Blue Mesa Update and Crab Watercolor by Texas Artist Nancy Standlee

Blue Mesa Crab 14014  SOLD

7.5x11"

Fabriano 140 lb cold press

If you follow this blog, you know that I have done some illustration work for the Blue Mesa Restaurant chain menus. In May Blue Mesa will have a special event "Gulf Seafood Festival" and the owner asked for a few more pieces to illustrate some specialty items. I don't know a lot about crabs or craw fish and don't think I've ever eaten one, maybe crab cakes one time in Sedona so some research was needed before putting brush to paper. 
One of the first things I found and practiced was how to draw a crab. http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/1365/1/1/how-to-draw-a-crab.htm

Here is the new menu and it's different and fun and with the spirals new items can be added easily.

 Example of one of the pages and these drinks are some of my favorites to paint.

 Now for some family photos that were taken on Sunday night where 18 members of my family and friends gathered at 5:00 for a special meal and celebration of the new menus out on the patio area. I felt so at home there as this is where I'd retreat to do the drawings and paintings for the menu in the fall.  Another reason this was a special family gathering, my older son was celebrating his 56th birthday and it was the first time we've all been together since his devastating house fire the last of January. We enjoyed holding the new great grand baby, Cash and wearing him out by passing him up one side of the table and down the other.

 My beautiful children, Dana, Eric and Brad

 Dana and Nancy

Recently I illustrated in watercolor a book of beach poetry, Dreams of the Turtle King, that is available on Amazon.  

Torn Paper Collage Technique:

I have written an ArtByte about the process of torn paper collage for the Daily Paintworks site is available with more than 50 images. An ArtByte is a small online tutorial that may be free or it's very affordable. Mine will be very affordable. Here is the web address and browse and download some of the free ones by Carol Marine or another favorite artist such as Julie Ford Oliver that will explain some of the tools she uses in an oil painting technique. There are several very good free ArtBytes that are filled with information. When you get to the Daily Paintworks web page, look under tutorials. Here is my online gallery at Daily Paintworks.

Texas Daily Painter, Watercolor, Pen and Ink sketches,  crab illustration, paintings, small paper painting,   Artists of Texas, Nancy Standlee Fine Art, Daily Paintworks, Pinterest,  Dreams of the Turtle King,   Denise Bossarte, photography, Amazon, Florida, Found Worlds, Blue Mesa, gulf seafood festival,

Original fine art and affordable prints can be found at:

Website:  http://nancystandlee.com

Purchase Paintings:: http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/nancy-standlee-1131

Recent work: http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com

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Facebook Fan Page http://facebook.com/nancystandleefineart

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/NancyStandlee/

Affordable prints: http://nancystandlee.imagekind.com

                           http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/nancy-standlee.html

Order personalized checks, side tear checks, checkbook covers and address labels with a choice of 20 of my paintings on them.

http://new.checkadvantage.com/nancy-standlee-checks

contact: NancyStandlee@sbcglobal.net

Dreams of the Turtle King blog http://www.dreamsoftheturtleking.com/

Dreams otTK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dreams-of-the-Turtle-King/523637907718244