Blooming, Daily Painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Blooming, 2017, Jo-Ann Sanborn

5"x7"

My mother assigned the small plot of earth between the front and side doors to me at age 6.  I was allowed to pick out a flat or two of small plants at the garden shop and purchase some seeds each year.  She must have helped with the weeding the first few years, and I've had a garden ever since.  

Painting flowers is a nice change from everglades art.  I've never really concentrated on painting flowers, but always have fresh blooms in the house.  Sometimes they're purchased from the grocery, but sometimes I'll pick a little something from the yard. The deep magenta center and the yellow-white edges of this hibiscus are showy enough to stand alone. 

News! Early Morning Light, an Everglades Painting by Jo-Ann Sanborn

Early Morning Light

11x14, 2017

On May 1, 2017, I closed my studio/gallery at the Esplanade, and am choosing to work out of my home studio for a while.  This will give me more time to paint, more time to visit the Everglades - the source of my inspiration for painting - and more time to do some artistic exploration..

I'll still be self-representing, but am changing my business model.  Blogging will most likely have a place, with the goal of posting a daily painting often.  Sometimes I will have something to say, other times you'll just get a painting.

If you are getting this email, you will be getting a new post with a painting in your mail box more frequently. There will be a link to my website where the painting will be for sale. 

My blog is independent of my once-a-month newsletter, which will still be my main way of communicating with you.  You can reach both the blog and my past newsletters from my website, here. 

There is an unsubscribe notice at the end of both the blog and my newsletter in case you no longer wish to receive mail from me. 

Please forward to anyone you know who might be interested in having a painting in their mailbox.  More to come - later! 
Jo-Ann
 

Fall, and Way Out There, daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Way Out There, 2015, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Acrylic on canvas, 12" x 12"

By September, we've had enough of the rains and high humidity, and I long for the crisp blue-sky days and colorful maples and oaks of a New England fall. When my sister was in Hawaii  and I was still in New England, I would send her fall leaves ironed between two sheets of wax paper, so she wouldn't forget her roots!  

In the northeast, the bright yellow-greens of spring transition into the rich, full, permanent greens of summer and gradually fade to the olive greens of fall.  Some years the trees sport magnificent riots of color for weeks, depending on the timing of rain and wind and other factors of weather.  From all reports, this year will be a good one for fall color.   

Here in south Florida, nature is beginning to respond to the cycle of changing light and moisture in much more subtle ways. In the Everglades, the lush greens of summer will slowly fade to the golds of autumn, and then to the pinkish-purplish-grays of the dry season.  Yes, you will see purple way out there.  

Greens are always a challenge to a landscape painter.  We need to be able to vary them to show a variety of  plant life and also distance.  Permanent green is not my favorite color. but I've been given a few tubes by a friend who no longer paints.  I'm getting better at using it by mixing with various reds to make some nice greens.  Still, I'll give a tube of permanent green to the first artist who comes into my studio and asks for it!  

Island Breeze, painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Island Breeze, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 30x30

Today's painting, Island Breeze, was started way back in August when we had that little hurricane flurry long before Sandy.  It's been on my website for about a week, and I just realized I hadn't shown it here yet. 

With getting the new studio ready and preparing for the Grand Opening, both the weather and my activity level changed dramatically, and so did the painting. 

When I started this painting, these three palms trees were moving and blowing in a pretty stiff wind.  Today, they are barely swaying in the light breeze in an almost idyllic view.  

Could the painting have morphed as a reflextion of my own activites, from overly busy to now settled into the new studio? 



More on Original, and Peaceful Morning, daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Peaceful Morning, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5"x7"

 

 

I recently wrote about making original art.  Its been said that nothing is truly original.  So how do we grow as artists?  Does our inspiration come from our deep within our own brain, or is it triggered by something we see?  The answer may be a little of both.   

Art History should be  a part of what every artist knows.  We look  at the art of those who came before us.  We also look at the work of our contemporaries, to see what they are doing.  When we look at the work of others, what happens?  Some assessing and some absorbing, and yes, maybe even some borrowing.  But not stealing.   

I know that I'm personally interested in seeing what other artists have done or are doing, particularly the work of other landscape painters.  I often see something that I am drawn to in other artists work.  I might post a copy of what interests me on my inspiration board, and look at it for days, trying to understand the technique or appreciating the delicateness of the work.  Some of this will stay with me, and when the opportunity arises I might try the technique or use the color combination in a part of my painting.   

 

Artists are always learning, and exploring the work of others doing similar work is part of that process.  It's part of determining where your own work fits in the context of where you stand as an artist in the world today.  After you build a strong foundation of knowledge, your own work will have the strength to stand on its own.

View of a Slough, painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

View of a Slough, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 20x24, Sold

A slough (pronounced "slew" or "sloo") is a deep water estuary in the Everglades. The wet season renews the dry Everglades prairies and fills the deep sloughs with rainwater.  

The sloughs stay wet for most of the year providing a water for plants and animals as the prairies dry in the wet season. Because of the gently slope of the land south of Lake Okeechobee, the water will work it's way slowly to the south and into the gulf.

The slow movement of large amounts of shallow water, based on a ridge and slough design, is important to a multitude of Everglade ecosystems.  Yet Everglades systems have often been altered detrimentally by humans, changing historic patterns and affecting life in the glades with little public study or outcry. 

You can learn more about the importance of the ridge and flow system of Everglades water movement here. 

Alligator Hole, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Acrylic on Canvas, 7"x5"

I've been going through some old photos, and found this one of a great Everglades alligator hole and so inspired today's daily painting.  During the dry season, alligators inhabit water spots left in depressions and by enhancing these holes provide water to many of the prairie inhabitants.  An older hole may be characterized by a ring of trees around it.  This one has just some small bushes, so may not be that old. 

Because so many man-made ponds have been created during construction in the Everglades, alligators now concentrate in great numbers in some places.  Here's a photo of a large alligator congregation at the Shark Valley Nature center.

 

Most likely these alligators have dispersed back to the prairies to find a mate and nest now that the rainy season has come.  However most will be back in the late fall as the dry season returns. 

Delightful Day painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Delightful Day, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 20"x24"

Radiant Morning, 2012 Jo-AnnSanborn

acrylic on board, 7" x 5"

Radiant! 

Showing happiness.  Expressing joy and positive energy. 

Lit with a bright or glowing light,

How's your morning going?  

A Different Light painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

A Different Light, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 36"x24"

In speaking to a potential customer at the studio recently, we spoke about the fact that I've been painting the Everglades for almost 20 years.  I tried to explain the draw and pull of the ancient landscape, and how it's beauty and it's many personalities provide abundant opportunities for inspiration. 

Today, reading a article about Maine artist Connie Hayes, made me think about this on a deeper level.  Her quote  "The more beautiful a subject matter the harder it is to probe it's power" helps express what I was trying to say.

My work in the Everglades is more than just an attempt to portray the subtle layering of color in the pastel morning sky, or the thrusting urgency of a palm struggling to survive in a soil singularly lacking in sustenance. 

Each time I pick up my brush is an attempt to forge a deep connection with the underlying natural world of the place that inspired me.  The Everglades landscape is a world humans have exploited and misused for years, but we are ultimately responsible for.  I want you to see more than just a painting, but into the heart and soul of the landscape as well.

It's a lofty goal.  I may never achieve it fully, but trying's the thing.

If you are Christian, I'm wishing you a joyous and uplifting Easter!

Looking for Answers, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Looking for Answers, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 7"x5"

A huge and humble THANK YOU to all who supported Bob with the PSP walk on Saturday.  What a fantastic group! 

We were honored by your showing up and your caring.  Some of you went the extra mile to help us get there and get home or provided support in other, special ways.  Some of you who couldn't come or walk made donations, or sent us words of kindness from your heart.

Bob and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts, for your time, your help, your prayers, your money, but most of all for showing up and for caring!   Your support will help provide some answers and lead the way to a cure for this awful disease.  Each of you will always have a special place in our hearts. 

Don't worry.  This won't become a PSP blog.  Next post will be back to the artist's part of my journey!    

Sold - Seeking Shade by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Seeking Shade, 2010, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Acrylic on Canvas, 30"x30"

Seeking Shade, dear to my heart, sold last week. While it is always hard to let a painting go, I'm glad that Shade will be cherished by collectors who have now acquired several of my paintings.  I hope it will bring them joy. 

I've been painting this particular tree island for so long that it's population has expanded.  The small palm on the left wasn't there when I began painting the Everglades in 1994.  Child of the others?

In some ways, painting is like bringing up children.  We put in heart and soul.  Through education, training, and endless personal efforts I attempt to shape them in the way I want them to go.  

Like my children, my paintings strive to go boldly into the future, while being bound by the weight of the past.  Sometimes I force my will on them and they submit.  Other times I leave them to find their own way, and they soar. 

Both types of paintings can be delightful, but the ones that soar are a little closer to my heart. 

It's OK to buy art! Calm Lagoon Everglades painting by Jo-Ann Sanborn

Calm Lagoon, 2005, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 40"x40"

Less is more these days, and culture is turning away from consumerism, but it’s still OK to buy art.  Quality art can last for generations and bring you lasting pleasure.

               Learn a little about what makes good art.

               Trust your gut to find something you’ll love

               Buy the best you can afford

               Buy art you respond emotionally

               Place it where you will enjoy it daily and it will enrich your life. 



How to Make a Comment on a Blog, and Autumn Grasses, by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Autumn Grasses, 2011 © Jo-Ann Sanborn

Acrylic on Canvas, 18"x24"

With autumn now past and the dry season upon us, the grasses in the Everglades won't be as green again until middle of the wet season.  They'll be turning gold and grey, and often beautiful purples as they dry out from lack of rain. 

I've been posting this blog since 2007, and have met some wonderful artists and others online who have enriched my life.  Sometimes a bond is formed through comments.  Comments are also a great way to hear from friends, and from others interested in the same subjects. 

People have told me that they have tried to comment on my blog but are unable to do so.  Sometimes I get comments by email but not on the blog, so I'm going to give you a beginner's guide to commenting in the hopes of getting a few more comments! 

There are several types of blogs, like Blogger (mine) and Wordpress.  The process is just a little different on each but once you have done one. you should be able to do others.  Mine's on Blogger, so I'll tell you how, here:

1.  Find the place to make a comment 

Find the Comment Section at the bottom of the each post.  On mine, it's in the white box at the end of the written part of the blog, but before "older posts"

LinkWithin

Posted byJo-Ann Sanbornat6:00 AM       0 comments

If you don't see what I'm talking about, you may be one of a group who's been reading my blog for a very long time, and I send it to you by email. You will have to click on the link to the online blog at the bottom of the post to get to the blog and then follow below.

FYI, some bloggers will put the comments at the top of the post, so if you are looking to comment on another blog, check above the post.

2.  Make a comment

Click on comments.  A box will appear and you type in your comment. 

Check your spelling since it's embarrassing to get it wrong.  I giggled all day when someone called Stapleton Kearns "Stale" instead of Stape!

3.  Choose your identity

Below the comment box is a place for you to choose an identity.  You must do this for your comment to be valid.  You choose ONE way by clicking the circle in front of it. 

If you have a Google account you can use that.  You may have to have to sign out before it will allow you to sign blogs, but lately this seems to be fixed.

If you have a .url you'd like to refer people back to, use your name and your url.  That way someone interested in your comment might also check out your website. 

You may not have either, and want to remain anonymous.  Click that, and you can still sign your comment if you want.  You will also have to supply an email to ensure you are a real person, not a spam gathering machine.  If you are uncomfortable about this, most email providers will let you have multiple identities.  You can make up a new identity email to use just for this purpose, but you must put in a valid email or your comment won't register.

4.  Verify you are a person

Once your comment is made and you are identified, a verification box will come up.  You must get all the letters and numbers right, and in the right case, for the verification to be complete.
 

5.  Be Patient

Your comment will appear once I have approved it.  I had a bevy of spam comments a few years ago, and check to make sure they are real comments before posting them. It's usually only a few hours.
 

Your comments are welcome and enjoyed by anyone who reads a blog.  It's your chance to participate in an online conversation.  And if it still doesn't work, thanks for trying and don't worry.  I love getting your emails, too. 

Are you shy?  Clicking on "Like" or 1+ is a quiet way to participate!  

Artist Sue Favinger Smith, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Did you choose a SNOWMAN?  The Snowman Extravaganza was a fun event with a nice turnout.  Look for new Snowman Extravaganza this time next year!  Some of you in the frozen north will be able to make your own snowmen soon.  If you do, send me a photo for next year's inspirations! 

Today, something a little different.  I'm excited to recommend artist Sue Favinger Smith's new book, Ancient Wisdom:  Emerging Artist. 

Sue and I have never met in person, but we met online a few years ago when we were both members of the Daily Painters Google Group.  At the time it was a vibrant, interactive group containing terrific questions and answers for evolving and established artists and contained a wealth of information on making and marketing art for someone seeking.  You can read it, archived online here if you'd like.

Sue asked for artists who had chosen art as a profession later in life to contact her to be interviewed for her Ancient Artist Blog.  While I was a little uncomfortable being labeled "ancient, to her someone over 50, I was not one to pass up potential opportunity, (she has a chapter in the book on Knowing Your Opportunities) I sent her an email volunteering myself.  We spoke for quite a while on the phone, and a delightful interview was the result. 

We've kept in touch by commenting on each others blogs from time to time and cheering each other's successes along the way.  We both hold proud memberships in the National Association of Women Artists.  Recently she contacted me to tell me she was sending me a copy of her new book. 

I was trying to explain Sue Smith to my husband last night.  "She's deep," I said, "an old soul with much wisdom sort of way. Her work is rich and thoughtful, as are her words.  The fact that she likes me is an honor. "

The book came, and I opened it, delighted to have it and pleased for her.  Imagine my surprise to find a comment I had made ON THE BACK COVER of her book!  Talk about honor, it brought tears to my eyes.  I had said "Your Emerging Artist Business Plan is fabulous, Sue.  It's a path for life as well as art, and a gift for anyone willing to accept it.  There's a depth here for everyone regardless of level.  Thank You!" 

I meant it.  If you'd like to add Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist to your art library, you can get it for yourself  through my Amazon affiliate link below.  By the way, at what age would YOU be ancient?

 

Can't We Do Better? Looking Up daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Looking Up, Jo-Ann Sanborn

5"x7", acrylic on board

I was most disappointed to see this upside down tank with a treadmill atop as our national statement at the Venice Biennale this year.  .  It's gotten some great reviews, but to me it's just another story of us beating ourselves up again.  That story's old.

American artists have the freedom to create artwork with any message anywhere, anytime. How sad that these pieces, with their tired little story were chosen as our international message. Why not find and show pieces of Americans looking to the future with courage and hope and ability? Now that would surprise us!

The deadline for the US Grant for 2012 has already past,  but let's think about 2013,  If we're still here, let's start Looking Up! 

Don't forget the Art League Second Tuesday Social tomorrow.  Welcome new Executive Director Lynn Holley.  

Rules of Engagement, One Quiet Palm, daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

One Quiet Palm, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5x7

One of the joys of having a public studio in the Esplanade on Marco Island, FL is the ability to engage with other artists and art collectors.  The Esplanade is a gathering place, with three restaurants, a Starbucks, Ice Cream, and several other shops and artist studios.  People sit and drink their morning coffee on benches in the shade of the palm trees and enjoy the sound of the fountain.  They take their morning walk along the quay by the boats.  By lunchtime people meet and greet for lunch at the popular CJ’s on the Bay, and later in the day people begin arriving to watch the sun go down behind the Star Bar. 

It’s a great place for artist studios.  Locals, Floridians, and visitors from all over the world wander in and out of the Artist Colony at the Esplanade.  Some are art collectors, some are artists, some are looking for a handmade souvenir,  some want a painting for their home.  Some people are just looking for something to do beyond the beach. 

No matter which category you fall into, when YOU walk into an artist’s studio or gallery, how do you feel?  Do you engage with the art?

• Are you afraid to speak, afraid of the hard sell?
• Do you look at each painting and consider how it makes you feel?
• Do you stand back with your hands behind your back impersonally hoping no one will speak to you?
• Do you look at a piece and wonder how or why the artist was drawn to the subject?
• Do you walk through fast, judging quickly or do you take the time to consider each artist's work or a special piece?
• If you don’t like the art at all, do you think you must be polite anyway?
• Do you know what draws you in, and why? 

No matter how you approach the art, don't be afraid to engage with either the art or the artist.  YOU, and your consideration of our work are the second half of our fulfillment.  Creating the art itself is the first. 

New Director for the Center for the Arts, Fun in the Sun daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Fun in the Sun, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 5"x7"

Lynn Holley is the new director at the Marco Island Center for the Arts.  I first heard about of Lynn from a friend of hers who wandered into my studio at the Esplanade and ended up purchasing one of my daily paintings for her home. 

My new collector was waiting for a friend being interviewed for a new job.  She raved about her Lynn's abilities and qualifications even before she knew I had any personal interest.  It was nice hearing that kind of support from a friend.

Lynn is eminently qualified, knows that the Center for the Arts has been under a bit of a rain cloud lately, and is just itching to take on the challenge of turning things around. She has some great ideas, and is already in the process of implementing them.  She says she's here for the long haul, and there's every indication she means it.

Center staff, Linda Henell, Lynn Holley, Cindy Crane

If you've dropped your membership,  it's time to renew.  Don't wait!  There will be some good things going on, and you'll want to be part of it.  If you've been hanging in the background, now is the time to get involved. We're going to have some fun in the sun! 

Many of our members are away for the summer, but if you're around you can welcome Lynn at the Second Tuesday Social, on June 14th at 5:30. Bring your friends.  Admission is free for everyone, and we can help her drink up some of the wine that's in a back room she'd like to use as a gallery!

Hurricane tips for Collectors, The Light and the Water painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

The Light and the Water, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 16"x20"

Red face!  I'm learning how to schedule my posts and hit the wrong button AGAIN.  Today is the time for this post! My apologies if you've gotten this twice.

As promised Wednesday, here are some tips for art collectors who may find their artwork threatened by hurricane. 

1. Even though you may have very good insurance on your home, fine art is not usually covered unless you have a separate insurance rider. If you have valuable art, call your insurance agent long before disaster strikes to ensure you have the financial protection you want.

2. At the beginning of Hurricane Season sort your collection to determine what you must take with you if you have to evacuate, and what must stay behind. MakeCandidates for taking will be those of high value, or the artist is no longer living, or paintings with sentimental value.

Make a list, and keep it with your disaster evacuation list.  If you don't have such a list, see Wednesday's post

3. Purchase the materials you will need to wrap and protect your paintings, and have them on hand before you need them. Also purchase water proof plastic containers for those that will stay behind.

4. Wrap the paintings going with you in brown paper or tissue, place in large plastic bag, wrap with bubble wrap and place in an upright carton in the car. An upright box is less likely to be punctured by something else as you pack, and you won’t put something too heavy on top, either. My experience is that packing tight leaves less room for trouble.

5. Wrap those that will stay as in #4, and place in plastic waterproof containers if small enough, and plastic again if not. Wrap so that water cannot penetrate your wrappings. Do not count on duct tape, it will seep if it gets wet.

6. Work toward placing paintings where they will not get punctured. Punctures can be repaired, but it's not easy! If you don't expect high water, inside the car you are leaving behind may provide protection from wind damage.

7. If the storm is bad enough, water could be in your home for several days. Place the paintings as high up in your home as possible to avoid water intrusion. Look for places away from windows and exterior walls.

My Everglades paintings are acrylic, strong and waterproof. I've had a couple go through hurricanes, get covered with bits of detritus, and washed off all to full recovery. If you have one of my paintings and have questions after a disaster, give me a call. Canvas tears can often be repaired and frames can be replaced.

Most important, stay safe first. The rest can all be dealt with!

Disaster Plan Now Sunny Side up painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Sunny Side Up, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 12"x16"

The rainy season has come in southwest Florida, and while the parched ground of the glades will welcome the rain, the strength of some storms can be a grave threat to humans.  June 1 is the start of Hurricane Season  and now is the time to prepare for what lies ahead.

As a FEMA disaster assistance employee for many years, I know well the havoc nature can make on well-planned lives.  I urge you to make a plan that will keep you and your family safe in the months ahead.  Federal and state governments offer information and materials that can assist you in planning.    You can visit readyamerican.gov on Facebook or myflorida.com/ to get started.

Once you have a plan for you and your family's safety, you can begin to think about your art business or your art collection.  Tomorrow I'll tell you a little about how to prepare your paintings in the face of a storm.