Sticks and Litter Where Once Blossoms Stood – Oh, Hail!

Exhibit. Carol Till invites you to her show in the Santa Fe Arts District.

Artists on Santa Fe Gallery + Studios

June exhibition features new work by printmaker Carol Till.

Tequila Hues - Carol Till

June 5 - 29, 2019

First Friday Art Walk: June 7, 6-9 pm

Third Friday Artist’s Reception, June 21, 5-8 pm

This show includes a series of beautiful metal etchings of agaves, botanically accurate and finely detailed, printed in the intense colors of the desert using colored inks and handmade papers. Don’t miss visiting with Carol during 1st and 3rd Friday evening openings or Tuesdays 10-1:30 in June. Join her for tequila themed refreshments at the Artist’s Reception on June 21, 6-8 pm, Artists on Santa Fe Gallery, 747 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Colorado 80204 

Spring Bloom on the Colorado Plateau. May bountifully produced the outcome of the wettest spring in years on the Colorado Plateau. Early in Cortez and Hovenweep areas, and later in Moab and Grand Junction areas. In Navajo State Park (NM), every shrub and bush on the canyon walls was in bloom. In the slick rock, cacti blooming yellow and hot pink. The tallest Utah Mallows your Editor may ever have seen. Grasses thick and Sego lilies carpeting the ground like bindweed in a pasture. This bang-up nature show is moving northward from Grand Junction toward Wyoming, so go visit Hayden or Steamboat or Dinosaur and fill up your eyes.

Silverpoint Workshop (in homage to ASBA’s 25^th Anniversary Year efforts) April 27 with Tom Mazzullo was awesome. Participants gesso-coated papers, impatiently allowed them to dry while sampling techniques on sample papers. The most amazing marks are left by the edge of a silver dollar! Copper bits – like pennies or bits of solid-strand electrical wire – for fine or broad strokes. Silver wire (and copper wire) is held in a 2mm lead holder; sharpen the tip for fine, soften for broad. Both these media age to lovely patinae, while gold wire makes a delicate pale mark that will never tarnish. We had flowers, critter skulls, and various objects to practice on. Other metals (like, well, lead) also serve as mark-makers. He told us it was a pleasure to teach technique to people who already know how to draw. Well, it was a pleasure for us, too, Tom.

The Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango has exhibits in its two permanent galleries: “Ben Nighthorse Campbell: Honors & Awards” and “Hispanidad! Treasures of the Southwest." A third gallery features the traveling exhibit from RMSBA, "Cannabis: A Visual Perspective." Exhibits are up throughout 2019. Drop in on your way to Hovenweep or Monument Valley.

Call for Entries. Once more we announce the upcoming member show “Feathers and Flora: A Natural Relationship.” The Prospectus remains available for download at OnlineJuriedShows.com. We continue to recommend the YouTube journey with John Muir Laws’ “How to Draw Birds” offering, recently revised according to the New Birds Drawing Systems. Check it out! Last day to enter August 1 (notifications by August 7).

Wall of Birds. Jeanne Benson offers this link about depicting the evolution of birds. “Huge project and very inspiring. In the video, the artist talks about tweaking the birds through their eyes and bills to make them more interesting.”

Beyond the Studio: Make a Difference! – 2019 ASBA Artist Grants 
If you have been a member of ASBA for two years, you can apply. Grants may be awarded either to individuals or to groups.

New this year: Do not submit applications online; instead, use the downloadable application form. Submit the form with supporting documents via email using the WeTransfer program, which can accommodate large files up to 2GB for free.

Three grants may be awarded to worthy projects this year:

             1. The Esther M. Plotnick Artist Grant in the amount of $3,000.

             2. The Dorothy R. Peck Artist Grant in the amount of $1,000.

             3. The BAEE Artist Grant in the amount of $3,000 for a project focused on native plants.

Applications must be submitted by August 1, 2019. Artist Grant awards will be announced at the ASBA Conference Awards Banquet, October 19, 2019, in Pittsburgh.

To learn more and apply, go here. Review the past project archive here for inspiration!

Tagawa Gardens Lavender Fields Forever event!

Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists Show & Sale

Saturday, July 13, 2019; 9 am - 3 pm

As always, a beautiful selection of botanical art! RMSBA artists display our exquisitely detailed works in a variety of media, including colored pencil, watercolor, etchings, ink, and graphite. Original works, prints, greeting cards, and similar offerings will be available for purchase.

Any artist is welcome to provide a demonstration of technique and to work on new projects -- actually creating art -- while at the garden center. This sort of activity might serve to slow down the hopefuls racing toward the High Plains Iris Show, so as to siphon off a few shekels from the rhizome sales. Tagawa believe it would be wonderful to have a couple artists working on some art pieces as guests stroll by.

Contact Irma Sturgell (isturgell@gmail.com) if you are interested in bringing your work to the show.

Preminder: June member meeting Sunday, June 23. Dorothy DePaulo will conduct a workshop on rendering birds in colored pencil on Mylar at Valkarie Gallery. More details to follow.

Welcome to Fall

WICKED Exhibit at ACAD Gallery

Remember to use plexiglas or acrylic instead of glass when framing your illustrations for this exhibit. Michael’s informs us that acrylic is indeed expensive, but so much lighter and less fragile than glass, and you need to get it now if you haven’t done so already. Turn in your work at ACAD gallery on October 7.

Bin work will be available for purchase from the night of the reception through the end of the show.  Gallery will be open to the public for the opening reception October 10, October 17, October 24, and for the closing reception October 31.

“Bin work” consists of unframed (usually matted, but that’s optional) pieces of artwork, and may be prints or originals.

Eligibility is limited to any artists participating in the exhibit, who must notify Sharon Eaton or Patti Hearn before October 5 if planning to bring Bin Work. 

Each artist can submit up to ten unframed 2-D works. All artwork must be botanically-themed, but may include other elements such as wildlife and insects. Protect work in clear plastic covers.

On a typed inventory sheet, list title, media, and price of each artwork along with your contact information. Submit it with your bin work on October 7 when you drop off your Wicked illustration(s). Place a small label and price on the front upper corner of the cover for each piece of artwork. Label the back of the work with title, whether original or print, price, artist’s name, phone number and email. Inventory sheet and label details must match.

A commission of 30% for sold work goes to the Aurora Cultural Arts District (ACAD). RMSBA will handle the sales and issue payments on sold work within 30 days after the end of the show. Applicable fees will be deducted. 

You will be asked to volunteer at least once to staff the Gallery housing the Bin Work, on October 17 or October 24, 11am – 3pm. We will set up 2 hour shifts; minimum of two people per shift. If you have a professional quality black canvas floor bin, please bring.  We have several but can always use more.

Pick up for unsold Bin Work has yet to be determined; we anticipate Monday, November 2. More details will be provided later.

At last: a Little Cooler

Art in the Garden August 22nd, 9 am – 5 pm – Tagawa Garden Center

Saturday’s the Day! Come support your fellow artists at the RMSBA artist show and sale. Bring your checkbook… Leave your iToys at home, because we have music and the Rocky Mountain Highland Dancers and vast entertainment. The event closes at 5:00 pm, at which time participating artists must dismount the displays and retrieve all unsold items.  

Backyard Bar-Be-Que on August 30

Party-time approaches quickly! Be sure to RSVP to martin.vanessa655@gmail.com or (720) 870-1488 by tomorrow or Friday. Do remember about the side dishes and the labor. Also, look again in that closet and see what you can donate to the fundraiser.

 Don't forget about how much fun we'll all have...

Late July: Flower Explosion on Kenosha Pass

July Meeting

We meet at Hudson Gardens on South Santa Fe Drive from 1-3 on Sunday, July 26. Enter through the gift shop; no charge. Several areas will be closed off and unavailable for sketching, including the water features and Monet gardens, as they are setting up for a concert later that day. No meeting room, but the attendees can gather (in a shady spot) and catch up on the latest news, and then off to plein aire sketching!

If you are a Wicked entrant, you can bring your forms and fees and turn them in, and beat the drop-dead date of August 1, 2015.

Art in the Garden August 22nd, 9 am – 5 pm – Tagawa Garden Center

This year’s Tagawa Gardens event has a full day of activities in the theme Art in the Garden.  First, of course, the RMSBA artists' show and sale, then workshops taught by Sharon Garrett and Patti Hearn: Shading and Watercoloring for Kids, and Doodle Art for Tweens & Teens. Also featured are other workshops conducted by local artists. We will enjoy music and performance by the Rocky Mountain Highland Dancers. This year’s event offers a perfect venue to talk to the public about our organization and to showcase our artists. 

This is your opportunity to sell and share your art work: we can’t hang framed pieces, but can make prints, note cards and other botanically-themed articles available to the general public.  If you want to sell your artwork, assist with a workshop, or just be a part of the event, please sign up by sending an email to Patti Hearn at pattihearn@hotmail.com.  Sign up by August 17 at the latest, and the sooner the better so we can get organized and make this a successful and fun event. More details will be provided to participants.

It’s Independence Day! (…tomorrow)

Happy Birthday, USA.

July Meeting

We are on for Hudson Gardens on South Santa Fe Drive from 1-3 on Sunday, July 26. Enter through the gift shop to go in at no charge. Several areas will be closed off and so not available for sketching, including the water features and Monet gardens, as they are setting up for a concert later that day. There is no meeting room, but the attendees can gather (in a shady spot) and catch up on the latest news, and then off to plein aire sketching!

Tagawa Gardens

On Saturday, August 22, we have an RMSBA event at Tagawa Gardens in Parker. It’s an opportunity to sell works of art, cards, matted pieces, etc. Patti Hearn will meet with a TG representative on July 16 to iron out specifics. TG takes 10% of sales and also the tax load. They apparently do not have equipment to hang framed art, but we hope for a counter for cards and notes, etc., and a few fabric bins for matted pieces. More information to follow!

Open Studio

Capsicum annuum

Please join us this Tuesday, April 14, at Valkarie Gallery, 445 S Saulsbury St, Lakewood, CO 80226, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm for our Open Studio.

Do bring whatever artwork or concept project you are working on and a light snack. You don’t have to be a member to participate, and we’re sure you will find the atmosphere inspiring!

Happy Holidays

Take a moment to enjoy the coming of winter. Walk in the brisk air, or under pelting, dancing snowflakes. Curl up with a great book and a cup of hot chocolate. Or head out to our blog, and enjoy this lovely Winter Holiday Art Share...Lovely pieces by all.

Teresa Burkert, colored pencil, Indian Corn

Jan Boyd Haring, mixed media, Stag Ponders Snow

Jan Boyd Haring, watercolor, Doe in Snow

Jan Boyd Haring, watercolor, Stag in Forage

Dorothy DePaulo, Colored Pencil, Father Christmas and the Red Birds

Dorothy DePaulo, colored pencil, Red Bird

Dorothy DePaulo, colored pencil, Scots Pine

Karen Bogus Bryant, watercolor, Winter Window

Marjorie Leggitt, watercolor, Illustration from Seeking the Wolf Tree

"This is a book I’m working on as we speak! Seeking the Wolf Tree by Natalie Laura Cleavitt. It’s a kids’ natural history book based in an real life experimental forest in New Hampshire. This illustration (to which I added an ornament for my Leggitt Design holiday card) shows one of the main characters discovering the actual “wolf tree”.  The book will be published in 2015.

Martha Narey, Horedendron flavescens, mistletoe from the Guadalupe Mountains

Martha Narey, Acrylic, Amaryllis

Annie Reiser, white ink, Zentangle inspired Christmas balls

Annie Reiser, white and black ink, Snowflake detail

Annie Reiser, white and black ink, Snowflake Package

Annie Reiser, ink and watercolor, Zentangle Cone

Irma Sturgell, watercolor, Pale Amaryllis

Irma Sturgell, watercolor, Holly

Libby Kyer, watercolor, Remembrance

Libby Kyer, colored pencil, A Touch of Festive Red

Libby Kyer, Lenten Rose on Vine Wreath, Print from ink illustration

Inspiration

Inspiration is where you find it, and I'm pretty sure you'll find some at the American Society of Marine Artists new website. They've posted their latest exhibition, and there is so much to see. Just click on their name, and you'll go right to their site.

Here's an opportunity that is inspirational start to finish:
ISLAND LIFE: Tropical Field Studies of Art+Nature in Puerto Rico
March 8-14, 2015
Embark on an artistic exploration of the diverse tropical wildlife of Puerto Rico, including rainforest, mountain, beach and coastal environments.
Info and registration:  islandlifepr.org
Registration Deadline: February 8, 2015 The ART+BIO Collaborative, an educational nonprofit organization, offers ongoing art and nature travel opportunities that creatively explore the living environment of Puerto Rico and the American Southwest. Our next program, ISLAND LIFE: Tropical Field Studies of Art+Nature in Puerto Rico, will take place March 8-14, 2015. Participants use hands-on observation, artistic interpretation and biological and natural history methods to utilize the natural habitat as a studio+lab and make informed art inspired by plants, animals, and nature.
Please consider joining this program and share the information with colleagues, students and anyone who may be interested via email and social media. The program is for anyone over 18 and registration is open now.  You can also follow us on Twitter @artbiocollab for updates. I hope to hear back from you either way to let me know if you are interested. Please let me know if you prefer not to receive emails about our workshops and I will unsubscribe you from our list. Thank you!


Now would certainly be a good time to look up great travel/art study/internship opportunities for 2015.  Here's a brief list:

1. School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens once again is offering a broad and exciting round of classes for the first semester of 2015.

 

Amaryllis by Laurence Pierson, teacher at SBAI

 

Egg Tempera, Botanical Zentangle and Creating an Art Portfolio Case join all the usual suspects in watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, ink, and illumination, with master educators and artists.

 

 

2. Art Students League of Denver can lead you into areas you may not have considered, including 3-D arts in a variety of media, life-drawing and silverpoint!

 

 

3. The Society of Botanical Arts in England Distance Learning Course: Want to see what botanical art is like 'across the pond?" Check out the SBA's distance learning process. It may provide a new look at how to create botanical art.





PARTY TIME!

Click on the image to get a larger version of this year's invitation to our annual Holiday Party. Then get your party hat on, and plan to join the celebration!

Holiday Presents for Yourself

In this season of many holidays that celebrate light in the darkness, how about bringing light to your own work as an artist! Botanical art is sometimes looked at as 'just' an illustrator's work, as if anyone could do it for $x/hour. Yet we know the dedication, excitement, perseverance, joy, struggle, talent and so many more factors that go into creating our art, regardless of its uses, either in science or in fine art, it's all art! Perhaps if we had more support as artists, that is, we gave ourselves more time to think of art and the process of art, then we could view what we do as full-on art. Art for science. Art for exploration. Art for education. Art for joy.
 
Here's an easy way to peer into the heart of art. BrainPickings  This website is free, intensely researched, beautifully put together, and brings new insights into art with each week. Books from so many authors and artists are discussed in depth, and are creative fodder for each of us.  For example, this week's offerings include:
 
Leonardo's Brain: What a Posthumous Brian Scan Six Centuries Later Reveals About the Source of DaVinci's Creativity, by Leonard Shlain.

 

How to Find Your Purpose and Do What You Love, by Maria Popova

Hugh MacLeod on Setting Boundaries

And here's another offering to your creative self, Bad at Sports. Based on the sometimes flippant response when an artist is asked why he or she went into art, and responds, "Well, I was bad at sports so...". And yet we know, art takes courage, being creative takes belief in one's self. So, check this out for good stories and support.

Or you can check into a lot of blogs at Contemporary Art Blogs. This aggregator has it's fingers in so many pies, you will be sure to find a flavor that you love.

I guess the gift we give ourselves is belief. Belief that what we do is art. That why we do it matters! The world needs artists, because we combine logic and creativity. We see things a little differently. We open doors for others to find their bliss.

Happy Holidays! Keep creating, and your blog will keep on bringing news, education and joy.

In JUST 41 Days All This Can Be YOURS!!!

You may delay, but time will not.”
― Benjamin Franklin
We NEED and WANT YOU NOWas  a new Blogmeister! Libby has produced and managed our blog for the last 3 years, and it's time for a break! However, she's happy to shepherd a new Blogmeister into easy and fun understanding and use of the blog design tools provided by Blogger, and to provide some ideas for future interesting and informative spots on the blog to get our new leader started. Get in step with time. Contact Libby HERE to make your move NOW!

In Just 81 Days All This Can Be YOURS!

“Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”
― Anthony G. Oettinger
We NEED a new Blogmeister! Libby has produced and managed our blog for the last 3 years, and it's time for a break! However, she's happy to shepherd a new Blogmeister into easy and fun understanding and use of the blog design tools provided by Blogger, and to provide some ideas for future interesting and informative spots on the blog to get our new leader started. Click HERE to contact the Blogmeister herself. Time yourself on how fast you can jump into this adventure. .

You're Gonna WANT This Volume! Act Now!

 

DBG''s SBAI Program Created This Unique and Wonderful Book - the Ultimate in a Contemporary Botanical Artists' Journal - and Shares It With You.

See what program manager Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski has to say about this project:

 

Click on Image to enlarge

Judy Vanderbosch                                         Cynthia Rothbard

 

Dear all,

Practice Makes Perfect, A Botanical Illustration Sketchbook, is created by Denver Botanic Gardens’ School of Botanical Art and Illustration. It's the brainstorm of Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, scientist, botanical artist, and manager of the SBAI program. This special edition volume not only represents skills and abilities, but also creativity, ideas and friendship from a consortium of masters and students in the program. In this collective work, each page and image presents a unique view from the illustration community, and reveals something of the heart and mind of the artist. Illustration can take many forms; it has an ability to transform a page and can add magic to words to present what simple text might imply, but can not say.

#1 BIG news: We know at this point that our Kickstarter campaign has been successful for our first goal - we have reached the $20,000 mark needed to print this amazing volume. We have gone over our base publication amount, and so are pushing to do two things:
        1. Sell the remaining limited edition book, in order to,
        2. Fund our new Artist Residency Program.
Since I have gotten so many questions from you, here are the answers to your most frequently asked questions:

1. Printing is secured. 212 books are reserved and we have 288 left of the limited edition.
3. Our KickStarter project continues for just eight additional days, until October 5, 11:04 a.m.
4. The price of the book until October 5 is $48, after that it's $90!

5. From here on, every penny raised goes towards our Artist/Illustrator in Residency Program. Every $3000 unlocks one 6-week position We hope to fund three 6-week positions, available each summer, open for everybody to apply, from the U.S. and abroad.

As of today, we have raised $1853 towards unlocking the first 6-week position!

 

For those who would like to get the book at the special KickStarter rate, and are wondering how Kickstarter funding works, click HERE. Open the link, and on the right you will see a green button “Back this project.” Click and that directs you to a new page where you have different support options to select from. For example: $48 for one book, $95 for two books, $150 one book and you get your name into the book acknowledgements etc. Select the option you like best, click 'Continue. 'That directs you to a page where you create a secure Kickstarter account. After creating your account, you are directed to Amazon.com where you use your amazon account for the pledge. Your credit card is not charged before October 5th. Everything that you pledge above the reward level is tax-deductible.

And here's something fun, if you pledge more than $100 above your pledge level, your name will appear as a supporter of the project in the printed acknowledgements.

More later – I’m so excited to get the Artist in Residency program running and open for you to apply! 
 

If you have any questions, click HERE to contact me.

Mervi

(Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Manager, SBAI, Member, RMSBA, ASBA

 

Barbara McKee                            Annie Reiser

 

 

 

 

Jessy Bergeman

Contributing Artists:

Karla Beatty, Boston, MA; Beatrice Coron, NY, NY; Susan DiMarchi, , Denver, CO; Sarah Homfray, U.K; Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Lafayette, CO; Renee Jorgensen, Lakewood, CO; Ikumi Kayama, College Park, MD; Veiko Kespersaks, London, U.K.; Libby Kyer, Denver, CO; Jenny Phillips, Melbourne, Australia; Lauren Pierson, Denver, CO; Randy Raak, Golden, CO; Annie Reiser, Estes Park, CO; Susan Rubin, Denver, CO; Constance Sayas, Denver, CO; Ann Swan, Rowde, U.K.  - Maria Bumgarner, Denver, CO; Lauren Bassing, Lebanon, NH; Jesse Bergeman, Denver, CO; Michele Bloom, Denver, CO; Leslie Boose, Englewood, CO; Nels Broste, Fort Collins, CO; Cindy Calkins, Aurora, CO; Karen Cleaver, Littleton, CO; Hayley Cook, Denver, CO; Rebecca Corbett, Denver, CO; Lauren Cotie, Denver, CO; Susan Curnutte, Colorado Springs, CO; Shanelle Deater, Aurora, CO; Estelle DeRidder, La Crescenta, CA; Susan Dorsey, Broomfield, CO; Emerson Easley, Saga, Japan; Teri Eichhorn, Ramona, CA; Laura Farnsworth, Denver, CO; Emma Felt, Santa Fe, NM; Meredith Feniak, Denver, CO; Carol Ferguson, Aurora, CO; Linda Forbess, Schofield, WI; Karen Genoff-Campbell, Greely, CO; Noreen Goetz, Aurora, CO; Megan Maksimovich Goodenough, Fort Collins, CO (label calligraphy); Rebecca Hall, Parker, CO; Erin Haley, Denver, CO; Jan Boyd Haring, Cascade, CO; Helen Hasting, Morrison, CO; Marj Hopkins, Colorado Springs, CO; Christina Hubbell, Colorado Springs, CO; Dawn Huston, Colorado Springs, CO; Diane Inman, Corrales, NM; Sendy Issanti, Calgary, Alberta, Canada ; Margaret Johnson, Boulder, CO; Vanessa Martin, Aurora, CO; Judy Matthews, Fort Collins, CO; Karen May, Erie, CO; Douglas McCallum, Longmont, CO; Mary McCauley, Fort Collins, CO; Elizabeth McCauley, Fort Collins, CO; Kathy McCrery, Galesburg, IL; Barbara McKee, Louisville, CO; Martha Narey, Denver, CO; Peter Orleans, Denver, CO; Carla Pawlewicz, Lakewood, CO; Alice Pearson, Greenwood Village, CO; Kirk Pfeffer, Broomfield, CO; Cynthia Rothbard, Nokomis, FL; Jaclyn Sachleben, Richmond, VA; Helen Smithwick,  Colorado Springs, CO; Irma Sturgell, Centennial, CO; Susan Stutzman, Golden, CO; Lesley Switendick, Boulder, CO; Mary Tharp, Arvada, CO; Angela Tingle, Buena Vista, CO; Karen Tillou, Oregon City, OR; Judy Vanderbosch, Denver, CO; Vickey Wood, Highlands Ranch, CO; Megan Wyeth, Saint Joseph, MO; Penelope Yerigan, Littleton, CO.

In Just 101 Days All This Can Be YOURS!

Time marches on. We NEED a new Blogmeister! Libby has produced and managed our blog for the last 3 years, and it's time for a break! However, she's happy to shepherd a new Blogmeister into easy and fun understanding and use of the blog design tools provided by Blogger, and to provide some ideas for future interesting and informative spots on the blog to get our new leader started. Click HERE to contact the Blogmeister herself. You'll be so glad you stepped up to the plate.

Sawdust and Sunshine

Here is the group that sanded, stamped and varnished the gift RMSBA is giving to ASBA conference attendees.  This great group gathered to do the finishing work after Vanessa Martin and Rebecca Hall sourced the wood (Ponderosa Pine - all from Colorado) cut the grooves, did the major portion of sanding, set up everything (saw horses, tables, gloves, paper towels, etc.) and ordered pizza in Vanessa's beautiful backyard and  then invited us over to help them finish. Libby created a great stamp and a cool-looking color for marking the back of each gift.  Thank you all for making this a fun and special event.  AND the product turned out looking spiffy!  Oh, are you wondering what the gift is?  Well, register for the conference and find out.

Check Out Portfolios and Galleries of Artists You Admire

Looking to learn a new technique or understand an old one better? Check out your favorite artists online. Here a few that might get you started:

Catherine Watters, Orinda, CA

Catherine works beautifully in watercolors. Click HERE to see her portfolio site.

 

 

Susan Rubin, Denver, CO

Susan is a master in colored pencil. Click HERE to see her portfolio site.

 

 

millie acharya, Ithaca, NY

millie works in watercolor. Click HERE to see her portfolio.

 

Robert McNeill

Robert is a watercolorist in Britain. Click HERE to see his work.

 

So, you can see, there's a lot of inspiration online. Tap your favorite artist's site every now and then, just to see how he or she is progressing, and watch the growth that is so obvious in wonderful online portfolios.