On Deep Creek Road

THE SHOW IN TUBAC, while not a loser of a show, wasn't great in terms of sales. I met some truly lovely people, visitors and artists alike, and made some marvelous connections, some of which will last for life, I think - and patrons and supporters of my work bought some paintings.                                                                                                                           It was excellent on a human level, and was not a disaster financially, but it was a long, slow, and very cold show. Standing outside in 40-degree weather, with a cold wind blowing, for 10 hours or so, to bring in $35, well, that's a tough day.                                                                                                                    Inevitably, a day like this, a show like this makes me question my direction, my production, my choices, even my talent. I talk positively to myself, I remind myself that I believe truly in what I'm doing, and that my job is to talk to people, listen to them, share my story if they're interested, hand out cards, invite them to sign up for my newsletter. And bring the art to them, the best art I can bring. But doubt creeps in. 

It's all an opportunity to critique my paintings honestly and even brutally, and that is OK. 

So, for your consideration, I'm posting my newest mosaic painting, at the very top, and the original painting I made of the scene, below. I like them both, I have to say, though they are very different. I'd love to hear your insights. 

***

Next...

MY NEXT SHOW is the Rio Grande Spring Festival in Albuquerque, March 8-10, 

at the Lujan Exhibit Complex at the Expo NM Fairgrounds. 

I'm glad to say that this will be an indoor show. 

***

Dog of the Day

It's Ringo Starr, whose humans made and sold macrame jewelry just up the road from me during the Tubac show. Ringo was friendly and very well behaved.

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

***

A Final Thought

"The purpose of art is not a rarified, intellectual distillate - it is life, intensified, brilliant life." 

-Alain Arias-Misson

Curly, Larry & Moe

Curly, Larry & Moe 

Oil on black canvas, 20x20 / Available soon at District Arts, in Frederick, MD

This has been an exciting and busy stretch for me, as faithful followers of this blog can tell by my prolonged silence. I spent January painting commissions, painting for galleries, painting for shows - and somehow, I feel light on supply, in spite of all that painting. But it's a good problem to have, really! 

As I write this, I am in Tubac, AZ, visiting my dad and stepmother, in advance of the Tubac Festival of the Arts, which starts on Wednesday and runs through Sunday. I won't know my booth space until set-up time on Tuesday. I'll post it on Facebook then, and on my website, jacobson-arts.com. The photo to the left shows me and my dad, together on Saturday at the Arts Center in Tubac. Dad was 90 in September, and is doing great. He volunteers at the Arts Center, knows everyone there and has a keen eye for good. art. 

I've had the good fortune to be invited to show and sell my work - including Curly, Larry & Moe - at District Arts, 15 North Market St., Frederick, MD. (https://districtarts.com/). The gallery, which is set to open later in the month, if all goes well, is owned by Staci and Bill McLauchlan, who are wonderful artists I met years ago, doing shows. Knowing them, and seeing the artists involved, I am sure the gallery is going to be spectacular. If you're in the area, please stop in. 

I'll have Nine Honkers (below) with me at the Tubac Art Festival. Hope to see you there! 

 Nine Honkers

Oil on black canvas, 20x60

***

Scenes from the Road

I STOPPED IN Robertson, Alabama, at the Oasis Travel Center, and was delightfully surprised and amused. The place sort of defies explanation - and is ridiculously fun. You enter through a giant VW microbus, find yourself face to face with a pirate ship, and then find an 18-wheeler, a school bus and a variety of fun sculptures, T-shirts, snacks, sodas and entertainment inside. It's a scream! I will make a point of stopping there any time I'm on I-10. 

***

Dog of the Day

It's Lulu - a/k/a Princess Yum-Yum - ready for bed. 

She doesn't really sleep this way - but my guess is that she believes she should! 

***

A Final Thought

"Every creative act involves a new innocence of perception, 

liberated from the cataract of accepted belief."

- Arthur Koestler

Three Mosaics

"Map of My Heart"

Oil on black canvas, 36x36

Please email me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com for price and availability

I STUMBLED INTO "mosaic" painting early this year, and have spent a lot of time and energy on these paintings. A year later, I find myself loving - and questioning - them. 

What I love: 

• They call to me.  I find myself seeing the landscape in bits and pixels, focusing on how to build these daubed landscapes, being drawn more and more to views that can be painted in this way (it is not every landscape, I'm finding). 
• They contain some magic, in the making and in the viewing. I can look at one of these big pieces forever, and find myself drawn in by them, by the colors, the patterns, the repetition, the rhythm, the movement through the canvas. 

What I question: 

• It takes forever to make them. 
• It is physically difficult. My poor shoulder resents these paintings and the uncountable number of daubs and strokes required. 
• I have to ask high prices for them (see above!) 

And... in the end... a little voice sometimes says - "Just Paint." Quit finessing, quit this focus on method, quit daubing, just load up the knife, make long, loose, free strokes, Just Paint. 

This is a serious quandary, and I would love any feedback you'd like to give me. 

I have started a further experiment, with these two smaller pieces. They are looser, faster, less involved, less planned. The strokes are larger, the margins less fussy, the effect - I think - entirely different. What do you think? 

Autumn Hillside, 10x10, $150

September Song, 10x10, $150

***

Dog of the Day

Saw this trio in Onancock last week. Ho ho ho! 

***

A Final Thought

"What is art? Nature concentrated."

- Honore de Balzac

The Overlook

The Overlook

Oil on black canvas, 18x18

Please click here to email me for price and availability

The Overlook is where you go if you live in Westerly, RI, and need a tiny breathing break from life. People park along the edge of the road, look at the big homes and watch the waves break against the rocks. Sometimes there's a seal, but usually, it's just space and air and water and waves and the sweet scent of the ocean. 

***

Scenes from the Road

I arrived in Tubac, AZ, yesterday, on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, warm enough to chase away all thoughts of winter, snow, grayness, cold. The sun shone on the mountains, I could roll the window down in the van, and relax in the knowledge that I'd made it, safe and sound, across pretty much the entire country.

Peter waved, and the dogs barked and I pulled out of Wachapreague on Saturday, the van loaded with paintings, tent, and all manner of stuff for the three shows I'll do out here - Tubac, Feb. 7-11; Tucson Museum Spring Artisan Exhibit, Feb. 16-18; and the Fountain Hills Great Fair, Feb. 23-25. (Please click here for more info).

The country spun out before me, huge and fascinating and beautiful. The flat lands and salt marshes and tall pines of the Eastern Seaboard t fell away to the piney woods and palms of the Florida panhandle, the surprisingly industrial landscape of Alabama and Mississippi, with bristling ports and creaky bridges, giant gas globes frighteningly close to the highways - and then, all that is behind me, and I'm in Louisiana, and the bayous and water-soaked rice fields lead up to the Atchafalaya basin and the slim causeway that crosses it.

Then, it's Texas, 878 miles of it on I-10. Surprising hills and verdant fields in the east, the incredible bustle and 16-lane-wide highways of Houston, overarched with curving flyways and bridges - and then all civilization falls away, and Texas goes on and on and on and on. You drive by wind-blown towns with empty main streets and paint-peeled houses. Whole neighborhoods living in their RVs. Dogs on chains, and small herds of cows, and here and there goats and burros. Old cars rust into the land, and the door of an abandoned Winnebago swings in the wind, above a structure that once, clearly, was a patio.

The West starts in Texas, with little dots and splotches of red land, and then, up a hill and around a curve, mountains and buttes and a changed landscape. The New Mexico line is a celebration and a marker, and El Paso, with its stinking cow lots and thick array of stores - three Super Walmarts! - and frightening fly-way overpasses fades into memory.

Then, all of a sudden, after days and days of travel, I'm in Arizona, and breathing sunshine and welcome and the promise of seeing people I love, family, just up there, past the cities, by the sun-warmed mountains, glowing ochre and pink in the welcome evening light.

Photos, from top: me with my friend Bonnie, whom I visited in Florida. Then me with Sadie, Bonnie's flat-coated retriever. Next, a rest area bathroom in Texas - it's nicer than my house! Texas just has too much money! And finally, one of the windblown homes you see along the road. 

***

Dog of the Day

I met Peaches at a gas station in North or South Carolina. Her brand-new family drove to Georgia from Connecticut to get her. She's a rescue, and a fine, friendly, sweet puppy. 

***

A Final Thought 

"Art is the child of nature in whom we trace the features of the mother's face." 

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Morning's Glory

Morning's Glory

Oil on black canvas, 12x36

sold

The snow in our driveway stood waist-high in a hard, wind-blown drift. Even if we could have gotten out of the driveway, we'd have been mired in a hard, knee-high drift covering the road. No cars drove by - or, as far as I could tell, drove anywhere in town - for four days. Finally, at 8:30 at night on the fourth day after the storm, the state sent a plow to Wachapreague.

The plow piled up a wall of snow in front of our already drifted driveway, and the single-digit temperatures froze everything solid. Eventually, in 19-degree sun, we went out and dug and dug and dug, and then a neighbor, watching from his house, went and got the town's small front-loader and got us and our neighbor out. Our hero!

Being blocked in did wonders for my painting, though. Honestly, there was pretty much nothing else to do, so I painted and painted and painted, and ended up with this piece (and since this, others), in a style I am calling "mosaic painting."

It's again along the lines of the abstract realism that's always intrigued and drawn me, and which I've always wanted to paint - and have painted, more or less. The deconstructed landscape. A mix of detail and not-detail, energized by color and stroke and the puzzle-piece feeling of a mosaic or a stained-glass piece. I really love this, and feel a whole new sense of expression and discovery and joy.

You can see more of these on my website! Go to jacobson-arts.com, and click on "available paintings." There aren't many - yet - but that will change.

***

I'M HEADING TO ARIZONA in a week or so, and am delighted to be going to a warm, sunny place. My route and departure date are a bit up in the air, and they depend on the weather, which seems to be a mystery as of late. I'll be there for the month of February, and am doing three shows and a demo:    

•  Tubac Arts Festival, Feb. 7-11, Tubac, AZ. I don't know my booth number yet, but when I learn it, I will post it on the 2018 Shows page on the Jacobson Arts website.

• Tucson Museum Spring Artisans Market, Feb. 16-18, Tucson, AZ. Booth 29. 

• The Great Fair of Fine Arts and Crafts, Feb. 23-25, Fountain Hills, AZ. No booth number yet. 

• And my demonstration will be Feb. 14, starting at noon, at the San Pedro River Arts Council Gallery in Benson, AZ. 

All these events are free and open to everyone! 

***

Dog of the Day

I found this photo while I was looking for something else. It is intriguingly entitled "John and New Dog." I don't see John, and can't think of a John I know who might have a new dog, but if you know this dog, or John, please do let me know. It's a great dog, isn't it? 

***

A Final Thought

"The more you love, the more love you have to give. 

It's the only feeling we have which is infinite."

- Christina Westover

Arivaca Dawn

Arivaca Dawn

Oil on canvas, 20x20

Please click here to contact me for price and availability

In just a few hours, I'll leave Arizona and head east, toward home - and I can hardly wait.

I've had a great stay here, and I'm sorry to go. Dad and Paula and I have spent wonderful time together. The sun has warmed my bones and chased my winter blahs away. I had great fun with my friends Cynthia and Kevin, and their friends (and now mine, too), Ruth and Tim. I saw my Arizona friends, had lunch with Linda and Lois, visited my artist friend Brenda Peo and saw her home and studio. I had a somewhat lackluster but not terrible show, sold a painting afterwards (one of my favorites ever), and made this painting, which I absolutely adore.

I could stay another two weeks or more and still be deliriously happy here, but the pull of home is strong, and I can't wait to get there, to be with Peter and the dogs, hang out with my friends, spend time in Wachapreague, smell that Eastern Shore wind and see that beautiful Eastern Shore light.

So it's the perfect time to leave.

Above, my painting in the landscape. Below, the moment I painted.

***

Stuff I've Seen

I suspect I've posted this before, but it makes me smile every time. 

Exit Zero, the last exit in Texas on I-10

***

Dog of the Day

Saw this cutie in Florida. Adorable! 

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

***

A Final Thought

"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." 

- Henri Cartier-Bresson

Egg and Eggplant

Egg and Eggplant

Oil on canvas, 10x10, commission

A friend is crazy about eggplants, and has wonderful art of them all over her house. A year ago, she mentioned that she'd like me to make a painting of eggplants for her, and I was honored. It feels great when someone who collects art wants a painting of mine. It feels great when ANYONE buys a painting! But it's sort of extra special when it's someone who already has a lot of art, and is willing to make space for a piece of mine. 

It is also scary. My art would be hanging beside pieces by well-known Eastern Shore artists like Guy Wilkens,  Danny Doughty, Jack Richardson, Maurice Spector , Mama-Girl and more. 

So I thought about it. Put it in the place in my head and my heart where ideas, desires, plans, puzzles go to work themselves out. And they do! Not on my schedule, but in their own time, at their own pace. When they're ready, they present themselves to me, and I sort of see them, paint what I see, and fill in the blanks. 

Does this happen to you? Do you have an internal back burner that cooks along on its own? It would be great to hear your stories, if you'd like to share. 

A Tubac street near my dad and stepmom's house

***

Shameless Self-Promotion

The Tubac Arts Festival starts on Wednesday and runs through Sunday, here in beautiful Tubac, Arizona. It's from 10-6 except for Sunday, when I believe it closes earlier. It's a fun show, with items usually ranging from garlic oil to hand-made shoes, to beautiful baskets, photographs, jewelry and of course, paintings! 

I'll post my booth location in the next blog post. 

***

Stuff I've Seen

Now, really. Who doesn't want to live in Niceville? 

***

Dog of the Day

Saw this handsome guy in Englewood, Florida. There were great dogs there! 

***

A Final Thought

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, 

but their inward significance."

- Aristotle

Chipping In

Chipping In

Oil on canvas, 20x20

Please click here to email me about price and availability

I was horrified to notice that my first two golf paintings (Lining Up the Putt and Sunday Drive) were of men, while a small painting I made (Laundry Day - haven't posted yet...) was of a woman. How sexist am I? Sheesh!

So I made sure that this third painting was of a woman, and an older, gray-haired woman, at that. I love the motion in here, and the explosion of sand and ball out of the trap.

Coach Joe suggested that I offer to make paintings of people golfing in golfers' favorite holes. The 16th at St. Andrews, the 4th hole green at the Master's... Whatever your favorite hole is, if I can get a photo of it, I can paint a golfer like you at the hole.

What do you think? Is this an idea that would please a golfer?

***

Stuff I've Seen

While my Florida show was a disaster, my visit was not. I saw Eric and Mary, old friends, and spent time with them at their home on the Suwanee River. While there, I met Ike, a friend who lives nearby. Eric announced that I was a painter, and Ike pulled this statue from a shelf. At the time, the statue was all gold, like the shirt. 

"Can you paint this?" he asked, and I said sure. 

I think it's really cool! 

***

Shameless Self-Promotion

This is last year's booth at the Tubac Arts Festival, here in Tubac, Arizona. The show is coming up, Wednesday through Sunday. If you're in the area, please come! I hope to be on Plaza Road, where I've been in the past. 

***

Dog of the Day

Here is the delightful Baby Girl, left, with the aforementioned Eric, right. 

AND, I got to drive the four-wheeler. That was fun! 

***

A Final Thought

"Life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you still have one." 

- Stella Adler

Pony Express

Pony Express

Oil on black canvas, with gold leaf

At Priba Furniture, 210 Stage Coach Trail, Greensboro, NC

My beautiful gallery in the JH Adams Hotel in High Point, NC, has closed. But as my grandmother used to say, when one door closes, another opens. That's been the case with me - and with remarkable timing, too.                                                                                                                   I was in Arizona, nursing my injured knee, when I got a call from Gwenn Lance, who has run a gallery in Greensboro, NC, for 14 years. She was on the brink of moving to Priba, a large furniture store in Greensboro, and she wanted my work.                                                                                      On my way home from Arizona, I stopped in Greensboro, met Gwenn and saw the beautiful store and the amazing art she's collected and hung on the walls there. It's an exciting venture, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. 

***

ANOTHER FUN OPPORTUNITY came along last week, when artist Tamara Gonda asked me to participate in an artist-question series she's writing for her blog. I was her first guest artist, and am honored by the opportunity. 

To read the piece, click here - (http://www.tamaragonda.com/blog/march-art-talk-month-carrie-jacobson) and be sure to check out Tamara's work and her other blog posts, too. 

*** 

I've never seen self-checkout lanes in a convenience store/gas station, 

but I saw them at this Pilot outside of Knoxville, TN! 

***

Dog of the Day 

Saw this cutie at the show in Tubac. Very serious... 

***

A Final Thought 

"To be an artist is to believe in life." 

- Henry Moore

Winding Road

 Winding Road

Oil on black canvas, 10x10, $125

Please click here to email me if you're interested in this painting

I'm on my way home now, heading east, and it's a wonderful and slightly sad feeling, both at the same time. I will miss this land of mountains and deserts, red rocks, sun-washed earth. I will miss the soft colors of the desert, the strange and beautiful cactus and desert plants. I already miss Dad and Paula, and the warm little town of Tubac. But I miss home, and Peter, even more.

Again, as I head east, I realize how much I love driving, and just being on the road. There is a deep simplicity to it, especially when I'll be on one road for so very long. My choices are few - keep driving or stop. Need gas or no. Pass or don't pass. I like that. More than anything, though, I love watching the landscape, soaking it in, seeing it change, mile by mile, bit by bit.

Now, I'm in Holbrook, Arizona, and the mountains are behind me. I'm in a place of yellow grass and red rocks and an unbroken horizon. It's subtle and beautiful, and the sky is huge.

***

Scenes from the Road

Above, the sky over Tubac one evening. Below, 

a road near my dad's house, one morning.  

]

After the show, I had some nice sales, including "Looking Ahead,"

which looks so great in this couple's house! 

***

Dog of the Day

 This guy herded me along, on my way back to Dad and Paula's one evening...

***

A Final Thought

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."

- Edgar Degas