16/12/2024

Here’s a painting from April of this year, after a © Geoff Kersey tutorial I thought may be appropriate for Christmas Greetings for you all. I titled it, ‘As the Deer’ from Psalm 42:1 NKJV which is written as a yearning for God in the Midst of Distresses. I love verse 8 which reads,

‘The LORD will command His His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me –
A prayer to the God of my life.

Psalms are sung, and indeed, there are modern songs taken from this Psalm, hopefully you already know and have sung them in church. As we see in all the news media everywhere we could be really downcast, sad and miserable this Christmas until we discover the Awesome Love of our Saviour God, and enter into a loving relationship with Him knowing that without Him we are nothing, yet, in Him we enter into eternal life as soon as we are ‘born again’ not of the flesh rather of the Spirit of God himself, moved out of darkness and into His glorious light. Praise God. Please read John’s gospel, chapter 3 verses 16-17 especially.

May you too know the real gift of Christmas. John chapter 14:6 reminds us there is only way to come to the Father, and that is through the Son, Christ Jesus. The world seems to tell everyone that all roads lead to heaven, please don’t believe that lie from the pit. Instead, surrender your life to Jesus and you can experience hope fulfilled, not a bed or roses, nevertheless, a peace, joy, and love which will see us all through all the trials that life may throw at us. The best is yet to come! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Be blessed as you celebrate this wonderful season, with lots of love from Sandra and family xxxxx

15/11/2024

Here is my latest painting which was a July Challenge with Geoff Kersey ‘Contre Jour’ Into the daylight. It’s a Venetian Street Scene © reference photo G. Kersey also.

I used a limited palette and this was graded as the highest rating for difficulty, so another challenge. Nevertheless, because of visiting Venice this year, I was inspired to have a go. Not an easy task, except for perhaps architects such as US Watercolourist, Thomas Schaller, who are Masters when it comes to depicting any kind of building/cityscape.

Anyway, this was the second attempt after trying it out in early Sept, and finally this month decided it was not worth saving after blunders with masking fluid (which I hate!)
An artist friend made a comment, and I realised I made another blunder here, not quite sure how I did it, ha, ha. It was so good to bring it to fruition, I guess I must have lost concentration towards the end as I also initially, forgot to sign it!

Use contact button to let me know if you have spotted the blunder, or if you would like a clue. Thank you for taking time to look.

I already have three paintings in mind going forward… hopefully will complete before Christmas. Where is the time disappearing????

Enjoy the days, they really do pass quickly. Sandra with love and prayers.

05/11/2024

For the second time I entered the National Brain Appeal ‘A Letter in Mind’, (ALIM 2024) Art Exhibition.'

The theme this time being ‘A World of Colour’.

Here is my name, shown last week among 900+ entries in the Gallery Different, Percy Street, London.

What an honour to have one of my paintings exhibited again in our Capital.

The entry can be found in the Abstract Gallery where you are also able to read more information.

22/07/2024

For my recent Afternoon Tea Party my beloved, David, commissioned 'Kates Bakes' to make a fruit cake for me. I just love how she captured both the garden and the art that play an important part of my life.

Having a birthday party for the very first time was really special and I was overwhelmed by the love of those who blessed me with their presence. Everyone commented on this wonderful, delicious creation from Kate, that I wanted to share with you here.

Please send me an email, using the contact page of the website, if you would like her details. Thank you, Sandra

06/07/2024

A Different Type of Painting!

Here we are in July, already there is change in the air, not just in politics, also in our summer weather. Thankfully, despite some rainy, windy days, here is my way of brightening up the outside space of our home. A Mexican man statue and two pots have had an upgrade. Here's one of the pots.

It is definitely a different type of painting, and judging by the weather it does not encourage me to try 'en plein air' (painting outside) painting at all!

Anyway, for those who like to be creative outside in the garden, maybe I’ve inspired you too, in the way of a change.

24/06/2024

The latest magazine, ‘Talkingpoint’ from the United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society (UKCPS) arrived recently. Imagine my surprise to discover my art work, ‘Self Portrait’ was in print within the section for the 24 Competition, ‘Why is 24 Significant’.

This year is the 10th Anniversary of the Pencil Society, and the portrait also represents this special year which marks a significant decade reached for my birthday, along with our Golden Wedding Anniversary. My beloved, David and me, give thanks to God for keeping us through the many trials and tribulations of our lives, we are certainly overcomers in Jesus who always gives us the victory. Or, as we always like to say in our family, the Ball’s always bounce back!

Although, not strictly a winner, as only the top three paintings judged are recognised with a reward, it is good to see my work chosen alongside others to be given the honour of going to print in the magazine.

The editor has informed me, for those who are interested and yet non members of UKCPS, this latest magazine can be purchased from the UKCPS website. This can be found in the menu, under the links section of Sandra E Ball Art website.

Please check it out, to be pleasantly surprised too. Thank you.

15/05/2024

‘The Flight’ is a coloured pencil entry. The 2nd painting for ALIM 2022 which is now sold, so I can reveal. Please see previous News Article for more information.

Thank you, everyone, for your patience, interest and support. You are all appreciated for taking precious time to keep checking out the website. God bless you, Sandra.

15/05/2024

I am really happy, the donation entered for A Letter in Mind 2022, ‘A Sense of Movement’ in aid of the National Brain Appeal has been sold. I can now reveal the two envelopes submitted:

‘Coming or Going’ is a watercolour that was a little tricky to paint on an envelope having to be wary of using too much water in the application.

I omitted to enter ALIM 2023 however, the opportunity to enter ALIM 2024 is still open as this is the special 40th Anniversary of the Charity. I may just go for it, God willing. It will be my 2nd time of being able to exhibit in the capital city, London.

‘The Flight’ is a coloured pencil entry and can be seen following this article.


Both paintings and reference photos © Sandra E Ball
A gentle reminder - Please, always seek an artist’s permission before using any reference which does not belong to you, even when only wanting to use a small part to add your own marks. It is not polite to use work belonging to someone else to claim as yours.

06/04/2024

It is beautiful to see all the New Life everywhere, especially, when we see a warm sunny day to savour and enjoy. Gardening is one of my passions, along with drawing and painting. I do hope to show you more new florals soonest, meanwhile, within the Earliest Work gallery, some older works can be found.

There are over 100 works on the website which I hope will inspire and encourage those who love art, whether artists, or not.

The latest work, the Self Portrait, is one of few Coloured Pencil works that I have attempted. A real challenge and struggle at times, it was painted over several days and several hours. The drawing out was freehand and could have been made much easier had I traced it and painted in monochrome. You can see it in more detail within the Latest Work Gallery, before it is later moved into the Portrait Gallery.

Thank you for taking time to peruse the website. I appreciate your kindness and support. Blessings always, Sandra

14/03/2024

My, how time flies, as I now find myself almost at the end of a year's drawing course with Phil and Bob Davies, of Draw Awesome.

Here is the initial outline of the 'Young Boy in Graphite' - the completed work is in the Gallery section.

I am loving this course, especially this Penultimate Module, all about Portraits.

To be able to master portraiture would be great, so I feel this is a good place to be learning. May those of you on your own creative journey have many fun days ahead too.

Happy Painting Everyone!

02/01/2024

Friends,

May Christ’s love, joy and peace permeate our hearts and minds this New Year, to see beauty in the world around us.

May we concentrate on the good and not the bad, be kind to one another, giving help and inspiration to all who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Let’s play the glad game throughout this New Year, always giving thanks to God for all He has done, is doing, and will do in us, as we seek to do His will. Amen.

Be blessed always, thank you for taking precious time to browse the website.

Love and prayers, from both David and Sandra

26/11/2023

As mentioned earlier, the learning process continues with my drawing studies.

November has been coloured pencil work month and I thought I would share just one of the studies I have been doing with Phil Davies of Draw Awesome. ‘Hands’.

Time marches on, hope to post more of my own artwork soonest. Meanwhile, for those in the grip of winter, stay warm. I’m glad the lighter nights and warmer days are not too far away.

Happy painting, be safe. Sandra

28/08/2023

Busy, busy times and the summer is flying by. Although there has been a lack of updates on the website of late, lots has been happening both in the home & garden, church and life in general. Exciting times indeed. Sandra continues her learning process with many opportunities instore to keep her busy.

After giving several of her paintings to friends, family and others, she is overjoyed to receive an original painting from Professional Artist, Geoff Kersey after only being a full member of his online watercolour tutorials a month. What a surprise to receive his painting, ‘The Old Boatyard, Lindisfarne’ which is the first time of being on the receiving end; the first time an artist has blessed her this way.

Both the Draw Paint Academy and Draw Awesome continue to keep her motivated and learning, so much so that this year her attendance at her local Art Society has taken somewhat of a back seat. What lovely welcomes she receives every time she does manage to turn up at Lytham and St Annes Art Society.

Meanwhile, Sandra has a painting montage on the go from her visit to the local classic car show, back in May. Hopefully, this will be posted soonest as it slowly comes near to completion.

Thank you for your faithfulness in support of this website. Happy painting everyone as you travel on your own wonderful journey into the world of art!

27/05/2023

I have been extremely busy since I last posted, so apologies to faithful friends who have not seen anything new in a while. Please check out Landscapes Section in the Gallery where you will see more info within the post. I enjoyed having fun experimenting from start to finish. Using only two colours, I did wonder at one stage whether to add a third accent colour, I also toyed with the idea of adding my favourite brand of paints, Daniel Smith pigments, to the mix. In the end I stayed with this simple idea.

I am happy to say that although I have recently been painting (decorating of the home kind) I have also been practising my drawing skills some more. I hope to post one of my pencil challenges soonest.

Thanks again for taking the time to check out the website. Blessings always, Sandra

21/03/2023

Wow! It is a busy time as I continue to learn. At present, I am mainly finding time to draw with painting being the decorative kind in the home/garden.

Here is a drawing of our number one son, Keith. It measures 10" x 8" (A4) and is portrayed with watersoluble pencils and a waterbrush which makes fun.He was very tired at the time having met us straight from a long shift at work. I trust you are able to sense this in the portrait.

Hopefully, I will make a painting having already made a practice piece experimenting with different techniques, colours etc.

Meanwhile, please stay in touch as I will endeavour to update the gallery to make it interesting, as often as is possible, during the process of homemaking.

Thank You All. Blessings always, Sandra

27/02/2023

As February draws to a close so does the busy winter challenges. We begin to look forward again as New Life is all around, first the snow drops, crocus, and primroses, and now welcoming daffodils too. I was given a challenge by a good friend and member of the Hilliard Miniature Society, Christina Hopkinson, to try my hand at painting miniatures. Here is my first attempt, I'm thinking not quite up the standard of the Society and the frames are not the best quality expected either. They measure 31/2" x 5" as seen. I quite enjoyed painting them, alternating between them, so they were completed at the same time.

However, I do prefer them before I cropped them from a little larger size 5" x 5" and 41/2" x 41/2" respectively. They can been seen in the gallery section. It was worth trying to see whether or not I would be happy to enter them into the Hilliard Society, (another good learning exercise), nevertheless, miniatures are not something I am going to pursue further.

What do you all think? Please contact me and let me know. Thank you so much, I love to hear from you. Blessings, Sandra.

07/01/2023

Happy New Year 2023 everyone. May you all have a very creative year in good health, joy, and prosperity.
3 John 2 NKJV

Here is just one of the paintings I have been working on recently, a practice piece which is still a work a progress. Inspired by a visit to London last year, it is a nocturnal of one of the city stores.

It is also my first time in trying out the water soluble oil paints from Daniel Smith Paints. A very limited supply, with primaries red, blue, yellow plus a white and a black, not quite the Zorn palette. I have used a small canvas board here measuring 7" x 9"

13/12/2022

Using my latest landscape painting, inspired by Geoff Kersey,https://watercolourlandscapes.co.uk/ to send you Christmas greetings. Please check it out further in the landscape section of the gallery.

Thanking my Saviour God for you all, your faithful support and encouragement since I started out on this wonderful journey is such a blessing.

I look forward to hearing from you via the contact section where I can send personal replies via email.

The best is yet to come! Blessings to you all, thanks again, Sandra xxx

10/12/2022

It was lovely to meet Entertainer and Artist, Chris Knapman, and to be one of the sitters for our final demonstration of the year from Lytham St Annes Art Society. It was good too that my beloved, David, also came to this event as he loves the art of caricature and is interested in seeing the procedure.

Chris made it a fun and very interesting afternoon as he gave his back story. The coastal town of Blackpool is renowned for entertainment and fun, so it is rather fitting that local man, Chris was invited.

I loved watching him at work and how he gave me a twinkle in my eye and great smile. He is very kind to the ladies he portrays whereas he takes more risks with men!

Anyways, thought it may cause you to smile along with me. I told him afterwards that I would have been happy for him to exaggerate the height of my forehead as the specialist surgeon, Dr W S Hussain, (who gave me a new cancer free nose) had earlier remarked on its narrowness ‘It is what it is’ a saying repeated by Chris during his talk.

I hope you make time to check out his website https://www.caricaturewithattitude.com

29/11/2022

Here is my ongoing portrait of my late mum before she became frail and went onto glory. It is painted with normal oil paints; however, I can hardly wait to try out my new water-soluble oils with Daniel Smith pigments.

November has been another busy month with travels both North and South in the UK, so I think I have done okay to return to this portrait once again. It is quite a learning process as I experiment and play with it.

25/08/2022

We visited Grasmere in Cumbria yesterday, an outing kindly arranged by Lytham and St Anne's Art Society
(of which I belong).

It was a lovely dry, sunny afternoon after the morning clouds in a beautiful village set within the Lakes National Park

The Lake Artists https://lakeartists.org.uk/ all professional artists with high standards exhibited a very impressive mix of all media, including sculptures.

It was also good to see many visitors enjoying the exhibition and the many paintings sold.

An Art Exhibition that it worth seeing again next year, please add it to your calendar/diaries.

23/07/2022

What a super exciting and adventurous week this has been. One of the highlights was a day spent at https://www.patchingsartcentre.co.uk/ where we met Mr Adebanji Alade, the Addictive Sketcher in person. It was a first for me, to sit for him, as he did a quick pencil sketch of me (on toned paper) complete with hat. I never knew it was so difficult to sit for a live portrait.
Thankfully, Adebanji was so kind and didn’t make me hold my smile for too long, only short bursts. It was such a fun experience and sparked my imagination. On top of this he sang Happy Birthday with his wonderful voice that many joined in too flocking to the marquee to see what was happening.
Thank you, Adebanji for a memorable day, my beloved husband, David, for taking me, and of course, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, for giving such a divine surprise.

01/07/2022

If you've not seen the latest paintings for June, please check out, 'A local Beauty Spot' and 'Clematis' both watercolours.

Before July is out, I hope to post my latest oil painting - a portrait, so stay tuned! Enjoy the beautiful month of July wherever you are, blessings to you all. Stay well, I appreciate your support.

Love and hugs to all my friends on here too, Sandra xoxox

29/05/2022

Not long home from IWM 2022 Exhibition which was an excellent show. I do hope you managed to see it for yourself, if not, maybe next time?
It was a joy to meet some of the artists represented (from around the globe) and soak in the whole experience. Sadly, because of the pandemic there were some artists missing, and yet, it was lovely that they were still able to send their work for everyone to see. What a treat to be able to see the paintings, 'in the flesh' so to speak, as they are so much better than photographs, indeed photographs just don't do justice to the art work. I posted some of my favourite portraits on Facebook, if you care to look there, as that is a genre I would really love to master. Portraits are so special, in that, every single person matters to the Lord God, and we are all unique works in progress. I must mention Mary Whyte, her portrait of a girl holding a cat was quite evocative and full of emotion. I love her 'We the People' Veterans Exhibition as seen on the internet.
Again, a big thank you to the organiser, David Poxon and all his artists who teamed up to help celebrate this wonderful media called, 'Art'. Watercolour is so special and every different artist has their own techniques and skills - so amazing to see. I am so thankful that my husband and I were able to spend a day at the show, any longer and it would have been far too over whelming for me.

12/05/2022

Sometimes when painting we don't quite manage to produce that which was in our mind. Here is one recent example. 'Contemplation' Memories of Loch Lomond watercolour.
It is approximately 14" x 21" It was all practice and does bring back a lovely memory for me of visiting Loch Lomond for the first time. Whilst in Scotland, in late March '22, we were attending a wedding of beautiful friends when it was suggested we visit the Loch before returning to England. We were not disappointed by the lovely day.

28/04/2022

This month has been a really busy time, and whilst I have enjoyed gardening etc. my painting time has needed to be reduced. Life does have a habit of getting in the way sometimes! However, I'm so pleased to present this Red Panda Cub, seen our our local zoo. It was born in September 2021 along with another, and I have painted it from a reference photograph I captured in October 2021. Thank you for looking. I have been out and about collecting more references, so please watch this space for more.....

07/04/2022

Everyone has been/and is still affected by the events of the last two years not least some of my professional artist friends. Sadly, some artists have passed and art establishments have ceased to exist. One such is Art Tutor, after 10 years of having an online platform with various artists who teach their skills. The good news is that one of the founders, Phil Davies, has created a new exciting online teaching program in its place, Art Tutor is now rebranded as Draw Awesome with free tutorials shown on the You Tube channel.

Creatives everywhere have been making online teaching programs in You Tube and being so generous to provide them from free for anyone who is willing to learn. This makes art a very inclusive occupation and one I am pleased to be able to participate in. Of course, I do support the artists concerned, where possible, by buying their books, courses, or workshops. And going to see their amazing works, thoroughly recommended.

I could provide a long list of generous professionals; however, it will be more fun for everyone to find them as they search. This website does give some of my favourites within its pages.

03/04/2022

More Images to see! Lots of information under various headings for your perusal. Hello art lovers, I hope you are enjoying a visit to the website. If it is a while since you have checked it out you will find more images in each of the gallery sections. There is also a new link for you to check out. I trust the new images will give a better idea as to the various media used this far, not only watercolours.

20/02/2022

The January exhibition at Garstang Art Centre was very interesting this year. There were 77 varied paintings on show to suit many viewers, and yet not one painting was sold. I'm not sure whether it is the time of year, being just after the Christmas period, the fact that the gallery is only open for showing three times a week, or a north/south divide. Apparently, this happened the previous year too. Nevertheless, it was still good to be able to show my work where not seen previously.

15/02/2022

'A Summer's Day' watercolour 12" x 18" Here is the latest painting as we look forward to the warmer days to come. A lovely memory of a day out last year exploring the nearby countryside. We walked across a public footpath and bridge to arrive at this scene. I wonder who lives in a house like the one in the background? The challenge here was working on rough paper which I've not used in a while, also the various greens and river reflections which make up the scene. Thank you for looking.

31/01/2022

The latest of four paintings for January 2022. Please feel free to check out the others in the various galleries. Really lost myself in this illustrative painting, the time just flew by. I'd love to hear from you, so don't hesitate to get in touch if you want to know more. Thank you :)

04/01/2022

The latest happenings, Garstang and District Open Art Competition/Exhibition 2022
https://garstangartssociety.org.uk After an absence of showing my work, I am taking two Acrylic Paintings to Garstang and District Open Art Competition/Exhibition, Lancashire, this weekend.
Please watch this space to see the outcome. Here is one of the paintings, 'Call Me Old Fashioned'. 12" x 10" on Canvas Board.
Update: Sadly, neither of my paintings were awarded, however, they are priced to sell. We will see what happens.
The exhibition is open, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Please see link for times. It closes at the end of Thursday 10th, February.

02/12/2021

Here's Mum's Portrait in Oils with the first layer of colour. I am not know for showing works in progress. However, I have already found that working with Oil paints can be a much longer process, than say watercolours, so here is an insight in anticipation of what the New Year brings. It is exciting as I am pretty new to Oils and the underpainting method as used by Mazart Studio and many of the Old Masters. The best part about oils is the ability to change things and this painting will certainly see some changes as it moves forward. This is a reminder to me of my Mum before she became frail and left this earth several years ago. I am so thankful she turned to her Saviour, Jesus, before it was too late. The painting is 18" x 12" on cotton canvas.

01/11/2021

Here is a photograph of the last day of the course, the result of a very intense week.
I think you can see how exhausted I am.

On the final day I decided to work only on the man, and so the little girl has one colour layer.
I rather like the painterly look as it is and am happy that it says what I want it to say.
Both paintings could be finished with many more layers of paint, however, the signature, varnish and framing will no doubt enhance the look and please the viewer.

The week just flew by!