All the a&bnews that’s fit to print. 

Written this month, like most months, by Anne (so you know who to complain to or compliment 😆)

Hello and welcome back to our monthly newsletter, where you’ll get all the latest a&b and studio news that’s fit to print: Where we’ve been and are heading, what we’re shooting and studio updates, along with some of our favorite things & people. Know someone who might like to receive this in their inbox on First Fridays as well, please forward this free post to them and THANK YOU!

current location📍

From the mountains of Colorado to the coast of Oregon. That’s right, our first stop in Oregon is, perhaps not surprisingly, the beach!

in the rear view ↩️

At the beginning of September we headed to Denver to finally get Ellie’s front end separation fixed which means our little family of four had to settle in to a pet friendly hotel for a luxurious adequate and relaxing stressful stay. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of being owned by cats knows how much they love a change in their routine and especially, their space. 

Willow basically disappears wherever she can (usually under the bed), but Frankie must make his displeasure known; loudly and constantly and by attempting to break the speed/sound barrier. But especially during the witching hours—once the lights go out and the two-legged room occupants try to get some shut eye—he does not have an off switch. And don’t think this black cat is afraid of the dark—we actually call him our burrito cat he loves burrowing under allllll the covers that much. Then of course since he stayed up all night whining, he’s exhausted and spends most the day fast asleep. Sigh.

Anyway, we were all thrilled to pick up Ellie again and sleep in our own bed. We were lucky enough to pick up a just-opened site at one of our favorite city (really state, but you’re in the city and it feels like it) campground, Cherry Creek State Park over the Labor Day Holiday. It was an all-sun site, but spacious and we were grateful to have it although the a/c could barely keep up. Did we mention our tin can gets as hot as a well…tin can in the sun? Airstreams are great looking and they’re also great conductors of the elements, hot or cold.

While Ellie was getting ship shape, we also had to move storage units. A not so fun fact of full-time life on the road is having to put everything you own in storage. We’re forever grateful for what our siblings have been able to take and store for us, but they don’t have all the room in the world either, so a storage unit will always be in our lives as long as we don’t have a sticks and bricks.

Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of having to have an offsite storage unit knows what a racket they are. They lure you in with a great deal/price and before too long, they start raising the rent, assuming, usually rightfully so, that it’s more troublesome to move your stuff than to pay the increase. But it gets to the point where it’s absolutely ridiculous, so it had come time to move said stuff, once again.

Thankfully, in large part to aforementioned wonderful family, we could at least downsize to the next size down, a 10×10, which definitely helps. We hired two guys who’ve helped us move in the past to transport our stuff from the current storage place to the new one. They’re great muscle, but because they work so fast, I couldn’t also have them organize the boxes and tubs where we wanted them so we basically had to move everything back out the following day and then repack it all back in. It was a really fun weekend! Ha ha.

After four months in Colorado, we finally waved goodbye and headed west. Next stop, Salt Lake, with a stopover about half way…

Next stop, Great Basin National Park!

Stay tuned for our photos from inside Lehman Caves, especially the Inscription (ie. smoke graffiti!?) Room!

We then hit South Lake Tahoe to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary! We forgot to take a photo of our site, but it was nestled among tall pines and was lovely. 

Our wonderful anniversary dinner at Christy Hill in North Lake Tahoe…

It was a hell of a view, but I enjoyed the view across from me the most…🤤

Sunset at Idle Hour wine bar right on the gorgeous turquoise waters of Lake Tahoe

But sadly, we had to say goodbye to Tahoe and go to Napa. I know, I know. Poor us. 

We stopped by Cline Family Cellars in Sonoma one late afternoon for a tasting, our only one of the trip, and it was excellent. Now run by the second generation after being founded in 1982 with 100+ year old vines.

Lastly, after a wonderful dinner with family where we had so much fun, we forgot to get a photo (argh!), we were on our way to Northern California and the giant Redwoods.

Our plan was stay at this gorgeous Airstream courtesy spot (where other Airstreamers offer a complimentary place to stay on their property), usually a long driveway or a side parking spot off their garage or house, but this couple had a serene spot under trees they had planted two decades prior! We were very much looking forward to staying with them for three nights (often spaces are only for one night, but they allowed four), and spend more time exploring the California redwoods. Alas, their electrical hookup didn’t play nicely with Ellie’s inverter and we had to leave after one night. 

Sadly, we’re not set up for boondocking this season, having left our generator in storage. That beautiful canopy of leaves? Well, that also meant no sun to our solar panels so we couldn’t recharge our batteries. We were very bummed to have to leave early.

But that did mean we got to our next spot sooner…we finished September finally arriving in Oregon. We’re so excited to be here and forever grateful that we get to travel like this. Obviously, it’s not all puppies and rainbows, see front end separations and almost electrical fires to name a few of the more severe non-rainbows, but the bright has definitely outweighed the dark. 

next exit 🛣️

After we wrap up our brief stay here on the coast, we’ll be making our way to southeast of Portland in wine country, where we’ll be setting down roots for a month. If you’re a sentient being, you’ve probably noticed gas prices lately and since Carl runs on diesel, fuel is even higher for our big a$$ truck. 

We’re looking forward to having more of a home base for a couple of weeks, though and making some day trips from there when we can.

field notes 🗒️

In case you missed it, the October release for the Love Notes Postcard Project is now open, and only through this weekend! Here’s a little tease of what’s to come for members; your theme is Autumn Nouveau and we cannot wait for you to receive your package this month!

Thoughtfully curated and beautifully presented art that is worth keeping, and gifting of course…delivered to your actual mailbox each quarter, project members will receive in mid-October:

• Five 5×7 fine art postcard prints with First Class stamps in the curated theme, this year, Autumn Nouveau, printed on thick 130# matte paper stock with a soft touch feel. Perfect for sending or displaying!
• Personal letter from a&b discussing the inspiration behind that quarter’s theme as well as the individual postcard prints, think Behind the Print & Tranquil Tuesdays, but more intimate. Behind the scenes photography info/tips on each chosen photo, too!
• Your meaningful gift this quarter is a custom made, premium acrylic magnet featuring one of our Limited Edition Fall photos
• Other thoughtful surprises and touches created just for this quarter & theme
• A unique and special unwrapping experience
• Free Priority Mail shipping with tracking

We shared last month everything members received in July so you can get more of an idea of what the Fall edition will hold while still getting to be surprised. You can also see a short video of the package coming together that we put together over on Instagram.

Lastly, with July memberships, we donated $10 to the Ocean Conservancy. Thank you for helping us keep our oceans healthy and thriving! This quarter, $1 from each subscription will go to KID smART, a non-profit bringing art education to kids directly via local artists, founded and working in our beloved adopted city of New Orleans. 

Crucial especially now as arts curriculum and budgets continue to decline in public schools, KID smART’s mission is more important than ever. The artists-in-residence work to integrate art into not only the obvious, art studies, but into other subjects, as well, like math, foreign language and science to help boost learning AND make it fun. 

KID smART was founded in 1999 and their vision is “A future where every person has access to transformative arts experiences that spark learning, connection, and possibility.” They’re helping schools understand that a well rounded education, and a successful one, needs to include the arts. We absolutely agree.

Let us know if you have any questions at all and we hope you’ll join us in the Love Notes Postcard Project if you haven’t already. Let’s send more love out into the world. 💌

cats crossing 🐈‍⬛

As you know, we’re not alone on this journey of ours, thankfully. Our dear kitties, Frankie and Willow are with us providing much needed cuddles and lots of laughs, always. 

wild hearts 💓

Where we share sightings of hearts in the wild, because who among us couldn’t use a little more love?

Okay, we may be pushing the usual hearts concept here, but we just couldn’t resist this month, because these two have our hearts. Who doesn’t love seeing their designs out in the wild?? See what we did there?

artist spotlight 🔦

We could not be more thrilled this month to feature one of our favorite artists on earth, who just happens to be a dear, dear friend. You’ve already seen her beautiful face grace this newsletter many times, but now you get to see her equally beautiful work…Roseann Niemeyer.

Roseann is not only one of the funniest, most down to earth people you’ll ever meet, but she also happens to be extremely talented. Now obviously, we’re a little bit biased, but I have little doubt that once you’ve seen more of her work, you’ll have to agree.

AND, our feature is very timely, because she has a very special solo show starting TODAY, October 2nd at Core Art Space in Lakewood, Colorado. If you’re anywhere in the area (we deeply wish we were), hopefully you’ll go and check out her work live and in person. And if you go TONIGHT, you’ll even get to meet her yourself at the opening reception and see for yourself, we’re not lying. She’s the real deal.

Married to her adorable and sweet husband, Steve for over 40 years and a former paralegal in her previous life, Roseann is an avid Cross Fitter, Pilates enthusiast, gardening goddess, fellow foodie, and of course, a fantastic artist. Oh, and she also moonlights as a fashion model for Denver Fashion Week. No biggie. She inspires everyone she meets and basically, I’d very much like to be her when I ”grow up”. Hell, I’d like to be her now.

I’m a huge fan of mixed media and if I ever get to dedicate my days to making physical art, that would be my medium, but that’s also because I can’t paint or draw to save my life. That’s not Roseann. Just look at this sweeping peony.

Her colors are absolutely luminous and I love her use of gold leaf when she deploys it.

And, last but definitely not least, our favorite piece is the one we’re lucky enough to have grace our walls….

Isn’t she just gorgeous? I, in particular, miss seeing her above the bar everyday. Let’s be honest, Bill probably mostly misses the bar, but he loves her, too. How could you not?

Anyway, don’t just take our word for it, get thee to her show before it closes October 18th!

Roseann Niemeyer 75 Live
Core Art Space: The Annex in Lakewood CO 
6501 W Colfax, Suite C
On view weekends Oct 2-October 18

Opening Reception *TONIGHT* Oct 2, 5-7pm!

Follow Rosie on Instagram so you don’t miss any new work or the latest Denver hotspots because she finds them! And you can catch her most First Fridays at her open studio nights at Backyard on Blake in Rino Art District.

And if you’re interested in any of these works or any that you see on her Instagram, send her a DM to inquire about availability and pricing.

**Please note all images of the artist and her work are copyrighted by Roseann Niemeyer and may not be used w/out permission.

Many thanks and all the hugs, Rosie for letting us feature you and your gorgeous work this month. Love you, lady!

u-turnin’ 🔙

ICYMI our recent Tranquil Tuesdays…

point of interest 🤳

With fall progressing, we’re heading out to capture its colorful brilliance. One sure-fire successful approach is to point your camera in the direction of the sun with your subject between you and the sun. Why? Leaves become much more translucent when they shed their green, and that extra light passing through them really makes them pop. You can test this for yourself by selecting a tree or grove of trees and shooting it from various angles.

Mildly overcast skies work well too for a nice even look with lower contrast (see image lower right). Check your local foliage peak forecast and get on out there! We’d love to see what you get, too—feel free to send or tag us!

exit through the print shop 💝

To celebrate the official beginning of Sweater Weather™, we’ve added three new sets of photo coasters to the Gift Shop! There’s nothing like Fall in Colorado, well, according to our photos anyway. (One of these days we and our cameras will get to New England and Colorado might have to watch its back! 🍁)

Made with a hardboard bottom and finished with a glossy photo top, these sturdy coasters look great sitting on your coffee table and you won’t even need to remind guests (or your family) to use a coaster because they’ll already be picking them up. The make a great house warming or host/hostess gift, too!

packing for our trip 🧳 

As artists, we love nothing more than seeing our art proudly displayed in our clients’ home (yes, yours!). Giving a piece you love a home, purchasing something in our Gift Shop and/or subscribing to our Love Notes Postcard Project are the best ways you can help support us and our work. Frankie and Willow thank you for helping keep them in kibble! If you’d like any help at all choosing the perfect image or the perfect sweatshirt, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you. And thank you for reading and sharing our work and our emails with those you love. It means the world to us both. 💕

xoxo…
a&b

*We do not use affiliate links here. Everything and everyone we recommend or mention are just because we like them. 🙂

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