New Year, New Painting

 After a month off in December to enjoy the season and my famiglia, I am back at work in the studio.  I started with a small sized painting (8x8) and subject matter that is fun and familiar to me, some of my favorite flowers: nasturtiums and sunflower. 

I am already planning and writing down some painting ideas.  I do this by daydreaming about what I'd like to do, and then try and make it happen.  It doesn't always work out!  If I can draw it, I can paint it.  Some subject matter lends itself to my medium and style, and some does not.

I work in watercolor and ink on Aquabord, which is a clay surfaced board made by the Ampersand company.  The beauty of this board is that you I don't have to frame my work with glass. They also have very nice frames that I use to protect and enhance the paintings.

This painting has been finished with a blue background. Next, I will apply 4 coats of protective varnish, and frame it. It will be available soon.

This week I will be starting a new painting.

Happy New Year!

                                             "In a Garden Faraway", 9x9, sold

"Morning Glory Bee", 9x11, sold

September and October
 

Where did summer go?

It is already October, and I've just participated in my very first 3 day Ojai Studio Artists Tour!

I am so proud to be a part of this esteemed arts association in my hometown of Ojai. I had a lot of fun over the three days, talking to people about my work, taking in the comments and observations about my paintings and selling several paintings, prints and packs of cards. The two paintings shown here have gone home with collectors who attended on the weekend.

One big bonus was that my daughter helped me during two days of the event, and it was a gift to spend some time with her.

Next year OSA will be resuming their Second Saturday open studios where each month a small group of us in a vicinity will welcome visitors to our studios.  More on that next year!

I had a painting juried into the Art about Agriculture exhibit at the Santa Paula Art Museum this year.  This will be my second Ag Art show. The painting I submitted is titled "Vegetable Soup" and measures 12x15 inches.  The show runs from November 12, 2022-March 5, 2023, with an opening reception on November 12, from 4pm-6pm.  Admission is required if you are not a museum member. The Ag Art exhibit shows artwork of many genres, I recommend this wonderful show, and it's great for families.

Today I will be going up into the studio where I am working on the drawing for a new painting about crows.  I've been reading a lot about them, looking at crow photos from all over the world, and staring out the window at our own group of 3 crows that visit our yard every day.

Thanks for reading my artist blog, I'll be back next month!

Lisa

Summertime

 Summer has flown by and the Ojai Studio Artists tour is fast approaching!

My studio will be among the many studios open to welcome visitors and art enthusiasts on the weekend of October 8, 9, 10. If you are interested in attending this fun event, please register on https://ojaistudioartists.org. The tour is free, but you'll need a map to find the studios.

The Ojai Valley Museum has an exhibit with an artwork representing each artist on the tour, so you can go by and see what art speaks to you. Then you can plan which studios to visit.

I had a good summer, starting with a trip to France and Holland with my husband.

In France we were with Workshops In France, who took us and their other guests out each day to different picturesque painting spots around the south of France. We enjoyed hanging out with a nice group of artists before we moved on to Holland to visit friends there.

Of course, not before I got Covid! Therefore, we were not able to fly to Holland and instead had a road trip and days of quarantining before we joined our friends.

Holland is such a beautiful place to visit; nice people (especially our dear friends), beautiful houses and buildings, great museums and it's clean and hip at the same time.

Now we are back at home and I'm working on a new painting about blue passionflowers, pink roses and light pink dahlias.  I just love dahlias and have some in my own garden at home.

 

 Hello, and thanks for checking in on my blog. I've been busy with cleaning up after our remodel as well as caring for my 14 year old chihuhua mix. 

This time I've posted 3 photos! The first one shows my latest work in progress, with the focal point being orange Clivia, and its neighbor a sweet little goldfinch. Some of the inking has been done but I have quite a lot of work to do still. This is a 12x12 painting, which will be 13x13 when it is jacketed in its frame.

Before I started to paint, I worked out the general shape of the bunch of Clivia on a piece of sketch paper.  I worked very loosely, getting the size I wanted and learning about what a Clivia bloom looks like.  Later, the drawing was transferred to my board. This painting is inspired by Clivia I saw during a visit to Lotusland in Montecito, as well as the goldfinch in my own garden.

The third photo here shows the last painting I completed "Lanterns & Poppies".  It's an 8x10 inch watercolor+ink and acrylic artwork inspired by the red poppies I saw in a friend's garden.  There was also a lantern there, so I added some just for fun!

 In April I had my very first open studio event with the Ojai Studio Artists, an organization I am proud to have been accepted into.  

Ojai Studio Artists have a 3 day Open Studio event in October.  This year it will be: October 8, 9 and 10, from 11-5 each day.  Visit www.https://ojaistudioartists.org for more information. They also give scholarships to art students and welcome applicants.

May 14 OSA and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy will join forces to hold a fundraiser at one of the Land Conservancy's properties.  Visit ojaistudioartists.org for more information.

Goals for this month: **Work on my new painting**-Tidy my storage area-prepare guest room for my May guest! I still have some tidying and discarding to do after our months long renovation project.

Thanks for visiting my blog! 

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

SkyheartArt.com

LisaSkyheartMarshall.Etsy.com

Before February Escapes

 

Here is a favorite painting of mine made a couple of years ago, right before the Covid times we all found ourselves in.  This small painting was inspired by a neighbor's magnolia tree and the white crowned sparrows in our own back garden.

It sold at the small show I had at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara.  It's one of my all time favorite paintings.  I am fond of magnolia trees because of all the stages they go through, the buds, the blossoms, the bright red seeds, the ants that like to live inside them and the glossy leaves with their soft brown underbellies.

This month is nearly over and signs of spring are appearing in our front and back gardens.

In the front the almond tree, Vincent, is blooming. He's an old tree but he sure puts on a show once a year.  He has beautiful gray and wrinkly bark, and with the pink blossoms he's a stunner.  No, he doesn't produce almonds anymore. The apricot trees are nearly ready to bloom, in fact they are teasing with one or two blossoms. I really look forward to the apricots every year.

I'm proud to announce that I applied to and have been accepted into The Ojai Studio Artists, a group of professional artists, who host Second Saturday open studios as well as the big 3 day event in October when the whole group welcome visitors to their studios.

In the studio I have just finished 3 new paintings! 2 of them will be available during my Second Saturday open studio on April 9, from 10-3.  I'll be opening my own studio to visitors and so will other OSA artists in my vicinity, about a dozen of us or so. Right across the street from me is Elaine Unzicker who meticulously joins metal rings to create jewelry, bags and apparel.  

For more information on this go to https://www.ojaistudioartists.org. Sign up for their email list to be notified about our open studio events and other OSA news. 

For cards and prints of the above painting and other botanical themed work of mine please visit my etsy shop: LisaSkyheartMarshall.etsy.com

January and I'm back in the Studio!

 After a fun holiday time with family, I am back in the studio beginning work.  I wonder what paintings I will make this year. It's exciting for me to imagine.

Since we are still in the middle of renovations on our home, it takes a lot of determination and disclipine to make art.  It's sometimes noisy, and there are workers around painting and fixing drywall.  

I've had to shift things around in the house and garden to accomodate these workers, but it will be so nice when it's finished.  At the moment, the whole place is kind of a mess, but I'm just remaining flexible about it, knowing it's only temporary. 

I've changed the color blue of the house to a lighter and brighter blue.  Quite a change after having a periwinkle blue house all these years. With white trim, it's quite a crisp and uplifting house to be around.

I've just finished a new painting about morning glories that I saw in Mexico in October when I visited there.  It was a lot of fun to do and includes some unusually colored ones that are mostly white along with some of the purpley blue ones.  

Now I am working on a project for Ganna Walska Lotus Land, painting a handmade birdhouse, which I will do in between working on new paintings.  The birdhouse was made to look like the bath or pool house near the lotus garden there, and I even have the authentic paint that is used on all the main buildings at the garden. So far, I have sanded, filled some areas and primed it.  

Next up, starting a drawing for a new painting!

New Year resolutions: Work in my Studio! Find Inspiration in the out of doors! 

Painting shown here is: "Artichokes & Hollyhocks", available via my website, SkyheartArt.com.

Check out my etsy shop for small sized originals, prints and card sets.

LisaSkyheartMarshall.etsy.com 

Take care and stay healthy,

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

December: Happy Holidays

 Hello!

I took a break for December!

Happy Holidays and see you in 2022.

Lisa

November: It's nearly December!

 

Hello,

I've been pretty busy with work and exhibits.

I have two paintings at the Santa Paula Art Museum, the painting shown here is in the "Working From Home" exhibit for a couple more months and it has sold! Yay!

I'm proud to say that my painting "Guacamole" was accepted into the Art about Agriculture exhibit.  Both of these shows are well worth going to see and they represent different styles of expression from traditional landscapes to more contemporary expression.  

The Santa Paula Art Museum will be hosting a Holiday Marketplace on December 4, and I will have paintings, limited edition prints and cards available at the marketplace.  Hope you can stop in and see my stuff as well as the work of other artists and artisans there. You'll also be able to see the two exhibits I have talked about here as well as shop in their own museum shop. Proceeds will benefit the museum and their programs.

December 4, 10-4: The Santa Paula Art Museum is located at 117 N. 10th Street in Santa Paula, California.

I'm also honored to have been invited to participate in a limited edition prints show at Vita Arts Center in downtown Ventura, California. The show, titled "Vita Art Editions" reflects the work of  40 regional artists and each print is 8x10 and limited to 5 signed and numbered prints.

Opening is Saturday, December 4, from 4-7, at Vita Arts Center, Members FREE and Non-Members are $20.  

If you are in Santa Barbara...I have prints available at Gallery 113! I will also be showing a painting there for the month of December.  Prints make a great gift and are even great if you have to mail a gift! Gallery 113 is located in the La Arcada courtyard on State Street and the address is: 1114 State Street, #8, Santa Barbara, California.

Remember to check out my etsy shop too; I have original paintings, limited edition prints and cards available there. LisaSkyheartMarshall.Etsy.com

Thanks for visiting my blog, I will be back here next month, which is coming next week!

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

 Hello and welcome to my artist blog,

The painting you see here is titled "Epiphyllum & Parasol". I had to ask a gardener for the name of these flowers.  Many times I see something I want to paint, but have to learn what they are called.  It was the same when I painted a Buckeye tree blossom. I had no idea what it was, only that it knocked my socks off and I had to paint it.

We are having work done on our house, and that involved doors and windows removed and replaced and gates open.  So my two dogs and I decamped to a neighbor's house for the month of September so I could continue to work.  I made 4 paintings while there, and this is one of them. It was very kind of my neighbor to allow us to use her kitchen table as a studio and it allowed me to have my small dogs with me during the day.  It reminded me of my pre-studio days when I worked in my own kitchen.  I am so grateful to have a dedicated studio space now.

My studio is a loft in our home. Years and years ago when we did an addition on our little house, I asked for this loft space.  It changed to whole roofline of the house.  It means a lot to me to be able to work and make as big a "mess" as happens when creating art, then leave for the evening and come back to it next day.

My work schedule is every day, M-F from about 9-5, and sometimes I sneak in a day on the weekend. 

The paintings I make take many hours.  I love the kind of work I am doing now; very detailed and time consuming.  It's very satisfying to make. Elements of design are crucial to the piece.  I carefully and thoughtfully choose the colors I am working with.  When a collector responds to these creations, it completes the creative process for me.  

In the painting above, you can see I've added an Italian candy and a little drinks parasol.  This is a new direction I am going in; to add some random human made element to my work.  It's quite fun to do!

I recently had a painting accepted to the Santa Paula Agriculture Museum, Art About Ag show. More about that next month!

I am off to do a little traveling this week.  I'll be double masked and wearing safety glasses over my own red spectacles on the airplane.  I know I'll come home inspired from traveling somewhere and absorbing a different culture.  Such good medicine for all of us to experience.

Take care,

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

September 2021

 September 2021

I'm home after a road trip through the southwest with my husband. Our main destination was New Mexico, and Santa Fe.

I'd always wanted to go to the SWAIA Indian Market held in August each year.  Last year it went online.  It was fun to attend this outdoor market and see the finely made work by many artists there. This includes fashion design, basketry, weaving, fine art and jewelry.  These are some of the finest and innovative contemporary artists working today, in my opinion.

I had been reading a biography of Georgia O'Keeffe before we left on our trip, and continued to read it as we traveled along. In Santa Fe we visited the O'Keeffe museum which was a real treat, especially while immersed in the book.  The book is "A Life: Georgia O'Keeffe" by Roxana Robinson.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Later in our trip we visited her home and studio in Abiquiu and also the Ghost Ranch that had inspired her so much. I loved being at the Abiquiu place, seeing her garden and rock collection, her kitchen and studio space with it's view of the hills and the winding road.

The last night of our trip we were in Zion National Park, and we sat out on the balcony of our room watching bats, dragonflies and hummingbirds dancing around grabbing bugs. A beautiful dance.

Back at home we were confronted by the in-progress remodel of our home in Ojai. It's a thorough, dusty, noisy remodel with windows and doors and gates coming off and on again.

Anxious to get back to work, I wondered where I could go and bring my two small dogs along with me.  Due to the kindness of a neighbor I am now set up to work in her kitchen near our house.  There I have been able to get back to work, and have finished a painting that was started before we left on our trip.  It's called "Epiphyllum & Parasol". At 15x12, it's a bit larger than the size I usually work in.  I had lots of fun making it, and now I've already begun work on my next one which is about artichokes and hollyhocks.

I'm thrilled to say that one of my paintings will be exhibited at the Santa Paula Art Museum in the Working from Home show. That show will be up through January of '22. I've just entered their Art from Ag show that will be displayed in the Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula.  Fingers crossed that one or more of my two entries will be accepted.

In the meantime, I'll be in my remote location studio, which I am calling Fitz Studio or F Studio, with my two little dogs, working and waiting for the remodel to be finished.

Painting shown here is "Strawberry Lemonade", a 14x14 artwork,  that I entered in the Art about Ag show.

Thanks for stopping in, I'll be back here next month.

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

August

 August: 

I've had a busy summer showing my work here and there and entering exhibits. I had successful shows at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara and Poppies Art and Gifts.  In fact my supply of work has been seriously dented.  A great problem to have! I'm diligently working to refill the shelves.

At the moment I have 2 paintings on exhibit at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara.  Several of my prints are also available there on an ongoing basis. My fine art prints are a beautiful quality, and offer an alternative to the higher pricing of my original work.

The painting I'm showing you here sold at my successful one month show at Poppies Art and Gifts in Ojai, California.  This is "Dahlias & Acorn Twins", inspired by dahlias in my own garden.I especially like the colors in this one, and isn't that type of dahlia just gorgeous? I realy like green butterflies, and you can see one here, trying to blend in. You can see that this one has a paperclip in it, part of my new thing of adding random objects to my work, for fun.

I'm busy working on a new 11x14 painting which is a HUGE size board for me. This painting features Epephyllum blossoms or cactus orchids. (I had to ask a gardener pro to identify those for me.) This new work will also have forget-me-nots, 19 of them, plus the orbs I like to include in my work.  In this new painting the "random object" is a drink parasol.  I've always loved those miniature parasols, since I was a kid and my brother and I used to collect miniature things from Glenda's Party Cove in Santa Barbara, where we could afford little treasures.

Alright, it's back to the studio for me! Enjoy your August, check in here in September!

Gallery 113: 1114 State St., #8, Santa Barbara, CA. In the La Arcada Plaza.

My website: SkyheartArt.com

My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skyheartart

My Etsy shop: lisaskyheartmarshall.etsy.com

June+July

 I skipped right over June because it was a busy month for me.

I had a Guest Artist show at Poppies Art and Gifts in Ojai, and sold some paintings, prints and cards there.  We actually had an opening with live music.  It was a pretty small turnout though, people weren't quite ready to step out.

I just took that show out yesterday, and with the sales at Poppies and the sales at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara, I'm kind of low on paintings! At the moment I am working on a new 12x12 painting inspired by a visit to the Santa Barbara botanic garden.

The focal point of this new painting is a California Buckeye tree blossom.  Wow, they are spectacular. As usual, it's a very fiddly, detailed painting, and also includes two types of sage, a butterfly and bee.  That's why it's titled "Buckeye Butterfly Bee".

Next week I'm delivering boxed card sets to Lotusland in Montecito. These cards are of "Lotus Iris Hummingbird", and they will be displaying the original painting for sale as well.

I spend a lot of time in Santa Barbara.  From where I live in Ojai, I'm in SB in no time.  We spent a lot of time in SB when I was growing up, because my grandparents all lived there.  We'd visit my grandpa Bisaccia at his little house on Alisos street, or my Mom's parents at whatever house they were currently living in.  So Santa Barbara is like my backyard, and I enjoy going there.

Hope you have a good July, and a safe and fun Fourth of July.  

Check in next month to see what I have been doing.

Thanks,

Lisa

May Feels like Summer Already

 Hello and welcome,

Both of my recent exhibits have ended. I was in a group show at the Ojai Art Center and a small solo show as one of the featured artists at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara.  Despite limited viewing opportunities, several people saw my shows and several collectors purchased my paintings, including the one shown here. I even sold one to a lovely family yesterday when we were taking down the show! It's a good feeling to have quite a lot of available work, and gratifying to have sold so many pieces.

At the moment I'm working on a specific project for Lotusland in Montecito.  Its fun, but it's also slowed the flow of my painting production.  I'm going to buckle down and get it finished as soon as I can because the blooming spring flowers and visiting birds and insects are calling to me!

On Friday morning I sliced the very tip of a finger on my left hand, and spent a couple of hours at the emergency room.  So I am using an awkward typing method with my right hand and one finger of my left hand. 

Luckily it was the left hand and not my drawing and painting hand!

It's time to clean up the studio and organize things. I'm trying to be better about making sure my work is documented and that I know all the info about each painting.  To that end I use the old-fashioned method of index cards in file boxes.  It's an effective way to keep track of all the information from size and price to where and when that artwork has been shown and who each collector is. 

Thank you for reading my artist blog.

Lisa 

 It's April, and I have work in two shows through this month.

The group show where I have 7 paintings on display has been extended through April.

That show is at the Ojai Art Center, in the middle of downtown Ojai. There are 50 artworks on exhibit from 9 local women artists. It's titled "Together/Apart: 9 artists respond to 2020".

My new show, which my helpful husband and I hung last Sunday, is titled "Amore dei Fiori", and this show expresses my love of flowers.  This show is at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara through April.  I have 13 paintings available there, all featuring flowers but including birds and insects as well. They are exuberant in use of color; an expression of garden joy. The painting image here is "Yellow", a 12x12 watercolor+ink painting, available in the "Amore dei Fiori" exhibit.

 Lately I've started putting in one or two surprise elements, such as puzzle pieces or paper clips.  It's sort of like those items we are always losing or dropping somewhere.  So you may find some of those in this new work, from this year as well as last. 

I enjoy using Italian words or phrases in my titles or show titles, as I've done with my new show title. This is an homage to my Italian heritage.  Sometimes when choosing a title, I check and see what it would be/sound like in Italian, just for fun. I am always studying Italian or trying to read it.  Sort of a lazy student of Italian, but I am very interested in learning more and more.  Hopefully I will make it back to Italy sometime in the near future. Recently I received the gift of a book entirely in Italian, which I look forward to reading. 

My favorite season is arriving, Spring! (Primavera)I have a small vegetable garden in my raised bed.  I've planted strawberries, basil, two kinds of tomatoes, and two kinds of squash. I love being able to walk out and pick basil and tomatoes still warmed by the sun, for our dinner.  While planting the garden I saw a yellow alligator lizard, and I also surprised another lizard that jumped onto my stomach and quickly off again after looking up at me! Our apricot trees have little baby apricots on them already, along with the apricot blossoms.

Right now I am working on a painting of dahlias, they are yellow with pink, and of course great fun to draw and paint. This one is an 8x8, and includes acorns and a green butterfly.

Hope you'll stop in next month for the May blog.

Ojai Art Center: 113 N. Montgomery, Ojai, CA Open Tues-Saturday 10-4, Sunday 12-4. Hours may vary so give a call before you visit to ensure they are open when you plan to visit.

(805)646-0117

Gallery 113, 1114 State St., number 8, in the La Arcada Courtyard, Santa Barbara, CA.  Hours: Mon-Sat. 11-5, Sunday 1-5. Website is: gallery113sb.com. 

My website: SkyheartArt.com

On etsy: LisaSkyheartMarshall.etsy.com

It's March, and things are getting slightly busier, while the safety protocols are still very much in place. I've been painting a lot, and soon I will be framing some new work!

Yesterday I helped to hang an exhibit titled "Together/Apart: 9 artists respond to 2020". This exhibit is at the Ojai Art Center in Ojai, California for the month of March.  The Ojai Art Center is located at 113 S. Montgomery St., just off of the main street of Ojai, aptly named Ojai Avenue.

This show has the work of nine women artists who communicated via emails, sharing work in progress and discussions about the challenge of staying inspired and producing art in a year epitomized by all sorts of shocking events. I have 7 paintings in this show.

We found the display of artworks to be quite colorful and rich, and that they look great as a big exhibit of about 50 pieces.

The Ojai Art Center gallery is a quite spacious room, and seeing the exhibit in person should pose little risk to our visitors.  Protocols are in place, you know the drill, but I hope you will be able to stop by in person to see the show.  Nothing like seeing original art up close.

Next will be my small wall solo show at Gallery 113 in Santa Barbara for the month of April.

I will be showing brand new work, much of it created this year(2021).  I've noticed that in 2021 my work has become a bit more color-drenched. Please come have a look at this exhibit, which will be displayed alongside other artist's solo wall shows, as well as a gallery full of artworks in the Santa Barbara Art Association membership show.  

Gallery 113 is located in the La Arcada plaza on State Street.  The address is: 1114 State St., suite 8. If you are unsure the gallery will be open on the day of your planned visit please telephone:(805)965-6611. Gallery hours are: every day, 11-5, of course during these abnormal times, it's a good idea to check before you go.

The painting shown here is: Heart Shaped Leaves and Lizard, and this 8x8 original painting will be available at the Gallery 113 show.

Check my website for news and to see some of my paintings: SkyheartArt.com

Check out my etsy shop for small sized paintings and cards and prints: lisaskyheartmarshall.etsy.com. 

 Welcome to my monthly artist blog!  In January, I made 4 paintings, and the image you see here is from one of them, while it was still in progress. This is a 12x12 inch painting, and I've called it "Peony Plumeria Orchid".  This painting includes bougainvillea, an orchid, plumerias, peony and a little sunrise shell.

The sunrise shell can be found in the Hawaiian islands, and I've yet to find one over the many visits to Hawaii that I've made.  Once I saw one on the sand on a beach walk, but as I was heading towards it, another person got to it first.  That's okay, it was meant to be hers.  I'll keep trying.

I enjoyed making this painting, and drawing and painting the plumerias, which haven't appeared very often at all in my work.  I have a small plumeria plant in a large pot, and I get lots of blooms every year, from around July through late September and early October.  They have a lovely green scent; close your eyes when you take it in, it smells just like Hawaii to me.

Where I live, we experience frost, so the plumeria plant drops all of it's leaves and waits for warmer weather.  It's another favorite thing that I have to wait for, along with my apricots and figs. I think that having to wait for something enhances my enjoyment of it.  It teaches me patience and appreciation, because I don't just receive these things as wanted. 

This relates to my work and method of working; I consider what I want to paint, think about it and visualize it. I make little preliminary drawings, imagine the painting filling the blank board and what the colors might look like together. Then I design it and patiently draw it, usually over a couple of days. The painting and inking and finishing of a painting will take me 1-3 weeks.

I'm proud to announce that one of my paintings titled "Scrub Jay Nest Moon" was accepted into the online Open competition and exhibit for the Thousand Oaks Art Association. It will be available to see and/or purchase on this website:OnlineJuriedShows.com. Look for the "published Shows" button on the top to see the Thousand Oaks Art Association 2021 Open Juried Show. "Scrub Jay Nest Moon" features a scrub jay, acorns, ferns, a scrub jay nest and eggs and a little crescent moon. It's 12x12, watercolor+ink.

The small drawing(above) is one of 3 I made to be included in a project called Impending Storms. Many artists are participating.  We were tasked to make gray-scale(blacks,grays, and or white) artworks on 6x6 inch paper of endangered or extinct animals or plants.  These will be part of an installation in Spring/Summer of 2021.

I enjoyed using only a graphite pencil on watercolor paper, and learning about the species I chose. This is a Bog Turtle. It's a critically  endangered turtle found in the Eastern United States.

 They are little, measuring just a few inches, and require densely vegetated areas and a bog to suit their semi-aquatic habitat needs. They are threatened by continuing loss of habitat, animal predators and human collection for illegal wildlife sales.

Enjoy your February, I'll be in the studio!

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

SkyheartArt.com

lisaskyheartmarshall.etsy.com 

 A new year, with new challenges. In spite of everything, I am hopeful. I am determined to continue to make work that reflects the beauty of the natural world. 

Today I am at the end of a new painting and looking for inspiration for the next, which I have tasked myself to get a start on today. I find that if I flow from one painting to the next, it keeps the inspiration and ideas going. I work on one painting at a time; never more than that. My concentration is fixed on that one piece until it is completed. Creating a painting is a meditative process for me.

Yesterday I cleaned up my studio a bit, which is also something I sometimes do right after I finish a piece. It refreshes my work space. In my studio I have a bright, warm yellow floor, it's quite cheery.  The painting I've just finished, "Yellow", uses the same sunny yellow among the subject matter of sunflower, ginkgo leaves and roses.

This year, which is already beginning in a tumultuous way, requires us all to focus on the constancy of the natural world around us. We must find calm and peace in our daily lives, even while others may be cultivating uproar and division.

In my work you will find artwork that brings the outdoors in to your living space. With my sunny color shades and the implied movement of the plants and flowers, birds and insects, as well as how each element reaches out to it's neighbor, you may see a piece that will fit within your home.  A bit of nature to gaze upon in your day to day life.  A bit of my own imagination that you may relate to in some way.

Many of my collectors find that they attach a sentiment to a particular flower or bird. Do you yourself have these attachments? For me, it's the bird of paradise that reminds me of my father, roses of my English grandmother, anise and figs that remind me of my Italian grandfather, daisies which remind me of my mother.  

Today I will be starting a new original artwork. I hope you will find something meaningful to create or enjoy today.

Take good care of yourself,

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

painting shown above: "On the Beach", and 8x10 original copyrighted painting. Prints are available of this piece. Please do not copy or forward or print an image of one of my original paintings without my permission. 

Thank you for your understanding.

Happy Holidays

 As we all are very aware, this year has been a doozy. A worldwide pandemic, contentious politics and unrest, and a time of separation from family and friends. Then, a glimmer of hope for a new way.

Now we are at the holidays, and the end of 2020. A time to consider what the future may hold. A time to remain cautious, masked and mindful of our own health and that of others.

New patterns and ways of doing ordinary daily tasks; work, school and family time, have emerged and many may prove to be with us for a long while.

I hope we have all learned something and can move forward in a more informed way. I hope we have learned how fragile we humans are. The value of kindness and community. I hope we appreciate our lives more.

For me, with more dedicated and uninterrupted time,  I experienced what I see as a marked improvement in my work.  I felt more motivated and at the same time, an essential need to spend a lot of time making carefully designed and executed work. I became more inspired, with lists of ideas for paintings yet to come.

I feel thankful that this is my work: making paintings that celebrate the beauty and hopefulness  of nature. The constant changes and ultimate renewal found in the natural world around us every day.

I wish you and your loved ones as a happy a holiday season as is possible in whatever circumstances you have found yourself. I hope you can be patient and kind with yourself.

I hope the new year will move us forward to a better future.

I will be outside finding new inspiration and here in my studio creating my paintings.

xo,

Lisa Skyheart Marshall

SkyheartArt.com

LisaSkyheartMarshall.etsy.com

on Instagram: @skyheartart

November Blog from the Studio of Lisa Skyheart Marshall

 It's November in Ojai, and I've just returned from a walk with my dog Enzo. It's warm out today, part of the warm-cold-warm weather we are experiencing here in Ojai.

I've been very busy in the art studio, painting, promoting and preparing prints for sale. My fine art prints are presented with a backing board and inside a clear sleeve.  All materials are archival. They are signed and numbered.

I have several beautiful fine art(giclee)prints, and you can find those in my Etsy shop as well as in the Focus on the Masters Shop.  I'm also offering a very small number of the handmade felt owls that I made a year ago.  Since I've been laser-focused on my fine art paintings, I did not make owls last summer, so if you'd like to get an owl or two, now is your chance!

If you want to treat yourself, or if you are starting your gift shopping, please have a look at my offerings.  I'll provide links at the end of this blog.

Right now, I'm working on a new 8x10 painting inspired by my short trip to the seashore a couple of weeks ago.  I was able to keep to myself and stay safe, while freeing my mind of concerns while walking along the beach.  This work-in-progress painting shows some of the interesting and wonderful things I discovered in my walks. You can check out progress pics from drawing to the present in my Instagram: @skyheartart

Included in November's blog is a photo of the completed painting titled "Scrub Jay Nest and Moon", a 12x12 painting inspired by a scrub jay nest that was in our front garden's hedge. It's so clever, I think, how a bird can construct these nests. I'm hoping we have nesting jays next year. If you'll go back to October's blog you'll see some photos from the very beginnings of this painting.  It's also available in limited edition prints.

You can also see an assortment of oak acorns in this painting from around our back garden; we have several tall oak trees shading our blue house.

I've made an area under the oaks where we can safely distance-gather with family, with benches and chairs and I put some jasmine bushes in big pots in that area, dreaming of when they blossom and give off a lovely scent to us and our visitors.

It's a good place to daydream, and artists need their daydreaming time.

Please visit: lisaskyheartmarshall.etsy.com for original paintings, fine art prints and card sets as well as my limited edition felt owls, SkyheartArt.com to see larger work and for news about me, and www.FocusOnTheMasters.com for fine art prints, original paintings and card sets.  The FOTM shop is LIVE from November 20-29 only. Part of the proceeds from the FOTM shop benefit their wonderful community programs and their mission of documenting interviews with artists of all kinds.

October in my loft studio

Hello and welcome to my October blog.  Hope you are staying well.

It takes determination and a bit of hopefulness to keep working on a series of paintings, with no real idea of when those paintings can be shown in an exhibit. Exhibits have been postponed but I continue to feel very inspired by my current series of paintings, "Of the Garden".  For me, drawing and painting is my work, my passion and luckily I'm able to do that work in my loft studio.

In these photos you can see the brand new artwork that I'm beginning.  This started when I saw a scrub jay nest out in our hedge.  It's amazing that birds are able to weave these nests that look like baskets, with soft materials on the inside where the babies will hatch and grow.

I can see that they used branches from the oak trees and borrowed some horse hair for the inside part.

Of course it's not nesting season at the moment, but every time I walk by that hedge I can hear the jays rustling around in the hedge and talking to each other.

Inspired by the nest, I started to build my idea for this artwork.  I used ferns from my pink gravel garden as well as the milkweed plant. I will continue to add elements until I am satisfied with my design.

In the picture with my drawing, you can see my brainstorming sketches on the pad of paper propped up in the back, on my somewhat cluttery work surface. Only somewhat, because I have my table organized in order to easily be able to grab whatever brush, pencil or pen I need.

Thanks for stopping in to read my blog!

See you here next month.

In the meantime, check out my website: SkyheartArt.com

Or my Instagram: @skyheartart

And have a look inside my etsy shop: lisaskyheartmarshall.etsy.com

bye!

Lisa Skyheart Marshall