Shoe Spoof from #WinterInterrupted Stillman & Birn Zeta Watercolor, Stamps, Ink

Is that color overload?! Yes? Good!! Mission accomplished.

While we were poking around in the shops of Pass-A-Grille Beach during Winter Interrupted, we happened upon a sign that said "Wild women wear outrageous shoes" that featured a pair of sky-high stilettos.

I seriously doubt my feet will ever see the inside of a pair of stilettos again, but the words still resonated with me because at the time, I was wearing those very shoes you see in the image. In fact, you can see them in the very first image in this post.

No one has to tell me they're ugly. I know it. No one has to tell me they're as comfortable as any shoes I've ever worn either. I usually wear them around the house or out in the yard. Just not in public. But here in Florida, well, let's just say you can wear just about anything at the beach and no one's going to so much as bat an eyelash.

But there's a reason—a very good reason I might add—why I opted to wear these outrageous shoes…back in the fall when we were in Maine, I slipped while climbing on a granite ledge below our cabin. It was slick with silt from the outgoing tide. I did quite the number on my knee and foot.

While they're mostly healed, my foot occasionally takes exception to overuse such as walking around all.day.long at the beach. When that happens, my foot swells and any other type of shoe becomes a torture device.

So, these were the shoes I wore all week long. Attractive? No! But they allowed me to continue to function through the week. Being raised on a strawberry farm as a teenager, I got over "looking cool" many long years ago. It was far more important to be practical and dress to be warm or cool, be able to move without binding or chafing, and to be able to stand on your feet for long periods of time.

There was simply no room for dressing cool for school. Besides, unlike at the beach, there was no one to see me on the farm and those that did weren't part of the school scene.

But I have to say, these shoes have one other feature that makes them perfect beach wear…they float and they dry in a hurry. Perfect for splashing in the water!

As for the color fest above, Florida beaches are nothing if not gaudy with all the bright colors and that was what I had in mind when I indulged in the neon colors! I gotta say, I kinda like it…it certainly chases away the gray days of winter.

Do you wear outrageous shoes?!

Feet and Books from Winter Interrupted

Wow, what can I say?! What fun we had at the beach!

Eight of us spent five glorious days sketching all up and down St. Pete Beach and into Clearwater at Winter Interrupted: An Artist's Beach Sketching Holiday. We sketched everything from giraffes to old gardens to ocean critters to fish shacks!

We spent the day sketching, eating and shopping at John's Pass

It was fun hearing everyone report the weather conditions "back home" each morning as we gathered for the days outing. There was only one day it was warmer in another location pass the Mason Dixon line than it was where we were at the beach even though some of our day's started out kind of chilly!

Imaginary Trips Made Real is the natural extension of the ImaginaryTrips.com online classes. We  put the skills we've learned online into action at fabulous live locations like the beach. But I gotta tell you, the location is secondary.

An afternoon spent in another beach town sketching, shopping, laughing and talking

It is the camaraderie that comes alive on these trips and weaves itself in and around a group of like-minded artists to creates magic: colors are more colorful; the air is a little brighter; the fun a little funner and makes the moment all the sweeter that is most important.

It is positive-uplifting-battery-charging magic that's even better than therapy! Imagine spending a week with people who understand when you come to a dead stop in your conversation as well as the street to take a photo of some adirondack chairs with parrots painted on the back or when you pull out your sketchbook at lunch instead of eating your meal. No explanations were necessary.

We saw adirondack chairs with parrots, flip-flops and ice-cream cones for the back boards!

We shared about ourselves, our lives, our families, and the challenges that we face in that other life we left at home. We laughed until our cheeks hurt and we talked late into the evening more often than not.

Three of the intrepid sketchers braving the chilly winds come in off the Gulf of Mexico

We ogled each others supplies and kits and made notes on where to get those special pens or fabulous palettes.

Yummy, messy, juicy color!

Art and Imaginary Trips Made Real is not just about the pages we fill or the places we visit or the things we learn. It is about the entire experience and maybe most important, about the connections we make to others and I can hardly wait to do it again!

Wave Demo Page

In fact, I'm already looking into the next adventure—I hope you can join us!!

Where would you like to go on a sketching holiday?

Stillman & Birn Zeta Sketchbook Watercolor and Ink 5.5 x 8.5 inches

We are 13 days out from Winter Interrupted: An Artist's Beach Holiday being held at St. Pete Beach…don't you want to come and play!?!

There's still two spots left!

We'll be going to all kinds of fun locations to sketch including old Florida gardens, an marine aquarium and of course, the beach! When we're not out sketching, we'll be lounging in our big blue cabanas at the TradeWinds' Island Grand Resort.

I started my sketchbook page, seen at the left, way back in June and you can see the beginnings of the page here. I used torn tape to create the deckled edges and then created the starfish and title block on other papers to add interest to the page.

These are some of the fun things we'll be learning during the workshop. Interested?

Our temps are forecasted to be in the 70's tomorrow. Later in the week, we're forecast to go down into the 40's—for one day.

I know you gotta be sick of snow, freezing temperatures and gray skies by now, so come on down!

Go here for more information and if you have any questions, just let me know.

I hope to see you there!

Acorns Watercolor, watercolor pencil, ink and charcoal

The other morning I found myself in a parking lot full of acorns and you know I just had to pick some up!

And this time I had a good reason…I did a class last week at Keeton's Office and Art Supplies on Autumn's Garden and the bounty to be found there. We painted some of the acorns.

But I gotta tell you, I probably would have picked them up anyway as they were huge! I think they were from a red oak(?) and I fell in love with them.

Looking at an acorn, you usually see a hint of green, umber, ochres, yellows, a few golds and maybe some gray. Not so exciting when I look at all the fun colors I have in my palette.

So I decided a fantasy acorn was just what I needed to dispel the icky weather we've been having lately.

Above is the result of playing with all kinds of color as well as media. There's a little bit of everything in there.

I can't say I'm wild about the end result as it looks nothing like I had in my head, but I can say it was fun and it scratched the itch of painting an acorn.

Back in the parking lot, as I looked up into the tree I was standing under, I could see gobs and gobs of acorns still on the tree…a very bountiful crop this year…and I thought about Mother Nature's approach to the future.

She didn't put all her hope into one acorn, but into thousands and that was from just ONE tree!

She knew that some acorns would feed the woodland creatures and some would fall onto concrete for crazy humans like me to pick up.

Some would fall to the mower's blades and others would fall in an inhospitable environment, so she made sure there were enough that maybe, just maybe, a few of those acorns would grow into themselves to become big, strong oak trees.

I often find myself too focused on the one acorn rather than a more bountiful approach of several acorns. Perhaps you can relate?

However, I've been quite fortunate and blessed to find that my acorn has taken root and continues to grow daily (ImaginaryTrips.com). Another acorn, Imaginary Trips Made Real, is thriving with a trip to the beach coming up in January—if you want to interrupt winter, there's still time! Click on the box at the top of the page for more info.

My friends and family are also blessings though some are more like squirrels than acorns. As we *supposably* slow down for the Thanksgiving holiday here in the states, I am taking stock of all of my acorns and how much they've grown this year.

Thanks to all of you who've come to be part of my world via classes, the blog, the internet and FB groups. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, I wish you the very best of blessings for the season.

May you find your acorns have grown as well.

Florida Stone Crab Claw Watercolor and Gouache 3.5 x 2 inches

Chris and I recently went over to a friend's house to pick a roll-top desk she had left for him when she passed away. While we were there, her son asked if we'd be interested in going through her art supplies as she had been a lifelong art teacher. 

Doesn't Interrupting Winter Sound Like A Great Idea!?! Imagine next January—the long, cold, gray days of snow, sleet and oh, yeah, more snow…or…imagine yourself soaking up the sun with your toes in the  warm sand as you enjoy gentle breezes off the Gulf of Mexico! Doesn't that sound much better than freezing!?! Then come and join me for  Winter, Interrupted: An Artist's Beach Holiday, January 18th through the 22nd, 2015.  I'll be hosting a 4-day workshop and together, we'll explore St. Pete Beach, Florida as well as several other wonderful locations including lush Florida gardens, wild bird sanctuaries and historic John's Pass.  With live sketching demos and one-on-one feedback from me, you'll be going home with a very special sketchbook brimming with beach memories and treasures! The workshop will take place in the morning so that you have plenty of free time in the afternoon to go exploring or to bask in the sun in a royal blue cabana!  We'll be staying at the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort for 5 fabulous nights. Click the link to check out this awesome resort!  Please click here to see and download the brochure with all the juicy details!  There is a Frequently Asked Questions document included with the brochure to help answer many of your questions. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at the email address listed in the brochure.   This adventure is so brand new, it's not even on the web site yet! Saving the best for last, I have a very special offer to share with you, dear friends: Everyone who registers by April 30th,* will save $100 per participant on the total workshop price   they register for!  Past ITMR participants** will save $150 per participant on the total workshop price you choose          if you book on or before April 30th.* On May 1st, the pricing in effect will be prices listed in the brochure.  Let me mention now that our grand adventure will take place in one of the busiest seasons in Florida. This means I have a very limited number of rooms available. To get the room you want, please, please book early. I don't want anyone to be disappointed.  If you're interested in coming in early or staying after the workshop, book now!  Don't wait. This isn't a sales pitch. This is me being me asking you not to wait—the rooms will become more scarce and the prices will only go up the closer we get to January.  *One discount per participant. Completed and signed Registration and Liability Release Forms along with the deposit amount for each participant must be received before or postmarked by April 30th, 2014 to qualify for the discount. Regular pricing will apply if the Registration and Liability Release Forms are received incomplete and/or unsigned.  **One discount per participant from the NOLA Live! Trip only.Completed and signed Registration and Liability Release Forms along with the deposit amount for each participant must be received before or postmarked by April 30th, 2014 to qualify for the discount. Regular pricing will apply if the Registration and Liability Release Forms are received incomplete and/or unsigned.  This sketching holiday is brought to you by Imaginary Trips Made Real, LLC (ITMR).

Save $100 Per Participant on Winter, Interrupted Workshop  By Registering On or Before April 30th!* Valid through 4/30/2014 Please print, clip and attach coupon to Registration Form  *One discount per participant. Completed and signed Registration and Liability Release Forms along with the deposit check(s) for each participant must be received before or postmarked by April 30, 2014 to qualify for a discount.  Regular pricing will apply if Registration and/or Liability Release Forms  are received  incomplete  and/or unsigned. Prior ITMR Participants, Save $150 On Winter, Interrupted  By Registering On or Before April 30th!* Valid through 4/30/2014 Please print, clip and attach coupon to Registration Form *One discount per participant. Completed and signed Registration and Liability Release Forms along with the deposit check(s) for each participant must be received before or postmarked by April 30, 2014 to qualify for a discount. Regular pricing will apply if  Registration and/or Liability Release Forms   are received incomplete and/or unsigned.  As always, please let me know of any questions you may have and I look forward to interrupting winter with you next January!

Leave behind the bitter cold and snow of January.
Soak up the warmth of the sun on white, sugar-sand beaches.
Sketch and paint dolphins and seabirds, beach cottages and turquoise waters…sound good?!

Get ready to join the fun!

After you spend the morning sketching and painting the beach and attractions with me, Laure Ferlita, you have afternoons to do your own exploring.

We'll be staying at a resort at St. Pete Beach with plenty to do within walking distance—assuming you can pry yourself out of that royal-blue cabana!!

I will be providing all the juicy, glorious details just as soon as the ink is dry on the contracts.

My NOLA Live! Journal has been moved, shuffled, and piled, ignored, dropped, lost misplaced and then found rediscovered, but it still laid unfinished until this weekend.
I don't even want to tell you how many times I moved the darn thing rather than just going ahead and finishing!

It probably took that long because of the need to find the mat cutter, cut the board down, come up with an idea, paint it, unearth my binding machine in the very back, bottom corner under a stack of heavy boxes and finally do the binding and finish up the final touches on the cover.
Am I thrilled to have this done!?! YES! But talk about going from to Orlando from Tampa via Omaha?! Good grief! Since this is a Stillman & Birn sketchbook, I could have just as easily used with the original covers and glued a piece of watercolor paper onto the front and been done—months ago.
Still, I'm thrilled to have it done. The photos don't begin to do it justice as there are a lot of subtle color changes and details that are not visible. I deliberately left the title dateless as I've decided to put the second NOLA trip (November 2013) in the second half of this journal.

I still need to create a title page and a list of all the wonderful artists who joined me. Then, I think I'm done. Until November!

The cover was created using watercolor, acrylic ink a stamp, and a stencil. The title block is a separate piece of watercolor with hand lettering that's been glued down to the cover for added dimension.