Blog

So I sent out about 100 emails to all my friends and relatives. I told them about the wonderful world of blogging and asked them to sign up for my new blog. A number of them did. But that day my site went a little crazy so maybe they were able to sign up for the blog and maybe they weren't. So I wrote the site administrator who fixed the problem but then it broke again. I wrote him again and he fixed it and it broke again. This went on this way for quite a few days. I thought the poor beleaguered administrator would think I was crazy, and give up on my webpage. But he didn't, he stuck with the problem, and got it repaired. And now it has STAYED fixed for four days and I think I can trust my website to obey me again.

We have all had problems such as this. I have been known to scream at my computers as well as my paintings. It does absolutely no good, not even to relieve tension, so I have quit that behavior and now I seemed to have developed more patience. Sticking with a painting is what takes it from being merely nice (or really horrible sometimes) to being a really wonderful painting.

When I first start a painting, I am always very excited about the possibilities. My thoughts run along the lines of what a beautiful painting it will be, the colors will be bold, the emotions of the painting will be evident, there will be new thoughts and ideas to be read from it and everyone will throng to behold it. As I start painting I am searching for the darkest darks, creating the contrasts, blocking in colors and so forth. After a few hours I am often discouraged. What I usually have is a canvas full of blotchy colors, no details, and I am tired. It is usually the second or third time that I am working on a painting where it really begins to realize its potential and I get excited again. This self portrait is one of those paintings. I worked on it, got discouraged, gave it up, worked on it again and then went on to other things. It sat in the garage for a while and I just pulled it out again. My right hand needs some work, the hairline isn't quite right, and something is wrong with the right cheek. I think it will get finished but right now it is just sitting next to me while I think about it.

Many of my friends and the people I have taught painting to tell me they can't paint. I believe everyone can paint. Some people may be better at abstracts while others have a special talent at realism. Either way, everyone can have fun with painting. And either way it actually takes getting discouraged with each paintings and overcoming the discouragement to achieve the goal. I read in International Artist magazine once that it takes about 400 paintings before you start getting pretty good. I figure that I am up to about 150 paintings, some of which are really nice and many of which sit in the far back of my closet. Those paintings are waiting to reach their potential, waiting for me to finish them. Or maybe waiting for me to throw them out. I love the excitement of painting, that each painting has a potential to be better than the one before, and I love the flush of achievement when I finish a painting and I know, really know that it is done. So don't stop yourself, go enjoy your paints.

All the time and work for the opening was well spent I think. About fifty people came. There were potato pakoras and Indian spiced tea. I had about thirty paintings on display. There was a nice sign announcing my Share in an Art Adventure program (read about that in a previous blog). We had some very nice publicity also so many people showed up that I didn't know, as well as many of my friends came. When things slowed down a bit I painted henna designs on people's hands. This photo was taken after everything was set up, looked nice and only a few people had started arriving.

The opening was also a great opportunity to wear my new silk saree from Varanasi. Varanasi is famous for its silk weaving. Since there is no electricity in the city from 9 a.m. to about 2 or 3 p.m. much of the work in Varanasi must either be done by non electric machinery or after 3 p.m. or with the use of noisy gas generators. The silk weaving therefore is done on the jacquard looms. The thread is extremely fine, it rivals the modern microfibers any day. This particular saree was woven black in one direction and burgundy in the opposite direction which is called "shot" silk. The effect is that as the fabric moves or where it folds you will see it changing color from black to burgundy. The bottom has a broad band of gold thread woven throughout. This particular saree also has a matching blouse.with gold embroidery on the sleeves. The end of the saree is known as the pallau and it has the most beautiful embroidery there since the pallau is pleated and then falls over the shoulder in a most graceful and dramatic way. If you get a chance to buy one of these sarees, please do. The work is very labor intensive and as more women go for the machine made, polyester sarees that are cheaper and easier to care for, the silk saree manufacturers are going out of business. It is not a lost art yet, but it could become so. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I was too busy to remember to ask some one to take my photo in this saree.

If you live or are visiting in the area of Holland, MI please come down to the Taj Restaurant and view the paintings. They will be on display indefinitely. In late May I will switch out some paintings for others and probrobably will do so again in August before I leave for my painting around the world trip. The restaurant is located at 91 Douglass Ave on the northside of Holland, next to where the old D & W used to be,

I came to Washington DC to do a performance on women's history for the Coast Guard in Norfolk and another at Ft. Meade. I stayed a few extra days however so that I could visit my sister and her family in their new home in Philadelphi and to have my dad's ashes interred in Arlington National Cemetary. He had died in 1991 but we had finally decided to have him put in Arlington. This time of year is absolutely beautiful in DC. You have heard before of the beauty of the cherry blossoms and it is spectacular against the grays of the grasses and trees that haven't really started budding out yet. On my way to Philly I was passing the National Arboretum and decided to stop for an hour or so to do a little oil pastel. I drove around the gardens for a while before settling on a group of trees that looked like they were bursting with pride in their own beauty. Can a tree feel that way? I don't know but this little trio of trees begged me to paint them so I obliged. Was the grass so green? Probably not quite so green, but it felt like it. Enjoy the beauty with me.

Finally, it has become warm enough to get outside and paint. I envy those plein aire painters who live in the warmer climates. Up here in Michigan we have to paint indoors all winter while waiting impatiently so that we can paint outside. About two weeks ago the snow was still on the ground but the sun was shining and the air had warmed up. I was driving between Ann Arbor and Lansing. As I was passing some woods I noticed that the snow was melting into rivulets and making nice reflections. Since I had some extra time I decided to take the scenic route rather than the highway. I got off the highway at the next exit and drove around until I could find the woods that I had passed and the rivers of water formed by the melting snow. At last I found a spot where I could pull over and take some photos. I sat down on a nylon bag which I had in the car and tucked into my first spring painting with the relish of one sitting down to a feast of oil pastels.

An hour and a half later the cold ground had frozen my tush and I had to leave. But in grabbing that few minutes of time I had created a lovely replica of the scene. I loved the reflections of the trees in the water and the way that the water was really a blackish color farther away from me and turned a yellowish color closer up. The cheerful blue of the sky had made my spirits soar. And the thin ice that was stuck to the trees reminded me of the fragility of life. Well, really it didn't, but that sounded so poetic that I felt that I had to say that. There was a little squirrel scampering about so I put it in the picture to enjoy the warmth of the day.

You can now experience the fun of travel and the beauty of art without ever leaving the comforts of your couch and TV. Not only will you receive original hand painted fine art delivered to your door, you can also support Sandra Hansen's travels to places where she gets to experience the joys of mice in her bed and dust in her tea. Sandra Hansen has traveled and painted extensively from across the U.S. to India, Germany, Sweden, Israel, and Switzerland. This year she is planning on returning to India, Sweden and hopefully Cambodia and Viet Nam. So if you are inspired by great art and would like to support a starving traveling artist (namely Sandra R. Hansen) at the same time, here is how you can do it. Just like "real businesses" you can now buy shares in Art Nomad. There are a number of options for everyone from the independently wealthy, with the emphasis on the independence; to the independently wealthy, with the emphasis on the wealthy.

If you buy one share for $30 in Sandra's Art Adventure you will receive one handpainted postcard from her next adventure.
If you buy two shares for $60 in Sandra's adventures you will receive a 9 x 12 hand painted original art which is inspired by Sandra's travels in Sweden, India, or from a surprise location.
Three shares for $90 will get you both a 9 x 12 hand painted original art and a hand painted postcard inspired by her travels.
Fifteen shares for $450 will get you an 18 x 24 inch painting (the largest that fits in Sandra Hansen's suitcase) painted on location from her travels. You may choose any three colors that you want to dominate the painting.

Now you are probably thinking that this is all fine and good for one time deal, but how are you going to get new art delivered to your door on a regular basis? For those who need a monthy jolt of art, Sandra has not forgotten you. She has designed an Art of the Month Club where for $300 you can get a handpainted postcard from Sandra every month for one year. That is a savings of two free months, for those of you who love a bargain.

Whether you choose to buy a share or not, you can receive weekly free email updates on her travels. Just give Sandra your email address by writing her at artnomad@sandrahansen.com.

To buy shares or to be put on her email travel list or for more information contact Sandra Hansen at artnomad@sandrahansen.com or 616 396-5772. Share checks can be sent to Sandra R. Hansen, 227 W. 19th St. Holland, MI. Don't forget to check out Sandra's paintings and photos at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sandra-hansen.html. She has also posted photos on www.snapfish.com (login with shansen@wmol.com and use the password peeper). Join the adventure!

Recently I was contacted by someone wanting to buy four of my paintings. She had seen them on FAA. This woman was moving from Georgia to London and she said that she was visiting her twin sister in London who was pregnant. She wrote that she would send me the money by cashier's check and that I was to pack them up and someone would come by and pick them up. She would pay for the shipping. She gave me her Georgia address and her London one. I got suspicious because there were some gramatical typos in the email which seemed unlikely from a supposedly educated woman. I checked both addresses on Mapquest and Google Earth. Neither address could be found. Sometimes new streets and new addresses grow up faster than can be updated on these map things. However, since neither showed up and on Google Earth I could see that although the street showed up the number did not and there was no place for new houses to be built. It wasn't even clear to me that the streets were in a residential neighborhood. I then Googled in the name of the woman with London and Georgia. Fairly quickly I found her name associated with this art scam.

Basically her swindle is to email artists and then pay with a cashier's check. The amount is more than the paintings so that you can pay for the shipping which will then be reimbursed supposed with the cashier's check. She then has her collegue pick up the paintings before the check has cleared because she claims that everything is in a rush with the move and her sister etc. If the artist believes her then they have lost a couple of paintings and the amount of the shipping since the cashier's check is counterfeit. I live in Michigan and I just heard a few days ago of another Michigan artist who was approached for this scam. She got the police and FBI involved. I don't know if this person running the scam is local to Michigan, but it is a good idea to be aware and careful. If someone wants a number of your paintings at once, it just might be too good to be true. I feel lucky that I didn't get caught.

Now is the time to start planning your summer trip to India with me. I work with a non profit organization called Nirman, in Varanasi, India. Our programs take you into the hearts and minds of the people of India where you will make friends rather than being an observational tourist peering in but not participating. We have a number of programs for you to participate in. They are the Arts and Crafts of India, Each One Teach One, Artist Residency, Music Courses, and the Semester Study Abroad programs. In the Arts and Crafts Course and the Artist Residency course you meet artists and artisans such as painters, wooden toy sculpturers, weavers, dyers, stone carvers, and lacquer makers. In the Artist Residency you are also taken to great painting or photographic locations. You will have the opportunity to teach children and adult art projects also if you want. In the Each One Teach One course you meet with other women to learn about their lives and see their homes and then we teach them something that we know that they need to know, such as how to read a clock or about reproductive cycles. The Music courses allow you to learn to play such instruments as the tabla, sitar, or sarod. Naturally, there will be sightseeing, with people who can tell you about the city, and shopping but you will also be able to go to lectures, and concerts. Since we have two campuses, a city one and a rural one, you will have the opportunity to be in both places.

If you would like more information please contact me at shansen@wmol.com or go to www.snapfish.com login with shansen@wmol.com and use the password peeper to see more photos and information.

I just had the opportunity to see one of my paintings that had been printed by Fine Art America on glicee canvas. It was absolutely beautiful! The colors were perfect and it was a precise print in the detail. You almost couldn't tell it from the original. I was very pleased with the quality.

Welcome to Art Nomad! I have been traveling and painting in numerous locations and hope to tell you more about them as I continue on my journeys.

I have recently returned from my 6th trip to India. I am still working on finishing up the paintings and pastels that I brought back so keep your eyes open for these which should be posted within the next two months. There are some of my favorite photos from this trip posted as well as a few from some earlier trips. You will especially like the Kerala photographs. Kerala is in Southern India and it has miles and miles of palm trees and waters. Look for the pictures of the lovely boats. While there I went to an ashram for a few days and met Amma, the saint/deity who gives out millions of hugs and has founded hospitals, orphanages, rebuilt tsunami wrecked homes, started schools and done many other wonderful things as well. She started her life out as a village girl and it is truly amazing what she has done for the world.

Much of my time is spent in Varanasi. I am based with an organization called NIRMAN which has a school and research center. Sometimes I paint with other artists and I enjoy helping with Art Camp for children. The best time to paint is at dawn so there are many pictures of Varanasi and it's people mostly painted at dawn.