"Museum of Northern Arizona" (image 10"x14")

Oh what a wonderful time of the year! Here is my Christmas card for you "Wishing you the peace and joy of Christmas and a healthy prosperous New Year!"

My most recent painting is a secret commission for a holiday gift so I cannot share it with you until after Christmas. But here's a hint - it's a young family out on a favorite outing with their family pet. I can't wait to hear about their comments and then I will show it to you.

Here are 2 of my grandchildren, 6 year old twins Rachel and Simon sharing a hug after their 1st grade Christmas program. What better example of the warm fuzzy feelings we love to share during this season. I hope this finds you also enjoying special times and special people.

Best wishes to you for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Museum of Northern Arizona

Last weekend , we put up a new show at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. The Museum Bookstore has been carrying my cards and small wrapped giclées for some time. Now I am so excited to have the opportunity to display my framed watercolors as well!

Here John is hanging the paintings which were chosen to reflect subjects related to the Museum and Northern Arizona. Marilyn, Museum Volunteer on duty, was a big help to us with the display. First chance that you get, be sure to stop into the Museum on Fort Valley Road to see the wonderful collections and exhibits and don't forget the Bookstore!

What Fun!

Winners from my Open Studio drawing, Jim and Vel Hedberg, stopped by today to choose their mini giclée - "It's Holly Time Again". It was delightful having a chance to get acquainted and to share my work with them again. Congratulations once again! Taking a few minutes to sign the guest list is all it takes to get your name in my drawing.

Open Studio Update and more...

After a busy Open Studio weekend and getting reacquainted with so many of you again, I have the winners of my "guest list drawing". Jim and Vel Hedberg from Munds Park and Laurie Cosolito from Flagstaff were excited to be called and asked to choose their mini giclée- "It's Holly Time Again" or "Late Summer at the Arboretum".


Congratulations!!! And thank you to all of you who visited my studio and entered the drawing. I also appreciated your good wishes for my speedy recovery from my fall. (I am making good progress and best of all - painting again!)


I hope some of you have been watching the PBS series this week, "The National Parks - America's Best Idea". (Visit pbs.org for details.) The film by Ken Burns was opened with a special live celebration concert in New York City's Central Park and broadcast to select audiences on September 23rd. I was privileged to be able to donate 2 giclée prints from Arizona National Monuments for the Eight Public Television and Eight Educational Outreach: ASSET audiences to assist with their membership drive - "Springtime at Cabeza Prieta" and "Hubbell Trading Post". In addition, 4 of my watercolor images were used for notecards to be given to the participants. I was so pleased to be able to contribute to this special event in this way!

Congratulations to Peggy George and Kristi Olson of Phoenix!









Now, I'm looking forward to cooler weather in the Valley and working on some special commissions.

Flagstaff Open Studios

"Colton House" (image 10" x 14")


Preparations are underway for an exciting weekend, September 19 and 20, when I will have my "condo studio" in Flagstaff open for you to visit 10 am to 5 pm. I will do a drawing each day, from the guests' sign in sheet, for a 5x7 giclée! And I will be doing a demo for you to see a painting in progress. (Yes, I do plan to be painting in spite of some injuries I sustained during a fall last week.) My sister, Janis, is coming early from Toronto, Canada to help me get everything ready.

Brochures with maps to the various studios are available at the Visitor Center (train station downtown) as well as many other locations around town. Also you can find one at the Artists' Coalition website www.flagstaff-arts.org. Or email (Catherine@CatherineSickafoose.com) or phone (602 918-0234) me and I will send you one in the mail. Looking forward to seeing you!

Brandy's Show

Original watercolors on little standup boxes (6x6 and 5x10)

for your table or mantel or you can hang them on the wall!

They are beautifully crafted by my husband, John,

and varnished for an archive finish.

Here we are relaxing after hanging 40 pieces of art. (That's Brandy for those of you who have not met her.) The show looks wonderful, thanks to all the staff who helped us. I hope that many of you will have a chance to stop by for a bite to eat and see the variety of new work that I have done, just for this show! The boxes above were finished just in the nick of time!

Brandy's Show Poster (dates should read August 4 - 31st)

Well it's almost "show time" for Brandy's Restaurant in Flagstaff. If you are able to enjoy a few days in the cool pines of Northern Arizona, be sure to stop in and see my watercolors during August. ( Hours and directions are on the website www.BrandysRestaurant.com) The show will be up from the 4th to the 31st. It will be featuring some local hiking spots, and some special landmarks around the Museum of Northern Arizona, as well as my favorite... flowers, of course! This year there will be lots of miniatures for those little spaces in your home that are just calling for some extra color! As promised, I have included one of Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia; I bet it will get some interesting comments from the local folks!

"Peggy's Cove" (image 9"x13")

If you can't make it to Brandy's, remember that Flagstaff Open Studios is coming - September 19th and 20th! I would love to see you at my "condo studio" then!

Vacation in Eastern Canada

                                                     Fleurs de Liz Studio, PEI, Canada
                                                  Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

                                                           

Wow! do I ever have lots of new subjects and ideas for paintings! John and I have just returned from a vacation in Eastern Canada. We flew into Halifax, Nova Scotia and drove on to Prince Edward Island across the 8 mile Confederation Bridge. The scenery was beautiful and all so different from what we are accustomed to seeing here in Arizona - lighthouses, rocky coast lines and sandy beaches, rolling farmlands and marshes and quaint little villages with art studios everywhere. The folks we met were so friendly and the B&B's we stayed at were excellent.

I visited with a fabric artist, Liz Heeley-Ray who paints wonderful PEI scenes on clothing and home accessories. We had a great time exchanging ideas and then I had fun taking photos of her studio and garden - it was all an artist's dream to see! And of course, I had fun shopping in her studio too!

Peggy's Cove was the perfect ending to our trip so that is the lighthouse I will share with you.

Now I must get busy painting again. August will soon be here and my show at Brandy's in Flagstaff will go up August 4th. I'm hoping I can have at least a sampling from this trip along with my new Northern Arizona paintings.

Back to the brushes!

June Update!

June update...

I'm painting up a storm, getting ready for my August show at Brandy's, but also taking a few detours with some other subjects. Here is my granddaughter, Rachel, at a dance program a year ago. (I keep finding these special photos that I have saved "for some day"! ) I have titled this one "First Performance".

I also have some new landscapes from the Museum of Northern Arizona that I will be showing in August...

And I am planning several "miniatures" - perfect for those little bare spots in your favorite room. More about those later...

May commission...

This past weekend was the PEO State Convention in Carefree. I presented Alix Smith, State Chapter President, with a painting that Chapter AY had commissioned me to do for her. I titled it "Bisbee Salutes Alix".  Alix grew up in Bisbee and we all knew that they would be as proud of her as we are, so I painted a street fair in her honor. It was so much fun to create! Thank you AY for giving me this opportunity.

May News

Wow! Here it is the 18th and already a very busy month..on the 1st, I participated in the First Friday Art Walk in Flagstaff at Interior Expressions, a beautiful home accessories store on North San Francisco Street, where my watercolors are currently being shown. I had fun doing a painting demo for the folks who visited the store. It gave me an opportunity to chat with them explaining how I choose and design my composition and apply the watercolor using various little tricks with the paint. The kids stopping by were delightful with their interest and would have liked to join me! I really appreciated store owner, Diane Luciani, (to my left in the red dress) giving me a prime location for the evening! Her assistant, Iga, (on my right) is so enthusiastic and enjoys sharing my work with everyone.
"Late Summer at the Arboretum" (image 14"x20") was the painting that I worked on that evening and finished in my home studio. It will soon be available as a giclée and notecards.

Stay tuned; I have more news.

Spring Studio Update

"Lookit Me" (original 12"x 9")

Greetings Art Friends!

I hope you are enjoying the mild temperatures and sunny days. My sweet peas are blooming and smell absolutely wonderful! Such a treat! (I realize that you folks up north will have to wait a little longer for these joys. Maybe a floral watercolor would hurry Spring along for you.)

This is my first newsletter for 2009 and I have some exciting news to share with you.

1. "Lookit Me!" was painted from a photo taken of my grandson, Cade, while hiking on the Veit Trail, north of Flagstaff, last Fall. It was such fun to paint and makes me think that some of you probably have a special photo that you would love to have a watercolor painting of to cherish for years to come. My schedule is a little freer this year to accommodate such projects.

2. Speaking of schedules, my website calendar has been updated and ready for you to view at www.CatherineSickafoose.com.

3. Check it out soon so you don't miss the Peoria Fine Art Show next weekend! I will be showing a select group of watercolors in the Arizona Art Alliance Tent in the Municipal Complex. All the details are available on my website. It's a 3 day event with a reception on Friday evening, March 13th. Would love to see you there!

4. While you are in the Northwest Valley, stop by Sun Valley Quilts at 9857 W. Bell Rd. (623-972-2091). They are the newest shop to carry my "Fine Art Fabric Giclées" and have a large selection available. Pillows, wall hangings and table runners make wonderful accents for your home. (You can continue to find the fabric giclées at the Quilted Apple in Phoenix, Zoe's Trunk in Chandler and the Quilter's Store and Gallery in Sedona.)

Thanks for sharing your email address with me so I can keep you up to date. I promise to keep it confidential.
Warm hugs, Catherine