New Year's Goals

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"Rooster VI", 8" x 8" Oil on canvas panel.

$400 framed.

I'm back! I took a wonderful two week vacation (but stayed home) and had a great time with my boys. We celebrated the holidays, saw tons of movies and spent a lot of wonderful time with family. I even read two books. I guess you could say I did everything but paint!

I have put together my "art goals" for 2010 and I would love your input!

Leslie Saeta Art Goals for 2010

• Develop a comprehensive art marketing plan for 2010.
• Continue to update my blog regularly and post at least four paintings per week.
• Form an Art Alliance with a small group of artists that want to develop marketing ideas, schedule a group show and share exhibition ideas.
• Create a year long jury/exhibition schedule. And follow it daily!
• Continue taking classes and workshops from artists I admire.
• Write at least 10 articles for Art Forums or blogs.
• Send 12 newsletters out this year and continue to share the talents of other artists in my newsletter.
• Develop and teach one palette knife painting workshop.
• Create larger format paintings.
• Paint plein air AT LEAST twice monthly.
• Pursue ways to sell my art to the corporate market.
• Send my work into TEN juried shows.
• Develop a “client appreciation” program for the year.
• Exhibit my work in two galleries or “one person venues”.
• Accept and complete at least five commissions.
• Sell 25% more paintings than in 2009.
• Book another solo show at Gale’s Restaurant in Pasadena.
• Attend at least one plein air workshop.
• Regularly schedule local paint outs with friends
• Sell at one of the local shows or festivals - including Sierra Madre, Pasadena ArtWalk, Montrose Art Walk and some new venues.

Here's to a great New Year. Thank you everyone for all of your wonderful support and guidance in 2009. God bless everyone!

Holiday Bloom

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"Holiday Bloom"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

Sold.

I took a well deserved break from the kitchen today and painted this little one, while enjoying Christmas carols playing loudly in the background! I absolutely love this time of year (but not the week before our party) and the short break was a good reminder to stop and enjoy the season!

My oldest just finished his last final for his first quarter in college and I remember that feeling ... maybe I will feel a little bit of that on Sunday morning? I hope so!

Time to Sail (and cook)!

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"Time to Sail"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200 unframed.

You all know I am just swamped cooking and getting ready for our annual holiday party (which is this Saturday night). A few of you emailed me and asked if I would print the menu. I do cook everything but I also have a crew that comes in on Saturday night and cooks everything I have made (so I can enjoy the party).

So, here is the menu ... and yes, I am completely insane for cooking this every year. But I do love it. (OK, maybe I don't love it this week but next week it will have seemed like more fun!)

I guess you could say this is my holiday gift to all of our family and friends. So, if you don't see any more new paintings on my blog this week ... you now know why!

Holiday Party Menu (for 150 guests)

Spicy grilled shrimp cocktail in shot glasses

Smoked turkey with cranberry/orange muffins

Smoked salmon and lemon dill sauce

Chinese Chicken salad in won ton cups

Assorted veggies with Roasted Red Pepper Dip

BLT tomatoes

Caesar salad on parmesan cheese flat cups

Blue cheese, Walnut and Cranberry Crostini

Skewered chicken with peanut sauce

Skewered flank steak with peanut sauce

Brie cups with pomegranates

Cape Fear crab cakes and dill sauce

Sesame Ahi with sauce & rice in shot glasses

Pesto stuffed mushrooms

Four cheese puffs

Tart shells with spinach/artichoke dip and parmesan cheese

Whipped sweet potatoes with brown sugar topping in pastry shells

Crab quesadillas

Butternut squash, coconut ginger soup

Cranberry, chocolate & toffee oatmeal cookies

Peanut butter fudge

Frosted sugar cookies

Cranberry shortbread cookies

Chocolate Mint Marvel cookies

Back to the kitchen!

One Cat on the Beach

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"One Cat on the Beach"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200 unframed.

If I survive this week it will be a miracle. Our party is on Saturday night and as I mentioned before I am cooking for 150 people. Today I was hanging a garland in our house and somehow I managed to fall off the ladder and fall and chip my tooth. So tomorrow I will need to spend a few hours at the dentist getting it repaired ... which is time that should be spent cooking! At least I don't have a fat lip or any other major injuries. So I guess that is good news.

I did manage to paint two little ones today. I have five commissions that will all be done next week. Then I will have to think about starting my holiday shopping! Yikes!

Friday Afternoon

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"Friday Afternoon"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

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TGIF. I think. It's been one of those weeks. I have a ton of paintings to finish and I am still cooking for our party next weekend. Did I mention we expect about 170 people and I am making all of the food? We have done this party for 24 years and we keep making (and thus inviting) more friends! And I have to cook the food ... otherwise I think my friends would kill me! So ... here's to a weekend of spending time in the studio and kitchen! Wait ... do you think I could cook and paint at the same time? Never mind ... probably not a good idea to poison our guests.

A Trio of Boats

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"Reflections III"

Oil, 6" x 8" on canvas panel.

$350 framed.

I bought a new mac laptop last month and have been making lots of trips to the Apple store for training. My only concern about switching from a PC was that I was going to have to rebuild my website. After struggling with the Microsoft Frontpage program for many years, the new iweb program is simple to use and wonderful! So, I launched my new website today. Take a look at www.saetastudio.com and let me know what you think!

Sailing Under the Golden Gate Bridge

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"Sailing Under the Golden Gate Bridge"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

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One of my favorite cities in the world is San Francisco. I lived in the Bay Area for about five years after I graduated from college. In fact, I met my wonderful husband while I was living in Palo Alto. Last year I took a weekend trip to San Francisco with my girlfriends and we played "tourist" for the weekend. It was so fun to see the city again and all of it's beauty! Now that I have a son in college in Palo Alto I need to try to make lots of trip to Northern California.