Pond and Barn Featured In Etsy Treasuries by Etsy Members

My Fall White Barn and Pond really shine in  two treasuries on Etsy by Art Walk Etsy Team Members. I'm very grateful that they found it beautiful. The painting is  based on a little farm I have frequently passed over the years when traveling to visit my family in The north Shenandoah Valley.

Barn and Pond  Country Fall Landscape
4 by 6 inches Watercolor
by LindaLMartinArtist
$35.00 for sale on Etsy:
Buy it here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/83750792/barn-and-pond-4-by-6-inches-country-fall

The beautiful horse barns at Ashby farm  located between Markam and Deleplane in Fauquier County, Virginia have always fascinated me. They are tucked in next to a small mountain with traditional working horse barns that are easily seen from  interstate 55.

Asby Farm today as a Winery

I suppose in my mind I have reveled at the beauty of this farm ad thought to myself what a beautiful place to have horses and grow food. The house is more like those traditional houses that started out as a log cabin but as time when on substantial add-ons let to a more elegant sprawling home. Not a plantation house but something more worthy of a successful working farm with flowering fruit trees that bordered its drive to the main house. They are so beautiful in spring white the rest of the property is spattered with dog wood, redbud and variations of  lime and yellow-greens of the newly budded trees and undergrowth.  Gosh I sound like a real-estate sales person.   But alas its only the esthetic beauty of the place that drives my fascination to photograph it and paint it in one of my “photography drive by shootings”.

Coming Home Treasury
Compiled and Curatored by Artist jcstrong

JC Strong is known for her bright color pallete in watercolor and Acrylics.

You can see details of the fine Art work on Etsy here:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTAyMjI2MTd8ODc4NDA2NzU5/coming-home?index=1

What exactly is a Photographic drive by shooting? Well it involves a camera, a car, vigilance and a certain amount of discretion, because you don’t want to invade privacy.  The pint of a photographic drive by shooting is to capture a vignette that can later be used in a painting especially when you really don’t know the people or even how to contact them, yet that beautiful section of dramatic and peaceful scenery is really an important part of your life.  A place like this becomes a part of your life because everyday you travel by it for years at a time either as  a commuter or on your frequent travel home trips when you work in one locations but have family some miles away in another location. 

You sorrow when its seems less prosperous.  You revel in renovations and successes and imagine what the exterior only hints at. And even though you know you probably won’t eventually have some intimate knowledge of what is inside, the possibility always exists that you will.

Autumn Treasury by BozenaWojtaszek.

Bozena is an extremely creative Fabric Artist From Poland. She says, that when she saw my painting with the beautiful reflective pond, that it inspired her to put together this wonderful collection by Etsy Artisans of autumn greens.
She did a wonderful job. You can see details of her collection here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTIxNDEzNTd8ODc5MjM0NTI4/autumn?index=0

This particular farm has been a part of my life for over 30 years. I have seen it through its active days as a breeding and training horse farm,  its days of dereliction as the economy turned against large working farms, its subsequent listing and sale and its current make over as a fast growing stop on the Virginia Vineyard trail. This infant winery is Ashby House Farm Vineyard?? Ok it has Ashby in its name  some where.. because, well, the Civil War Hero  Col. John Ashby really got around. And I think this might have either been  a “where he slept “ sort of thing or he and his family actually owned it at some point.

Truth is its historic mystic is not nearly as important to me as my own experience day dreaming about its aesthetic potentials. =0)

New Red Barn Country Farm Painting:

Red Horse Barn
4 by 6 Inches Watercolor
by Linda L Martin Artist
$35.00 plus S&H
Follow the Link below to purchase:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/82569773/4-by-6-inches-barn-country-fall

NEW! Fall Land Scape

Barns Off  St.Paul Road
4 by 6 Watercolor
by LindaLMartin Artist
Available on Esty just click the link:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/82479356/4-by-6-inches-barn-country-fall

The Orchard by LindaLMartin Begins a Tour of Virginia Churches to Raise Awareness of Poverty and to Raise Money to feed the Homeless

The Orchard

Donated to Teens Opposing Poverty by Artist Linda L Martin

The Orchard is a unique modern day interpretation of the story of Jesus and the Children in Luke 18:16 "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." The painting is set is an apple orchard, very similar to those found in the Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, which is famous for its fruit orchards.

Facts about the Painting:

*The painting is painted on canvas using acrylic polymer paints.

*The painting is approximately 24 by 36 inches.

*The painting took approximately 560 hours to paint over an 18 month period of time.

*The style of the painting is Folk Realism

*References for the face of Jesus are a composite of images of 5 traditional Jewish men from the area of Israel where Jesus would have lived. The artist acknowledges that no one can really know what Jesus looked like when he walked the earth, but those who have received his gift of Grace will recognize him when he returns.

*Artistic license was used on all of the individual children in the painting and none is a representation of a real person living or dead. Instead the artist wanted to share the variety of cultures and races represented in God’s creation, not as separated by ethnic boundaries, sexual segregation or diversity of experience, but as that commonality that is the American experience.

Touring the Painting:

The painting will tour churches in Virginia who support or are involved with Teens Opposing Poverty beginning in May 2011 with Culpeper United Methodist Church. The purpose of this tour is to allow people to see the painting before it is to be auctioned to raise money to feed the homeless and support the other activities for Teens Opposing Poverty. Teens Opposing Poverty also has plans to offer prints and note cards of the image.

If your church or organization would like to host the painting to raise awareness of poverty, and help Teens Opposing Poverty to accomplish their purposes contact here: email: contact@teensopposingpoverty.org or by phone 866-955-6260

About the Artist:

Linda L Martin is an independent artist and writer living in the Piedmont of Virginia. She is most well known for her equine, Virginia country life paintings and her animal portraits. Her Current project is to paint one living wild horse a day 5 days a Week for a year in the Mustang A Day Challenge. Ms Martin holds a BA in Fine Art from Stetson University and has been painting in Virginia since 1979.

Her website is: www.LLMartin.com

Aweteam on March and Daffodils!

Daffodil is a color Treasury. The AWETeam, Art Walk Etsy Team, on etsy was started over 2 years ago to give Etsy sellers a monthly platform to showcase their items and offer sales. Its been a smashing success with a large number of participants. Its held the first Friday of Every Month. Just typefristfridayartwalk in the Etsy search on http://www.etsy.com/ to find literally thousands of items offered at special prices just for the event. Here is a special show case of  items I put together in a treasury made up of AWEteam sellers. Enjoy:

Go right to the treasury by clicking this link:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d860d46b0f86d91c83d2064/aweteam-daffodil-its-a-color?index=0

Whoa Team Blues: A peaceful horse treasury for etsy.

As many people know I was invited to join the Whoa Team on etsy about two months ago. Its a thrill.  Some of the best and favored Horse artists in the world are among their members. We paint horses and we love horses and we love to paint horses and we all sell on etsy.com. I'm very slowly learning how to make treasuries on etsy. I made this one to chase away the winter blues. Its all filled up with Whoa Artists and their pretty horses. I hope you enjoy. ~Linda



See the treasury up close go to:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d838f381ae68eef6239ab4e/whoa-team-blues



Artist Spot Light: "Mixing Color and Family: Artist Kim Santini"

Mixing Color and Family: Artist Kim Santini



Balto, 8x10, from October 2010

  
The first time I saw the work of Kimberly Santini was the Poster for the AKC Eukanuba National Championship dog show. Her palette of colors was warm and inviting, she nailed the expression of every dog she painted and she pulls off the combination of impressionism and strong color skills that could only be achieved by some very extensive study in basic realism. She is one of the growing number of globally known artists that have taken on the Painting a day challenge. She is now in her 5th year of painting a dog a day.

“I have a BFA Degree in Fine Art and one in Art History.” She told me. Like so many of us artists, she had been programmed to believe that if there were not large blocks of time to lock yourself away in a studio that art just wasn’t going to happen. “I just felt if I couldn’t carve out the time, I couldn’t do it.”

Then non- art career opportunities and children took over and there were no longer large blocks of time in her busy schedule. As her children became older and went off to school she was left with her youngest daughter and a long afternoon when she slept. “I just really needed something to do during nap time. So I pulled out my acrylic paints and began to paint in the afternoons.”

According to Kim a relative saw the resulting painting and wanted a portrait, and then showed it to a friend. And so the business began to grow. However, Kim credits the encouragment of her husband with her success in stepping out into being a fulltime artist. " I have the best husband in the world. He really saw the potential in me." She told me that he has been her biggest encouragement and fan.



Tiny Kitten, Big Dreams (Mona Lisa),
5x7, from November 2010



“I was painting big. I painted life size or larger canvases of dogs and horses. Some took months to finish”

Her studio space became the center of activity of her home. “The computer is in the studio “ She told me, and her children are in an out all the time, doing homework, telling her about their day and even on occasion painting with her. “I realized with family and work I would never be able to carve out large blocks of time to paint”

She adjusted her time to fit the schedule her family needed. She said having her studio in the center of the home makes her accessible all the time. “When the kids were younger they were really involved in making things. I wanted to make creation part of their lives."  Kim insists there was always something happening to encourage them to create and imagine.

When she began painting a dog a day she realized that she would have to adjust her way of making art. The first thing was to paint small. “No more of those larger than life paintings” The process challenged her style and her efficiency as a painter. “I have a very strong foundation in the basics” she shared, “I spent many hours as a young person studying muscle structure of horses and dogs. I tried to capture the way the legs and feet held the weight so that even if you don’t see the entire body, the muscles will look right; like they are flexed to suggest the way they are standing."



Drip Dry, 9x12, from September 2010.



Kim says it was important for her to embrace the flexibility of her life style and her painting. “I want to let the viewer bring their experience to the painting, so it is not just an image to them. I am painting for every day Americans."

Her portrait work is long in expressions, deep in its ability to suggest correct draftsmanship, while giving the impression of capturing a moment in time. “I want the people who see my work, to receive the impression of the animal, and have it provoke memories, or trigger them to feel the love that had been.”

You can see more of Kim Santini’s work:
 Her blog: http://paintingadogaday.blogspot.com

Kim Santini on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ksantini

And visit her page on Facebook : Kimberly Kelly Santini

Looking towards Valentines Day 2011 and Thinking of the Past.



Valentine's Day
Aceo 3.5 by 2.5 inch
Watercolor n Ink
Doodle
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65495552/valentines-day-aceo



I just love Valentine’s Day! I mean chocolate and Romance right?? Well every year my dad would send us all a Valentine and buy us a little Chocolate heart. In my entire life I don’t think I ever had a boyfriend during Valentine’s Day, except for one year. And I think he forgot!

So why do I love Valentine’s Day? Well I think it’s really a wonderful time to share how much you love those close to you. Your children, your parents, brothers and sisters and even your best friends. I mean it doesn’t have to be about Romance it can be about that awesome camaraderie that comes through family ties and close friendships that make our lives special.

Sharing love doesn’t have to be about “sex” and it doesn’t have to be unrealistic romantic notions that never can be lived up to.



Pug Dog Valentine
ACEO 3.5 by 2.5 inches
Watercolor embellished with
Gold Acrylic
Original Painting
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65498171/valentines-day-aceo

 One of the coolest Valentine’s Day’s I ever had was actually at Laurel Race Course. I was covering two Stakes races on Valentine’s Day. I forgot it was Valentine’s Day, but I owed my photographer and wanted to buy her lunch. We were pampered! Roses and Chocolate and a set menu of Fillet Minong or some fish . (we both turned down the complimentary campaign because we had to drive back to Virginia that afternoon) We had the best seat in the house and an afternoon of racing and some sort of chocolate hazelnut torte that melted all kinds of ways in our mouths. And of course some absolutely amazing horse racing.

After lunch we sat there watching the races and she thanked me then sighed. “I cant believe I just had the best Valentine’s Meal ever and I wasn’t even with a guy.”

I just laughed. I suppose it was because I had long given up on that romantic notion that I had to have a guy and the romance and just found a great deal of contentment in enjoying the day.



Piggy with Hearts
Aceo 3.5 by 2.5 inches
Watercolor Original

 So when you think about Valentine’s Day this year, focus on the companionship and appreciation of family and friends or maybe someone who has sacrificed their time and comfort so you could be where you are. As a Christian we call that Agape love. The love of a friend for a friend.

“ No greater love is this that one lays down his life for a friend.”~Jesus of Nazareth

 
 
 
 
 
 
You can see more Original Valentine Doodles and other original art in my Etsy Store
Valentine's: http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=llmartin+Valentine&search_type=handmade&shopname=LindaLMartinArtist
Or visit my main shop at:
www.etsy.com/shop/LindaLMartinArtist