Sandi McCabe

I have loved art all my life!  In school, I found ways to illustrate ANYTHING using my pencil crayons from Grade 1 and on.

About 20 years ago, I met Cheryl O and she inspired me to buy a set of acrylic paints, join her classes and create pictures from my own photography or painting on site outdoors.

I next joined The Gallery Paining Group 15 years ago and I was so enthralled with painting outdoors twice a week with my fellow Members from May until October in and around London.  This is a group of 70 very talented artists who mentor eachother.  We weather wind, rain, sun and bugs to follow our passion and to learn and experiment! I have also ventured into oils as well.  We hold our annual show at the Byron Library in October.

I met Don Cavin, Artist, whom I have followed over the last 10 years at the Southampton School of Art.  In 2011,  I painted with Don for a week in Charlevoix, Quebec.

I have also taken lessons in our home from Jamie Jardine.  He has helped me simplify my colour palate while still obtaining a dynamic colour punch. He has the knack of really giving me his true input on my work (no holes barred) which I have learned a great deal from. Steve Tracy has helped my "push the darks" and allowed my art to speak loudly. I took a course from Randall Sexton in 2013 in Maui in oils.  It is with Randall, I learned that cars and people were just shapes.  In 2014 I flew to Vancouver and painted 1 on 1 with Gaye Adams in oils.  She inspired me to really paint what I see and not to make up colours that were not there.  We painted in the rain most days and I found that painting dreary, wet skies was tough but I did it and thank Gaye for that.

For the last 6 summers, I have lived on the Toronto Islands for a week, where I grew up, at the Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts.  Sixteen artists now come with me!  We take our bikes all over the Islands and paint our hearts   out!  This is truly going back to my roots.  

Six winters ago, I joined the Fort Myers Beach Art Association where I paint with the Plein Air group on Wednesdays.  I also stumbled on the Lee County Plein Air Group.  They assembler on Fridays so there are plenty of opportunities to explore SW Florida and paint PALM TREES, not just maples and pine trees!

I have taken 2 sessions with Neil Walling, a Florida Artist on painting with oils.  Neil tries to get me out of painting a plain blue sky and adding many colours to the clouds.

November 2015, I put "my big girl pants on" and entered a contest in Fort Myers Beach called PAINT THE BEACH.  60 artists come from all over the U.S.A. to paint on location for prizes and pride.  On the Saturday they had, what was called, "A QUICK DRAW" where 30 plus artists all started painting in one specific area when the whistle blew and ended 2.5 hours later.  Shock set in when the judges awarded my painting, "Sunny Days" FIRST PLACE!  

I have teamed up with 3 friends for 6 years now.  We have an annual show at The Arts Project in London.  Janice Howell , Michele Haley and Don Earle are my best buddies when it comes to feedback and support.   We call ourselves, "The Shady Artists".  20% of our proceeds go to My Sisters’ Place.   What a great partner they are ...  so much support and love.

The Shady’s showed for a number of months at the spacious Aeolian Hall in 2018.  They want us back from July 2nd, 2019 until January 2nd 2020.    They love us there and we appreciate their support as well as their patron’s true interest in our art.
 

Please let me know what you think of my work by email.  This will serve as the ultimate compliment! 

I pinch myself every day that I paint!  This is my BLISS!  I thank my Family and Friends for their constant encouragement.