Sandy’s watercolor paintings capture a sense of serenity and peaceful contemplation, with the drama of rich color, texture, shadow and light.  Her scenes of California missions, mission benches, statuary and Spanish architecture remind viewers of less troubled times in a less complicated world.

Originally from rural Southern Illinois, Sandy remembers always loving color.  Her first attempt at mixing colors was when she was a toddler and she learned to “mix colors” by melting down her crayons on her grandfather’s coal chute.  Art classes were a luxury, and Sandy’s early art experiences were self taught.  She will always remember when her Uncle Henry, a sign painter and artist, gave her a set of artist’s pastels when she was 12.  The pastels became her prized possession.

After moving to California and turning from acrylics to watercolor, a Riverside art gallery offered Sandy a one-artist show if she could paint 20 watercolors of the Mission Inn and local Riverside landmarks in six weeks.  It turned out to be the perfect experience in architectural subject matter.  Her years at the Laguna Beach Art-A-Fair Festival added to Sandy’s learning experience in transparent watercolor.

Sandy continues learning by attending watercolor workshops, including Patricia Allen’s yearly Paint Yosemite hosted by signature watercolor artists such as Dale Laitinen, Stephen Quiller, George James, Donna Watson, Ted Nuttal, and John Salminen.