Tuesday, April 28, 2009

"Symphony of Color III" Giclée on canvas

Barbara, a client from Chicago discovered my website, and fell in love with my "Symphony of Color III". She decided to order a 60 x 36 Giclée to hang above the fireplace in her Summer Home. I promised Barbara I would give her Giclée a lot of extra love and attention!

Barbara just received her "Symphony of Color III" Giclée, and this is the response she emailed me:
Jennifer,

We hung the picture in our summer home. It looks spectacular! It is over the fireplace in our great room which is a two story room. It looks a little bit different depending on where you stand in the room, and how the light hits it. As a result, the colors stand out at different times making it an ever changing picture. We love it.

Thank you for sending the information about yourself and the certificate of authenticity. Our friends who have seen it raved about it...let's see if we can't drum up some more business for you in the Midwest.

Barbara

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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Aspens in Fall--triptych

This was a fun commission to do. I just finished it up. Each panel measures 24" x 48"...put them all together and it is 72" x 48". I actually painted the three canvases together, to make sure that the "flow" went perfectly from one into another. When hanging a triptych, generally you keep between 2-4 inches between each panel. Triptychs are very much 'en vogue' these days! They are a great way to fill up a large wall. This commission came through my Gallery in Younteville, CA--"Gallery 1870". We just sent it off today.

This was the response of Barbara when I emailed her a picture of the paintings for her approval:

It's absolutely beautiful and 100% perfect! I know the print can't do it justice, because of the "depth" you're able to put into your paintings, so I know it'll be even more beautiful in "real life!!" I am so excited. I'll e-mail you as soon as Coke gives his "seal of approval." He's not here right now but I expect him shortly.

You'll be hearing from me shortly,

Barbara

______________________

"It's fantastic looking!" I guess it's very safe to say Coke loves it, too! First thing he actually said was, "When can we get it?!"

Thanks so much,

Barbara

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

"Walking through Lavender" follow-up!

Remember this commission? A few months ago, Barbara and Walter Schwamb commissioned me to do a 36" x 42" lavender painting for their home. They had admired my work in the home of a their friends (collectors Jim and Caroline Nudelman from Corpus Christi, TX,) and wanted a painting of their own! If you look closely, you can barely see two girls (their daughters) walking arm in arm down the field of lavender. Gallivanting a few paces in front of them is "Ozzy" the family dog.


Barb and Walter loved the result! This is what Barb had to say when I emailed her a picture for her final approval before I shipped the painting out:

Jen,

Just got back from Wimberley, and opened your email.....and I LOVE THIS PAINTING!!!! I am so psyched!!!! It really is perfect. I am so thrilled with the commission piece ~ thank you so very much....I can't wait to bond with it in person!!!

Barb

That was a few months ago. Recently, Barb emailed me a few pictures of the painting hanging in their home! That is always such a treat for me to see! They decided to get creative with the "frame". Instead of "framing" it the traditional way (or leaving the painting "unframed" as most do with my work), they painted a frame around the painting directly on the wall. I think it turned out pretty neat! See below...

Barb also tells me that they plan on installing special lighting to better illuminate the painting. That is always a great idea--especially with my thick texture! Light will bounce off the thick layers, and really "pop". It will be the "WOW" factor for any room. It was a treat to see these pics..but the best part of all was seeing the faces of the dear collectors who commissioned the painting! I've never met them in real life, so seeing Barb and Walter standing in front of my lavender field was a pretty neat!

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Monday, April 13, 2009

New Release--"Golden Sunrise"

This is one of my favorite paintings! I sent it to "Royal Street Gallery" in Aspen, Colorado, and it sold the same day it arrived! I knew it would go fast, so before I shipped it out, I got it photographed with the intention of making limited edition prints. I immediately had some interest! A 60" x 48" Giclee went to Heidi and Greg Pierce from San Bruno, CA. They needed a large art piece to brighten up their dining room. This will be perfect for them--lots of warm sunshine in this scene! I upgraded their giclee to an "Artist Proof" (only 10 AP's are available!), which includes a lot of extra texture, and an original sketch on the back. I literally hand painted every square inch with a brush, and used a palette knife to "sculpt" in texture on the black knobs and leaves! It was stunning! Of course nothing beats the texture of an original, but I have yet to see a more enhanced print!

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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Commission Completed!

On the way home to Oregon from Scottsdale, Matt and I stopped near San Francisco to deliver 4 special commissions to Lisa and Mark. Remember my "Dream Commission" from last month? Well...above is the end result! Lisa and Mark needed 4 custom paintings created to fit inside their four niches--two 87 1/2" x 27 1/2" niches in the entry by the front door, and two 56 1/2" x 33 1/2" niches upstairs in their Master bedroom. Big, dramatic paintings with lots of color and texture was what they were looking for...and that happens to be my specialty! I had been visualizing these paintings hanging in those niches for weeks...and I couldn't wait to see the finished result! We first brought in the two aspen pieces. After what seemed like an eternity, Matt finally got all the plastic wrapping off, and we placed them inside the niches...and WOW! They looked fantastic! I was so thrilled.

This was the first time Lisa and Mark had actually seen my work in person and the extreme thickness of the texture! The aspen trunks literally protrude from the canvas three-dimensionally. Mark couldn't help tugging on one of the black aspen nobs! They said the trees looked and felt so real--like they were there in that scene looking up at "Maroon Bells". I do feel that these two pieces are among the strongest work I've painted. Just the sheer height of them, makes them extremely interesting. At over 7' tall, I had to stand on a ladder just to paint the top. They were the perfect pieces for that grand entry, and it gave the room all the drama it craved. In one of the trees, I carved Lisa and Mark's initials with a heart and an arrow. It actually took them a few minutes to find it (kinda like finding Waldo); I like to keep those details very subtle.

Next, we went upstairs to the Master Bedroom. I think Lisa and Mark were a little more anxious about the two painting upstairs. They hadn't even seen a picture of the completed pieces, so this really was a surprise! All they knew was that one would be a poppy field, and the other a lavender. This is what they had commissioned. We could barely breathe as Matt carefully unwrapped them. And...voila! Lisa first saw the poppy field unveiled, and loved how the poppies stuck out of the canvas--as if you could pick them! And then she saw the lavender, and she got really excited. She loves purple! She exclaimed that she couldn't wait to wake up in the morning and look up at all that purple! The two pieces are so vibrant together. I actually created them as a "diptych". The rolling hills and sky are a continuation into the other. The lavender field contains splashes of red poppies, and the poppy field has sprigs of lavender sprinkled throughout. They are stunning side by side! And, I wouldn't have ever thought of doing a "diptych" like that, had Lisa and Mark not commissioned it that way. It was fabulous!

I also added a couple of special touches that will make the paintings even more meaningful to Lisa and Mark. In the distant hills in the poppy field painting, very subtly, I painted their actual home. It fit perfectly with the "Tuscan" motif, I just had to tint the roof a little 'orange'. In the lavender painting, Lisa and Mark asked that I paint a miniature version of them walking hand in hand. It was fun adding those little details (now you know why I was still painting even after the show ended!). I titled the paintings "Love" and "Happiness" to symbolize the new life that Lisa and Mark will have together (they recently got engaged!). They were excellent clients to work with, and I'm thrilled they picked me to help them solve the 'problem with the empty niches!'

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Thursday, April 2, 2009

Still Painting?!!

"Will someone please tell her that the show is now over?!!"

It's true...they were tearing down the walls all around me, and I was still painting! It was quite comical, really. I was officially the last artist off the premises. The truth was, I had to finish up a couple of commissions that I was to deliver on my way back to Oregon! Talk about pressure! You can't really rush the creative juices! But I did finally get it all done. When the show coordinators came 'round to check on my progress (or lack thereof), I couldn't help look up at them in shock and say in utter bewilderment, "Hey! Where did everyone go?"