Blog Archives - Robyn Sand Anderson Art

Painting-A-Day: November 26, 2013

11/26/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

Sometimes going simple is such a relief. It is soothing to the soul. What does that say about us? Not sure. I'd think about it, but I am trying to go minimalist here. There are no great puzzles to solve today. I was looking through winter photos and was inspired by heavy, snow-filled clouds. That kind of sky up against white snow has its own beauty. It makes me think about being cozy in my chair by the window, afghan on my lap and a cup of hot coffee or cocoa in my hands. What a luxury it is to have those kind of memories or know that I can have that kind of comfort. The simplest practices are often where we find the greatest sense of peace, comfort and pleasure. I invite you to treasure those simple pleasures. Most of us are very fortunate, and it is so easy to take it all for granted. Art often reminds us to pay attention and remember what matters.

This painting had SOLD!

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$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.

Painting-A-Day: November 25, 2013

11/25/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

The human spirit always fascinates me. Last night on 60 minutes they had an interview with soldiers who are trying a PTSD therapy. It is hard to watch. But I feel we need to watch. We need to see the real costs of war. I am reading a book by a Viet Nam vet, who is now a psychologist, about what is like to go to war. Last week I watched a video of a WWII Navy vet who was in hospice. His daughter contacted the ship he served on that was docked in San Diego, requesting a short visit for him to see his ship one last time. It made me weep. He so reminded me of my own dad who served with the SeaBees (Construction Battalion) on the island of Saipan during WWII. I watched those vets, who are torn up in every way, try to heal. I read the words of this Viet Nam vet. I experience the fierce joy and sorrow of this 90-year old as he remembers. What is it, I think, that these men and women miss so desperately when they get back from these horrendous experiences? It is connection, I think...deep, deep human connection, the love they feel for their comrades when they face death. Today I paint about the human spirit, its resiliency in the face of fear, death, and suffering. I paint about the connection we all have with each other. We are stardust, a NASA scientist said, we are all made up of the same elements.

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." I'm with Aristotle on this one. I admire those artists who can render things to look exactly like they actually are. It takes skill. Personally, I am more attracted to those artists who ask the question, who boldly suggest, who make me think, who remind me we are all connected.

This painting has been altered.

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
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$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.

Painting-A-Day: November 21, 2013

11/21/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

What can I say? I'm happy! My son sent me a link today. A 24-hour video called "24 Hours of Happy". Here's the link: http://24hoursofhappy.com/. This song = me dancing alone in the kitchen. That's right. Listen to it...you can't help but dance. I've often claimed that in heaven I will be a dancer. It's in me...just waiting to get out. Today's video was the catalyst. I guess you could say I dance with a paintbrush. Today's painting surely attests to that. I had good news two times today. I have been in remission for 4-1/2 years now from rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic auto-immune disease and today I get to decrease the medicine I have been on for six years. This is a big deal for me, mentally, spiritually and physically. Symbolic, if nothing else. And...drum roll, my cracked back molar shall not be pulled, but rather repaired. Woohoo! You see what I mean? I had to dance!

This painting has SOLD!

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
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$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.

Cards! Cards! Cards! : November 20, 2013

11/20/2013

Maple Leaves - Frameable Fine Art Print Card

Advent/Christmas - Frameable Fine Art Print Card Set

Perfectly Hidden, Perfectly Revealed - Frameable Fine Art Print Card

I love cards that can also be framed as a gift! Fine Art Print Cards of my work are now available! You will find my more popular watercolor cards as well as my current abstract work. Each print is adhered to a 5x7" embossed card with envelope. I enjoy buying unique cards myself, rather than box store cards which run about the same price. I love that the receiver has a choice to frame it and it isn't just tossed in the recycling. I am also featuring one card set, five individual cards (see above). My sister-in-law bought one of my Advent/Christmas cards sets, put them in 5x7" frames and brought one out each week of Advent and the Christmas one on Christmas day. Great idea!

Find all of the card design choices on my website, www.RobynSandAnderson.com under the "More" tab. Click on Print Cards. If you are interested in buying any, hit the Etsy widget at the top of the page. You can pay at Etsy.com with credit card or Paypal. Glad to finally get that all up online!

Painting-A-Day: November 19, 2013

11/19/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

What's that saying about "the best laid plans..."? Oh, yes. "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." Thanks, Google. I started this painting, knowing that I would use the technique of using dabs of paint around the painting that are then joined on edges, overlapping colors and blending them. I made the decision that I wanted to paint a large dramatic sky and most likely the bottom third of the painting as land and perhaps a lone tree on the horizon. So. As you can see, the sea appeared and I rolled with it. My ultimate goal is to create drama with the use of light in contrast to either dark or dulled color. To tone down the vibrancy of a color, I often mix it with the color that is across from it on the color wheel. Mixing complements create a wonderful variety of neutrals in the brown to gray range. I need to play with this technique some more. Painting in acrylic is a very different process than watercolor, my former medium (I feel like we've broken up....) but I am excited to keep at it!

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
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$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.

Painting-A-Day: November 18, 2013

11/18/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

I walked into the studio this morning and was hit with overwhelming, beautiful sun streaming in the windows. It was like being bathed in sunlight. What a greeting! I felt a sense of instant gratitude. I had just been reading a poem that connected with this feeling of compassion for those who suffer and feeling totally inadequate to really do anything about it. Feeling grateful while also realizing there are those who suffer around us and across the globe. This contrast causes great discomfort...that something just isn't right. This painting was born out of that wrestling. Light in the darkness. As I neared completion I saw the shape of a dove hovering over the world. Peace. It isn't always orderly, but mostly really messy. It's what we all want. All of us.

This painting has SOLD.

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Painting-A-Day: November 15, 2013

11/15/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

There is a certain sense of urgency when my 3pm deadline approaches and I haven't even loaded the pictures into my computer nor written anything by 2:45. Eeee-haw! My husband claims I am a peak performance artist. I do think it helps me focus! That is why this painting gives me a sense of peace and comfort. I heard from a brain specialist that nature actually does something good to our brains that is physical, resulting in a sense of peace and contentment. The husband and I are headed to the state park that is on the edge of town for a walk in the woods. I look forward to inhaling the smells of autumn, hearing the crunch of leaves and enjoying a few warm days this week after some 20 degree weather last week. Soak up your life, people!

This painting has SOLD!

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
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$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.

Painting-A-Day: November 14, 2013

11/14/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

So...I just couldn't stay away. I had planned to take the whole week off from painting and catch up on everything else that is pressing. But, painting gives me joy! I needed some joy mixed in with the utilitarian demands of life as an artist. Still, it is good to take some time off and come back to the paint refreshed in mind and soul. It was an intense lead up to my annual open house last weekend so I really needed some time. I had a birthday and my oldest daughter came to spend a few days. What a joy it is when my children come home! I soaked it up!

Lately I've been experimenting with layering opaque neutrals over intense color and I am loving the lovely contrasts. It softens and highlights the main action. Enjoy!

This painting has SOLD!

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
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$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.

Painting-A-Day: November 11, 2013

11/11/2013

Art Studio Open House 2013

I held an Open House in my home and studio this last weekend after a six-year hiatus. I had forgotten the work that it requires to pull it off. Thanks to the in-laws, friend Laurel and Jon for their help! For anyone in retail or in a career that entails creating a product and then hoping it will sell...it is a gamble. My father-in-law, a retired farmer, remarked that it was the same for the farmer. Every spring. You spend money and hope to make money. I featured my realistic watercolors, prints and cards and my newer abstract work, prints and cards. I did pretty well and was grateful to pass along some of my accumulated prints and previous work. I sold one of the new abstract originals, so that was a bonus! Now I rest.

This week I will work on getting some of my earlier work onto my website and up for sale, originals of my watercolors, prints and cards and giclées and cards from my new abstract work. Thanks all!

Painting-A-Day: November 8, 2013

11/8/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

I am weary today. Who knew cleaning your house, hanging paintings, creating displays and making cards for days on end could make you want to sit down? Waaah, waaah, right? That's what I was thinking until I happened to watch this TED talk by a filmmaker who has built a lifetime of time-lapse films of nature. That and the perspective of a child and an elderly man. "It helps you to fall in love with your own life." Here's the link: http://www.upworthy.com/clear-your-next-10-minutes-because-this-video-could-change-how-happy-you-are-with-your-entire-week. Ten minutes. It's a valuable mind readjustment. I think I should watch it every day. Beautiful.

Hope you can make it to my open house tomorrow and Sunday if you are in the vicinity. New Ulm is a pretty fun little burg to explore as well as Schell's Brewery and Morgan Creek Vineyard. The Grand Kabaret features a cozy music venue along with our Pepperboy restaurant. It's the Shopping Opener in New Ulm.

This painting has SOLD.

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
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Painting-A-Day: November 7, 2013

11/7/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

I have discovered something. When I am in the "photographing the art" stage of posting this blog, I can often see my painting more clearly. There is something about seeing the image of my painting really small in my camera screen. It helps me to see more clearly without the distraction of the fine details. It helps me see if the contrasting values are in balance, if there are any problem areas., if certain shapes need to be darker or lighter. I find this tool very helpful. I used it today on this painting from October 14 I've been working on. I have added some depth with the use of additional colors and deepened dark values in the foreground. I love all the warm colors of fall. I think that's why when you see a cool blue gray sky against those sunlit golden fields of wheat...it catches your eye. At least, it catches mine. I love that particular landscape!

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
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$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.

Painting-A-Day: November 6, 2013

11/6/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

I first posted this painting on October 29. As I approach my studio open house this weekend, I am looking at some of the 12x12's that no one has purchased to see if there is anything it "needs" or if there is anything I can do to make it a better painting. This is what I was moved to do today (see the Oct. 29 painting to see the changes). If I had to name it I'd call it "Re-Creation" for many reasons. Back to cleaning up my studio, hanging paintings, packaging prints and making print cards. It's comin' along, people, it's coming along. I still have too many things around here, which is why I am pricing my work below what I normally would. I also like the idea of making art affordable to people. Hope you can come!

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks!
$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.

November 5, 2013

11/5/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

Today's painting was inspired by a trip to Door County, WI last summer. We stayed at a house on the Green Bay side. Quiet but for the birds, swampy grasses leading out to the water, the serenity is absorbed into your very bones. I find I need these moments so much. And then, you can bring back that feeling in your mind, take some deep breaths and soak up the natural world after you get home. What a treasure it is.

The blue water is actually slightly darker...not quite as bright as it appears here. The shadows that may appear purplish on your screen is actually blue-toned. The whites are a creamier tone, rather than a bluish-white tone.

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks!
$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.

Painting-A-Day: November 4, 2013

11/4/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 2" Birch Sides, 24" x 24", Ready to hang!

Today's painting is part of a series of commissioned paintings for a church who is following The Story for 31 Sundays. I am one of 6 artists who are illustrating/interpreting the major narratives of the Bible. I will do four more paintings before April 15, 2014. This is the story of Naomi and Ruth, their journey, their relationship of survival. One of the main themes has to do with Ruth picking up the leftover barley that has fallen after the gleaners have moved through the fields. This painting is available for purchase now, but will not be available to the buyer until after the concluding exhibit where all 31 pieces of art will be shown together at the Crossview Lutheran Annual Juried Art Show in Edina, MN next May.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting now you may do so, but you would not be able to have it until the exhibit ends at the Crossview Juried Art Show in May. The price is $485.00. Go to the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and hit the Etsy Widget at the top of the page. It will take you to where you need to be to purchase this painting.

Painting-A-Day: November 1, 2013

11/1/2013

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12", Ready to hang!

I call it "Early Morning Mist on Rounded Hills". What is it about fog weaving its fingers around the earth that is so magical? It draws me into its silent presence. It is somehow comforting and soothing and I feel blanketed by its gentle movement. That's it...it looks like a blanket wrapped over the earth. No wonder it is comforting.

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks!
$100 for this original painting, ready-to-hang, plus $15 shipping and handling.