Maria Sanchez

Flores Rosas, the last painting I am posting today. I really like how this one turned out ...also available on Ebay. (low reserve) on my Ebay painting. Not that I don't value my art. All of the paintings that I list on Ebay are originals. I am starting bids low for now... maybe later I will raise the reserve. Ebay is a good venue but it takes time for people out there to get to know your work. .... It's too hot to be indoors..I'm going out to BBQ and have dinner a aire libre with the kids and Tati my niece who is visiting us today.  

New whimsical painting... titled "my dress hangs here.." is also available on Ebay! Mexican wedding dress hanging from curly vines between el sol and la luna. 

Here are my golden gatos! in their modern room. AIW (alice in wonderland) perspective again. It's available on EBay to the highest bidder.  

This week has been a crazy week Timmy going back to school on Monday. Erika and I both start next week. Tim (big Tim) has been in it up to his neck for a couple months now. I bought Sarah some computer programs so she can start to prep for kindergarden next year. So I imagine our summer evenings of relaxation will soon be filled with homework woes from all corners of the house. In all the madness I still managed to paint this week. I finished another Mexican wedding dresss painting and another gato painting. And last night I put the finishing touches on a flores painting. Painting still has a calming effect on me despite the loud colors I use on all my canvases. I'm looking forward to class work which should be fun too. I'll post some home work assignments to the blog and maybe even the gallery... as I will be working on Still Lifes, The Human Form and Digital Photography this semester.

Sofrito For Your Soul! I finished the painting finally after trying to figure out what all to put in this giant Pan-Latino melting pot. This has been such a fun painting to do. I did research on the different Taino indian symbols, sun and moon and just different things to make this the perfect Latino melting pot. I did this work for Sofritoforyoursoul.com an all things latino website run by latinos and founder "el renacido" George. He recently did a feature on Sandiafria.com an this is my way of saying "Gracias". Please visit his website and all the different links, vendors, services available from his site. The Sofrito for your soul painting recipe includes: Taino indian symbols (how many can you find?) Aztec head figure with feather headress Mexican eagle with snake A sandia/Watermelon (couldn't leave that out) A pina (pineapple) Some platanos (fruit from the tropics) vejigante masks of Puerto Rico cross guitar and maracas (music) soccer ball (

I am so excited to have found some awesome Latina women for the Sandiafria.com Guest Gallery. I started the guest gallery with Maria Lopez, incredibly talented artist, mujer, mother and friend. Then I met Lucy Marino who has become my very dear friend, an inspiration, and great lady just to hang out with and bounce ideas off of. Both hers and mine. The newest additions are Corry Perez from the Central California Valley. Also a student, mother, working and creative artist. I love her use of color... her paintings radiate energy and are so vibrant. New also this week is Priscilla Saralegui-Torres, "Cilla"...from New York. She has a passion for life that comes through her artwork, and her website. Please join me in welcoming them all to SandiaFria.com and more importantly support them in their artistic journey! Cheers to all of you talented ladies and reach for the stars! Keep on creating. - Maria

Not sure why am posting this, but I woke up this morning thinking about Manolo Blahnick shoes.. don't ask me why... just did. Maybe it was that last shoe episode? Who knows. Anyways I would really like a pair. Not this jungle one with berries... maybe just a nice black pump. I like the way Manolo sounds. (mental note... must name next male child - "Manolo") Manolo reminds me of the cuban guy from the movie ScarFace. I am rambling.. must move on. ______ I just had a birthday yesterday and am feeling very "seasoned" (better than saying I feel old). (By the way Tim if you read this.. thanks for the beautiful roses, you're awesome!) To celebrate I was going to go rollerskating at the rink with family and friends but turned out the rink was closed about a year ago. (It was bought out by some internet company, who will more than likely disappear in a year... unless they are a part of Google who is making a killing this week!) Can't believe I interviewed

Tuxedo Gato w/ flores. a new mini painting, now in my flores gallery. Can you tell I have yet to take the perspectives class? Although I kind of like that my perspective is a bit skewd. Twisted perspective is good... it keeps things a little more interesting, I think. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've watched Alice in Wonderland with Sarah about ...ohhh 1000 times. Okay now that I've had my creative fix... I can go to bed...zzz.

The nostaligic red barn looking oh so lonely out there. Every time I see it on our annual treck to Jones Gulch it brings back so many nostalgic feelings of my childhood. Not only the time spent at camp, but all the times we passed it on our way to the beach with my parents. Hard to believe this is only about 30 minutes from home. I really need to do this drive more often. I hope it does the same for Erika. She hopped out of the car and took this picture for me.

Erika and her cabin mates, she is the tall one with her arms crossed thinking... "mom you are really embarrassing me with all these dumb pictures". I can't wait to hear all the stories when she gets back.

It's 1:26am and I can't sleep. I took a long nap this afternoon, after the drive and now I am feeling perky. The coffee didn't help either. So instead of sleeping I create, post new things here. A few pictures of today. Here the sun shines through the redwoods. Awesome. I love it.

It's a beautiful Sunday morning in the Bay Area. I just got back from walking Millie along the levy. She loves walking there... she can hunt out all the ferrule cats that live among the rocks. I'm feeling a little wiped out after yesterday (I thing I pulled my hamstring?). Tim and I went to Denise's wedding in the city. It was so beautiful..the ceremony was in Grace Cathedral and the reception at St. Francis. The only bad thing was my new heels were too big and kept slipping off. Pretty embarrassing trying to go up all those stairs. Then to make things worse I had to stuff tissue in the toe part thinking that would help, but instead my toes got smushed and instead of walking like a normal person I was dragging my feet. Yeah graceful butterfly image. NOT... I'm glad that shoe episode is over. Next time I buy heels, I'll have to remember to try the shoes on instead of just buying my size. -------------------------------------------------------- I love the sit

Suenos y Luna. Sounds like a book title. "Dreams and the Moon" or "Moon Dreams" . I am still playing with the title for this one. Being the night owl that I am ... I love watching the moon on a clear night. Especially when its full and it's light peaks through the shear curtains in my bedroom. Something about the glow attracts me to it. Something very magical about the moon. I can remember when I was pregnant and mom saying that babies always come on full moons. Maybe it's an old wives tale? quien sabe? All I know is crazy things happen on full moons....

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Frida. I painted a couple more Frida's this past Sunday. I just noticed that this one looks like Sarah Michelle Gellar, must be the droopy eyes. Buffy as Frida!  

Back from camp and painting again.  

I don't write too much about the kids in this blog. But being that they are a "grande" piece of my life I should. Timmy Jr. is 15, Erika is 12 and Sarah is 4. They are gifts from heaven that I love dearly. But like all moms I have my moments when I really want to scream. I think I may post snippets of our conversations so that you have an idea of what I am talking about. ------- Me: ( as I walk into the house after fighting traffic, picking up Sarah, doing groceries, filling my gas tank because it's running on fumes ) Hi guys how was your day? Timmy: hmmm....what? Erika: mom can we go the mall? ( not hi mom how was your day ?) Timmy: what's for dinner? (I've only just walked in, haven't even put my purse down and he wants to know whats for dinner ) Erika: so mom do you think we can go to the mall? Me: Erika, not today... maybe on the weekend. Erika: but mom I really really, REALLY need to get my school clothes...school starts in a month an

I haven't had much time to paint this week... I am getting ready for a road trip with the kids. We are going to Tim's annual family reunion in Northern California. I love camping, (but not at the river, I prefer Redwood trees in Santa Cruz hills). I even considered being a naturalist at one point back in high school. Being in Redwood Grove is so awesome. The trees are so majestic to me. The summer has just flown by... the kids and I really need a small get away so I decided to go to camp this year. We haven't been to family camp for a few years... I think last year we were moving about this time and the year before that Sarah was too small, and we only went up for the day. The kids are really looking forward to it and I am looking forward to doing nothing except hanging out. Although camping is a lot work for me, setting up the tents, cooking a aire libre, making the campfires, keeping critters and creepy crawley things out of the tent and food, not to mention keeping my

Special BOXES! Some people use Wish Jars, others put things in journals. .... --- I prefer boxes and am going to be working on some special ones: Creativity /Idea boxes ---boxes where you can put all of your creative ideas and things that inspire you. Not to be forgotten, but secure in a place full color! Prayer/wish boxes ---a special place where you can put your prayers and let them go. (I am personally praying for divine inspiration for this one.) Prayer is such an individual and personal thing. As a mom and wife I have lots of worries, wishes and cares....letting go of them is the hard part. A prayer box will be a symbolic place to put them and let them go, and know that they are in good hands.

A new Frida mini mani. It's a little funky. But hey I like funky.