Reconnecting with Mother Nature

Hey, it's been a while and a lot has happened since I've last sent you something. I didn't realize it's been so long, so I'll try to catch you up quickly.

If you don't follow me on any of my social media accounts, then I'll let you know now that back in mid June, my cat - Kitty - unfortunately passed away at 19 years old. It was difficult for a while and a few days after, I did these small sketches in my sketchbook.

These brought me peace and helped me cope. I was by her side until the end and gave her the best life I possibly could.

Painting Outdoors Again

During the past month, I finally went outside and remembered I can paint out there too, haha. Whenever I can I've been going to Folsom Lake nearby to paint all kinds of things like trees, rocks (my weakness and source of all frustration), beachgoers, morning light, and water.

It's been a lot of fun and quite enjoyable, I don't even want to paint inside anymore - at the moment at least. I'm sure my mind will change once the weather changes. It's been incredibly hot here in northern California 🥵

This painting above is interesting because I ended up putting the tree directly in the center and thought the composition would be terrible but it's actually one of my favorites somehow.

I'm starting to explore painting larger (still small but large for me) outdoors. Recently, they are all
11" x 7.5" which is a good size, especially when the paint dries so quickly in this heat. I plan to go even larger soon and paint double that size, around 11" x 15". Maybe..

My New 'Art Vault'

Lastly, I'll tell you about a recent change I've made to my website and art shop moving forward. I now have something on my site called the "Art Vault" in addition to my regular art Shop.

To me, you're special in a way, because you follow me on my newsletter and support me more closely than my other outlets such as social media, etc. Because of that, you'll always have first dibs for my Art Vault whenever I open it.

So what is the Art Vault? Think of it as an exclusive shop where I'll feature my most recent paintings and other limited paintings from the past. You will get first access to it before the public.

Be sure to keep an eye out in the future, to know each and every time the Art Vault opens up.

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my recent sketches. I've done over 30 outdoor sketches so far, those were just a couple of my favorites!

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Take some time this week to reconnect with mother nature, slow down, and enjoy the moment 😊

Take care.

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Thank you for your time and support,
​
Brandon Schaefer
​Creativity Fueled by Curiosity