Maria Sanchez

Okay ... estoy loca por que no me puedo controllar ...dejar esta pajina sin "update" es como no comer. Me da animo y a la ves comparto con personas que tienen cierta cosas en commun con migo. My spanish is not very "good looking" but it sounds good. : ), New Frida... had to post her. guess I couldn't stay away. 

El Sol y La Luna... new 5x7 canvas, Sun and Moon..... The past few weeks have been like a roller coaster, ups and downs. Sunny days and dark days. I am very much looking forward to the weekend. I will be taking a break from the blog I think for this next week to work on a big project. One that actually has a deadline. Can't wait to share it with you all. I'll be posting it here first when it's all said and done. Have a super weekend and awesome next week. - ms

Today I will hold Erika close to my heart. We will be going to a memorial service for Jasmin , a young girl only 14 yrs old who passed away this week, a friend and former teammate of Erika. She died in a tragic train accident. Please pray for her parents, family and friends as they deal with this tragedy. Sadly there is a bit of irony in this story. Just last week I was telling Erika (my daughter) about my experience with losing my best friend back when I was in middle school. To have this happen is just too real an experience for me and now for Erika. This is the first time I have written about it. My friend Patti died in a train accident when we were both 14. I can remember the accident as if it were yesterday. (In fact I still tear up when I think about it. I still get chills and a feeling of de'ja vu when ever I hear a passing train.) She was "taken" by the train and I was left behind waiting for the train to pass. I was walking only a few feet behind her. Patti died

New painted mirror, words are in silver leaf, the flower insert is just for display purposes. Read in cursive: Amor, Fe, Love, Faith, Create, Inspire, Dream, Suenos.  

New: Angelita Dormienta, Sleepy Angel, 5x7 inches on canvas. Up on ebay this week.  

If you love all things Frida, you must visit and buy from Blanca Lee's website. Just launched today at www.blancacreations.com I bought a Frida bag and a pendant. I have a few more things on my wish list. (I like the "toma Diego!" pendant) Blanca has been selling her wares on Ebay too. Congratulations Blanca I wish you mucho mucho success!  

Latina Letters, conference on Latina Literature and identity. I wish I could go. I would love to meet Sandra Cisneros. This is a great opportunity for you if you are a writer... a call for papers. Check it out! There are so many opportunities out there... I think I may put up a page on Sandiafria.com just for these types of things. Will have to give this some thought. It's 12:20 and I am wired. Should not have had all that cafe.

New painting: Frida, blue ribbon. This one is the largest Frida I've done so far. Not so sure if I'll auction this one. I looks so nice in my blue dining room. 

This past Friday was the opening of the Solo Mujeres , Visionary Women Art Exhibition in San Francisco. All I can say is that the whole experience was so surreal. It was so great to meet people, the other artists and answer questions about my paintings. The best part of the whole night was watching my kids and my husband. I don't think they had ever seen me outside of the "mom/wife role". The best part of the night was driving home with my son Timmy. Timmy: Mom doesn't your face hurt? me: No not really why?. Timmy: From smiling all night...well my cheeks hurt from smiling and watching you in action. I'm so proud of you. :)

I grabbed my keys, my purse and turned out the lights - closed the door behind me. Stopped to pick up the flowers Celeste had left for me at her desk, ( beautiful quince branches left over from the Chinese New Year's display) and headed down the stairs, leaving a trail of pretty pink petals, as if I would need them to find my way back. All I could think was that the janitor was going to be really upset. Somehow I would have to repay him. I stepped outside and felt the cold air on my face, flowers in one hand and my umbrella in the other…raindrops hitting my face as I opened the umbrella. I inhaled the night air… it felt colder than normal. I could feel my lungs tightening up so much so that I fumbled around in my purse to find my inhaler. Then it dawned on me that I had set it down on the dining room table that same morning, before running out to the car. I could see it in my head, sitting there – on the dinning room table. Fear began to well up in side me. I tried walking faster,

"Before I walked, spoke or even tasted life… I saw color. I continue to view the world with all of it’s tragedies, wars, peace and celebrations in color and recognize that the world we live in, is not just black and white. {thank you Auntie Sue} For the last 15 years my paintings have been hidden, only on display to family and friends. I have learned that to grow as an artist I have to share them and give them wings. {thank you Nancy of www.comadrecoaching.com } I am mostly a self-taught artist, although I am now persuing a formal education in Fine Art at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. {thank you mom and dad and Tim for keeping the dream of a formal education alive} I was born in San Salvador, El Salvador and raised in Redwood City, CA. I married into the Mexican and Puerto Rican culture and have come to learn, love and enjoy all of the different music, food and celebrations that are now a part of my life. The language, art and history, are all things that play a major ro

New growth...starting to sprout in my yard. I love this time of year.  

So rainy these past few days. I miss the sun. 

Haven't had much time for photography these days. Although I did get a few snapshots... they say the best days to shoot are cloudy days. We've had plenty of them. A few shots from my garden to your monitor.

Another picture standing from the loft. Angelita is down on the far bottom left of the picture. I had fun meeting other artists and just taking it all in. Very cool. If you are any where near Santa Clara, CA. please stop by Gallery Blu.  

Some snapshots of the Valentines Exhibit at Gallery Blu last night. 

A night of quiet reflection. I took this self-portrait a while ago but thought it was appropriate for tonight. I've been catching up on things around the house (folding laundry, dishes, etc.....it's my Friday night ritual so that on Saturday and Sunday I can focus on other things instead of housework. I'm feeling tired. Tomorrow I meet the other artists at the Mission Cultural Center for a photo shoot. I also have to give Patricia an "artist statement" for the show. I feel like I've hit a wall. I am such a visual person that I don't know even where to begin to describe myself, much less my art. I learned to "see" before I learned to speak, write or even walk. I see the world in color and my paintings make me realize that the world is not "just black or white". So I am throwing this out to anyone who wants to help me with this. What do you see, feel, sense when you see my work? What does it all mean to you? How do you react when you see

New Frida Morena mini painting 3x4inches, wood block. 

Why be shy I say? Well my Un" tit "led painting will soon be exposed at the Solo Mujeres show in SF. (Patricia really liked it!) The latino culture is so skweemish when it comes to nudity. Or perhaps it's just me. (except for Sabado Gigante, where booty and tetas fly everywhere). I liked the way the "Collar de flores" turned out... which is what I named it (boring I know but the collar is afterall the focal point, but then again it depends on who you are asking? )... I could have named it something crazy like "tienes leche?" ,"coffee for two" , "las yayas ya llegaron" , "gone south for the winter", "Nelly Galan's swans"... geez I can go on for ever. I painted her while everyone else was watching the Super Bowl and I kept waiting for a Janet moment to get inspired. Well at least now I know how hard it is to capture the human form or forms .

I've died and gone to heaven! Now I can finally learn to make pupusas the right way. No more rock hard brick pupusas. Wuuu Huu!  

Couldn't figure out what to name this one, Maybe "mona lisa smiles" ...it's in my "Femine Gallery" on sandiafria.com 

I have been on pins and needles for almost a month now waiting to hear back from the Mission Cultural Center . I submitted several pieces for the "Solo Mujeres" show and just got a call, they accepted 5! How awesome is that ! I am so excited I can't even work. The paintings that will be displayed are, Volcanenas de Minero, Las Viejitas, Chocolate Bate Bate, El Rio Me Sustiene and Angelita de la Guardia. 18th Annual Solo Mujeres Exhibition Mujeres VisionariasVisionary Women February 18- March 25th, 2005 Gala Reception: Friday February 18, 20057:00- 9:00 PM. $5 General Admission Click on picture above to read about the show and all the other great happenings at the Mission Cultural Center for the Arts!

New Frida, 8x10 inches acylics and silver leaf paint on canvas, (sandiafria) is watermark not on painting. She is a bit different than my other Frida's... thorn necklace and all.

New: Sol y luna smaller canvas, 8x10inches, acrylics (sandiafria is not on original painting) 

New Painting 5x7 acylics on canvas "Calas"