Art By Janae

Art Updates...

2012-01-31T16:47:00.000-05:00

The writing gene apparently did not rub off on me, which is probably why I don't post more...yep, that's my excuse. Maybe I need to write less and post more pictures.

I've been working on quite a few pieces since I last posted here, so I'm going to update everyone!

Let's see...I finished a charcoal drawing of a local dairy cow... this is 16" x 20" on pastelbord...

I finally finished the Lily of the Valley (it's a Flower of the Month for May). It's 8" x "10" on Stonehenge paper...and yes, it was white paper that I painstakingly darkened. (Reminder to myself that there are other papers to choose from!)

I also finished the tiger lilies here, that I believe is on Aquabord (Ampersand). It's 10" x 8" and is framed without glass.

The poinsettias are actually small - 4" x 4", almost coaster size, which is exactly what my family thinks it should be...

Another flower of the month, this time for June...an antique rose.

This is a 16" x 20" pastel of tropical flowers...I keep forgetting what they're called. I can't decide whether or not to leave it as is, with part of it incomplete, or work it a little more. That's why I haven't framed or named it.

And finally, the autumn berries - on aquabord, 7" x 5", framed without glass. (I may have already added this to a post, but maybe not?)

I do have another colored pencil flower I'm working on...I promise to add this as I work instead of posting the finished product.

Originals AND Prints Available

2011-08-07T14:01:00.000-04:00

Yes, prints have been available for a while...but since I recently sold a print from here, I thought I would update my blog with the links to the right. You can order a print, choose your own mat and frame, have it printed on a canvas, or just order cards.

Originals are most likely at the Saxapahaw Artists Gallery. Otherwise, please contact me if you are interested in an original...I take credit cards too!

One other place that you can visit and see my artwork is the Alamance County Studio Tour. I'll post more details separately, but I will have my art at a fellow artist's house October 15-16 2011. Click here for more information.

New Gallery in Saxapahaw

2011-04-03T19:05:00.000-04:00

I've taken the plunge, applied and was juried into the Saxapahaw artists gallery. I brought my art to the gallery today. Saxapahaw is a small, but BEAUTIFUL town on the river. Mike and I first visited there years ago and always talk about how pretty the area is.

I attended a meeting last fall about a potential gallery space next to the post office. I came home so energized by everyone's excitement, but it didn't work out for me to be apart of it at that time. The people there seem genuinely supportive to have artists apart of the community. I hope the support continues since that is such a huge part in making the gallery a success!

Right now, the website is still in the works, but they do have a facebook page. I've pasted the link below, and a blurb about the patron membership.

Saxapahaw Art Center

Saxapahaw Art Center Membership is a passport to some of the hottest cultural offerings in Saxapahaw- from challenging art classes, to members-only events, after hours receptions and special performances. Meet friends, bring your family, and make art a part of your life.

It’s all here for you to discover !

Be the 1st to know

Members will receive The Art Center News- featuring the latest information about upcoming exhibitions, lectures, films and other special events (sign up on facebook today)

Membership Categories

Individual($35/membership)
Household/ Family ( $50/ household)
Educator-Senior-Student ($20)
Silver Patron ($100)
Gold/ Platinum Patron ($250-$500)

YOU CAN SIGN UP TODAY ON SAXAPAHAW ARTISTS FACEBOOK PAGE- ACCEPTING PAYMENTS VIA PAYPAL

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saxapahaw-Artists/268296157990?sk=app_7146470109

Alamance Artisans

2010-11-04T17:07:00.007-04:00

I've joined an art guild - Alamance Artisans. It's completely different than being a part of a co-op in that this is a group of artists, meeting regularly to share accomplishments, news, and anything else relating to art. A few times a year there is a festival or show specific to the guild, but other than that, there are no hours to work in a gallery...well...because there is none!

Their studio tour was in October, and while I decided not to sign up this year, I volunteered to take pictures of half the tour. This made me go out and enjoy the beautiful studios, taking pictures along the way. Quite a few artists that were apart of Art and Soul with me participated in the tour, so it was good to talk to them as well.

There are a few other events coming up that I will be apart of, one of which I will share in a day or so!

Art Show at the Royal Bean

2010-04-13T12:30:00.005-04:00

My art is on display at the Royal Bean until May 9th. (Click on the title to their website).
They are located across from Meredith College in Raleigh and down the street from both NCState and the state fairgrounds.

Here are a few other photos taken from my phone.

Finally, an update!

2010-03-13T11:59:00.002-05:00

Dianna, pastel on Sennelier tinted paper, 9" x 12"

I haven't given up on the blog! ...I just didn't have anything new to show. The Art & Soul Studios that I was apart of closed last fall, so we were busy bringing our art home.

I recently signed up for another pastel class, so my goal is to have a new piece every week. Most of the students are working on one piece throughout the 6 week session, but I'm choosing to play with pastels this time and learn about the medium rather than trying to perfect a piece of art. (I can do that at home if I want).

I've updated the portrait since I took this picture, but the color in the other photo is not as accurate, and I'm not happy with the updates I've made.

Flower and Website Updates

2009-06-28T23:21:00.005-04:00

February Flower: Violet

Colored Pencil

8 x 10 inches

I may not have been updating my work recently, but I have been busy! The colored pencil piece above is the February Flower: Violet...so that means I'm still...about 5 months behind. By September, I'll be 7 behind at this rate...or I guess 5 ahead. It's just how my mind works, so no need to try to figure it out. I'm working on a lily of the valley flower, which is not even the flower for March. Oh well...at least it's one in the series. (I've completed the ones for Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb).

I have also been updating my website and trying out sitekreator. I used to update my website pretty frequently when I used yahoo, but there was something that I wanted to use that yahoo would not allow...and now I can't even remember what that was. It might have been an EASY sleek slideshow application that I am still looking for. Whatever it was, I then moved over to Godaddy. It's OK - the people are friendly, but I find their website very awkward to navigate. Updating tends to be slow and even more awkward. I've been lazy and have not corrected the scrolling on my website. So, I think it's time for me to move on soon.

Since working with Sitekreator, for now, it looks like my new friend. I haven't decided if I want to plunk down the money since it is more than godaddy and much more than yahoo. However, it's extremely easy to update, there are more functions that are available on yahoo, and there is a built in slideshow. I still need to find the one that it's in my head...that I know is out there for those that are tech savvy. If you're curious as to what mine looks like now, go to www.sitekreator.com/janaelehto and let me know what you think of my trial website...the top photos are stock from the site that I'll be replacing if I go forward with them. I'll also be organizing it a little more so not all my pieces are under the one gallery heading. We'll see!

July Artist Reception

2009-06-26T15:10:00.005-04:00

Art & Soul Gallery Members Show and
2nd Annual Non-members Juried Exhibition

June 29th- August 1st

Opening Reception
Friday, July 3rd, 2009
7:00-9:00pm

122 W. Clay Street, Mebane, NC 27302 919.563.2300
Summer Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

http://www.artandsoulmebane.com/

Featured Artist Reception for June

2009-05-11T16:00:00.001-04:00

Back from California

2009-05-02T00:13:00.005-04:00

I'm home for 2 nights, 1 day before heading out with my husband to St John for our vacation! I had to fly to California for my job earlier this week, so I was a bit stressed over getting work done, planning for the upcoming vacation right before another trip for work...

California was nice, temperatures in the mid 60s, sunny and dry. My rental car was a lot nicer than the last time as well! I arrived in San Diego around noon, got shuttled to the rental car place and after a few confusing moments, I was able to get in my Toyota Avalon Touring (with black leather seats) and be on my way.

I plugged in my destination on my phone to figure out how to get to the office from the rental car place. Once plotted, I kept reviewing the directions the whole way to...the hotel. I past right by my work. No problem, really, my phone doesn't talk to me like the other GPS systems do...so I pass the road that takes me to the office and went to the hotel, checked in, went to the room to drop off one of my bags and went into work. I thought I'd be there for an hour or two, but stayed longer than that. It was only my second time in this office, but the people I work with are all here, so they were ready for me when I got there! It was actually refreshing to be able to work in an office after being home based for 2 years.

The first night I was already exhausted by the time I got back to the hotel, but I needed to work on some things before I allowed myself to work on my art. So I worked, watched Lost (I had to watch it since the TV was a H.U.G.E. flat screen and Lost the ONLY show I still watch!), and worked some more. I kept thinking I would wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed since waking up at 7am in California would be like waking up at 10am at home. This only works if one would go to bed at a decent hour! Finally, at 1am (uhhh, that would be California time...), I finish my work and give up on working on my art for the night.

The second night? I go out to eat with co-workers and their friends. It was so much fun! The parking in San Diego is difficult to find if you're not local, so I parallel parked and we all walked to the restaurant (yes, I really did parallel park! And just to clarify, the parking spaces are not gigantic spaces, like they are in Mebane, able to fit 2 cars in one space...no...it seems there is a law in California that the cars should be small to successfully fit in the parking spaces. Maybe it's the parking spaces that dictate people's girth size...hmmmm).

Walking around San Diego at night after dinner...beautiful weather, not humid, brisk enough to keep you walking, but not cold to wish to be back inside. I soaked in the interesting people, cute houses with neat, (but not manicured nor matching) yards. One yard had classy yard art. Yep - giraffes, elephants, gorillas...all sculpted out of sheet metal (it was dark, so I can't comment on the type), but it was fantastic! And it seemed to fit right in with everything! Once back in the hotel room, I gave up doing my art again and resigned to sleep since I had to catch my plane in the morning.

The trip was great, but tiring. The only time I could to do my art was at the airport, so hopefully my upcoming trips will yield more productivity...but without sacrificing the experience of the trip!

I made some magnets of my art!

2009-04-22T16:16:00.002-04:00

I was playing around on zazzle and realized I can create magnets using multiple pieces of art. I'll be adding more if it works!

buy unique gifts at Zazzle

Carnation: Almost...Finished?

2009-03-19T01:35:00.003-04:00

I never posted my photos from Portugal! It was a beautiful place and I took over 300 photos. I may have to do a few paintings from the pictures I took, including local flora, beautiful coastal areas, gorgeous architecture and even a man trying unsuccessfully to rescue his small, sinking boat.

I'm now in California for a short trip and will be on my way back home Thursday night for another trip to visit my in-laws for the weekend. It will be busy, but I tend to prefer being busy than not.

As you know, I like to freak people out on the plane by sharpening my colored pencils with a battery operated pencil sharpener. (I really don't like to freak them out...I'm so paranoid someone will say something to me to get me to stop, so I try not to sharpen them too often!) On a similar note regarding pencil sharpeners and airplanes, if you bring a battery operated OR an electric pencil sharpener on a carry-on, be sure to take them out of your bag, just like your laptop, and place them in the bin to go through the xray. After consistently being stopped to have my bag searched, I tested it out and placed both sharpeners in the bin to go through separately...and it was smooth sailing!

I was able to get quite a bit done on the carnation last night in the hotel room, so now I have to let it sit, facing me as if it will shout "I'm done!" or more likely "come on, you know I still need to be worked on...I look terrible!" The photo is from my phone, so not a great picture, but you get the idea. At least I see the light!

(Updated June 28th: Instead of putting up a new post just on this, I thought I'd add the finished piece below:)

Portugal is beautiful...

2009-02-10T14:06:00.003-05:00

...or so I've been told. I've been in Lisbon for 36 hours and I haven't stepped foot outside of the hotel. I'm here for work (my day job), so I've been busy with meetings, email, and teleconferences. Oh...I did have dinner outside the hotel room, so I've been inside a taxi (I'm glad I don't have to drive here...I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable riding a bike much less a car on the narrow streets here with cars parallel parked on the side of the road) and I've been inside of a restaurant - Lisboa a Noite - very good food.

I hope to venture out sometime soon and actually be able to work on some art!

To my Father

2009-01-25T21:13:00.009-05:00

So, I was going to write a beautiful poem or something for today. Today marks 3 years since we lost our dad. I was pregnant with my daughter, who shares his birthday, April 11th. I think it's very appropriate to include him on here, because it really is because of him that I got back into my art. I remember doing something for high school or college for art, and bringing it downstairs for Mom and Dad to look at. He actually bought one of my first pieces before I even graduated college. He was always silent about it, not giving much encouragement, but any that he shared, I cherish. My first award was a portrait of him (1st prize).

In memory of my dad, I was looking for some unique symbol...something that was out of the ordinary and didn't just say "Dad" or "In memory", etc. As I was racking my brain, I thought of the perfect symbol...a katydid. Let me explain...most of my fondest memories when I was young, was when my dad and I would go walking through the woods, or just simply spending one on one time in the backyard. I remember he would talk about the trees, the leaves, the animals, insects, ets. He would walk with me over huge logs that would cross the creek and talk about how huge the tulip poplar trunks are...the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees, the beetles that crossed our paths, and my favorite of all, the sounds of summer. I remember a conversation with him about locusts, cicadas and katydids. Throughout my life, I've since got the katydid sound mixed up with other insects, but once you hear it, you'll know the sound I'm talking about. Summer is my absolute favorite season, even in North Carolina! And what better sound to herald in summer than the katydid. Dad was the one that really instilled in me my love of nature - even the snakes and spiders. The katydid was a kind of an 'aha' moment.

(#6 and 7 on the playlist are the ones I'm talking about if you go this site)

I searched for the word "katydid" to find pictures of katydids and of course I found lots of pictures and sounds of them. What's interesting was that I also found an art forum that I browsed. I knew immediately that this site would not provide me a katydid picture, but I was stuck. The artwork there was gorgeous! I was instantly hooked on the website, drinking in the images and trying to absorb the techniques.

As I sat by my computer, I didn't really join in the discussions (another thing I got from my dad - I'm a great listener, but not a great talker), but I became more and more fascinated with the medium and started to try it out, and slowly started drawing more. After 10 years of not doing anything with art, I found other artists that found the time, either full-time, part-time or not enough-time. There were others out there that could squeak out time to do something and I was inspired! I joined a local art group (Art&Soul Studios) and SLOWLY, I've been adding to my dusty and out-dated portfolio.

So, to my father, thank you for leading me back to my passion.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

January Flower: Carnation WIP Update

2009-01-07T23:54:00.003-05:00

I'm still plugging away at this flower. You can see I kinda jump around with the petals, filling in more reds, greens, purples and blues. It looks like I need to darken the background as well.

It's really interesting to see how other colored pencil artists complete their works. Quite a few artists complete sections at a time - so you're slowly getting more and more of the painting, like watching water slowly gliding over a surface after your 2 year old spilled her glass. Very fascinating (the art, not the spilled water...) Other artists work in layers, similar to how I work. Since I started out in watercolors, using glazes of color to build up the painting, I see this as a natural way of building up colored pencil as well. Both are transparent in a way, so that you can see the individual layers as you work. By using blue and yellow to create green creates more depth and visual excitement than if one used green in the beginning.

In the next update (maybe the last??), I will have added more colors to the flower for interest and definitely darkened the background. We'll see!

A lot more work ahead of me, and I wanted to get it done by last weekend! Maybe I can at least have it done by February's reception.

Art&Soul Reception

2009-01-06T19:05:00.011-05:00

You are cordially invited to

Art and Soul Studios

Featuring the work of all member artists in a new show:

Resolutions

Opening Reception

Friday, January 9 , 7:00-9:00pm

...

122 West Clay Street, Mebane, NC 27302

919 . 563 . 2300

www.artandsoulmebane.com

Carnation Flower: Update

2009-01-03T02:57:00.004-05:00

Another update - I'm adding the red (crimson red) to the flower now. I'll have to go back and forth with the colors to keep the values where I want them. After looking at the grey value on this, I want to push the darks more. (That's something I tend to be timid about. I can put them in for my portraits, but not when I switch to colored pencils!)

I'm a little frustrated because my favorite pencil sharpener is at the gallery, so I'm working with a manual and a battery powered pencil sharpener. I guess I sound pretty silly - my husband thinks I have a pencil sharpener fetish. If he could read the art forum posts on supplies, his eyes would glaze over...

For now, I'm stopping here since it's 3:15 am. I'm going to sleep...maybe.

(Oh yeah - better images, right? I ended up scanning it. Forget the camera!)

January Flower: Carnation WIP

2008-12-30T18:02:00.010-05:00

I worked at the gallery yesterday and was able to get quite a bit accomplished. I love to do flowers...but less petals! This is taking a lot of time and concentration.

Of, course, it's a WIP (Work in Progress). This is the January Flower, taken at the gallery with my phone. I tried to fix the brightness and contrast, but it just made it worse. Just imagine the paper is actually white. And yes, the flower is green for now. It will be red in the end...trust me. :)

For those that haven't figured out the flowers, I'm working on a series of Flowers of the Month. This is what I'm planning:
Jan: Carnation (WIP)
Feb: Violet (Not Started)
Mar: Daffodil (Not Started)
Apr: Daisy (Not Started)
May: Lily of the Valley (Not Started)
Jun: Rose (Not Started)
Jul: Water Lily (Not Started)
Aug: Gladioli (Not Started)...although the back up for this is the poppy...I might have to go with that.
Sep: Morning Glory (Not Started)
Oct: Cosmos (Not Started)
Nov: Chrysanthemum (completed)

Dec: Narcussis (completed)

Oy...there's a lot more to do that have been done!

December Flower: Narcissus Completed

2008-11-27T20:22:00.003-05:00

First of all, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I'm stuffed from the turkey dinner we had and am now playing on my computer, trying to figure out which digital image is the most accurate from my recent colored pencil flower.

This is what I have on my desktop:

I feel like a bug with multiple lenses...and realize that I'm really going to have to wait until I get back home to compare the real one with the photograph.

Charcoal Drawing: Bovine Curiosity SOLD

2008-11-24T19:12:00.004-05:00

I looked through my blog and noticed I need to start posting the finished product of these things!
So, this charcoal drawing (18"x24") was from a reference on wetcanvas and has drawn a few fans in the gallery. The opening on Friday brought two people in the gallery to buy it...so I think I might have to do a Bovine Curiosity II.

December Flower: Narcissus

2008-11-03T09:34:00.002-05:00

OK, I'll try to get another picture of this...I took this while it was being hung at the gallery. (So, it's behind glass and I took it using my cell phone).

The next flower is for January and I need to find a good picture of a carnation. The next time I go to the store, I might pick up some and try my hand at photographing them! In just need to figure out what color I want...I need something other than yellow this time!

November Art&Soul Happenings

2008-10-30T21:48:00.003-04:00

You are cordially invited to

two evenings of celebration at

Art & Soul

Beginning with
The Holiday Extravaganza
followed by
Our Art & Soul 1st Anniversary Party!

Be the first to preview our new artwork

and creations for the holiday season
and help us celebrate a very successful first year as a cooperative art gallery.

Holiday Extravaganza

Thursday, November 6 5:00pm - 9:00pm
********
First Anniversary Party

Friday, November 7 7:00pm - 9:00pm
********

122 W. Clay Street, Mebane, NC 27302

919-563-2300

www.artandsoulmebane.com

For more information on "Holiday Extravagana" which includes Art & Soul along with other downtown Mebane merchants please visit http://www.downtownmebane.com/index.html

2008-09-22T08:24:00.003-04:00

Art & Soul Studios
announces new works by

Cindy Champion, Martha Hamblin,Jean Kaplan, Cheryl Knox, Richard Knox

Opening Reception
Friday, October 3, 7:00-9:00pm
...

122 West Clay Street, Mebane, NC 27302
919.563.2300
www.artandsoulmebane.com

I won't be able to go to the reception since I'll be out of town...well...just getting back into town that night. However, these artists are really great people and produce high quality work. Definitely something to go to! Meet the artists, drink some wine and nibble on hor d'oeuvres.

December Flower: Narcissus Updated

2008-09-04T20:48:00.002-04:00

An updated shot of my WIP. I worked on the background some more, pulling in more definition of the grass. Don't ask me why I didn't crop the photo closer, but at least you can see my artist tape around the edges to keep it clean. (I added a few colored pencil names at the bottom and top so I wouldn't forget which ones I used where...)

December Flower: Narcissus - WIP

2008-09-03T23:17:00.005-04:00

Another bad picture, but you'll will have to wait until tomorrow for the daylight to try again. I started the flower today, so not very far in the process. I really have to work on that background. It's in an ugly stage, but you just have to stay with me on this one.

I made the mistake of drawing with pencil at first, so I had to lightly erase it and go over it with a purple colored pencil. (Graphite pencils make the color in the color pencils look dirty and don't really do the trick).

I'm hoping to work on the series next week when I will be "working outside my office". So, while I'll still be looking at emails and checking my voicemail for work, I *should* have time to relax a little and do some art. (Pending the hurricane action!)

Updates to my Studio

2008-08-06T20:07:00.006-04:00

I took a few pictures of my studio today since we've added a few things lately.

Living in North Carolina requires air conditioning, so my husband added a window unit. No need to add central air here! The grass looks brown because we had someone come by and weed-eat, so I need to rake the dead grass away.

I'll also work on the landscaping once the weather cools down. My husband and I are trying to plan out a large patio and pergola between our house and studio, so that's why nothing has been done here...

Oh - and shutters...I need to get shutters...and complete the lattice around the porch.

I've already posted my cabinets, but I thought I'd add them here since it's now "lived in". The sides of the counter top need to be finished and I need to add the hardware.

Notice the flat file? I love this thing...and have been looking for a "cheap" one for about a year. I'm so excited about it! Now I can put my watercolor papers, my class charcoal portraits, mat board, etc in it. Yay!!! (Now I'll just have to figure out where it will go. Maybe I'll have my husband build me a cabinet for it).

(Trim still needs to be added on the bottom). I'm not posting any pictures of the other side...that's too lived in and I still need to organize!

A Little Video...and Trees

2008-07-23T00:36:00.008-04:00

(BEFORE HITTING PLAY...scroll down and hit pause on the playlist (||) - bottom right).

For some reason, this really hit me a little more than I expected. It's a short film that my sister forwarded to me. I thought it would be applicable to post it here, since...well...just watch it. It moved me to at least update my blog!

Maybe the film wouldn't have made the same impression if I stayed inside all day, rather than going outside to face the heat of the NC summer. I spent the early evening pruning our crape myrtle trees and really taking time to see the beauty of the trunks...don't get me started on "crape murder" trend around here. (Trees are my absolute favorite thing in nature.) Trees are just so gorgeous that I have to force myself to trim them. (I like them au naturel). I love how the bark on the crape myrtle trees peel away the outer layer of the muscular branches, exposing the orange-ish color of the new bark. I love it. I pruned many good sized branches and kept trying to give them to my 4 year old as walking sticks, but he quickly got bored with them. I thought to somehow incorporate the twisty branches into my art...but I'm a 2 dimensional artist and have a hard time thinking in terms of 3 dimensional sculptures. Maybe I can create a cool frame or something with them. I can't just burn them/throw them in the woods/have them shredded/etc...what to do, what to do...

Anyway, after spending so much time outside tonight inspecting my beautiful trees (I mean, I sat down on the ground for quite some time just staring at these trees with their multi-trunks coming up from the ground, twisting this way and that, and finally drooping down with the weight of their flowers), that seeing that film makes me realize that there are people out there that are unable to see the beauty of the simple things in life...blind or sighted.

Tomorrow, maybe I'll do some sketches of some trees.

Added a Playlist

2008-07-18T13:36:00.003-04:00

It always startles me when I open a website and hear music. However, I was checking out other blogs and came across one with the greatest upbeat music, so...I added a playlist to mine!

The next Art&Soul artist opening is August 1st from 7:00 to 9:00 and will feature art from Hilary Latimer, Cydney Morel-Corton and Clare Steece-Julich.

As soon as I get some photos back of my newest piece, I'll post it. You're welcome to see it at Art&Soul Studios in Mebane!

Featured Artist Opening

2008-05-24T09:48:00.005-04:00

Next Saturday, we will be hanging art for the artist reception in June. I'm a little stressed because I'm one of the featured artists! Our month includes artists who work in glass, soap/makeup, photography and painting. I think the four of us will complement each other well.

I just need to work on some paintings. Jerry's...here I come!

To learn more about future openings, feel free to browse the gallery's site: www.artandsoulmebane.com

Lights on in the Studio!

2008-04-18T21:42:00.006-04:00

Need I say more? There are a few more things that need to be done...and then I'll be able to organize, clean, dust, etc.

Just a picture of the outside - the door will change Monday, exchanging it for a glass door to get more northern light into the studio. Landscaping still needs to be done and as you can tell, this was taken the night before trash day!

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This is what you see as you open the door. Track lighting for paintings. Cabinets to the left...bookshelves to the right.

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As you walk in, look left and you see my desk - for my day job. And yes, that's a panel all for my studio. I'm not sure if you can tell, but there are 3 recessed lights above the desk, 2 double switches above the desk and 2 quad switches below the desk. (Did you notice the light switches? There's a quad switch for the lights (1. fluorescents in center of room; 2. fluorescents above the cabinets and shelving; 3. track lighting; 4. outside lights) and then a separate single switch for the recessed lights. This was originally supposed to be a dimmer, and may change to it later.

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Cabinets - just simple ones ready made from Lowes. There's a timer for the vent above (gotta have that for all sorts of art mediums) and a couple double outlets there. Another light switch behind the books for the fluorescents below the wall cabinets. The table is an antique that we need to get rid of in place of a sturdy drafting type table. I need the space for matting and framing.
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This is what you see as you look right from the front door. This is the messy area - still working on these finds...something I found on craigslist. I'm painting them white and will have to do something about those cut outs. Notice the fluorescent lights above these units. (Haha, disregard the deflated excercise ball. Not much can be done with 2 small kids. They love it as a toy).

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The other 2 units - can you tell which one I've primed already? Just in case you guys ever need to vaccuum sheetrock dust - make sure you don't use the light weight shop vacs! Apparently, sheetrock dust is very heavy and will clog the lighter shop vacs in no time. I had to go out and buy the bigger one. Oh - the cut out in the ceiling is the attic access. There are 2 lights up there. ---

So, that's it for now. My kids painted tonight in the studio - it's a good thing the floor isn't real wood. (And let me tell you that even though you may know they're painting, and there's all colors including red, it's still pretty freaky when you see red paint splatter all over the floor...I couldn't help looking for boo-boos).

Chrysanthemum-Finished

2008-04-02T22:00:00.001-04:00

Chrysanthemum: November flower, colored pencil

It's been several months since I posted this as a work in progress. I put it down for a while but finally finished it, framed it and put it in the gallery in Mebane.

This Friday night we will be having a Garden Party reception for all of the gallery members. Please feel free to stop by, have some food, wine and enjoy the artwork. Unfortunately, I am out of town until Saturday!

http://www.artandsoulmebane.com/index.html

Studio Update

2008-03-16T23:57:00.004-04:00

White...The walls, ceiling and trim...white. I know, I could have picked all different colors, bold, soft, blue, red, but I chose white.

I've read that a mid-tone gray is the best for a studio, but I love to have things bright, and since my windows are not that large (for more wall space), I want it bright!

The corner here is for my future office, hence the recessed light and lots of outlets (there are more closer to the floor).

Update on my Studio

2008-02-24T21:01:00.003-05:00

We've been working hard at the studio (hahaha...did I just say "we"? OK - my husband has been working hard!)

I've lost count on the number of coats/sanding/recoats of sheetrock mud to the walls and ceiling, but it's almost there! The dust from sanding the mud has permeated every nook and cranny of the building. The ceiling still has to be finished, but the trim for the windows went up today. At first I wanted deep windows (oh, I forgot what they're called), but after reading about the different window trims and recommendations, I decided to go with the standard trim since it was a small room.

Painting just may happen this week - You'll be soooo surprised!

It's 53 degrees in the Trashcan

2008-02-04T21:54:00.000-05:00

I bought one of these wireless thermometers for my husband for Christmas - it has an outside sensor to let you know what the temperature is at any given moment inside and outside (well, at least wherever the sensors are). My husband recently put the outdoor sensor in my studio to ensure it stays above 50 degrees in there. (It has to stay at least 50 degrees so that the sheetrock mud dries right). I was cleaning up the odds and ends the other night and I put it in the trash. I just thought it was our old sensor (never mind the faint sense of confusion as to why the broken one would have been there in the first place). The revelation did not come to me until later when my husband mentioned the studio temperature as he was looking at the display. I fessed up that the sensor was in the trash. We'll take it out before trash day, but it makes for a few laughs until then.

And yes, it's 53 degrees in the trashcan.

Tuesday's Portrait

2008-01-30T10:28:00.000-05:00

Tina II, charcoal, 12 x 14 inches

Just in case you were wondering, last week's class was canceled. Sorry about that - I guess I could have said something, but I was in a funk. This week's model was Tina, which I was happy to hear that someone recognized to be the same model as one of my other drawings. (That always makes you feel good - that a person comes out recognizable!)

Update on my Studio

2008-01-28T00:08:00.000-05:00

My husband has been working hard lately...as soon as he gets home from his labor intensive job, he goes and works on my studio! It's looking really nice - and I'm getting excited! Here are the most recent photos:

I'll post better pictures once the sheetrock is complete and we've had a chance to clear things out of the way.

Website Down...

2008-01-20T18:53:00.000-05:00

Oh well...this is showing my programming knowledge...as in, I have none! I was fiddling around try to download new stuff for my site. Well, I guess I messed with the home page. You can still get to it - but you have to add the "/index.html" to it. So, if you're interested, go here:

http://www.artbyjanae.com/index.html

I'll try to have it back up soon!

First Drawing in the Studio!

2008-01-17T23:08:00.000-05:00

The insulation is almost done on my studio! My husband has been busy trying to get it wired and insulated recently. Sometimes he doesn't even come inside after he gets home from work - he just goes straight to my studio to work. I decided to keep him company tonight, so I brought my work in progress out there while he stapled. This is the first of many more pieces of art to be created in my studio!

The cow portrait came came from a reference photo on the WetCanvas site I frequent. I still need to work on it, change the perspective of the fence post and tweak the values a little bit.

Tuesday's Portrait

2008-01-16T11:26:00.000-05:00

I've posted the portrait I did last night from our class. You can always tell who got to the class late...because they're usually delegated to the sides and end up doing the profile portrait!

This model asked for the portrait at the end of class...I told him to come back next week since I wanted to take a photograph of it first.

Carrboro Portrait Class

2008-01-14T23:32:00.000-05:00

OK, so I'm not sure if this will work - the picture above should be a slideshow of 7 portraits done from life. (Press Play - I had to make it into a movie). Five of them were from my last portrait class, one was done at home and the other was done at Art&Soul Studios during an opening we had in November... If it doesn't work, I'll try something else. If that doesn't work, then I'm stuck just pasting 7 images in the blog.

Tomorrow starts another session of portrait classes for me - I'm taking them with Herb Slapo at the Carrboro Arts Center. (Not to be confused with the one I'll be teaching in Mebane!) I have a really fun time going there and being with other artists and drawing from life (from a willing subject). Notice the slides above from the last session (if it works) - the first week started with the pencil portrait and I felt extremely rusty. It just wasn't clicking with me. The second week I decided to bring my charcoal and it was so much easier. Maybe it was because I loosened up a bit, maybe it was the medium, maybe both. Or, it could have been the subject. I decided to work with charcoal for the next session, then the next, etc. For me, charcoal tends to force me to stay loose. I should point out that I don't use a charcoal pencil. I use the vine or willow charcoal and tissue to blend. (The charcoal I use looks like the one 2nd from the left in the picture below).
I'll be bringing my charcoal to the next class...but I might bring some pastels too. We'll see!!!

Two Boys - Finished

2008-01-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

I finished and framed the pastel painting above. It's never recommended to take a photograph of your work when it's already framed, but I forgot I didn't have the updated image. During my long shift at the gallery yesterday, I took quite a few photographs of the building, and some pieces of mine that are framed.

Art&Soul Classes

2008-01-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

Some of you know (and I think I've posted this before somewhere) that I am a member of an art co-op. It's a really great gallery with a mixture of sculpture, pottery, paintings, jewelry, etc. I've enjoyed meeting the other artists and trying to get the gallery in gear for this year.

We are starting to offer classes upstairs and I'm one of the teachers! I'm starting slow, with only one class - a portrait drawing class for beginners. Check out the link for the gallery to see the other classes. (http://www.artandsoulmebane.com/). Hopefully, this will be a success!

Portrait

2008-01-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

Leah and Ian, charcoal 11x14- WIP!

I've taken a longer break than planned, so I apologize for that. Somehow, December came in, I blinked, and it's gone. I didn't even post a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, Happy New Year to everyone! So...yeah, what I just said.

Now that all of the holidays are over, we get back to work! I've been working on a commission since my last post. This is Ian and Leah, two beautiful children in Connecticut. It's still a Work In Progress, since I still need to smooth things out a bit. Pending the feedback I get, I should have this done this week. (I really need to start taking these photos during the day!)

Charcoal Portrait...and Travel

2007-12-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

Lilly, 8x10, charcoal

I've been out of town this week, travelling for business. I thought I should bring along a few portrait commissions just in case I was inspired in my hotel room. The one above, of course, is a really bad picture, taken from my phone. It's a smaller one, 8x10 and was done fairly quickly. It is charcoal, so the photograph should just be black and white (no blue in real life!). Once I return home, I will prop it up and look at it again, and tweak it before giving it to the client.

I was hoping to return home yesterday, but I was among the many many people affected by the winter storm. I was trying to fly out of Providence Rhode Island. The snow is a gorgeous site for us not used to seeing it! Being from North Carolina, we see more ice than snow, and even the ice is rare...To see the snow coming down so quickly, I had mixed feelings. It was beautiful and exciting, but I was at the airport hoping to fly out. A flight that was supposed to leave at 1:30 was delayed many times and was eventually cancelled (after being boarded and waiting for the plane to de-ice twice). I was frustrated at first, but my company has a wonderful travel department that helped me with my flight and hotel. Can I say I love the Hilton? It's my favorite hotel (especially when having to stay overnight due to cancelled flights). The beds are soft, the duvet covers are silky, warm and light. My favorite part was that they had HGTV! This has become a rarity in the hotels I've stayed in. The employees at the hotel were very nice, and I'm it was a struggle with so many stranded people staying there.

Two Boys

2007-12-05T23:56:00.000-05:00

9x10, Strathmore Charcoal Paper

I've been fascinated recently with pastels and how they glow with any subject. I purchased a small set of Nupastels months ago and never worked with them until tonight. On a whim, I decided to open them up. I took some Strathmore charcoal paper (md beige tint), a photo I tweaked in Paint Shop Pro and just started to sketch it out on the paper. There was no planning, so I'm sure the more I look at the piece, the more unstatisfied I will be...it's a work in progress, and I'll probably fix the colors, the backgound, blend a little, etc. It's my first try with pastels, so I'm really just playing around with it.

It's another bad photo, but what can I say? I didn't start doing this until 8 tonight when our kids were watching "Santa Claus is Coming to Town".

Happy Thanksgiving and Surprises...

2007-11-22T12:04:00.001-05:00

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving! Today is a busy day for us, but I'm procrastinating...I have to bring pumpkin pie and "sausage balls" to my brothers house for our feast. However, our oven broke two days ago and I have to go to my mom's house to bake the sausage. I didn't know she had to leave early to go over to make her potatoes, so my husband, my kids and I are going to take over her oven this afternoon before we trek to Raleigh.

The best made plans aren't the best if we don't communicate our expectations...oh well.

I guess it's safe to say that the "plan" was that I was going to pick my mom up from her house in my little car while my husband goes to my brother's house with the kids. Then, we were going to "go to a movie" after Thanksgiving while my mom kept the kids. Except that the movie will be...in Wilmington. Shhh....I'm surprising him with a weekend there without the kids. I hope he'll like it. He's been talking about things to work on for my studio. (He's excited about it, so I really, really hope he likes his surprise. I mean, I'm taking him away from what he wants to do this weekend...). Now I just have to figure out the cars...

My Nephew, The Artist

2007-11-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited, that I just had to post this. (I got permission from the artist and his mom). My nephew's art was chosen to be exhibited at a local bank. He's in 3rd grade and has been interested in art for a while (in a cool sort of way, of course). A few times I've talked to him about techniques and such, but I never know what's the appropriate teaching level for the different age groups. Right now, I just casually talk about perspective and how to hold the pencil out to get the angle and how certain paintings are created. I try to get his input on pieces of art as well. This past summer, I took him to the "Arts At The Meadow" (an art festival in Chapel Hill, NC). He enjoyed it and was even willing to discuss what paintings he liked. Although, he kept telling the artists "my aunt is an artist...she has a website"...(that was right before I created a hole and crawled in). Of course, he has this "all agog" way of holding himself, so I wasn't sure if he was enjoying himself, but maybe that's normal for boys his age.

Anyway, I am really glad that his artwork was chosen to be hung at the bank. Do you know what I really like about this piece? The sky and the mountains...I love it because it's not the typical colors of these things. Skies don't have to be blue, mountains green or brown or grey. The strokes create movement in the painting, almost as if you're in a car looking out the window at the scenery, looking at the mountains as the trees go whizzing by your eyes.

What do you think about it?

Charcoal Portrait from Life

2007-11-07T23:56:00.000-05:00

Anne, charcoal, 18x24

I decided to switch to charcoal for yesterday's portrait class (1 1/2 hours). It had been a while since I've worked with pencil - I was just too impatient last week. I prefer using willow charcoal since it allows me to block in shapes, planes, etc instead of getting distracted with the detail. I've seen artists who lay down charcoal first and pick up the highlights with the eraser. I find this fascinating, but not for me. I sketch the blueprint (nothing too detailed), then block in the shadows. At this point, it's not a pretty sight! I typically use a tissue over my index finger to blend and soften the charcoal. I push the charcoal around to create the mid tone, usually going in the direction of the contours. This really helps to build the face and allow you to see beyond the eyes, lips, nose, etc and instead, see the hills and valleys. I then take my kneaded eraser and pull out the highlights. This process is repeated as many times as it takes. I feel like a sculptor chiseling with my charcoal.

As for the portrait above, using charcoal on drawing paper really created a wash look to it. Almost like pen and ink on hot press watercolor paper. I'm not sure if I like the look, so I might bring with me some charcoal paper for my next class.

Portrait

2007-11-05T23:51:00.000-05:00

I've added the final update to the couple...I'm not sure if any of the updates I made show up, but I thought I'd post it here anyway. I will be shipping it off tomorrow!

On another note, I am taking a portrait drawing class at the Carrboro Art Center. Tomorrow night is my second class. Last week's was a nice "reintroduction" to using live models. It's very different from using a photograph! Having a model really ensures that your eye is trained to pick up light, shadow, soft and hard edges...and negative shape. It's amazing how lazy the eye can get from photographs. (My eyes just glaze over after a while and the simplest mistakes occur and elude me sometimes).

Anyway, I don't want to scare anyone away...the first few sketches are always the worst...(This one is done with pencil (I think 4b)). It's pretty large - the pad of paper is 18x24 and I was successful in using the space. The teacher recommended that a portrait shouldn't be larger than life unless you have a really large or tall wall to put the portrait on...you can measure your face with your hand (open palm - place the thumb on your chin and your middle finger at the top of the forehead...or wherever it reaches.

Since it's late, I was too tired to do anything special to this one, so sorry about the flash. Tomorrow, I might go back to charcoal!

November Flower: Work In Progress (WIP)

2007-10-29T23:18:00.000-04:00

November Chrysanthemum, colored pencil

Not the greatest picture...since this was taken from my cell phone.

I changed jobs recently and had to fly out to my new official company yesterday and just flew back home tonight. I brought my colored pencils, a pad and a few works in progress to do on the plane. I really need to get a better pencil sharpener, because the travel sharpener I have really eats up the pencils. I'm learning a few things now that I'm creating more pieces. When you create artwork, you're using supplies and they run low quickly!

Creating Art = Good: well, creating art! Bad: Supplies run low
Not Creating Art = Good: Supplies are always there. Bad: Not producing art...(Jerry's Artarama, here I come!)

On another note, as I was waiting for my flight at RDU yesterday, I hear over the intercom "Mr. So and So, please come to security to pick up your package..." and I'm thinking, oh, I hope this so and so guy picks up what he left behind...I really don't want the airport to shut down! I guess he picked it up, because I got on my plane uneventfully. Coming back home today, guess who did the same thing at the Providence airport? Sometimes, I really need to go blonder to go with my mind. I was so happy that for once I didn't have to go through security and unpack a laptop, that I left behind the case that I brought to carry my drawing pad! I was happily (and lightly) walking down the aisle to my gate, talking on the phone with my mom, and was telling her how nice it was to not be weighed down with all this stuff...and I realized the reason! Tomorrow, I'll see about putting my name on the case.

Portrait

2007-10-25T20:46:00.000-04:00

Lavada and Ken, charcoal, 11"x14"

I feel like I've neglected this, but I guess not...it's only been 5 days or so. I think I'm getting to the final stretch with the most recent portrait, though I'm still not calling it done. It has a different feel to it than the others, but I think it has more to do with the following:

the source photo: the source photo was not as clear as the others, so there is less detail. Less detail in the photo=less detail in the portrait.
vicinity to the camera: this comes back to the # of subjects for obvious reasons.
# of subjects: the more people in the portrait, the less focus I can provide to each. Basically, this is the key to the whole portrait - the more subjects, the further they have to be from the camera, and the less detail it will provide.

So, really it comes down to you get what you give me. As a customer, it's up to you to tell me what you want. You are paying for a portrait and I want it to be the best that it can possibly be. That means when I ask you to give me criticism (ie, does it look like you/him/her? What about the nose that doesn't look right?). I'm perfectly fine with straying from the photo, since photographs are known to lie.

Sold!

2007-10-20T09:59:00.000-04:00

Some of you already know that I joined a local art co-op a few months ago. We've been quite busy trying to get the studio up and running as a co-op and last night we had a reception for friends and family. The turn out was great, and the gallery looked extremely nice. The website is being updated, but you can go to Art and Soul Studios to learn a little bit about us.

I also learned that I sold one of my pieces! What more encouragement can you ask for than to have your art sold! The piece is called "Three Sisters", painted with watercolor.

I have to work on replacing this piece and haven't decided on whether to do another watercolor or continue to work on some more charcoal or colored pencil. The painting that sold definitely inspired me to work on another one with the same theme. There is one that I've thought about doing with my son and nephews...We'll see!

First Real Attempt at Colored Pencil...and Arlington

2007-10-14T11:56:00.000-04:00

This is a pretty bad photograph, so I apologize for that...but I'm beginning to see how obsessive colored pencil can be. The only thing I did before this one was an ATC a month ago, but I guess I still didn't get "it". I've just been too hesitant to use just one color, thinking that it was cheating. The flower above was done using an example from the book Painting Light with Colored Pencil by Cecile Baird. The flower is a little different from the book since I didn't have the colors she listed, and I didn't worry about getting the petals like the example. However, the steps that were listed were clear enough that when I followed them with my version of colors, it turned out pretty good for my first serious attempt at CP. Since it's just a practice one, I didn't worry about the background, either. I may add it later.

As for the sketch below, this is just to prove to you guys (and me), that I'm continuing to work on different things - even if it's not finished! My brother recently travelled to Washington, DC with his wife and visited our dad in Arlington National Cemetery. This was a photo he took looking at the marker (Court 8) with the Pentagon in the background. (Well, can't you tell that already?)

Weekly Sketch

2007-10-10T22:38:00.000-04:00

Lightbulb, charcoal, 9" x 11"

Yep, it's a lightbulb. As a part of my renewed commitment to my work, I am participating in a weekly sketch over on Wetcanvas. The great thing about this site is that it provides reference photos without any issues of copyright. The photo gallery over there is wonderful! I have spent many nights browsing the photographs, from people, animals to landscapes and machinery. However, the downside of drawing or painting from a reference photo is that you can be limited by the quality of the photo and its composition. The one thing I never thought about was that you are also limited by your printer. I printed a photo of the lightbulb and went on my merry way to begin the sketch. The shadow kept bothering me since it was cropped so harshly. Once I finished, I went back to the site to post my progress and lo and behold the original photo was different! My printer cropped the shadow more than the original. I know, it's a little irritation that can be easily remedied by adding more to the right of the sketch. Since I used vine charcoal, it's easily corrected.

Where I Am Now

2007-10-09T23:22:00.001-04:00

So, there's a first time for everything, right? I've pondered for months whether or not to start a blog and like all bloggers, I decided to give it a try. Before, I thought I had nothing to talk about except for my kids, my husband, my family in general...and who wants to read about my life?

Well, since I am an artist, it never occured to me to talk about my art! After all, it's been quite some time since I did anything real with it. Once I graduated, (with art and history degrees), I went straight to work...in clinical research. Oh, I get the question all the time. How does one with an art degree go into clinical research? Ummm...I always wanted to be a starving artist, until I figured out that meant not having any money! Plus, it helps to have a sister that knows someone with a temp position open...Anyway, that's beside the point. It's been a while. Now, I am back, trying to pull artself back together and get serious (as serious as I can get with a full-time job and two toddlers. Oh sorry - one toddler and one pre-schooler).

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