~Joe Sambataro

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Joe Sambataro was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1947
and is a scholarship graduate from the famous
Layton School of Art, with academic degrees
accredited through Marquette University, Wisconsin
Medical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College,
University of Wisconsin and Philadelphia College of Art.
He holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University
of Wisconsin. A consistent award-winning artist
and now Judge for Major Art Exhibits,
Sambataro has had studios in Pennsylvania, Maine,
Wisconsin, Florida, Okinawa and currently in Texas.
.

. .

His reputation is well established and his paintings
widely sought after by corporations, government
agencies and private collectors.
Print Reproductions of Sambataro's Original
Paintings are nationally published.
He is also proud to be recognized in Who's Who
in American Art. He has designed numerous book
jackets including several for Pockett
Books Publishing, New York.
. . . 

He is accomplished in both acrylic and oil.
His commissions include Tony Dorsett (portrait),
Dallas Cowboys; The Bear (painting), Embassy Pictures,
Hollywood; 10 Oils of Singapore,
National Kidney Foundation, Singapore, 1994.
.

. .

He has exhibited in the David Barnett Gallery,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin and received the Best of Show
at the Appleton Gallery, Wisconsin in both 1979 and 1981.
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~ Link ~
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~ Susan Wheeler

  .. . . .. . . . .    . .

~Jean Bradbury

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Jean earned her BFA in Painting from
Queens University, Kingston, Ontario in 1985.
.
.  .
She has also studied Graphic Design,
and has researched tradional natural dyes
in the Middle East.
..
She likes to get inspired by her garden in Seattle
as the seasons change.
.
... .
Posted with Permission.
~ LINK ~
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~Santa’s Time Off

Tom Browning

 .
Tom Browning was born in 1949
and  has been a professional artist since 1972.
Although his true passion for art is best seen in his
fine art genre paintings, he is perhaps best known for
his wonderful images of Santa Claus.
.
After attending the University of Oregon as an
art major, Tom Browning almost immediately began
selling and submitting paintings to the galleries.
As his interests in subject matter and medium
continued to evolve, collectors continued
encouragement by eagerly accepting his changing
themes and directions. Now there are few subjects
Tom Browning hasn't painted, but figures, still life
and landscapes remain his favorites.

  .. . .
It's ironic that a commercial venture launched
by Tom Browning and his wife, Joyce, fifteen years ago
created an entirely new market for Santa Claus and
put Tom Browning at the top when it comes to
depicting the beloved icon both at work and play.
Tom Browning's treatment of these paintings as fine art
was a key factor in their success and popularity.
In 1994 his instructional book "Timeless Techniques
for Better Oil Paintings" revealed yet another
aspect of Tom Browning's talents — teaching.
Since then, he has conducted oil painting workshops
all across the country, and has helped and encouraged
hundreds of eager to learn painters of all ages.
.  . .   .. .
Even though people have been the subjects of
Tom Browning's paintings, a recent interest in
portraiture has found him focusing on treating the crafts
as yet another form of fine art. The likes of Sargent,
Sorolla and Zorn have inspired him to look at a
portrait as a challenge to create a subject of interest
to any observer and lover of art.
Tom Browning has painted over 123 delightful scenes
of Santa since 1984 when Arbor Green Publishers
began printing greeting cards and prints.
These designs are also licensed to manufacturers
that feature them on many other products such as
greeting cards, figurines and gift bags.
...
~Tom Browning.com
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~Tom Browning Cards
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~The Spirit of Santa
.. . .

~Sunday Poem

Illustration by Dorothy Wheeler.

~Dorothy Wheeler

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These charming illustrations were created by
Dorothy M. Wheeler to accompany a
collection of nursery rhymes and music published
in 1916. The illustrations, with their characteristic
elaborate borders, were among Dorothy Wheeler’s
first works ever to appear in print.
Dorothy M. (Muriel) Wheeler was born in
Great Britain in 1891. She studied at the well-known
Blackheath School of Art, and during her career lived
and worked in Plumstead, Kent, and Esher, Surrey.
Her principal medium of expression was
watercolor painting. In addition, she brought
her unique talent for drawing with pure line to the
design of children’s book illustrations and postcards.
.
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The early "comic strip" illustrations she created during
the 1940s and 1950s led to her becoming one of
the most sought-after illustrators for Enid Blyton’s
widely published children’s books.
..
Her illustrations also appeared in books by
Anne MacDonald, including A Pocketful of Silver
and Sung by the Sea. In 1955 Dorothy Wheeler published
her own illustrated version of The Three Little Pigs.
Dorothy Wheeler died in 1966.
Her final work, illustrations for The Ring O’Bells
Mystery by Enid Blyton, appeared in 1965.
.. . .
Just a few books illustrated
by Dorothy Wheeler:
-The Faraway Tree (No. 1)-  1950
-The Enchanted Wood – 1939
-The Magic Faraway Tree – 1943
-The Folk of the Faraway Tree – 1946
-The Little Tree-House – 1939
-Mandy Makes Cubby a Hat – 1953
-The Adventures of Mr. Pink-Whistle – 1941
-Mr. Tumpy Plays a Trick on Saucepan – 1952
-Mr. Tumpy in the Land of Wishes – 1953
-Mr. Pink-Whistle's Big Book – 1958
-Dame Slap and Her School – 1943
-Bumpy and His Bus – 1949
-Mr. Tumpy and His Caravan – 1949
-Up the Faraway Tree – 1951
.. . .
~CLICK HERE FOR MORE BOOKS~
.

~Happy New Year!!!

Lyrics "Happy New Year"

No more champagne
And the fireworks are through
Here we are, me and you
Feeling lost and feeling blue
It's the end of the party
And the morning seems so grey
So unlike yesterday
Now's the time for us to say...

Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I

Sometimes I see
How the brave new world arrives
And I see how it thrives
In the ashes of our lives
Oh yes, man is a fool
And he thinks he'll be okay
Dragging on, feet of clay
Never knowing he's astray
Keeps on going anyway...

Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I

Seems to me now
That the dreams we had before
Are all dead, nothing more
Than confetti on the floor
It's the end of a decade
In another ten years time
Who can say what we'll find
What lies waiting down the line
In the end of eighty-nine...

Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I