Merry Christmas!

To all our friends, family and fans,

May your celebrations be joyful and all your holidays be GRAND.

We wish you peace and happiness.

Gil and Cheryl

New Projects--December 2011

There seems to have been a flurry of events in the past month or so that have called for flowers--bouquets sent to friends and family across the nation.

Rather than send flowers with fleeting powers, Gil chose to translate his feelings into something more permanent with this studio arrangement. With a title of "Forever," we hope to extend a reminder for the recipients of what they all mean to us for, well, a very long time.

Printed on canvas, this image has the visual quality of an oil painting, suitable for framing without glass. Is there someone on your list who you want to remind of your love for them?

Underwater Images

On Sunday we had the chance to get in the water with some children (and parents!) at AquaSafe in Scottsdale. The kids ranged in age from just a few months old to early teens and sported their best smiles for portraits just in time for the holidays. We think everyone had fun and the images are great!

We graciously thank AquaSafe Swim School for the opportunity to bring this brand of portraiture to their families. You can see our underwater world at h2ohphoto.com; book a private session for your kids in season. Check out AquaSafe at aquasafeswim.com.

Buddha

We were entrusted with John Tryon's Buddha to reproduce. He's primarily a plen air painter, choosing oils to paint desert scenes. The original piece of art was done specifically for a yoga studio and other teachers have expressed interest in having their own, albeit smaller, version.

We were as pleased with the results as he was for his clients. He can be contacted directly, if interested, for your own limited edition giclee canvas print at johnt.artinoils@gmail.com

Most Popular

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone that stopped by our temporary digs at Hidden in the Hills this November. The weather was the best we've ever encountered for the event, the participants were enthusiastic, the conversations engaging and it was the most profitable art show in years. What could be better? Well, we did learn of even more places we need to see. We always like that.

While everyone loved our critters, the image that commanded the most attention is one of an ancient dwelling commonly referred to as House on Fire. We call it "Burning down the House." You can see why!

The Images

We are excited to report that sales of our newly published book are going fabulously; beyond expectation. A project that we finished in time for Father's Day this year, to honor our dads, has been very well received. Trying to narrow down our favorite images for this compendium was the most challenging part.

We are grateful to our friends and fans that helped us 'focus' on the best of the best.

The coffee table books make great gifts and are available by special order in time for the holidays. Perhaps there's a father on your list that would most appreciate it?

HITH 2011

The tents are up, the wine ready to be poured...the only thing missing are the friends we have yet to meet this year. We are at Studio 3, Darbyshire Pottery, for the fourth time out of six times on tour. So if you're in Cave Creek this weekend or next, stop by.

This image is yet to be named from our summer trip out to "the Wave." We had taken our friend Marcia to Page for a few days of hiking and we won one of the lottery spots to go out. Once again we were out there in the middle of summer, so we went later in the day, hiking out at darkness. We hope you like this image and the way we have it presented for the show.

For more information on the studio tour or for a map to find the studio, visit hiddeninthehills.org

AZGFD Photography contest

It is that time of year when the Arizona Game and Fish Department announces the winners of their calendar contest. Alas, we did not post any winners (which come with a cash prize), but Cheryl Stapleton scored an honorable mention with her greater earless lizard. She calls the photograph, "Can you hear me now?"

For the article on the contest and to order their 2012 calendar, go here:

www.azgfd.gov/i_e/photo_contest.shtml

There's a great slide show of all the honorable mentions.

New Projects--November 2011

It's never too late to start a blog, the object is to just start. It's been a project on the to do list for a long time. So now is the time.

The latest photography we have been working on are studio compositions.

There were the most beautiful (and inexpensive) peppers at the grocers last week, which spoke of harvest season. We just had to take their picture. As we speak we're printing them to see whether we prefer paper or canvas.