Maria Sanchez

I've added a new page in SandiaFria.com it's called "New Paintings" where aside from this blog I will be showing new paintings available for sale. Check it out! what do you think? I also added a new link to it from the home page. www.sandiafria.com 

New painting..."Amor Mio" looking forward to the new year with all the loves of my life, Tim, Timmy, Erika and Sarah. I think I may make Valentine photo cards for this one!  

last few paintings for 2004, simple subjects make for fun paintings. This one is "Chocolate, bate, bate... chocolate" 12x24 inches, acrylics on Canvas.  

A new Frida... may be the last for 2004...unless I get into a final Frida groove... it could happen.  

Timmy my little "big" boy. 

Sarah and my niece Maya Christmas Eve.  

Still life in high key "huevo and glass" 

Scary doll painting for class. The last installation of paintings for the still life class that ends today. (Yee haw!) I am a free woman again! Haven't written much this week, I've been at home sick with a bad cold. Sneezing wheezing and hacking, mocos everywhere. I'm feeling a little better, except my head still feels pretty heavy. What else... still have lots to do with the house before big family dinner tomorrow. Tim has been busy learning to work power tools and me... well I've been painting all the floor boards, and mouldings and walls. (will post pics when it's all done) Also discovered a new way to whiten my nails to get that instant french manicure look. Simply forget to use gloves while caulking nail holes. Works like a charm. I have to give a big thank you to my familia Steph, Carl, Miss and Dad, Uncle Art and Barb. Without them Tim and I would be a hairless, walking zombies. I'm looking forward to 2 weeks away from work (day job) and 2 weeks o

Press I have to give a big thank you to Karin Momberg for organizing and including myself and some of the other artists on Sandiafria.com guest galleries in the international art auction in Oregon to benefit Henderson House and Juliettes House . (places of refuge for battered women and children). Thank you to Lucy Marino , Cilla , Cris Melo for donating pieces too. You ladies are all awesome. "Madrecita" painting will be auctioned...kind of cool to see it in print. I didn't know when I painted it that it would serve a special purpose... but I am happy that it did. Auction takes place this weekend.

Since I've now learned to paint a decent apple I thought I would incorporate what I've learned into something more my style of painting. This one is huge 40x40 now hanging in my dining room. I still need to work on it some more. I may add some spanish tiles around the window to add little more spice. I did this much of it in about 4 hours, plus about an hour to stretch my own canvas... something I've always wanted to try. I'm hooked now,... don't think I'll ever buy a pre-fab canvas again.  

My favorite red heels (not Manolos). Low key painting for class.  

I am letting go "Frida... Chispa Carrier" available on Ebay too. (includes mat and Frame)... happy bidding. 

Photo for class. Such a lonely hallway...( I took this before classes started and students were still scarce on campus). Later the halls were buzzing and alive as I walked to Tressider to buy lunch. This photo reminds me of how there is a time and place for everything. A time for quiet, a time to be loud and be heard, a time to be still and listen... a time to act crazy. Time to be with friends and time to be alone. I could go on ... today I am feeling like it's time time to just reflect and look back at this past year and say wow...what a journey.  

New painting for Still life class, here a painting using high colors (light), versus using low (dark). My next painting will be low. This one was in acrylics. Even though it's harder to paint with acrylics I still favor it over oils. Plus I like to paint in what the French and Italians call, alla prima and au premier coup, which means to complete a painting in one sitting. Not massaged with many layers as you do with oils.  

"Brisas" painting is open for bidding on ebay ... bidding starts at $150 or buy it now for $300.

I've been selected to display my artwork at the Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea in Firenze Dec 2005. I love just reading that... it sounds so cool. It all kind of just rolls off my tongue. I'm very flattered to have been accepted and hope to raise enough money to pay for the registration, airfare and hotel, not to mention the shipping. I'll be painting lots and lots in the next few months and hopefully selling enough. I may try getting sponsors. I'd really like to go back to Florence, Tim and I went on a whirlwind trip to Europe about 5 years ago. Florence was one of my favorite places. I'd love to go back and see the Uffizi Gallery, see Donatello's bronze David, Michelangelos David, Botticelli's Venus, the Duomo and so many more wonderful works of art. (hmmmm big sigh) dreams do come true ( I believe that) and this would be a dream come true to show my art in the birth place of such wonderful historic art. I'll post more on this a

Cheesy self portrait for class. Think my eyebrows need to be trimmed with some hedge clippers. I can't get myself to do it ( I am such a wimp when it come to pain with the waxing and tweezers...ouch). I blame my sister who many years ago in the 80's , was going to Cosmotology school ... I was her guinea pig. I remember having the fattest chunky acrylic nails, bleached, streaked hair back when it wasn't the "in thing" like it is today. And worst of all getting my eyebrows shaped. I was the perfect model for this ... Frida unibrow thing I have going on. All I remember is that every time she would tweeze a hair... I would scream, and then I would get this incredible urge to pee, (yes pee). So with every little hair that came out I would run to the toilet. So now as a grown woman I can't even do it myself because 1) I don't know how, 2) I don't have the time, 3) I tried waxing and ended up walking around with burnt eyebrows for two weeks, scars and all.