I WON! (in many ways...)

Welp, I have been away for a little while from this blogging world, to Vegas and back, to build fences, and catch up on life's adventures... and a few things have happened that I peg as pretty eventful in my life... so here I share...

Viewer's Choice Award for Infinity Gallery Online Competition

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32"x24" Oil on Panel (Diptych)

Original Available $2,070

Giclee Limited Edition Prints Available in several sizes: click here!

Thank you thank you thank you!... to everyone who voted! I am excited to finally announce that I won viewer's choice award, with 104 total votes! You guys are awesome~ What does that mean for me? For one, I get even more exposure online as I will get my painting posted on the page with all the winners for the next few months... the more exposure the better as you never know who you are going to meet and where! And for two, I get to feel this awesome feeling of "Wow, they like me! They really really like me!" and use that energy as inspiration for upcoming new oil paintings that are brewing in my little artsy head of mine! Thanks so much everybody for your support!

Another way I have won this past month is that I have been given the opportunity to give back! And I am a total giver, so it works out as a win win for everyone~ this weekend I will be participating in Strides Against Breast Cancer as a fund raising event in the Everett area. I will be selling my tree charms there that day and donating a portion of the proceeds to this charity!

I will be bringing a whole new line of Scrabble Tile Charms to the event that you may be interested in: some with creepy doll faces and beetles and stuff! Pretty cool! Here is my team website page if you want to get involved OR just show up to look at some awesome stuff!

Discovering Myself Along the Way

60"x48"

SOLD

Lastly, but not leastly, MY GIGANTISAURUS PAINTING HAS SOLD! This has been added to my list of one of the most gratifying experiences I have had to date as an artist! Not only did I enjoy the process of painting this bugger, but the feeling I got once I delivered to the new owners was priceless! It was theeeee most perfect fit in their beautiful home~ so perfect, it was as if I had painted it just for this space! It now resides in a room that is freshly renovated with wonderful warm tone wood floors and gorgeous stone countertops and fireplace! The painting sits front and center no fresh white walls, with lighting that just makes it glow! It's amazing. I can't wait to do another big one for sure! It was also fun to explore the limits of my Jeep Wrangler and how big of a painting it can actually haul!

So over the next couple days I will be finishing up over 100 Scrabble Charms to bring to the show this weekend, while I get over a nasty cold sinus boogery thing I got in Vegas last weekend... Nice. Talk to you all soon!

Bellevue Artfair Adventure

"Discovering Myself Along the Way"

60"x48" Oil on Canvas

SOLD

I promised, so here it is for all you internet fans that couldn't get down to see the piece in person! The final picture is now posted of my largest work yet... it made it back down the stairs of my studio safely with out scraping any paint off - guess it pays to have someone help you, no touch ups were necessary! (see previous post on "How to Fit a Big Object into a Small Hole").

I rented a cargo van to get my work to and from the show, so this painting was loaded last, and nestled neatly on top of the rest of my work. It made it to the show with out a hitch... ok, maybe one hitch. Yeah, kinda an important hitch... I forgot to put wire on the back of it! DUH. Didn't realize this until I got to the fair of course, so I had to scramble to put it together before the crowds came early that morning! Made me sweat a little... literally.

Oh and another funny thing... (speaking of sweat)... the second day, I realized that I had run out of sales slips just before the show started! So, in a massive rush, I ran to Bartell's across the street to get some more.

And boy, did I run! It was already in the 80's. So running and panicking, was not a good combo for maintaining my sweet girlish aroma for the rest of the day.

And on top of that, god forbid, I JAYWALKED... or rather, JAYRAN! And a lovely police officer was layin' on his whistle at me screaming, "Lady! Lady!".... I just kept runnin', didn't look back even once! Ran into Bartell and ducked behind some display full of pork-n-beans, pretending I was reeeealy interested in them. I felt like such a rebel, considering that I never get in trouble with the law EVER!

After making my purchase, I then had to find a sneaky route back to the fair in order to avoid crossing the street anywhere near the whistle blowing police officer for fear of a ticket, or embarrassment of any sort. So, I continued jogging back to my booth the long way around the back entrance of the fair. Needless to say, I was a ball of sweat that couldn't catch her breath once I got back! Then came the realization that I forgot to put on deodorant that morning... peeeerfect.

Luckily my ever supportive brother delivered it to me later that day and I was saved!

Overall, the three day event at the Bellevue Art Museum Artsfair, was a total success! I met soooo many wonderful people! So many that my face hurt after each day ended because I was smiling so much! I sold many many paintings and made enough contacts to draw the conclusion that there will be a few new commissions in my future! AND on top of that I got to meet some of the artists at the show that stopped by my booth... Marla & Mike Baggetta, Taman Vanscoy, William Vanscoy, Lisa Lamoreaux, Rick Abrams, Erik Hall, and many more! I can't wait to do it again next year!

Just a Taste

I am excited to announce that I have officially finished my gigantasourus painting! Yahoo!!! Am I gonna show you it? Nooo way! Or not yet at least. Above is just a taste of the finished piece. And my favorite friend Dozer decided to plant it in front of my easel before snapping the shot!

For those that are local here in Seattle, I would love for you to swing by my show this weekend for the big reveal of my large oil painting and several other new goodies I will have on display! Oh! I also have fantastic LARGER prints this year all duded up in fancy 8 ply mat board for a sleek modern look! And don't forget those little Tree Charms! They are going to go fast!

Come on down to the Bellevue Art Museum Artsfair! It's three whole days of fantastic art, artists, food, and people watching! Here's the info:

Bellevue Art Museum Artsfair

July 24th -26th

Friday/Saturday from 9:30 am - 9:30 pm

Sunday from 9:30 am - 6 pm

My booth number is N-8 (not the same as last year!)

Don't worry if you can't make it, I will post images of the final piece above after the show and more pictures OF the show next week! Wish me luck!

Oooh, if you are not following me on Twitter, you are missing out! I met Lisa Lamoreaux there and I encourage you to check out her work too! She also will be at the show in booth I-16.

Workin' Big, Makin' Progress...

"Discovering Myself Along the Way"

4' x 5'

Well, it's my largest canvas yet... I am further along than what is represented in this photo right now, I'd say it's about 3/4's full of paint at the moment. One thing is for sure, it is no where near the vision I had in my head of what I originally wanted to paint! BUT, that is ok. Because I really committed to not worrying about the final product and just allow myself to "play". I wanted to see what would happen if I didn't plan it all out.

I am pretty pleased with it so far. The color is all crazy right now, but as soon as I can get the rest of it mapped in, I will tweak that anyway.

Right now I am just having fun...

Fun obsessing over all the negative/positive shapes getting sculpted with every brush stroke.

Fun trying to keep my right arm from falling asleep.

Fun using my new tube of Manganese Blue...

Fun discovering how much I enjoy taking the worrying out of painting!

Shut Up and Paint!

Click on this image to read todays blog post. (Please note that my Moleskin sketchbook doesn't come with spell check.)

Oh! I also discovered Magnesium Blue Hue (by Daniel Smith) today... Fell in love. Mixed with lemon yellow and alizarin crimson make for a million shades of juicy grays and punchy darks! This fantastic palette will be in my next painting...

Instructional: How to fit a BIG object into a small hole.

Step 1:

Force it.

Step 2:

Wiggle it a bit, yank it, and then maybe give it a big heave hoe! (just a note that my foot is not broken in this photo)

Step 3:

Throughout your painting process, be sure to save enough oil paint for touch ups... because Step 4 is shoving it back down the stairs into the truck and off to your next show!

I've been thinking. Thinking about going big this time. But what I neglected to think about is wether or not my canvas would actually fit up the stairs to my studio! Luckily, it did, barely.

I keep gravitating to painting the very tip top of some trees I love at Golden Gardens here in Seattle. All those delicate limbs reaching way up to the sky... and all those yummy shapes of light that form between the branches. When I am done it will be 4 feet by 5 feet of fantastic goodness!

So I will be working on this one for a little while I presume. Until then I will post smaller works on occasion as I prepare for my next show at the Bellevue Art Museum Artsfair in July. I have been working on a few new Tree Charms like the one below too - I recently discovered working with resin and it goes wonderfully with the charms, making them look almost like glass! You can check more of them out at my store at www.jenniferphillipsart.etsy.com~