Zion Lines

Zion Lines / oil on canvas, 6x6

sold

This is a formation that absolutely fascinates me, and which I will probably paint again, in spite of the fact that I have made two paintings of it already. I love the sweep and curve of the rocks, the tension of fluidity and stasis - and the amazing colors, on top of it all. 

Zion National Park, which was where I was painting, seems to sort itself into two parts - one from the Kanab, Utah-side entrance to the big tunnel in the middle, and the other, from the tunnel to Springdale. The first part is filled with close-knit rock formations, patterned with stripes and swirls, layers of rock carved by wind and water and the passing of centuries. 

The second part of the park, with the Springdale terminus, seems to be more monumental, with incredibly huge cliffs, rock faces and formations towering hundreds, if not thousands, of feet above the roads. There is a third section, but you had to take a shuttle to see it, and I just didn't have the time. 

I liked the first part far better than the second, though both amazed me, both stunned my eyes, both left me speechless and in awe. 

My paintings from Utah are all for sale - and I will continue to post them as I go. They're cheaper if you buy them while I am traveling! I hope to start painting again Monday, when the snow stops falling and the roads are no longer icy (more on this, next posting). You can find the paintings by clicking here to reach the Utah Painting Trip page of the Jacobson Arts website! 

***

Cowboy Bunkhouse

MUCH TO MY surprise and disappointment, when I checked the hotels in Kanab, the town closest to Zion National Park, they were mostly full - and all, expensive.

Then I found the Cowboy Bunkhouse, which proclaims itself a Western hostel. Rooms go from $35 to $75 a night, depending on number of beds and whether there's an en-suite bathroom, toilet or nothing. Showers are shared, for the most part. Two kitchens are also shared. 

The price was right, and I've happily stayed in hostels before, so I thought I'd try it. 

The building started as a hospital, and then later was expanded to become a school for kids who needed an alternative to regular school. I admit, I was a little skeptical when I pulled up, but as soon as I went inside, I was charmed. 

The place was clean and neat and very fun. The cowboy theme is everywhere - but in this place, the regular cowboy is celebrated, more than the movie-star cowboys whose many films were made in and around Kanab. Rooms are named after towns where the cattle trails and railroads met, or  after real-life cowboys or cowgirls. 

I stayed in the Connie Douglas room, and I admit I'd never heard her name! She was thought to be America's oldest cowgirl, and led an interesting life. You can find out more about her here. 

I ended up spending three nights at the Cowboy Bunkhouse, and I recommend it highly. Most of the people staying there were Europeans - and all the people on the work-barter program there were, too. The others, generally, were senior citizens. Interesting. 

The staffers eat dinner together at the Bunkhouse, above. 

Below, one of the hallways, with cowboy-life decorations.

Above, some of the guests at the Bunkhouse. 

Below, the woman who owns and runs it, with her husband.

Above, the tail end of breakfast, which comes with the room.

Below, the building has that 1960s institutional look. 

***

Dog of the Day

Zara was staying at the Cowboy Bunkhouse! She's a two-month-old husky, who raced around, playing, biting fingers, greeting everyone - and then, wham, collapsed into puppy exhaustion. 

***

A Final Thought

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." 

- Will Rogers

Zion Pines

Zion Pines / oil on black canvas, 14x14

$175 road price, $225 gallery price

I spent two days in Zion National Park, painting like crazy, and propping my jaw shut, again and again. It is an astonishing place, filled with beauty and power and color and pattern as I have never seen. I made lots of paintings and took tons of photographs, and truly, only ripped myself away because of the call of Cedar Breaks, Bryce, Canyonlands and Capital Reef.                                                                                                                                  Also, on the Friday I was there (Columbus Day weekend), the park was very, very crowded. Thursday, I had no trouble parking and setting up to paint. Friday, it was 10 times more difficult.                                                                                                                                            At one spot, a busload of Japanese tourists pulled in behind me, and more or less surrounded me. Too many people, too much talking, too much picture-taking, too close. 

My paintings from the trip so far are up on the Utah Painting Trip page of my website, Jacobson Arts. (http://jacobson-arts.com). Four have already sold! The road prices are lower than the studio/gallery prices will be when I return. 

I'm working on connecting the page through PayPal, but am not there yet. So, if you see one that you want, please email me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com, message me through Facebook, or call or text me at 860-442-0246. I am in places without much cell phone connection, just fyi. 

*** 

Best Friends

JUST OUTSIDE KANAB, Utah, stands one of the great testaments to human endeavor and heart. It is Best Friends, a large and beautifully run animal sanctuary, rescue and adoption center.  Find it online at BestFriends.org

Peter and I have donated money to Best Friends over the years, and it's one of the recipients of my 101 Dogs project. My mother gave money to the group, too, and would call me up when the magazine arrived, and ooh and ah with me, and we'd discuss the dogs and cats and other animals and people profiled there. 

Visiting, I felt my mom was with me. That, and the mission of the place - Save Them All - brought me to tears. But I got through it, and on Friday morning, took a tour of Dog Town. The photos below are from that tour. 

You can give money to Best Friends, you can visit, you can even volunteer. It seems like a beautiful and purposeful organization, one that's well worth your time and energy, and maybe even your money. Please take a look! 

Puppies! 

The dog above had just arrived, and was in the new registration building (I think that's what it was called). It's a state of the art shelter, with tempered glass doors instead of cages, natural light that comes in through skylights, individual temperature controls for each run, and tons of other features. I was paying more attention to the dogs than to the description, I admit! 

Above and below, Iggy. He is a deaf pit bull, who is an ambassador for Best Friends, and for the dogs in the difficult-to-adopt area. Iggy's handler works on understanding those difficult dogs, and training them to make them more adoptable. 

These three pups were allowed into a puppy play room to greet all of us on the tour. The room has pretty much everything you'd find in a house - but the couch is hard plastic and indestructible. There's a vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, mirror, stairs, refrigerator, coffee maker - anything a puppy might encounter in a regular home. 

 

***

Dog of the Day

Take your pick! 

***

A Final Thought

"I've been driven all my life by a spirit of adventure and a criminal level of optimism." 

- Quincy Jones

From White Sands to Red Earth

White Sands / 10x10 /  sold

It's Wednesday, and I'm in Tubac, AZ, where my dad and stepmother live. My brother and sister came out, and we celebrated Dad's 90th birthday at a very fun party on Saturday evening. Laurie has gone back to Connecticut, and Rand and I leave in a couple hours, him for Connecticut and me for Utah. 

I'm so excited about seeing the red mountains, the spires, the big open sky, and painting there! I'll post my paintings here on the blog, on my website - Jacobson Arts - and on Facebook - (https://www.facebook.com/carriebjacobson , https://www.facebook.com/carriejacobsonartist/).                                                                                                  Just FYI, because of the vagaries of blog publishing and emailing, the paintings will probably appear here last. 

When you see the one you want, email me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com, message me via Facebook, or text or call me at 860-442-0246. First one to offer to buy the painting gets it. The paintings will be priced lower while I am on the trip than they will be when I get home. And they will run from about $35 to about $500. 

I've never tried to sell more or less live, on the road, so this is an experiment for me, too! If you have ideas as we go along about how to make the process more efficient, more fun, more enjoyable, please let me know. 

***

Thoughts from the Road

I LOVE LOOKING at the landscape, the towns, the cities, the signs, as I travel and thinking about what kind of people live in these places, and how they view their lives and environment. 

I like "Will Rogers World Airport." It could have been "International Airport," 

but Oklahoma City chose "World." 

Below, Daylight Donuts in Atkins, Arkansas, where - thank heavens! - you can get expresso.

***

Turning 90

Above, there's Dad in the pink shirt, listening to my brother give a little speech, below right. Below left, Paula, my stepmother. 

***

Dog of the Day

It's Tanner, who lives with friends and collectors here in Arizona. 

He's a great dog, and usually walks around with a toy in his mouth. Adorable! 

***

A Final Thought

"The idea is more important than the object." 

- Damien Hirst

On the Eve of the Hurricane

On the Eve of the Hurricane / 10x10 / on black canvas

FOR A WHILE this week, it looked like Hurricane Frances was going to smash right into our teeny town. We prepared to evacuate, packing bags, locating halters and collars, finding the lanterns and the head lamps, cooking some of the good stuff in the freezer. 

We had a plan and a place to go, and then, thankfully, the hurricane moved south and it became clear that it would be safe to stay. So far, we've had no rain, and just some wind, no more than on any normal windy day here. 

This painting is of the marsh the day before the hurricane was predicted to hit. It is one of the paintings I've been making for the 2019 Wachapreague calendar! You can get the calendar through me, or through Seaside Art and Antiques here in town, and possibly one other place, though that's not nailed down yet. 

I haven't made the calendar yet, so I don't know how much it will be, but probably more than $20 and less than $30. If you want one, or more than one, please drop me an email - carrieBjacobson@gmail.com. If you buy a few, you'll get a discount. They make great Christmas presents! 

***

Trippin'

I'VE JUST RETURNED from a wonderful painting trip to Newfoundland, a province in Canada (the actual province is Newfoundland & Labrador. I didn't get to Labrador, but have high hopes for next summer). 

It was a marvelous painting trip! A friend accompanied me for the first part of the trip, and because of her study and navigation, we were able to see whales, moose and puffins,  and visit some of the great tourism spots on the island. I saw some on my own, too, after she departed, including l'Anse Aux Meadows, where the Vikings first set foot on North America. If you'd like to read about the trip, please check out the blog I sent to my sponsors - http://newfoundlandpaintingtrip.blogspot.com. You may see all the paintings on the Jacobson Arts website, at http://jacobson-arts.com/newfoundland

In about a week, I am heading to Arizona to celebrate my dad's 90th birthday! Afterwards, I'll go on to Utah to paint. I'm going to post my travels and paintings right here on The Accidental Artist, and put all the pieces up for sale when I get back. I'm excited! 

***

Dog of the Day

It's everybody! That is me, under Koko, Doc and Lulu. When I say, "Let's go snuggle on the big red couch," they get all excited. They wait for me to settle myself, 

and then they leap on. It's the best! 

***

A Final Thought

"More of me comes out when I improvise." 

- Edward Hopper

Three Irises

Three Irises

Oil on black canvas, 16-inch diameter

Please click here to email me for price and delivery information

Shows the past two weekends were successful for me, but were not without their moments of doubt and pain.

In Wickford, Saturday dragged, with only sales of magnets and note cards, and I envisioned a repetition of the Bar Harbor show a couple weekends earlier, where my sales totaled a whopping $8. But Wickford show-goers started buying Saturday afternoon, and continued buying on Sunday. Yay!

At the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, Thursday, Friday and Sunday were virtually sale-less,  (again, I am thankful that I had magnets and note cards!) - but Saturday was a good day for sales, and then I had a delightful one on Monday, as I drove home.

I'm immensely grateful for each purchase, be it a $3 notecard or a $3,000 painting. I am well aware of the incredible success I have found in this life, and am grateful for it.

And most importantly, the shows are not only about sales. They are about art, and looking, and conversation and sharing. They are about my paintings touching the hearts of people who see them. Sometimes this results in sales - sometimes, it results in the sharing of experience, life stories, tales of love and hope and faith and loss.

I need to make sales to pay the bills, yes. But I need to hear the stories, meet the people, share the wonder and the hope. At the very heart of the whole process, I believe, this is what it is about.

***

Happy Buyers

Here are some happy buyers from Wickford and beyond. 

Next post, happy buyers from State College! 

***

Dog of the Day

Yup, it's a Carolina Dog! I met her in Wickford. Isn't she gorgeous?

 (She looks JUST LIKE our Carolina Dog, Koko)

***

A Final Thought

"An idea is salvation by imagination." 

- Frank Lloyd Wright

Early Morning Melody

Early Morning Melody

Oil on blackened, cradled beech panel, 16x16

At Center Framing & Art, West Hartford Center, CT

A few days ago, in a book called "The Secret Lives of Color," I encountered the idea that, in the past (and I'd add, in academia and serious intellectual artistic thought today), drawing - line, architecture, replication - were far more important than color. Drawing skills were what was valued, and I can see that when I think of the famous, pre-Impressionist paintings (that honestly - yes, I am a peasant! - mostly bore me).

When I read this, my entire painting life began to make sense to me, and I found my recent questions answered. I've often said that my paintings are all about color - and I have said that off-handedly. But truly and honestly, they are, and always have been, all about color, in a serious and fundamental manner.

Dropping the brush and taking up the knife was a vital step along this route. It allowed me to apply pure color to the canvas, while loosening my grip on line, drawing and detail.

All of this has helped me understand and accept the mosaics , which have worried me enormously of late. Now I see they are the next logical step in the exchange or abandonment of line for color. In large part, with these pieces, I am building the painting by using only the building blocks of color, light and shadow.

To some degree, this is what I've been doing all along - but the mosaics do it in an undisguised and raw way. They are harder to do than anything I've attempted so far. Next blog post, I'll write a little bit about why.

***

Upcoming! 

The Wachapreague Volunteer Firemen's Carnival is on, Wednesday-Saturday, through July 7. The carnival supports the volunteer fire department, and is great fun! There are rides, games, food and music, on the carnival grounds, Atlantic Avenue, Wachapreague.

Our Fourth of July parade starts at 11:30 on the Fourth, on Main Street in Wachapreague. It's not a long parade, so don't be late! Amazing, spectacular, astonishing fireworks start at dusk on the Fourth. You can park in the park to watch. Donations are appreciated - the fireworks are put on by Rich Pulchaski, a local pyrotechnic genius, and he funds them pretty much by himself.

I'll be at two shows in July -

• the Wickford Fine Art Festival, Wickford, RI, July 7-8 and 
• the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, State College, PA, July 12-15

And that is almost all my shows for the summer, so if you want to see my new work, I hope you'll be able to come! 

***

Dog of the Day

Met these two (and their service providers) in Onancock on Sunday. I've forgotten their names, but the one in the stroller is 15, I think! And the one walking is no spring chicken, either. 

***

A Final Thought

"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge,

That myth is more potent than history,

That dreams are more powerful than facts,

That hope always triumphs over experience,

That laughter is the cure for grief.

And I believe that love is stronger than death."

- Robert Fulghum, 

via "The Painter's Keys," where you can subscribe to get an always thoughtful, usually fascinating and often freaskishly pertinent newsletter. For free. 

House in Accomack

House in Accomack

Oil on cradled beech board, 16x16 

Please click here to email me for price and availability

I stumbled onto what I am calling "mosaic painting" when I was working to figure out what to do at the very bottom of a giant painting I'd made earlier in the year for a window at Jerry's Artarama. 

I'd gotten to the bottom of the painting - painted the giant delphiniums and daisies and coneflowers - and I didn't know what to do. I didn't want just grass, or just dirt - I wanted some color down there. Some interest. Some action.

I'd been on a pastels kick just before I made this behemoth, and I decided to try using the oil paints in the way I'd been using pastels - putting down rough patches of color to suggest. I tried it and I liked it - and it occurred to me to make a painting using only that approach - and that's how the first of the mosaics came about. 

I'm working to learn the ins and outs of this mosaic painting, how to use color with this technique, how to get motion and distance and atmosphere into the painting, how to make it all work in a way that I like, and that I like doing. 

The biggest difference between the mosaics and my more regular style of painting is time. It takes me days and days and days to complete even a small mosaic. In the time it takes to make one of these, I can make three or even four "regular" paintings - if I work hard and quickly. 

So, while these are painstaking and time-consuming, I find them captivating and thrilling. I love looking at them. They shimmer, they change, they evoke, they evolve.

***

"Couldn't Drag Me Away"

Gesso, acrylic, ink, powder and gold, silver and copper leaf on canvas, 36x48

Please click here to email me for price and availability

MEANTIME, and, I suspect, in response to the precision of the mosaics, I've been presented with these "wild" paintings - extremely fast, extremely loose multi-media pieces that just announced themselves one afternoon in April. 

Initially, the bifurcation bothered me, but I am learning to accept it and delight in it. 

***

Newfoundland! 

THE TIMING is a little bit up in the air, but this summer (June-July or August-September), I am heading to Newfoundland to paint! 

It's a sponsored painting trip, meaning that you can buy a painting in advance, receive my sponsor-only travel- and painting blog while I'm on the road, and then, when I get home, choose your painting in the order in which you signed up. 

The trip will be somewhat limited, time-wise, so I am accepting only 12 sponsors. There are a few spots left, and one or more of them could be yours! It's $125 for a 10x10-inch painting, and $300 for a larger piece. 

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will also be making a painting trip to Utah, in the fall, so if you're interested in sponsorship but would prefer Utah, that's fine. 

For more on the Newfoundland trip, please click here to reach that page on my website, Jacobson Arts

***

Workshop Coming Up

I'LL BE TEACHING a palette-knife painting workshop in Westerly, RI, on Wednesday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.! It's at Avondale Arts, 95 Watch Hill Road, Westerly... The class goes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's $95, limited to 12 people, and you must have at least some painting experience. Contact Avondale Arts for more info and to sign up. (http://www.avondalearts.com/)                                            Want me to do a workshop in your area? Please email me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

***

Dog of the Day

What a a face on this guy! I met him out in Arizona, and he was just as sweet as he looks. 

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

***

A Final Thought

"I make art. Sometimes I make true art, and sometimes it fills the empty places in my life. Some of them. Not all." 

- Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane