I grew up in Cocoa Beach, Florida, which is where I took this picture. We spent summers on the beach, playing in the sand, riding the waves in our big orange raft. We watched rocket launches from our backyard, and I still get a thrill when I'm visiting and there's a launch. Now I live in Royal Palm Beach, which is still in Florida, but not anywhere near the beach. I think it was a land scam in the 50's, with a name that would convince northern retirees to buy a home 12 miles west of the beach. Apparently, it worked.
I came down to this area of Florida (southeast, near West Palm Beach, sort of near Miami on the map, only we never go there) after college with my brand-spanking-new degree in accounting. I worked in accounting, gradually accepting jobs that got further and further away from accounting. My creative side won out when I was about 30 and I went back to school to get a cooking degree in Baking and Pastry. Those jobs lasted a few years, until I realized I was never going to make that much money cooking, and then the economy forced the closing of the cake shop where I baked. (Yes, we made wedding cakes that look like those of Cake Boss.)
I've always been creative and taken classes for fun -- jewelry making, flower arranging, assemblage, painting -- and I now fully embrace my artistic side. I am an artist, and I dabble in painting, collage, and bookmaking. I also make jewelry. I'll always take classes, always learn new techniques. The artist in me has finally taken over, and that is my focus in my life now. For two years, I've been the President of our local arts group, the Wellington Art Society. I've started a blog for that too and you can see it here. Oh yeah; and I'm very busy with my kids, my husband, our dog, our house that we just renovated, and any other project I may want to begin.
I named my blog Blue Sand Studio to reflect my roots in the beach, the water, and Florida. The "studio" in the name represents all the different types of art that I do. I focus on jewelry making, and yet painting, collage, and bookmaking keep drawing me in. In my jewelry, I use a lot of silver and copper wire and sheets, glass, and natural-looking stones. In my painting, I use acrylics, and I'm still trying to find my style. I'm trying a little bit of everything right now.
Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have any questions, you may email me at: sredmond75@comcast.net
