal responsibility.

This show will be an important fundraiser for the Art League. Come, pay the minimal entrance fee graciously, extra if you can, and pass this on to anyone you think might be interested in a really nice art show. Hope to see you there!

Art Show, Boca Grande, Daily Painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Beach Walkers

20x20

$800

On the Beach is another in the series of elongated palms on the beach that I've been working on, It's in the same family with Out to Sea, Night Mists, Warming in Sunshine. You can see them here. Sometime groups of palms just scream to be painted! The intervals of space between them, the different heights, and the way the tops interact all make for a painting challenge. It took a bit of work but I finally was happy with the value range and the depth and movement of color.

This painting, along with a nice selection of others, will travel to Boca Grande this weekend for an outdoor show. I'll have a couple of large things, and some daily paintings as well. I don't know much about Boca Grande except it's a barrier island near Gasparilla. Although we've passed by it a number of times, it's a part of Florida we haven't investigated yet. We're excited about having the opportunity to check it out. It will be a mini-working-vacation for us.

It's been really busy getting ready for both the show and my yearly Marco workshop which will start first thing Monday Morning. I've been updating and revising the class material, preparing handouts and putting everything together to take. It's a very intense class, and getting home late Sunday night won't give much time. This is the last day to sign up, so if you're interested, call the Marco Center for the Arts today.

If you're here on Marco this weekend, don't forget to attend the Marco Seafood Festival. The Chamber of Commerce will have a wealth of information about Marco businesses, and will have my April flyer as well. Stop by and mention my name!

Celebrate the Arts, Spring Dance Daily Painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Spring Dance
7" x 5" (17.8cm x 12.7cm)
acrylic on Panel
$150 with FREE shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Today's daily Everglades painting is Spring Dance, with three palm trees dancing in the distance with a small mangrove for an audience. Are you ready to dance for spring?

The Marco Art League did a great job on the Celebrate the Arts festival this weekend, providing a lovely artists reception, coffee each morning, congenial booth sitters, good parking and traffic control, and weather updates when the sky looked threatening. The wind wasn't too bad in my area, but on Sunday afternoon several artists had wind issues or even damage, and a few had to close up early.

There was a crowd on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but it quickly dwindled in the afternoons on both days. Sales varied from quite good to miserable. These days in our miserable economy I'm appreciative of every sale, and was delighted to have several paintings go to nice new homes. Thank you to new collectors, and to past collectors and friends who stopped by to see my newest work and say hello.

Today I'll be removing the exhibition at the Norris Center in Naples, and shipping a painting purchased yesterday. Because of these obligations we had to turn down a nice offer to go to Shark Valley this afternoon. Darn! It's been a while, and I'm anxious to get some fresh inspiration. Tomorrow we'll volunteer at the Naples Art Association for another show intake.

Invitational Art Show, Old Mother West Wind Visits the Palms, daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Old Mother West Wind visits the Palms

Sold

Does anyone else remember the old Thornton Burgess children's books? I still think of Old Mother West Wind when the wind blows. My father used to read these stories to my brother and I every night when we were children. The books we read were old, and had been my mothers, and some even maybe my grandfathers. We read all about Reddy Fox and his friends, then Uncle Wiggly, and other memorable series and stories. I'm sure that my love of the nature world stems from the pleasure of that time, and the stories that gave human traits to the natural world.

The Naples Invitational Art Show didn't live up to it's past this year. There were a few sales, and some artists did quite well, but the usual crowd of attendees just didn't show up, so the show was lacking in it's usual big crowd excitement. I'm not sure if everyone was at the beach because of the beautiful weather, if the promoters just didn't advertise enough, if it was the economy in general, or the $5 entry donation, but for some reason traffic was really light for this show.

Too bad, because this show has more interest and variety than most of the Naples shows. The slow times passed more easily by good art conversation with artist friends Darlene Pearce, and Christine Reichow, and it was a pleasure to listen to the unobtrusive and delightful music of Archie Smith across the way. Archie makes beautiful instruments, beautiful hangers for them, and beautiful music!

Still, I don't mean to be complaining! We had an easy load-in spot, and a gratifying number of customers and friends stopped by to to chat about art, brought friends, let me know that they still love my work, are enjoying the blog. You make it possible to continue working at what I love, and I'm very grateful to you!

Inauguration, Morning, daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Morning

5x7 $150

Today's painting is of early morning clouds reflected in an Everglades waterway edged by palms. The clouds begin to dissipate as the sun warms the sky.

The Left Bank Art Show at the Esplanade on Saturday was lots of fun. It's an easy show to do since no tents are requred and you can bring as much equipment as you want. I brought my Flourish "French Door", with mesh panel and new stand alone feet. It worked great. I hung two large paintings on one side and a number of my dailies on the other. That and my chair and some handouts was all I needed! Foolishly, I didn't take a photo of my own set up. Next time!

There were sales, but most were light. I guess that's the best we can hope for in this doom and gloom economy. Without confidence in the future, we're all afraid to spend right now. Luckily many still see the value in original art.

Tomorrow will bring the inauguration of a new president. Barack Obama faces a country filled with dismay and confusion at how quickly our future became so uncertain. I'm ready for a fresh start and some new hope, and wish him well.

Natual Women, Field Passages Daily Painting by Everglades Artist JoAnn Sanborn

Field Passage

5x7

$150, free shipping

The daily painting have gone from chore to pleasure for me. They've become a great way for me to focus on a small scene, or to explore an idea. Sometimes I'll block out two or three on site, like I do for my larger work, other times work from reference photo's I've taken. They're almost never made up, and this one is no exception. Here I wanted to convey the roughness of the field grasses. You can picture yourself forging a path through until you remember about the snakes and the alligators that may be lurking, hidden in them!

We had a great time yesterday at the Marco Center for the Arts opening for the Natural Woman exhibition. The day started with an encaustic demonstration by artist Ricky Martin, followed by a reception in the gallery. My good friend artist Claire Keery was one of five featured artists, and her collage work was the focus of much attention. Claire has traveled extensively and loves all things Asian. Her elephant piece captures the mystique of elephants in the moonlight perfectly, and people were wowed by her dancer's dress composed of natural objects she had found, cut, and dried. The gallery was bright and colorful with some absolutely wonderful quilted pieces of fabric art, and complemented by the encaustic flowers of Ricky Martin. The show is a not to miss!

Following the show we were treated to a wonderful party at Claire's gracious home, where we ate, drank, and were quite merry visiting with other artists and guests. Thanks, Claire!