You don’t have to be perfect to be Wonderful!

Painted en plein air sitting on the balcony of uncle Bob’s cabin

 

Would you like to receive my newsletter in your inbox?  Sign up here.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

Submit

Δ

Happy New Year!!!  Reviewing my History as an Artist, and trying to connect with you, kindred spirit!

I love to learn…and I love to set goals.  Jason Horejs, (www.RedDotblog.com Marketing and Selling Your Art — Insightful tips from an art gallery owner) in his free online course that I am working through says that a profitable artist needs to paint 60-80 paintings a year.  The assignment was to count how many paintings you had completed in 2014.  I counted 27.  I’ve always loved the Painting a Day concept, but haven’t ever felt like I paint fast enough to do that. So, that’s exactly why I need to do it!

Self imposed rules:

1.  Limit to 1 hour

2. Paint small, 6×8

3. Add the routine to my morning..5:00 am exercise, then paint.

4.  Prepare ahead…I already ordered 36 cheap little 6×8 canvas panels, and will select 36 subjects ahead of time, so I’m all set for 9 glorious, challenging weeks and then maybe I’ll order 36 bigger better canvasses…

5.  Each day as paint I will have an alarm set.  At 1 hour I will quit and post on Facebook.

6.  If someone wants to purchase they will be dirt cheap, and will not be framed.  Maybe I’ll even give some away.

7.  I will post a daily observation along with the image

8.  I will commit to do one of these studies at least 4 days per week with Sundays off.

I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!

In my last post I went clear back to my Jr. high years to find out where and when I began my journey as an artist.  The path is strewn with a few regrets…I firmly regret that fact that I did not try out for Sterling Scholar Art my senior year.  I was, and still am a bit shy, and have a hard time thinking my work is as good as it needs to be to compete.

Frank Paur was the only contender.  (I just found him of FB!!!)  When he accepts my friend request I’ll share some of his work.  He’s fantastic!  He still would have won even if I had competed, but looking back, it would have been good for me.  Through my years as a high school art teacher I’ve coached and interviewed many students as they went out for the Art Sterling Scholar title.

Despite a few regrets, one huge leap of faith for me was when I entered college and declared my major as Art.  I certainly didn’t have the portfolio nor the skills to back up my decision.  I just knew I loved the process.  My most influential professor at Ricks College was Brother Parson, father of well know artist Del Parson.  Since then I have had many varied and wonderful teachers who’ve made a difference in my life as an artist.  If you’ve ever taught a class, you know who learns the most…the Teacher!  If I ever wanted to learn or strengthen my understanding of an art concept I develop d a lesson plan and taught it.  My most important mentor however, is prayer.  It’s prayer that opens my eyes to new ideas, abilities, and drives my passion.  More on that concept next time!

Broken peace is a still life of my daughter headstone. The figurine holds a broken peace in, symbolizing her death.

Painted from a live model whose real name was John Wayne something or other…

These lovely delicate perennial flowers seem to bloom every Sept 4th on Cami’s birthday. The bulbs were a gift from my sister on the day of Cami’s funeral. My grandson,
Hunter helped me plant them after the funeral services were over. This is the unfinished painting that I will finish today in honor of my sweet daughter.

Tiny SLC Temple I called Visions of Glory because the water is the only part of the landscape visible. the novel Visions of Glory describes a huge flood, which soaks the foundation of the temple and ruins the rest of the surrounding area…

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Painted in Plein air with Rolanda and Charlotte

Painting of my grandson Cole as a Christmas present 2014

Painting of Eric for Christmas 2014

Painting of Jenica for Christmas 2014

Plein Air painting done with my friend Rolanda as part of the ISA Pond challenge

Trial run, watercolor sky, oil temple. Fun and loved it!

Plein Air during the Local Colors Plein Air Challenge at the Park in Sugar House

Plein air event sponsored by Local Colors fine Art Gallery in sugar House. Painted with Charlotte and Rolanda. So much Fun!

My son Kiffy took the photo when he was 14. He’s 30 now and I finally got it painted for him as a Christmas present

An old photo, painting began long ago, and I finally got to finish it!

Plein Air experience at Art in the Utah Sun Conference. Snow Canyon in St. George area

My Dad used to indulge us all when we’d beg him to honk as we drove through these arches that are on the way to Escalante where we lived. He’d roll the window down a bit to get the full effect.

Plein air challenge for Tooele Arts Festival. Hollyhocks growing in my front courtyard.

Plein Air challenge for the Tooele Arts Festival. This is the beautiful chapel my family attends. We watched it being built.

Workshop exercise through Portrait Society of America

Workshop exercise through Portrait Society of America

St. George Temple I named “Sacred Steps”

This little gem was once a watercolor on gessoed board, I finished with oil and love now!

This is a painting commissioned by Lucky, a very young collector.

Lucky’s first commissioned painting, this is her lovely mother.

It’s about time I introduce myself…a turning point

How I Became a Writer…and an Artist

Creativity is a magic word to me.  Mom is a very achievement oriented individual.  She loves math, order and logic.  She never forgets a commitment, and isn’t afraid to make them.  I happen to be her eldest child…of 9 natural birthed kiddos, and one more acquisition, (a dear sister who isn’t really a sister at all, but a friend we unofficially adopted).  I am a duplicate of Mom, or so I thought, until the day she decided I was ready to learn math.

“Ok Jane, what’s 1×3?” My mind was entirely blank.  I knew 4 couldn’t be the answer because that had been my answer several times already, and I never did get it right.  Crying was always a way out, so that’s what I did.  I had always loved school.  Now I had something at school to hate.

Creativity was a skill Mom wouldn’t acknowledge (or couldn’t acknowledge) within herself, or those around her.  It was not encouraged or praised, or even noticed.  Mom is definitely a dominate personality in our family, and since I have a similar dominate personality, creativity lay dormant, or unnoticed for several years.

Parent teacher conferences in 7th grade, a unique night, Mom and Dad were both with me, and they seemed to have time.  Time not to rush.  Mesmerized, I was lost in halls of magic.  My parents let me lead them from painting to painting as I marveled at the incredible art work mere junior high age kids (my peers) had produced.

Mitch McAllister.  I still remember his name.  I knew him!  He wasn’t even very handsome or popular, and he had done the most awesome paintings, and a lot of them.  His use of color was delightful.  There were pinks and purples in the reflections he painted in water.  Old buildings became interesting.  Skies were alive with color.  Student art work covered every wall in every hall.  I had to see them all.

A touch on my shoulder.  “Miss, you and your parents will have to leave.  We need to lock up now.”  The janitor startled me and brought me out of my world.  Extremely disappointed that we had to leave, we rushed by the rest of the paintings and hurried home.

Dad was a music teacher.  I played the violin.. Our orchestra teacher had me playing first chair. I practiced and I was good.  But…so what.  My best friend cold draw!  And paint!  In eighth grade I quit orchestra.

“I need your signature so I can transfer out.”  I stood in his office.  It was just me and him.  He sat upright when I said that.  It was terrifying enough to just say that line.  I didn’t want any lecture.  I probably couldn’t have told him why I was quitting anyway.  It was one of those 13 year old decisions that doesn’t get well thought out.  It just happens one day.  He blamed it on peer pressure.  He said I must think popular kids didn’t play violin.  He almost cried.

My parents must not have reacted too violently.  At this point in my life I don’t even remember anything about their reaction, or their involvement.

As a Junior in High School I got brave enough to take my first art class.  My schedule finally had room for it.  What a scary class that was for me!  I also had an English teacher who approached English as a creative media.  My junior year was a year of discovering my creative nature.  I came alive.  I wrote poetry. I wrote stories.  I painted pictures.  I drew pictures.  I led the class in putting together our own illustrated class publication.  I did paintings for all my friends for Christmas presents.  I gave a very large painting to my uncle for Christmas.  He said he had it appraised, and that it was worth at least $500.00, (and that was in 1975).  I developed my own self-identity.  It was so exhilarating.  And even my mother noticed!

The rest is really happening now, goals to pursue, kinks to work out, art to do, poetry, prose, blogs, music, (yes I’m back to playing a string instrument, I settled on the viola) and novels to write.

This is the culprit…it is a result of this little drawing that I decided I wanted to be an artist, and an art teacher. My teacher, Max Durrant taught me how to use a grid to enlarge the drawing, and how to use color correctly. I found an ad in a magazine for a stereo system. I begged him to let me finish it with colored pencils instead of crayons as his assignment suggested. He reluctantly said OK. (The annoying highlight is because I am too lazy to take off the frame to get a decent photograph)

This is my very first oil painting. I carefully drew it using the grid method, and then painted it with oils. It was copied from the cover of an New Era church magazine. It still hangs in my parents home.

This is about the 2nd or third painting I did in my High School Oil Painting class. I was quite impressed with myself.

I will continue sharing the most significant of my life stories, including my love story, some family stories, and a lot about art.  I’ll call this series of blogs a Retrospective.

These three pieces of art are the only surviving paintings from my high school days.  Stay tuned!

I offered a free gift in a previous Blog…I now have greeting cards created, some containing original artwork, most have a framable picture of one of my paintings.

They look like this, the picture inside varies, and they are blank inside so you can use them any way you choose.

I will send you 3 cards completely free.  All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter…it will begin in January.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

Submit

Δ

Hope your Christmas and New Year Celebrations Rock!