Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. It's a wonderful time of the year on the island. The weather is perfectly mild with just a right touch of chill when the wind blows. We started the day with a walk on the beach and stopped at Matt and Dom's, a new bakery/sandwich shop. Great tea, coffee and made-on-premise goodies can be found here. On Christmas Day a group of artists meet at Barbara and David Hines' house. They make the turkey and we all bring a dish. Afterwards we conduct a re-gifting. We make pretty packages of unused gifts we do not want and create an honest yet hightly embellished story to get others to desire that which we do not want. Everyone goes home with a gift. The stories are the best part and it is a wonder to see what the item is after hearing the story. We started the tradition last year and it is growing. This year we will have people in their 20s as well as those in their 40s, 50s and 60s. I love having adults of all ages at the gathering and sharing their stories.

A little information about the image posted: It is a watercolor I did of our famous City Pier, the oldest pier on our island. At one time, boats were the only way to reach the island and this pier serviced steam boats as well as row boats. It is now a fishing pier with a fun restaurant and bar. I cut the painted image and then wove it into the image you now see. Since every artist and photographer has a rendition of this pier, I wanted something different. Hope you like it.

Art Is An Attitude

Bill Buchman, an accomplished artist and teacher at the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, a division of the Ringling College of Art, has a 90-minute CD entitled "Art Is An Attitude". It opens with Bill reading one of his poems while his music plays in the background. The impact is one of delicious time out to learn some new techniques to draw the body. A young, beautiful model flashes on the screen at intervals as most of the camera's time is focused on Bill's hands. He shows how pressure, speed and motion produce powerful and timeless drawings. It is a valuable training tool. Bill demonstrates 25 fundamental drawing techniques and reveals his methods for using Conte crayon, gel pen, ink wash, Sumi brush, soft pastels, watercolor crayons and reed pen. What a treat. If you cannot take his class, do investigate the CD. Find out more at www.billbuchman.com You will be pleased.

Village of the Arts

A must-see when visiting the Village of the Arts is downtown Bradenton, FL is The Dancing Crane Gallery. Beverly Kershaw is the owner/curator and she has an exciting display of art which changes every two months. Special events take place in her award winning gardens in the rear of the gallery the first Friday and the first Saturday of each month. The garden paths lead to a book store, a yoga studio and other neat shops in the Village. The gardens are available for your personal and business affairs. Visit www.dancing-crane.com for more.

One Square Foot of Art

12" x 12" is the new juried art show at Art Center Sarasota, November 13 - December 29, 2007. All art exhibited is no larger than 12" x 12". Two of my works were selected: "Mandala - Barbaro's Last Race" an acrylic and "Inner Beauty Palor" an acrylic collage. In addition to this show, there are the figurative sculptures by New Orleans native Rukiya. They represent the metaphysical, spiritual journey of African-American women from slavery to the present. The gallery's phone number is 941-365-2032 for more information and hours. Hope to see you there. The opening reception is Wednesday, November 14, 5 -7 p.m.

The Best of Everthing found at The Sun House

The September 6, 2007 issue of The Herald newspaper read "Sun house offers the best of everthing." The Sun House Restaurant is located down the road from my house and studio and we visit it often. The food is fantastic, service is wonderful and the view of the Gulf of Mexico is breathtaking. Best of all, if you are on our island on Thursday, Otober 25, you can help the American Association of University Women (AAUW) raise money for the Marjorie G. Kinnan Endowment Fund and enjoy a Floribbean Tea. The event runs from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. and if you remain, the restaurant will extend its early dinner menu to all the guests at the tea (a great deal). The tickets are $25 and you will have Floribbean delicacies prepared by Chef Darrell Mizell. Chef Mizell was instrumental in developing Floribbean cuisine which emphasizes fresh regional ingredients, herbs and spices. It is a true taste of Florida. Dress is casual and you are requested to leave your white gloves at home. This is the beach!! Leave me a post if you would like to attend. Checks are payable to AAUW Manatee County Branch.

Best source of art supplies, workshops and information

If you are visiting the Bradenton/Sarasota area and are looking for art classes, supplies or good advice, the place to visit is Keeton's Office & Art Supply, 817 Manatee Ave. West, Bradenton, FL 34205. If you cannot visit in person then check out their web site www. keetonsonline.com Click on the Artist's Corner and you will see an upcoming list of events at the ever-friendly location. Keeton's is also a sponsor to many art events sponsored by non-profits groups on the Suncoast. The next major event is the Art Extravanganza in downtown Bradenton on November 9, 10 & 11. While presented by the Arts Council of Manatee County, the event has sponsors like Keeton's and would not be possible without the support. This area is a great place for art. Come and see why.

Seeing God

Secret Garden by lolly

"Seeing God...Artists Explore Spirituality" is a juried exhibition, September 11 - October 27, 2007 at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. tamiami Trial, Sarasota, FL 34236. One of my works, "Secret garden" a mixed media, 22"x30" was selected for exhibit. Jurors were Magdalena E. Carrasco, professor of Art History of New College of Florida and Nikitas Kavoukles, fine artist and previous co-director of the LEDO Art Gallery, NY. I am thrilled to be included in this thought provoking exhibit which includes all art media. It is fascinating to experience interpretations of spirituality and the divine. The artists come from all over the state of Florida. See it if you can.

Thanks for photographer Rolf Bertram

I like telling people about talented artists I know or recently meet. Rolf Bertram is a creative photographer who lives here on Anna Maria Island. His new book about the island can be purchased from Amazon. Take a look at his work http://www.bertramimages/. com You will enjoy your visit. Rolf alerted me to the artist Alex Grey (http://www.alexgrey.com/). Grey's clairvoyant vision of translucent bodies are outstanding. I love his two paintings of an artist at work.

What every art lover should know about buying art.

This has to do with "giclee". If you know what that word means, go no further. It is French and means "spray with ink." Lots of today's artworks are prints but look like originals. Unless an artwork is labeled, you may not know if it is orginal or print. That is how good giclees are. The prints are created by scanning original artwork digitally and printing them using a color printer that sprays tiny, precisely controlled drops of ink onto paper or canvas. The advantage is a lower cost; the disadvantage, in my opinion, the print loses the energy connection between artist and viewer.
If the artist uses thick paint, you lose the texture of the paint; the palate knife or brush stoke impressions. You lose part of the artist's creative force. If you fall in love with an artwork, ask if it is an original. If it is and has a price you cannot afford at the moment, ask the artist or gallery if they will work with you to secure the painting. At the Guild Gallery on the island we keep the painting but mark it sold as the buyer pays installments. It is a win for everyone.

On the beach

To the right is a photo of me painting on the beach. Since I live on an island off the west coast of Florida, the beach is part of my daily life. I was born in Pittsburgh, PA so beach life was foreign until eight years ago. Now it feels like this is the way I always was.

Postings and Parrots

Thank you, Colleen, for being the first posting on my blog. What a thrill to find your posting. I hope we can become a support network for each other or in other terms: a flock. Flocks are on my mind because I just viewed The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. I highly recommend it. Ben is my blue front Amazon parrot so I was motivated to see it but even if you do not have a bird, this is a delightful film. It is a film about a flock of urban, non-native parrots who live in the green niches of San Francisco. It is packed with romance, comedy and a surprise ending. Your local library may have it. Mine did.

Choices

Setting up this blog is an adventure into something new. When I came to the page where I was to chose a design for the blog, it became a matter of choice. I reviewed each and chose the circles or dots. I am working on art which begins with automatic drawings inside of a circle. A circular format of automatic drawing is called a mandala. Psychologists (at one time I thought I would be a psychologist) interpret symbols drawn within the circle as revelations of unconscious thoughts. Perhaps this blog will serve the same purpose but with comments from others who read my thoughts. What fun!