Unwrapping 2015

 
After the other gifts have been unwrapped and admired and the last of the chocolates found their way to my hips, I've left the best present for last.  My review of the year that has passed.  Its a long post, so grab a drink and a comfy chair while the new year rolls in and celebrate another year passed and an opportunity to fulfil your dreams in 2016.

Looking back over successes and failures, learning and growing, networking and evolving, a review helps me cement ideas, celebrate what worked and try to learn from what didn't.  It forges a bridge to the next year that is based on knowledge and experience, with a little "what the hell, let's try it anyway" thinking.

I break my review down into categories that are consistent with my business objectives as I am then measuring apples against apples to see what progress has been made.

My 2015 business plan, at least the one for public consumption, was vague and my review of 2014 pretty non existent, aside from my favourites pick for the year. My mother had died just before last Christmas and my mind wasn't wrapped around much more than dealing with all that entails as well as finishing pieces and preparation for the Wooden Boats solo exhibition in June.

Ok, let's have a look at what the year looked like.

Production

Without production, there are no sales.  Without sales, there is no art business.  And yes, art IS a business.

Career change

At the end of February 2015 I transitioned from a full time day job to a full time professional artist. this move took time and planning before making the decision to switch.  As the lifestyle and paycheque for an artist can be variable, there has to be a lot of planning done before jumping into the ring.   Decisions around finances, lifestyle, accommodation to working from home, building the art business, etc. all must be considered carefully.  Its not a career for everyone and my background in nonprofit management served me well from a business perspective, but it was difficult managing work and an art career.  I think sleep became an option for quite awhile!

Written Resources

I created a book that accompanied the Wooden Boats project.  I made hard copies available to individual who purchased a painting from the series and also made the book available online as a download or to purchase as a hard copy.

Online Drawing Workshop

I have written the final drafts of  a series of five modules for an online drawing workshop with sketches completed.  Filming and narration will be completed in 2016.  This was on hold for most of the year with issues around filming and finances, but looks like full steam ahead for the future.

Introduction to Palette Knife Painting

I removed the Introduction to Palette Knife Painting from circulation on Amazon and have completed a draft outline for a comprehensive how-to book on palette knife painting.  This project will be worked on as time allows over 2016 with a hope for publication in 2017.

The Gyotaku Project book

The Gyotaku Project hard copy book has also been removed from circulation and is available only as an e-book through Blurb.

Colour Theory Supplement

I developed a 21 page colour theory supplement that accompanies my colour workshops.  This is tweaked and amended as I delve further into colour and ultimately I will make it available online.

Visibility

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" is a philosophical thought experiment that raises questions regarding observation and knowledge of reality.

If a painting is created and no one sees it but the creator of the painting, does it exist?

Mailing list

Studio News was sent out monthly during 2015 with occasional additional mailings for special events or offers.

My mailing list subscribers increased by 32% through direct invitations, social media teasers and a popup on my blog.

Social Media

I continued my social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and (less frequently) Instagram.  I have a personal page on Facebook as well as a business page, where most of my art and art related information is located.

Media 

The Telegram

Tara Bradbury of The Telegram interviewed me about my solo exhibit on Wooden Boats in June. You can read the interview here.

CBC National news 

In July I was asked to participate in a national CBC series: Voters of Canada.  The project consisted of interviews with Canadians with no political affiliation from a variety of professions who would speak about issues they felt were important in the upcoming election.  I was the representative artist and the resulting interview can be seen here.  The image below shows the producer in the studio filming the painting I was working on at the time - Red Boat.

 Artist Talk – Wooden Boats, June 2015 - Peter Lewis Gallery, St. John's, NL

On June 13th, I gave an artist's talk about the process and background of creating the Wooden Boat series.  Many thanks to VANL for coordinating the talk at the gallery. The talk was well attended, fueled perhaps by me bringing homemade lemon bars for snacks!

 

Exhibitions

• Solo exhibition –Wooden Boats, June 12 - 26, 2015 - Peter Lewis Gallery, St. John's, NL
• Group exhibition - Eclectic Eight – December 5 - 19, 2015 - Peter Lewis Gallery, St. John's, NL
• Arts & Letters Awards - Meritorious entry - Coming of Age - The Rooms  April  - May 2015
• Five Island Gallery, Tors Cove  - Group Exhibition  May - October 2015
• The Glass Studio, Rocky Harbour - June - September 2015

Coming of Age  12" x 12"  oil on panel  NFS

Pouch Cove Open Studios

In August, I took part in the Pouch Cove Open Studio event.  This is a two day event where Pouch Cove area artists and artisans open their homes and studios to the public to showcase their work. This year I was one of the two artists from Flatrock who participated. Over the two days I had 85 visitors to my studio with a variety of backgrounds and interests from collectors to artists and people visiting the province.

Colouring Sheets

In December I created eight colouring sheets of fish and boats and made them available for free download on my website. 

Ottlite easel lamp review  

 In March 2015 I completed a review on my blog of the Ottlite Easel Lamp.  You can read the review on my blog post  Into The Light.

New Website

In March I bit the bullet and created a new website and also changed site hosts to a less expensive one.  With the current exchange rate between Canadian and US dollars, it wasn't economic to work with the previous host.  I still have the same (and better, in my opinion) functions but with a cleaner look and more easily navigable site layout with purchasing options for paintings and all at a better annual hosting price.

Red, White and Blue

24" x 30" oil on masonite

Available from Five Island Art Gallery

Financials

 Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.

Andy Warhol

In a nutshell, its been a good year.  With a solid business plan, lots of hard work, marketing and taking some risks, I'm happy with the outcome.

I hired an accountant to work on art business financials.  That took a load off my plate and was money well spent to leave taxes and financial dealings to the professionals.  

There was a 34% increase in revenue overall

-          51% increase in sales revenue

-          Teaching revenue was down 9% from 2014. This reduction was due to my cancellation of summer sessions to allow me to do workshops in other regions and research potential painting sites as well as travel outside the province.

The NLAC art grant which was received to complete the Wooden Boats series was finalized and reported.  As usual, the costs over ran the actual grant amount which was not the full amount requested due to funding changes.

Art pricing was raised 5% - 10% in gallery, studio and online sales.  An annual increase is the norm for most professional artists and reflects productivity, artist value and increases collectors' investment purchases.
 

Evie Rose

Art production

79 paintings created

-          27 large paintings

-          52 small paintings

-          Daily sketching, pencil, pen and wash or oils

Painting sales  

84 paintings sold

• Gallery sales – (23% of sales)
• Artist Studio Sales - (33% sales) 
• Etsy Store - (44% total sales) 

Workshops

I spread my wings further afield to deliver workshops in 2015.

-Flatrock Studio - workshops & private classes – drawing & painting

-St. John’s (Anna Templeton Centre) – Introduction to Palette Knife Painting

-Carbonear – Colour Theory

-Rocky Harbour - Gyotaku

 

What I need to work on

As with all of the best laid plans, they don't always come to fruition.  I've learned over the past year to pace myself and not spread myself so thinly so that I get stressed.  I left that behind when I left the day job!  In 2016 I am reducing the number of workshops I'll be offering to allow me more studio and marketing time.

I can procrastinate with the best.  I have to concentrate on one task at a time, and I know it spurs me to have a deadline biting at my heels. Instead of nibbling a bit here and there, I need to take on a single project and complete it without interruption, then go on to the next.  Of course, as an artist, we know that's not always possible as there are many tasks  pulling at us from all directions.

The Bagger - SOLD

6" x 8"  oil on panel

What's coming in 2016

I'll be offering a demo in an aspect of drawing or painting once a month on my YouTube Channel.  I've neglected the channel over the past year and really need to develop the interaction that video provides.  Make sure you subscribe on my channel so you don't miss any.

I have a pet project that I will be working on this year.  All I can tell you is that it involves a boat and a Victorian painting. I know, frustrating isn't it?

I will be creating a new series of boat paintings in Newfoundland towns.  I'd like to explore some night/twilight settings to see the changes in value and colour as light fades.

I'll push the Online Drawing Workshop to completion in 2016.  Accessing appropriate filming and editing services is challenging in terms of time and money.  I'll be pursuing ways of completing and delivering the best product for you to use. 

As of February 1, 2016  HST will be added to purchases of classes and paintings.

12 in 15

Queen's  24 x 30 - SOLD

Reproductions available exclusively through Newfoundland Canvas

I paint and sketch fairly prolifically and like to look back over what has been produced during the year and pick twelve of my favourites.  I'd love to know which are your favourites and why.  Colour, composition, subject...it helps me plan what to paint in the future.

The paintings are not in order of preference.

Red Boat - SOLD

Tethered  16 x 20 - SOLD

 

Sea Harvesters  - SOLD

Evening Tide  SOLD

Iced In   SOLD 

Benoit's Cove  SOLD

Deep Bight - 24 x 24

Available from the artist

 Flatrock Harbour  15 x 30 - Sold

 

Shore Leave 11 x 14 

Available from the artist

Summer Ducks

Saturday Night Girls   SOLD

Night Anchor

 Night Anchor - SOLD

12" x 16"  oil on canvas

This is the latest painting off the easel.  Its a smaller piece 12" x 16" which is a good size that doesn't take too long to paint or cause too much stress in process - usually.

Its funny as whatever size I paint, invariably someone wants the opposite in size.  If I paint large, they want small, if I paint small they need large.  So I continue to create a mix of sizes that meet a variety of likes.  Painting a variety of sizes keeps the process interesting for me, allowing different compositions and less intense painting time.

I liked the time of day for this painting.  Twilight is truly the magic hour for artists where colours start to fade and the sun creates warmth on subjects that it hits as its sets.   I still have a need to create some night paintings, hopefully next year.

Save on small paintings

VISIT MY ETSY STORE

Christmas is the time for giving back and giving thanks for the support of others over the past year.  The last two Christmas seasons have been difficult with illness one year and the death of my mother the next.  Its as if the season was skipped entirely during these years or just a cursory glance given to it.  This year is more festive and is a celebration of the past year's successes.

During Christmas Week, I am offering 25% off everything in my Etsy store.  This shop is where I make small painting available, that range from 5" x 7" up to 9" x 12". Larger paintings are available through Peter Lewis Gallery or direct from me on my website www.jeanettejobson.com.

By offering a discount, I hope I provide an incentive for you to obtain some original art to start or add to your collection or the collection of someone else.  Think upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, graduation gifts, or perhaps just an indulgence of the season for yourself.

The discount is available from December 20 - 27th.   Simply enter FESTIVE25 at checkout and you'll automatically receive the 25% discount on the original price.

Don't forget to comment on my blog post if you want your name to be entered into the draw for the original painting "The Spice Girls" on December 31st. 

Colouring for adults

I'm sure most people have seen the colouring books geared towards adults lately.  Colouring is the new relaxant, though I'm sure there are differing opinions and differing outcomes for every illustration, depending on expectation.  But for filling a spare 30 minutes or destressing after a busy day at work, its worth losing yourself in an activity that doesn't demand a lot of concentration.

I've created eight illustrations of fish and boats that you can download, print and colour.  Best of all, they're free!  Try them yourself, send them to your friends, give them to the children or Granny to keep them occupied while you're preparing the Christmas feast.  Use coloured pencils or pens and create your own masterpiece.

I'd love to see what you create.  If you'd like to share, do so in the comment section.  Enjoy!

Download the colouring sheets

Learning to see

 Dance Partners

6" x 8" oil on panel

Available on Etsy

In classes, I get asked over and over and over how I see shapes or colours and how I decide on what to put on the painting.  I thought I'd create a short series of information pieces on seeing that will be available in the new year.  It is a challenge for many beginning artists to understand just what they're supposed to look for.  They often use a photo reference slavishly and don't make independent decisions around value or colour for fear of it "not looking right".   In this information series, I will illustrate and explain what I look for, how I see shapes and how I create colour decisions.

Here's an example of how I make colour decisions, based on this painting "Dance Partners".

When I paint, I try my best to stay within the colour wheel, using the most saturated, intense colours possible to ensure that I don't stray too far into desaturation, or mud.  

I mix colours to create secondary and tertiary hues and use complementary colours that really bounce off each other almost, giving harmony.   I introduce paler or brighter tints of those colours and introduce background colours into the subject and subject colours into the background to provide interest and an overall cohesiveness.

I often add tiny shots of pure colour that are part of the analogous section of the colour wheel that represent the hues of the subject or are a direct complement of the subject colour.   For instance in the green apple, I mixed pthalo blue and cad lemon yellow in varying amounts to create the greens.  For highlights, I add a pale yellow green mixed simply with a lot of CLYwith a tiny amount of PB and a shot of pure CLY out of the tube for the top.   Can you see that bit of pale blue in the green apple or the shot of blue in the red?  This is where I can indicate value but am not tied to the reference. 

For those starting the path in art, it can be challenging to make leaps of faith that allow growth as it moves them outside their comfort zone.  Experience and practice are key elements that train the ability to see more clearly and make decisions based on information instead of guesswork.  As well, a strong background in drawing and colour theory are essential for anyone seriously considering creating art.

Eclectic Eight

The opening takes place tonight (December 5th) for a group exhibition I am taking part in.  Three boat paintings will make their debut at the gallery and I'll be in the company of seven other artists showing a wide range of subjects and styles.  The opening reception is at Peter Lewis Gallery from 7 - 9 pm Saturday December 5th and I'd love to see you there.

Tethered  16" x 20

The exhibition runs until December 19th and is a perfect lead up to the Christmas season. What better way to spend a winter's evening but with a glass of wine, art conversation and beautiful paintings? While many of my paintings can be seen online, there really is no comparison to seeing a piece in person under the wonderful gallery lighting.   The colours are more intense and the subtle value changes can be seen more clearly. 

Meanwhile I'm just about ready for the what is becoming "annual" Painting Christmas workshop which will take place tomorrow.  I've put up a tree (the earliest time ever in my life!) and its looking festive.  Even the weather added some snow yesterday to add to the seasonal feel. Lots of learning and painting will take place in addition to a delicious three course home cooked lunch with wine.  It may be difficult to get that afternoon painting in after that!

Painting Giveaway!

To celebrate the season, I am giving away an original painting.  This piece, "The Spice Girls" is 9" x 12" in oils on a gessoed masonite panel.  These peppers are bright and colourful, perfect for brightening a bleak mid winter day and painted using only a palette knife.  The painting is valued at $325.

Italian pepperoncini peppers grow easily in the greenhouse here in our short growing season and they make perfect painting subjects with their bright colours. The Spice Girls really aren't that spicy and are often pickled or used in making antipasto.

To enter, you simply need to comment on this post.  For an additional entry, sign up to my free mailing list (see the link on the popup or on the right side of this blog) and receive the monthly Studio news.

The deadline for entry is 9:00pm Newfoundland time on December 31st.  The winner will be drawn for before midnight on December 31st and contacted by email, but don't forget to check back here on New Year's Day to find out who is the winner.

Good luck!

Glass fishing floats

 
Norway was the first country to start production and use of glass fishing floats around 1840 where glass floats were on gill nets in the cod fishery and then adopted by Japan in the 1940s. Glass fishing floats aren't seen much anymore and ones available for sale range in price depending on the colour. I have friends in the antique business with a whole window full of them that are just beautiful when the light comes through.

I've done this small study in watercolour in a sketchbook to help me decide if I want to invest time (and patience) to create a full sized painting in oils.   There is a lot of detail and this is just a crop of the whole reference that I would use.

Studies really are the key to working out decisions on composition, colour and technique to avoid painting half way through a large piece and deciding nothing is working.

I'm looking carefully at the subtle changes in value and hue that painting glass presents and thinking how I can translate that into oils using just a palette knife.

I think another study is in order using oils and a knife before I make a final decision.

Brigus South

 Brigus South - SOLD

24" x 30" on canvas

Fishing sheds, stages, twine lofts...every structure that loads fish, dries fish, is a set off point or a home port or a refuge to mend nets or meet with "the boys" for a few beers and a chat, have different names in Newfoundland.

Like many fishing related structures in the province many are not in use with the decline of the fishery, so they sit there, with nature adding and detracting from their character.

I found these fishing sheds/stages in Brigus South, a tiny community nestled on a small inlet harbour at the foot of tall rocky cliffs.  Weather and time is taking its toll on what must have been points of activity when the fishery was in its heyday.  Now they sit and await their fate.

Flanders Field

 Flanders Field - SOLD

oil on panel

The poppy is the recognized symbol of remembrance for war dead in Canada, the countries of the British Commonwealth, and the United States. November 11th known as Remembrance Day in Canada is a holiday, honouring the more than 100,000 Canadians who died in war.  On that day, and many other days, I think of those soldiers who have served, those who have sacrificed and those who have died so that we have the freedom we experience today.

For the last few years I haved painted a poppy to honour those who have gone before, including my great uncle, killed in World War I, the most brutal of wars. He died aged 22 and his body was never found.

  Gordon Clarence Bastow

1894 - 1916

This year, the poppy is called "Flanders Field".  The original poem was written by a Canadian military doctor Major John McCrae.  As the brigade doctor, John McCrae was asked to conduct the burial service for a killed comrade because the chaplain had been called away somewhere else on duty that evening. It is believed that later that evening, after the burial, John began the draft for his now famous poem “In Flanders Fields”.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Brigus South WIP

 

Detail from Brigus South

Work in Progress

Oil on stretched canvas, 24"x 30"

This small section above is a crop of a new painting that I am working on or some older fishing sheds and stages in Brigus South.  They look like they've seen better days, which makes them all the more appealing to me.  There's nothing duller than a bright, shiny paint finish to me.  I like the character that age brings to the table.

Its funny how paintings evolve from the initial concept through to finish.   I believe most artists have similar stages they pass through in completing a painting, even if the style or medium varies.  And like all paintings, there are sections that are more appealing than others to paint.

For me it buoys.  I love painting buoys.  I don't know if its the shape, the colours, the values, but its like having the cherry on the top of the dessert to get  to paint them.  Sometimes, I even make the buoy the subject as in this one.

Buoy - SOLD

Show me the easy way

 Night Watch - SOLD

5" x 7" oil on panel

“Skills aren’t enough on their own. Emotion has to come through. But when you’ve got the various skills sewn up, that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about.” (Zoe Benbow) 

There is a belief from some people who want to set off on their own art journey is that there are shortcuts to success.  I hate to burst bubbles, but the only way to acheive success is through good old fashioned hard work.

The process of repetition provides familiarity with using tools, making marks, judging proportion, mixing colour and creating values.  We all start out as horrible artists.  I know I did.  My first efforts were worthy only of destruction, though some kind people kept some of them.  And well they did, as they become a marker to show beginnings and measure progress.

Where did the concept of "easy" come from?  Experienced artists make drawing and painting look effortless, but that thought must be tempered with understanding just how many hours and years of work it took to instill those "effortless" skills into producing art.

Is the concept of easy a by-product of the society we live in, where everything is rushed, where busyness becomes a badge of importance, and time is limited to 3 or 5 minute snippets of attention before your brain/eyes/hands are sidetracked?

To draw or paint well takes discipline and alone time.  Robert Genn put it well in an interview saying something to the effect of a learning artist should be sent to their room - for six months or a year.  After concentrating completely on art for that period of time, then results will start to be seen.   Five minutes a day will help, but making time to dedicate to learning and practicing techniques is really the only way to become proficient.

Skills that are worth learning and that take time to learn are hard won.  Drawing, colour theory, composition, values and abstraction take time and practice to understand and become fluent with. There is a lot of unskilled art being made in the world. That can have its own appeal and provide joy to some, no doubt.  But not knowing and not taking the time to know the specifics of different mediums and how to apply them only ensures that after awhile all that art starts to look the same.

Knowing the rules is important before you can break the rules.

Siren

Siren  16" x 20"

 

  As I rearrange my studio for what is hoped the last time (though I know it won't be), I came across a watercolour on Arches board of a big pink flower.  I don't know what the reference was, its too long ago to remember. There was also the challenge of some masking fluid still on the upper left petal and was near impossible to remove after being there for so long.  So I removed as  much as I could and worked with the resulting texture that was left.

Original painting

Being inbetween paintings I thought I'd play around with colour and see if I could liven it up a bit.  I kept adding washes of colour and dropping other colours into the wet wash, letting them mingle. I hadn't used watercolour on a larger scale for a long time and enjoyed remembering how the medium worked its magic.

Colour wash progress

Looking back at it now I know I added too many layers, desaturating the colours too much and losing the freshness of the medium.  The colours are not as pure or fresh as I'd like, but overall it works. I think I'll stick with oils and keep the watercolours for my sketches! It may never be saleable, but it will brighten up a corner of the studio.