Ashton

Ashton

Gouache and oil on canvas, 12x12

I was a bit disheartened after my portraits of Emmett and JJ - not truly disheartened, but a little, but determined to push on - and then I made this painting of Ashton, and it changed everything. I love this painting! It looks a lot like Ash - maybe an older version of Ash, but a distinct version of him. 

Making this piece taught me a lot. Hair makes a big difference. The nose is a good place to start - it's where I start in dogs and cats, so why not in humans? The shadows on his face in the photo I had were harsh and deep, and I was worried about them, but they make this painting. 

For a while, I had a sign posted on my computer that said, "Carrie, Paint the Light." It was a reminder not to paint THINGS, but to paint light, and shadow, and how light and shadow define things.  That very Big Lesson came back to me with this painting. 

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At my site on Fine Art America, you can have my paintings printed onto all sorts of things. You can get actual prints, on paper or metal or acrylic block or canvas. You can get my paintings on pillows, iPhone covers, duvet covers, tote bags (these are really great) - and also on shower curtains. 

During the summer, I stay with my brother and his family often, when I'm doing shows or delivering paintings or visiting in New England. They live in Hartford, which is pretty central, and they have a nice bedroom for me. They take me in, they feed me, they put up with me, share their house and life with me. I know he's my brother, but still, it's a lot. I wanted to thank them, so I had a shower curtain made of a painting I'd made of their daughter and one of their dogs. 

The shower curtain is great - but their bathroom is very narrow, so narrow that there really was no place to step back and look at the painting, as huge as it is. So Rand had a great idea - to put it on Larkin's tree house. Doesn't it look great?

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Dog of the Day

Saw this giant at the SoNo Arts Festival this summer in South Norwalk, CT. 

Happily for everyone, he was very friendly. 

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

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A Final Thought

"Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master." 

- Leonardo Da Vinci 

Emmett

Emmett

Gouache on canvas, 12x12

Before Christmas, I set out to make a portraits of our two great-grandchildren, one still-young grandson and a beloved cat who wandered off one night and was never seen again. 

And I decided to try gouache paints, which are basically very thick, opaque watercolors. Another artist who paints with a knife had suggested that I try them. He said they have the consistency of oils, and the depth of colors, but they dry quickly. 

I learned a lot from the experiment. The gouache paints are OK. I really don't like that they dry so quickly, though in this case, that was what I needed. Given my druthers, I like being able to go out the next day or even the day after that and still be able to change the paint. 

Painting people continues to be a challenge. This one looks a bit like Emmett - but also looks a lot like Clarence, my long-dead grandfather. But stay tuned. My people improve! 

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Busiest Gal in Town 

Wachapreague is so small that our mail is not delivered to the house. We have to go to the post office to pick up and send our mail. Jackie Zang is the postmistress, and she's great. She's funny and cheerful and careful, and she goes out of her way to be kind to me, a frequent mailer. 

Jackie had her hands full throughout December, and especially in the week leading up to Christmas, when our little PO received dozens and dozens and dozens of packages every day, as opposed to three or four. 

Jackie will be very happy when December comes to an end. 

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Dog of the Day

Met these three in South Norwalk, at a rainy show this summer. 

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A Final Thought

"Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and torment."

- Claude Monet

The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit

Oil and gouache on canvas, 12x12

One day last week, I set out for Wal-Mart, feeling grumpy and un-Christmas-like. For the moment, I'd lost my gratitude. I was unhappy with myself for feeling put-upon, feeling far away from the Christian feelings the season usually evokes in me. 

I turned from the Wachapreague Road onto Route 13, and in the gathering dusk, saw this old, beaten-down trailer, with Christmas lights shining in the windows. 

In that moment, my whole spirit changed. Those people, who clearly don't have much, had enough Christmas spirit to light the long, dark lights with their faith and their love. They changed my outlook, fully and completely. They brought Christmas back to me. When this painting is dry, I'm going to give it to them. 

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Thank you for the gifts you've given me - your attention, your support, your words, your encouragement. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and share it with your friends. 

Merry Christmas to you all! 

Carrie

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A Final Thought

"Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye. It also includes the inner pictures of the soul." 

- Edvard Munch

Some of the Tubac Paintings Are Hanging Now in Groton CT

Some of my western landscapes

Carden Holland and I hung our show "There and Back" at the Groton Public Library on Friday and it looks great! 

All of the 10x10s I've made so far from the Tubac trip are hanging, as are three of the large pieces. 

Carden has a whole bunch of beautiful pieces, some in oils, some using a multimedia technique she's developed over the years. 

The show will be up through April 26, though Carden is going to pick up her work earlier. 

On Saturday, I'll be at the library pretty much all day, so please stop in! 

Some of Carden's work

For all of you who don't know Carden, she taught art for 23 years in the school system in Ledyard, CT. She now lives in central Pennsylvania, where she makes art and rides her horse Lauren. 

Carden says she makes art because it's what she has always done. 

"Drawings always enhanced my schoolwork, mural work beckoned me, and once I was in junior and senior high school, I was in art classes and working on the school magazine and yearbook. No wonder I went to art school, where I majored in painting." 

"I found my voice as an art teacher and remained one for 33 years," she says. During that time, she painted, made ceramic sculpture, participated in many juried shows, and had a few solo shows, as well. 

"Now in retirement," Holland says, "I am still inspired by my new surroundings and I am  still making art in a variety of media." 

Her work in our show is really wonderful. There are a few oil paintings, and the rest are paintings made with a fantastic process that uses gouache and ink. She makes the pieces on paper, then washes them in a tub and recolors them. They are fascinating and alluring pieces! 

The Groton Public Library, 52 Newtown Road, Groton, is open seven days a week, though the hours vary. For info, check the site at http://www.grotonpl.org/

Gorton's Pond, by Carden Holland

Fort Monroe, AL, by Carrie Jacobson

New London Fishermen, by Carden Holland

Our shared wall

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p.s. Though I don't know where my next painting trip will take me,

 I already have my first sponsor!