SPRING-INTO-SPRING Sale, March 21 through April 4 (remaining paintings with updated prices)

"Ruby Slippers," (signature miniature for this blog), 3/4" x 1 3/8", egg tempera on Kelmscott vellum in Venetian glass mosaic frame, available for purchase in my Etsy store

"Three Rose Petals," 4 1/2" x 4 1/2," egg tempera small work on gessoed panel in 10" x 10" white shadow box with matt embellished with pink paint and rose cup shells, available for purchase in my Etsy store

"L'madone et L'Infant de Remy de Saint (Madonna & Child of St. Remy)", 4 1/8" x 5 3/4"

"Amma's Eyes," 1 3/8" x 1 3/4", (eye portrait of Indian Saint Amritanandamayi Ma), in Venetian glass frame, available for purchase at my Etsy store

"Just Peachy," 1 5/8" x 1 1/8", matted and framed, (SOLD)
"Ship Flag, Star of India," 6 3/4" x 8 3/4, available online at my Etsy store

"Basket of Red Flowers," 3" x 3" in faux-pearled easel frame, available (please use the contact form on my website for purchase info.)

"Mary & Jesus, Aix en Provence Exterior Wall," 1 1/4" x 1 7/8", available, (please use the contact form on my website for purchase info.)

"Pink Lady Pair," 1 3/16" x 7/8" (shown at actual size), (SOLD)

"Kiwi Berry Tart," 1" x 1", (SOLD)

"Pink Star-gazer Lily," 1 1/4" x 1 1/2," (SOLD)

"Angel Be Mine," 1" x 7/8", (donated to Rally for the Cure)

*My thanks to Rick Campbell, my sister Peggy, Mike Campbell, my cousin, Bev Bonge Ganser, and Aunt Betty for their purchases. Thanks also to everyone for your kind compliments on my sale miniatures, including four people I heard from on email this week---Arlynne Miller, Jeff Million, Donald Partyka, and Fred Wessel.

For my nephew Nick who is 21 years old on March 25, Happy Birthday Nick! Can't wait to celebrate with you!

P.S.

Just a little postscript on my last post, since fellow blogger artist, Todd Bonita, and I were talking this week about how his father-in-law, David Baker, who passed away very recently, and my father were both smokejumpers.  My father only spent 2 or 3 summers smokejumping during 1948 - 1950, but he was very proud of being a smokejumper.  While Dad smokejumped, Mom worked in the ranger station as a clerk.  Although Dad went on to study law and become a businessman, later in life he would often state that his favorite job was still smokejumping!  He belonged to the National Smokejumpers Association, and a few years ago they produced the book Smokejumpers, in which Dad recounted his experience in the 1950 Hell's Canyon Snake River fire.

Thanks, Peggy, for buying an early miniature, just before my blog sale!  And thanks Nick for mentioning this blog on your radio show last Friday.

"Surprise Daddy!"

"Mona & Ben" 5 1/8" x 6 3/4" (drawn at miniature scale)

charcoal and white pastel on gray sand-grit pastel paper (NFS)

My father passed away in April '07 and yesterday would have been his 86th birthday.  It's still a tough week for me, so I wanted to honor his memory with one post, since my blogs began after he passed.  I love knowing that if he were still here, he would be on his computer, checking them every day!  I'm sure he is enjoying it in spirit anyway.  This is drawn from my favorite photo of Dad and I, and the photo-version is also my screensaver.  I have a post coming up within the next month for my Mom also, but this one's for you Dad.  Love you always!

"Session on the Ruby Slippers" with Mona Diane Conner

In "Session on the Ruby Slippers" I discuss what motivates and inspires me as an artist.   It is just for viewing if and when you would like to know more about this, and no pressure to view it otherwise.

My Very First Miniature Compared to Now

"Water Lilies with Trochus Shells," 2" x 3", egg tempera on Strathmore board with glazed and shelled frame  (SOLD)

I thought it would be interesting to post for you the first miniature I ever painted, because I think it shows how I have been making some progress over the past nine years compared to my first try.  The details in "Water Lilies" are less defined, and it was also painted on a coarser surface of cold press Strathmore, which made it harder for me to achieve detail.  I worked on a smoother surface for this more recent miniature,"The Ruby Slippers."

"The Ruby Slippers," 3/4" x 1 3/8," egg tempera on kelmscott vellum

in Venetian glass frame, Available

Tomorrow I'll be posting a review of all the paintings which are currently available for sale on this blog, and on Wednesday I hope to post my next video, which is called, "The Ruby Slippers."  Stay tuned and watch it later this week to find out why.

(*Note:  sorry it's late, but my sale will be posting soon, so please check back for it and the video too, and thanks for your patience.)

New Artist Statement & Bio

This past week I took some time out to write my new artist statement.  

The eyes have it...... (as in click on them to see it!)

                                                         

                                                                      

Pink Lotus with Shells

"Pink Lotus with Rose Cup and Apple Blossom Shells," egg tempera, gold acrylic paint, rose cup, apple blossom, and pearlized umbonium shells, 4 1/2" x 4" (size including frame)

If it's just another example of gold in miniature, here is one I did with just gold acrylic paint, yet it has it's own kind of beauty.  Both because I'm currently working on a commission, and because I am trying to decide if I can part with this miniature from my personal collection, I'm putting it up as a post to see if anyone is interested in purchasing it.  

The shell craft alone took a week for me to create, and I emulated the lotus flower in shells on the top and bottom of the frame.  Please indicate your interest in purchasing this miniature via email (mona@monadianeconner.com).  

The Gilded Panel

Here is my panel after two coats of gold leaf.  It actually took more than two books of gold leaf, partly because of the curves and sides.  Even with experience gilding can be tricky, so if you have not tried it before, I do recommend practicing a bit first with imitation gold leaf until you feel comfortable with the process.  You can get a beginner kit which includes imitation leaf, fast-dry size, and even a bit of venetian red which is often used under the leaf as a base color, and this is a great place to start.  With more experience you'll use less gold.

I'm still waiting for my shellac crystals to come in the mail, so I'll return to this project once my surface is ready for applying paint.  It can take a little extra patience and time to arrange trying something new, but if it lights my inner fires, I feel it's worthwhile.  Who knows what great places it may lead me to?  I hope I can pull off the new technique of oil painting on gold, because I love how this panel looks too.

Highlights on Oil Gilding

This is a 'rough-cut' video, but here are some highlights about oil gilding......... 

Several additional points:   As you lay down thin squares of gold, it's naturally breaking up a little here and there, so there will be little 'holiday' spots to patch.  These get patched over immediately as you go, and it all smoothes into one coat of gold.  If the size dries out too much, or you can't do it all in one sitting, simply resize over the gold and when the tack is ready, do another layer, or carefully size portions and patch.

Gold leaf typically costs about $40 per 'booklet' of 25 square leaves.  It's taking approximately two books to cover the panel in my demo, counting patching.  *An additional note:  imitation gold leaf looks nearly as nice as the real thing, and it's just about $7 per book.  The only thing you must be sure to do with imitation gold leaf is to shellac over it to avoid tarnish.

Here are some online resources for gilding information and supplies:

Pandora, Sinopia.com, Auricgold.com

*Best viewed with Quicktime 7 (free download)

A Virtual Visit to My Studio

My thanks to everyone for such kind and encouraging comments about my Aretha Franklin portrait!  She's almost done.....

Spent much of today learning how to make a video clip so that I could share some information with you, in case it is of interest, on how I gild with gold leaf, and possibly later on how I mix my egg tempera medium, demo-style. 

Hope you enjoy this first one, an introductory visit to my studio, and let me know if you'd enjoy another clip.

*Best viewed with QuickTime 7 or later (free download) 

Aretha, Step 5

(portrait in progress, 4" x 4")

For this session I've been refining some details of Aretha's face and her clothing, and solidifying some of the background figures behind her.  More on Aretha tomorrow, and also on the gilding of my panel for the mother/daughter portrait.

Aretha's Famous Hat

(portrait in progress, 4" x 4")

After two days of patient work, I finally got all the Swarovsky crystals on Aretha's hat!  It took a bit longer than it would have if I had a few new brushes, but since it was extremely cold today I decided to wait on this trip to the art store, and give it my best try anyway. 

I was surprised to find out this week that Aretha's hat, designed by Luke Song, has become quite famous, and believe it or not, it even has it's own Facebook page now, with over 100,000 fans, including yours truly!  Due to at least 300 requests, a $179 less expensive version of the hat has been made available by Song's millinery, and according to the Chicago Tribune, the Smithsonian has requested to make Aretha's hat part of a special permanent exhibit.  

Aretha's response:  "I am considering it.  It would be hard to part with my chapeau, since it was such a crowning moment in history.  I would like to smile every time I look back at it and remember what a great moment it was in American and African-American history."

Sorting Out a Small Work on a Gold Leaf Panel

Detail of my drawing that will go in the center of the panel, overlapping

and following the lines of the inset area.

Icon panel, 13"W x 17"H

I spent part of today sorting out how I want to do a small work painting in oil on panel.  It's important for me to do a small work periodically, because it gives me an opportunity to loosen up my hand for the miniatures themselves.   I also want to try painting this one in oil over gold leaf.   It's something new for me, but I hope it will still be fun and interesting to see what I can come up with.

I have a special icon panel I ordered from Pandora, my panel supplier, just because I loved the shape, and I've been saving it for just the right painting, so maybe this is it.  I asked for this particular panel to be made slightly different from it's standard version that was being shown online (it originally had small window insets on the sides), and it is a real luxury that Pandora is willing to fulfill special requests like this.

I did a sketch in pencil from a photo I took of a friend and her baby daughter wearing a tulle ballet skirt.  I want the painting to crop tightly around their faces in a way that draws the viewer in.  I will apply the gold leaf all over the panel, allowing some of the gold leaf to peek through the oil paint to help give the painting a golden glow.  Above is a photo of my panel, and a portion of my pencil drawing (which didn't quite all fit on my scanner) that will be a guide for the painted version. 

The panel has an icon-style indentation that follows the pattern of it's outer shape, and it's a smaller area than I want to paint in, so I decided I will allow the painting to expand out beyond the in-set area about 1/2", while still following it's shape.  Doing this may even wind up adding further interest.  My next step will be to cover the panel with leaf, and allow it to set overnight. 

I will be oil gilding, and in this instance using imitation gold leaf, which will still have the same rich effect as real gold leaf in terms of it's overall impact.

I'll post more progress on Aretha tomorrow........

Aretha, Step 3, plus a word about brushes & framing your miniature

Now working up the image over all a bit more, I've added the black velvet bands to the hat, so that I can start adding all those sparkling Swarovski crystals onto the black trim.  

Here is a line-up of my palette knives and brushes used for my miniature paintings.  Left-to-right:  palette knives for scraping paint off my palette, and for mixing pigments in jars, #20/0 Silver Ultra Mini Pointed round, #5/0 Escoda Kolinsky, 1/2" flat Cotman Windsor & Newton, #3/0 Umbria round Princeton synthetic, #0 and #1 Cotman blue-handled synthetics, #2 Princeton filbert, 2/0 Princeton shader, 3/0 Princeton round, 20/0 Princeton spotter, 15/0 Micron detailer, #000 & #00 (and up to #1 is also good) Series 7 miniature sable Windsor & Newtons, #000, #00, (#0 missing here), #1 regular Series 7 Windsor and Newton (I use these if I can't get the miniature Series 7, or in combo with them), Utrecht's (comparable to W & N series 7 for a lower price) Vermeer kolinsky sables series 221 in #000, #00, & #1.  The three brushes I use most often are:  3/0 Princeton Round, #000 series 7 miniature W & N sable, and the 15/0 Micron Detailer.

To frame your miniature, if you can't find a suitable photo frame, I recommend a framer who specializes in scaled down delicate frames, such as MiniArt Supply.  Proprieter Nancy Still is a talented miniature painter & MASF member.  She carries a wide assortment of tasteful ready-made frames, but also will make and ship a frame to fit your specifications for a reasonable price.

Aretha, Step 2

A little more progress on Aretha, starting here to establish a background and suggest people sitting behind her.  I'm working on the form and shadows of the hat, and will be adding detail to it.  I had hoped to get further, but it's late, so I'll do another post on this tomorrow and I'll add the brush information then too. 

"Angel Be Mine"

"Angel Be Mine," 1" x 13/16", egg tempera on vellum, $30 + free shipping (see 3/21/09 sale)

Here are the other two hearts I painted.  "Love You" and "Angel Be Mine" are each painted "in the spirit of miniature," which is a rule applied when something, such as a candy heart, is too small to begin with to portray at 1/6th scale.

Note:  I'm working on my portrait of Aretha and will be posting my progress late tonight, along with a photo and some information in answer to someone's question about the brushes I use for miniature painting.  Meanwhile, take a look at my latest drawing recently posted on my other blog, Grander Joy of Spirit in Portraiture.  

"Love You"

"Love You," 5/8" x 5/8", egg tempera on vellum

SOLD

Happy Valentine's Day!  Two more Valentine candy hearts coming tomorrow......

A "Kiwi Berry Tart" for your sweetheart

"Kiwi Berry Tart", 1  1/8" x 1  1/8", egg tempera on vellum, 

$50 + $5 shipping (see 3/21/09 sale to purchase)

More on Aretha next, but one of my colleagues, Ed, wanted to see me do some miniature paintings of pastries from my favorite local bakery, Brooklyn Bread, so here is a "Kiwi Berry Tart" for someone's lucky sweetheart!  Mmmmm.........

Step 1: "I Say A Little Prayer"

(approximately 4 1/8" x 4 1/8" - egg tempera on vellum, in progress)

While you are following my progress on this miniature portrait of Aretha Franklin, wax nostalgic with me by clicking below on her performance of "I Say a Little Prayer."  I was in high school when she made this appearance in 1970 on "The Cliff Richard Show." Many thanks to "thecatkeaton" for permission to share this very special YouTube video with you!

Two Bluebirds of Happiness, Version 1 and 2

"The Bluebird of Happiness II," 1" x 1", egg tempera on vellum, 

with hand-painted matt, for the Hipp family

my first "Bluebird of Happiness," 1" x 1", egg tempera on vellum with hand-painted vellum matt, Venetian glass mosaic frame

My friends, the Hipp family, moved out of my building a few weeks ago, and I was sad to lose them as neighbors, even though they will still be in Brooklyn.  The Hipp daughters loved my "Bluebird of Happiness" and the miniature painting I did of it, so I decided to surprise them with a housewarming gift for their new apartment by painting another one inch square painting of the bluebird of happiness, version 2.  I tried to make it as close to the first version as possible, but gave the second bluebird a different framing treatment.  I like both framing treatments for different reasons.  What do you think?

Just received an Art Blog Award from great artist & fellow art blogger, Akiko Watanabe.  Thanks Akiko!  Please check out her amazing animal paintings.  The recipient of this award is supposed to name 7 things he/she loves, so here are 7 of mine:

1.  I love God, and I feel a connection to God whenever I paint, and this is #1 for me. 

2.  photography - some I do for painting reference, but more recently I have 'gone pro' and included my photography in my professional galleries on my website.  Some of my photography combines with my love for travel.

3.  Icon-writing - I've taken lessons in Russian Byzantine icon painting  (called 'icon-writing'), and this is something I very much enjoy and look forward to doing more of.

4.  The view out my studio window - I look out on Brooklyn rooftops and the Williamsburg Bank building.  I've heard there is a falcon's nest on the top of it's tower.

5.  The food in my neighborhood -  great restaurants.  Akiko, come visit!  There is the local Food Co-op and Brooklyn Bread bakery, with the pastries of your dreams, cannolis, cream puffs, fruit tarts and delicacies.  I'll have to paint some of these.

6.  Park Slope -  the neighborhood where I live in Brooklyn, is a hopping place I've called home for 31 years.

7.  Water - I love the seashore and water environments, so my studio is LoveWater Studio.

I'm passing this Art Blog Award to five artists in the miniature painting and wildlife arenas:

Rachelle and Wes Siegrist - award-winning husband-wife team of miniaturists specializing in wildlife art.  Rachelle has also won awards for her miniature portraits

Bill Mundy - from Oxfordshire, U.K. one of the greatest portrait miniaturists, who shares wonderful travel stories

Dana Lee Thompson - check out Dana's website including miniature paintings of her specialties:  hounds and horses

Johnny Mullane - just recently discovered this wonderful wildlife painter's blog

Aretha and a Bit About Process

My pencil drawing of Aretha combines several images I caught, so it has the feeling I want

my goose-neck magnifier which I use intermittently over my miniatures in progress, along with the blue Saral transfer paper I use to transfer my pencil drawing onto my vellum

During the presidential inauguration I was experimenting with my digital camera taking shots of the imagery on my TV screen, and I captured about half a dozen shots of Aretha Franklin wearing her gorgeous outfit and belting out our national song like we've never heard it.  She was so fantastic that day, I knew right away I wanted to make a miniature of her from this occasion!  It's been very busy behind the scenes for me, and I'm sorry it's meant less posting for a bit, but wanted to at least share my start on this mini, esp. if it also gives me a chance to show you more about my process.  

One popular FAQ I am asked is whether I work under magnification.  I use this goose-neck magnifier which has a lens magnification of about 350 percent.  It cost me about $15 on E-bay when I bought it, and it's flexible neck allows me to bend the angle and height of the lens over my work however I like.   I work by naked eye too, but I monitor how it's looking under the magnifier, and partly it's painted under the magnifier too.  There's a competition category in the MASF show for the best miniature by someone under age 35, and I'm always joking it should be for the best miniature over middle age, because everyone's ability to see at close-range diminishes after mid-life.  If only I had the close vision I had at 35!

I work with blue Saral transfer paper, which works just like carbon paper (comes in graphite, blue, red, yellow, white).  I prefer blue which gives me a light line that I can retain but brush even lighter just before I start to paint with a small wad of cotton, so my drawing winds up adequately 'cued in', but doesn't overwhelm the translucent layers of egg tempera that I will be adding.

Unless it's a commissioned drawing, my preliminary drawings for paintings tend to be more utilitarian and smudgy (I'm a lefty!).  For my portrait of Aretha I decided to combine the facial expression from one photo with the sweeping hand gesture in another.  My years of practice with combining imagery as an illustrator make this part easy for me.  My photos are pretty fuzzy from being taken from TV, but hopefully should be good enough to pull off this miniature portrait.  For it's size I decided I wanted her to be as big as allowable and still consider this a 1/6th scale miniature.

I intend to make this a masterwork mini rather than a daily, but I'll be taking you through my steps on it as I progress.

Announcing My Second Blog

Some of you have recently noticed it, and I am very pleased today to officially announce that my second blog is now officially underway:  Grander Joy of Spirit in Portraiture.

Although it begins with one miniature, it grows even bigger in scale as it goes forward in this second blog which follows my journey in creating a series of large spiritual portraits.  I am very grateful to the models who have posed for these portraits so far.  Arlynne and Kimberly were enthusiastic and willing subjects and I appreciated their help very much.  "The 'Mary' in Karen" was done from a photograph, but Karen was a good sport about it too. 

More material will unfold as it goes forward on Grander Joy of Spirit in Portraiture, and of course I will continue to post miniatures here on The Ruby Slippers.  I have many things to say in portraiture too, so I hope it's going to be even more fun to follow both blogs as this new one unveils itself.

MASF Miniature Show Opening Weekend

Dear family friends, Donna, David, and Ilda Littell attended the opening (Donna & David are pictured with me here).  Ilda brought two enthusiastic friends along, and it was great to see all of them at the show.

Late nite fun at Bon Apetit on Saturday after a lovely party for the artists at Dunedin Fine Art Center. ( l-r) Wes Siegrist, Bill Mundy, Herb Weed, Helen Hause, me, Carol Curtiss, Rachelle Siegrist

The mini-ribbon cutting ceremony officially opens the show, & always brings smiles!

The miniature paintings are displayed in groups on panels that fill two large gallery rooms. This is the panel that holds my three miniatures.  Hanging beside each panel is a magnifying 

glass with which to admire the detail in each miniature painting.  The MASF permanent collection is also on display in a separate corridor adjoining the two gallery rooms.

standing here with five talented artists whose work I admire (see their miniatures via the links on my list at right), l-r, Roz Pierson, Wes and Rachelle Siegrist, Bill Mundy, & Dana Thompson. 

 Roz and Bill came all the way from England for the festivities.

President Emeritus, Social Chair, and volunteer who never quits, Carol Curtiss, is my dear friend standing with me here.

It is always a great pleasure for me whenever I have the opportunity to go down to Florida for the opening weekend of the Miniature Art Society of Florida show.  Here are some photos to provide you a birdseye view of the fabulous time I had there!  A special note of thanks to all of you from MASF who work so very hard all year long to make it so special for the artists in attendance!

This year's show includes 823 miniature paintings by 240 participating artists from all over the world.  An Iranian artist, Hossen Fallahi, even submitted his five entries on camel bone.  It's the traditional Persian surface for miniature painting.

Accepting an Award in Florida

Just a note to say I am heading out on a business trip to Florida, partly to accept an award at the Miniature Art Society of Florida Annual International Show.  If you live in the area of Dunedin, Florida, I hope to see you there!  The show opening is at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center on Jan. 18 and more information is here.

If I can get a decent photo of the awards ceremony, I'll post it when I return, and I'm back in action on Tuesday in Brooklyn.

"Pink Lady Pair"

(two views of one painting, enlarged, and approx. same-size)

"Pink Lady Pair" 1 3/16 inches x 15/16 inches, SOLD

egg tempera on vellum

I love the subtle pinks, oranges and pale yellows in Pink Lady apples.  They are fun to paint!

"Pink Star-Gazer Lily"

"Pink Star-Gazer Lily"  SOLD

(click on image for a larger view)

1 1/4 inches x  1 1/2 inches, egg tempera on vellum

Happy New Year!

"Basket of Red Flowers," 3" x 3", egg tempera, framed, (for purchase info., please inquire via the contact page of my website)

Happy New Year! I have several plans for the new year in progress. I am planning a trip to Florida for the MASF show opening in two weeks, I am working on rolling out a second blog, and I am developing a series of large paintings for a gallery show. Look for updates on these plans in future posts. While I am working on these things, here is an older miniature I am posting for sale.

Feast of the Holy Family

"St. Joseph and Jesus Devotional, Cathedrale Saint-Sauveur, 

Aix en Provence," 1  3/8" x 1  15/16"  egg tempera on vellum, 

(in progress)

Although I am not Catholic, I believe in certain Catholic traditions, such as the saints, and how they can help us.  I have been working on this miniature since before Christmas, and in Catholic tradition, today is the "Feast of the Holy Family," so it feels like the perfect time to post my progress on Joseph and Jesus.  As a Patron Saint, home and family are Joseph's realm.

The subject for this painting is a lovely devotional statue I photographed at historic Holy Saviour Cathedral in Aix en Provence during my stay in southern France.  I love the feeling of intimacy and the preciousness of the baby Jesus in this particular statue, and found it very inspiring to paint.  It was also special that someone had placed a real green branch upon the figures.  I plan to fine-tune this one further.

Merry Christmas

I am visiting with family and since I left with a painting in progress, I will post my second Holy Family painting of Joseph and Jesus later in the week. On Christmas Eve I am thankful for the blessings I have received from all of you who have enjoyed my blog art. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!

For Your Enjoyment: The first of two Holy Family Scenes

"Mary & Jesus, Aix en Provence Exterior Wall", 1 5/16" x 1 7/8"

I've Been Tagged!

My Grandma Conner, the other artist in my family

My studio

I've been tagged by a great artist, Edward Burton

Be sure to check out Ed's holiday sale.  I was impressed by a saw he painted, (his 10/5/08 post), and he paints murals too.

I'm sorry it took me a few days to follow through on this, but I've been looking forward to it.  This 'game' is a fun way to find and get to know great blogger friends in art.  The rules of this game are:

1. (List the rules) and put a link in your posting to the person who tagged you. 

2. List 7 unusual things or little known facts about yourself.

3. Tag 7 talented bloggers at the end of your post, linking their names in your post and commenting on their blogs to let them know.  (If you are tired of tag, no pressure of course.)

So here it goes:

1.  I paint tiny, but also huge.  I've done two ceiling murals in my Brooklyn apartment, and one is a mural of a Holy Spirit Dove directly above the area where I sit and paint (see my studio pictured above)

2.  I once managed to catch my lip in a suitcase lid (but hey, only once!)

3.  I like to do shellcraft.  See the photo of my Grandma above with a frame I shelled.

4.  In art school I purchased a used oak drawing table for $25 from a fellow student, and I have painted at this table ever since, (except when using an easel.)  

5.  I love mangoes, my favorite fruit.  I promise to paint them too.

6.  As a kid, after being exposed to lots of John Wayne movies thanks to my Dad, I refined an imitation of the 'John Wayne walk'.  How did it get seen by Nathan Lane is what I can't figure out!

7.  In my spare time I do hands-on healing.

I am tagging the following 7 people (the first 2 in 'tribute'):

1. E.V. "Peg" Conner, my Grandmother.  My most significant artist mentor, she worked very hard so I would have better chances in life, than she did, to pursue my artistic dreams.

2.  Robert Weaver, a great artist/mentor who was my inspiration for learning egg tempera.

There are so many great blog artists to tag, but just for starters, here are five people I highly respect and recommend a look at (comments not required, but I added a few notes):

3. Carol Feldman

great spontaneous watercolors

4.  M. Collier

Paintings From the Point is so mysterious I want to know more

5.  Debbie Becks Cooper

rich color and fine application of paint

6.  Abbey Ryan

Abbey loves the Jersey shore and so do I, plus what talent

7.  Cathy Gatland

diversity is her forte and I enjoy diversity in my creativity also

I list also the following people who inspired me to start my blog (see their links to the right):

Julian Merrow-Smith

Duane Keiser

Karin Jurick

Mick McGinty

Michael Naples