100 Degrees and Reworking Paintings

     Here in the NorthEast we are experiencing the mother of all heat waves.To borrow a line fro the movie Biloxie Blues..this is like Africa hot! One hundred degrees is just...well... unnecessary. What do people do down south who have to endure this kind of weather on a more regular basis?

I am definitely a cool weather person. Love my sweaters.

So what are all of you doing to keep cool? I took my son to a movie, went to a support group meeting and am planning to pull an all nighter in the studio. Okay..maybe a half nighter. I have an acrylic painting of a horse in half pass that I have been staring at for the past few weeks trying to decide what to do with it. I love the horse but the backgrounds just irks me. So I am planning on reworking this one. I like the arena but the rest has to go.  I will post the results as soon as I finish it! Oh , that is if I can figure out how to post photos from my iphone! :)

Now for my question of the day. Does anyone know if you can post photos to Blogger from your iphone? I can't seem to find any info online on how to do this. Anyone?


Now I know I said I would be posting details from the Alvaro Castagnet workshop but I have lots of images that I would like to include.  makes for a more interesting blog post. Don't you agree?

Stay cool!   :)
Deborah

Winter Studio Sale!

Winter Studio Sale

     It's that time of year again! I got bit by the spring cleaning bug and have been cleaning out my studio. This means I have a few offerings for an Ebay sale. I have listed my newest giclee reproduction of the watercolor original Power & Lightness. This is my newest Dressage reproduction. I have 3 listed with bidding starting at only $15!

 

I have also listed a couple of Daily Riding Essential Paintings, an original Viszla and an ORIGINAL 10 x 8 acrylic painting. I will be popping a few other items on during the week. So be sure to visit my listing page!

Click here to go to Ebay auction 

Other Studio News

 Artist Retreat

On another note I am super excited to be attending an artist retreat in May. A will be spending a whole week in the beautiful Catskill Mountains working with master watercolorist Alvaro Castagnet. I am looking forward to immersing myself in this wonderful opportunity to learn from such a wonderful painter. If you are not familiar with his work and are curious to know (and see) more visit his website here.

Dressage Horse WIP 2

I worked a bit more on this last night. It is starting to throw a bit of a shape now. Originally I was thinking of making this a grey horse  but things change! :)  I wanted it to pop more so I changed to a more vibrant palette. At this point I am working wet on wet. I wet the areas I want to add color to, drop in the pigments and turn the paper on end letting the colors mix on paper. I keep an eye on maintaining the correct musculature when wetting the paper. Wherever the paper is wet the pigment goes. The dry paper acts like a brake and stops the pigment from going any further by beading up.. This is super fun and I never know what I am going to end up with at this point but the paintings always seem to work out! Here is an example of where I am going with this from my website. Connection

Have a great day!

Deborah

Dressage Horse Watercolor, Dogs & Landscapes

I have to apologize for my blogging lapses. My little Apple laptop is not recovering from it's kernal panic attacks. I loose everything that I am working on when it crashes. There will be a new laptop in my future.
Art show deadlines have been keeping me busy and I have several pieces that I am completing. I have about 6 paintings I am working on plus a daily plein air. So I am busy, busy, busy again. I am going to be doing a little studio sale on Ebay in the next week so keep an eye out. I'll post info here and I will send out the info in a newsletter. You can have the latest info delivered right to your mailbox. Sign up here... Newsletter
The above image is a fun piece that I am working on. I am playing with this one and seeing where the water and pigment takes me when I push it around the paper. The eyes are in the initial glazing stage so they have a scarey mask-like appearance. It still amazes me how these paintings develop with each glaze. Sometimes I think they will never work out and then all of a sudden they start to throw a shape. This is painted on a quarter sheet (14 x 10 1/2) on Arches 300 lb, hot press paper. This is a super heavy, thick paper with a lovely smooth feel. Just wonderful for pushing paint around.

Still on the easel in my Newfoundland puppy. Starting to push those darks now. She is in the very blue stage! Many of my black dogs start out this way! Getting there!

Since the computer seems to be cooperating I will go ahead and post 2 plein airs that I did. En Plein Air means that they were painted on the spot and not from photos.
The first is a painting of our barn done from the driveway from our house. It was SUPER cold out and the painting water was icing up! But I did get to use my new Cheap Joe's Field Easel! This is a 7 x 10.

This second one is quite large. It meaures 14 x 12 (or there about) and was painted during a break when we had torrential rains that washed away the snow! This is a tree that sits next to my driveway. There is something about this one that I really like.


I don't want to push my luck and have a computer melt down! So signing off here! As always your comments are always appreciated! Have a great day!

Deborah

New Daily Riding Essentials

The holiday portraits are for completed so I have been playing around with some daily paintings. Back by popular request are the Daily Riding Essentials! How fun are these? This is another hoof pick brush – very similar to the one I did last year. Hoof Pick 2 measures 6 x 8 and is acrylic on canvas panel.

The second image, titled Show Sheen, is of a very popular equine coat polish. I love it for keeping tails silky and tangle free. I really like this one! Measuring 8 x 6 it is acrylic on canvas panel.

These paintings make really cute groupings in a barn office or tack room. If you have any requests pop me an email and let me know! These are $50 each + $4.95 for Priority Mail Shipping and can be purchased through my website here
Click to purchase Show Sheen
Click to purchase Hoof Pick2

     If you are interested in more than one let me know and I will generate an invoice to combine the shipping cost. deborah@deborahosullivan.com. Remember to bookmark and check back throughout the week for new Daily Riding Essentials.

Acrylic Draft Cross Portrait

Today's painting is a 14 x 11 acrylic portrait of a draft cross mare named Bonnie. She is a draft cross and this piece was a Christmas surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this even though it was a real challenge getting it right without her owner's input! My final result brought tears of joy and a "it is perfect!" response from the recipient. That always brings me tremendous satisfaction.
On another note, I am having computer woes with my 7 year old Powerbook. It has been having kernal panics and apparently does not like my new Airport Extreme WiFi base. So I have a new Mac Pro laptop at the top of my 2010 wishl ist. If anyone has any suggestions on what I can do to help this one bring it on! :)

Hope everyone is keeping warm!

Deborah

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Book Review..Memoirs of a Bathtub Psychic

Today's post is a review of a super book. Okay, now I know it is not art but the author is an artist and the book is about dogs! I will get back to the art tomorrow. This book touched me on so many levels that I just had to share. I picked up this book called Memoirs of a Bathtub Psychic by Bethanne Elion  and I could not put it down. I read it in two evenings and loved it. This book is a memoir of how the author got started on her holistic journey to save her dogs and how she has come to terms with her psychic abilities. I have posted a full synopsis of the book below which explains the book better than I can. I am after all a painter not a writer. :)  This book is very informative and a real eye opener for anyone who manages their dogs conventionally.....ie kibble, full vaccinations, etc. You will laugh and cry as you read about  her journey. A real page turner!  If anyone is looking for a great read to cozy up with I highly recommend this one! You can get started by reading Chapter One at her website.
Chapter One

Enjoy!

Memoirs of
the Bathtub Psychic
The True Story of a Clairvoyant and Her Dogs
by Bethanne Elion

SYNOPSIS:

This debut memoir is the heartwarming true story of a woman’s relationship with her Newfoundland dogs, Sophie, Emma and Cubby. These “barking bears” teach her to trust her natural psychic ability, which leads to the discovery of a talent for animal communication and healing.

Afraid to acknowledge her instincts due to negative experiences as a child, a deep love for her dogs motivates Bethanne to open her mind and take unusual steps to improve their lives when they fall ill.

She begins to suspect that some conventional veterinary practices, especially vaccinations, may have actually caused her pets’ serious health problems. Following her intuition and signals provided by her dogs and the Universe, she starts down the path toward holistic medicine.

By opening the channel to psychic communication, Bethanne receives information about her previous incarnations and the lessons she must learn in her current lifetime. An enlightening relationship develops with her spirit guide (and love from a past life), a Native American entity named Gray Wolf who offers wisdom at key moments. She does psychic readings for farmers and pet owners while relaxing in the bathtub, when her third eye is open and important clues for her clients’ healing are revealed.

A compelling read for all animal lovers, this book will be of special interest to pet owners interested in holistic health, organic raw food canine nutrition, and critics of excessive vaccination. It is written in a dynamic, poetic voice and has been well-received by holistic veterinarians and professional psychics alike.


About the Author

Bethanne Elion has a BFA in writing and literature from Emerson College, in Boston. She was born in Danbury, Connecticut, and has lived in New Jersey, Massachusetts and California. Settled in Vermont since 1999, she shares a house and ten acres with her Newfoundland dog, yellow Labrador and three cats.

Bethanne has been deeply involved in animal communication and holistic healing for many years. She works as a nutrition consultant for private clients and for Volhard Nutrition, makers of natural diet and other whole health balancing products for dogs.

As a psychic medium, she incorporates her knowledge of the influences of health and nutrition on behavior in her intuitive pet consultations. Her clients include organic dairy farms, ill and recovering dogs, pets with behavior issues and their owners.

Bethanne is currently at work on her second book, the sequel to Memoirs of the Bathtub Psychic.

Bethanne's Website

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Deborah O'Sullivan
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Cheap Joe's Signature Field Easel

     Today I will be reviewing the Cheap Joe's Signature Field Easel. As soon as I saw this easel I knew it was exactly what I was looking for.  Those who know me know that I love pochade boxes. I have my little Guerilla Thumbox and my Alla Prima Bitteroot boxes. Both are great for acrylics or oils but were lacking for me for watercolor. It says on the CJ's website that this easel was designed with the watercolorist in mind. This looks very much like the easel that master watercolorist Joseph Zbukvic uses. I love this easel. It is super easy to set up and take down and it has plenty of workspace in all of the right places. The mast portion has a landscape orientation which I really like. You do need to tape your work to a board or use blocks. It can be set upright and flat as well. The legs are fully adjustable and super easy to fold up. The box also came with a free DVD that has set up instructions and a nice watercolor tutorial on painting trees. This is a great box for other medium as well but it may lack the storage space required for acrylic and oil. It is available in cherry or black and right now it is on sale for only $169. Cheap Joe's also often has great prices on shipping. I only paid $4.95  to have this UPSed to my home. Follow them on Twitter for some good coupon codes and art deals.

I originally bought this as an extra work station for my studio but I will definitely be taking this one outside to do plein air work. Overall- a super box for a super great price! I have a lot of photos below.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

The folded up box

 

 

Have a wonderful day!

Deborah

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Happy New Year! Newf watercolor and Dressage Painting

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Now it is back to our regularly scheduled programmimg! :) I took a holiday break and now I am back to work in the studio. 
I have some interesting blog posts coming up.. so stay tuned!
I've  got a wonderful new easel...The Cheap Joe's Signature Field Easel which I will review here with photos. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this easel
I will review a book that a wonderful author/friend wrote. The book is titled Memoirs of a Bathtub Psychic by Bethanne Elion. I know it is not about art (although she is an artist, too) but this book is a wonderful read.
I will be posting more about the painting process itself. Lots of WIPS and commentary on techniique and answers to some of my most frequently asked questions.

I am looking forward to creating some wonderful new art this year.  Here is the start of a new dressage horse and rider work in progress. This is very large 30 x 22 (full sheet) watercolor. This is the initial stages of glazes ...lots more work to be done on this. After doing so many smaller pieces last year I have been wanting go larger!

I also have a couple of pieces that I had started that got put aside as commissions and pressing commitments came in. One of them is Newfoundland pup that has been haunting me. I started the painting.. early last year (I think) and as I was organizing the studio it's cute little eyes (which I had almost finished painting) were peering at me over a stack of canvases. This one I will finish this week. I got a huge chunk completed last night.

The eyes are almost completed here. This painting will require a lot of glazing. This is my typical portrait style watercolor . I thoroughly enjoy doing these and I haven't done many of late because of my many acrylic painting commitments. I need to take my time at this point to lay done the initial washes of color. This will help to creath depth as the painting progresses and the values deepen. So does anyone recognize WHO this little Newf pup is?

Enjoying the process!

Deborah

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Deborah O'Sullivan
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Happy Holidays Everyone!

Wishing everyone a joyous and safe holiday season!

A HORSE(WO)MAN’S CHRISTMAS by horse trainer Doris Eraldi
It’s the night before Christmas, we’re out in the barn
Blanketing horses to keep them all warm
They’re eating their dinners, tucked in cozy stalls
Not aware that it’s Christmas or any special day at all

They can dream of spring pastures from their pine-scented beds
No visions of sugarplums dance in their heads
But we people are thinking of merry parties and such
Maybe feeling a little sad at missing so much

This season is special but the horses don’t know
We’ve got work to do before we can go
We finish the chores and head on inside
To get ready for dinner and our own yuletide

It’s nearly midnight, the carols are sung
I remember a story I was told when I was young
How at midnight on Christmas Eve
The creatures of the barnyard can speak to us with ease

I am called to the barn, I wade through the rain
I know I must go, I can’t really explain
I slide open the door, pause for a while
Then slowly walk down that dully lit aisle

A nicker from Casey, a wink from JD
Sleepy old Alibi waking to see
Tucker rustling his bedding, a snort soft and light
Each horse gave a greeting as I walked through the night

I thought about parties bright lit and warm
The ones we don’t go to ’cause we have the barn
And vacations and holidays that we don’t get
When we’re working long hours for bills to be met

Walking all the way to the end of the aisle
I stop to stroke Bonnie, it brings me a smile
She snuffles my face, hot breath on my skin
It starts me to thinking about my horses, my kin

I could be at parties with laughter and mirth
But where I am right now is the best place on Earth.

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THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS
'Tis the day before Christmas and all through the house
The puppies are squeaking an old rubber mouse.
The wreath which had merrily hung on the door
Is scattered in pieces all over the floor.
The stockings that hung in a neat little row
Now boast a hole in each one of the toes.
The tree was subjected to bright-eyed whims
And now, although splendid, it's missing some limbs.
I catch them and hold them, be good I insist
They lick me, then turn off to see what they've missed.
And now as I watch them, the thought comes to me
That theirs is the spirit that Christmas should be.
Should children and puppies yet show us the way
And teach us the joy that should come with this day?
Could they bring the message that's written above
And tell us that, most of all, Christmas is love!
~ Author Unknown ~


Warmest regards,
Deborah

Quiet Before the Storm

     We are battening down the hatches and getting ready to be blasted by a major snowstorm. Winter has come early or so it seems. The Christmas lights look so lovely in the snow. On that note, I thought I would post a photo of my tree! I have all the gifts wrapped, the cookies are baked and house decorated.  
   I am looking forward to going back into the studio and hit the watercolors. I had my new paper delivered from Cheap Joe's today. Lovely 300 lb Saunders Rough Press and Arches 300lb Hot Press paper. I do love the HP paper for my more detailed paintings. In my next update I will post some photos of a new work that is waiting to be completed.

Stay warm and safe! Enjoy the season!


Deborah

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Deborah O'Sullivan Art
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Last Commission Completed!

 I have been so busy painting, packing and delivering artwork that my blog writing has suffered terribly. I have finally finished my last commissioned holiday gift. This should reach it's destination before Christmas. I cannot post images of the latest portraits just yet. Don't want to ruin any surprises! After I deliver several packages to the post office I can take a deep breath and take some time to enjoy the holidays! I am also looking forward to hitting my watercolors again. All of the portraits have been done in acrylics. While I certainly do enjoy this medium I have to say that watercolors are my favorite!
 
On that note I have some plans for some wonderful new horse art.  Be sure to sign up for my newsletter for updates! Newsletter

I need to build up my inventory again as I have sold most of my original equine paintings over the past three months.  I want to welcome my new patrons! I am delighted that my work has touched you all.....


Reproductions are still available of my most popular images. I have had many, many requests for large format reproductions of Collection and Connection. I have set up an account with Imagekind to pruce these for me. You can order straight through them. I recommend you select the Ultrasmooth Fine Art Paper or the Somersett Velvet. You can select the paper by clicking on Customize rather than Add to cart. These two images have a lot of impact! So here you go guys! Enjoy! To order go to to http://Aquarelle.imagekind.com/ 

Collection

Connection

It certainly feels like winter has arrived in this part of the country. Sunday we got caught in what looked like some innocent light rain when the streets became glazed with ice. We (my husband, son and I) ended up sitting on the road along with hundreds of others motorists for several hours.  The salters and sanders couldn't even get anywhere! It was wild. But we came through it fine.

Yesterday we headed over the border into Connecticut to pick up our raw milk. I feel like a smuggler with contraband. Apparently it illegal to buy raw milk in New York. Anyway we stopped at a lovely park that has some gorgeous waterfalls for a nice walk. The falls are starting to freeze since the temps have been so low. So I took a photo for you guys to enjoy. This is my son giving the thumbs up!

Kent Falls

Hoping everyone is enjoying the Season!

Deborah

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Wish - SOLD

This must be a record. This little painting sold with 24 hours with several requests. Thanks so much for the interest. I 'll  be posting some more smaller works this weeks in between my holiday painting commission work. So stay tuned! :)

All the best,
Deborah

This Weeks Little Painting ~ Holiday Wish

     My Epona Studio holiday cards are completed. This image depicts a baroque horse in the snow. I painted this on 6 x 8 cradles hardboard. and had it made into greeting cards.It is wired and ready for hanging. Inquiries to deborah@deborahosullivan.com The original is available for $50 plus $5 for Priority Mail shipping. The original DOES NOT contain the words WISH!

    We had a nice snowfall in the North East yesterday. It really helps puts you in the holiday mood. I am about finished decorating and I will post photos when I am through! Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season!


Warm regards,
Deborah

Dress Blues Revisited and FREE Golden Open Paint!

This painting has been haunting me. It has had no less then 5 inquiries from collectors wanting to purchase it yet here it sits in my studio. I keep looking at the painting and the horse's expression and eye have really been bothering me. So last night I sat down with my little Arches #1 Sable and got to work on the eye. Ten minutes later...voila! I now have a painting that I love.


Older version-   I am known for the expression that I can create in the eye and this just was not cutting it for me. Eye too dull and flat..

New and improved version of Dress Blues- 11 x 14 Watercolor on Arches 140# Hot Press paper. This is much improved. Don't you think?
Now and I would be delighted to send this off to new home! To purchase click

Who wants some free Golden Open paints?  :)

I have tried these Open Golden paints and  just don't like them They stay open too long for my liking . I will stick with my M Grahams which stay open just long enough for my style of painting. But I do know that many of you fellow artist's do like them. So on that note I will be happy to give away one 4 oz jar of Golden Open Ultramarine Blue (retails for $10)  and one 4 oz jar of Golden Open Burnt Umber (retails for $9) to the first  artist who says they want them!  You can comment below or send me and email. Just pay for the shipping! Specify how you want them shipped and I will find out the cost.They are almost completely full. Consider this my Christmas gift to one of my lucky artist readers! :)

Have a happy day!

Deborah

Border Collie Joy wins the CAG Helping Paws People's Choice Award!

So much news this week. I have just about resolved my internet issues. YAY! I have switched dsl companies so hopefully I will now have consistant dsl connection. I get hooked up tomorrow!

Border Collie Joy Wins the Canine Art Guild's Helping Paws People's Choice Award!

First, I want to thank each and everyone of you who voted for Border Collie Joy which is in the Canine Art Guild's 2nd Annual Helping Paws Online Exhibit. The painting Border Collie Joy connected with the most viewers and earned the First Place People's Choice Award! The dog in the painting is named Luke and he was the founder's of GHF  first BC Rescue. He inspired them to go on a make it a life's mission to rescue these wonderful dogs.Glen Highland Farm will get a nice donation of $100! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote!! This means so much to me!

Border Collie Joy

Watercolor

Canine Art Guild's Helping Paw Online Exhibit

First Place People's Choice Award

To Benefit Glen Highland Farm Border Collie Rescue

Sunsoaked! Sold

This week I sent off Sunsoaked to it's new home. I do love this piece and I have to say iit is one of my favorites. It is in the running for the HITS (Horse Show in the Sun) 2010 Winter Program Covers for Ocala, Florida and Thermal , Ca.  I hope it gives as much pleasure to it's new owner as has to me in it's creation.

Sunsoaked!

16 x 20 Acrylic

I have so much more to report but I will save it for another blog post! I need to get up to speed and get my posts more regular again! So check back tomorrow!

Have a great evening!

Deborah

Holiday Shopping!

I have been working at updating my various shops for holiday shopping.  Etsy has a variety of artwork and reproductions and I am continuing to add items. And my gift shop has everything from holiday ornaments, T shirts and home accessories. I am continuing to add new images daily.
Etsy
Epona Studio Gift Shop
You are sure to find something for the horse and dog on your gift lover.

Deborah

Jumper Painting

I haven't completed a large horse painting in quite a while so last night I hit the canvas and came up with this. The color was literally flying off my brushes. I had a lot of fun with this. I have been doing a lot of dog commissions this holiday season...it's funny last year was mostly horses..this year it's dogs. And I have also been immersed in watercolor landscapes. So it was about time to get back to the horses. Anyway, this is titled Sunsoaked! It is acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas and measures 16 x 20. I have an agenda for this one but it is also offered sale. Inquiries will have to come to me for now as it won't go up on my website until I have a better photo. I fired these off what my iphone! :)
So if you would like to see this hanging on your wall or would like to give it as a gift email me! deborah@deborahosullivan.com 

I sent off my Fall Newsletter by snail mail this morning. If you would like to receive a copy drop me an email with your mailing info and I will get one in the mail to you or you can sign up for the electronic version of the newsletter by going here.

I am off to go have a nice mocha latte now.... my on true vice in life! Have yourself a great day!

Deborah

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Happy Customers and Kittens....

Yesterday I delivered the Border Collie portrait to it's new home and it was thrilling to see the reaction to it first hand. Most of my paintings go to their new homes via U.S. Priority Mail so it was wonderful to see first hand what the initial reaction to the painting would be. She was thrilled to say the least..there was even some delighted jumping up and down! and oh the smiles :) It felt really, really good. And it is one of the most enjoyable aspects of doing portraits of pets. II love my job! realized that I inadvertently did not post the correct version of the painting in my last post. So sorry about that! I need to check things a bit more thoroughly when I blog. So here is the completed portrait. No really! This time I double checked! :)

I do have a few spots open for portraits for holiday gift giving so in an effort to avoid the holiday rush (that I always seem to get in December) I am offering a special on portraits if you reserve your spot BEFORE November 20. Drop me an email and I will fire you back the details in a flier.
Now about the kitten. I have received quite a few emails from you guys telling to keep the kitty. Come on ...you were supposed help convince me to give the kitty up for adoption so that I could foster another. So I guess you guys win. Geri stays and he is now my official studio cat.
;l

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On Foster Kittens and Dog Portraits

So I agreed to foster a kitten for my wonderful friend Lisa who has Purrfect Companions cat rescue here in NY. Did I say foster? Well, Geri (mistake #1..he is named) came to my house 2 weeks ago as a very frightened, feral, hissing and spitting little 6 or 7 week old kitten. Now he is a total lovebug who loves to cuddle and I am supposed to be giving him up soon. Yeah right! His ad runs this week. I do NOT need another animal! Tell me the kitty has to go...the kitty has to go... repeat.....

Geri

On another note.. My BC portrait is finished and is heading off to it's new home tomorrow. I get such satisfaction with completing these commissions. Don't forget to book your portrait spot soon if you are planning on giving a holiday portrait this year! Send me an email for more info! deborah@deborahosullivan.com

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