Show Season preparations begin

  It's March, and that means one thing:

TIME TO PREPARE FOR SHOW SEASON!

   That's right, it's about to get crazy around here. And I mean that in a good way. I've been waiting for show season to start ever since it ended back in November. Even with all the work, all the energy, all the artistic endeavors, all the money and time invested, and all the headaches that come along with it, I am nonetheless excited and ready. So call me crazy, I can take it. And please come see me and hopefully add to your collection of my work. 

Here's my booth in the process of getting set up in my yard.

    

    

I know it's only March 13th, and my first show isn't for two months. But here's the deal. Right now it's a gorgeous sunny and 70 degrees here in Indiana, so I absolutely HAVE TO be outside. It's been a long winter, and even though this is only "fake spring," I'll take it. Also, I have intended to give my booth an update and take care of some needed repairs. Lastly, and most important, I've been "in the woods" in my studio all winter.  And by that I mean producing artwork for my series "Of the Woods". If you've met me at a show or seen my online shop, you get it. It's all mixed media pieces of the woods. And after this long cold winter, I've got a whole new pile of work that I am excited to put out there. Here's a few:

    Last year I took a workshop in watercolor media taught by Carolyn Owen Sommer at Gaslight Art Colony. For me it was like finding new ways to play with old toys! We explored all different water soluble paints, and learned many ways to add texture and depth to the surface of paper. It was so fun and helped shake up my artmaking process. This collage came about as a result of that workshop. It's called "There is a Dance" and expresses the movement and rhythm of trees. 

     I have recently become intrigued by the tree we don't see on the surface,  and have begun to explore that concept in my art. I've been taught that the roots of a tree can be as deep and wide as the actual tree. I don't doubt that at all, but having never seen it, in my imagination this could be what it looks like. It's all gears and tunnels and secret codes that trees are passing along to one another. This is my attempt to answer the question "What is going on down there?" in the life of trees. It's a pair of prints that are meant to hang together. They are prints on gallery wrapped canvas (which means that they don't need a frame).  

     My new work is still of the woods. It expresses the luminescence of dappled light coming through leaves. I aim to give you a place of solace, where, like the tallest trees, you might reach up to the heavenlies. There is more color this time around, though, more texture and more depth. I can hardly wait to show you the rest of the pile of work!

   First up for the 2025 art show season is Broad Ripple Art Fair, in Indianapolis on May 17 and 18. Save the date and make plans to come! It is a delightful show including many talented artists from near and far, and I am honored to be one of them.

These pieces and more are now in my online shop, sandyartparts.etsy.com. If you should decide to purchase from the shop, be sure to use the coupon code "artparts111" which give you 20% savings. Better yet, come to the show to make a purchase and save the shipping cost!

Hope to see you soon. Til then, I'm going back in the woods.