Glow, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Glow, 2017Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5: x 7"

Textured Palm #1, daily painting by Jo-Ann Sanborn, Everglades artist

Textured Palm #1, 2017, Jo-Ann Sanborn

4x4", acrylic on cradled board

Happy Independence Day!  

You may have seen these textured palms in the studio.  They are on a 3/4" cradled board and can be hung on push pins.  I've got a few more and will show them in the next few days, but if you want special colors let me know.  Have a fabulous holiday.  

My studio, and By a Waterway, daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

By a Waterway, 2015, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5"x7"

I primarily work out of the Esplanade studio, but am setting up a home studio in the back bedroom of my new home so that I can work there, too.  There's a nice big closet for all the materials artists love to have handy.  My materials includes several types of paint--acrylic, oil, water soluble oil, watercolors, pastels, and a few inks.  Then there's the painting supports--stretched canvas, canvas boards, all kinds of papers, notebooks, sketchbooks, colored paper.  Then something to work with--brushes, pencils, pens with brush tips or not, watercolor pencils, oil and chalk pastels.

Mostly stand at my easel while painting.  I've put in a nice big table so I can sit for drawing and sketching.  That's where I'll do the drawing for an upcoming children's book. At the moment there's a daybed, too, making a comfortable place for family to sleep when the house gets crowded.  

Unlike some artists, I prefer to work in neat surroundings.  I like to know where everything is, and to put it back when I'm finished with it. It helps me to clear my mind for the work at hand, and to focus on the painting in front of me.   I'll post some photos when it's all together!

Peaceful Morning, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Peaceful Morning, 2015, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 5"x7"

Yesterday morning I woke up to a magnificent thunderstorm building just off the coast.  It was followed by an equally gorgeous rainbow.  This morning, the sky was filled with what I call scud--puffy gray clouds against the lighter sky,  

Summer mornings in south Florida are always a delightful surprise!   

Sky Thoughts, 2014, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 8"x8"

 

This time of year Mother Nature provides us wonderful cloudscapes, sometimes during the day as the clouds build, and others during the early evening as the sun gets ready for bed.  

 

While I'm appreciative of these fleeting moments of beauty, I gaze at the sky and feel inadequate to interpret its beauty.  Trying to get the luminosity of wondrous light out of the solidity of paints is not an easy task.

Peaceful Path, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Peaceful Path, 2014, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 7"x5"

 

You can follow this path in a kayak, a small boat, or in your mind, but it will be a peaceful passage.  There's little wind, few clouds, and no thoughts of danger.  Hope your day is just like this, with maybe a touch of progress in whatever you're working on today.  Enjoy.  



 

 

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! 

Color Considerations, and Peaceful passage, daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Peaceful Passage, 2014, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5"x7"

 

 

Color is everywhere today, more color than at any time in the past.  Everyone enjoys color in their home, clothes, and in the objects they use every day.  We relate colors to psychology, and most colors have both a negative and positive connotation.  The way you use color in your painting can set the tone or mood, and provide harmony.  

If you are a painter, considering what colors to use, you may choose a traditional color harmony, such as compliments, triad, or analogous colors, or you may look outside the traditional harmonies as you look for ways to establish a relationship between the objects in your painting.  Here are some points to help with color considerations:

 

          Color can lead you on a visual path

          Repeated colors can provide a rhythm in the painting

          Colors reflect on and off the objects around them

          Either warm or cool colors should be dominant a the painting

          Colors must support each other rather than clash

          Look for a dominant color, a secondary, and an accent in both color and value

 

Hope this helps with your color considerations! 

Palm at Dusk, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 7"x5"

 

Dusk is a special time of day, a time when nature sometimes surprises us with the gift of natural beauty.  I love to just sit for a moment, sometimes with a glass of tea or wine, and just absorb the beauty in the landscape. 

 

These times can be peaceful and restorative, and give me the energy to do what needs to be done at the end of day.  I encourage you to take a quite moment with nature to feel the energy and joy, and you will be well rewarded.  



Pair of Aces, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

oil on board, 7"x5"

 

 

Thank you for the many requests to play games on Facebook.  I'd love to play with you, but don't have time.  I'm at the studio early almost every morning, and tired by the end of the day! Although I check in with Facebook whenever I can, because I love catching up with you, I'm unable to spend much time there.  So, this pair of palm aces are the winners.  Hope you win, too! 

 

 

 

 

Winter Morning, and some kids Art, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Winter Morning, 2014, Jo-Ann Sanborn

oil on canvas, 5"x7"

 

Chillin'?  A rude joke when the temperatures are hovering around zero and just the thought of a wind chill gives goose bumps.  What ever happened to January thaw? 

 

My sweet little niece sent me a wonderful snowman, just in case there wasn't enough snow in Florida for me to make my own.  He's a real cutie, just like Elizabeth! 

 

 

My granddaughter, a little older, is also pretty sure it doesn't snow on Marco.  She also knows it's the dry season, but sent me this umbrella just in case. 

 

 

  I was delighted to receive both piece and will treasure them.  Thanks, kids!  

 

Close to the Land, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Close to the Land, 2014, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5"x7"

 

 

 

Belated Happy New Year to you!

 

Usually I have everything in place to start fresh on January first.  Not this year.  This year I'm running a bit behind.  Oh, I'll catch up.  In the meantime, please bear with me! 





On Reflection, painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

On Reflection, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 16x20

 

I've just signed a new lease, giving me another year in the Esplanade location.  It was just a year ago that I decided to strike out on my own once I was certain that the Artist Colony would no longer be able to have space for group galleries in the Esplanade. 

 

It was the right decision for me, and I'm happy to have another year in this location.  My space is just the right size for one artist, and I love working there and meeting all the visitors and Marcoites who stop in to see what I'm working on. 

 

Having a studio/gallery in the Esplanade still gives me plenty of time to visit the Everglades.  There is always something to delight me on my trips out in the field.  One day last week coming home I saw my first Bobcat!  He was larger than I expected and into the brush far too quick to take a photo, but it made me smile just it see it.  

Blue, Blue Sky painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Blue, Blue Sky, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas,  20x40

 

 

Blue, Blue Sky is a bit of an Everglades abstraction, but when you see it in context with the other prairie paintings, I think it has a place in the sequence. 



All of my canvases are usually primed with a dark, warm tone. I build a painting starting with a dark toned canvas background and work into the light. The light forms are scumbled in, and then I go back and working the darks again.

 

I do this over and over until I've got the forms built and the negative shapes working in a way that balances and works compositionally. Usually it's quite late in a painting that I start on the details.

 

Blue, blue sky was built in just this way.  I love how the sky seems to have volume of its own from the layers of blue, and how the palm forms seem like family on a journey.  What do you see?  

Camp in the Fakahatchee Part 3, Classic Beauty painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Classic Beauty, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 20x24

 

 

Camp in the Fakahatchee

 

The air was crisp and clear as we walked along the dense green tunnel of the tram road.  The coolness of the early morning passed as we walked, and the sun warmed our faces. 

 

 

After about half a mile, the brush thinned and we walked the vehicle path onto

Four Stake Prairie, a wide open prairie ringed with strands of bald cypress.  In a month they would sport a fringe of green, but today were bare and light grey, almost like ghostly spirits between the healthy deep green of the palm islands.

 

 

 

A bird sang in the distance, but that was the only sound.  There was no breeze, and little movement but ourselves.  There were paintings to be made everywhere, but all I had time for today were photographs.  After a while we turned and walked back to the camp for the return trip.  

 

Yesterday's painting is a gift to my hosts, in the hopes of being invited back.    

The 99%, and Seven Palms and some Orange, daily painting by Everglades painter Jo-Ann Sanborn

Seven Palms and some orange, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 7"x5"

 

If you're here reading, there's a good chance you fall into the 1% bracket.  

 

I'm not talking about the "we are the 99%" slogan that addresses growing income inequity and wealth distribution in America between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the US population.  I'm talking about the very special 1% of Americans who purchase original art to adorn and enhance their homes and enrich their lives. 

 

A while ago a gallery owner told me that only 1% of the American public purchase original art, and that the percent is much higher in Europe.  I've been unable to validate this statistic, but experience tells me that that if 100 people see my art in person that at least one will purchase.

 

I love this 1%.  Perhaps we share a love of handmade things. Perhaps we find connection to the value of the threatened Everglades landscape.  Perhaps we share the restorative quality of a walk on the beach, or are both in awe of the natural color show at sunset.  It maybe something you're not ready to put into words, but in some small way, arts speaks to you.  
 

You are the 1%.  The other 99 percent?  They're just not my customers.

Happy Birthday, Clyde!

Beach Dreams, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on archival board, 7"x5"

Happy Birthday, Clyde!

Clyde Butcher turns 70 this weekend. Clyde is well known for his gorgeous large format black and white photos of the Everglade.  You can see him work his magic here. 

My husband, photographer and sculptor, took a class with Clyde when he first began teaching.  Before I met Clyde, he juried two paintings of mine into a show of Everglades art at the Von Liebig Art Center.  He didn't know much about art, he told me when we met at the reception, but "I know what I liked and that's what I picked."  He was just being modest, but that's the kind of guy he is.

A birthday gift was in order.  Clyde and his wife Nikki have been very good to the arts community in Southwest Florida.  But what Clyde is really about is a deep and abiding concern for the very real threats to the Everglades environment. He works hard for this cause and has become a much respected voice for the Glades.

Every Labor Day, the Butchers open their gallery and property to the public, to help introduce people to the wonderful Everglades environment.  A walk around his beautiful property refreshes the soul, and you can go into the swamp with a ranger if you haven't done it.

It's not too late to stop by the Big Cypress Gallery and wish Clyde a Happy Birthday, and to "Muck About" a bit, too. 

Glades Pond Everglades painting by Jo-Ann Sanborn

Glades Pond, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 30"x40"

Glades Pond is one of several large paintings I've been working on..  I started it before my trip, and finished it up since.  There's a nice quality of light and shadow, and it's a little more representational than much of my work.  The colors are a little richer than shown here.

After over 700 posts, you know quite a bit about me, but I don't know much about YOU or your motivation in reading.  I could use some help in determining how to continue!  I don't want to get boring, and want to remail relevant.  So what about you? What do you like best?  Time to "fess up!"  

Do you want to know more about my process of paintings?  More art lessons?  Do you want to know more about the unique Everglades environment?  Do you care about preserving the landscape and our environment?  Do you want to know more about me as a person, what my day consists of as an artist?

I'm searching for the right way to go forward to make this blog relevant to YOU!  I'd love your input.  How about a comment? 

Sable Palm, Guardian daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Guardian, 2012, (c) Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5"x7"

The Sable Palm, or Cabbage Palm is a noble and ancient tree commonly found in the Everglades landscape.  The trunks are strong and hearty, and the palm can tolerate salt-laced winds, but doesn't like salt water flooding the roots.  The Sable can tolerate both cold and can also withstand the hot prairie fires.  Their height and bulk make them ideal for sheltering wildlife from the torrid summer sun and torrential summer rains.

Growth for the leaves is a terminal bud at the top of the trunk.  This was eaten as food, and makes a wonderful Cabbage Palm Soup.  Unfortunately, when the bud is harvested the tree dies, so it is no longer desirable to harvest the heart of the palm from wild trees. 

Today, hearts of palm are grown in several South American countries as a food crop, with the hearts harvested while the trees are till quite young.  You can purchase hearts of palm in any grocery, and Cooks.com has some Cabbage Palm recipes for you to try.