Art on layaway

I started this small ( 8 x 10) oil portrait a week or so ago and got sidetracked.  I wasn't feeling well all day - well all week - some viral thing that's going around no doubt so didn't make much planned progress today.  But tonight I started giving it some more form.

Around this time of year, request for portraits for Christmas gifts start coming in. A favourite pet, your children or grand children, a partner or a portrait of yourself - all make wonderful gifts.  Costs are always a consideration in purchasing any kind of art and this year I am offering a 'layaway' plan for portraiture,

When I have confirmed your portrait commission , you will be offered an option of paying in installments once full payment is received, your portrait will be shipped.  I am doing this to make original artwork accessible and more affordable to a broader group of people.  Art is viewed as a luxury item.  To me it is an essential part of life and I want to remove as many barriers as possible to enable individuals to purchase a piece of original art.


If you would like to commission a portrait, you can make it yours with a small down-payment and make monthly/weekly/bi-weekly payments based on your budget. When your payments are complete (shipping costs can be added to the overall price) I will ship your work to you.

 A non-refundable down payment of on one third of the total price is required when ordering a commissioned portrait and the remainder of the costs can be spread over 30/60/90 days, giving you an option of paying the remaining  weekly installments .  Depending on how soon you wanted to have the piece shipped to you, you can increase the amount paid weekly.

If you are interested in commissioning a portrait, please contact me at jeanttejobson @ gmail.com.

Just following

I'm calling this portrait finished.  At least I'm letting it sit on the easel for a few days and then see if there's anything else to add.

This started as a 12 x 16 watercolour which evolved into a mixed media piece. I created a value map on the face with ink and finally completed the hair with pastels. The three mediums seem to work well with each other in moderation.  I want each to perform in its own right and not overshadow its partners.

Now I just need to do something similar again with this girl's brother.  The pair are lively children and this loose style seems to suit their personalities. Its a far cry from a lot of the stuff I usually do and even I don't really know where it came from.  Its one of those times where the painting tells you what to do and you just follow along and see where it leads you.

Graphite apples

I am still in apple mode and have a few more to get out of my system before the middle of the month.

This one is in graphite.  I recalled Jennifer saying that she was taking on a Monthly Sketch project - the evolution of the Virtual Sketch project that I was part of.  I had a look and what was there?  Apples!  So of course I had to give it a go.

I started the drawing at work one lunch time then finished it off at home.  So its on basic copy paper.  That in itself becomes a trial, as there is little tooth to the paper and while I want to go darker on it, the paper won't allow it, so here it is.

This piece is about 4 x 5 inches and obviously my rectangle is a little skewed and so the scan was too.  I enjoyed drawing this and its made me want to tackle a larger project in graphite.  However, there are a few other things outstanding before can think about that.

Deconstructed apple

Ah yes, you didn't think you'd get away that easily did you?  Yes, Virginia, there are more apples...

In fact there are more apples than I could possibly have time to draw or paint in a lifetime.  And in the Apple Challenge, there are even more.  You still have until October 15th to pop your version of an apple into the comments section and links to all of them will be added as soon as possible after the challenge finishes.

For this piece, its another macro view, this time of an apple cut in half.  Its quite ingenious how the seeds are protected within the heavy layer of flesh, each within its own little pocket, sometimes twin seeds in a section.

Looking at it from this perspective, it may be difficult to even recognize it as an apple.  This in done with coloured pencil on brown paper in my Earthbound sketchbook.  I wanted it to be subdued so used mostly sepia with a touch of ochre and venetian red and white for highlights.

Portraits and turkeys

I did some more work on the portrait I started last night but am not sure if I like how its going or not.  I think it may still be in that ugly phase and I need to work through it.  I don't like the eyes and am not sure how to get around that with watercolour and ink in place already.

I have layered more pigment and added ink, almost like a value map on the face.I wanted a graphic look to the piece and its moving in that direction.  There's still a lot of work to be done on the hair and that throws the whole thing off a bit as my eyes are still looking for what isn't present yet.

I have switched up to an updated version of Blogger for posting.  Don't ask me how.  Some little box popped up and, like a five year old in front of an elevator button, I pressed it and here we are.  So bear with me if things look a little wonky til I get used to it.  However, it doesn't seem as if I'll have too many troubles with it.  And it does make loading and placing images much better.

The Thanksgiving turkeys came back today with people picking them up constantly.  Supper on days like this is a thing of the past or eaten in many stages.  There are just the Christmas turkeys in the barn now, eating like there's no tomorrow.  They are fed natural feed with no hormones, no animal by products.  They have music, a large pen inside, corn on the cob hanging in the pen to peck at and eat and a Sponge Bob ball. 

Yes.  Turkeys like to play ball.

It keeps them amused and provides something to peck at rather than each other.  They will, in mass, chase the ball if you throw it.  I need to capture that on video, its quite funny.

Walking the tightrope

I'm doing a little experimentation with this portrait. Its a watercolour on 11 x 14 arches paper. I want to go loose and a little abstract with it as well and see what happens.  The first layers are down now its time to play around a bit.

I want the colours to be bright and cheerful and there will likely be some ink in here before I'm through.  Of course that becomes the tightrope.  I can get safely to the other side or fall off entirely.

But hey, its only paper.  And being part of the circus should be fun. Shouldn't it?

Pear study

I've had a lazy day today. It was cool and damp and very fall like, so I lazed on the sofa and napped then after supper came to the studio to push paint around.

My notebook was sitting close by and there was paint on my palette so I decided to see how it would react to the paper. Although it sucks up paint rapidly, I like the feel of it for a quick study.

I bought a basket of pears at the market and took some photos of them on the kitchen counter with sunlight coming in. I love strong shadows and contrasts. Pears remind me so much of fall, I only wish I could grow them here. I haven't seen any growing, but if apples grow, perhaps pears could as well if sheltered..