Alcohol inks are dye based, vibrant  pigments that can be used on non-porous surfaces like plastics, glass, ceramic materials, Yupo paper, gloss papers and cardstock, canvas, tileboard, metals and more. These inks were originally used in scrapbooking and various other craft projects. Alcohol ink has only been used in fine art creation for a short time; the first documented account being in 2006. I have been using the inks since  2013 and teaching the medium since 2015. See more HERE.

In taking a workshop, we learn from trying new things. We also learn from the other artists participating. Seating charts promote more interaction. I want to encourage the newbies to observe the more experienced inkers and the more accomplished to share their skills and processes with the group. I am learning and growing all the time and each successive event seems to be the best one yet!

There is very little idle chit chat once we get started at these workshops. I have been blessed with such a wonderful, focused, dedicated group of attendees. They can get so intense, that sometimes I have to crack a joke or two to get them to lighten up.

I like offering a home cooked meal at lunch time. It gives people a chance to relax, recharge and refocus. The menu this year Included Homemade - Garden Salad, Jerry's Specialty - Fresh Caught Sea Bass and Stripper, Scallop Potatoes, Green Beans Amandine, Mushroom Garden Quiche, Maple Walnut Oatmeal Pie, Ginger Snaps and Sugar Cookie Hearts.

Thanks to all my students! You all bring such joy to me, to others and most importantly, to yourselves.
Until next time - HAPPY CREATING - xo ~  Sandy

“Always believe in yourself and always stretch yourself beyond your limits.
Your life is worth a lot more than you think because you are capable of
accomplishing more than you know. You have more potential than you think,
but you will never know your full potential unless you keep challenging
yourself and pushing beyond your own self imposed limits.” 
~ Roy T. Bennett

The January 2017 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge has come to an end. I was unsure if I would participate in it again until the last few days before it started. I have been so busy that the month has jet packed by!  The challenge entails a lot of focused energy, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks in my book. And, I am glad I have an understanding partner that is fond of take out food! I am really glad I did it again, although I must admit, I am really getting anxious to paint something other than trees!  Thanks to everyone who purchased some of my art and to all those who just stopped by, took an interest in what I was up to and gave me some moral support this month! You can scroll through the blog here to see all the paintings as they appeared in the past 30 daily posts.

“All religions, arts and sciences
are branches of the same tree.
All these aspirations are directed
toward ennobling man's life,
lifting it from the sphere of
mere physical existence and
leading the individual
towards freedom.”
~ Albert Einstein

Individual Freedom
Original ID # A-30-17 - Signed 16 x 20", Matted Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper
Available here.

"I never get tired of the blue sky."
~ Vincent van Gogh

The Winter Time Blues
Original ID # A-29-17 - Signed 8 x 10", Matted Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper

"We're riding on the carousel of time."
~Joni Mitchell

Life is a Circle
Original ID # A-28-17 - Signed 8 x 10", Matted Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper

“To be creative means to be in love with life.
You can be creative only if you love life enough
that you want to enhance its beauty,
you want to bring a little more music to it,
a little more art to it, a little more dance to it.”
~ Osho

In Love With Life
Original ID # A-27-17 - Signed 8 x 10", Matted Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper
 Available here.

"Mothers, teach your children this.
Teach your children that Wisdom is everywhere.
It's in pieces. Some of the Wisdom is in the trees,
some of the Wisdom is with the animals.
Some of the Wisdom is with the planets
and in the stars, the moons and the sun.
Some of the Wisdom flows with the waters.
Some of the Wisdom was with our ancestors.
Some of the Wisdom is in our minds.
And all of the Wisdom is from the Spirit of Creator."
~ Esther Davis-Thompson

Wisdom Is Everywhere
Original ID # A-26-17 - Signed 8 x 10", Matted Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper
Available here.

"Rest is not idleness,
and to lie sometimes
on the grass under trees on a sunny day,
listening to the murmur of the water,
or watching the clouds float across the sky,
is by no means a waste of time."
~ J. Lubbock

Not Wasted Time
Original ID # A-25-17 - Signed 8 x 10", Matted Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper