About the Artist
When asked where she’s from, Sandy’s answer is “I grew up in Florida." Actually she didn’t live there until 6th grade. The one constant was her family's love of the outdoors. They camped and hiked as often as they could. Sports were a huge part of their life. Golfing, skiing, playing ball.
Sandy always had a creative side to her. She designed and sewed her own clothing through High School and College, even thinking of becoming a designer. Halfway through the curriculum she decided to change to Fashion Merchandising and go the route of retail.
She landed in a chain store buying headquarters where she stayed and flourished for many years. When the opportunity to leave the corporation came up she jumped at the chance to take a new direction. It was then that Sandy made a big move to Aspen, Colorado. She stayed in retail owning her own business and then managing another business for many years. “It was the outdoor, healthy lifestyle that appealed to me - sports again," Sandy remembers. But the creative outlets she craved were tugging at her again.
That was when she decided to try painting.
“I chose watercolor because one - I loved looking at watercolor paintings in the gallery next to my store. And, I thought it would be easier to learn - how wrong I was.”
Sandy worked relentlessly at learning how to paint in watercolors and after only one year she entered a local art exhibit and won a ribbon. Two years later Sandy had her first show and nearly sold all her paintings. That’s all it took. Next, came working even harder to become a full time artist. A move from Aspen to Grand Junction, Colorado accomplished that.
Sandy has recently added Acrylics to her arsenal and is loving the challenge of a different media. Her large and luminous paintings of flowers and nature are in many collections across the country. A popular instructor, Sandy teaches her creative process locally and in workshops around the country.
ABOUT MY WORK
While my subjects are primarily flowers and cactus; what I paint is COLOR, MOTION, SHAPE, and LIGHT. I see myself as a painter of Nature. I am inspired by the incredible beauty that surrounds us everyday and is constantly changing.
When really looking at the petal of an Iris, for example, one may think they are seeing “purple", but by examining it closely, it actually goes from yellow to orange, to bright pink to blue. This is what I want my paintings to express. I want the viewer to see those colors and feel the emotion that I feel.
I am not an artist who is making a statement, or challenging the viewer to interpret a painting ; my art is purely an emotional response to nature and the constant challenge of creating beauty on canvas.
