Art Auction for a Cure!

Bid here!

Just finished this one for Breast Cancer Awareness month! Your winning bid will go to your choice of Cancer Charity. Happy bidding! While I'm here I want to tell you about my mom and her surgery. It went as great as it possibly could! They took out her uterus and ovaries but found "very little" cancer so there was no need to take the lymph nodes! She bounced right back form surgery and is having a hard time resting. She's already to get out and about! Thank you all for your positive thoughts and prayers! 

Jen

Here's all of them!

This is a collage of all 30 of the challenge. I think I may have painted one extra but there's 30 here so I'll check later. This has been an awesome experience for me. Thanks so much for all of your support! 

Jen:)

I finished the Challenge!

Thank you Leslie Saeta for hosting this challenge! I don't have all the paintings prepared to post in this collage, yet, so I'll have to do that later. This has been a great learning experience for me and has also helped get me into a habit of painting everyday! Thank you all who found something special to add to your home! Out of this bunch, eleven have sold and I think one from the bunch I haven't posted yet. I did want to keep them all similar but ended up doing some quick watercolor "sketches" for lack of time. I'm still working on several commissions along with all of these. 

I hope that this challenge can help me focus in one direction. I'm jotting down a plan of action right now. If anything it's renewed my momentum to keep pushing forward! 

I think most artists struggle with this at times, (at least I think they do). It's not an easy business to pursue, that's for sure. Putting your art art out there is like putting a piece of your soul out for the world to see! 

Thanks so much for following me on my journey! 

Jen

More Hydrangeas!

available here
8x10
oil on ampersand

Hydrangeas with Pearls Daily Painting

available here

Ventura Surfer Daily Painting Day 20!

commission sold

I managed to paint Day 20 and finished a commission at the same time! This one was for my brother who lives in Ventura. Of all the years I've been painting this is the first time he's bought anything from me! I feel accomplished. lol I really enjoyed painting this one because I used a raw wood panel with 1 1/2 inch walls (frame). He's going to stain the sides when he receives it and I think that will look great! I primed it 3 times so it would soak up the paint and that did the trick. I really like painting on this surface and plan on purchasing more! This photo was was from my instagram  I finished another commission and have been varnishing the large paintings for Kincaid's! They're almost ready to ship! 

So, I've been so busy this month…not to mention my travels with my mom to the UC Davis Cancer Center. We're done for the month though and the next visit is her surgery! Can't wait for her to get that over with and be on the road to recovery! I think staying busy has been a good thing for me at this time. I tend to worry about things that I have no control over.

Impressionist Irises Watercolor

Available here

Trying to Keep Up with the Daily Painting

available here

This is one from Day 17…I have one in front of me that I haven't posted yet. I'm trying to keep up with the commissions, varnishing paintings, and packing paintings. That's not counting all the other things that go into this business. I need another me right now! I'm enjoying being busy though. 

I'll be going with my mom for her pre-op, early next week and was hoping to get caught up if not ahead of the daily paintings, but not sure that's going to happen. Things look good for her! She's probably at stage 1 maybe 2 with a 50-75% chance she won't need anymore treatment after the surgery! Very hopeful! 

I was happily surprised this one sold in seconds after posting it on Facebook! Are we friends on Facebook? Here's where you can find  My FaceBook Page or you can follow my Fan page! I'd love to see you there!:) 

Jen

Day 14-17 Watercolor sketches

I'm having fun with some watercolors and quick sketches. (The color is off here on all of them so I haven't listed them yet. The paper is white) Honestly, I'm having a hard time keeping up

with the daily painting and the commissions I already have. There's not enough time in the day! …I am still having fun and have many more in mind!:) 

Jen

Day 13 A Little French Village

available here

This painting was another one from my Facebook friend Mary. She's been everywhere! 

(blogger makes the images a little brighter and more saturated than the real life image) 

Jen

Playing Catch up!

Contemplation 

6x6 inch

$200

I decided to use my daughter as model again. She posed for me in my mom's hats, out on her deck. 

Jen

Day 10 and 11

available here

Day 9 - Comfy Reading Spot

SOLD

Day 8 September Harvest

September Harvest

6x6 inch

SOLD

Day 7 Redondo Pier

Redondo Pier 2

8x10 inch

sold

Day 6 Coral Floral Bouquet

Coral Bouquet 

6x6 inch

SOLD

Day 5 - Girl in Hat

Girl in Hat

oil 

8x10 

SOLD

Day 4 Just Down the Street...

Light At the End

8x10

oil

$100

It's little every day scenes like this one that make me appreciate the beauty that surrounds me. I've had took reference photo last year while driving around my county. Fall is such a beautiful time of year and just around the corner! I could feel it in the air this morning and notice the changing light. I do love Summer but am ready for some cooler weather…for a while at least.  

Jen

Day 3 Bougainvillea Love

The Sunny Side

8x8 inch

Blick canvas panel

SOLD

available here

This is another little painting inspired by my friend on face book's travel photos. I cropped in close on this scene and made the bougainvillea blooming a little more than it was at that time. I was drawn to this scene for the stairs, the flowers, and the sunny warmth on the stone walls. Off to paint my next one! 

Jen

Day 2 of the 30 in 30 Challenge

8x8 inch panel

sold

Busy painting! I've also been working on a portrait commission which is coming along nicely. It has four faces in it though so it's a little more work than normal. This painting was inspired by a Facebook friend's travel photos. Just a quaint little French scene. I added the flowers and the tree on the side.

Tomorrow's painting will be another from her photos. (I'm still waiting to get some of my daughter's photos from her trip to Paris…) 

Jen

Open The Door to Begin!

Enter Here

6x8 inch panel

oil

sold

The 30 in 30 Challenge by Leslie Saeta is here! I'm opening with this little door painting, and will follow with a few more European architecture pieces. I'll also be doing some florals and figures and finish with a few from Paris. 

Jen

New Peonies Painting!

Vintage Shells and Peonies

This painting is "me", full of my favorite things. I love the Shabby Chic, French Country, Romantic style. It has an old vintage feel to it because of the palette,  which I love. This is definitely a palette I would like to stick with for a while.

Jen

Joining the party here- French Country Cottage-Feathered Nest Friday

A New Woman in Red Painting

sold

I took a break from my commissions (while waiting for my canvas to arrive) and painted this one. It's been a while since I've done a figure with the palette knife loose work. Felt good to free up and express my feelings with paint. I think I need some art therapy these days… 

I asked my friends on Facebook for help with a name and Amira came up with the one I used, "Forgotten Rose". There were so many great suggestions! Thank you all! I was pleasantly surprised that this one sold in two hours after posting it! I really need to do more of these…and larger. This one was an 11x14 which is my go to size but I know many of you want a larger statement piece. Look for some in the future or, if you can't wait, commission me! 

Jen

My Life As a….Thriving Artist!

click to view on Etsy

Some wonderful places where my art has been mentioned:

adaanddarcy.blogspot.com

A Femme D'Un Certain Age
beachvintage.blogspot.com
BeingRuby.blogspot.com

BelleInspiration.com 
bluebirdnotes.blogspot.com
dahlhausart.blogspot.com
dailyvitaminsea.com
thedecoratingdiva.com

EnzieShahmiri.com
etsyfineartgallery.blogspot.com
frenchcharming.blogspot.com

GirlMeetsParis.blogspot.com
inotherwords-catania.blogspot.com
greenandpretty.net
ramblinggallivantinggirl.blogspot.com

SchlumanArt.blogspot.com

So About What I Said

sweetgalaxy.blogspot.com
tellloveandchocolate.blogspot.com 

if I forgot you please let me know so I can add your site here!

I appreciate all of you! I just wish I had known what a big deal it was back then. I didn't have a clue what I was doing. 

I even had a visit and comment from Joanna from A Cup of Jo and I really had know idea how cool that was. I loved her blog but didn't realize the opportunity. I've learned so much…but am still a little naive sometimes.

I'm going to be doing some small paintings starting in September as I am participating in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 challenge again! Here's last year's post of my challenge. 

This year, I'm planning it out a little better and have preordered some canvas panels so I don't have to paint on paper. I may do a giveaway of an original sometime during the month so keep you eyes out for that! 

Below are some of my available paintings….

click to view on Etsy

click to view on Etsy

Thanks so much for your visit! I hope you all have a great week!:) 

Jen

Final Painting For Kincaid's Restaurant!

Here's the final (approved!) painting going in to Kincaid's restaurant on the pier in Redondo! I really can't wait to see them hanging! This has been an amazing opportunity and so much fun to work with Randy Ruby. Looks like Blogger, or Google, has messed with the saturation on this one and it was hard to get the right hue anyway. The water is a little more grayish teal than it looks here. Well, just know it looks better in person, I promise! 

Things have been busy here for me in the studio. I just finished this one today and am already starting my next commission. After that, I have 3 more confirmed and possibly 2 others! I think I may need to post that I won't be able to promise any for Christmas. I figure I'm about 3 months booked now. Never thought this would happen…but I'm not complaining! 

I had some very bad news about a week ago. I had been waiting for months now to find out if my mom had uterine cancer and the labs just came back positive. She has a great attitude about it all but it's just not something you want to have to go through. I'm very close to her and it's not easy, but am being strong for her. The good news is she's having the surgery at UC Davis, where her granddaughter lives! So we'll be able to see her then. My sister is also coming up from L.A. 

So that's what I'll be doing for a while and painting my commissions. I may be able to squeeze in one of my French inspired paintings, but am not sure. 

Jen