Red

Red

Oil on canvas, 12x12

Part of the 101 Dogs project

A few years ago, after Looie, our Pekingese, died, Peter began looking for a dog for him. A dog of his heart. Looie had been this - as much as Looie, with all his self-possession and ego could be any human's dog - but Peter saw me with Jojo and wanted that same sort of relationship. 

After months of searching through probably hundreds of rescue and shelter sites, Peter found Abigail, a Plotthound, who was being fostered by a woman named Christine, in North Carolina. Peter and Christine chatted over the internet, Christine had him fill out an adoption application form, and when she gave him the nod, off he went. 

According to both Christine and Peter, it was love at first sight. Abby hadn't taken much to men, but she played with Peter, gave him the paw, and recognized him as her human. She's been a great addition to our household - as have Koko, Doc and Lulu, all of whom came from Christine! 

You don't meet many people in your life who supply you with joy, love and family, but Christine has done all that and more. I'll always be grateful - and always think of Christine herself as part of our little family. 

***

Good thing I'm going away today, as I'm running out of fun photos to share with you! So I am revisiting my paint-cap contest photo. People always wonder how much paint I use, so last March, I started saving caps. At the end of March of this year, I'll count them all up. Whoever comes closest, without going over, will get a free 10x10, or $125 off a larger painting! Send your guesses to me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

***

Dog of the Day

It's my pal George. I might have used this already, but I figured we all need a laugh - and George is on his way to Arizona with his pal Henry and their humans, Cynthia and Kevin. We're all meeting in Tubac, and will take place in the art festival there, Feb. 8-12. Yay! Maybe George will wear his hat? 

***

A Final Thought

"It seems harmless enought to observe here that having an MFA (or even a knowledge of modern art) should hardly be a prerequisite to making art." 

- David Bayles and Ted Ormand

"Art & Fear / Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking"

Smart Felix

Felix

Oil on canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs commission

 A few months ago, a woman I'd met at the Paradise City Arts Festival decided to become a three-dog sponsor of the 101 Dogs project.  It took me a while to get to the paintings, but I did, and two of them - Hershey, the chocolate lab below, and Kody below him - worked well for her and for me. Alas, Felix did not. I redid the original painting, (you can see that one just to the left) but it still wasn't right, so I took a fresh start, made a new painting, and it was good for the buyer and for me.                                                                                                                       This is not a big deal. Usually, I get the dogs right off, but about one in 10 needs to be redone. Often it's because I don't like the painting, I don't think it captures the dog. Sometimes it's because it's a miss for the dog's human. It happens, and it's fine. I learn something from every one of these. But it means that I always have a few dog paintings floating around. With the 101 Dogs project, and the return of some very old sample dog paintings from a gallery, I have more than usual.                                                                                                                            I  like to give a painting away at every show, usually to a young person, and so these extra paintings often go that route. Groups often ask me for donations, and sometimes that's where they end up. But sometimes they just end up in the studio, watching me. A few weeks ago, I had a great idea! I'd put hats and glasses, scarves and ties, necklaces and who knows what else on these dogs, and price them low. So I took Kody, put him in glasses and a tie, and put him on my website, Jacobson Arts.

Remember my mentioning that the lovely Lulu ate my glasses? I went to my local optician to get new ones and since my prescription was old, the woman behind the desk suggested that I have him recheck my eyes. I really didn't want to spend the money, but my eyes are my life these days, and so I did. Dr. Keyes was such a nice man! We got to talking, about his life and mine, and of course I mentioned the website. After the exam (my eyes are worse, imagine that), one of the women was measuring something on my eyes when the doctor came out with his laptop. 

"Is this one available?" he asked, pointing to Smart Felix, with the glasses and tie. "I have to have him!" 

So Smart Felix has a new home, and is very much loved, and the sale helped defray the cost of the eye exam, and I met a bunch of nice people who live nearby and love my paintings. 

     Smart Felix

***

Yikes! Snow in Wachapreague! 

***

Dog of the Day

It's Koko, Doc and Lulu - Koko has seen snow before, but this is the puppies' first adventure, and they loved it. I froze myself, chasing them around to get them in! 

***

A Final Thought

"Simply put, making art is chancy - it doesn't mix well with predictability. Uncertainty is the essential, inevitable and all-pervasive companion to your desire to make art. And tolerance for uncertainty is the prerequisite to succeeding." 

- David Bayles and Ted Orland

 "Art & Fear / Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking" 

                                                                              

Chloe and Kaylee

Above, Chloe

Below, Kaylee

101 Dogs Project!

The State College Art Fair is a huge event, so big it's hard to walk in one day. And it is very, very difficult to get parking anywhere near your booth. 

I was on a pretty, residential street, and it was a nice spot, though there were no shops or anything nearby, and so, no coffee - or so I thought. 

The first morning of the show, as I was just aching for a cup of Joe, along came two adorable little girls with a red wagon holding a giant coffee urn and all the fixings. Sales of coffee went to support a local charity, they told me. I bought a cup from them as they made their way down the street, and another cup as they made their way back up. They told me refills were free, but I insisted on paying. 

They told me they lived right up the street, and since there were no port-a-potties in my general vicinity, I asked if it would be possible for me to use the bathroom in their home. Sure, they said. Their parents opened up the house to artists all weekend. I gave them $10, which they insisted I didn't need to give them, but it was for a good cause and I was grateful. 

Later that day, a very pretty woman came along and asked if was Carrie. When I said yes, she said that every year, she invites a couple artists to use parking spaces in a building she and her husband own next door to their home. I was one of the ones she was inviting. Yay! 

I used their bathroom during the weekend, and got to know the family a little. I also got to know their dogs, two Newfoundlands who were sweet and funny and utterly enormous. It was with great pleasure that I painted them for the 101 Dogs project! 

It's too late for any 101 Dogs paintings for this holiday season, but if you want to give a gift certificate for one, drop me an email and we will work it out. (carrieBjacobson@gmail.com)

***

It's "Kerosene" in the lower sign, but "Kereosene" in the upper one. Huh? 

The store owner said he'd never noticed the different spelling. 

***

Dog of the Day

Shy service dog in the Lowe's in Pocomoke

***

A Final Thought

"The chief enemy of creativity is good sense." 

- Pablo Picasso

Max and Katie

 Katie and Max

Oil on black canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs Project commissions

I met Max and Katie's humans while I was in Minneapolis this summer. They told me that Max and Katie had passed, and they missed them tremendously, but for the moment, weren't going to add new dogs to their lives. For the first time in years and years, they said, they were able to travel as much as they wanted, and while they were sad to be without dogs, they were certainly enjoying their freedom. 

I know the dichotomy so well. When we travel together, which is rare, dealing with the dogs is a huge part of the journey. Bringing them changes everything, sometimes for the better, but usually for the more complicated. 

Right now, I am in Wyoming, on the Big Skies Painting Trip, and Peter is at home with the dogs. Peter is not a big traveler, and I am just lucky and grateful that he's willing to deal with the hooligans.  

***

The Busy Bee

"Longmire" fans! I spent a few days in Buffalo, Wyoming, on which the town of Durant is based, in the books by Craig Johnson, and the "Longmire" series on Netflix. I had breakfast at the Busy Bee, where Longmire and friends, and pretty much everyone in Buffalo, dines. 

***

Dog of the Day 

Yup, today's DOD is the cutest little kitten ever! 

***

A Final Thought

"I would like to paint the way a bird sings." 

- Claude Monet

Thanks to Lisa for the quote and the photo! 

Reggie

 Reggie

Oil on canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs project

I'm still way, way behind in my blogging, so expect a few multi-painting blog posts! Hope you enjoy seeing a few paintings at once.

I'm behind because I've been away at shows, and I've had a great time. Thank you, all of you, everyone who came, braving terrible heat, terrible traffic, terrible road construction and terrible rain, to say hi, see my new paintings and even buy some. Thank you!

At the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, a couple showed up, interested in my paintings. Turns out that he had bought a couple pieces from me a couple years ago, and she had grown to love the paintings, as she'd seen them over the years.

But she had never been to an art show! So they agreed to go to the Mystic show together. They studied the website, looked up my work and the work of other people, and off they went. As they were walking in from parking, she saw the cowscape on the back wall of my tent, from quite a distance. They didn't know it was my tent, but she fell in love with the painting, and bought it!

The delightful interaction reminded me again what a miracle it is that anyone would buy art from a living person. This woman trusts herself enough to know what she likes, with no guarantee that that painting will be worth more, or worth anything, 10 years from now, or 20 years from now. She was willing to spend her hard-earned money on one of my paintings, because she loved it. Her enthusiasm and joy fill me with the same, and help make this journey possible for me - and I think it's vice-versa, as well.

All of you are helping me on this journey, by reading my blog, sharing it, writing to me, coming to the shows, thinking about art, dreaming about your own desires and hopes, and accompanying me on the journey. Thank you!

***

A Few Recent Paintings

Bella

Oil on canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs project

Want to learn more about the 101 Dogs project? Click here! 

For Ed

Oil on metal, 16x20

commission

Tom and Rudy

Oil on canvas, 20x20

commission

***

I'M SURE THAT if you live in Dayton, Ohio, this is old hat, 

but I think that "Needmore Road" is right up there with "Happy Avenue." 

***

Dog of the Day

I met this guy way back in February, in Arizona. He looks fierce as can be, 

but made sure that chair was between him and me. 

***

A Final Thought

"There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." 

- Vincent Van Gogh

Seven-Barn Farm

Seven-Barn Farm

Oil on black canvas, 10x10, $125 

Years ago, when I started making the 10x10 paintings, they were what sold first, when I went to shows. At the better shows, I could always count on five or six of them selling - these paintings are original oils, and less expensive then what many artists charge for prints. But starting last year, people stopped buying the 10x10s. Happily for me, they started buying bigger paintings. 

But the not-buying of 10x10s has continued, and has sort of mystified me. Of course, as the paintings stopped selling, I more or less stopped painting them, which has meant that most of my available 10x10s are of the southwest. And not everybody wants paintings of the southwest, especially if they live on the East Coast. 

So I've started a new series of 10x10s, with farms and mountains and salt marshes and who knows what else. I am curious to see if they begin to sell again. I'll let you know. 

***

MY FIRST CHANCE to test my theory on the ground, so to speak (as opposed to on the internet) will be July 9-10, in Wickford, RI, at the Wickford Art Festival. This is a fine-art-only show that takes place on the streets of Wickford, a quaint New England seacoast village. I'll be in Booth 82, on Elam Street. Hope to see you there! 

***

IF YOU'RE TRAVELING anywhere this summer, be prepared to be delayed by road construction. I went to Cincinnati and Omaha and back, and encountered construction - mostly bridge repair - on every road I traveled. Interstate 80 was the worst, with construction pretty much everywhere. 

I have to say that I got a good look at some of the bridges being worked on, and they were scary. This one, which I believe is in West Virginia, is nowhere near the worst. One bridge being worked on in Ohio was literally crumbling as I drove across it. 

All those news stories about the state of our infrastructure? They're right, and not exaggerating. 

***

Dog of the Day

AT THE PARADISE CITY Art Festival, I was part of a surprise involving this painting. Great fun! And here is Boy himself, looking at the painting. I think it's a scream that the dog in the painting is bigger than the dog in real life.  

***

A Final Thought

"If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: 

I am here to live out loud." 

- Emile Zola

Siena

Siena

Oil on canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs Project painting

The 101 Dogs Project is rolling along! We're nearing the half-way point, but there are still plenty of slots for you. Sponsors (or patrons, however you want to think of it) receive an original painting of their dogs, a book or poster of all the paintings when the project is finished, and some project-related goodies, too. In addition, I'm donating money from each sponsorship to a dog-related group. 

Click here to read about the project, here to read about the groups I've chosen (or you can choose your own, if there's one close to your heart), and here to read about the stuff you can get (or you can choose no stuff, and I'll give more money to the group you choose.) 

It's such a fun project, and I'm loving every minute of it, every dog, every portrait. I hope you'll consider being a part of it! 

***

THIS WEEKEND, I'll be in Arts in the Park in Richmond, VA. The show is Saturday and Sunday, 11-6 and 11-5 respectively, in the lovely Byrd Park. I'm in Booth 90. 

Can't make it to Richmond? The following weekend, I'll be at the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival, Crozet, VA.  There, I'll be in Booth T-117, under the big tent. 

***

Seen Around Town

 

Above, Pat (left) and Patricia, looking dashing one recent afternoon. If I hadn't been taking the photo, I know I'd have fit right in! 

Below, Seaside Antiques and Art, which is run by Pat (left, above) and Carol, is nearly ready to open. A couple years ago, someone driving a truck down Main Street smashed into it, knocking it off its foundation, and leading to massive breakage and damage of Pat and Carol's beautiful inventory. Click here to see pretty amazing photos I took right after the accident.

***

Dogs of the Day 

Lulu, left, and Doc have amused me endlessly this week. In the past couple days, they've both launched themselves from one piece of furniture toward another - and both missed the landings. Neither seemed to hesitate or measure or put any thought at all into their efforts. They were on one chair, they wanted to be on another - and it never occurred to them that they couldn't fly. Neither was hurt by the misadventure, neither seemed to notice much or care. It remains to be seen whether they've learned anything from these failed efforts. 

***

A Final Thought

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." 

- Pablo Picasso

Butter - and Insights from St. Louis

Butter

Oil on canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs Project painting

Isn't this a fun painting? Butter looks like an imp, doesn't he? I haven't met him, but I know he is much loved. 

Even though I am on the road, I'll be making paintings for the project, and hoping you will sign up to participate! For $375, you get an original oil painting of your dog, a book or poster containing your dog's portrait, and a variety of project-related items. I'll donate a portion of your sponsorship to one of four dog-related groups I've chosen, or to a dog-related group of your choice. 

For more on the project, please click here to check out the 101 Dogs web page

***

ON SATURDAY, I showed up at a Budweiser distribution center to participate in a mock jury put on by the people who run the St. Louis Art Festival, one of the top festivals in the country - and one that has so far not accepted me. 

The event went on from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. I came away exhausted and bleary-eyed,  but full of insights. The jurors had no life-changing comments on my entry, but I did get life-changing ideas from the day. I posted a lengthy piece on Art Fair Insiders about my experience. You can read that by clicking here.

The regular jury looks at work over the course of two or three days. This past year, it took 27 hours to accept 150 artists from the 1281 that applied. In general, their response to why I'm not getting into the very top shows, all the time, is that no one does. And, it's always a crap shoot. 

Still, I cam away from the event with renewed vigor, hope, and ideas. 

Here are the jurors, looking at the entry of my friend Cynthia Battista. Cynthia and I will be exhibiting together at the Tubac Arts Festival in Tubac, AZ, Feb. 10-14. 

To see more of her jewelry, please click here. 

***

Dog of the Day

Saw this guy in St. Louis. His owner and I were both lost! 

***

A Final Thought

"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web." 

- Pablo Picasso

Chewy

Chewy

Oil on canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs Project painting

A friend and collector who lives in Arizona went all-in on the 101 Dogs project, having me make paintings of all three of her dogs. They all are attractive, energetic-looking dogs, with their own clear personalities and their own clear looks. Chewy here has amazing blue eyes that remind me of my sweet Jojo's startling blue eyes. 

I had a ball painting all three dogs - and I'm happy that the project is proceeding. There is plenty of room for more people, dogs and paintings, and I'm hoping that some of you will sign up, now that the holidays are over. To find out more about the project, click here.

*** 

 

Here's one of my paintings in place in a couple's living room. 

Doesn't it look great? I could hardly believe that I'd painted it. 

***

Dog of the Day 

I met this brindle beauty at a show in Omaha this past summer. 

I'm going back to Omaha again this coming summer.

 I was invited back, no need for jurying! That's exciting. 

***

A Final Thought

"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web." 

- Pablo Picasso

Koko - and Happy 2016

Koko

Oil on canvas, 12x12

Happy 2016, everyone! I hope you're feeling the new year beckon, with promises of possibility, whispers of hope, and the thrill of a new beginning. 

There's part of me that would like to say that there's no magic in the start of a new year, that every day is, in fact, the start of a new year, and that the whole celebration thing is artificial. 

But the fact is that the prospect of a new year, artificial or not, excites me! I love the sense of standing on the threshold, looking ahead, dreaming big dreams. And I hope you do, too. 

The appearance of Koko in our lives was one of the many blessings of 2015, and one that continues happily into 2016. Koko helped ease our sadness at the losses of Jojo and Zoe, and she has brought playfulness and energy and the sense of discovery back into our home. 

So, from Koko and me, Abby and Peter, Smokey and Woodreau, Samantha and Puffy, Happy New Year! 

***

Dog of the (Hole) Day 

I used to think that the day after Christmas was Boxing Day, but apparently, here in Wachapreague, it's Hole Day. Abby and Koko spent it digging big, dumb holes in our poor yard. Oh, well. We can fill them in - or plant stuff in them! 

***

A Final Thought

"The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes 

and, ironically, the more real." 

- Lucian Freud