Waiting for My Creative Muse...

So. This is what I have to do sometimes... just lay and wait for something to happen. It is often I show up to the "easel" and... begin to panic... over-think... worry... over-plan... try to control EVERYTHING about my painting or a show I am painting for. Well today I learned (from my fantastic friend and painter Lisa Lamoreaux) that you can't micromanage your creative muse. If you do, she doesn't show. You can't control her. And I have no business even trying. My job is to paint. That's it! Just show up, it's that easy.

So today, after spending a great deal of time worrying about what colors to use, what if I forgot how to paint, is this piece too big for the show, what will I paint next, blah blah blah... After spending as much time as I could in swimming in self sabotage, I finally shut down my over active inner critic and... guess what? - my muse showed up!

The following resulted after spending 5 hours of time NOT thinking at all:

Under-painting

Untitled Diptych

Oil on two wood panels

36x72"

The start to my new year has been wonderful! (except for the part where I got Pneumonia) I have moved into a new studio in Renton, WA with a wonderful friend and inspiring artist, Lisa Lamoreaux. This new space has a lot more walls that will allow for me paint bigger and work on several things at once. Additionally, my new studio mate and I are business buddies and accountability partners! It has been so amazing spending time with Lisa on a regular basis to share ideas, plan our year, and simply check in with each other on our goals etc... I think after spending the last three years painting at home really makes me realize now how important it is to be surrounded by other artists. It is super motivating. Especially because we share a lot of the same drive and passion for what we do... I look forward to new adventures this year indeed!

I have a full schedule again this year with 2 shows coming up this March and April at the Cole Gallery and Lucia Douglas Gallery. AND I am happy to announce that I will be featured in American Art Collector Magazine this coming April!!! Lots of new things on the horizon I will be sharing more later!

Please join Jennifer Phillips Art on FACEBOOK for more up to date daily posts and in progress work photos!

No Electricity in Your Art Booth?

I need your advice...

I just found out that the Edmonds Art Festival this weekend doesn't supply electricity to our booths. So I will have no lights. And the weather may not be cooperating, with a bit of rain and overcast skies on the way.

I really feel that my sales may suffer if my paintings aren't properly illuminated. But maybe lack of experience is causing me to over think it... ?

Is there a technique to getting lighting in your booth with out electricity being provided? Some sort of set up that you have seen or used that works?

OR is this just a grin an bare it type situation where I have to roll with the punches so to speak?

I was thinking of purchasing a few of these battery operated picture lights at Bed Bath and Beyond for $30 bucks each and did a little reading online about a couple other ways to use solar power to fuel your lighting (for the link click here).... but I am just so darn indecisive about the whole thing!

Any input you guys have would help me tremendously! Thanks!

*** Visit my Fan Page on Facebook to see all the fantastic ideas everyone has been sharing there too on this topic!

Answering your questions about painting with Oil Pastel

Taking a break from my painting to answer some really great questions I received from a fellow artist about oil pastel. If you are a subscriber, you may already be familiar with these two slideshows... but since there is no audio, it may be hard to tell what products I use and why. So thank you Diane Fairfield for your great questions! I post my answers for all to see!

Oil Pastel Painting Demo

For Slideshow Click Here.

1. What is the support you use? My first choice is Ampersand Hardboard, or equivalent. It is smooth and archival and makes it "EASY" to frame. Wood doesn't buckle :). My second choice is bristol board 3ply or thicker. Easier to custom make your own size, but harder to wrestle with the framing process.
2. What is the large can of some kind of reddish paint you use as a ground? Daniel Smith Acrylic Gesso Venetian Red. And to answer your next question, I mix the pumice powder into the gesso to create a tooth for the pastel to grab. It's fantastic! The surface is like fine grit sand paper. You have to play with the mixture, I am not very precise with measuring it out or anything.
3. What do you do with the pumice powder? See above.
4. I like the impasto texture you create. What do you do about getting it to dry? You are right. Oil pastels never dry. I use Sennelier brand oil pastels. Rich and buttery. They are wax based and very very heavily pigmented. With all that said, pastels DO dry to a certain extent. After about 2-3 days Sennelier's become more rigid on the surface... they kind of "set" so to speak. All that wet buttery feel becomes a bit less and the surface turns into more of a beeswax consistency.
5. It is my understanding that oil pastels never do really dry and therefore need to be framed under glass. Is that your experience? Yes. It is imperative that oil pastels remain protected. Some artists like to spray varnish their finished pieces. Sennelier makes an aerosol spray that is pretty good. BUT I just don't like the results myself. So I frame under glass. Has a contemporary feel for my work anyway... I have a couple really great solutions for framing and matting oil pastels. Because I favor a wood substrate, I made a slideshow about that process too. It shows how you can "nestle" your finished piece in a hole you cut out of foam core, then mat the whole thing and viola! You can watch it by clicking the link below this next picture...

How to Frame an Oil Pastel Painting

Click Here for Slideshow.

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One checked off the list!

Under-painting

Half way through...

The final

"Exploring the Water's Edge"

16x32

Oil on Panel

SOLD

Finished this one yesterday... it is actually done on two 16x16 panels to form one piece. Wishing I could share a better photo of the final with you, but there is soooo much glare from the fantastic sun that I can only take a picture of it from the side. The colors are way more vibrant than shown here, so poo poo on my camera not being able to read my mind and capture it.

It will be on display starting May 8th at my opening at Venue in Ballard, Washington. More information on my upcoming show can be found HERE.

An Ambitious Year Ahead

The winning photo you helped me choose!

So first of all, thanks for taking the time to vote on my jewelry close up photo (now posted above)... After all the great input I received I ended up re-shooting a clearer version of the winning image. Ultimately this image will end up on display next to my jewelry, to show the public that they REALLY are hand-painted teenie weeny oil paintings. So thanks for helping me. Because I am a really indecisive artist to say the least!

(close up of the arteest in action - thank god she had no ear goobers.)

Which brings me to my next exciting piece of news! In about a week I will be delivering my first batch of newly redesigned necklaces to a great local boutique/gallery in Ballard, WA! It's called the VENUE. Yes folks, I now have a permanent place for you to shop locally for these cute gift ideas! AND VALENTINE'S DAY IS COMING! Theaaaay make theeeee purrrrfect giftieeees~ let me make a custom one for you!

So as you may have guessed. I've been busy. Painting trees the size of the nail on my little pinkie finger. Yup. I'm covered in 'em. Not nails, TREE CHARMS! Aaaand lovin' it!

Unfortunately though, it's time to raise my prices too... SIGNIFICANTLY. It's a good thing! Especially for those that own the original, because that means for you... your little oil painting has gone up in value! Now - I don't want to see you on the street trying to sell it to the next highest bidder... you better not!

I encourage anyone that has been interested in picking on of these up for yourself, to get one now before my prices officially go up on February 5th. There are a few left online at my Etsy store for only $30! IF YOU TELL ME YOU SAW THIS BLOG POST I WON'T CHARGE SHIPPING!*** IMPORTANT! Contact me FIRST BEFORE you hit the "purchase" button or Paypal will charge you shipping. Thanks!

IF YOU ARE LOCAL? The rest of my $30 stock will be on display at my first show this year on Thursday, ONE NIGHT ONLY! I will be at the 619 Western Building for 1st Thursday in the Pioneer Square area, on Feb. 4th from 6-9. For more info read on...

So, enough with the selfish plugs huh? Ok, you win.

I really intended to begin tonight's blog entry with a little inspiration about greasin' the 'ol creative wheel for 2010. I had read a great post on the Artbizblog a few days ago, causing a reaction so strong that I couldn't hit the "leave a comment" button fast enough! If you are a procrastinator, or a stuck artist, or just need a means of seeing how other people overcome their obstacles with their art... please visit this link. http://www.artbizblog.com/2010/01/15minutes.html

Rather than explain in my own words, I would rather just encourage you to click on this link to read it for yourself... and don't forget to scroll down to read MY comment. I left my example of how IT (go find out what IT is!) worked for me. And I actually sound a little bit intelligent. Just a little.

While you are at it... clickin' around the web-n-stuff... check out all the shows I am entering this year! Just posted them to my website. Will I be in your neck of the woods in 2010??? Visit MY AMBITIOUS SHOW SCHEDULE here.

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

Refresh

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!

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~

Can I Get a Drum Roll Please?

Began with a light sketch and "fixed" into place with Matte Varnish.

Used my infamous "Saparindian" color to tint the surface and begin wiping out highlights.

Adding the darks to establish more value shift.

Began "sculpting" the edges of the trees... one of my favorite parts.

Used a mixture of Alizarin, French Ultra Blue, and Cad Red to create the rich dark undertones of the red tree.

Once I get into laying the rest of the color I am in a trance... almost like the character on Heros where his eyes glaze over and magically a painting appears from his subconscious. I hear nothing and see nothing for hours until I get to a comfortable stopping point. 

Therefore, I didn't take anymore in-progress shots till the end. Still need to get it professionally photographed, but you'll get the idea here.

For every artist there is an area of their painting of which shows a spot where they have fallen in love... for me it is the flickering light that falls on the tips of the trees and the juicy glow of red on the main subject. Makes me all warm and fuzzy...

"Turning Red"

30"x30"

Oil on Panel

SOLD

On display at the Greenwood-Phinney Artwalk May 8th & 9th

One down, one to go...

"Turning Red" Study

 Vine Charcoal on Paper

18 1/2" x 19 1/2"

SOLD

All done! I love it. I love charcoal. It is such a romantic medium. I get to use my fingers to shmear and shmooth and push the particles around... and then erase and carve out those highlights I love so much! Just as if I was holding a brush. Charcoal really allows for such a soft feel, yet with the added benefit of just a hint of texture in the strokes. 

I can't help but to include this one in my next upcoming show in May. In fact, this was so fun that I will most likely do a charcoal for the next 3 pieces too and hang them with the final paintings that are in color - kind of a before and after with two totally different feels.

So time for a selfish plug.. my next show:

The Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk

Seattle, WA

Friday night -May 8th from 6 pm- 9:30 pm

Saturday night - May 9th from noon - 5 pm

My show location is designated the same as last year at"

Equinox Healing Arts Massage Studio (click for directions)

Now onward to step two. The painting. The part that always scares me to death. STARTING. I must have stared at my blank white gessobord today for like 2 hours, then looked back at my empty palette, and then back at my drawing, back and forth back and forth. I sort of do this every time I start a big project. I tend to paint in my head first. As if I am an actor reciting my lines before a performance. Kind of a ritual for me, mixed with anxiety and excitement. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

What is your pre-painting ritual?

Turning Red - A Preliminary Drawing...

You can call it what you want... A preliminary drawing, a warm up exercise, value study, my brain on paper, compositional conditioning, a get over your fear session, or even a get to know your subject - date on paper... For me, it is all of those.

I am starting a new painting. It is larger this time. 30" x 30" and in color. A gorgeous tree that I snapped a shot of at Discovery park last Autumn in the most amazing shade of red I have ever seen - I realized that I am a bit intimidated by it. So this time, I decided to take a "baby steps" approach to it. 

Today I began a study of this tree, in charcoal. Made it all the way to the "almost finish" and my paper decided to poop out on me. All the little texture bumps filled up with charcoal and the only way to keep layering more on top is to use workable fixative. I, Jennifer Phillips, the hoarder of everything art supply, IS OUT OF FIXATIVE! 

Nothing is more frustrating than getting close to the end of a piece and running out of materials. So I will be off to Daniel Smith tomorrow to buy more. In the mean time I have posted some of the stages of my drawing from today. I will post the final work tomorrow after it puts an end to my last piece of vine charcoal!

First stage blocking in loose line drawing with a soft charcoal pencil.

... Breaking the foliage down into shapes...

Using soft vine charcoal to begin adding my darks...

...Shmearing to create mid-tones...

Creating a the range of lights and darks is a constant adjusting process - additive and subtractive methods are used here.

This stage I begin to bring out more definition in the foliage while still maintaining a loose feel in the strokes of the charcoal. Always thinking about edges, contrast between soft and hard.

I use a Magic Rub eraser to lift out the highlights. 

Working left to right I work pull out the edges of the trees where they meet the sky.

Detail of the right side. My favorite part is lifting out (subtractive method) - I love depicting the light that flickers through the leaves...

This was a great exercise to help me see the lights and darks that I need to include in my final color painting. I hope that I get it right!

Back from Thailand... back in the game!

17 days in Phuket, Thailand... WOW! What an experience. I won't bore you with braggy details of my fantastic vacation in 90 degree weather, scuba diving, sampling the most amazing foods, and sipping beers on almost every beach Thailand had to offer... But what I will share is this one photo - cuz if any of you have seen the movie "The Man with the Golden Gun", a James Bond flick, THIS photo should feel a little familiar. The rock behind me is featured as the headquarters in the movie. Thai's call this place James Bond Island. It was breathtaking! 

One thing is for sure, every trip I go on I do the same thing... I pack all my supplies to draw or paint with watercolors and then NEVER DO IT! Well I shouldn't say never, because I have in the past, but I certainly did not on this vacation. I must have really needed a vacation, that is my excuse. Actually I have one more... it was so fricken hot!!! It was hard to do anything in the day other than absorb rays and swim in the largest bathtub of an ocean until Mr. Sun went away. So now that I have returned and semi gotten back into the flow of my little artistic life, I am ready to dive in and get back in the game!

Tuesday I took my studio outside. It was the third day of sun and warmth in Seattle, and I just couldn't stand for being all cooped up in my studio to paint that day. It was fantastic! The sun, the cool breeze, the view... it was perfect! I met several new people who had come down to Kerry Park for the fabulous view AND met up with several others that had learned of my outing that day from my Twitter post before I left for the park. I ended up staying for 4 hours. The only reason why I left is because I had to pee. (Sorry- Probably too much information) But two bottles of water will do that to a person!

I used most of the day to begin painting a new series of REALLY tiny paintings... in fact they are THEE tiniest paintings I have ever done! And I am in love with them, cuz I am obsessed with all things little and precious.

These little trees are painted on vintage Scrabble tiles and made to hang as a pendant on any necklace or chain. I will talk more about them in my next post because I am making them available for purchase online as we speak... Mother's Day IS coming up you know! (wink)

Anyway, I am so glad to be back and with two new shows coming up, I have a lot on my creative plate! I am so rejuvenated I can't wait to see what comes off my brush next... because I am going back to painting large for awhile! Whoo hoo!

Tah dah! It's finished!

"The Road to Lilliano" Commission

36"x48"

Oil on Canvas

SOLD

As promised, here is the final piece and a step by step slideshow to follow. Thank you to everyone who left me feedback on JenTV... corrections have been made and the slide shows are  more comfortable to watch! Yes folks, I have slowed them down quite a bit so you can actually see what is going on! Whew! I told you I need an assistant. (grin)

I can't wait to deliver the piece to my clients house! It is so fun to see what it looks like in it's new home. What an honor it was to do such a large piece. Now I have definitely have to visit Italy and the road to Lilliano!

Published in the Daniel Smith Artist Materials Catalog!

Last year I was contacted by Ampersand Art Supply to write an article about working in oil on Gessobord. (They are a wonderful company that makes some of the best archival wood surfaces I have ever used!) I was honored to say the least, and began a new painting documenting every step of the way... I am excited to announce that this article has now been published in the recent copy of Daniel Smith Artist Materials Spring Catalog!  The article is titled, "How to get More Out of Your Painting Surface, Working with Oils on Gessobord". View the article by clicking HERE.

Detail from "Starting Point"

The painting titled, "Starting Point", that I did for the article has recently sold, but all the photos I took of the painting in progress have been organized into a slideshow now showing on JenTV! I have now added the JenTV feature to my website! So now you can explore all my slideshows and movies about technique in one spot! To view this slideshow visit JenTV now! -click HERE.

My Palette of Fancy Colors

I truly believe that palettes are works of art in themselves... hours and hours of mindless play go into them, all that time spent creating endless arrangements of color, little formulas that are literally the building blocks of a painting. 

I say "mindless" lightly though, as I realize that much thought goes into working out color... but I find myself getting lost in these moments at times, smooshing color around with my palette knife. I think that is why I started having to write some of my color recipes down next to each swatch... I day dream so much that I forget how I got there!

The Road to Lilliano Day 3

Day three of "The Road to Lilliano" was an adventure in mixing color. These were the first initial stages of developing the rich greens of the foliage that line the road. I spent a good deal of time before I painted, mixing my own greens out of French Ultramarine, Hansa Yellow, and Yellow Ochre... but the best greens became of adding a touch of Organic Vermillion (red) and smidgens of Viridian Green to the mix.

I often find it helpful to write on my paper palette the names of some of the colors that went into a particular mixture so I don't forget.  Paper palettes allow me to keep a record of what I used on each painting that I do. Before I moved, my closet was full of palette pages hanging on the wall, each with a title, scribbling of notes, and slathered with dry swatches of paint used to create each individual painting I did last year. It helped me tremendously, especially if I had a client that liked a particular combination of colors they requested for a commission piece. The best visual journal ever!!!