Sweet Heart Aspens II Commission

A couple saw my 48 x 48 "Sweet Heart Aspens" in Royal Street Gallery in Aspen, CO and liked the piece, but needed it to be slightly larger for above their mantle. So they commissioned me to paint a similar piece in a 60 x 48 vertical and asked if I could "carve" their initials into the trunk of one of the trees. I really love doing that! It's a great way to personalize a painting for a client, making it more special. Plus, my thick, impasto texture--especially in trunks of trees, lends itself well to carving into the paint. The painting is all finished, and I just got the approval to ship it off!

Working on a new Aspen painting at the show!

webcam!

This is a picture from my booth’s webcam this morning. You can find a direct feed on my website (jensart.com) and watch me work at the show!

A change in the weather!

Susan Morrow (Show Director) describes the crazy weather we experienced this past week on the show's website: http://www.celebrateart.com:

The following week brought some dramatic changes in the weather and ushered in “the storm of the century” in Arizona. In 48 hours we had almost an entire annual rainfall and endured wind gusts of up to 70 mph. On Thursday of last week, our neighboring event, Russo and Steele Collector Car Auction lost two of their exhibit tents in the punishing winds. It was a very long day for all of us. We are grateful to report that we suffered no serious damage to our tents or any of the art work – just a lot of rain and some very high winds. The picture above shows what the courtyard looked like early in the day of our record rains.

It really was an incredible storm. It was the first time I wasn't allowed to work late! I actually tried, but was told I had to leave right away by a very worried show director. Apparently the Fire Marshal had stopped by and evacuated everyone. No one was allowed inside the tent that night! So, since I couldn't work, I decided the only thing left to do was go shopping! :)

"Out of Bounds" 48 x 48 - SOLD!

Elly and Steve Hammerman (Parents of Ira Hammerman) are avid art collectors and have been coming to the show for over a decade. They add to their collection every year--but usually with Western themed Art! Thus it was with great surprise when they decided to purchase my "Out of Bounds" painting. I was thrilled! At first the piece was slated to hang in the Guest house, but I've heard they have instead decided to place it in their home where they can enjoy it on a daily basis.
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Studio Visit

Tony and Cheryl Borg have been steadily collecting my art for the past year, but I had never actually met them in person. So you can imagine my delight when Tony called to tell me they had booked flights to Scottsdale, and were planning on meeting me at the show. I always feel a special affinity to those who collect my work--they seem almost like family to me, and the Borgs were no exception. It was really fun to talk to them face to face. They purchased my "Autumn on Bells--diptych" Giclee, and I got a picture of them adding some texture with a palette knife. The daubs of paint they added are still there--and they know exactly which ones are theirs! :)

Celebration of Fine Art has a commercial!

The 20th Anniversary Celebration of Fine Art opened Saturday, January 16 at 10 am! Here is the commercial that is now airing in Arizona. Notice my lavender field painting?!!

Artist Proof Giclees!

In December, Cherri and Mike Disque purchased two of my "Artist Proof" Giclees. My AP's include lots of extra texture, a hand-written dedication and an original sketch on the back. I only make 10 AP's of each image, so I like to reserve them for my own personal collectors. The first day the show opened, Cherri and Mike were there. They've been collecting from the tent for years, and I was thrilled they had decided to purchase my "Walking through Autumn" and "Autumn Path" Giclees. It was wonderful to see them again and I couldn't pass up taking a picture together.

Opening Night!

The 20th Anniversary Celebration of Fine Art kicked off with a sneak preview for 300 special invited guests on Friday night. I was delighted for the chance to meet the staff of American Art Collector and got a picture with the magazine's Editor Joshua Rose and his friend Alexis Brunstedt. All of the guests at the opening reception went home with a copy of the January issue of American Art Collector which was filled with preview information for the Celebration of Fine Art along with a special publication about the Celebration and a full-spread Ad with my paintings!

Studio Set-up!

We've arrived in Scottsdale, and it's time to set up the show! We have 3 days to put a double booth together before the show starts...and I have a feeling we'll be pulling in a couple of all-nighters. Each artist is entirely in charge of putting together their own studios for the show. All that is here when we arrive are bare plywood walls. We have to spackle, paint, put up crown molding and base boards, install some kind of flooring (I, of course, have to do my black and white checker board tiles!) and hang Gallery type lighting. Good thing I have my husband here to help! I must admit, though, I quite enjoy working with power tools! Show starts Friday night, so we better get busy!