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sarahnennoart.weebly.com

The Journey Continues

Today, I said goodbye to the very first painting of the "Flesh and Cloth" series. At the same time, I made a new friend. Thank you, Diane, for adopting this special painting into your family. I know it will be right at home with you and your husband.

FOR SALE

Below are some treasures that have been stored away, but are now for sale. Some of these paintings are of great value to me, as they were part of my progress (and breakthrough) in learning to paint with oils.

Please inquire with me by email to talk about pricing and shipping if you are interested: sarahjnenno@gmail.com

Please note: The content in the photos may be effected by quality of camera.

Dry Rose. 11" x 14", oil on canvas. 2012.

$40 -SOLD-

Modeling Blue. 16" x 20", oil on canvas. 2010.

$60 (price negotiable)

Pineapple. 20" x 10", acrylic on canvas and driftwood. 2011.

$20 -SOLD-

Reclining. 18" x 24", oil on canvas. 2010.

$200 (price negotiable)

Sleeping Yellow. 16" x 20", oil on canvas. 2010.

$85 -SOLD-

Unfinished Chair. 16" x 20", oil on masonite. 2011.

$20

 Wedding Dress. 24" x 18", oil on masonite. 2010.

$250 (price negotiable)

Flamingos. 9" x 12", acrylic on masonite. 2012.

$30

A Stab at DIY

Today is so perfectly sunny and breezy. I had a couple of projects floating in my head that I couldn't pass up on a day like today.

I am moving to another apartment in July, and though I will be upsizing in space for my bedroom AND a studio for working on my art, the kitchen will be quite a downsize.

I had this old kitchen table stashed away among other junk. With a couple quick tricks, I decided to turn it into two half-circle tables that will allow for one to fit nicely in the kitchen, and the other in my room. I also bought two mirrors at Savers that were begging for an update. Here are some before and after pictures. If I am feeling even more geeked-out about this, I will even post photos of these new pieces when they are finally installed in the new space.

Above, I started to sand when I realized I needed to take a "before" photo. (I sure will miss this yard.)

Here, the two halves are drying in my small junk room, ready to be mounted to the new walls. I used a gloss finish spray paint called "Winter Grey".

These are the two faux-wood mirrors from the thrift store. I liked the look, but decided to give it a more modern feel with the matching paint color.

And finito. My mirrors will add dimension to any space, and are guaranteed to match the custom tables.


While I am still working on finishing up my most recent painting (seen in yesterday's post), I scratched the itch of channeling my creativity in another fashion that is spurred on by watching way too many home renovation TV shows. It is a rewarding feeling to see the final product.

Now I think I'll go back outside. Perhaps I will walk to the beach. I love Beverly.

Sisters

16" x 20" oil on canvas, commissioned for a friend.


Just a few touch-ups, and this is complete.

A Quick Update

Hello, my online community. It has been a while since my last post, and figured it was time to resurface to greet you and give a little update.

My first order of business cards is now gone after about one month, meaning over 250 of them are resting in your wallets, in your coat pockets, on your refrigerators, etcetera. I didn't anticipate that they'd go so quickly, so I ordered more! You can find them at Atomic, the Children's Piazza, and maybe even some gutters.

Monday classes are still in session, though it is hard to bribe students indoors while it is so nice outside! It would help me out (if you think of it) to spread the word to parents and kids that might be interested. Classes are Mondays at the Children's Piazza (81 Bridge St. Beverly, MA) from 3 PM - 4 PM! We dig into a lot of materials like clay, non-toxic paints, paper projects, and more--a lot of times, ideas for class come straight from our creative students :).

If for some reason you haven't had a chance to view the Flesh and Cloth series hanging at Atomic Cafe, please allow me to share some photos of them on display.

They have been happily hanging since March 6th. Go see them "in the flesh" before it is too late!

Day Two = SUCCESS!

Shown above are shots of the "new" classroom that was renovated by the Children's Piazza's owner and some team members just last night! Here, the classroom was set and ready to go for day 2.

Today, we tried our creativity on some CLAY! This is a simple air-drying clay that is so easy to work with. Just a little bit of water smooths the surface, fixes mistakes, and helps make drying clay workable again. I so much enjoyed showing my 6 students how to make a small pinch pot, how to create textures with our tools, and how to form the clay into shapes with our hands. The kids were so enthusiastic about this, which made class energetic and successful! 

I can't wait for next week :). If you know someone who would love to get in on our artistic adventures, please message me!!

Quick Sketch

Here is the beginning works of a newly commissioned painting of a newborn and her big sister. I'm excited to start this painting, which will have a soft, natural pastel palette.

Not that I cared any less about my other recent paintings, but this one in particular will be quite enjoyable. Every art teacher I ever had tried to get me to use darker darks and more vibrant hues, which I understand was necessary for my development. My home is in the earth tones and low saturations. Time to go back to my true colors.

First Day

Today went very well. It was the first day of the Monday Arts & Crafts class at the Children's Piazza. We had fun learning about primary and secondary colors, the color wheel, and experimenting with color-mixing. We even had a chance to channel our St. Patrick's Day spirit with shamrock cut-outs and vivid rainbows.

The kids helped me make a color wheel poster, before we made our collaborative paper rainbow. We continued to use the many resources of the art room to create and expand our imaginations. These kids proved to me that much can be learned in a short time, and there is no wrong approach!

I am very much looking forward to next week's class, and judging by how today went, I am not afraid to challenge the kids a little bit more ;). Here's to many more creative journeys and colorful breakthroughs!

Up, Up, and Up

Now that my "Flesh and Cloth" series is finished and hanging, I am NOT done!

First of all, it is truly amazing that I was able to have 5 paintings finished, and hanged the very day that the last stroke touched that fifth painting. All of my followers, friends, and family have helped tremendously with encouragement and support in making this happen. Thank you!

I am now hoping for e-mails and inquiries for more work. I want to keep going, and I am dreaming for followers to request commissioned paintings. Hey, I can dream, can't I?!

My mind is on a roll / in a whirl. As if that is not enough, I have my first ever art teaching opportunity to think about. This begins next Monday the 17th. I have a stack of art books right beside my laptop that I've been thumbing through for ideas. Any spare minute that I have is spent imagining projects and foreseeing colorful works that will be made by little, messy hands. I am so excited for this!

On that note, please contact me if you know any children between the ages of 4 and 7 on the North Shore that would like to imagine and create with me on Monday afternoons at the Children's Piazza in Beverly.

E-mail: sarahjnenno@gmail.com and visit www.thechildrenspiazza.com

Thank you for letting me share these joyful things with you!

See "Flesh and Cloth" paintings LIVE

All five of these paintings are being installed at Atomic Cafe in Beverly, MA today. Be sure to stop in to gaze at them while sipping some delicious fair trade coffee.

Glory hallelujah, it feels good to see them all together :).

Last but Certainly not Least

Before I frame and hang this painting TOMORROW, please critique it for me? Flood my wall, inbox, email, anything. If you see discrepancies, please tell me. Even while I've been staring at this for hours and hours, I can miss a thing or two. I need your eyes!

Thank you, Papa Nenno and nephew Kaleb for modeling for me. This is turning into more than I thought it would.

EXCITING NEWS!

My Flesh and Cloth series will be on display at Atomic as of this Thursday evening. How did I respond to this news?

Started Number 5.

Done?

I've got a list of last-touches-to-do. Almost there.

Number Three: Complete

It is funny how a painting insists on being something other than what you had originally planned. This was a struggle. With the many background makeovers and finicky proportional issues, I am so relieved to say that this painting is ready to be framed.

Time to finish # 4 and start # 5!!!

Murals, Murals, and Art Art Art!

This is a big post.

I am almost done my third hands portrait, started a fourth, and have visions for a fifth.

I also got a new job that came down from Heaven tied with a bow. For this new job (at a new daycare/cafe in town called The Children's Piazza-- check it out!!!) I was asked to paint italian-themed murals on the play area walls. 

Here are some pictures of the finished work, followed by my Hands and Cloth series progress:

Hands #3 progress (sideways):

Hands #4, one:

Hands #4, two:

Hands #4, three:

A special "Thank you" to my Luke Bowen for posing for this most recent painting.

And thank you all for following!

Number Two = DONE

Number Three = In Progress...

Thanks, Meg Lynch, for your hand-posing!