Sunshine Award

given by April Wood, Jan Brattain, Karen Eshelby, Bonny (Pinky) Wasley,

Joan Geller and Mary Fox of Fox On the Run Meanderings

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Thank you so much ladies, for the Sunshine Award. I am honored.

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Ok, here are six things about me that you may not know...

1. I love chocolate, but can't eat it because I get sick when I do. : (

2. My older sister nick named me ism, then she started saying that ism isn't ism anymore, and I use to cry.

3. I love 80's music.

4. I had the biggest crush on KC and the Sunshine Band when I was a kid- how lame!

5. We raised baby squirrels one summer when I was a kid because my cat caught one of them and hurt it's leg.

6. Most of my spine is fused because of scholiosis...I can't slump : )

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-Here are the Sunshine Award Guidelines-

1. Please thank the person who gave the award to you.

2. Copy the award and place it in your blog.

3. Link back to the person who nominated you.

4. Name six things that no one would really know, about yourself.

5. Nominate your Sunshine Award Bloggers and post links to their blogs.

6. Leave a comment on each of those blogs letting them know you have nominated them for the Sunshine Award.

Sneak Peak

Here's a sneak peak at one of my latest paintings. It's still wet, that's why there's a glare, and I have to paint the bottom edge yet. It's 16x20 and I painted it on Sunday. It just flowed, and I really like how it turned out. Used some bigger brushes than I usually do. Not exactly sure what I'm going to name it yet.
Did you know that sea turtles cannot pull their head's into their shell like other turtles can?
There are 7 different types of sea turtles; the green sea turtle, Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle (smallest), Loggerhead, Hawksvill, Olive Ridley Sea turtle, Flatback and the Leatherhead sea turtle (largest).
I am not quite sure if this painting is of a Green Sea Turtle, or a Kemps Ridley, although I think it's a green sea turtle. It is from a picture we took at the Cayman Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman.

Baby Sea Turtle aceo

I recently had the opportunity to take pictures of sea turtles at a Turtle farm in Grand Cayman, and I had a blast. I just wish I had taken more pictures. I love sea turtles, especially the baby ones.

So this is my Baby Sea Turtle aceo. It is in colored pencil. I am planning on doing larger paintings in the near future.

This is me holding a baby sea turtle. Isn't he cute?

At the Cayman turtle farm they have 4 different species of sea turtles; Green Turtles, Kemp's Ridley, Loggerheads and Hawkbills. Loggerheads and Hawkbills are snapping turtles. I didn't know that there were snapping sea turtles.

The male turtles have a significantly longer tail than the females.

You cannot tell a male from a female until they become mature. In the wild this is between the ages of 15-20, and on the farm it is 15 years. That's when the female starts laying fertile eggs.

The turtles on the farm lay between 50-100 eggs at a time, up to 10 times a season. This is from May to early October. Aren't you glad you're not a female sea turtle? That's alot of eggs!!!

Aren't they cool!?!

Some lady holding a sea turtle...I'm not that tan.

The farm releases yearlings into the wild every year. A sea turtle can hold it's breath for up to 20 minutes when it is swimming around, but when it's sleeping...12 hours!

The mature breeding turtles weigh anywhere from 350 - over 500 pounds!

This one is of my husband holding a Sting Ray on a sand bar. He loved it, and it was his favorite part of the whole trip! Mine was the turtles.


You will be able to find my Baby Sea Turtle aceo for sale at my Etsy Shop

You can purchase Giclee prints of Baby Sea Turtle aceo.

Browse through gift ideas in my Zazzle Shop

Become my fan on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter.

Enter DSG's Easter Giveaway

There will be 8 winners!

Here's a sneak preview.

Don't miss out on your chance to win Enter to Win

A Great Canvas Print Giveaway!

Hosted by Lynne Reichhart
You can win a free 16x20 rolled canvas print giveaway of your photo or work. Includes free shipping. Contest ends March 23, 2010.


To find out more and enter the contest, go Here.

Joann Wheeler

I want to feature an artist from my Dawg group (designing artists women group). Her name is Joann Wheeler and she does alot of beautiful Porcelain painting, which totally intriques me.

Here's the interview with her,

1.) Tell us about yourself.

My name is Joann Wheeler from Pasadena, Maryland. I love to paint and have been doing so since I was a child. I have taken classes from time to time at art shops, etc. but basically I'm pretty much self trained. I would describe myself as a porcelain and miniature artist.

2)What are your preferred mediums and art scale (miniature, large art, etc)

My first love is porcelain art (china painting), however I also love to paint watercolors, pastel & colored pencil. I prefer miniature art (ACEO's). Since I am prolific painter keeping it small doesn't cause me storage issues!

3)What are your inspirations?

I am inspired by God and nature. I love to paint flowers particularly and religious art.

4) Describe your art style.

My daughter describes it as realistic but I don't think my paintings are realism. I personally don't think I have a particular style as some painters do. It depends on the mood I'm in as to how I paint.

5)Do you do anything other than painting?

I like to take recycled old jewelry and restructure it into one of a kind pieces. I wish I had more time for it because you can come up with some pretty interesting things. Periodically I will do some decorative painting on wood or glass.

6) Do you blog, and what is your link?

I do blog. You can find my blog at http://jywheeler.blogspot.com/

You can also find me on facebook

7) Where do you sell online?

http://jywheeler.etsy.com/

http://bonanzle.com/eclecticspirit

http://www.artfire.com/users/ArtByJYWheeler

And sometimes I'm on Ebay

8) Are you opened to commission work?

Yes

9) What was your favorite piece of work?

I have so many pieces of work that I absolutely love. I couldn't choose just one.

10) Do you sell in a brick & mortar shop? If so, where?

No, just online and occasionally an art/craft show in the area.

I hope you enjoyed our interview with Joann Wheeler. Be sure to check out her shops and links

I picked a few of my favorites of Joann's to show you. This cutting board is my absolute favorite, one side has this beautiful painting, and the other is left unfinished so you can actually use it as a cutting board.

For Valentines

As I mentioned in the past, I am a member of the DAWG team on etsy. DAWG stands for Designing Artists Women Group. For some reason I keep forgetting what the G stands for and I have to go look it up, stupid, I know.
Anyways, we have these little quests, kinda like a contest just for fun, and we create a piece or 3 of art to go with the theme for that month, whatever it may be. Of course, being it's February, the quest is Valentines.
After I finished Monkey Around, I was on a roll and wanted to keep on painting. So I thought this would be the perfect time to get my quest pieces done. Saturday morning, I went straight to the studio when I got up. Yep, I was still in my jammies and hadn't even eaten breakfast yet. Came across a butterfly on a cornflower taken by my friend and collector of my paintings, Pat Otten. Changed up the colors and design, and this is what I came up with, Butterfly Love. So, then I started thinking snowman. I live in Minnesota or Minne-snow-da as I like to call it. My studio table is right infront of a window facing my backyard with all the snow. Well, I put snow and valentines together and came up with this little guy. He is created on black card stock paper. Yes, water soluble oils works great on card stock. I call him Snowman of Hearts. I think he kinda looks like a space snowman.

Had a bit of fun with Design of Hearts.
I had so much fun painting last Friday and Saturday. I just put everything on hold and took time to play and have fun in my studio. Sometimes way too much time lapses between painting sessions. Not everything has to be serious, so let go and have fun! I highly recommend it.

Happy Valentines Day to you all!

Monkey Around

So last weekend I wanted to paint, and usually it takes quite a bit of time figuring out what I'm going to paint and planning the painting, blah blah, blah. Well, I went into my studio, started looking through some pictures we had taken, and this little monkey just popped out at me, so to speak. So I sketched him out on a 5x7 canvas panel, and here he is. Reference photo was taken at the Minnesota Zoological Gardens a couple years ago. Hope you like him.

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Baby Snow Leopard

This is my newest painting, Baby Snow Leopard. It is a 16x20" oil painting on stretched canvas. Sides painted as a continuation of the painting. No frame needed, but can be used if you so choose.. The background colors look a bit different in the real painting, I used phthlalo green, ultramarine blue and dioxazine purple. Reference photo by Daniela Pintimalli from Imagekind. Daniela is a wonderful photographer who was kind enough to allow me to use her photo. Thank you so much Daniela. If you have a chance be sure to check out Daniela Pintimalli's work.

You can follow me on twitter
Become a fan of my art on facebook
Sign up for my Newsletter that I am just starting from my website.
Check out my New Store, and let me know if there's any of my paintings you would like to see on their products. I ordered a pair of my Zebras earings, and am anxious to see how they are. I will let you know.
May you be showered with Blessings,
until next time,
Brenda

Design Style Guide Giveaway

The Design Style Guide Valentine's Giveaway Event

It is So easy to enter to win. Just go to http://designstyleguide.blogspot.com/ for information on how to enter!

Here's a peak at the sponsors and what you could win.



A 5x7 print of Two Hearts, One Love

A Giclee print of Lovebirds


Any 8x10 photograph from her shop.

A $30 credit for anything in her shop!

A $20 dollar credit for anything in her shop!

Any Jewelry holder of the winners choice!

A $20 credit for anything in her shop!

A $20 credit for anything in her shop!

A $25 credit for an 8x10 photo from her shop!

A $35 credit for anything in her shop!

Beautiful prizes, that's for sure.

Be sure to go to http://designstyleguide.blogspot.com to enter!!!