Author Archives: esanford

Postponements, Comfort & Joy

March 30, 2020 – 10:22 pm
Dutchman’s Breeches

Since all my classes, workshops, and shows have been cancelled or postponed for the foreseeable future, I’m focusing on the present by experimenting in the studio and finding comfort and joy in simple pleasures like spending time in the woods and staying in touch with family and friends. Right now the woods are full of fresh new tree leaves, wildflowers, birdsongs, and the exuberance of Spring, all of which is a wonderful contrast to the news:

Twin Leaf

Just walking up the driveway is a joy when the Kerria is in bloom:

Here’s a closeup:

I’m also diving deep into dreamwork and enjoying Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth by Robert A. Johnson. If you’re interested in exploring Jungian dreamwork, there are some good resources at Laura Huff’s website here: http://www.firebynight.net/resources.html

And she’ll have some free introductory videos up on her Facebook page soon!

Even in the midst of a pandemic, the insistence and persistence of Spring can be inspiring:

Take care!

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Mystery Technique #90

March 16, 2020 – 7:59 pm

Curious about how the special techniques I used to paint this frog? You can find out the details next month if you’ve signed up for email updates; I’ll explain more about it in April!

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #89, PART 2:

A metal paint tube make a great tool! After wetting a section of this plastic-on-wet paint example, I used a corner of the crimped end to scratch out some random lines and added a little more paint to deepen them:

Next I used a craft knife to scratch out some deeper cracks:

I added a little paint to the scratched marks before I tore the section out. It varies the edge to alternate tearing up and tearing down:

Painting the torn edges was the last step. I’ll be using some of my bark pieces as a background for the frog!

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Color Fun, Mixing Media & More!

February 29, 2020 – 8:05 pm

Want to learn how to make any color you want? The first step is to sharpen your ability to really see color and color relationships. That’s why we focus on fun exercises to strengthen that skill as part of my COLOR THEORY BASICS Workshop. Join us on March 28 if you’re tired of accidentally making mud! You can sign up here:
https://www.elizabethsanford.com/classes/

I love to experiment with new techniques and share them with my students — that’s why I’m excited to be starting a new 8-week MIXED MEDIA session on Thursday, March 12. Be sure to email me at elizabeth@elizabethsanford.com with any questions!

Here’s my “sit spot” in between 2 of my favorite trees — a Sassafras and a Buckeye. If you look closely, you can see the green man head off to the right in the leaves. This is a new home for him, although he’s been in the family for years. When we get out of this cold and rainy season, I’ll be spending a lot more time here, practicing the exercises in this book:

Tomorrow I’ll be interacting with nature in a very different way — you can find me on Sunday afternoon (March 1) at the Lawn & Garden Show! I’ll be in booth #238 representing the Middle Tennessee chapter of Wild Ones. You can learn more about their mission to promote the use of native plants here: https://middletennessee.wildones.org/

Hope to see you there!

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