"BeThere--Le Jardin" SOLD

"Be There--Le Jardin"

12 x 12in oil on museum quality panel

$550

God calls you to the place

where your deep gladness

 and the world's deep hunger

 meet.

                                                                                                                        

 ~Frederick Buechner

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"In a Quiet Place"

"In A Quiet Place"

12 x 12in oil on museum quality panel

$550

Have you ever gulped in the air, cool and moist, of spring? It is so alive as to be felt to the very core.


I place myself in these trees, planted long ago on a hillside in Italy and see my new shoes of green grass appearing and feel the breeze tenderly shake my leaves.

It is

A quiet place.

This painting rode in on the quiet breeze of Michael's song below. Close your eyes and enter in.

There is a gift for you today--the very breath of life. Tip the glass back and drink long and deep.

It is the sweet breath of inspiration

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"Ready and Waiting in Italy" SOLD

"Ready and Waiting in Italy" 

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

Threshold

A word of promise. A place from where one can actually see what is there.

No longer around the next bend in the road, covered in mist, dropping away from us.

Threshold.

An entrance to. It takes action on our part to move into the place we see. It is there, within reach.

Threshold.

It is a time and place that is a pause. We are between what has been and what is almost now certainly here.We reflect.  It is good to reflect, to understand how momentous this is.

Threshold.

We welcome this robust demarcation line between. No gray area of sides. That was then . This is now and just on the other side, the future. My future. Your future.

Threshold.

Is it a coming home or a journeying forth? Depends on where you are headed and where you have been. It doesn't matter. What matters now is that you are here, now, at the opening to,  the entrance of your life.

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"Opening in France" SOLD

"Opening in France"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

There is always, always, time for the sweet breath of life to blow across the soul.

It is the other things that there may not be time for

And if they fall away

No one will notice

They will not be missed

This quietness, this time of pausing, this is what the world is hinged upon.

It is what must be

 so that all that is unnecessary will fall away

For it is that other that weighs  down, that would prevent the taking of flight

There is always time, time for the sweet breath of life to blow across the soul.

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"Bello Balcone" SOLD

 "Bello Balcone"

8 x 8in oil on museum quality panel

$350

A true note, a dance of color, a timely word, fresh rains from the heavens, all in the moments of livingness. 

 A thousand things to give thanks for.

And  there is yet 

more.

Please Note: For those of you who opened my never ending email post yesterday...OOPS!  Just going to blame it on Eddie.  For those of you who missed it--never mind:))  (Actually, I was switching some things around for getting things squared with Daily Paintworks and ..well...can I just say, no one has ever accused me of being a techo-geek nerd.  Well, maybe a nerd, but never a techo-geek nerd.:))

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"A French Moment" SOLD

"A French Moment"

6 x 6in on museum quality panel

$200

There are, can we say,  moments  in life.  I have certainly had mine.

There was the time I asked for a sign.

 and got one.

There are Ed moments

And moments of ecstatic joy

at the sight of more snow

But, just in the nick of time, you have the  MOMENT.  The silly thing that makes you laugh out loud, the perfect rose in your garden, a phone call from someone special, a swimsuit you can actually wear out in public without bringing shame on the family---and voila, your back in the game!!

May your day be filled with great  moments. ...:))

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"Venice Time" SOLD

"Venice Time"
8 x 8in oil on museum quality panel

$350

Gondola rides preclude "being in a hurry" or "running behind".  They glide silently down passage ways inaccessible by cars.  One has no choice but to  relax and soak in the surroundings.  Buildings  from Marco Polo's time, stand in water to their waist.  Sunlight dances on laundry, flowers, clothes lines and the like, as it snakes its way between.  Setting your watch to Venice time means it's impossible to hurry..:))

In Other News:

New Assitant Hired for Getting Organized!!  The letter of recommendation accompanying the application stated, "Possesses the qualities needed to immerse themselves totally in filing."
What it didn't state was that they might also leave your files in a hairy mess (see photo)

Yep, check out the odd shaped file in the middle basket--that would be my office assistant, Ed,  "immersing himself in his work".....

Shipping Your Artwork--This week on the #1 Art Show on Blog Talk Radio, Artists Helping Artists, we'll be covering the low down on how to deliver the goods! Click here for times and details (all shows are recorded and archived!)

Atlanta Workshop!! Kick off the new year with my workshop in Atlanta, Feb 10-12.:)) I will be teaching for 3 days, alongside Leslie Saeta, for my first workshop of 2011--can't wait!! Would love to see you -- there are still some spots available. Click here to read more and also visit Leslie Saeta's site to see her great palette knife work. Pin It

"Morning Gold in France" SOLD

"Morning Gold in France"

8 x 8in oil on museum quality panel

$350

 

This pretty much sums up why I paint what I paint.  Call it escape, call it running away, calling it running towards, call it whatever you want.

Just be sure and call me when you get ready to go

I wanna  come too..:))

 

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"Magical Dance of Italy"

Music, color, dance---intoxicating formulas.  Magical even.  Defies understanding or explaining how it bypasses the brain and heads straight to the real us hidden from view to the casual observer.  It is what makes life bearable in our low points and ecstatic in our highs. 

Music is always present in my studio when I am painting, and as a result--I feel it is intrinsically part of each painting.  And just in case you're wondering---I do "dance like no one's watching."  

Only problem is, Eddie is. The little furry dude has a running commentary on my dancing.  

If he happens to post any dance videos on YouTube, if you love me, please let me know. 

I have a reputation  to protect.  

Although it may be too late.  

I mean, when you live with Eddie, there is no where to go but up.

In Other News:
Randy Higbee at www.KingofFrame makes the frames I love.  He was a guest on Artists Helping Artists this week and offered a "Leslie and Dreama Special" on his website--just for you!
Click here to get the details!

My Atlanta workshop with Leslie Saeta is coming up in February10-12.  It is going to be 3 fun-filled days packed full of painting, great food, and comaraderie with artists from all over the US.  Click here for more details--- and make your plans now to join in on the good times ahead! Pin It

"At Home in Italy" SOLD

"At Home in Italy"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

  Feelin' at home.   Knowing you can kick your shoes off, loosen your belt, and prop your feet up on the nearest piece of furniture.  Few things in life feel quite as delicious. 

At home in Italy---that's just about as good as it gets..:)) 

I rec'd a letter from a fellow artist this week who lives in Italy.  He was telling me about it and said..."... a breathtaking place...therefore, as someone said (Hawthorne?) ...say a lot abut a little and a little about a lot..."

Enough said!

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"Sunny Side Up in Italy" SOLD

"Sunny Side Up in Italy"

6 x 12in oil on museum quality panel

$350

And this is what I love about painting.  It may be blowing snow outside (and it is) and it may be going to be 9, count 'em, 9 whole degrees tonight (and it is) however.....I am hanging out in Italy, basking in the sunshine and hypnotizing myself by the reflections in the water.  It's a big place and there is definitely room for one  more....:)))

In Other News:

Save $10 off the purchase of either of my books--just in time for Christmas!  Click here and type in CHEER to receive your savings. 

Get organized for 2011--this week on the #1 ArtShow on Blog Talk Radio--part of our 5 week series on Goal Setting for 2011 for your art!  If you have some tips to share for getting organized with your art, business and/or studio, please email me here and we will include it in this week's show.  To see show dates and times, click here.

A workshop for $10?  An original painting by me or Leslie Saeta (6 x 6" size) for $10?  You could be the winner.  Just donate $10 or more to the Artwalk for Annie Salness fund and for each $10 donated, you get another chance to win!  Only 3 days left until the drawing.  Click here now to get your name in for the chance to win!

Subscribe to have your name in for my monthly painting giveaway. (You can do so in the box on the right column of my blog--and thanks!)

It's beginning to look a lot like Catmas??





Claw Monet







(Eddie)Billie Holicat



Just feel I need to warn you.  Eddie is putting up a cat tree.  He has been collecting all things cat for quite some time.  This includes a host of stuffed cats, including the famous artist, Claw Monet, famous jazz vocalist, Billi Holicat with her own sheet music of "God Bless the Cat" with lots of crescendo meows....not a good thing. 

 I keep hearing Eddie bragging to Phyllis about what a good boy he has been all year. 

Yeah, you guessed it.

Eddie Bill believes.

In Santa Claws.

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"Rose Steps of Italy" SOLD

"Rose Steps of Italy"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

A good set of stairs to sit and write the story of your life.  Surrounded by roses and a glass of ice tea nearby, start with how you came to be in Italy!

Gratitude Mission

#30Thanks Day 27 --Thanks for belief, for hope--it makes all the difference.

When the world seems flat, don't believe it.  Just because the roundness can't be seen from where you stand....it doesn't  mean a thing.  Absence of belief in its roundness does not make it flat..:))  A few years back there were two schools of thought on just that very thing.  The world did not flatten because some believed it to be so.  It stayed, fully shaped, waiting....for someone like you, with lots of hope, to set sail towards their dreams with vision, with faith, and with hope.  Anything is possible when we believe. 

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"What Happen's in Italy Stays in Italy..." SOLD

"What Happens in Italy Stays in Italy"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

  And there it was.  Glimmering and  shimmering-- like a soda fountain in the middle of the dessert.  Me 'n' you, bicycling and talking our way down old Italian streets.  We were, in effect, a gelato incident waiting to happen.  I told you not to get the third cup (one has to build up a tolerance for this-- I have been cultivating mine for quite some time).  You should never listen to Eddie's suggestions.  He always has an agenda.  Thankfully he didn't have his camera on him, so no matter what he tells to whom, we can deny the details to our dying day.  What happens in Italy stays in Italy.

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"La Bicicletta Blu" SOLD

"La Bicicletta Blu"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

Your ride awaits.  Sun on shoulders, mind clear, heart light.  It's a great day to be pedaling on centuries old streets.  You know what this means.  You will need to stop for some gelato to cool off with.  Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.  Just a warning.  Eddie wants to ride with you--something about letting the breeze blow through his whiskers and such.  Whatever you do, don't let him talk you into it.  It's all fun and games 'til someone gets their tail caught in the spokes.  I'm just sayin'.

In other news:

• 
  
  Join me and fellow artists for the Paris Artwalk this Friday, July 23 from 5-9.  I will have some of my work at the newly formed gallery of Brian Privett's Law Offices on Main Street. 
• 
  
   Join Leslie Saeta and myself for "Artists Helping Artists" Internet radio show today at noon, EST.  Today's topic is Christmas in July and it's loaded with great ways to market your art for the holidays!

Ciao!


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"The Color of Italy" SOLD

"The Color of Italy"

6 x 6in on museum quality panel

$200

Remember when you were a kid and the smell of a new box of crayons?  That heady moment of pristine, unbroken magical sticks waiting to be pulled out?  The possibilities of what you could do with that box of color seemed limitless.  Well, here you are with your "box" of Italy.  What are you going to color yourself into today? 

Pure magic.  Go make some for yourself...:)))

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"France, Friends, and Sunshine" SOLD

"France, Friends, and Sunshine"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

Certain things bring a smile to my heart every time I see them.  French windows are one of them.  If eyes are windows to the soul then French windows like these surely must open into happy places.  Window boxes bursting with blooms means someone has a generous heart.  If you have ever grown plants in a window box you know it takes much diligence and attention.  They dry out much faster and of course, getting water to them is not as easy.  So for many reasons (including color and sunshine) it gladdens my heart when I see them.  Someone is loving their plants and sharing them with all of us.  Just a reminder when we are doing the things we love, everybody benefits..:))  Keep doing the things you love and let it slosh over onto the rest of us!  Thanks to each of you for the joy and warmth you bring to the world.  We need each other's sunshine.....:))!

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"Accessories From Italy"

"Accessories From Italy"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

I have a friend named Jeffrey .  Jeffrey makes jewelry.  He tells me the only thing that separates me from the *animals (see Eddie) is my ability to accessorize. 

Which I used to believe 'til I saw Eddie wearing my beaded scarf.  So much for that theory! 

However, when it comes to the Italians--they do know how to accessorize.  Color around a window doesn't just have to come in the form of flowers.  It can be fresh laundry, full of color, softly stirring in the breeze.

Now that's something you don't see on HGTV...who knew you could get fashion tips for yourself, your house,  and take a mini trip to Italy all at the same time....
And just so you know that I always tell the truth-- here's Eddie with my scarf. Haven't worn it since then. I hate it when someone looks better in my clothes than I do.....

Note: It was a great show on Artists Helping Artists with Carol Marine, the premiere daily painter.  If you missed it, just remember , they are recorded!  Just click here then scroll down to On Demand Episodes.  Click play and enjoy~

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"Light Hearted in France" SOLD

"Light Hearted in France"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

Hmmm....talk about heart healthy..a stress free jaunt in France...that should do it!  If it looks like one of the roses is missing here, it's because you just cut one to tuck  behind your ear (after first having buried nose in said rose and inhaling deeply)  before you headed off to class--it helps when you're local to speak the language...:)--no one said it hurt if the teacher happened to be cute as well.

Of course, listening to Stacey Kent's Raconte Moi helps put you in the mood....to learn the language of course. 

And in other news:

• 
  
  Carol Marine, one of the most well known of the daily painters and a super artist and lady will be our guest this Thursday, July 1st, 12 noon EST,  on Artists Helping Artists blog radio show.  We have lots to talk with Carol about and will be opening the phone lines for all your great questions and comments!  Check sidebar on my blog for details on calling in.  Remember--the shows are recorded as well for later listening.  Please help spread the word to your fellow artists about the show--Thanks!
• 
  
  Leslie Saeta and I have been having some awesome discussions via phone on how to make our September workshop an unforgettable, extreme learning experience.  I am learning things from Leslie about color and how to make your work have it's own signature look--and that's just with talking to her--just think of getting to see how she lays the paint down with the knife!  Stay tuned as we are each going to have a video addition on our sites to give you more information on what we plan to cover in this workshop set.  Click here for more info
• 
  
  And another thing--a bit of an unusual request.  But no one as ever accused me of being...usual.  Romiley Jack took my women's artist retreat back in the spring.  Romiley is an artist without brushes....she's an actress!  She has sent in her audition tape to "host your own show" that Oprah is sponsoring.  We can vote on our favorite.  Romiley is one of us--a generous, talented, lovely human being---and who doesn't like to see good girls win??  Here is the link to see her video audition and to vote.   Let's be part of pushing her to the top! (hint, you can vote more than once..:)
• 
  
  And, the pressure is building --- people are wanting to see paintings of Eddie.  I am hoping these are genuine requests and not something Eddie has engineered....so if he agrees to model, I will be adding a painting or two of Ed to the mix.  Just a heads up in case you are a fan of Eddie's.  He tells me has fans.  He also says he doesn't shed.....

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"A Very French Welcome" SOLD

"A Very French Welcome"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

I found the perfect spot to sit and sun and eat and  talk.  Even Eddie likes it--although he just slipped inside the open door to check and see if the the fish is fresh...

There's room for two on the bench.  I thought it looked so....well, welcoming!  Like, hello friend, sit awhile and soak up the good things in life.  Plenty of  fresh air, incredible colors, and most of all---shared laughter amongst friends to go around.  I'll save your spot...:)) 

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"Italian Hideaway"

"Italian Hideaway"

6 x 6in oil on museum quality panel

$200

It's Friday.  And I am thinking you are needing a place to get away .  Somewhere where no one knows your name and you can sleep as late as you want and stay up as late as you want and eat what you want.  It's on a side street,  a bit off the beaten path but an easy walk to the corner market to pick  up fresh chevre and some home-made  olive oil to dip your bread in.   There's some great Merlot and lemoncello in the cabinet so help yourself.  My only tip is---don't tell anyone where you're going. Especially if his name starts with an Ed and ends with a 'tude.  Dude with a 'tude.  That's all I'm sayin'.

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