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Featured products from Annie Mason Designs store Click to link to the image products. The store is NEW, and Annie adds more artwork each month. BUY NOW FRESH &NEW SEE ALL > BUY NOW BACK TO HOME

Frequently Asked Questions posed by Annie that can be read by visitors to the site. Did you always want to be an artist? My career as an art teacher and illustrator began at an early age. I loved coloring books, paper, paint, looking at objects and drawing them over and over. So, yes, I discovered that I could look at something and draw that object with clear distinction. I knew that I had something inside me that wanted to draw. I went to a parochial school and I remember my third-grade nun, Sister Hilda. The class was learning about countries around the world, and our teacher had the students draw houses, or symbols from a country that we had discussed. Our class was dismissed for recess. Sister Hilda noticed me still busy. I was diligently working on a pagoda as seen in our Japanese study. She looked at my picture and immediately ran to pull another nun into the room to look at my drawing. I wish I still had that picture. It's in my DNA. After I retired my artwork is watercolor; my true love. My home art studio is my happy haven. What is your background? By middle school, if there was an art class to take, I took every class that I could and found that this was my "thing". Math? Not so much. By college, I knew what my major would be. There was a community college that had a Graphic Arts program and I completed that two-year degree then decided to go on to a four-year insitution with a major in Fine Arts and a minor in education. The natural course led me to a job as an elementary art teacher in my hometown. I taught there for four years. Later, after several summers as a crafts school instructor in Maine, I was hired as an elementary teacher in that state. With another colleague, hired at the same time, we were responsible for writing the curriculum for the art program. This was an exciting time in my background, as I taught in three schools: grades K through 6, and averaged about one thousand students in a two week rotation. I loved it! What inspires you? Any quick look around anniemasonart web page and you can see that I love painting flowers, birds, insects, animals...anything from nature. I see what I see, and my heart usually says: "I want to paint that!" Who are some artists that influence you? My primary medium is watercolor. Since my subjects are flowers, birds; anything nature, I am strongly attracted to the artists of the Impressionist era: Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. I also love botanical works, like those of Pierre-Joseph Redouté See my watercolor rendition of Redoute's Roses below What's the favorite part of your job? The best part is that it is not "work". The most amazing thing is that I have never thought of it as work. There are some images that I might spend more time on but the blank paper has never scared me. I do use reference photographs. After all, if I am painting a sea turtle I want to make sure I know what a sea turtle looks like I try as much as possible to work from photographs that I have taken myself. This way I feel that the image is from my eyes, to my brain, to my hand. What do you like most about being an artist? The absolute best thing about being an artist is that it opens up a whole world of connections and friendships. Even though I work alone in my studio I think about the painting that I am working on and know that someone is going to "connect" to the colors, or the subject, or a memory that makes them happy, like this reproduction of this vintage McCall's pattern. A buyer was so excited to see this on a greeting card because her mother was a seamstress. Art is emotional. I find that I connect with a person who tells me that they really like a painting. My artwork is relatively small: 5 x 7 inches or 8 x 10 inches. Easily scanned and formatted to greeting cards or matted to 11 x 14 frames. What do I love most? Sharing my vision of the world with others. What is your work-day like? Since my studio is in my home I go to "work" whenever I want to. For a tour of my present studio read about My Happy Haven. Like any at-home job, you plan your time around your household activities. The third-floor room isolates me from the rest of the house. I can come and go as I please. All my supplies are in the area, I have a holder for my tea, or water. Paint, paint, paint. Repeat. I do, however, have to be careful of which cup I put my paintbrush: Why did you choose watercolor painting as your favorite? A detailed blog tells the story of "Why do I use watercolor as my medium?" I have always loved the look of this transparent quality of watercolor. For details I add pen or watercolor pencil. They give me more control for outlining. When you are creating art, do you do it in silence, or to a background of music?" I have a TV in my home studio but most of the time I'm so immersed in what I am doing that I'm not watching. Yes. I prefer to have music on when I paint. I do have to be careful if I video my work in progress because if I have music in the background I won't be able to upload it to YouTube because it would be against copyright policy and background music needs to be royalty-free. Movie scores are dramatic and I tend to like those playing in the background. Ennio Morricone (who passed in July 2020) was an amazing composer / conductor. His piece called, Gabriel's Oboe (from the movie The Mission) gets me teary every time. I painted this while listening to the music. Another blog post lists My Top 10 List of Music to Paint By Where do you sell your work? The first place that I sold my artwork was on Society6. This platform was created to help "starving" artists get their work noticed. My daughter had given me a phone case from their website. It had a bird painted by another artist. I loved it and she said, "Mom, you could do this!" So, I did. Later I had a local printer make greeting cards from my scanned artwork. I opened an ETSY shop. It was a lot of work because you have to take good pictures, buy envelopes for the cards, buy sleeves to make them shop worthy, then mail them to buyers. The fees added up and I closed the shop. About that time I found a perfect match. Heather Boutique My artwork on greeting cards, framed prints, and some original art is selling amazingly well at Heather's shop. It's nice to have a shop that is suited to my style and a relationship with a local brick and mortar store that caters to loyal customers. If you visit Fredericksburg Virginia visit her shop. Do you do commissions? I have always been a bit nervous about commissions. My confidence goes down when I think about whether the artwork will be satisfactory to the buyer. Lately, however, I have done a few commissions and it is rewarding when the buyer is thrilled with the final work. If there is any thing, however, that artists tell horror stories about, it's commissions. Buyer's remorse doesn't pay the artist the time, materials, and skill that a disgruntled person might demand in terms of a refund or payment. I am careful in evaluating whether the pet portrait, the architecture, or floral work is something that I want to take on, or not. For some of my personal thoughts on this visit: Commissions, Sales, and Gifts,...oh my. My current commission rates: Framed 8x10 image matted to 11x14 inches Pet Portrait $250 Framed 8x10 image matted to 11x14 inches Architectural $300 I am more apt to do gifts if I am excited about drawing/painting a subject. My most recent, painted for a friend, featuring her new puppy: What is one of your favorite paintings? I love most of my floral work but I tend to like the ones where I did a "work-in-progress" video. (Maybe that endears me to the image because I had to review the process and watch again while editing. When is an artist finished? That's a big question. I have gotten out of bed and gone up to the studio to stare at a painting (I do that a lot). Is it finished? Maybe darken this corner? There is no right answer. Rembrandt is reported to have said: "An artwork is finished when the artist says it is finished." If I have signed it, I usually don't touch it again. See this blog post: https://www.anniemasonart.com/post/when-is-an-artist-finished SUBSCRIBE BACK TO HOME Annie Mason would like to acknowledge the printing services that produce my greeting cards and prints that are offered for sale. I can count on a quality finished product and excellent service. If you live in the Fredercksburg Virginia area please use this one-stop shop for your printing needs. 540-898-7888

Annie Mason Art is a place to showcase my watercolor artwork on Society6, Redbubble, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Watercolor painting themes include subjects from nature: flowers, insects, birds, animals, and still life.

CAFE ROSES Art Print VIOLIN AND FLOWERS Stickers GOLDEN RIBBONS Sleeveless Top SEASHELLS PATTERN Tote Bag HEAVENLY BLUES Canvas Print BUTTERFLY TANGO Drawstring Bag WILD WILDFLOWERS Shower Curtain FLORAL FUSION Throw Pillow SHADES OF WINTER Scarf INCH BY INCH, ROW BY ROW Coffee Mug APPLE AND A HALF Jigsaw Puzzle OREGON Desk Mat TOUT SWEET Coasters ROSA CENTIFOLIA FOLIACEA Throw Blanket BURST Spiral Notebook GIRAFFE AND HER CALF Baby One-Piece STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW Scarf GRANDMA'S DOILY Pin SEASHELL BY THE SEASHORE IPhone Case A BETTER WORLD Sleeveless Top WILD WILDFLOWERS Pet Mat SHATTERED DREAMS Zipper Pouch VIRGINIA iPad Case or Skin LEAFY TREEZY Graphic T-Shirt Dress BACK TO HOME

All Fifty State Birds and Flowers are highlighted in a video on YouTube. State Birds and Flowers Watercolor renderings of all 50 State Birds and Flowers click below to view this on YouTube State Birds and Flowers SUBSCRIBE Other Collective Projects Home or Business Illustrations | Pet Portraits | The Fredericksburg Collection Stay in Touch BACK TO HOME

Information on contacting the artist. subscribe form Annie Mason Fredericksburg, VA (where you'll find me in my art studio! ) anniemasonart@gmail.com Contact Annie Mason Thanks for submitting! Submit As a local business, I am honored to discuss with you commissions that will suit your needs. Drop a note on this page and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Artwork Information My standard is 9x12 art images using watercolor, pen & ink, colored pencil, crayon, and/or charcoal and other mixed media. The finished product will be matted into an 11 x 14-inch frame unless we discuss an alternate size. Framed architectural artwork starts at $350.00 Framed pet portraits start at $300.00 Unframed artwork: $250.00 * A non-refundable $50 deposit at the time of the commission agreement is required. The customer must agree to a month for completion, as an average. Full payment must be made at the time of delivery. I accept checks made out to Annie Mason , PayPal , Venmo , or Credit Card BACK TO HOME

An ongoing collection of iconic Fredericksburg buildings, museums, and sites. Works are mixed media: watercolor, pen and ink, and crayon. The Fredericksburg Collection Museums and Iconic Buildings in Fredericksburg, Virginia Scroll over the image for the building title. Click to the websites. BACK TO HOME SUBSCRIBE

All Posts Working Artist blogger Meet the Artist videos gift ideas Art Supplies Family History biography Art History POD shops shopping Lifestyle Amazon Prime Music and Art art lessons books Annie Mason 2 min read Top 10 Books for the Beginner Artist I thought I would do a few posts with my top books for those beginning to jump into the art world. I’m sharing the top ten books I picked for beginners from my collection. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 1. Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often To Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Artist You can read all the books you want, take all the classes and workshops you want, and buy all the best gear, but your art will only improve if you practice regularly. This book gets you started on that path. 2. Watercolor 1: Learn the basics of watercolor painting Caroline Linscott covers a range of popular subjects as she introduces several basic art concepts and painting techniques, all clearly explained and illustrated. 3. Watercolour for the Absolute Beginner: The Society for All Artists The exercises are ideal for beginners, and the main projects will also build skills that will help artists improve. A pull-out outline drawing is provided for every exercise and main project, and Matthew Palmer shows step-by-step instructions on how to transfer these onto watercolor paper. 4. Drawing for the Absolute Beginner: A Clear & Easy Guide to Successful Drawing A series of fun, hands-on exercises help you practice and perfect your strokes—24 mini-demos lead to 9 full step-by-step demos. The lessons you learn by drawing simple subjects such as coffee mugs, clouds and trees will help you take on progressively more challenging matter like animals, still lifes, landscapes and portraits, 5. Art for Kids: Drawing The entertaining, hands-on lessons begin with contour drawing techniques and feature numerous exercises that show budding artists how to make basic shapes and forms. 6. 30-Minute Watercolor Painting for Beginners Beautifully presented instructions and illustrations show you the fundamentals of watercolor for beginners. In five different lessons, mix colors and try various brushstrokes and washes. Learn how to choose and assemble your supplies and paint using color theory and composition techniques. 7. Lessons for Painting Flowers: Easy Watercolors for Understanding Colors and Procedures The eight lessons are carefully constructed to build the necessary techniques, one step at a time, by first starting with simple tasks such as creating and painting flowers with just a few petals and gradually leading up to more complex works with multiple flowers and colors. 8. Birds, Bees & Blossoms: A Step-by-step Guide to Botanical and Animal Watercolour Painting Botanical artist Harriet de Winton shows you how to paint modern watercolor artworks to treasure and share. This book aims to expand readers' repertoires into fauna and flora, with easy-to-follow instructions for a variety of difficulty levels. 9. The Big Book of Realistic Drawing Secrets: Easy Techniques for drawing people, animals, flowers and nature This book can teach anyone to draw (yes, even you!) Carrie and Rick Parks can help. As award-winning teachers, they have a proven game plan for helping artists of all levels overcome common problems and see immediate improvement in their work. 10. Figure It Out! Human Proportions: Draw the Head and Figure Right Every Time For those who want a bigger challenge and enjoy figure drawing, Christopher Harts shares his "foolproof" method; even beginners can quick-check the proportions of their head and figure drawings, identify errors, and swiftly fix mistakes. Pin it, please—comment below the post. Working Artist • blogger • art lessons 16 views Post not marked as liked Annie Mason 3 min read 10 Checklist Items for Your Travel Needs. It’s essential to adapt your luggage to the specific trip you take. I’ve found, however, that regardless of where you go, there are always a few staple essentials that go with you on your travels. I’ve created a list of my top ten things to bring in your luggage, regardless of the nature of the vacation. Click the title or the photo to link to the products. 1. Cell phone. Phones are more a part of our lives than ever. Bringing your cell phone can help you in a pinch, provide a camera, and, in most cases, a form of navigation if you lose your way. 2. Credit Card Holder. Some people say money makes the world go round. You’ll need something to fund your trip regardless of your opinion on cash . A credit card holder is easy to carry. When buying a new wallet, use RFID shielding technology for cards and IDs. RFID blocking technology provides an extra security layer, protecting sensitive information from unauthorized scanning. Travel Credit Card Holder 3. Charger. In this modern age, we rely on our phones a lot, so giving them the fuel to perform the functions we need is essential. This Power Pro 5000 Ultra-Compact is a minimal, tubular design that slides easily next to your phone in any pocket or bag. It is just 10cm tall and 3cm wide. 4. Extra Photo ID . One of the best packing tips I received is that preparation is essential. If you lose one photo ID, whether stolen or misplaced, having an extra form of idea allows you to continue to travel back home safely. Avery Durable ID Cards, Laser Printable on Both Sides . 5. Toiletry Bag. Hygiene matters. Bringing a toiletry bag with hygiene essentials keeps you organized and feeling fresh. This bag was given to me as a holiday gift. It holds hairbrushes, combs, toothpaste, a curling iron, a small tissue box, and even a little mirror that could be handy in the wild. Made with extra-tough fabric and technical details, then extensively tested in our lab to prove it can hold up for the long haul. These come in various sizes to meet your travel needs. You gotta love L. L. Bean for the perfect bags for all your needs. 6. Chapstick. Few things are more irritating than having chapped lips and being unable to do anything about it. Bring some chapstick and stay moisturized. 7. Empty Water Bottle. You may not be able to pack a filled water bottle on a plane, but bringing an empty one on your trip is a great way to stay hydrated. The eddy+ Camelbak© water bottle has a leak and spill-proof cap. It is BPA-free, dishwasher-safe, and compatible with other CamelBak© products. The loop handle makes it easy to carry, and the sip mouthpiece and straw make drinking a pleasure. 8. Ear Plugs . You never know what party people might be in the hotel room next to yours. Having your plugs might be the answer to a good night's sleep. 9. Hand Sanitizer. When traveling, you come into contact with many unwanted germs. Even if a sink and soap aren’t nearby, it’s nice to be able to sanitize. This one is available at Target . COVID-19 taught us a thing or two about hand sanitizer. Considering when you will be around many people is a good idea. A small hand sanitizer in your luggage and/or purse is excellent. Wipe those handshakes right away. (Discreetly, of course). 10. Sunscreen . It doesn’t matter where you are; the sun is never kind to the skin. Bringing sunscreen will ensure that your skin is protected in any weather condition. Pin it, please. Comments below this post. Lifestyle • blogger • gift ideas 33 views 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Annie Mason 2 min read Apparel to Beauty to Office and more! * As an Amazon Associate, I earn from products that you purchase. Click anywhere, any category, and any product and shop any item on Amazon from my links in this blog. If you add ANYTHING to the cart and purchase that product I will get a small commission. Thank you for your purchase, in advance. The apparel pictures and others represent the departments but you can shop anywhere on Amazon, and order anything. Don't forget this is great gift shopping Start shopping here ⬇️ APPAREL Check it out! Women's top, blouses Women's tops, blouses, clothing Check it out! Women's dresses Women's dresses Check it out! Men's Tees Men's Tees Men's Sweaters from Amazon Men's Sweaters KITCHEN & DINING Pictures of bakeware, baking sheets, tools Bakeware Storage bins from Amazon Storage Chairs, utensils, tablecloths, carry tote Eating & Dining Cell Phones & Accessories Phone holders, Earbuds, Chargers, iPhone, Android + more. HOME & GARDEN Plants, potting soil, patio, grills, fire pits, home trends CAMERA & PHOTOGRAPHY Security cameras, binoculars, digital cameras, tripods, telescopes, drones, kids cameras, + more OFFICE PRODUCTS Chairs, chair mats, partitions, folders, planners, shredders, + more. BEAUTY & PERSONAL CARE Makeup, Skin Care, Hair Care, Fragrance, Nail Care, + more. You do NOT have to be a Prime member to take advantage of this. ⬆️ Amazon Fresh offers grocery delivery on tens of thousands of products – from a complete grocery selection to everyday essentials, toys, gifts and more. Fresh is Prime customers' one stop for great deals on national favorites, new tastes, organic, and more. Audible Plus, a brand new all-you-can-listen membership that offers access to thousands of titles, including a vast array of audiobooks, podcasts and originals that span genres, lengths, and formats. Create a registry that celebrates who you are as a couple. Shop the world's largest selection to find everything you need to build your new life together. Our membership program offers special benefits including: *Save 20% on diapers subscriptions *Exclusive Coupons and Deals from Amazon Family *Exclusive Baby Registry benefits *FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items *Unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows *Unlimited, ad-free streaming of over a million songs and more Prime benefits Amazon Prime 80 views Post not marked as liked

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