"Women know the weight of every item of clothing they own, so we don't have to get on the scale naked.  We just deduct.  For instance, I know that my sweats weigh in at exactly twenty-one pounds." (quote from Christina Irene, weight watcher)

It seems fitting, somehow, that my first time selling my Animal Coins is in the town of Paradise, California at a Chocolate Festival.  Two of my sisters moved to this pretty town a couple of years ago, and I decided it would be fun to participate in the craft show, do some visiting, and eat some very delicious chocolate.  I must say I was pleased with the reaction and attention I got.  I found it wonderful that people stopped at my booth and spent quite a bit of time exploring the countries and animals I had on display.  I surprised myself and had about 100 different coins on display, most of them as pendants, which gave us plenty to talk about.

I was surprised at the number of people who asked me if I had American coins, in particular the 50 state quarters series.  As a coin club member, I may have understimated how many people have enjoyed collecting and followed this series of coins.  So, for anyone who may have asked, I am going to start working on painting some of these.  My husband, who was a great help at the booth, has quite a few in his collection that he is going to let me have to paint...  it will be interesting to see if we have all 50 states. 

I also wanted to thank my two sisters, Ginny & Corliss, for all their help and support, but most of all for thinking to show up mid-day with a supply of very cold ice tea for me.  I knew there was a reason I loved them!

Things went so well, I will be looking for more events to participate in.  If you have a favorite event that you would like to suggest to me, let me know...  I can always be reached at Ann@AnimalCoin.com

Thanks, Ann

I was reading a little fun piece called "Wild Words from Wild Women" and I finally found something that explains why I have to excuse myself from the world and paint...

"I am convinced that there are times in everybody"s experience when there is so much to be done, that the only way to it is to sit down and do nothing."  (Fanny Fern)

This is a 1 Kina coin from Papua New Guinea, and it features Sea & River Crocodiles.  Historically, coins were made with center holes to wear the coins on a string around your neck.

This country is north of Australia near the equator and is divided into more than 7,000 seperate tribes speaking more than 700 mutually unintelligible languages.

The coin was hand painted by Ann Nolen in the style of enamelling.  The end result is a unique piece of jewelry, with an interesting story to share with your friends and family.

Ann

 I think Age is a very high price to pay for Maturity.

You are only YOUNG once, but you can stay IMMATURE indefinitely.

This weekend they had a fun event in Sonoma County called "Barrell Tasting."  As you would guess, you drive to various wineries in the area and get to taste right out of the barrels.  You also can buy "futures" of the wines you tasted that will be ready for sale in 12-18 months. 

There were over 100 wineries partipating, and we have over 500 in our county alone, believe it or not!  So, we picked some smaller, newer wineries that we had not been to, or hadn't even heard of yet.  I was the designated driver for my group, and had a great time even though my family was getting pretty silly by the end of the day!

The day gave me a chance to relax, talk to people, and observe the wonderful color in nature.  As an artist that is inspired by color, observing the colors around me is a thrill.  Especially in the Northern California Wine Region I live in, which is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  Now keep in mind that it is March, so many of the trees are bare and not much is growing yet.  But yet, wild mustard in brilliant yellow is evident in all the vineyards, and it looks stunning.... 

I consider painting coins (or anything else, as that goes) as my "therapy."  Life is stressfull, and so allowing some time to zone out, paint, and make something beautiful is essential to my well being.  I have collected coins with animals on them for over 15 years, preferring not to fall into the usual category of collecting "dead presidents" which is most US coins.  In 2009, I am heading down the path of combining my passion for coins with my love for doing any kind of art activity. 

Make the art is fun and easy for me, selling it is another story.  Although I am an outgoing professional (I am an accountant for a nonprofit by day), I don't easily switch to selling, especially if it is something I have made.  So, I am going to go out into the web and see if this slower one-on-one pace works for me.  I intend for this Blog to be a chance to share my artistic adventures, and what ever else comes up.

"An Optimist feels we live in the best world possible, a pessimist fears this is true."