Happy Thanksgiving!

I like to refer to this as Gratitude Day. Reflecting on all I have to be grateful for. Writing it down. This has been such a good year for me. Yay!!

Has anyone accomplished, done anything that they wouldn't have thought of this year?
I know I have and it feels Amazing! Why?

Well here's a few things I want to share about my upcoming Reflections Of Nature Show:

1. All of the art that is being created for this show is of Arizona wildlife   Some of the paintings are my signature Reverse Glass Paintings. Other paintings are traditional acrylic paintings on canvas or board. The glass mosaics are made with hundreds of hand cut stained glass pieces.

2. I learned how to draw with my left hand.  I got a lot done, despite a recent wrist injury. I learned how to draw with my left hand. Teaching my brain to work with my left hand was a lot of work, but it makes me so very grateful to have my right hand back for the mosaics. Gratitude x ∞.

3. My scholarship awards this year from Skillshare and LinkedIn allowed me to upgrade my design skills. Thanks to the awards from these online class platform sites, I was able to learn new techniques in digital design, stay motivated with classes in social media tips (@ohn_mar_win).
Try new looser drawing and painting styles while my wrist healed :)  Some of this new artwork will be in my show this January.

Keeping frustration away, learning empowering skills, making my dreams come true - what an exciting way to enter the holiday season!

I'm really working to get more paintings finished and will post them here and on my:
 Facebook,   Instagram,   Pinterest.
There will be a pre-show sale for paintings I'll announce right before the installation Jan. 12.
Happy Holidays!

Reflections Of Nature Solo Exhibit

A very nice solo show was awarded to me this year at the Ranch House Gallery in Agua Caliente Park, Tucson AZ.   Yay!! I am so excited!

Available artwork will be added HERE.

Set in the northeast part of Tucson, Agua Caliente Park is a little water oasis that draws a variety of animals, a nature habitat.
It's great for picnics and birding. Inside this park is a gallery that hosts 11 artists per year for solo exhibits.

I feel so fortunate that I was one of the artists selected for the date of Jan. 12 - Feb. 13, 2019.
It's been super busy in my studio between the show artwork and new commissions for the holidays.
Plus a bit of teaching.

Reflections of Nature is just that; reflections of my views of the natural world in this area. It's hard to whittle down the subjects because there are so many!

The show is a month long so as items sell, I will replace them with new artwork. A portfolio of the artwork available will be in the gallery to view as well as a separate gallery on my website titled Agua Caliente show HERE.

My artwork updates can also be found  on:

• Instagram @artgirlsue
• Facebook SueBetanzosDesigns
• Pintrest SueBetanzosDesign


More work will be posted in the coming 8 weeks. Yep, 8 short weeks until Christmas, 9 weeks until installation for this show - counting down the days!

Wildlife Painting - Mixed Media Class

For artists who like to dabble in a variety of media I'm offering classes in mixed media painting. Colored pencils with an underpainting.

It's my favorite method to work in, whether mosaics or painting because I like the effects of a variety of media and most of my work has a foundational underpainting.

The Barn Owl below was painted with an under painting of watercolor, then refined with colored pencils. White feather dots are gel pen.

Interested in advancing your art skills? Contact me for class information via this blog in the comment section below or my Facebook page Sue Betanzos Design where you can message me and post your questions.

Happy Valentines Day!

Thinking of you , my friends and family. This is the time when I am thankful for the kindness and love in my life - the day filled with hearts, roses, festive silly love tokens that can mean so much.

I kicked off my Valentines weekend with a lovely Audubon birding event early this morning at Sweetwater Wetlands where I spotted beautiful new birds.
The early morning air was cool and crisp with bright skies, good company, friendly fellow birders. A perfect morning! Now I'm winding down to a soft starry night :)

Sending everyone vibes of love for this Valentines weekend - enjoy!

Barn Owl Love 8x10 colored pencil available Here

Barn Owl Love In Progress

Feeling pink with Valentines coming up - plus it was my granny's favorite color. This paper is from my vintage paper stash. I knew it was meant for this pair of Barn Owls. Did you know Barn Owls mate for life?  More on Barn Owl facts in the next finished post.

Hoped to be done a few days ago for Valentine cards, but I can still make digital ones to send :)

Owl Love - 8x10" colored pencil on pink charcoal paper.

Faber Castell polychromos pencils, Derwent chinese white pencil, Prismacolor Verithin pencils,  pink charcoal paper, Kum pencil sharpener, sanding paper, kneaded eraser, clear magic tape, fine paper embosser (to use with the tape to lift color in tiny areas)
More on how to use some of the materials in this POST

How to paint a Starry Barn Owl

I love star gazing and found a wonderful photo on The Owl Pages that I was kindly given permission to use. It was an instant inspiration for the painting. Barn Owls are so lovely!
A good read is Wesley the Owl . Another is The Bluebird Effect. Great rescue stories that really get into the personalities and intelligence of the wild birds.
Animal stories, fantasy, and folklore were some of my very favorite reads growing up - still are :)