Fine Art

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Inspiration | Spring in the Sierras

Here are some photos I took of the things that are inspiring me as the snow is melting during Spring in the Sierras:      

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Creating Fun Inspiring Photos with Instagram

Stunning photos and artworks can be great eye-candy, often invoking inspiration in artists and art lovers alike. How colors blend, shadows fall, and patterns play provide interesting dialogue for art viewers that further distance the definition of "snapshot" from "art."

We all take photos hoping that we will capture that one moment where no words are needed to convey the feelings and scents in the air. This is where professional photographers do their finest work. But for most of us, hiring a professional photographer to tag along everywhere we go is out of the question. That is where small digital cameras and smart phones come into play.

So what can you do to spice up your photo album when you come home with 400 posed photos of your recent trip? This is where the fun iPhone app Instagram comes into play.

Instagram is an application for your smartphone that allows you to share photos through a social network. However, part of the application also provides some easy to apply photo effects. These effects can help you transform a traditional posed photo into a fun work of art.

How Instagram works:

1. First you need to buy the app and install it on your iPhone.
2. Next, set up an account and define your settings and preferences.
3. Once done, you are ready to start taking photos on your smartphone.
4. You can either apply effects to previous photos OR take them through the Instagram app.
5. You can crop, apply zooms, and play with the different exposures and filters.
6. And in just a minute, the result are some fun photos that add some flair to some otherwise dull photos.

Examples:

Below are some examples of some flora and landscape shots I took while on vacation in the desert. (I was having a blast playing with Instagram trying to make the standard reference shots I take on my vacations stand out).

If you are looking for a quick way to add some flair to your stale photos, try Instagram.

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Hanging an art show in a blizzard

Though having an art show is a rewarding experience, hanging an art show takes a lot of preparation. But hanging an art show in a blizzard takes extra special care. Below are some tips and must have items to help make hanging your winter art show a breeze.

Wrap it Up

How you wrap up your artwork for travel depends on the type of artwork you are hanging and the distance you are traveling. For instance, if you are driving 100 miles with 15 framed pieces and 10 delicate sculptures, you need to take more care than if you are going 10 miles with acrylics painted on 5 heavy-duty panels. If you are flying or shipping your works, you will want to take special care individually wrapping and boxing (and insuring) each piece. If you are driving a short distance, you may be able to get away with having two unframed pieces in one box with some blankets wrapped around each piece. Needless to say, each item needs to be carefully wrapped and to protect it from the definite bumping and shifting that will occur during travel.

Waterproof it

Now that each piece is carefully wrapped, you need to wrap it again in some plastic. Snow has a way of blowing sideways so prepare for it to make it’s way in on the sides of you artwork as well as below it. If you have some heavy boxes or bags, be sure to put protective plastic even on the bottom so you can let it rest briefly in the snow bank as you are trying to close your car door or open the door to the gallery. I personally use heavy duty construction clean up bags to waterproof my art- they bend and stretch with the best of them allowing for use after use.

Once all of the pieces are wrapped and waterproof, don’t forget to put your artist bio, hanging tools, and tags in a plastic bag too. Include wrapping all of your hanging tools and extras (hammer, needle nose pliers, screws, hangars, backings, snacks, etc), as well as your ladder. The worst is showing up ready to hang only to have all of your tags, marketing materials, and ladder dripping wet with soggy snow.

Mark It

Once everything is bagged up, it is hard to tell which piece is which. This is not a problem if you are 100% sure that the gallery or gallery owner wants every single piece. But more often than not, your memory recalls some 40” more than the wall actually has to hang one of your works (and measurements don’t lie). The gallery owner or show curator may prefer to hang the show themselves so you want to make it easy for them (and safe for your art). Clearly mark each box with the name of the piece, your name, AND indicate the top of the artwork. If the box should not be cut with a box opener, mark that down too.

Bag It

I am all about convenience. I don’t like taking more trips to and from the car if it is snowing out if I don’t have to. So I use heavy-duty canvas and tarp bags to carry more paintings in each trip. Depending on what size and weight each piece is (and how much I can carry), I can sometimes get 4-6 paintings in each bag or 2-12 paintings per trip.

Keep Your Sanity Items

Sometimes blizzards mean the road can be blocked for a bit or you need to shovel out your car or you just get stuck at the gallery for awhile. I’ve personally been stuck waiting outside for someone to arrive in 28 degree blizzard weather where the extra snow clothes made my multiple attempts to check if the gallery owner arrived more bearable. Snow clothes, gloves and boots are always a must for winter travel, but are mandatory must-have items to stick it out and stay warm if you get stuck during your winter art show hanging.

If you bring your child with you to hang your work, prepare for hours and hours of entertainment for them. I once planned for a 2 hour hang that took 5 hours. Luckily my daughter had multiple snacks, a water bottle, a bag of toys and some coloring books that softened the blow of “just a little longer, sweetie.” (In this case, having extra quarters to feed the meter was handy as well).

There are a lot of things that go into creating a body of art and preparing for an art show. But weather often plays by it’s own rules. If you have an art show planned to hang during the winter months in an area that regularly snows or has freezing rains, using these tips above will help save your art and make your show hanging go smoothly.

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Raffle Winners

My nephew, 4 year old Max Zimmerman, was diagnosed with Leukemia this New Year's. Max is a fighter and after many weeks in the hospital, he was released and is now in remission. He and is family are commuting back and forth from their home to receive his chemo treatments. Many of you bought raffle tickets to help Max and his family with hospital bills. Below are the winners of the prizes:

• Ryan Oliver won: "Early Snow" a canvas wrapped giclee reproduction (artist proof) at 24" x 18" ready to hang, by Sara Zimmerman, valued at $190
• Aimee Had won: "Spring in Martis Valley" a canvas wrapped giclee reproduction at 24" x 18" ready to hang, by Sara Zimmerman, valued at $260
• Kai McDonald won: "Japan" original mixed media artwork by Sara Zimmerman, Carole Sesko and Eve Werner, 16" x 20", valued at $599
• Jeannette Halderman won: "Russia" original mixed media artwork by Sara Zimmerman, Carole Sesko and Eve Werner, 16" x 20", valued at $599
• Alissa Smith won: "Dancing Trees" a 24" x 18" mixed media on canvas original artwork by Truckee artist Sara Dube, valued at $300
• Shelley Gorin won: A Structural Integration Bodywork session (a form of rolfing) by Jared Power, Movement4Life (available to Tahoe and Truckee residents only), valued at $160
• Cramer Toth won: A 90 minute distant or in office session with Shamanic Practitioner, Jill Annacenturia, annacenturia.com/, valued at $100
• Roxanne Duffield won: A $100 gift certificate for pottery from Truckee artist Alanna Hughes from Riverside Studios
• Katie Rice won: "Sunrise at Lake Tahoe" an 11" x 14" photo print on rag paper by Scotts Shots Photography, valued at $97.95
• Shahrazade McConkey won: A distant or in office session with acupuncturist and healing coach, Michelle Turley, L.Ac michelleturleylac.com
• Sara Armstrong won: "Oscar" an 8" x 12" metal print, photo by A Day in Your Life Photography, valued at $78

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Healing Art Movie

What does it look like to heal? Through my Healing series, I explore what it looks like to heal on an emotional, physical, and spiritual level. These paintings were my venue for healing where I took it one step at a time, exploring what dis-ease looks and feels like, what it looks like to heal, and a final visual reminder of what that healing is. Watch my Healing art movie to see the layering process of this artstic healing process. A special thanks to my amazing brother Andrew Bray for his incredible After Effects and post production work!

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Valentine's Day Free eCards

Looking for a free Valentine's Day eCard to send to someone you love? Below are 4 Valentine's Day eCards that are free for you to send out as many times as you like. Share the love and have a wonderful Valentine's Day.

(Select which image you want by placing your cursor over the image. Then right click (PC) or Control+Click (Mac) to download and save it to your computer).

"Unconditional Love"

"Love"

"Loving Compassion"

"New Family"

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Sara's Interview - Podcast with Small Business Consultant

On January 5th I had the wonderful opportunity to be interviewed by small business consultant, Sue Whitaker, owner of the The Business Lovemaker and talk show host. Sue and I worked together on her branding and new Business Lovemaker website. During the project, she asked if I would be a guest on her radio show knowing her nationwide listener base would receive some business insight since they are generally entrepreneurs.

Sue interviewed me for 1 hour asking me about my background, my inspiration, how I balance my right and left brain with the type of work I do, tips for business owners and web development, and more. Take a moment to listen to my podcast about business* and keep your ears peeled for a little gift for you at the end. If you have some feedback, please comment below (this is my first interview since being on NPR and CNN for my women's surf shop in 1997, so I was a little nervous).

*If you are having problems playing the audio file, you can right click on the link to download and play on your computer.

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Raffle to support My Nephew With Leukemia

My nephew, 4 year old Max Zimmerman, was diagnosed with Leukemia this New Year's. Max is a fighter and after many weeks in the hospital, he was released. He and is family are commuting back and forth from their home to receive his chemo treatments.

To help Max and his family with hospital bills, I am raffling off 4 of my paintings, a fine art photo from A Day in Your Life Photography, a painting by artist Sara Dube and other prizes. Raffle tickets are only $5 each and are available online, payable by Visa or MC. Please note that the raffle tickets are your receipt. The raffle winners will be notified on Valentine's Day (Feb 14th) 2012. If you want to follow along with his progress, you can visit Max's parents' journal on Caring Bridge. Thanks for your help and support!

For only $5 per ticket, you can help Max and have a chance to win:

• "Early Snow" a canvas wrapped giclee reproduction (artist proof) at 24" x 18" ready to hang, by Sara Zimmerman, valued at $190
• "Spring in Martis Valley" a canvas wrapped giclee reproduction at 24" x 18" ready to hang, by Sara Zimmerman, valued at $260
• "Japan" original mixed media artwork by Sara Zimmerman, Carole Sesko and Eve Werner, 16" x 20", valued at $599
• "Russia" original mixed media artwork by Sara Zimmerman, Carole Sesko and Eve Werner, 16" x 20", valued at $599
• "Dancing Trees" a 24" x 18" mixed media on canvas original artwork by Truckee artist Sara Dube, valued at $300
• A Structural Integration Bodywork session (a form of rolfing) by Jared Power, Movement4Life (available to Tahoe and Truckee residents only), valued at $160
• A 90 minute distant or in office session with Shamanic Practitioner, Jill Annacenturia, annacenturia.com/, valued at $100
• A $100 gift certificate for pottery from Truckee artist Alanna Hughes from Riverside Studios
• "Sunrise at Lake Tahoe" an 11" x 14" photo print on rag paper by Scotts Shots Photography, valued at $97.95
• A distant or in office session with acupuncturist and healing coach, Michelle Turley, L.Ac michelleturleylac.com
• "Oscar" an 8" x 12" metal print, photo by A Day in Your Life Photography, valued at $78

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Lion Heart Fundraising art for High Fives

High Fives Foundation is a Tahoe-based non-profit organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for athletes who have suffered a life-altering injury while pursuing their dream in the winter action sports community. The Lion Heart Fundraiser is an event where regional artist create art to benefit High Fives. The Lion Heart fundraiser for the High Fives Foundation starts February 3rd and is on display throughout the month of February at Riverside Studios in Truckee. I have two of my artworks there where 100% of the proceeds will be donated to High Fives. Check them out!  

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Sara's art at Humane Society Black Ties and Tails event

I love the Humane Society of Truckee Tahoe (HSTT). In fact, that is where I adopted my late malamute from. On Feburary 18th the HSTT are having a Black Ties and Tails Gala as a fundraiser. Donated to this event is a Party of 3 artwork called "Libby" by myself, Carole Sesko, and Eve Werner. Look for it in the fun silent auction along with so many other great items.