I adore treasure hunts. Invite me to an Easter egg hunt and I devolve into a tunnel-visioned child, giddy with anticipation of finding pastel-colored treats hidden in flower beds. I adore advent calendars and lockets and old-school CrackerJacks for the treasures...
musings from the studio and beyond ~
dawn chandler’s reflections on art and life. . . .
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a winter roadtrip with my muse, part two
Not all the art I made during my little solo sojourn were in my sketchbook. Another of my goals was to do some plein air painting — something I hadn't done since late December when, the day after my car accident and day of my 53rd birthday, my pup and I went for a...
a winter roadtrip with my muse, part one
I knew I needed a break. I knew I needed to unplug. I knew I wanted to remove myself from the familiar, and just paint, just read, just write. Just think. Just not think. Just be. Without chatter. Without pinging and lights and alerts and the...
of painted hearts, painted joy, and…. a bit of billie
Thank you everyone who expressed concern and relief after reading my last blog post with the tale of my birthday/new year car accident. I'm blessed — and grateful — for not only the non-tragic outcome of that event, but for all of you. Thank you. And thank you, too,...
of car crashes and thwarted resolutions
I've always loved the turn of the new year. I know some who people eye it with dread or sadness with the reminder of the passage of time. Their sad focus is on aging, and regrets. But for me the turn of the new year is a time of excitement and cheerful anticipation....
some of what I noticed this year . . . .
Because sometimes it's the little things that revive a dispirited heart . . . . May each of us remember to notice the beauty that surrounds us. Blessings to you & Happy New Year .... and ... Thank You... for reading my words...
the unusual transformation of a landscape
It's a few hours away from the first day of winter and I suppose I should be writing something solstice-y or festive-y or fa-la-la-la-la-lish But as much as I love this time of year, with the relentless sunshine we've been having this month where the skies look more...
creating 60 paintings in 30 days and other bad ideas
Back in September — because evidently planning to be away for a month on a 4000+-mile road-trip wasn't time consuming enough — I decided to set a challenge for myself of creating 60 paintings in 30 days. Lots of artists do this sort of thing from time to time,...
when a journey goes horribly wrong…. and reveals a forgotten forest along the way
As I look out my window just now, I see nothing but a dark tangle of black lines, crisscrossing and knotting up with each other, their shapes carved out by the softest shade of morning, of first light. First this light was pale grey. Now at the base where earth turns...
of lakeside chairs, vermont gardens, & the contemplation of a new hampshire river….
The final installment of my August painting trip in New Hampshire... Of all the scenes in this small New Hampshire tract where I spent a few days in early August, none captivated me more than a little corner between my aunt's tool shed and her guest house. Here,...