Christmas 2019

Hello Friends!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! If you are looking for a Christmas card of our family in the mail, please know that we are trying to save trees and fossil fuel by sending you a family picture by email instead. We love you all so much and hope you have a joyous Christmas and a fantastic new year ahead.

 I just wanted to make a quick post about this past year in regards to my art, and what I've been up to.

1- NEW WEBSITE!

After much waiting, the new website is up and running. People can purchase prints and request commissions straight from the website, which is awesome.

2- WATERCOLOR QUOTES

I've done various things for people throughout the year. Two separate people wanted to have a particular quote that they were fond of painted in watercolors. The first is a message of hope for a woman who needs to remember the royalty she always will be...

The second quote was commissioned for a family reunion, and I had copies scanned for the adopted children who were welcomed into the extended family. It is a lovely sentiment for any family to have...

It was a lot of fun to create these quotes, maybe you have a quote that is special to you. I'd love to make your quote become an heirloom keepsake for you and your posterity. Or even a beautiful quote for someone special in your life! What a gorgeous gift this is to give, and the sky is the limit with what I can do in terms of fonts and backgrounds.

3- BUSINESS PORTRAIT

A local Psychotherapist asked me to paint a watercolor portrait for his website. What an honor! It actually turned out pretty neat, don't you think? He obtained the original painting as well as a scanned image to do whatever he wished with it.

Perhaps you might like a self-portrait! OR what would be truly beautiful that I would thoroughly enjoy is to paint a grandma and/or grandpa who is near and dear to you, so the grandchildren will always have their image. Portraits are my specialty, and something I'd like to dive even deeper than I already have.

4- CHRISTMAS CARDS

So you thought your Christmas card was perfect? What about taking your family's creativity to the next level and letting me paint your family freehand? I promise to make you all look somewhat like yourself! A friend of mine asked me to paint one for her family two nights ago, and I was able to piece together their faces from facebook pictures. You can send me pictures of clothing you want on your family members, a background image, anything can happen with a freehand painting! This one is still in the works, but check my facebook fan page for updates on the final product in the next few days! 

5- SACRED ART SERIES

In case you didn't hear, this spring my 3 year old daughter decided to paint on my painting...Yep...

I've also been having a lot of trouble with my watercolor paper that I've relied upon for the past 10 years. Fabriano Artistico 300lb coldpress paper is not being made the same way they used to make it, and I've found annoying spots whenever I paint on their new paper. I am now trying, for a third time, hotpress paper, which has a smoother surface. I hope this is the solution I need to finish this beautiful piece of a mother and her son in heaven.

6- NEW YEAR WISHES

      A- This coming new year I hope to finish my art series...(please, Laura, please?).

      B-  I also want to focus on creating a short video of the beautiful work that I do, and advertise myself to a broader audience. If you have a videographer in the area that might like to work with me in January/February, can you pass along their name?

      C- I'd like to try very hard to have a really big show this year to showcase my Sacred Art to everyone. I had hoped 2019 was my year, and then my 3 year old grew and needed me a lot more. I hope 2020 will be my year!

It would be wonderful to hear from all of you too. What are your plans for the new year? How is your family? Sometimes living in a remote town makes me feel a bit isolated, but it would be excellent to hear from you too. Thank you again for all the support and encouragement you've passed along to me. If you've read this far, I would like to publically admit that autumn is a difficult time for me because I suffer from extreme seasonal depression during that period. Art keeps my spirits alive and connects me often to God, who is my greatest source of comfort, peace, and hope. My wish is that He will be your comforter too, at this joyous celebration of Christ's birth.

Much love to you and your families,

Laura D'Onofrio

PS- Here is my favorite Christmas song, I just know you'll love it too. Pause for a minute, put in your earbuds, take a deep breath, and let this song envelope your soul...