That Old Barn, and Thoughts on Abstraction

That Old Barn

Oil on canvas, 16x16

sold

During the summer, I ran out of paintings between shows in the Midwest. I'd thought (I'd hoped) this might happen, and I'd known I would have some time, so I brought canvases and paint with me, and as I drove, I looked - as I always do - for landscapes that touched my soul. 

I found this one in Iowa. I could see it from the highway, but it took some figuring to find it. Lots of times, I see a beautiful scene from the highway, but when I go looking for it, it turns out to be the back field of a farm, private and unreachable. 

This was a hot July day, with a little wind, and high, thin clouds. No one drove by during the hours that I pained. The barn was old and rickety, full of holes that the sun shone through. I really liked he couple that bought this painting - and the very first 10x10 in the 100 Cubed project! They live in West Virginia, have a cool dog, and loved my paintings. 

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Abstract paintings are making their presence felt in my life. Peter has been making abstract paintings on the computer, my friend and collector Kathryn has been experimenting, and I've become friends with a lovely Connecticut woman who makes lots of abstract paintings, too.

I have made a few abstract paintings, and I am interested in them. A few days ago, I had the beginning of what might be understanding.

It occurred to me that a good representational painting shows the outsides of things, and implies or hints at the insides. By "insides," I mean structure, or architecture, or even soul.

A good abstract painting, I think, shows the insides of things - and implies the outsides.

A bad representational painting fails to contain any thought of the insides, and a bad abstract painting fails to contain any though of the outsides.

Does this make sense to anyone?

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Dog of the Day

Met this dog at the show in Ann Arbor. She was a great old girl! 

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A Final Thought

"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it." 

- Kurt Vonnegut

Robin's Field - and Heading to CT

Robin's Field

Oil on canvas, 16x16

sold

I found plein air painter Robin Weiss a few years ago, just as I was starting to paint seriously. I loved his work, signed up to get his blog, and studied each painting to learn what he was doing.

Over the years, we've gotten to be internet friends. He likes some of my paintings, and I continue to admire and be inspired by his.

A recent painting of his intrigued me. I liked the painting, and I loved the landscape. I wrote and asked if he would mind if I painted it, and was pleased when he said it was no problem. So here's the painting I made, as different from his as could be. But what fun! And one of my favorite collectors bought it at the Wickford Art Festival, so just great stuff all around.

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I'LL BE IN Connecticut for two shows in August! The Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, Mystic, CT,  is Aug. 8-9. I'll be at the corner of Willow and Main, on the east side of the river, across the street from the post office. The show is Saturday, 10-6, and Sunday, 10-5. 

The following weekend, I'll be in SoNo Arts, in South Norwalk, CT. That show is also Saturday, 10-6 and Sunday, 10-5. Don't know where my booth is yet...

My friend, the fabulous jeweler Cynthia Battista, will be in both shows, too! So make sure you stop by her booth, as well as mine. In Mystic, I know she will be nearby, in the pet store parking lot at the corner of Willow and Main. SoNo, who knows? I'll keep you posted. 

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Dog of the Day

Got to love this beautiful Belgian shepherd, I saw at the show in Richmond, VA, earlier in the year. What a gorgeous dog! 

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

"A great artist is always before his time or behind it." 

- George Moore

Near Rio Rico - and a Good Show

Near Rio Rico

Oil on canvas 10x10

Hi, everybody! I am well, and fine, and painting like a demon out here in Arizona. 

The Tubac Arts Festival was good to me - but loooong. Five days' worth of long. Someone told me they heard that it's a great two-day festival that takes five days - and I'd agree. 

I will say that there were people there. They came in cars, they came by foot, they came on buses from cities and towns all around. Most were on a day's outing, perhaps interested in buying mementos and knickknacks, but not art. A guy next to me sold thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of dollars' worth of decorative metal pieces you hang on the outside of your house. Up the street, a couple selling decorated spoons and ice cream scoops did well. 

A painter across the way and a jeweler with beautiful but very pricey stuff went home midway through the show. One might have been a family emergency (or so I heard), but the other, who knows. His stuff was gorgeous but expensive. I tried on a bracelet that was $2800. Yikes! 

Three of my paintings sold, and so that's great. And better than that, even, is that I got into a lovely gallery here in town, Art Gallery H. That was one of my goals for the trip, to be represented by a Tubac gallery, and so... Yay! 

The best thing about the show was that my friend Cynthia Battista was also in it, and we were side by each. So during the long days, the sales and the no-sales, we had each other to talk to and commiserate with. And I had a great time hanging out with Cynthia, her husband Kevin and their dogs Zack and George, in the days after the show. 

It's wonderful to spend time with my dad and Paula, my stepmother, too. They have a beautiful home, and while they have a tremendously busy social life, we've been able to carve out time here together to talk and laugh and share experiences and memories. Dad and I have painted together once, and I'm looking forward to the next time, which will be after an upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. 

Here's my painting in the landscape

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Here's Cynthia in her booth. She makes gorgeous jewelry, different than any I've ever seen. Check out her website by clicking here. 

Here's her husband, Kevin Ireton. He and I tried on hats in a store in Tubac while Cynthia was trying on clothes. I think we had more fun! 

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The Santa Rita Mountains, which stand to the east of Tubac, are spectacular at any time of day - but in the evening, they catch the colors of the sunset - amazing. 

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This lovely couple bought "Through the River," the lower painting on the wall. They told me they were going to repaint the room where they would hang it, to make the painting stand out better! 

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Dad wants to learn how to paint with a palette knife, so I let him paint some of the background of a dog portrait I'd been painting. He did a great job! 

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 Dogs of the Day

George (left) and Zack came out to Tubac with Cynthia and Kevin. George and Zack are the best of friends, though George does let Zack lick him until he gets bald spots. Sigh. How we show love, eh?

Patagonia Hills - and California Calling!

Patagonia Hills

Oil on canvas, 10x30

please email me for price and availability

This is another of those paintings, like "The Red Umbrella," that I started a while ago - and never quite knew how to finish. 

I have loved this painting since I made it, on my first trip to Arizona, several years ago. I was inspired by the clear, bright light; by the rhythm of the mountains, and by the thick, high grass growing along the path.

The original painting became almost an underpainting. Then I put more paint on the canvas, raising the highlights and lowering the lowlights. I added some colors, added some movement, and there you go. 

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I LOVE THAT I found and reworked this painting, because it helps me invite you to join in my next sponsored painting trip, the California Calling journey! 

This time, I'm heading to Indio, California, for the Southwest Arts Festival, Jan. 24-26. Reports are that this is a high-quality show, and so I'm thrilled to have gotten in. And I've never been to California! 

My plan is to drive to my dad's house in Tubac, drop off some stuff, then continue on to California, do the show and start painting. 

I've also been accepted into the 55th annual Tubac Arts Festival, in Tubac, AZ, where my dad lives, from Feb. 5-9, so that is also exciting! Tubac is a lovely town, and has a rich arts history. 

From there, I'd love to go up into Utah, and also to New Mexico and maybe Colorado, but my travel and painting will depend on the weather and on what other shows accept me. But I will stopping throughout the southwest to paint in plein air, as I did on my first trip, and I am so very excited about it! 

I've worked out some of the kinks I encountered in my first trip, and made changes that I hope will make the sponsorship idea even more fun. 

Here's how it works: For your sponsorship, you receive goodies from the road, including art, postcards from along the way, and a daily or nearly daily newsletter/blog with paintings, stories and photos from the road. And everyone gets a chance to win a painting, either a commission, or a piece from the trip, or from after the trip.

This time, sponsorships run from $50 to $750. The different levels get you different sizes and pieces of art. I've limited the numbers of sponsors at three of the four levels, so if you're interested, please click here to go to the jacobson-arts website, and find out more. 

People who sponsored me on my trip last year to Tubac (want to see the sponsor-only blog from my Tubac and Back trip? Click here) said that they not only loved the art that they received, but also enjoyed my postings from the road. 

Their sponsorships helped me defray the costs of travel - and also changed the entire feel of the trip. I was not making paintings that some unknown strangers might buy at shows in the future. I was making paintings for particular people, people who had trusted me and believed in me enough to support me in this fun and exciting venture. 

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Dogs of the Day

From left, Woodreau, Jojo and Smokey, waiting to go out on Black Friday. 

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Let there be light! 

Just before Thanksgiving, I had the garage door taken off my studio, and had it replaced with a sliding-glass door. The guys who did the work also had a large window they'd gotten from another job, and I had them install that, as well. Now, instead of freezing in the winter and being bitten by bugs in the summer, as was the case with the garage door, I have light and a barrier between me and the elements and the creatures. YAY! 

Banana Joe - and Tubac and Back!

Banana Joe

Oil on canvas, 12x12, $350

Please click here to email me if you are interested in this painting - or one of YOUR dog! 

YES, this is Banana Joe, who won the Westminster Kennel Club dog show this year! He is a black dog, and as such, his face is hard to see. But as a blue and green dog, he's not so hard to see!

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Sponsors and others have already seen the following, but many of you haven't! Apologies to those of you who have already seen it! 

On March 9, I'll be embarking on "To Tubac and Back," a journey to Arizona to paint, visit my dad and his wife in Tubac, and participate in the Fourth Avenue Street Fair  in Tucson.

I'm gathering sponsors for the trip, following the model of a CSA - community-supported agriculture... and I'm asking for your participation. 

  

It's a great chance to be part of something fun, and to get original art (and more) in the process.

For any donation of any amount, you become a sponsor, and get a whole raft of fun sponsor benefits (you'll see these in just a moment!), and a chance to win a painting of your choice, including a commission, up to 36x60. You also get to help choose my route!

For $100, you get a 10-inch by 10-inch painting from the trip. These sell for $100 ordinarily, and they sell quickly. Your $100 donation ensures that I paint enough of them that you get one. You also get a chance to win a painting up to 36x60 - And there's MORE (coming... just a moment...)

For amounts over $100, you get the small paintings, discounts on a larger painting, a chance to win the big painting. And there's MORE (moment... moment...)

Discounts apply to trip and non-trip paintings.

Want to donate more than $100? WHEE! Here's what I've cooked up! 

• For $150 - you get one 10x10 and 5 percent off a larger painting
• For $200 - you get two 10x10 paintings and 10 percent off a larger painting
• $300 - three 10x10s and 15 percent off
• $500 - five 10x10s and 25 percent off 
• Sponsor  me for $1,000, and you will have five 10x10s and 60 percent off any painting, including a commission, up to 36x60 - or a large painting from the trip, along with several smaller ones. For that amount I'll also come to your house and make you lunch, or groom your dog, shampoo your rugs, fold your laundry... (well, maybe not shampoo your rugs... but you get it. I'll be very grateful!) 

If you'd rather, each 10x10 can be converted into $50 off a larger painting.

I'll also display your names prominently on  my blog, The Accidental Artist (if you want) and on my website, too. 

To sponsor me, click here or on the donate button below!  It's EASY, and fun and you can use PayPal or a credit card, whichever you prefer. 

And thank you! 

OK, here's the AND MORE: 

Sonsors are getting more than art and the chance to win a BIG painting. You're getting SUPER SPECIAL SPONSOR-ONLY REWARDS, INCLUDING:

• The first look at all my paintings from the trip, via a super-secret, sponsor only blog
• Special photos, videos and postings For Sponsors Only, on the super-secret blog
• A postcard or two from the road (email you street address to me atcarrieBjacobson@gmail.com)
• A collage, signed by me and suitable for framing, of images from the trip
• The chance to win a T-shirt that I will paint in (and get paint on) during the trip. It will be an XL or larger, and I PROMISE it will be clean (but painty) when you get it. 

The one disclaimer: Donations are NOT tax-deductible.

On Deep Creek Road

On Deep Creek Road

Oil on canvas, 20x20

Please click here to email me about price and delivery options

While I might be the founding member of the Big Field, Little House school of painting, I doubt that I am the only member - though, who knows?

I have wondered for a long time about this focus of mine. This scene, the archetypal big open space with a solitary house, has always attracted me. Even as a teenager, I remember loving the sight of the single house at the edge of Harkness Park, sitting alone at the edge of the pond.

A psychologist would probably have interesting things to say about this - but I think I love this view because I imagine what it would be like to be in that house, snug against the trees. You would feel sheltered and safe, but have a huge, open expanse in front of you.

And isn't that what we all want?

I made a video of me making this painting... You can see it on YouTube by clicking here. I'd love to know what you think about the video!

Rain Coming, Mansfield Depot

 Rain Coming, Mansfield Depot

Plein air painting, oil on canvas
sold

I was bumping around the Connecticut countryside on Saturday, (visiting the homes of buyers to sign paintings that I'd neglected to sign when I finished them!) when I heard a snatch of a conversation on the radio.

It was a talk by writer Elizabeth Gilbert, about the creative process (you can hear the whole thing by clicking here and then going to her TED talk, at the bottom of the page). She was talking about  Tom Waits, who was driving when whatever you want to name the force that sends creative impulses to us began showing up with a song.

Waits looked for pen and paper or something, anything to help him get the ideas down. Finding nothing, he looked up to the sky and said, basically, "Can you not see that I am driving here? Would you please wait for a little while so that I can capture this thing you're sending me?"

My art has come through a combination of chance, and inspiration and blessing - and my willingness to be open to it. I often feel that I am a faucet of sorts - that the painting is flowing through me, and it is my job to develop the skills to turn that flow into something. And when this is happening, the world simply goes away. I paint, and an hour or two later, I open my eyes - my outer eyes - and there is the world I'm living in, and there is my painting.

Those are the best times, and they are the best paintings. The gift came to me, and I had a paintbrush in my hand and a canvas in front of me.

Mansfield Depot

A Two-Barn Day

A Two-Barn Day

Plein Air Painting, 12x36

sold

Yesterday was my first real day of freedom since leaving Patch - and I went out and painted and did not take a computer with me, for the first time in 18 months. I felt a little naked - and wondered, for a while, what was going on in the world. But I only wondered for a while.

Today, I had the chance to speak with Connie Mettler, who runs Art Fair Insiders, which offers artists information and feedback on shows around the country, and also hosts discussion groups, blogs, and all sorts of interactive art stuff. It's a fabulous site for anyone interested in doing shows.

Connie also does work consulting for artists, and as a bonus for donating to Art Fair Insiders, I won an hour of her consulting time.

It was a fascinating and instructive hour, though it was not without its scary moments. Connie said that when she looked at the photo of my booth from Northampton (see below), she thought my work looked pretty terrible, and that I might be out of my mind to be doing what I am doing.

My heart sank when I heard these words. I know, of course, it is one person's opinion, but still, ouch. She followed this quickly by telling me that then she looked at my work on the blog and saw that it had merit - but that my booth looked pretty crappy. That was not her word; I am extrapolating.

From there, I got lots of good ideas about ways to improve not only my booth, but also my chances of getting into shows. Drop the dog paintings from the application process (not from the booth, but from the jury process) - and - interestingly - do not go after the smaller sales, but continue to be bold and make big, bright paintings.

So. Two Barns indeed. There's enough for a whole farm here.

p.s., "Two-Barn Day" is a really good painting. If you're in Annapolis June 9 and 10, you can see it in person, at the Annapolis Arts and Crafts Festival!