My next painting trip is taking shape, and I couldn't be more excited! Near the end of January, I'll head for Arizona, to visit my father and stepmother, participate in a show, and make plein-air paintings for my sponsors. I hope you decide to sponsor me, and come along for the ride!
I was born in the mission hospital in Ganado, Arizona, where my dad was working for the Civil Service. For the first couple years of my life, we lived in Fort Defiance, about 20 miles from Ganado. All of this is in the Navajo reservation in the northeast corner of the state, relatively close to Window Rock, site of the seat of the Navajo government.
It's a wide-open, richly colored, sparsely populated part of the country. There is deep poverty in parts of the reservation. The towns are small and dusty, the buildings low and generally simple. The beauty and power of the landscape overwhelms and enriches everything that man has built.
I spent a little time there a few years ago, and did some painting, and can hardly wait to go back and paint again. I hope to capture the beauty and the breadth, the color and the mood and the swirl of this beautiful place.
I've often wondered if my delight in big skies and brilliant colors comes from my early exposure to this land. I don't remember it, of course. But this is the land that I first saw, the air I first breathed, the colors that I first responded to. Maybe it's a stretch, but part of this trip, I hope, will help me see and understand my birthplace better, and maybe my place in it, too.
I'm offering five sponsorship levels this year. Everyone who signs up at any level gets access to a sponsor-only blog that I'll post on the internet and also email to every sponsor. On the blog, I'll write about my experiences and post my new paintings, along with photos of people and things I encounter on the way. Sponsors have told me they love the blog, that it's like being on the trip with me.
To see the blog from my 2014 California Calling trip, click here.
Everyone who signs up will also get a chance to win a painting from a group of special Origins paintings I make during the trip. These will probably be in the 16x16 to 20x20 size range, and the drawing will come at the very beginning of the selection process. After that, sponsors will choose their paintings according to the order in which they signed up.
Everyone who sponsors me will also have at least one chance to win a calendar of paintings from the trip, and sponsors at higher levels will also have a chance to win a book.
To see (or buy!) the calendar from the California Calling trip, click here.
To see or buy the book from my trip, please click here.
Here are the sponsorship levels:
$50 - You don't get a painting, but you do get the blog, the chance to win a painting, the chance to win a calendar, and my undying gratitude.
$125 - This gets you a 10x10 painting, the blog, and all the other stuff, including my sincere thanks.
$250 - This gets you two 10x10 paintings, two chances to win a calendar, my deep thanks, and all the rest...
$500 - This gets you a larger painting, from 16x16 to 30x30, or two smaller paintings; a calendar or a book, my heartfelt appreciation, and all the other goodies...
$1000 - This gets you two larger paintings or some combination of smaller paintings, a calendar and a book, my relentless gratitude, and all the rest. And if it is sanely possible, I will deliver the items to you in person, and cook you dinner, too.
All the sponsors at all levels get my true appreciation and my deepest, most sincere thanks, today, tomorrow and always.
To sign up, please click here to go to the Origins Painting Trip page on the Jacobson Arts website and click on the sponsorship level you choose. When you do, you'll be directed to a PayPal site, where you can use a credit card or a PayPal account to buy your sponsorship. If you'd rather pay by check, please email me at
carrieBjacobson@gmail.com and let me know. You can send checks to me at P.O. Box 144, Wachapreague, VA 23480.
Last year, one sponsor sent me a $50 Starbucks card. I thought that was a great way to handle the sponsorship. If you have some creative idea about a possible trade, let's talk!
***
Dog of the Day
I've been flattened for more than a week with strep throat and an additional bacterial infection. And maybe the flu on top of it, who knows. All I know is that I've been sick, bored, useless and cranky. Peter has been sweet to me, and has taken great care of me in spite of the fact that he doesn't feel good, either. Nurse Jojo, above, has plastered herself to my side for pretty much the entire time, making sure that I have that good, strong dogsbody for warmth and protection. She's really earned her Dog of the Day status.
