On the rocks - update

On the Rocks - update
oils 9 x 6
copyright Jeanette Jobson

I've had a really hectic day and it doesn't feel like Saturday at all. I had a board meeting all morning followed by a luncheon, then shopping, feeding my mother's cats as she's in hospital, more shopping then home finally at 5.

I managed a 20 minute snooze on the sofa before packing up some pieces for an exhibition tomorrow. And of course, one of the frames I intended to use was broken. Why do these things happen just before an exhibition? I rummaged around and finally found a suitable one and now have the paintings packed up in my portfolio, ready to go in the morning. Lately it seems that weekends are a thing of the past, as I'm busier than ever.

Meanwhile I'm doing a little more work on the painting I started last night. I just can't get a decent photo in artificial light and it always seems to be dark lately! The photo of the piece on the easel is taken with a flash, so the colours are a bit bright. Without the flash, they're too dull and no tweaking on Photoshop seems to make them turn out the way I want, so I'll leave it for now and take some more photos in natural light tomorrow.

I make my debut on Watermarks tomorrow (December 7th). If you haven't visited this new blog, you're missing a treat. Nine artists from around the world are making art out of water. Intrigued? Wander over and have a look. I promise you'll be impressed.

On the rocks

On the Rocks - Stage I
9 x 6 oils
copyright Jeanette Jobson

I've decided to try to break away from the tightness that I've adopted and move into something looser for painting to see if that brings back some of the freedom I once had in this medium.

So this image is the initial layers of a painting, perhaps 45 minutes into it. I don't want to work it to death so will limit myself to two hours on the piece entirely. I want to make myself capture the light and form without muddying the colours.

The coastline in Newfoundland is littered with rocks of course, some under water, some partially hidden like these. The movement of the water around the rocks , the translucency of the water showing muted colours of rock below the surface and the play of light on the water all add interest and continue to hold my attention.

52 for 25

St. Michael's Printshop
Collector's Edition
2008

In the current economic climate, 52 works of art for $25 is a bargain. And today that is what I got. The image above is sample of the 52 pieces. Of course they aren't full size art pieces. They are playing card size,which is very similar to ACEOs which are 3.5 x 2.5 inches.

St. Michael's Printshop in St. John's, Newfoundland has created a set of playing cards for a fundraiser that is being launched on Sunday, December 7th at Bianca's restaurant on Water Street from 2 - 5 pm.

This is the 5th set of cards that the SMP has produced and they are immensely popular, selling out very quickly. The 52 cards, including jokers, are unique in that each card is created by a different artist, making them very interesting and appealing to both card players and art collectors. All the artists live locally and their styles and techniques vary greatly.

Newfoundland has a strong history of card playing, but personally, I think these are too beautiful for the wear and tear of every day use. And not being a card player, I bought a deck and will have them framed. The printshop is located on the harbour front in St. John's and housed in former sailmaking factory overlooking the water, so I managed to get both my fixes today - art and water!

If you would like to order a deck of these artist designed cards, you can do so through St. Michael's Printshop. But be warned, they sell out fast!

I need a colour fairy

Caramel apple cheesecake
6 x 8 oils
copyright Jeanette Jobson

I played around with this slice of cheesecake tonight as I'd promised myself I would paint, no matter what. The colours, or my choice of them, are very bland. But so was the cheesecake - the whole thing was beige with no strong contrasts in either values or colour.

But I persevered and here it is.

Painting cheesecake is entirely Anita's fault. Seeing her comfort food being painted on her blog inspired me and I couldn't rest until I tackled some too. I will need to tweak it some more to get that crumbly topping to look as it should. But the overall values are just 'blah'. And it still looks like its floating a bit. And now that I look at it online, it looks like a piece of toast with peanut butter on it!

Oh I wish the colour fairy would come wave her magic wand over me and make me more adventurous with colours. What the hell, I'll just eat it and spruce up the painting later....

Reflections and lights

On the drive home tonight, it was interesting to note just how many houses had been decorated with Christmas lights not only inside, but with fully decorated lit trees inside too. Its a bit early for me to get into that yet, but I have to admit that the lights do brighten the dark winter drive and I quite miss them once Christmas is over and they're gone.

My manikin held an ornament that I found in a box in my studio and I experimented with reflections. I love the distortion that spheres provide and am toying with the idea of a pen and ink drawing around this.

I've spent two nights trying to get time to do some painting and each night something crops up that takes my time away and before I know it, its too late to contemplate getting into painting mode.

If I did start, I'd need a few hours as I get lost in the process and time disappears. So tomorrow night. Nothing will stop me. I will turn off the phone and retreat to my studio and create something.

Watermarks

The Edge of the World
Moleskine watercolour notebook 3.5 x 5.5
copyright Jeanette Jobson

"The Flat Earth Society says that Newfoundland is one of the four corners of the world. The very edge of the earth. Now that's just foolishness.

Isn't it??"

Today an exciting new blog floats into being. Watermarks will explore water in art through the eyes of nine artists from around the world. I am lucky enough to be one of the artists invited to participate.

Watermarks is a small community of artists who make art from water. We like to sketch, draw and/or paint water - the sea, the coastline, beaches, rivers, streams, waterfalls, fountains - in all contexts, styles, genres and media.

The concept of Watermarks was created by Vivien Blackburn and Lindsay Olsen. Katherine Tyrrell is the powerhouse behind the technology of setting it up so that we can access each other through Ning and contribute to the blog independently. the artists taking part are as follows:

• Vivien Blackburn
  
• Laura Frankstone
  
• Gesa Helms
  
• Jeanette Jobson
  
• Tina Mammoser
  
• Lindsay Olson
  
• Katherine Tyrrell
  
• Sarah Wimperis
  
• Ronell van Wyk

I can't wait to get into this project as it will allow me to explore more of the coast and waters that surround me. Living on an island in the Atlantic, I can't avoid water if I try! The talent in this group is amazing so I am anxious to watch work from the other artists unfold.

I have so many ideas and so many concepts to explore. I will be trying new techniques and perhaps find a new style through all of this. Over the next nine days each artist will be introducing themselves and their work in a different post. After that, we will be posting regularly so you are guaranteed a changing mix of colours and styles with the underlying theme of water.

I hope you'll be able to join us on our journey.

Colour or value?

An artist is either good at color or good at value but rarely good at both. I focus on the tonal range, the dark-light effects, rather than the full color range of bright colors. I just don't know what to do with all those cadmiums. (Thomas S. Buechner)

I saw this quote and it rang true to me today as I continued to fight with the colours in my self portrait. I have successes in values, then screw up the colours. Right now the skintone isn't what I want it to be. Its overworked and somewhat chalky, making me look as if I've been ill for a long time. I am determined to conquer it and I make side trips into other little paintings that dont' require the same level of concentration or palette. My palette, above, it becoming more exciting than the portrait right now.

I think my personal battle is that I'm trying to be painterly and traditional at the same time. I need to either loosen up or go tighter, or just make up my mind which way I want to go.

I so wish I'd kept up with my oils....the transition back is harder than I anticipated.

But the ducks are happy. BD and Buddy, my favourite Muscovies, found a huge puddle after a day of torrential rain yesterday. While they don't like actually getting into water, they do like to at least pretend to bathe by dipping a beak in and preening. The geese on the other hand, just jump right in and have a party.