Parts of Art

        Now that my show season is over, it's time for what I lovingly call winter work. Winter work is studio time. It's when I light the fire in the wood stove and sit down at the drawing table and/or easel, both of which are pulled close to the wood stove. It's winter work because when the weather cools off and the leaves fall, the studio is the most inviting place in my life. The warmth of the fire and the smell of the wood and the blank slate on the easel are what inspire and motivate me to work.        At one of my shows I bought this glorious coffee mug from Paige @rockbottomceramics. It sits on top of the woodstove and keeps the coffee warm for hours.  It's a studio staple.     There is purposely a blank canvas on the easel, or in this case, a smooth panel which will eventually be gessoed and painted with an expression of light through leaves. The blank canvas is self care. It's a sign of hope for my future. What will go on ...

 Drawing and Painting is a four session class that will provide lively instruction, in-house art demos, and ample studio time for the making of art. We will be doing art pieces that involve pencils, markers, wax resist, watercolor and acrylic paint. The class is geared to jump start your creative process and develop your artistic abilities.  Students must be at least 16 years of age. No previous experience is necessary.  All materials will be provided; however, you may bring your own supplies as well.  When: The class will take place over 4 Tuesdays, January 3rd- 24th from 12-2. Where: All sessions will take place in my peaceful country studio. Directions and details will be given upon registration. Interested? To get more details and to register, go here:                            Drawing and Painting

 So I’m back in the woods, and here’s what I mean by that:       It all started when we moved back to Indiana from Florida eight years ago. We moved here to help my in-laws in their last season of life. It was a decision that had been bathed in prayer and much discussion over a long period of time. Finally, the timing became clear and right. So we moved here, to my husbands boyhood home in rural Indiana, in late summer, 2013. Not because it was convenient (it wasn’t) but because there was a need and we were the best choice to fill the need.        It took awhile but we adjusted to our new home and new responsibilities. David’s dad’s health was declining rapidly by the time we moved here, but he was gracious and thankful to the end, and I am so glad to have had the time with him that we had.       Once he passed, life and routine changed, especially in regards to my mother in law. David became increasingly wrapped up in her care...

 Suddenly it's Autumn! Here's what that means to me:  Filling up my illustrated journal with sketches and paintings from my gardens Getting new art supplies watching the leaves as they  dance and flutter to the ground and attempting to capture it in watercolor Starting a fire in the woodstove next to my watercolor table and setting my coffee on top and last but not least, offering workshops in my art studio for fall and winter. Click here for the calendar Mask up and come make art!

     “I made this for you before we met!” It’s one of my favorite comments when I’m at an art show with my Parts of Art jewelry. It happens at least once at every show: that piece that, after I designed and built it in the studio, and afterwards thought “O my God, who would ever want this? What was I thinking? Am I out of my mind?” Then I put it out there and sooner or later she comes along, spots it, and it is clearly, unquestionably made just for her. It’s the one aspect of doing shows that I love and dearly miss.       I have recently become a vendor at the Alexandria farmers and artists market in my little rural town. It’s literally the only gig in town, and all my actual juried art shows have been cancelled. So it happened, albeit with face masks and social distancing intact. Here she came, it was made for her, and it happily went from my neck to hers. Want to see what I made just for you? Visit my shop at Sandyartparts.etsy.com

   When my husband and I visited Bavaria in celebration of our 40th anniversary, we spent a few days in a delightful garden cottage in Gebsattel. Right outside the door was a patch of fragrant blossoming bushes that were absolutely populated with butterflies.     The whole garden space was alive, not only with plants, but with the fluttering activity of glorious winged creatures that covered the many blooms. I was inspired by this sight and wanted to capture it with my camera for future paintings. I determined that, once stateside, I would find out whatever this exotic flowering bush was.   Come spring, I started my quest to identify the flower. At my local nursery I showed the picture to the gardener. Her reply?  "I have no idea what the plant is, but the photograph is beautiful! You should be an artist!"        I chose not to go into detail about how I AM an artist, and that's the whole point here. That by then I had done sketches...

Beautiful Day for Coneflowers  is my latest watercolor/acrylic painting.  It is available at my shop Sandyartparts.etsy.com

Drumroll please!! Now for the first time ever,  you are invited to our premiere Walker Art Dept Art studio Tour You will see both sides of our studio,  and get a sneak peek at what really  goes on in there! Come on in and see our studio, then enjoy  our shop

    My time in my peaceful country studio revolves around waiting for the paint to dry.         This expression implies mind-numbing boredom. After all, what could be more dumbing down than watching paint dry? I recently saw an experiment where a group of adults were tasked with watching paint dry, just to document how it affected them mentally. It’s pretty easy to guess what happened. Mind. Numbing. Boredom.     Because it actually does take time for paint to dry, it’s a good idea  to have other tasks and projects going on in the studio.  My day starts here, at the watercolor easel, with my current illustrated journal. It’s a new day, which translates into a new white, blank page.  The first thing I do is fill a brush with water, wet the paper, and add color.          One beautiful feature of watercolor paint is that it’s simply colored water. Its very nature is to bleed into the w...

       Shenanigans  | SHəˈnanəgənz |  pl. noun  informal  secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering :  “ widespread financial shenanigans had ruined the fortunes of many .” •  silly or high-spirited behavior;  mischief . ORIGIN  mid 19th cent. : of unknown  origin .         There will come a time when said shenanigans are over and our lives  will return to some version of normal. So what, until then, do we do?           This past year and a half, as you may already know, I have been immersed in a body of work called “Of the Woods ”. It has been quite an exercise of patient endurance for me, to come up with a series of new pieces and get them completed, photographed, and professionally framed. It’s been like planting seeds in ground that would produce fruit eventually, but its artwork instead of food. And because I had made the decision to give it a year and...