news

MAY 2011

I have been exhibiting now at the Artist's Eye Laguna Gallery as a permanent artist for close to two years. It's been fun because I really enjoy the other artists that are exhibiting there. I will get back to keeping my website more up to date after the two upcoming shows are over. the Balboa Artwalk where I will be at the corner of Coral and South Bay Front and the following Saturday and SundayMay 21 and 22 at the Beverly Hills Affair in the Gardens . There I will be in the 200 block of Santa Monica Blvd , the block with the large Beverly Hills sign in the center between Beverly Blvd and Canon (one block away from Rodeo Drive). I have heard it is very difficult to get into this show, so I was quite surprised when I walked away with the First Place ribbon in the category of Watercolor last October. We had rain that weekend and I am hoping for a nice spring day next time. It is threatening rain for this Sunday and for once I am really hoping the forecast will be wrong.

JANUARY 2010

I have just returned from an Art Workshop with Ted Nuttall, an amazing portrait artist. I can't remember how I found him, but I know I was stunned when I saw his work, and kept going back and back to look some more. Then, for the last year and a half I have wanted to know how he captured the wonderful spirit of of his subjects with such beautiful color and composition. It was most surprising to find that what looked so free with drips and splats he calls sloppy dots, was very carefully planned and meticulously painted. He was a very instructive and encouraging teacher, and I hope that I can find a way to incorporate everything he shared in the workshop into my work. Take a look for yourself at TedNuttall.com I am inspired by him to keep improving and continue trying for signature membership in the National Watercolor Societies.

I have been expecially busy this last year and don't know where to begin.

Starting to exhibit my work more, first at Christmas Company and then at Balboa Artwalk, it has led me to be invited to be the featured artist at the Artist's Eye Laguna Gallery on the Pacific Coast Highway downtown Laguna Beach. After that exhibit I was invited to be a permanent exhibitor at the Gallery. That alone has kept me busy producing new works for the monthly Artwalk on the First Thursday of every month. The Gallery is Located in the same block as the Greeter Statue and across the street from the Casa del Sol Hotel at the corner of PCH and Cress Street.

Next I received a notice that I had been selected for inclusion in the "Best of America's Watermedia" Annual II to be published soon. I'll let everyone know when it comes out or can be viewed online. The works included in that publication are "Never too Late", "End of an Era" and "Newport Harbor Silhouette",

FEBRUARY 3 2009

I am at the moment trying to plan a new painting as there is another competition for the National Watercolor Society coming up and I need to have an entry by March. Also, I am redoing my website and trying to find a good way to add in some of the Yupo Abstract Waves (coming soon) that are not yet shown here as well as put the 12 new notecards I had printed in the Website store. In the meantime this is what I have been up to for the past several months:

AUG - DECEMBER 2008

In September a local magazine, "Location 3" featured me in a recurring article called "Artists Among Us" It is a glossy magazine and I admit at first I didn't get its title. I asked if it was pronounced Location cubed or Location 3? The publisher told me it didn't matter it was all about Location, Location, Location ! Duh !, OK I'm slow. It was a great spread and beautifully done. If you want to read the article in Location 3 (pdf format) It's 2 pages and the type is a bit small but legible if you zoom in.

Shortly after that I spent months preparing for my exhibit in the Junior League of Orange County's "Christmas Company" Community fundraiser benefiting Orange County projects and non profits. As I am a past member of the Junior League I had always intended to do this someday. But what a year to jump in! The sale is only 4 days and two of those days were fraught with major fires shutting down freeways and 24 hour news of homes burning to the ground.
The sale as a whole suffered a bit, but for those who made it to the Orange County Fairgrounds, it was bigger and better than ever.
As for my part, it was a huge undetaking...more than I had anticipated; but it forced me to complete work in progress and take steps toward building my collection of artwork for exhibition along with notecards of the paintings.
If I had not had the help of a wonderfully creative and artistic and hard working sister in law, Betsy Mosier, who flew out from her new home in Texas, I could never have accomplished the amount of work ahead of me. The exhibit was a big success, and I was gratified at the attention given to my paintings and how well received they were.

A new painting technique I have been experimenting with was unveiled at that show and got a lot a attention. The new technique is done on YUPO a new medium that is completely non absorbent polypropylene, yet specially treated to accept media. It is a bit like painting in a puddle of water as the watercolor paint sits (continuing to move and shift) until it is dry. In my mind this effect lends itself well to painting some unique ocean waves. Each one is an original, no two are alike and the colors are brilliant. It is a medium that I will explore some more. It is the exact opposite of painting on paper, the whites are lifted at the end as opposed to being protected in the beginning from the paint. I have to get my head in the right place each time as I go back in forth between Yupo and Watercolor paper.

All in all the exhibit was successful and I may decided to do it again next year.

APRIL 2008

This is has been my busiest painting year ever. I have been painting practically non stop since August of last year. I now have another painting accepted into the National Watercolor Society All member exhibit at the VIVA Gallery (Valley Institute of Visual Art) . That painting is shown on my homepage. The show opens April 16th and runs to May 3rd. I have just seen a brochure with all the paintings that were accepted into this show and I will be in good company with some very fine artist. I am looking forward to seeing them in person. There will be a reception at the Gallery April 19, 2008 from 2-5 PM where the awards will be announced. It is open to everyone. Gallery Hours are Wednesday through Friday 11-4 PM and Saturday 12-4 PM. and the Address is 13261 Moorpark Street Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.
Also this month I will be featured as an artist in Location 3 magazine. I have not seen the magazine yet.

DECEMBER 2007

I have been busy since returning from my painting trip to the Upper Peninsula. We power drove home from theU.P arriving just in time to make end of the first day of an Art Competition, "Paint the Lake" at Lake Mission Viejo. I had entered at the request of my sister who has raised 4 boys on that lake. I felt inspired by my Nita Engle workshop and I am very pleased to report that my entry took First Place for the purchase prize and is now hanging in the collection at Lake Mission Viejo.

Immediately after that I was asked to paint a cover for the new Magazine Quarterly in Newport Coast, "Location 3". (You know "Location Location Location?- I had to ask) It was only the 5th edition to be printed (the start of its second year). They wanted me to paint the monument with a holiday Motif . It stands at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Newport Coast Drive and has been on every cover since its inception. My cover, the first artwork as opposed to photography, came out in November and you can see it on the What's New page of this site. They wanted color and it is quite bright.

I am now in the process of illustrating my second childrens book for Yorkhouse Publishers. I'll let you know when it comes out. In the meantime I have not stopped painting and have a couple more paintings in progress that will appear soon on the What's New Page.

AUGUST 2007

I have been privileged this August to be invited for a special workshop in which Nita Engle will make a video of her techniques . So, I am traveling once again to theUpper Peninsula of Michigan to work with my favorite watercolorist . Last year flying became more difficult with my art supplies, so this year my husband has agreed to drive me to Mar quette . Along the way I will take photos for my painting and visit family , eventually getting to the upper peninsula of Michigan. I look forward to this year's trip because I always learn something new and come away energized and excit ed to experiment on my own . This year is also bittersweet, as Nita may not be teaching wat er color there after this year. I hope she will dedicate all her time to finishing the hundreds of paintings that she has started.

About Nita Engle

I love what she can do with watercolor. She can get watercolor to run into realistic paintings that look like they cre ated themselves. She is an accomplished watercolor artist painting of the Upper Peninsula ’s wilderness. I have traveled there multiple times in the last several years to learn her very special unique techniques. She has a book published called "How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself". And while she claims that watercolor really can paint itself, much of what the paint does comes from her talent and skill. The video that she will be making this summer of her techniquess will show the actual action of her techniques so that future students can see how once the watercolor is flowing, the artist has to work fast and without interruption. The advantage of her methods have results that are spontaneous and unexpected. She does not teach finishing a painting, that is left to the individual artist to figure out on their own. She is known world-wide and achieved the distinction of being named one of the top 3 Watercolorists in the U.S. and one of the top 2 3 Water colorist world-wide.

Testimonial from a Collector of Nancy Swan Art

I fell in love with Nancy Swan’s watercolors the first time I saw them in a friend’s New York apartment. Having once lived in southern California , her pictures of the coast reminded me of good times. It was my good fortune to meet Nancy at a wedding in 2005. With her online gallery, I was able to select a couple of my favorite pieces and have them shipped to me in Ohio . To my delight, Nancy was agreeable to customizing a piece to include the Santa Monica pier. Not only is Nancy a talented artist, but she a delightful professional. Beyond creating a customized piece of art, she personally packaged and shipped the artwork and it arrived more than 1,000 miles away in perfect condition. Nancy made purchasing one of a kind artwork a delightful adventure despite the long distance between us.

Shaunacy Webster, Ohio



				MAY 2011 I have been exhibiting now at the Artist's Eye Laguna Gallery as a permanent artist for close to two years. It's been fun because I really enjoy the other artists that are exhibiting there. I will get back to keeping my website more up to date after the two upcoming shows are over. the Balboa Artwalk where I will be at the corner of Coral and South Bay Front and the following Saturday and SundayMay 21 and 22 at the Beverly Hills Affair in the Gardens . There I will be in the 200 block of Santa Monica Blvd , the block with the large Beverly Hills sign in the center between Beverly Blvd and Canon (one block away from Rodeo Drive). I have heard it is very difficult to get into this show, so I was quite surprised when I walked away with the First Place ribbon in the category of Watercolor last October. We had rain that weekend and I am hoping for a nice spring day next time. It is threatening rain for this Sunday and for once I am really hoping the forecast will be wrong. JANUARY 2010 I have just returned from an Art Workshop with Ted Nuttall, an amazing portrait artist. I can't remember how I found him, but I know I was stunned when I saw his work, and kept going back and back to look some more. Then, for the last year and a half I have wanted to know how he captured the wonderful spirit of of his subjects with such beautiful color and composition. It was most surprising to find that what looked so free with drips and splats he calls sloppy dots, was very carefully planned and meticulously painted. He was a very instructive and encouraging teacher, and I hope that I can find a way to incorporate everything he shared in the workshop into my work. Take a look for yourself at TedNuttall.com I am inspired by him to keep improving and continue trying for signature membership in the National Watercolor Societies. I have been expecially busy this last year and don't know where to begin. Starting to exhibit my work more, first at Christmas Company and then at Balboa Artwalk, it has led me to be invited to be the featured artist at the Artist's Eye Laguna Gallery on the Pacific Coast Highway downtown Laguna Beach. After that exhibit I was invited to be a permanent exhibitor at the Gallery. That alone has kept me busy producing new works for the monthly Artwalk on the First Thursday of every month. The Gallery is Located in the same block as the Greeter Statue and across the street from the Casa del Sol Hotel at the corner of PCH and Cress Street. Next I received a notice that I had been selected for inclusion in the "Best of America's Watermedia" Annual II to be published soon. I'll let everyone know when it comes out or can be viewed online. The works included in that publication are "Never too Late", "End of an Era" and "Newport Harbor Silhouette", FEBRUARY 3 2009 I am at the moment trying to plan a new painting as there is another competition for the National Watercolor Society coming up and I need to have an entry by March. Also, I am redoing my website and trying to find a good way to add in some of the Yupo Abstract Waves (coming soon) that are not yet shown here as well as put the 12 new notecards I had printed in the Website store. In the meantime this is what I have been up to for the past several months: AUG - DECEMBER 2008 In September a local magazine, "Location 3" featured me in a recurring article called "Artists Among Us" It is a glossy magazine and I admit at first I didn't get its title. I asked if it was pronounced Location cubed or Location 3? The publisher told me it didn't matter it was all about Location, Location, Location ! Duh !, OK I'm slow. It was a great spread and beautifully done. If you want to read the article in Location 3 (pdf format) It's 2 pages and the type is a bit small but legible if you zoom in. Shortly after that I spent months preparing for my exhibit in the Junior League of Orange County's "Christmas Company" Community fundraiser benefiting Orange County projects and non profits. As I am a past member of the Junior League I had always intended to do this someday. But what a year to jump in! The sale is only 4 days and two of those days were fraught with major fires shutting down freeways and 24 hour news of homes burning to the ground. The sale as a whole suffered a bit, but for those who made it to the Orange County Fairgrounds, it was bigger and better than ever. As for my part, it was a huge undetaking...more than I had anticipated; but it forced me to complete work in progress and take steps toward building my collection of artwork for exhibition along with notecards of the paintings. If I had not had the help of a wonderfully creative and artistic and hard working sister in law, Betsy Mosier, who flew out from her new home in Texas, I could never have accomplished the amount of work ahead of me. The exhibit was a big success, and I was gratified at the attention given to my paintings and how well received they were. A new painting technique I have been experimenting with was unveiled at that show and got a lot a attention. The new technique is done on YUPO a new medium that is completely non absorbent polypropylene, yet specially treated to accept media. It is a bit like painting in a puddle of water as the watercolor paint sits (continuing to move and shift) until it is dry. In my mind this effect lends itself well to painting some unique ocean waves. Each one is an original, no two are alike and the colors are brilliant. It is a medium that I will explore some more. It is the exact opposite of painting on paper, the whites are lifted at the end as opposed to being protected in the beginning from the paint. I have to get my head in the right place each time as I go back in forth between Yupo and Watercolor paper. All in all the exhibit was successful and I may decided to do it again next year. APRIL 2008 This is has been my busiest painting year ever. I have been painting practically non stop since August of last year. I now have another painting accepted into the National Watercolor Society All member exhibit at the VIVA Gallery (Valley Institute of Visual Art) . That painting is shown on my homepage. The show opens April 16th and runs to May 3rd. I have just seen a brochure with all the paintings that were accepted into this show and I will be in good company with some very fine artist. I am looking forward to seeing them in person. There will be a reception at the Gallery April 19, 2008 from 2-5 PM where the awards will be announced. It is open to everyone. Gallery Hours are Wednesday through Friday 11-4 PM and Saturday 12-4 PM. and the Address is 13261 Moorpark Street Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Also this month I will be featured as an artist in Location 3 magazine. I have not seen the magazine yet. DECEMBER 2007 I have been busy since returning from my painting trip to the Upper Peninsula. We power drove home from theU.P arriving just in time to make end of the first day of an Art Competition, "Paint the Lake" at Lake Mission Viejo. I had entered at the request of my sister who has raised 4 boys on that lake. I felt inspired by my Nita Engle workshop and I am very pleased to report that my entry took First Place for the purchase prize and is now hanging in the collection at Lake Mission Viejo. Immediately after that I was asked to paint a cover for the new Magazine Quarterly in Newport Coast, "Location 3". (You know "Location Location Location?- I had to ask) It was only the 5th edition to be printed (the start of its second year). They wanted me to paint the monument with a holiday Motif . It stands at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Newport Coast Drive and has been on every cover since its inception. My cover, the first artwork as opposed to photography, came out in November and you can see it on the What's New page of this site. They wanted color and it is quite bright. I am now in the process of illustrating my second childrens book for Yorkhouse Publishers. I'll let you know when it comes out. In the meantime I have not stopped painting and have a couple more paintings in progress that will appear soon on the What's New Page. AUGUST 2007 I have been privileged this August to be invited for a special workshop in which Nita Engle will make a video of her techniques . So, I am traveling once again to theUpper Peninsula of Michigan to work with my favorite watercolorist . Last year flying became more difficult with my art supplies, so this year my husband has agreed to drive me to Mar quette . Along the way I will take photos for my painting and visit family , eventually getting to the upper peninsula of Michigan. I look forward to this year's trip because I always learn something new and come away energized and excit ed to experiment on my own . This year is also bittersweet, as Nita may not be teaching wat er color there after this year. I hope she will dedicate all her time to finishing the hundreds of paintings that she has started. About Nita Engle I love what she can do with watercolor. She can get watercolor to run into realistic paintings that look like they cre ated themselves. She is an accomplished watercolor artist painting of the Upper Peninsula ’s wilderness. I have traveled there multiple times in the last several years to learn her very special unique techniques. She has a book published called "How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself". And while she claims that watercolor really can paint itself, much of what the paint does comes from her talent and skill. The video that she will be making this summer of her techniquess will show the actual action of her techniques so that future students can see how once the watercolor is flowing, the artist has to work fast and without interruption. The advantage of her methods have results that are spontaneous and unexpected. She does not teach finishing a painting, that is left to the individual artist to figure out on their own. She is known world-wide and achieved the distinction of being named one of the top 3 Watercolorists in the U.S. and one of the top 2 3 Water colorist world-wide. Testimonial from a Collector of Nancy Swan Art I fell in love with Nancy Swan’s watercolors the first time I saw them in a friend’s New York apartment. Having once lived in southern California , her pictures of the coast reminded me of good times. It was my good fortune to meet Nancy at a wedding in 2005. With her online gallery, I was able to select a couple of my favorite pieces and have them shipped to me in Ohio . To my delight, Nancy was agreeable to customizing a piece to include the Santa Monica pier. Not only is Nancy a talented artist, but she a delightful professional. Beyond creating a customized piece of art, she personally packaged and shipped the artwork and it arrived more than 1,000 miles away in perfect condition. Nancy made purchasing one of a kind artwork a delightful adventure despite the long distance between us. Shaunacy Webster, Ohio