Bluebird in Flight

Bluebird in Flight – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

I was feeling happy and upbeat last week and felt liking painting  a bluebird.   I painted one a few years ago that was loosely based on a vintage post card.  We have bluebirds in our neighborhood and I love watching them soar about on my walks.  The bluebird symbolizes joy.

Here in Atlanta like much of the country we are already having mild spring-like weather,  birds are chirping and beginning to pair up and flowers are blooming. I even mowed our lawn last Wednesday.  A Facebook friend of mine posted a picture which said “What a lovely spring we are having this winter,”  which brought  smile to my face but at the same time I wondered what kind of summer we are going to have in Hotlanta.  Regardless, it’s hard not to be happy with this wonderful spring-like weather.

In Bluebird in Flight the joyful bird is flying over the meadow with the sun shining above.  I so enjoyed painting it,  layering the various colors on and seeing what came about.  I hope that joy is reflected in the painting.

The Star

The Star – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Years ago I painted the interior one of my large papier mache bowls with a scene of a woman pouring water out of her vessel, the water turned into waves that curve around the  the bowl. I loved the way the image worked so well with the bowl shape.   I still have the bowl which sits in our living room.   I felt like trying to do a painting with a similar idea.  The Star is the result.

A young woman is pouring water into a pond in the evening with the stars shining above. To me the painting symbolizes that each human being is unique like stars in the sky and that through our own uniqueness that we pour out into the world we help to create a better world. It’s good to see people coming together and focusing on how they can contribute in their own way during this turbulent time period.

 

Tulips in Mom’s Pitcher

Tulips in Mom’s Pitcher

I’m back to painting again, here is a new still life I did in honor of my Mom. Her birthday was last Friday.  I discovered this small megellica pitcher of hers hiding in the back on top of my  kitchen cabinet last month.  I just love it, the sunflower with the bee and the handle made to look like a branch.

Tulips in Mom’s Pitcher is a companion to the other majolica stoneware pitcher painting I did last year. I chose bright colorful tulips and pears to lift my spirits as the news has been very discouarging lately, it felt good to get absorbed in painting.

It’s been a busy season, we’ve had a guy redoing our hallway bathroom for the past four months.  We have a 60’s split level and the bathroom shower was leaking and the floor cracked so we bit the bullet deciding to update it.  He said he’d have it done before our girl got home from school in late December, she went back to school in late January with the bathroom still unusable.  Now finally it is almost done.   Though it’s taken him a long time,  he’s quite an artist himself and has done a good job.  It’s looking great and we’re thrilled.

I’m going to start a new painting this weekend, it’s a good distraction.  Here in Atlanta everyone is very excited about the Super Bowl as our home team, the Falcons are hopefully going to “rise up,”as they say.  Enjoy the weekend!

Harvest Maiden

Harvest Maiden is a new painting of mine celebrating the beauty and bounty of fall.  Here in Atlanta, the days have been unseasonably warm and sunny unlike last year when the wind and rain quickly took the leaves away; this year we are witnessing  the beauty of fall as the colors slowly  unfold.   In the late afternoon when I look out my studio window to the backyard wooded hillside, the vivid leaf colors against the blue sky with the sunlight streaming through are breathtaking.  The view inspired me to do this painting.

It feels good to be back to painting.  I had been spending  time matting and framing prints for the  Flying Biscuit Cafe at their new location in John’s Creek.  I  also took a marketing class for artists which was helpful.  I’ve never been business oriented but at this point it is an important skill I need to develop .  The class was interesting, informative and fun;  I realized that marketing takes creative thinking which is helping me to see it in a more positive light.

I also have a new friend that I met at an art fair I was in who has tons of experience in corporate creative marketing.  She is helping me get more directed and focused.  Focus is something that has not come easy for me, I tend to get scattered in a lot of directions.  My husband and daughter are both  focused and directed.  I can see it serves them well and they both inspire me so.  I plan to both paint and keep up with marketing, it will take time but I’m trusting the process and feel it will pay off.

I hope all are enjoying these fall days.

Jungle Elephant

Jungle Elephant – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Jungle Elephant is a new painting in my jungle animal series for my  Heni’s Happy Paintings Etsy shop.   He is a royal white elephant walking up through the bamboo forest in Northern Thailand.  The white elephant is considered sacred and a symbol for royal power there.

Years ago when my husband and I were hiking in Northern Thailand we kept noticing large round holes on the trail, after a while it dawned on us these holes were elephant tracks.   The sun filtered lush bamboo forests are lovely and it was quite an adventure even though we never saw the elephants.  I put in a full moon in this painting, as a fun memory of an experience we had in Chaing Mai.   One evening we  were eating at an outdoor cafe when I looked up and noticed the full moon that was being eclipsed, a large shadow was crossing it.  I tried to motion to our server to let her know and she smiled and said “moon” probably thinking that I was pointing out the full moon, not realizing that a lunar eclipse was happening. The area was filled with  people eating and strolling and it seemed we were the only ones aware of the eclipse.  It was such a magical evening.

I painted  this royal white elephant for my sister who has a collection of white elephants. She was the one that inspired us to travel to Southeast Asia.  She had traveled through Thailand after her stint with the Peace Corps in the Solomon Islands.  I’m so glad she gave us the idea.  The year we spent traveling was such an enriching experience.  It helped me view life and art in a more holistic way.  Thanks Melissa!

Mom and Baby Beluga Whale

Mom and Baby Beluga Whales – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Mom and Baby Beluga Whale is a new painting for my Heni’s Happy Paintings Etsy Shop.   I wanted to do a new sea life painting with a mom and baby.   It’s been fun to paint the two whales and figure out how to bring in the light through the water.

I was the girl scout leader for my girl’s troop through her fifth grade, our big end of the year event was a sleep over at the Atlanta Aquarium  which had recently opened. The girls were thrilled.  We got the “behind the scenes” tour and to do lots of fun activities through the night.  My favorite spot was by the window with a view into the large Beluga Whale tank.  There were two whales that would swim by and look at us.  They are graceful and seemed very gentle and curious about our kids.    Later in the night we set up our sleeping bags in the river otter section which was something, they came alive at night calling each other and diving in and out of the water.  It was great fun to watch, though we didn’t get any sleep.

In this painting the Beluga Whales are free and not in captivity.  Recently the  Georgia Aquarium has decided to no longer will take whales or dolphins caught in the wild, they need to be with larger family groups and able to swim free.  Times are changing as we become more aware.

Crow in the Moonlight

Crow in the Moonlight -acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Crow in the Moonlight is my new painting which I began early in the week and finished up on Friday.    I had felt like doing a moodier dark painting after the recent light and airy sunlit mermaids I’d done.  The last few days have been very sad and disturbing here in the States and I’ve been glad to have the distraction of painting.  It seems to me that the powers that be like to keep us divided.  We’re on in this together, my heart goes out to all who are  suffering.

I’ve  painted many a crow and thought it would be fun to do a moonlit scene to add to my collection.  I enjoyed every moment of painting this, it’s great to be back painting again.

A Pear of Goldfishes

A Pear of Goldfishes – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

A Pear of Goldfishes is my new still life painting.  I decided to bring several elements together, starting with the pear in the small white bowl and the philodendron in the deep red pot.  It became unbalanced so I decided to add a gold fish bowl and then topped it off with a Caroline wren in the window.

It was a fun challenge to get everything to work together and I I learned more in the process.  I love the little Caroline wrens that hop about in our wooded backyard with their  tail feathers usually pointing up.  I’d been wanting to paint one for a while.  Another  challenge was coming up with a name for the painting.  The helpful woman who scanned the painting for me suggested the name which I chose because it was so creative and fun.

It’s a beautiful yet cool and windy spring Friday.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Mermaid Basking in the Sun

Mermaid Basking in the Sun – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Mermaid Basking in the Sun is a new painting for my Heni’s Happy Paintings Etsy Shop.  This a my second attempt at painting a mermaid, the first was set in a moonlit scene.  This time I felt like painting a mermaid enjoying the warmth of the sun. 

When I was younger I loved the idea and stories of mermaids, perhaps because my twin sister and I swam all summer long and  felt at home under water. Once I started snorkeling and saw the beauty of the tropical fish and coral, I could easily imagine mermaids swimming about.

With the earth  having three quarters of it’s surface covered in water, it makes sense that cultures around the world have myths of mermaids. In general, mermaids are  portrayed as beautiful, mysterious and powerful creatures.  I’m pleased with my painting, she turned out nicely.

Spring is in full force here in Atlanta, it’s beautiful.  Wishing everyone a happy Easter weekend!

There Goes My Shadow

There Goes My Shadow – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Lately with the US Presidential election season heating up,  I’ve been thinking about the collective shadow. Psychologist Carl Jung termed the shadow as the unowned negative parts of ourselves that we tend to project on others.  Here are a few quotes on the shadow:

Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with darkness in other people.  – Carl Jung

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. – Carl Jung

Both light and shadow are the dance of love.- Rumi

These past few weeks I’ve been trying to look at my own shadow.  It has been painful but I’m feeling stronger now, more centered.  I wanted to do a painting about the shadow and the light that comes from releasing our fears.  There Goes My Shadow is the result.