Reflection

It has been awhile since my last post.

2010 has been exciting  year so far and busy. My 2010 ornaments are in production and I am gearing up for  a busy Fall.  Lots of events are planned  and for those of you who subscribe to the Landmark newsletter already know that I will be doing a five city tour- including stops in Tampa, LA, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago, and NYC. Stay tuned for more in upcoming blog posts.

Also  this year,  you will be seeing  a line of stationery in stores that I am launching with a  Louie Award winning company called a la cards.

For all of you that know that I also work in Book Publishing- I am now VP Creative Director of St. Martin’s Paperbacks and  continuing to work on packages for  Emily Giffin, Kristin Hannah, Janet Evanovich, Lisa Scottoline, and others.

I am excited to share that I have  also illustrated  a book on the retelling of the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for New York Times bestselling author Donna Van Liere- who is known for her wonderful book The Christmas shoes. The book is called The Christmas Journey, in stores this fall

As I said, an exciting year for which I feel very lucky.

Looking back on 2009- what a wonderful season it was.   It was so great to see so many of my collectors at my events.  I had the energy to decorate my home withsix trees- photo highlights are posted. As you can see my pugs are always there to help me out…and they are honored with their own tree!

Soon I will be  attending the Golden glow convention in Milwaukee- I hope that I will get to see many of you there.

Until the next sketch!

Oftentimes I get asked the question ” How did you get into Art? ”

Well, to start at the beginning . . . I always drew as  a kid and felt that  it might be  something I would  do when I grew up.  At first I wanted to be an architect (that’s because I was a  Brady Bunch groupie), but then doubted the whole art thing in high school — my guidance counselor advised me that I would starve.  That’s when thoughts of becoming a gynecologist or medical examiner set in.  I for sure did not want to end up a character in a Dostoevsky novel.  Yikes!

Fortunately for me I had  a wonderful art teacher who pushed me to follow my heart.

In the summer before my senior year, she helped me get into a 2 month art program in Fredonia, NY, where I was fully immersed in art school life.  After that, there was no looking elsewhere — an art  career it was.

At a portfolio day at Syracuse University, I met the admissions director at Parsons School of Design and she  loved my work and  offered me a scholarship.

So at 17, I moved to the Big Apple and studied at Parsons.

Choosing art  and moving to New York were  the greatest decisions of my life!  I feel really lucky to be able to do something that I love and to live somewhere that  inspires me.

Sometimes it is weird how life works, and  you realize that sometimes there are outside forces  and angels that push you along the way.  Always do what you love and makes you happy.

Until the next sketch!

Well,  I thought it would be fun to share a snapshot I found in my parent’s photo album on a recent trip to upstate NY—my first Christmas!  There I am, decked out in full Santa gear.  My brother is holding me in his lap while looking dapper in his Perry Como sweater and my sister is to his side in quite a festive outfit (pre “Lord of the Dance”).  You can see now how from birth I was instilled with a love for the holidays!  Many of the things under the tree are now part of my “vintage” collection.  Love that pink reindeer!  My mom used to get old shoe boxes  and “cotton glittered snow” and create magical scenes.

Tinsel was strewn from the branches in my youth until we got a dog and he ate it and…you know!

With the Christmas convention coming up, I have been reflecting on the wonderful Christmas memories of my past and how much they are a part of me and my art.

Until the next sketch!

I have been eager to start blogging so I can share some of the wonderful memories from my events, Christmas, childhood, and daily life.  I also plan to talk about some of the various things I am currently working on and engaged in.

So, today is the beginning. Jeffrey Keefer has helped  me set everything all up in WordPress—many of you know him as the helper at my signings.

It took awhile to come up with a name for my blog.  At first, I tried to play off of my last name—like “Storrings Sketches,” but thought it wasn’t quite working for various reasons.  Consequently, I sat down and just brainstormed a list.  Potential candidates included—Happy Sketchbook, Color Me Happy, Sketch and the City, Night Before Sketching, and Once Upon a Sketchbook. Eventually I settled on Sketch Upon A Time. For me, it captures the fact that I am an artist reminiscing about magical moments in my life.

I hope you will continue to follow me here—either by signing up to receive email notifications or by subscribing to my blog’s RSS feed. I welcome any comments or thoughts you may have.

Until the next sketch!