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March 1st ~ More Exploration
Dear Friends ~
I did some more exploring into oil painting
this past week. I've benefited greatly
from these excursions. Through challenging my skills and vision,
I've added some
much appreciated spark to my routine. Even when you have the
greatest job on the
planet, you can get into a rut. Don't be afraid to stretch your
boundaries by trying
something new or doing something old in a new way. You may be
surprised by
the results. The only loss is in not trying.
Here are some more quotes on Exploration:
"I'm not lost. I'm exploring."
(Jana Stanfield)
"This I believe; that the free,
exploring mind of the individual human is the most
valuable thing in the world." (John Steinbeck)
"The things that interest me
most about painting are whatever is difficult or unexplored,
rather than what I can already do. Following that path results
in failures once in a while,
but it's much more rewarding when I make a breakthrough."
(Quang Ho)
"We shall not cease from exploration.
And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive
where we started, and know the place for the first time."
(T. S. Eliot)
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Today's image is my second attempt
in oils and is an 8" x 10" gallery wrap canvas.
It's a study of Sophie, one of our barn cats. It is unsigned
until it sets up so I can add
the finishing details. I've included the photo I painted it from
also.
====<<>>====
Black and White Cat
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March 5th ~ Cats / Love Of
Dear Friends ~
I got quite a few responses from you cat
lovers about Thursday's painting.
Cats have always been a big part of my adult life. I have taken
great pleasure
in their company as well as their beauty. I believe, as with
most animals, if
you truly know them, you just have to love them.
===<<>>===
Here are some quotes on Cats:
"Women, poets, and especially
artists, like cats; delicate natures only can realize
their sensitive nervous systems." ~ Helen M. Winslow
"You can't own a cat. The best
you can do is be partners." ~ Sir Harry Swanson
"The cat has too much spirit
to have no heart." ~ Ernest Manual
"It is impossible to keep a straight
face in the presence of one or more kittens."
~ Cynthia E. Varnado
"I believe cats to be spirits
come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud
without coming through." ~ Jules Verne
====<<>>====
This Spirit Art portrait was just
done for good friend and collector, Dorrie Heil.
The large cat's face is Kissifer and the kittens are my nieces,
Sandy and Sandy,
named after yours truly.
Cat and Kitten Portrait ~ "Kissifer,
Sandy And Sandy" ~ 15" x 22" original watercolor
* Sold
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March 8th ~ More Cats
As
As most of you already know, my work is
usually done in sets or series.
Cat paintings are no exception. I've had fun exploring the feline
subject
with this alternate medium. For me, inspired learning and personal
growth
are essential ingredients for my well being and vocational success.
===<<>>===
Here are some more quotes on Cats:
"There are two means of refuge
from the misery of life - music and cats."
~ Albert Schweitzer
"I had been told that the training
procedure with cats was difficult. It's not.
Mine had me trained in two days." ~ Bill Dana
"A cat improves the garden wall
in sunshine, and the hearth in foul weather."
~ Judith Merkle Riley
"A cat has absolute emotional
honesty; human beings, for one reason or another, may
hide their feelings, but a cat does not. " ~ Ernest Hemingway
"If animals could speak, the
dog would be a a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat
would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much. "
~ Mark Twain
"The smallest feline is a masterpiece."
~ Leonardo da Vinci
Kitten Portrait ~ This little oil
portrait, 6"x 8", is one of our cats, Tommy, at six
weeks old.
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11th ~ Influence / Change
Dear Friends,
Everything in life influences us in one
way or another. I've been painting mainly
in oils the past couple of weeks and now have several works in
progress. I'm waiting
for them to dry so I can proceed. Yesterday I decided to do the
same painting of Lady
Slippers that I did two weeks ago, only this time in watercolor.
I knew painting in oils
would influence my watercolors, but I was a little surprised
to see just how much.
===<<>>===
Here are some quotes on Influence:
"Whatever I have looked at is
an influence, but at the center of the work there must
be feeling." (Lucero Isaac)
"I have been influenced by paintings
I have seen in books, and in museums, not
because they defined success but because they suggested possibilities."
(Eleanor Blair)
"We are all one. Our opinions
may differ, but if you look deeply into the paintings you
will see the influences and echoes of all the greats who have
gone before." (Leonard Niles)
"Be selective about your external
influences. Your multi-dimensional brain is
influenced by everything you see, hear, read, smell, touch, feel
or say." (Brian Tracy)
"The influences may be subliminal
and subtle but all that surrounds us in some way
changes how we see things and who we are." (Martine Gourbault)
Lady Slipper
Indian's Mocassin #2"
16" x 20" ~ Double
Matted and Framed
silver level ~ original watercolor ~ $399.00
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March 15th ~ Strategy / butterflies
Dear Friends ~
A winning strategy is just as important
as a winning attitude. It's paramount to have a
plan that is specific, long ranging and focused. We must also
remain flexible however,
so that small adjustments can be made as needs arise. Without
a clear vision, one can
never expect to continually meet even moderate goals. Either
we control our destiny
or it controls us.
===<<>>===
Here are some quotes on Strategy:
"Have a strategy for tackling
design, value patterns and color harmony, a plan that leads
to a painting which is modern, but has its roots in the art of
the past." (Sidney Hermel)
"Strategy is a style of thinking,
a conscious and deliberate process, an intensive
implementation system, the science of insuring future success."
(Pete Johnson)
"In strategy it is important
to see distant things as if they were close and to take a
distanced view of close things." (Miyamoto Musashi)
"Many of our failures in life
and art come about because of the lack of strategy. This is
the facility which is needed to produce better than average results."
(P. Papadopoulous)
====<<>>====
This is a set of original watercolors
which I created with greeting cards in mind.
Butterflies 7.5" x 5.5" each ~ *Sold
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March 19th ~ Spring / Spirits
DDear Friends,
Although we still have a little snow on
the ground and the temperatures have once again
turned colder, spring is just around the corner here in the Northeast.
Last week we saw
several days that were up around 70 degrees! A few warm days
had the bugs emerging
and my daffodils coming up like weeds. It always amazes me how
much springtime can
influence our outlook and lift our spirits.
===<<>>===
Here are some quotes on Spring:
"All through the long winter,
I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my
fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and
my spirits soar." ~ Helen Hayes
"If we had no winter, the spring
would not be so pleasant. If we did not sometimes
taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
~ Anne Bradstreet
"Indoors or out, no one relaxes
in March, that month of wind and taxes. The wind will
presently disappear, the taxes last us all the year." ~
Ogden Nash
"An optimist is the human personification
of spring." ~ Susan J. Bissonette
Now License This Image Through iStockPhoto!
Wildflowers ~ "Personification
Of Spring"
16" x 20" ~ Double
Matted and Framed
silver level ~ original watercolor ~ $399.00
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March 22nd ~ Portraiture / Enjoyment
Dear Friends ~
Over the years, I've painted hundreds
of animal portraits, most of them in watercolor. I did
so many, I got burnt out and have not accepted any commissions
in a very long time. Now
I'm really enjoying doing these cat paintings in oils. Most likely,
the next opportunity will
be looked at differently. Anyone want an oil painting of your
pet done? If so, let's talk!
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Here are some quotes on Portraiture:
"Every man's work, whether it
be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything
else, is always a portrait of himself." (Samuel Butler)
"Doing pet portraiture is not
so different from painting human portraits. It's about getting
the something that is really 'it'. They're all beings."
(Wendy Grossman)
"Ah! Portraiture, portraiture
with the thought that the soul of the model is in it, that is
what
I think must come." (Vincent Van Gogh)
"There's no symmetry in nature.
One eye is never exactly the same as the other. There's
always a difference. We all have a more or less crooked nose
and an irregular mouth."
(Edouard Manet)
"Everything I paint is a portrait,
whatever the subject." (Jamie Wyeth)
====<<>>====
This original oil painting, 6"
X 8", is of one of our roly poly barn cats, Ginger.
Cat Portrait
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March 26th ~ Adversity / Accident
Dear Friends ~
I got bucked off my horse in the woods
on Friday and took my first ever ambulance
ride. I landed on my left shoulder and was hoping it was just
badly dislocated. After over
three hours in the Emergency Room and x-rays, I found out I have
a broken humerus.
There's nothing humorous about it! Fortunately it's the left
arm. I will go see the orthopedic
surgeons today. Hopefully they won't have to operate.
Wishing You Only Minor Adversities,
Sandy
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Here are some quotes on Adversity:
The gem cannot be polished without
friction, nor man perfected without trials.
(Chinese Proverb)
Friendship, of itself a holy tie,
is made more sacred by adversity. (Charles Caleb
Colton)
The good things of prosperity are
to be wished; but the good things that belong to
adversity are to be admired. (Seneca)
By trying, we can easily learn to
endure adversity; another man's I mean. (Mark Twain)
====<<>>====
Set of original watercolors * Sold
Hummingbirds are the symbol of joy and accomplishing that which
seems impossible.
Hummingbirds
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March 29th ~ Thoughts / Power
Of
Dear Friends ~
I've been listening to 'The Secret' unabridged
CD, narrated by author Rhonda Byrne. Also
available in DVD and book form, this popular version's basic
premise is that we are the
creator of our destiny. Through awareness and intentional use
of the law of attraction, the
power of our thoughts will empower us and change our life. I'm
anticipating a speedy
recovery from my fractures with no surgery required! Many thanks
to all of you for your
replies to my last letter. Your friendship, prayers and healing
thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Wishing You Abundance Always, Sandy
===<<>>===
Here are some quotes on Thoughts:
Goals determine your thoughts. Thoughts
determine your life. (Anonymous)
Have the courage to take your own
thoughts seriously, for they will shape you. (Albert Einstein)
The Law of Attraction attracts to
you everything you need, according to the nature of your
thought. Your environment and financial condition are the perfect
reflection of your habitual
thinking. Thought rules the world. (Dr. Joseph Murphy)
Only positive thoughts are productive.
(Faith Puleston)
Unicorn ~ "Wildfire" ~ * Sold
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call 609-268-9106
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