NEWS & EVENTS

What a wonderful time of year to reflect on all the things we are deeply thankful for in our lives! At the very top of the list of blessings is our family and friends.

It was love of family that provided an opportunity for the most inspired design of this past year, a special project created to honor Susan’s wonderfully talented cousin-in-law, Ellen Stamilio. Ellen’s passing last year left both our family and the decorative painting community with an enormous sense of loss, even as we continued to celebrate her life and her talent. Ellen had been working on a four part series of designs featuring seasonal still life paintings, losing her battle with cancer before finishing the final piece. Her husband, Mike Stamilio, collaborated with Susan to bring Ellen’s final design to fruition. It was recently released in the Winter 2008 issue of A PaintWorks Christmas, under the title “Ellen’s Winter Basket”.  

While “Ellen’s Winter Basket” is being published exclusively through PaintWorks, the rest of Ellen’s seasonal still life series, along with an entire inventory of past designs featuring her delightfully unique folk art style, is still available for purchase in pattern packet form through:

Touchstones
105 Willowbrook Boulevard
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Email: touchstones@dejazzd.com

The past year has brought its share of challenges, both personal and profession, but it has also been filled with many new and exciting opportunities in the fields of commercial art and artistic licensing for SKS DESIGNS. Try as we might, it is simply impossible to “do it all” AND do it well. For that reason, Susan has decided to take a sabbatical from teaching in order to concentrate her energy on creating a comprehensive portfolio of new design work, while Charlene continues to expand her computer graphic skill set. Please take a moment to visit the Seminars page to see new descriptions of the last two decorative painting seminars being offered for the foreseeable future. We hope you will be able to join us!

And speaking of seminars, we’ve added the fun new section, SKS Scrapbook to the web site in order to share some of the wonderful pictures from past seminars, photographs you have emailed us to show some of your painting creations, and family photos in a slide show format.

At long last, all of the available copies of Elegant Christmas have been exhausted, and the listing has been removed from our Books listings. Please let us know your thoughts on releasing a few of the larger projects as pattern packets with multiple step-by-step color worksheets, new photography and more comprehensive written instructions.

And speaking of pattern packets, we’ve heard from many of you that you are painting the new pattern packet, Peace and Grace Tryptich, to include in your holiday decorating. It always makes us happy to hear the creative ways you have used the designs featured in our books and pattern packets for alternative surfaces and decorating. Please don’t hesitate to share your photos of finished projects with us!

Be sure to sign the guestbook if you are not yet on our mailing list, OR you need to update email or snail mail addresses we have on file for you.

We are so grateful to all of you who have shared your sweet words of encouragement, creative energy and insights, rich laughter and positive reinforcement throughout
this past year.

We hope this holiday season is filled with magic and delight for you and yours,
and that 2008 brings you abundant blessings.
You have been a blessing in our lives!

Susan and Charlene

Archives

March 2007: Susan contributes to the Kooler Design book, "Paint-a-Tile" and releases the Peace and Grace Tryptich pattern

October 2006: Susan collaborates on Kooler Design projects and releases the Gilded Angel.

February 2006: See Susan's Kashmiri Floral Egg Box in the April 2006 Decorative Artist's Workbook!

October 2005: Susan unveils the 2005 installment in the Santa Series. "Peace Dove Tree" is featured in Paintworks.

April 2005: Read about Susan's adventures as the representative for the State of Virginia at the 2005 White House Easter Egg Display.