Dusk, Stonington Point

Dusk, Stonington Point

Oil on deep-cradled canvas, 16x20

sold

The days are getting shorter, and I feel the tug of winter settling in.

I know it is a million weeks away, but every day brings it closer. In the mornings I sit here and look out my window and before I remember, I wonder if it's storming, or if today is the day that the sun will not come up.

Hawks nested in the driveway this spring, and had two babies. The parents were vocal,  watching us and announcing our presence and their own for the whole summer. We watched the parents build the nest, catch a multitude of creatures to feed themselves and their babies, and then we watched as the young hawks learned to hunt.

I saw one of them in the yard one day, sort of stomping around on the grass. I thought he had caught something, but in fact, as I looked closer, I could see that he had not. I think he was trying to step on bugs.

I watched him, and honestly, I began to think he was developmentally disabled, too stupid to last in the world he lives in, the world of eat or be eaten.

One afternoon, he caught a worm, and flew off with it, clearly not quite understanding what to do.

Days later, he caught a vole.

Days after that, they all were gone.

I cling to these hot, bright days, live on the glory of sunflower fields, and day lilies and the delightful presence of the summer's crop of hummingbirds, and the knowledge that all of this will go, and will come back again.

jacobson arts world headquarters is in gales ferry, connecticut

Addendum

Sunrise, Sunset

Oil on canvas, 12x16

sold

As my friend Carrie Jacobson so intelligently asked me after my most recent post... which painting had I so serendipitously brought to Art on Groton Bank and sold? (Those Carrie Jacobsons are smart, aren't they?)

So here it is. From November 2009.

You know, I focused on that experience in my most recent blog post, but there was much more to the day. For starters, the fact that AOGB happened at all this year is somewhat of a miracle.

It was started in 2007 by Audrey Heard, a marvelous artist, and friends Lana Orphanides, Judith Winder and Millie Carlson. Audrey and crew ran the show through last year, when Audrey apparently decided that she wanted to devote her time to painting.

For a while, it looked like there would be no Art on Groton Bank. Then Chris Rose, curator of the Gallery at Lighthouse, stepped in, and the show went on.

The work this year was lovely. Friends came to see it, and friends came to be in it. Mary Stepanian of Groton showed beautiful, lively paintings and cards, and had a great time. Kelly Jarvis of Westerly brought her gorgeous jewelry, and had an excellent day. It was her first time at AOGB. It was also Ronet Noe's first time. She's a wonderful and incredibly creative painter who builds up 3-D stuff on her canvases and then paints them - I've never seen anything like it. She didn't sell anything, but she had a good time.

Friends came from work, from the neighborhood, and a woman who works at Jerry's Artarama in West Hartford even came by.

Art on Groton Bank always happens around the anniversary of my mother's death, and so there is always an undertone to the event for me. But I know how happy Mom would be with what I'm doing, and so there is great solace in that for me. And while my dad is in Arizona and couldn't be at the show, I feel lucky every day to still have one parent living and seeing my painting, and loving it.

Jacobson Arts world headquarters is in Gales Ferry, CT

A Charmed Day

 

My booth at Art on Groton Bank

I had a lovely and charmed day at Art on Groton Bank on Saturday. 

I had set up my booth (in the shade! Yay!) and was talking to someone when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a person who looked familiar, but out of place. As in, when worlds collide. 

Sure enough, it was Cindy, a woman who had been at the Wickford show a week earlier. She and I had had a lovely conversation about art, and life, and she and her husband, who was every bit as gentle and sweet as she was, bought a painting from me. 

They live up near Wickford. But on Saturday, they came down to Groton to see Art on Groton Bank, say hello, look at my work and buy more paintings! 

It is hard to express what this means to me. It brings tears to my eyes on this hot Monday morning, really. Any time that a collector comes into your life, it is a blessing and a gift. To have this kind couple go out of their way and seek me out to see more work and buy more paintings is one of the riches experiences you can have doing this, I think. 

But the story goes on! Eric had found a painting that he liked, and Cindy kept looking and looking, and finally asked me about a painting she'd seen on my website. I couldn't get it from her description - so I got out the computer and we looked through the website. Still couldn't find it. 

Eric suggested that she look on the site when she got home, and get in touch with me. While they were discussing it, I remembered that I'd brought a couple extra paintings (my little box of optimism), and I pulled one out to show them. 

This was a painting I'd made of the back yard, as the sun was setting on a gorgeous afternoon. It's always been one of my favorite paintings, and yet it hadn't sold and hadn't sold and hadn't sold. It's one of the touchstone paintings, where my style changed, and so I thought that perhaps I should keep it. So I had put it in a box in the garage and sort of lost it for a while. But for some reason, it showed up and I put it in my box and brought it to the Art on Groton Bank show. 

I pulled it out and said, well, "I have this other painting that I haven't hung," and Cindy turned around and her face lit up and she said: "That's the ONE!" 

Sure enough, it was the one she'd fallen for on the website. 

So this sweet couple bought two paintings from me on Saturday, and made my day on many levels. 

Art on Groton Bank was a lovely event this year, sunny and happy and with a good crowd and sales for many of us. Chris Rose of the Gallery at Lighthouse did an excellent job putting the show together, and I have high hopes that it will continue.

The world headquarters of Jacobson Arts is in Gales Ferry, CT.

Pound Puppy

Pound Puppy

Oil on canvas, 12x12

Donation to the Montville Animal Shelter

One excellent thing about Patch, the company I work for, is that, four times a year, Patch gives us a day to do something for the community.

We can join a group, participate in a -thon, weed the gardens by town hall, or do whatever community-minded thing we like for a group in our Patch, or a neighboring town.

This is perfect for me. If there's nothing special going on community-wise, I can take the time to do what I love doing most - make a painting.

I often paint with tons and tons of paint - I go overboard with paint, and I revel in it. But from time to time, one of these minimal paintings comes out of me.

I love these. In some ways, I love them more than the abundant ones, though that might simply be because they are more rare. But these leave a lot to the imagination - to my imagination, and to yours - and that intrigues me.

So this painting will go to the Montville Animal Shelter. You can click on the shelter's Facebook page to see the dog I used as my model. He's the black and white pup in the upper left-hand corner.

While you're there, you might think about adopting a kitten...

***

Don't forget about Art on Groton Bank, Saturday, in Groton, Conn., by the Bill Memorial Library. I'll be there, as will about 20 other artists, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's a small show, and in the past, has been a nice show. There are activities for the kids, refreshments (there is a peculiar focus on egg salad sandwiches. They are very good, but they do, oddly, make up the major lunch item - or have, in years past). .. and usually a good selection of interesting art.

Stop by and say hello, if you go! I am hoping to be in the shade...

Jacobson Arts is in Gales Ferry, CT

A Rising Tide

A Rising Tide

Oil on canvas, 16x20

Please contact me for price and delivery options

Art on Groton Bank is set for Saturday, and it's going to be an excellent day and an excellent show, I do believe.

This is a small show - artists, there are still slots available, if you're up for it - and it is a good show. Audrey Heard and friends dreamed it up, gave it its French flavor, and shaped it to echo the spots in Paris where artists lean their works up against fences, paint and, in Audrey's words "talk the talk of art."

This year is the first year that Audrey has not been involved with the show, and while that leaves folks with twinges of tristesse, it's probably a wise move for her. She wanted time and space to paint. Chris Rose, curator of the Gallery at Lighthouse, has picked up the reins. Several members of the original crew are working on this year's show, adding their expertise and institutional memory to the mix.

So, while this is a small show, it's a fun show, a great way to support the Bill Memorial Library, and an excellent place to see and show and buy and sell ... and talk the talk of art.

The show is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. It is in Groton City, near the Monument, on the grounds of the Bill Library, 240 Monument St. 

Any artist who is interested in participating may contact me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com, or 860-442-0246, or contact Chris Rose, at chrisrose@lighthousevocedcenter.com or 860-705-3954.

And if you're looking for a nice way to spend an hour or two, support the community, and see some nice work, come on by. I am hoping I will be set up in a lovely shady spot!

As always, thank you for your support, and for walking with me on this journey.

Jacobson Arts is in Gales Ferry, CT

Dawn on the Marsh, Essex

Dawn on the Marsh, Essex

Oil on canvas, 16x20, $380

The Wickford Outdoor Art Festival turned out to be wonderful for me on many levels.

For starters, many of my paintings sold. Eight or nine all together, I believe. They were bought by people who absolutely loved them. People who lost their hearts to the paintings. And I got to see that happen.

It's great to have the income, yes, indeed it is. I am, after all, on my way to supporting us by making and selling art. But in addition to the income, and far more meaningful and lasting, is the interaction with people, especially with the people who buy my paintings.

People at Wickford - buyers and lookers alike - seemed to go out of their way this time to share their feelings with me. The buyers, especially, did.

In that interaction, it seems, there is the very best of humanity. I love hearing their stories. I love hearing about their lives, and knowing that, in many ways, the paintings that I made have sparked their willingness to share - and often, these people are sharing very deep feelings, very intimate moments in their lives.

It enriches me, these interactions, and I hunger for them and thrive on them. And I am grateful.

The world headquarters of Jacobson Arts is in Gales Ferry, CT

Yellow House, Gloucester

Yellow House, Gloucester

oil on canvas, 10x20

Please contact me for price and shipping information

I had a lovely day at the Wickford Outdoor Art Festival Yesterday. People bought some of my paintings, yay! And I had just the best conversations with people at the show.

I met so many interesting people, who were happy to be alive, happy to be at the show, happy to be seeing art, and willing to talk and trade their experiences for mine.

It was a joy.

I am tired today, but happy to return. If you are looking for something to do today, why not come? It's going to be hot, though, so leave the dogs at home, and bring a lot of water.

Jacobson Arts is in Gales Ferry, CT

Afternoon Trees

Afternoon Trees

Oil on canvas, 8x10

please contact me for price and delivery options

Just a reminder that the Wickford Outdoor Art Show is taking place this weekend!

It's in Wickford, R.I., a lovely coastal village north of Newport and south of Providence. It's a fine-art show, and the quality of work is generally spectacular. I was honored to be juried in.


I'm Booth 78, on Elam Street, a small side street, a little quieter than the main drag. I set my booth up last night, and I think it looks pretty good. I will post a photo during the day if I have time.


The show is Saturday and Sunday, pretty much all day. Click here for more info.

Hope to see you there!

Jacobson Arts is located in Gales Ferry, CT

Summer Field, Newburyport, MA

Summer Field, Outside Newburyport, MA

Oil on canvas, 12x16

sold

The sun was shining on this field, and in the distance, day lilies were blooming around that barn-shaped house. The day was hot, and the sun had that brilliance that it has anywhere near the ocean.

A woman came by as I was finishing this painting and told me that the field had just been purchased by a local greenbelt association, to be kept as green space, open to the public.

She and her dog walked down the path, and I decided to do another painting, a small one I will post tomorrow.

When the woman and the dog came back, he was wet from swimming in a pond in the woods you can see in this painting. He was happy, and wagging his tail, and he shook himself hard before he got into the van.

Time is putting distance between Kaja's death and my heart, and I am grateful. I got through Thursday without weeping, and that is good. My old girl wouldn't want me to be weeping, not for too many days.

And I must get past it, because I am in a big show this weekend in Wickford, RI. I am Tent no. 78, on Elam Street. It is a fabulous show, one of the top in New England, and I am honored to have been accepted. Click here to find out more about the show, or visit wickfordart.org!

It's a fine destination if you're looking for something fun to do over the weekend. If you go, please stop by my tent and say hello!

Thank you, everyone who wrote to me and offered me condolences. Your thoughts and words and prayers mean a lot to me.

The world headquarters of Jacobson Arts is in Gales Ferry, CT

Sunrise, Essex Marsh

Sunrise, Essex Marsh

Sunrise, Essex Marsh

Oil on canvas, 24x24

Please contact me for price and delivery options

I woke early on Saturday, the last day in Gloucester, and made this painting. A new friend, Alicia Drakiotes, painted with me, and we enjoyed the beautiful morning and each other's paintings.


Tired, filled with beauty and with painting, I headed home.


And once I walked in the door, I knew that my old girl's time had come.


With distance, with fresh eyes and with a heart full of love and sorrow, I saw that it was the end for Kaja, and that I had to make it happen. I walked into the house, saw her, burst into tears and called the vet.


Three hours later, she was gone.


I am sad beyond words. I am bereft. Kaja was smart, and she was noble, and she had a sense of humor. She was one of the great ones. She was nearly 15, and she guarded me, and loved me and cared for me unfailingly, every day of those 15 years.


I only wish that death had come and taken her here, in her sleep, in the home she loved. But her heart was too big and too strong for that.


This dog, who had run across the fields chasing deer, this dog who had hiked and ridden and gone swimming with me, this dog who had been the friend of my heart day in and day out, could barely walk. She could barely stand, or sleep or eat. She looked at me and I saw sadness in her eyes. I saw the end.


Her big heart touches mine still, and always will. And while I miss her, and will miss her every day for the rest of my life, I know that she is free from pain and from anxiety and from the body that let her down. I just hope that, in the reckoning, she will not think that it was me who let her down.

Jacobson Arts is in Gales Ferry, CT