The Art Dept

You are invited to come visit me in my booth at any of these fine shows: February 4 Winter Garden market, Orlando February 5 Lake Eola market, Orlando February 11 Winter Garden market, Orlando February 12 Lake Eola market, Orlando February 18 & 19 100 Artists Show, St. Petersburg February 25 & 26 Delray Beach March 3 & 4 Cocoa Village Craft Show March 10 Riverside Art Market, Jacksonville March 17 Riverside Art Market, Jacksonville March 31 & April 1 St. Pete Beach When you go to any one of these markets, look for my colorful and funky booth. Believe me, it is one of a kind, just like the jewelry! And it is positively full of new stuff!! If you simply cannot make it to any of my shows, but still MUST have a Parts of Art jewelry piece, there's still a way!! Go to sandyartparts.etsy.com and you will see right there on the screen before you all kinds of tantalizing choices. Once you make your selection and go to pay for it, type in ARTPARTS111 where it says "enter...

For those of you that want to be traveling artist gypsies like me, here is my show schedule for Fall and Winter 2011: October 15 & 16 Cocoa Village Craft Fair, Cocoa October 22 Winter Garden Farmers Market, Orlando October 23 Lake Eola Farmers Market, Orlando October 29 Riverside Arts Market, Jacksonville October 30 Lake Eola Farmers Market, Orlando November 5 $ 6 Halifax Art Festival, Daytona November 12 Great Day in the Country, Oveido November 19 & 20 Eau Gallie Art Festival, Melbourne November 26 & 27 100 Artists Show, St. Petersberg December 10 & 11 Anna Maria Island Winterfest When you go to any one of these markets, look for my colorful and funky booth. Believe me, it is one of a kind, just like the jewelry! And it is positively full of new stuff!! If you simply cannot make it to any of my shows, but still MUST have a Parts of Art jewelry piece, there's still a way!!...

She came into my booth at one of my art markets, and she and I both knew she was going to acquire a Parts of Art jewelry piece. When a woman enters my booth, she is not barraged with my complete inventory. I don't want it to look like a flea market. I have four display boards that have a selection of pieces in seasonal color combinations. I also have a few pieces on mannequins, so my clients can get an idea how the piece harmonizes with clothing. What I do is offer a short explanation of the jewelry- what its humble origins are, and how each piece is one of a kind. If she continues to show interest, I will ask her questions. "What colors do you like to wear? Do you like the dangle style earrings or something more conservative?" Once we engage in conversation, I can quickly find something in my inventory that I think she might like. Sometimes it is an immediate connection, and other times it becomes a treasure hunt. This woman and her dear husband were sure ...

I'm standing at the door of the senior painting studio, watching the student artists at their easals. It's 1977 and I am an Art Education major student who wants nothing more than to be in there painting just like them. I have never painted before, but I just know that once I'm in there with the collective wisdom of the professors and the infinite inspiration of God, that my talent will overflow and I will have found where I have always belonged. Fast forward another semester. I am in the senior painting studio, struggling with my inability and lack of knowledge, and mustering the confidence against all intimidation to find ways to put the damn paint on the canvas and make it look like I knew what I was doing. I longed for my teacher to sit down and impart to me the secrets of painting. There were other students who she favoured, upon whom she bestowed her attention and praise. But all I could get from her was "finish this one and start the next one". I h...

Olive green: Neutral brownish green, similar to unripe olives, the fruit of the olive tree, an evergreen with leathery leaves and small whitish flowers, a native of western Asia, cultivated since ancient times. If you were to mix this as a paint color, here's a recipe: 8 parts Zinc White 3 parts Cobalt Blue 2 parts Cadmium Yellow Medium 1 part Burnt Umber What makes it so special? Olive green is a muted green. As you can see from the recipe, it is made from white, blue yellow and brown. We know from the color wheel exercise that blue plus yellow makes green, and that if you add white it becomes a beautiful delightful tint of green. But to mute it, to make it more earthy and natural, and to truly earn the name of OLIVE, it needs more. It needs to reach across the color wheel and grab some red. The recipe calls for burnt umber, and if you are familiar with paint names you know that burnt umber has a reddish cast. Not as much as burnt sienna, but enough to mute down th...

My lovely sister Susan is one of my biggest fans when it comes to Parts of Art jewelry. Not only does she have an impressive collection of jewelry pieces I have made over the years, but she is really good at harmonizing them with her clothing. So here she is once again pulling together a one of a kind look from wardrobe treasures.

Those of you that know me know that my daughter has been dealing with a health issue that has been healing over a period of time. For the last ten days I have been in the hospital with her, staying by her side as she receives needed medical attention. This is the first time one of our family has required medical care of this nature and for this many days. It has been and continues to be a journey that has totally changed my perspective of life. Psalm 139:15,16 Amplified Bible My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret and intricately and curiously wrought (as if embroidered with various colors) in the depths of the earth (a region of darkness and mystery.) Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days (of my life) were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there were none of them. Our physical bodies are a masterpiece of harmonious blends. We are intricately embroidered together by our loving heavenly Father. When one par...