Amy Sanders - Pastels, Cape Cod Artist, Addison Art Gallery, Orleans, MA


A Stiff Breeze Pastel 12 x 12 framed 18 x 18 $1,100
		"I was captivated by the dancing energy of the wind-blown water, rippling, splashing, and bouncing around, with no apparent pattern whatsoever, all the while, the wind whipping up the background water and feeding this frenzy of water play. This kind of weather, that stiff breeze whipping out of the northeast, is typical in late August and early September, as the weather patterns change and set up for the winter season. I love these weather patterns because the air is still warm, yet crisp and clear, with the summer's heavy humidity gone. It's a weather pattern full of energy—in the water, in the air and even in the people"

Low Tide Shore Break Pastel 10 x 9.5 framed 15.5 x 15.25 $850
		"This scene represents all the parts of the small wave. The back wave is just starting to crest and in front of that is the curl and tumble of a active wave just breaking. In front of that is the whitewater of an already collapsed wave, and then the shallow backwash of a previous wave over the sand trying to beat its way back to sea against the incoming water. Nature provided a beautiful composition here."

Dune Spill Pastel 10.25 x 10.25 framed 15.75 x 15.75 $900
		“As the dunes of the lower Cape’s outer beaches erode back, it has become more and more frequent to find these spills of stones. These spills usually contain a mixture of clay (green, orange and blue-gray) and stones that look nothing like the standard stones found on the beach. They are rounded as if having been in the sea, but they have an almost metallic shimmer to them that makes them iridescent in the sunlight. They are fascinating to look at. It’s this shimmer, and intensification of color, that this painting aims to capture. This is nature’s composition, including the feather which drifted in on the wind to land amongst the spilled treasure.”

Highland Light Sunrise Pastel 13 x 16 $1,700
		“Highland Light is rich with memories and tradition for me. When I was young, I used to lay in bed and watch the flash of light pass across my ceiling. I cherished the fog horn in stormy weather. I once taught a child who had lived there, and now my father is President of the Highland Lighthouse Association. I’ve climbed this light and stood on its upper decks more times, and with more people than I can count. One morning a few years ago I took my sister-in-law and my father there to see the sunrise and this glorious sight greeted us. It was positively spectacular and begged to be painted as no photograph would ever capture the glory of this scene. Highland Light is now operated by Highland Museum and Lighthouse, Inc. (of which the Highland Lighthouse Association is a part). However, a substantial part of the financial burden for maintaining this light is borne by the National Seashore, and the Seashore was instrumental in having the Lighthouse moved in 1996. We have the National Park system to thank for preserving this historic landmark for the generations to enjoy.”

Break of Day at Fort Hill Pastel 13 x 23.75 framed 20.5 x 30 $2,300
		“I awoke one morning to see some tremendous billowing clouds scuttling along in the pre-dawn twilight through my window. I remained peripherally aware of them while I prepared for work that day. Later, while on my way to work, they began to light up with the rising sun still below the horizon. At that point I had little choice but to be at least a few minutes late for work! I veered off Rt. 6 to the Fort Hill overlook just as the first rays of sun pierced through to set the hills there ablaze. Obviously, with work calling, I took a barrage of photographs to use as reference but the scene burned a permanent impression of breathtaking beauty in my mind. This is why I moved here. The presence of the National Seashore has allowed us to savor these precious stunning moments in a way that few are able to experience. It has protected wild areas from the encroachment of 'civilization' which creates the hustle and bustle that so often causes us to lose sight of Nature's beauty and splendor. Living in the presence of the National Seashore allows me at least a part of each day, a reminder of the grandeur of Nature and our responsibility to do what we can to protect this beautiful land.”

Richard and Arnold Pastel 12 x 12 framed 18.5 x 18 $1,200
		"My inspiration here was in the endless textures: heavily weathered wood waiting to be painted, reflections in the water, metal gear, rust and ropes. These boats show all the strains of a life at sea, a unique, rugged beauty."

Symmetry Pastel 9.75 x 7.25 framed 15.5 x 13.5 $750
		“The symmetry between the cloud and the shadow of the beach grass on the sliding sand caught my attention. The shadows were dramatic, the angles were dramatic, and I ached to throw every color I could think of into the sliding sand, and watch them play off each other as light does as it passes through the crystals of the sand.”

Late Summer, Nauset Marsh Pastel 9.5 x 12 framed 15.875 x 19.375 $950
		“This piece was inspired by a windy late summer day on the Nauset Marsh walk, with much of the marsh grass flattened by a recent high tide. The tips of the grass are just beginning to take on that rich golden color of very early fall. The tide is low now, so the flattened grass is left to dry in the wind while we get a peak of the water receding water in the small channels running through this scene.”

Rolling in Again Pastel 12.5 x 14.5 framed 19 x 21 $1,600
		"The wildness of the outer beach with a raging storm well off shore. The Atlantic takes on this face when a hurricane passes several hundred miles out to sea as it heads north and dissipates. You can see the clouds in the distance that mark the edge of a rough weather system. In conditions like this, a perfectly formed wave can still appear in amongst the rough water and here it did, with a beautifully ridged wall of water rising almost smooth like glass, only to crash back into the roughness again. You can't ride waves like this, because you can't predict where they will form, or where their edges will be. All you can do is stand back and admire."

Show Off Pastel 10 x 9.5 framed 18 x 17.5 $950
		“This prickly pear cactus grows all over my yard, and has since I was a little girl here. It’s a nuisance much of the time (lots of little hair thorns that are hard to see and even harder to remove, but hurt like crazy). However, when this cactus blooms, the yard erupts into a yellow frenzy which is just spectacular. With this piece I decided to try a bit looser of a style and play with a wide variety of colors, in keeping with the flashiness of the cactus.”

Wave Dancers Pastel 9 x 9 framed 17.5 x 17.5 $900
		“This is Nature's composition along the edge of the shore. What attracted me to it was the unique pattern on the main rock, which reminded me of the petroglyphs done by Native Americans on stones in the Southwest. (for all we know they did them here, too, but the weather here would have erased any evidence). I see a joyful figure playing along the curl of the wave. I feel a spirit in that stone.”

30 Knots Straight Out of the Northwest Pastel 18.5 x 22 framed 26.5 x 30 $3,800
		“I have been walking this Cape Cod bay beach (a local one, for me) all of my life, and this is a typical late summer/early fall scenario where the weather pattern sets up with clear crisp air and a stiff breeze out of the northeast. When the wind gets to a certain level, the water’s surface begins to whip up into this white froth that runs in straight lines with the wind. The waves also chop up like you see here. At the time I decided to tackle this, I was looking for a challenge in terms of technique, and I was really inspired by not only the sheer beauty of this type of scene, but the challenge of rendering the intricacy needed to convey the water pattern accurately. When I look at this piece now, as when I was working on it, I can feel that wind, and the spray of water against my face. I can hear the roar of the water whipping into that frenzy as if I were standing there.”

Shell Gazing II Pastel I4 x 5 framed 12 x 12.5 $600
		“This painting was inspired by the intricacy and mathematical perfection of the spiral on moon snail shells. Every single one has the same exact spiral, increasing at the same exact rate in the same direction (always clockwise as you look at the top). Add to that all the intricate growth lines and the subtle colors and you have an elegant beauty. I did one with a yellowish cast, as many are, and one with a bluish pink cast, as you often find in older shells.”

July Pastel 10 x 14 framed 18 x 22 $1,400
		“This piece was inspired by the sheer joy of a little fellow just tearing back and forth at the waveline. This little guy did this for nearly a half hour — never darting in closer to the waves, but never fully retreating either.”

Stormy Seas Pastel 16 x 21.5 framed 24 x 29.5 $2,500
		“We’re all inspired by this kind of scene — the turbulence, the richness in color and the sheer energy of the ocean around a storm, which in this case was largely offshore.”

Solitude Pastel 18 x 24 framed 26 x 30 $4,200
		“This tree sat isolated out in the Provincelands, with nothing around for shelter or companionship. I admire its rugged existence. I did the piece for the beauty, and to challenge myself with the shadow of the leaves (there are over 30 colors in that shadow if you look carefully!). A little glimpse of the water in the distance seemed to complete the scene.”