Jagged Shores, 12x12" pastel on board

One of my favorite spots is the dramatic rocky shores of Hanna, Maui, HI. The colors of the ocean are unbelievably gorgeous...the colors of God's eyes, I think!

12x12" pastel, framed
Sold

East Austin Studio Tour Nov 14-15, 21-22

I'm showing my artwork in the East Austin Studio Tour...
1200 E. 11th in the East Village condos
Real Gallery, #208 -- round back, upstairs
November 14-15, 21-22
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

My oils and pastels will be going on super sale discounts this Saturday, Nove 21st! Stop by to say hi or for a great deal on original art!

Making your own path

The book, "Art and Fear" by Bayles and Orland, was introduced to our pastel workshop by our teacher. The back summarizes what this trip is about for me:

"This book ("Art and Fear")... is about committing your future to your own hands, placing Free Will above predestination, choice above chance. It is about finding your own work."

...and it's about finding your own way, making your own path...not just waiting for the apple to fall.

Making Art

"To make art is to sing with the human voice. To do this you must first learn that the only voice you need is the voice you already have." --from "Art & Fear" by Bayles and Orland

So, you and I already have everything we need. We are complete. We don't need more art supplies to make that next painting, or to do the laundry first so we can concentrate on that painting! Nor do we need more time to progress or more time to devote to our talents. Nor do we need more talent or more skill before we can paint.

We can paint, sing, dance, laugh, play, create...NOW. We have all we need, right now. We are complete and include all the ideas we need to create, right now.

Oh heavenly day!

I awoke today and found this inspiring quote. It was my mantra for the day.

"The perfection of Being is the recognition that man has no option but to experience health, joy, abundance and divine completeness, all unopposed, without an interruption of any sort."



"In this perfection of Being any sense of limitation or restriction is unknown."

"The perfection of Being is the divine Mind expressing in all its majesty, beauty, security and glory, and this expression is you. You cannot escape the sheer bliss of divine Life's living!"

--Henty

Willamette Park: who let the dogs out??!

We painted from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and then watched our instructor demo until 4 p.m..

Then Patty (above) and I, and a few others, stayed and painted until about 7 p.m. as the light was spectacular!


Some of the four legged hazards of plein air painting. One of them decided to pee on somebody's art supplies-yikes!

Giving yourself permission to paint badly...

...and just play!

Perfection leads to
Procrastination,
which leads to Paralysis.

Painting is scary and intimidating so we all do the three P's. But if you are willing to paint badly and play, you'll paint better and better, until you arrive at that place of magic where art is just breathed into the poetry of form.

Looking over my easel, I paint this scene...quite badly!

Intending to paint some of these when I get home...

Intentions

Set an intention for yourself--
as a painter, as in life.
What is your intention for yourself at this moment? What are your intentions in one hour, or in one year from now?

I unintentionally stumbled upon George Rogers State Park after class. Hot and tired and happy, I enjoyed a quick view of shade trees and and made a mental note of intention to come back and enjoy a future cool dip in its waters.

Finding wonder in the ordinary

The practice of being enchanted by nature is often translated into art--the art of seeing. Yet when we forget this, art becomes an arduous effort of technique rather than the simplicity of being captivated by the charms of Mother Nature. I hope you'll find Her as captivating as I did today at the community garden of Luscher Farm Park. Each plot is lovingly cared for and contributed by various families. Each area proudly boasts a different scare-crow, as diverse as the flowers!

Direction

I came to Oregon to find a bit of myself I left here last year and hopefully get some clarity on what direction my life needs to take. And, to take a pastel class from Marla Baggetta. Check out her work at studiobaggetta.com, you'll love her paintings.

This is going to be a fabulous class...I'm so GLAD I came! The teacher, Marla, is amazing--just the inspiration I need. Her pastels and oils are phenomenal; look for her on the cover of "The Pastel Journal" next month. We students met up at her studio last night for a meet 'n greet. Marla and her husband, Mike, have a beautiful home and stunning large studio workspace, complete with a traveling RV camper for all those art fairs! Wow! She has the life I've only been dreaming of! Time to turn those dreams into a reality!!!

Stay tuned for some paintings from her class today...and at least some really fine notes on painting!
.........................

Aside: While I was waiting to check into my hotel yesterday afternoon, I went to an art fair a stone's through away. There I met Kellee Beaudry, a local self-taught artist who has been painting only 3 years. A rebuke to my work ethic, she shared that she has sold 300 paintings in about a two and a half years! Wow, I need to get busy! And Kellee's paintings are charming, whimsical, colorful dog portraits that make everyone stop by and smile and laugh. We all love our dogs and Kellee reminds us why. Working from photos, much of her works are commissions done in stylized acrylics, from a fun up close and personal angle. I bought several of her cards and would love to commission her to paint my doggies; her prices are very affordable. You can visit her web sight at 4muddypawsart.com.

Sacred Space: A soul's quest to Oregon

"This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you might find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen. Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again."
--Joseph Campbell

Where is your sacred space?
Your studio? Your home? Your heart?

My sacred space in in self-discovery... and wherever that may take me. Today, it took me to West Linn, Oregon.

Family Reunion Portraits

© 2009 by S'zanne Reynolds

Family members came from Australia, Canada and Houston to Austin for a reunion of siblings, parents and grandkids.

More of Amanda Marie

I really enjoyed photographing
Amanda Marie.
I'll have to paint this one.
I love the spunk in her eyes!





© 2009 by S'zanne Reynolds

Portrait of a Young Woman

© 2009 by S'zanne Reynolds



The many faces of Amanda Marie,














as photographed by S'zanne Reynolds.

Winner/Stock Photo Pick

Winner/stock photo pick 

for John Deere ad. 

Pat and Sam Wolf of Smithville, Texas.
©2009 by S'zanne Reynolds of Studio Zanne

For stock photography or commissioned portraits, email me through studiozanne.com.

A Quick Plein Air Study

Roadside Dappling
10" x 8" (25.4cm x 20.4cm)
Oil on Sanded Board

Limited prints available

PASTEL WORKSHOPS by S'zanne Reynolds

I'll be teaching pastel workshops on Mondays from 6-9 p.m. at Laguna Gloria,
for the months of June and July. For more info, visit: studiozanne.com
I'll also be offering Monday workshops from my home studio, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m..
Please contact me for more information.
Happy painting!
S'zanne

Surf Surprise, 15x12" pastel

This little boy was caught unawares by an incoming wave as the tide came in off the coast of Kitty Hawk, N.C....one of my favorite childhood vacation spots.

Surf Surprise

15" x 12"
Pastel on Paper, framed
$350 + $25 s/h in the US

Soaring Spirits, 12x12" oil pastel

Soaring Spirits
12" x 12" (30.5cm x 30.5cm)
Oil Pastel on Board
$400 plus $20 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Loved the backlit contrast this rock offered with the light gleaming over the ocean's swells and on the backs of the pelicans flying so freely on the wind currents. I think they took a bit of my soul with them that day!

Cannon Beach Sunset, 7x5" pastel

Cannon Beach Sunset

7" x 5" (17.8cm x 12.7cm)
Pastel on Board
SOLD

I loved the way the light changes so quickly in Oregon. One minute it's foggy, the next, clear and strong. This painting marks a dark but dramatic sunset. I was happily settled in my hotel room right on the beach...a little bit o' heaven on earth!

Seaside Java Stop, 12x9" pastel

Seaside Java Stop

12" x 9" (30.5cm x 22.9cm)
Pastel on Sand Paper
$375 plus $25 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

This piece is on display at the Creative Arts Society show in the Chase Bank Cooridor at 700 Lavaca, Austin, Texas.

I fell in love with the spectacular beauty of the Oregon coast while exploring her shores last September of 2008. This vista was discovered just off a road in a little town in or around "Seaside"...just south of Astoria. I pulled over to take a look and grab a cup of Joe at a drive through java stop. I loved blue river lingering in and out of the rich grasses, in contrast with the bare bones of a dead tree trunk. The river probably goes into the ocean, just the other side of the dunes.

Winner of Annual Juried APS Merit Award

Cumulous Billows

10" x 8" (25.4cm x 20.4cm)
Pastel on Sanded Board
SOLD

WINNER OF THE AUSTIN PASTEL SOCIETY MERIT AWARD. I developed this painting partially from a photo reference of a cloud and partly from memories of the lava red shores in Hana, Maui.