Challenge Complete - Here's the 30/30 Collage for January, 2016

January, 2016 - Collage of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

I am ecstatic to have completed my sixth (6th) "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge time and am happy to report two of these paintings have sold to good homes.  In the past challenges, I always worked "small" - usually 4" x 6" up to 12" x 12" but this challenge was comprised of larger canvases that were in need of a makeover.  The series was called "Reflections" and were all done on canvases/panels that had previous paintings of mine on them (some done from the late 1980's!!)

Part of my own personal challenge was creating something that corresponded with the title from the original painting.  This wasn't always easy, I assure you!  But at the end of the day, I was happy with the new work and didn't regret letting go of the old paintings one single bit.

The next step will be finishing these paintings so I can begin the marketing process.  I didn't focus on sales this time - mainly because there simply wasn't time.  Painting larger also means painting longer, and this challenge had me putting in some long studio hours. 

I'm excited to take these new works and upload them to my website in addition to marketing them to my group of designers and consultants.  Many of them will also hit an on-line shop or two, and a couple of them will remain in my personal collection until I'm ready to let them go.

Thank you again for following along - there were a lot of things going on during this challenge, but I managed to finish and for that, I'm proud of my accomplishment.  I'm also thrilled to report I wasn't alone this time - we managed to get a group of 15+ artists from the Sacramento area involved in the challenge, which means one heck of a lot of new art was made in our Capital city this month!

The next challenge begins in September, 2016 - I can't wait to do it all over again!

Day 17 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - "My Funny Little Valentine"

"My Funny Little Valentine" - 24" x 24" mixed media on 1.5" canvas

Looks like I need to get busy this Holiday weekend and get some more paintings done!  I thought I was ahead of the game when I completed this one last Friday, but yesterday wiped me out.  Long story and nothing I want to share right now, but I'm back on track now.

In an earlier post I mentioned two friends who are both fighting life-threatening diseases - one is being treated at the Mayo Clinic (fortunately she has excellent insurance) and the other just got accepted to Stanford's cancer center.  Unfortunately her insurance seems to be fighting her every step of the way, and one of her friends started a funding campaign to help with the bills.

I decided to do my share to help and am offering the following:  Any of the paintings in the collage below will be for sale at A PRICE YOU NAME (no reasonable offer refused) - and 100% of the sales will go to help my friend.  The offer is good through Monday, January 18th at midnight.  I normally charge an average of $1.00 per sq. in. of the canvas (for example, a 12" x 12" canvas would be $144 - but make me an offer I can't refuse!).  Here are more details.  Please consider helping this family in need.....cancer ain't cheap and the treatments are going to bankrupt this family.  Stage IV inoperable cancer can be treated and the Stanford oncologist team is hopeful Tammy's type of cancer responds to the treatments which start next week.  At $3500 a pop (out of pocket expenses), this isn't easy.  Send me an email with your offer and get some original art.  100% goes to Tammy - inquiries at:  jj@judyjacobsart.com

Day 14 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challege - "The Perfect Man"

"The Perfect Man" - Mixed media on 24" x 18" canvas

I've always been intrigued by da Vinci's Vitruvian Man - he sort of "wrote the book" on the perfect symmetry of the human body.  So - I guess you could say he's to blame for the body issues we have today??  Maybe we could have avoided all that had he done a Vitruvian Woman.....

In any event, I've always been fascinated by this particular figure.  When I saw this drawing on a royalty-free design book, I grabbed the book and made a copy.  I then enlarged it and created an image transfer.  I ran into a couple of problems making the final transfer but filled the missing spots in with my Micron fine liner pen.  Then I added some cardboard for more interest and texture along with some metallic gold acrylic paint by Golden.  A bit of burnt sienna glazing and some tinted Manganese blue set the final tones for this piece.

I'm not sure it's finished quite yet but I like the direction it's headed.  And yes indeed, Vitruvian Man is backwards.....proving once and for all there is no perfect man in today's world.  Way to go, Leonardo!

Day 10 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - "Imagine the Possibilities"

"Imagine the Possibilities" - 20" x 16" on 1.5" canvas - mixed media

Wow - it's hard to believe we are 1/3 of the way through this challenge already.  It hasn't been as easy as I hoped it would be but it's infinitely more rewarding than I had expected.  I'm having a blast painting over old pieces and seeing what comes next, and I'm enjoying the process.

I knew working larger again would take more time but what I hadn't factored into the time crunch was the final finishing of the paintings.  I don't know about you, but I'm a procrastinator.  I love to do the paintings and can usually get them photographed and named - for me that's the best part of the process.  

But afterwards, the paintings sit in a "finished but not really ready to sell" state.  I let them stack up and just wait until a show comes along or someone wants to buy something.  Then I go into a panic mode because I need to install the hanging wire; finish painting the sides if they weren't already completed; sign the piece in the front and the back; and complete the piece with 2 coats of UV protective varnish (satin is my favorite finish).  For me, this set of chores is the least sexy part of painting and I dread doing it for some unknown reason.

Well - yesterday one of the art consultants I work with called to see if I had any new work she could look at for a client who needed something now.  I told her to come by this morning and I'd show her what I had.  Then last night one of my friends said she wanted to buy one of the paintings from the challenge and asked if she could stop by this afternoon to pay me for it.  And of course I said yes - but I was in a state of panic thinking about how I was going to get all of these pieces sale-ready before my meeting.  Yikes!

So I was up very late last night and got up early this morning to finish off 10 canvases.  I had an assembly line set up in my kitchen and dining room, and was freaking out thinking the varnish wouldn't be completely dry before the consultant arrived.  Thankfully it was and she loved the new pieces - now I'm keeping my fingers crossed her new client loves them too. 

What a way to learn an important lesson though - you can be sure that from now on, I'll be more diligent about completely finishing a painting before jumping into another one.  If I'm pegging myself as a professional artist, then obviously I need to act like one - and having a nice inventory of ready-to-sell work is preferable to having a studio of half-finished works.  After all - what would have happened if another consultant or designer had needed something in a hurry and I wasn't prepared? 

"Precious Moments" - SOLD

And later this afternoon I said good-bye to Day 8's offering called "Precious Moments" - which happens to be one of the highest rated paintings on my Instagram account to date and a personal favorite.  Suffice it to say, today was a very good day for this artist :-)

Once again this project is challenging me in more ways that I expected, and I would like to think that each and every challenge makes me a better artist.  So now I know I need to treat each painting like a commodity, ready to sell at a moment's notice.  Lesson learned - bigtime!

Handmade Ornament Swap

Earlier this month, my talented beading friend Karen Williams hosted a "Handmade Ornament Swap" and I  jumped on board.  I was paired with an incredibly talented beader and chain maille artist,  Tanya Goodwin from Kansas.  We quickly connected and exchanged information, then I went to my studio to see what I could make.

I'm in awe of what "true beaders" create and am in love with their intricate designs.  However, I know my skill and patience level are shall we say, lacking?  Knowing my limitations, I set out to make a fused glass/lamp-worked bead design that might delight my partner.

Here's what Tanya sent me - and I have to tell you I was gobsmacked when I opened the package that came in the mail.

Chain Maille Christmas Tree pendant/ornament made with tiny green rubber rings and teeny anodized aluminum jump rings with a pendant holder and sweet gold star added - I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!

After I drooled a bit over the beautiful Christmas tree pendant (currently being used as an ornament),  I noticed there was another little package in the box, waiting to be opened. 

One side of the beautiful beaded flower/star beaded ornament

The other side of the beautiful beaded flower/star beaded ornament

Inside was an exquisite two sided flower/star ornament made with the tiniest beads ever in the exact oceany colors that I have in my living and dining rooms.  This ornament has amazing texture and dimension, and is going to be staying in my living room year-round.  It's simply beautiful and perfect in every way, and I'm beyond thrilled.  Thank you Tanya - you rock!!!

So this was what I sent Tanya - a 3.5" x 3.5" square glass ornament/window catcher made of fused glass with a "hangy-dangy" made with torched glass/lamp worked beads.

My humble offering - a fused glass ornament/sun catcher

3.5" x 3.5" square fused glass with dichroic "goobers" and noodles in shape of a Peace sign

Lamp worked beads with copper findings - "hangy-dangy" attached to bottom of Peace symbol

What a fun ornament swap and once again I was blessed to have been paired with yet another wonderfully generous and talented partner.  This was the first ornament exchange I've ever done and I'm grateful to Karen for hosting the challenge and for letting me participate (Karen and I "met" years ago when we were each other's partner for a Bead Soup exchange).  Merry Christmas to Tanya and Karen and their families, and to all of you too - I hope your Holidays are filled with lots of peace, love and joy!