Member Artisan Feature: Sherry Dole Art

"Once upon a time there was a village in the land of Southern Mississippi USA. In a cottage surrounded by an enchanted Wild Garden of trees, flowers and many animals and birds there lived a joyful artist."* 

That artist is Sherry Dole, artist/owner of Sherry Dole Art.  A lifelong artist, Sherry turned pro 15 years ago. “I went thru a difficult time and creating art saved my life,” she explains.  

Also an avid gardener, animal lover, and costume and theatre history buff, Sherry draws inspiration from both nature and history.

As an artist, her biggest challenge is time management. “I always underestimate how long a project will take since my paintings are so labor intensive,” she says. The effort is worth it though, when people tell Sherry how her paintings make them smile and feel good.

Her work has been featured in art shows and galleries across the United States. Hundreds of her pieces are at home in private collections in the U.S., England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Costa Rica.  In addition to her paintings, her Etsy shop offers giclee prints and polyresin sculptures.

Other skills she’d like to explore include computer, digital photography, typing. Says Sherry, “This list could go on forever – I’m always learning!”

Louisiana is important to Sherry. “Growing up in south Mississippi meant New Orleans was always the place to celebrate special occasions, dates and vacations,” she elaborates. “Early on, I fell in love with the history, the people and the wonderful festivals of Louisiana.”

Be sure to check out Sherry's Etsy shop where the proceeds from certain items benefit The Gulf Restoration Network.

To learn more about Sherry Dole and her art, visit:

Her Etsy shop: http://www.sherrydoleart.etsy.com/

Her blog: http://sherrydoleart.blogspot.com/

http://www.theartofsherrydole.blogspot.com/

On Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/SherryDole
On Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/sherrydole,
On Zazzle: http://www.Zazzle.com/SherryDole

* quote excerpted from the shop page of Sherry Dole Art on Etsy.com

Oil Spill Updates

To say this is an oil spill is like saying chocolate is good....it's a total understatement. This is not an oil SPILL...it is an oil GUSHER shooting out countless gallons of oil towards our coastline!

Now, I am a political person but let's leave that out of the equation for just a second...let's not talk boycotts, right/left, drill or no drill, etc for just a bit. There is a time and place for that, but for right now I want to emphasize the magnitude of this problem.

Full disclosure---- I'm a fan of oil. I enjoy driving my car, heating/cooling my home and having all the conveniences of life that oil permits me. However, I am not a fan of oil rushing towards my beloved coast line, coating the feathers of pelicans, killing fish and essentially smothering the local economy around me.

That, my friends, sucks.

Handmade Louisiana wants to help with the oil spill cleanup and catastrophe down here. We have decided to join together as a team and donate the profits of our items to an organization that will help clean up this mess--literally! We are still discussing what organization we want to donate the money to but we're getting our shop all set up in the mean time! Go ahead and bookmark us, www.handmadelouisiana.etsy.com because we're going to have some awesome stuff in this shop! ALL profits will benefit the cleanup surrounding the oil spill.

Member and friend, Mallory of MissMalaprop has been updating the best she can in her blog and I encourage you to read it, including the comments.

We can argue politics later, but right now, let's put our thinking caps on and figure out how we can help this situation. Perhaps you CAN put on your rubber boots and get down and dirty and help clean animals..or maybe you can just donate a few dollars to the clean up efforts. Or maybe you can simply purchase some local seafood from a local fisherman who's livelihood depends on the gusher being contained.

Our coast is an important part of our lives down here and as Hurricane season fast approaches, we need to get ready to buckle down and take care of what is rightly ours.

Let us know if you have any other links, sites, resources to help with the oil spill.

~~Amy

May Meeting! Come on Down!

Don't Forget! We'll have a meeting, Monday, May 4th at Books A Million in Covington at 7:30pm. Hope to see you there!! If you can come, please visit the forums and let us know! We also want suggestions, ideas, etc for our group, even if you can't attend the meeting! We're small, but growing!

Bring an item if you want it lovingly critiqued, and any questions you want answered! I may have the business cards by then also and can hand some of those out.

Don't forget to keep an eye out for local musicians, especially indie ones (they are indie only if they are unsigned by a major label..they'll tell you if they are.)

So, I'll see you there!

Don't forget to visit the forums, introduce yourself and get involved! We have set it up so you need approval to join the forums and we require you to post at least once a month or you'll be removed from the portal. Please visit HERE and please reply that you AGREE To the rules!

Thanks!
Amy