It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air in this cozy seaside village. A sailor has just arrived home after spending months on the high seas carrying a present for his girlfriend. Off to the right, a captain greets his family with a heart shaped box. Is it candy?... or could it be a treasured Sailor’s Valentine filled with lovely shells from exotic places?

My favorite season to paint has always been winter so when my calendar company requested a Valentines day painting, I was anxious to get started. I pulled out my "Nautical" folder, overflowing with magazine clippings of old ships and harbor towns. After several days of sketching, "Sailor's Valentine's" was born.

"Sailor’s Valentines" is scheduled to be in my 2012 calendar with Legacy Publishing Co. and will be a puzzle with Masterpiece Puzzles in 2011.