Wednesday, March 27, 2019

giraffe and bunnies

this week I started working on bunnies, but first I had a giraffe to work with on Monday.  a special long-time friend requested a giraffe, and this sweet girl came easily.


I dont yet have maps for all over the world, so no Africa.  I instead chose to use a map of my friends state and included the town where she lives.  I used pinks and purple, added a metallic jade for shimmer and contrast, and love how it looked.  I knew I would play with the jade more at a later stage.  I added a heart in the giraffe spots because Peggy finds hearts wherever she goes; in the food she eats, in oil spots, just all over the place in her daily life.  when I looked into the symbolism of giraffe it talked about direction (map), and heart, so it was pretty synchronistic!


"Journey At Dawn"
5x7

Giraffe is letting you know that you already know the way; to let your foresight take the lead. Follow the direction of your heart. If things feel 'right', then it must be so, but if it feels wrong be sure to look inward making sure it's not just a fear of change creating that feeling. It is not enough to look forward, you must also move in that direction.


she loved it, 
so this painting is now sold



Tuesday morning had me sketching out some bunnies to paint in time to bring to Bates Crafters Gallery for Easter.




then I gave the background a base coat of Diarylide Yellow so I know what's bunny and what's not.




and a layer of color to the rabbits;



then concentrated one one rabbit to try to finish before the day was over.




everything but the whiskers
and darkening the lightest areas

that eye, though!
put some ultramarine blue down
and it did the trick!



today came and my injury pain and springtime allergies are getting in the way of life.  I've decided to concentrate on slowly finishing up this one bun-bun to bring to Bates on Saturday instead of stressing myself out over getting more done.  that won't solve any problems, and just creates more tension in me, which will bring on even more pain.

I've cut down an old paintbrush this morning in order to be able to more easily paint whiskers and tiny details.  hopefully this idea will help those problem areas so I'm not as intimidated and prone to procrastinate those last details.

I'm also doing a varnish experiment today.  I'm not really happy with what I've been using, as the shine gets in the way of seeing the art in all lights.  I bought some matte varnish last night, and today I varnished half of a yucky old canvas ornament.  after it dries I'm going to varnish the whole thing to see how the matte only side looks, and if using the matte over the gloss varnish will rectify the glaring shine on paintings that already have been varnished.  crossing my fingers!

until later,
Jenny

Monday, March 25, 2019

pup and owl now in my online shops

hi there.  hope your weekend was pleasant.  it was quiet for us with just life-stuff.  sweetie had a 'geek day' on Saturday, and I was sleepy on meds on sunday when he put the paintings up online, so I wasn't able to blog as soon as they went up.

but here they are!

redbubble first;
*click on the title of each painting that will bring you to all the items for the painting.   enjoy browsing!

"Those Pitbull Eyes"

This pitbull pup may seem dangerous at first, but he is a loyal family member who keeps to himself and is sensitive to his surroundings. He is emotional and has an overabundance of inner conflict. When you get close enough to know them you see their silly side that just wants to be loved as they are.


shown on a drawstring bag

shown on a canvas print



Owl might mean a change in life at this time. Take owl’s ability of clear sight to help you see the right course during this change. Look for patterns and signs in life to help you. Owl is a guide to help you see through the veil of illusion. Call on owl when facing a decision.

shown on a floor pillow

shown on a spiral notebook



now for society6;
*click title link to go to art print- then scroll to bottom of page to find other items with the same art.   enjoy browsing!


shown on carry all pouches


shown on a serving tray




shown as a wall hanging

shown on a can cooler


there is so much more to choose from with these and all my other paintings on both redbubble and society6!  this is just a little taste.

until later,
Jenny


Thursday, March 21, 2019

new work! owls this week, and a sweet pup magnet

this week I decided to work with owl symbolism.  I usually dont check to see what each animal's symbolism is before painting, and this was no exception.  I did want to add a different collage element instead of my usual washi tape.  this time I used pieces of map, and I love the effect it had on the piece.  I might have made a shout-out to friends and family nearby to look for old maps from their travels that they might like an artist to recycle for them.  saves them the trouble of hoarding them themselves, and gives the maps a brand new life, right?

the beggars bounty


here are process shots of my owl;

 first layers of light and dark shades 
on the collaged canvas

 more layers, 
getting some sunlight colors onto the feathers


 more detail work


finishing touches still needed
this is called 
"Silent Flight"
5x5
canvas board
$25 
(plus tax and shipping, where applicable)



"Owl might mean a change in life at this time.  Take owl's ability of clear sight to help you see the right course during this change.  Look for patterns and signs in life to help you.  Owl is a guide to help you see through the veil of illusion. Call on owl when facing a decision."



I dont have any progress shots of this sweet pup.  when he decided to come, he was a "quick" one.  I was in the zone with him, thats for sure.  this time I used no collage at all, but I added graphite scribbles to outline the pup and to add shading in certain areas.  I love how loose this piece is!

those eyes make me melt!
"Those Pitbull Eyes"
2.5x2.5"
magnet  
 10% of each magnet sold goes to North Quabbin Animal Control
$15
(plus tax and shipping, where applicable)


"The pitbull totem may seem scary at first, but he is a loyal family member who keeps to himself and is sensitive to his surroundings.  He is emotional and has an abundance of inner conflict.  When you get close enough to know them you see their silly side that just wants to be loved as they are."

my stepmom came over Tuesday to visit and pick up a painting she had bought for my nephews nursery, and we went out to lunch in a nearby restaurant.  it was nice visit but after sitting at a table for lunch my back was done for the day.  

on wednesday I had motivation to get back to painting but the pain was still pretty bad.  I sketched out an owl and another dog magnet and then rested as I let the spray fixative dry, waiting for motivation and hoping the pain would subside so I could get back to work.  

there is absolutely no pressure from anyone but myself to work on difficult days.  I know my health sometimes means a day or two (or a month) free from doing anything unnecessary, but now that my artwork is in an actual brick-and-mortar store I feel I need to buckle down more and treat my art more like a 9-5 J.O.B.  and since I dont, in actually, paint from sun-up to sun-down I already feel lesser than other artists I see who are constantly showing their new work, saying they were painting late into the night.  I already have these inner voices yelling at me, this imposter syndrome is full force, so telling myself to take a break just makes them yell louder and more obnoxious insults to me.  

anyway, heres where wednesday morning stood;




and I was able to do a few more layers to the owl in the morning;


doing feather work
and concentrating on the eyes
I enlarged the eyes a bit, as well


what I've been doing to get these itty-bitty details just the way I want them (or as close as I can before giving up in frustration) is I take a photo, mail it to my computer, and enlarge areas as big as I can, to see how it's going to look on a tote or something.  then I go back and make tweaks, crossing my fingers and squinting my eyes, usually painting blindly as my brush and hand get in the way, and take another photo.

here's one of the owls eyes, and enlarged as far as I could;

yep, that works for me!


I was able to finish this owl on Wednesday night with some subtle gold highlights that are hard to photograph;




"The Visioning"
5x5
canvas board
$25 
(plus tax and shipping, where applicable)


"Owl represents the inner wisdom of your soul and also may represent an upcoming change in your life.  Creating a vision board might be a good way of fostering what you wish, and to see how the life choices you make now play into the future you desire.  Call on Owl to help you chart these courses and to see any potential obstacles.  You have the answers within."

while sweetie was scanning this for uploads to the online stores he decided to keep going and was able to get it right up!  

"The Visioning" in redbubble;
*click on the title of each painting that will bring you to all the items for the painting.   enjoy browsing!
shown on a travel mug

shown on a unisex tee shirt


"The Visioning" in society6;
*click link to go to art print- then scroll to bottom of page to find other items with the same art.   enjoy browsing!

 shown on coasters

shown on a throw pillow


hopefully we can get the other paintings up on sunday.  as a little switch-around sweetie has a geek day on Saturday, taking Friday off for our errand day (Bates, food shopping...) and to spend time with me (bribe), so we should get to uploads either friday or sunday this week.

until later,
Jenny