Jan. 1, Quinby Bridge

Jan. 1, 2017, Quinby Bridge

Oil on canvas, 10x10, $125

sold

It was warm enough on January 1 to go outside and paint - and so I did! This is another view of the place that's in the painting behind the words "The Accidental Artist" at the very top of this blog. You can see in the photo below that it's a large tidal mudflat bisected by a narrow road. The tides are often very high and very low here, where the Machipongo River Empties into Hog Island Bay. 

The marshes and flats that line our part of the Eastern Shore are a huge reason why I love it so much here. They attract birds and ducks all year round, and it's great to watch the ever-changing flocks. The grasses in the marshes change color, from a brilliant neon green in the spring to a deep, rich gold in the fall, to a muted muddy brown now.

The smell of the marsh is a constant source of pleasure for me, as well. That deep scent of dirt and life and decay, it's a smell many people don't like, but for me, it is a smell thick with promise, with death and life, with the whole rich wheel of existence. 

I made this painting with a full feeling of celebration and gratitude. A new year, a new day, a new hour, a new chance. 

***

Just for fun, it's Peter and me at a birthday party for our friend, Pat.  

***

Dog of the Day

This guy was soaking up the sun on a Rhode Island afternoon 

***

A Final Thought

"If you think good work is somehow synonymous with perfect work, 

you are headed for big trouble. "

- David Bayles and Ted Orland

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

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. 

 ***

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?

***

Dog of the Day

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

***

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.

***

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. 

***

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

***

A Final Thought

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

- George Moore