Thinking of Summer - and a Painting in Its New Home

Thinking of Summer

Oil on canvas, 10x10

As I am planning my trip to California to paint, give workshops and do shows, I have found myself thinking of summer, even though it's plenty cold here in Virginia. 

To me, summer is more than warmth. It's early dawns and late sunsets. It's the coolness of shady trees, the smell of freshly turned dirt, the brilliant colors of flowers. It's bare feet, and the sounds of people playing and doing things outdoors, and fireflies lighting the gentle nights. 

That's where my head was, in summer, when I made this little painting, a rare abstract, and one that I really like. 

***

AFTER SPENDING MOST of the day struggling to put together a not very complicated easel - and failing mightily - I just put it aside and started a cowscape. I really like it, especially on the black canvas. The cows are going to be standing in water, so chances are that this will not be a minimalist painting - but I might try some more cows on another black canvas, and leave it without much non-cow stuff. 

I think this painting has a little bit of the feeling of cave drawings, and I like that! 

***

 Late in the summer, a lovely woman from Delaware commissioned me to make the painting you see above. It's 24 by 72 - big! - and what you can't really see well is that there's a couple, a child and a dog walking along the beach.

Here's how it looks in their home. Nice!

 ***

Dog of the Day

In late October, a lovely old girl named Flossie was the dog of the day. 

She was aged and arthritic, but what a dear face. I am sure she was a sweet dog. But her aches and pains finally got the best of her, and her owners decided it was her time. 

No one will ever replace Flossie, but she's been followed into the family by Gonzo, 

pictured above. He's bound to bring love and joy and entertainment, 

and help Flossie's family put distance between themselves and their sadness. 

Max and Carrot - and Woody, Too

Max

Oil on canvas, 12x12

commission

So where does inspiration come from? I can't say that I know. But I do know I recognize it when it comes calling. 

And that's sort of the answer for me. 

Inspiration is not here with me 24 hours a day. The muses just aren't always singing. 

Luckily for me, I had a lifetime before this one that also brought me into contact with inspiration and the muses. And I learned, from my years of writing and editing, and writing headlines and captions, that the best way to greet the muses when they do show up, and entreat them to stay for a while, is to be prepared. 

When I was writing and editing a lot, I eventually began to think of those activities as muscles that needed to be exercised and strengthened every day. I wrote and wrote and wrote, and edited and edited and edited, and so, when inspiration showed up, I was tuned in enough to recognize it and lithe enough to capture it. 

The same goes with my painting. 

I paint and paint and paint. I paint every day. I try things, and try things again, and then try again. And when, for instance, Max goes from being a cardboardy face on a canvas to taking on the soul of the dog, I can recognize the moment of inspiration and grab hold and, if I am lucky, hear those muses singing. 

What about you? Do you think that inspiration deserves more respect, more of a princely welcome? How do you seek and find inspiration? 

Carrot

Oil on canvas, 12x12

commission

p.s., Carrot and Max live together, and their portraits are going to hang together. Fun! 

Want to give a pet portrait as a Christmas present? I'll send you a gift certificate to give to that special pet-loving someone. Email me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

***

AS MOST OF YOU know, I think, I am embarking in mid-January on a painting trip to California, and I'm looking for sponsors. 

Sponsorships run from $50 to $750. For your hard-earned $$, you receive art that I paint on the way! You also receive goodies from the road, including a 2015 calendar of paintings to the trip; postcards from my travels; regular emails with paintings, stories and photos from the road; and a chance to win a big painting of your choice. 

Check out the details at at http://jacobson-arts.com/Jacobson_Arts/sponsor_me%21.html.

Sponsorships make great Christmas presents! If anyone wants me to suggest to a friend or significant other that you might like a sponsorship, please email me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com, and I'll drop the hint. 

***

Dog of the Day

Here's Woodreau. He's a bichon we rescued; he was so messed up, it was a year before we could pet him. He did make friends with the dogs right away.

Want your pet to be the Dog of the Day? Send me a picture at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

Storm Over Eagle Nest - and What's in Sparky's Ears?

Storm Over Eagle Nest

Oil on canvas, 6x12

sold

The other day, an artist friend focusing on 2014 shows asked me whether I'd made the shift from wall-to-wall-paint pieces to minimal pieces. 

I said I hadn't, not really, and when this artist asked why, I had answers, but I was really hemming and hawing, and my friend picked up on it. And challenged me.

If I didn't have the nerve to commit to an entire tent, an entire display of minimalist paintings, this artist said, I was not going to find success with them. 

When we stopped talking, I'll tell you, I was mad and I was hurt. This was not the first time that this person had challenged me. During the summer, when I was in New England for six weeks, doing a series of shows and visiting friends and family, this artist had suggested that instead of doing so much visiting, I should be doing more painting. Should be more disciplined, more productive. 

Both times, I felt like snapping back: I didn't ask for your opinion. I don't tell you how to do your work. I would never suggest changes to your display, or to your art. 

But I didn't say any of that, and after my flash of anger subsided, I was able to see the truth behind the challenges. 

Yes, this summer I could have done more paintings. I could have been more disciplined. 

Right now, yes, I don't have the courage to commit fully to the minimalist paintings. They come with problems I don't know how to solve yet, and a market I don't know how to find. 

But I can make inroads. I can initiate evolution. I do have the courage for that. 

Would you challenge a friend the way this artist challenged me? How have you handled being challenged by people who, while they are friends, are not your close friends or family? 

***

REMEMBER SPARKY, here, the Dog of the Day from a couple weeks ago? Well, a blog reader, Andrew Graham (he's a fabulous interior designer - you can see his work by clicking here) - saw a secret in Sparky.

Take a look at his ears. In each one, you can see the face of a woman. Right? Spooky!

***

THE CALIFORNIA CALLING trip is shaping up! I've been juried into three good-looking shows, and I'm quite excited. 

The Southwest Arts Festival, in Indio, California, runs from Jan. 23-25. I will stay in California and paint for a week or so after the show, then head to my Dad's house in Tubac, where I'm in the Tubac Arts Festival from Feb. 5-9. I'll paint in Tubac, and, I hope, conduct a couple workshops there, then head home at the end of the month, after participating in the Rio Grande Arts Festival in Albuquerque. 

Exciting! To find out how to sponsor me, and come along for the ride, click here.