Mom and Baby Giraffe

Mom and Baby Giraffe

Mom and Baby Giraffe is a new painting of mine for the African animal series in my Heni’s Happy Painting Etsy Shop. Giraffes are so unique and seem like such gentle creatures. I tried to convey their gentleness in the painting.

A few months ago I heard that giraffes have now been added to the endangered animals list because of poaching and loss of habitat; and at that moment I decided to do the painting. A month later at the holiday artist market a neighbor who had traveled to the South Africa Savanna bought my lion and elephant prints to remind her of her trip but told me she really wanted a giraffe image because she had loved seeing them while there and that they were her favorite animal. I told her that the giraffe was going to be my next painting. One day I hope to travel to the African Savannah to view these majestic animals.

It feels good to be back to painting, I hope everyone is off to a good start in this new year.

Baby Bunny in the Garden

Baby Bunny in the Garden – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Last week was a very happy time in our extended family.  My niece gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.  She’s the first baby of this new generation, my daughter is no longer the youngest.  Even though my niece lives on the West Coast; when she went into labor we all felt very connected through text messages, emails, and FB status updates my sister sent from the moment my niece went into labor to the joy of her baby being born.   I’m also very happy for my sister and her husband, the new grandparents, who say they are “over the moon” with joy.   I’m addicted to looking at all the cute photos that arrive on FB and email. One great thing about our times is that we can stay to connected to loved ones thanks to technology.

A while back I told my sister that I would do a painting for my niece for her baby.  She emailed me that my niece was decorating the nursery with the Beatrice Potter’s Peter Rabbit theme.   Such a sweet idea, my family had the whole set of Beatrice Potter books with the little baby blue book shelf which we all loved.    I thought to myself that I really didn’t want to copy Beatrice Potter’s lovely illustrations, no way to top her.   For Christmas I sent my niece a small print of my lamb painting.  After the baby came I felt inspired to do a new little bunny painting in the same style of my lambs.  It’s been very fun to be back to painting and for such a happy event.  So this painting is for you – little Stratton Mary and for your mom and dad!  I hope it will serve as a nice memory of what a special time your birth was and how we all were so happy when you arrived!

A Gentle Fawn

A Gentle Fawn – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

It’s a gray winter day here in Atlanta but spring is just around the corner.  The daffodils and cherry blossoms are already out.   I’ve decided to post a painting that reminds me of spring.  Years ago when I was visiting a friend in the countryside, he took me outside to a grassy area where he showed me a tiny fawn curled up in some tall grasses..  It  must have been just a few days old, it was quite a privilege to witness.

In this painting,  A Gentle Fawn, he is older and walking out of the woods into the sunny meadow as if taking his first tentative steps to independence..  I enjoy painting fawns;  their gentle yet alert quality intrigues me.

Available here.