Vegas Baby!

Welp, I got all the paintings finished up in time, and tomorrow we leave for Vegas for ArtExpo! There will be hundreds of Artists and Galleries there from around the world. I'll be sure to do a post-show review upon my return. This will be fun trip. Five days without the kids, how could it be anything else but a party?!

A Sweet Collector

I've been getting such nice emails from my collectors in response to September's Collector's Preview. Here's one that really touched my heart from Lauren Long:

"Jennifer - I just wanted to tell you that I so look forward to these emails with your newest work. Although my husband and I have only been able to afford the small sketch canvases that you offered a couple months back, your art work takes my breath away! Taking the moment to view this email made my day today! I had a really hectic time at work but snuck in a few minutes for your email and it put a huge smile on my face and in my heart! Thank you for the wonderful gift you have allowed me to share with you!!! Have a wonderful time in Vegas!"

IPod is my Friend!

Some have asked if I get bored painting for hours on end in the studio. The answer is no, I have an IPod. Thank goodness for this sweet invention. I don't use it for music, but rather to download hours of books--classics like: Les Miserables (90 hours), The Fountainheads, Art of War, Biography of Alexander Hamilton...etc. The longer the book, the better. I'm currently listening to "Shirley" by Charlotte Bronte (26 hours). If you have a favorite that you can recommend, please post it! I'm always looking for new titles, and I only have about 7 hours left on "Shirley".

Last Minute Painting...

So...I have the Art Expo Las Vegas show coming up next week, and I decided one more 48 x 48 Aspen painting was in order. That gives me only two days to finish it up! I have to have it shipped out on Monday to make it to Vegas by Wednesday. Do you think that's possible? Looks like my husband (Matt) is Mr. Mom for the next couple of days...

The Winning Title

A few posts back I asked if anyone wanted to title the new 60 x 48 lavender field painting. I got a few emails with some really great ideas. My favorite one, and the one that will stick, is "Dreaming of Lavender". That's the one! Thanks to Tyler Erickson for that perfect description.

Launching a "Collector's Preview"

What a day! It's always busy launching the Collector's Preview--especially with 4 kids running around! We tried to sequester ourselves in the office, but every couple of minutes we'd hear a knock on the door. So maybe our 7 year old is a little young to be babysitting eh? After a dinner of Kix and Cheerios, we finally got the Preview finished up and emailed out. I try to do one every couple of months. It's a good way for me to keep my Collectors updated on what's happening with the art career--and also to show them the newest, freshest paintings out of the studio...first! It's a type of 'sneak-peek' you can say. Over the years I have met some of the most amazing people! There is a type of bond between artist and collector that begins the moment a piece of art is exchanged between two souls. It's hard to explain. Some of my collectors have become like family members to me! Painting for them is a joy.

A Mother's Musings

Wow I'm tired! I've been painting like mad, trying to get enough art work for the Art Expo Las Vegas Show coming up in a couple of weeks. I've been so busy with commissions lately, I've sorely neglected building a body of work. I did finish up a really strong 48 x 48 Aspen piece today! My husband, wonderful man that he is, took the kids (we have 4) to San Francisco for a couple of days to give me some non-interrupted work time. What a wonderful gift that is! It's amazing how much I get done without the loving distraction of my children! They're still so young (7, 5, 3, 1), but someday I plan on making them my little art slaves and run a sweat shop right out of the studio!

"Darlings, here's a quarter for all your hard work today! Thanks for prepping those 10 canvases for me. But maybe tomorrow you can kick it up a notch and do 15."

What a dream! Hey, this is supposed to be a family art business! :)

Help me name this painting

The lavender painting is finished! I feel this to be my strongest lavender field to date. It has a bit of my soul imbedded in the thick, impasto paint. This scene is dear to my heart. It represents the essence of Provence--when the light of summer graces the gentle landscape. That special Provencial 'light' has captured the attention of artists for centuries. This particular scene, I feel, captures a bit of that magic. And I can't say that about every painting I do. Sometimes it just works, and other times I have to really struggle to make it work. Kind of like being married! :)

So the question remains: What shall I name this painting? Any suggestions? Feel free to email me your thoughts.

New Lavender Painting

I'm currently working on a new lavender field painting. It's a nice, big 60 x 48. There's something so much more dramatic about a huge painting. The bigger the better I say! This painting was commissioned by clients in Florida. After seeing pics of their gorgeous home, I knew a lavender painting would be the perfect piece for their livingroom! Their entire house is done in all neutrals and golds. A big, bold painting loaded with blues and purples will really "pop" in this house. It'll bring everything together. I'll add a splash of red in the foreground with a few wild poppies to bring in more dramatic color. Feel free to view the progress on my live web-cam. The painting should be done in just a couple of days.

It is refreshing to do a new lavender field. Perhaps that's because all summer long all I've painted are Aspen paintings! I have a Gallery in Aspen, Colorado that sells every Aspen painting I can give them. Since June, they've sold 16 paintings, and 9 commissions! Love that! That's really rare for a Gallery to do that well. Aspen, CO must be a perfect place for paintings of Aspen trees. I'm lucky that I have several series I like to do. I stick mostly to aspens, poppy fields, lavender fields, and vineyards. I like to jump back and forth. Keeps life in the studio fresh!

New Website Launched!!

Tonight my new website is live! I'm quite lucky to have a husband who is a very good webmaster, so I get to design whatever I want, and he figures out how to do it! This is (as my husband will tell you) revision #23! But, it is my favorite design yet. Very clean, easy to navigate. There's a place to sign up for my newsletter, and a new 'search' feature that I love. See what you think: http://www.jensart.com/

Studio Visit

I love it when my Collectors stop by for a studio visit. Of course, I always appreciate a quick phone call of warning first! My art studio is in my home, so it's nice to have a few minutes to shoo the kids out the door, and straighten things up before a collector walks in. Yes, I am a professional artist I remind myself as I quickly change out of a t-shirt where my 18 month old daughter had lovingly embraced me with her yogurt face and hands. One of these days I will make her wear a bib, I promised myself! I emerge from my closet a transformed woman in classy black slacks and blouse--all traces of 'Mommy' erased from my person. Now I'm ready to talk some art business! It's an interesting combo--this Mother/Artist thing. Both are full time jobs that require a lot of time and attention. But both are very rewarding. My best time to work is late at night after the kids have all gone to bed.

So today, Pam Giles, owner of "Health Way" stopped by with her sister. This was the first time I had met either of them, and it was a delightful visit. Pam wants to commission a painting for her home, so I showed her various samples of my paintings and the current commissions I'm working on. Commissioning a painting from an artist is the best way to get exactly what you want. Often times a collector will give me a color swatch from the furniture or wall color, and ask me to include that in the painting. Artists are flexible. They can include any colors, or do any size. It's true, we artists don't like to think of our artwork matching a sofa! But that is the reality of an art business. Who wants to be a starving artist anyway?

I'm an Artist!

The other day I asked my 5 year old to straighten up the living room. To my request, he responded, "No Mom, I'm not a cleaner, I'm a draw-er--an Artist!"

I still made him clean up!