well, hello out there!
i'm creeping up on the timing....this 3rd entry is a LITTLE less than a month from the 2 nd ! -just picked up my 2009 postcards, and i'm happy with them...i changed from a "tree" image to a seascape image "-SURF'S UP ! "...
my big excitement is the new workshop i'm offering feb. 28 th and march 1 st in bodega bay-----WATERCOLOR FOR GUYS ---it should be a lot of fun as well as a serious class with chances to experiment with new materials and tecniques...please visit the CLASSES section of this web site for details !
i've had a number of guys in my classes, usually only one or two with a number of women...the conversations among the students are often too "girlie", even for me ! and not everyone wants to paint kitties and geraniums, although i love both............ we'll be doing sea and landscapes we'll see out of the windows of the beautiful bodega coast inn, and exploring new ways to apply paint.
please spread the word !!! and let me know if you'd like one of my 2009 postcards....they are pretty colorful (what a surprise ) best wishes to all .....annie

well, hello again to all..............and thank you to all who've said.."annie, you've GOT to put something on your blog more that once a month ! " ok, ok, i will (thanks thom, 12/27) . my neighbor and friend, al , who is working with me on my web site pointed out to me a real weakness on the site...namely that is is not obvious to the viewer 1. that my notecards are printed on heavy prime stock, are each and everyone personally signed by me, include an envelope, are blank inside, and wrapped individually in a reusable bag. 2. that the cards are all reproductions of my original paintings and printed with the highest quality inks. 3. that the little images on the website don't give viewers a clue about the size and dimentions, surface / "ground" i used (such as surfaces other than paper like canvas, sandpaper, clayboard, or others ), orientation of the painting, or etc. so. we are working on this ! meanwhile, i guess i should be saying something about my art. i just finished a commission which was very challenging, interesting, and fun. it was a painting for the 98 year-old aunt picturing her at the age of 7,8,9, and 10 when she was put on a narrow guage railcar up on the russion river, and taken off near bodega to visit others in her family.....she is in compete command of her faculties, and described to her neice (who commissined the painting) what it was like to sit at the station next to the milk cans and butter boxes from the bodega creamery, waiting for the horse drawn wagon to come and get her. i did hours of research on the differences between the narrow and wide guage railroad engines, the station as it was in 1917-1920, the costumes of the day, etc.....fascinating !!! i love doing commissions, the more challenging, the better. i'll save my latest plans and paintings for the next edition of this.....but meanwhile, what questions do YOU have...or suggestions ? more later ! best wishes for a very happy, healthy new year .....annie

hello world !!! this is my first entry into the world of blogs---a big step for a techno-dummy, but i'm looking forward to the adventure.
my goal is to provide info and background to you about my paintings, and the interesting stories behind each one. i also would enjoy hearing from you with questions, comments, and requests for classes, commissions, and wonderful excursions on the beautiful west sonoma coast of california.....your life experience is not complete until you've plein air painted on the cliffs above the sea......and the picnic lunches i pack are pretty fine also !!!
so, let's head into the future together, and live and talk and treasure art. best wishes, annie