Eye of the Storm - Day 4 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Eye of the Storm" - 6" x 6" acrylic on paper in 14" x 11" white mat - $65

I recently visited Goat Rock Beach in the northwestern part of Sonoma County, California with my artist friend Lynn Hatamiya .  We combed the beach for cool rocks and shells, and painted seascapes while keeping aggressive and hungry seagulls at bay.  The air was warm and misty, and the waves were gently rolling in the sand.  The sun was masked by the mist, which made the waves a soothing shade of pale blue-green as they bounced onto the shore. It was a magical day. 

Symphonic Waves - Day 3 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Symphonic Waves" - 4.75" x 4.75" acrylic on paper in 10" x 8" mat - $55

Beautiful turquoise colored waves rolling gently underneath a flaxen-gold sky - can't you just hear the symphonies in the waves with this painting? 

Window to the Sea - Day 2 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Window to the Sea" - 6" x 6" acrylic on paper in 14" x 11" mat - $65

This is what I saw when I looked out of my bedroom window at the lovely "Serenity" home in Sea Ranch.  The bluest skies with the bluest waves - it was Nirvana. 

Swept Away - Day 1 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, September 2015

It's that time again and I've agreed to participate in yet another "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge!  This time the theme is going to be abstract seascapes.  I'm doing this theme for a few reasons:

1. Nearly every abstract seascape I made over the past few months sold so apparently people like my seascapes.
2. I love the ocean more than anyplace on earth.
3. My time is stretched this month (I am participating in the Sac Open Studio Tour on 9/19-9/20) and I don't want to miss this challenge, so am doing something that is "easier" to do.
4. I'm excited to start doing larger work again.
5. After completing my 100 Artwork Challenge last month using a limited palette, I'm looking forward to doing a few more "soothing" works of art though you might find some "wild" seascapes in the mix!

So here's "Swept Away" - Day #1's offering for the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  It reminds me of the ocean from my recent trip to Sea Ranch.  There were days when the waves were deep blue but later in the day, they turned a beautiful shade of green.  It was hard to capture the color with my camera but I managed to do it with the paint!

"Swept Away" - 6" x 6" acrylic on paper in 14" x 11" mat - $65

Finishing What I Started

"End of the Day" - #100/100 - 6" x 6" acrylic on paper

At last, I've completed my 100 paintings for the "100 Artwork/Painting Challenge" and I'm ecstatic.  It took me 4.5 months to finish, but I'm done, done, done and am happy to say I've made friends with another  "frenemy" - neutral colors & a limited palette.  After this exercise, I'd even go so far as to say neutral colors/limited palette and I are now "besties!"

"Watch Me Grow" - #99/100 - 6" x 6" acrylic on paper

I have learned so much from this project - and am thrilled to report that apparently my followers and collectors love the new works too.  So far I've sold nearly 30% of these little gems and received two commissions.  Not bad for a challenge accepted on a lark!

"Simple Pleasures for 3" - #98/100 - 5" x 7" mixed media on paper

Takeaways from this project include: 

• There is no such thing as an "ugly" color - beige is indeed beautiful!
• Less is best in many cases
• The little blue flowers seem to be popular
•  "Vessels" are in
• I really enjoyed working in the primitive style.  Simple shapes and limited colors made it easy for me to concentrate on composition and values.  

"Day is Done" - 97/100 - 6" x 6" acrylic on paper

After I took design classes in college in the early 1990's, I vowed I would stay away from boring, neutral colors forever.  From my work over the past couple of decades, you can see I'm a stubborn artist who keeps my word.  But as I've matured (aka aged) I've been drawn to the neutral colors other artists use and wanted to try using these colors in my own work, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to do it.

The 100 Artwork/Painting challenge changed that for me and now I can't wait to do more neutral paintings on a larger scale.  I'm adoring the simple shapes and the minimalist style, and this challenge has even inspired me to organize and clear out my closets, drawers, and other cluttered spaces in my home and studio!

"Old Friends" - 96/100 - 5" x 5" mixed media on paper

So tonight I breathe a giant sigh of satisfaction and relief as I wrap up final photos and posts about this wonderful exercise.  I may even indulge in a nice glass of wine tonight to celebrate this huge personal accomplishment! 

But tomorrow I start preparing for another project - starting September 1st I will be participating in yet another "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge.  This time my theme will be small abstract works on paper using neutral colors.  I'm leaving the vessels behind and concentrating on dots, lines, texture and composition.  Feels good to get back to my roots and I'm looking forward to embracing my new found friends again, neutral colors and a limited palette!

Pay What You Think It's Worth Sale - Recap

After closing my Midtown studio in 2014, I wanted to start having home shows again but hadn't gotten around to it.  When I resumed publishing my newsletter a few months ago, I promised my collectors and followers I would have an event so they could see the new art I had been creating, and decided to turn it into a sale they wouldn't forget.

Last Saturday I hosted a "Pay What You Think It's Worth" sale with my original art at my home studio.  An invitation was sent to everyone on my newsletter list, and about 50 people attended.  I have had many studio sales before, but this was an event to remember for many reasons.

Sign made with found objects by Robert Gordon - hung outside my gate

I got the idea of doing a "Pay What You Will" show after listening to a podcast and decided why not try it with my art?  I spoke with several artist friends about this and they thought I was crazy.  What if the attendees offered some ridiculously low price?  What if some of my collectors got upset because they had paid higher prices before?  What if a bunch of people came; ate the food and ran off with my art without paying a dime because they felt that was all it was worth?

Prior to Saturday I heard from several people asking how the sale would work, so decided to print a handout with my retail prices of the various canvas sizes.  My helpers and I let each visitor know the retail pricing was for reference purposes only, and they could make offers based on what they felt the piece was worth to them.  I also let them know as my guests, they would not be allowed to pay more than wholesale pricing for the art, which meant a minimum of 50% off the retail price.

Here's a copy of the price list that was posted at the show

(Since I'm not actively showing my paintings in any galleries at the moment, I felt comfortable with offering the wholesale pricing, and a lot of the glass art that did sell were seconds or old inventory that needed to go bye-bye.)

A triptych and small works in crates under the umbrella on the patio

Lots of glass art, clay ornaments and wood pieces on the table in the studio

In order to beat the heat, I held the event on a Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  I put carpet tiles along the fence and wall of my patio, and displayed the paintings on top of the carpeting.  Small cards with the canvas dimensions were placed above the paintings, and copies of the retail price chart were hung in several conspicuous places.  

Here's a few highlights of the "Pay What You Think It's Worth" sale:

•  In a four-hour period, I sold 53 paintings and a lot of glass art
• 5 of those paintings are headed to Alabama to be used in the models of a new home development
• An interior designer (a guest of one of my friends) purchased 6 paintings for a project he is working on in Modesto, CA
• Several people insisted on paying way more than the prices I suggested
• I pre-sold 3 paintings from my website the day before the sale, and 4 more paintings the day after the sale
• I reduced my inventory by about 25% which means I still have a lot of art but I also have a lot of estatic collectors
• I added several new names to my mailing list for future shows
• A large percentage of work sold were my small paintings (12"x12" and smaller) and works on paper which were matted and ready to be framed
• Two people want to commission me for making art for their homes (one wants glass art and one wants a painting)
• Several paintings that sold had been very old specimens and doomed for makeovers - now they're hanging in happy homes
• My helpers were way better negotiators than I ever could be 
• Two wonderful buyers left positive feedback for me on my Square account 
• A lot of my collectors told me they loved this concept and are looking forward to buying more art in the future - sale or no sale!

Larger paintings stacked against the fence in the driveway under tents for protection

Smaller works lined up against the house wall on the patio

I think it's safe to say the sale was a huge success, made possible with the help of six wonderful friends who were on hand to prep food; greet visitors; explain the sale process; collect $$$; wrap and package purchases; and lend a helping hand in whatever way they could.   For me, it felt amazing to release so many pieces of art and to make a lot of people happy with their art purchases.

One tired but happy artist!

Now that the sale is over, it's time to start prepping for my December show at FE Gallery and the Sac Open Studios event in September.  But first - I'm off to the coast for some long-overdue R&R and a touch of inspiration.....I can't wait!

P.S. -- Sign up for my newsletter at jjjacobsart@gmail.com or jj@judyjacobsart.com

Studio Sale - A Little Something Different

This week I'm getting ready for my first Studio Sale in over 5 years.  I used to do one or two a year  but once I had my Midtown studio I stopped having them.  With the Midtown studio closing in January, 2014,  I've managed to amass a huge collection of inventory, and what you see in these photos below is just a drop in the bucket.  I've got paintings stacked in my hallway; my bedroom; my inside office and my shed outdoors.  Did I ever mention I am also a glass artist?  Yep - lots of glass goodies too.  Time to purge.  I need to release these little gems and decided to do something really different.  Are you ready for this??

Here's the deal:  No prices -- people will tell me what they want to pay and it's theirs. 

My artist friends tell me I am crazy for doing this and perhaps I am - but I truly believe each and every person who attends my sale believes in the value of hand-made creations and will pay something to own an original piece of my art.

Why am I doing this?  I've got many reasons but a few of them are:

1. I have managed to create and collect a huge collection of my work which represents my half-century journey as an artist.  This means I have a TON of work I just can't throw away and there's simply no room to store it anymore.  I'd rather let it go to someone who would love it versus tossing or donating it to the Good Will (I did this recently and a friend of mine unknowingly gave me back one of my sculptures as a hostess gift - I SWEAR!)

2.  Since I began concentrating on my art career, I've been blessed with friends, family, collectors, and students who have supported me beyond my wildest dreams.  This is my way of giving back to all of you for your love and support of my journey.

3.  I believe when you let things go, you are left with an empty space that allows new things to come into your life.  I've experienced this with people, relationships, situations and "stuff."  I'm at a point where I'm exploring some new directions with my art plus I'm ready for some changes in my own life, and you're welcome to help me make it happen!

I've posted a lot of work in past posts on my blog, and there's even more on my website.  

And today I've decided to extend this special deal to my blog readers -- that's YOU!  

Just check out the sites and if you see something that interests you, make me an offer.  If the painting doesn't have the dimensions or you want to know more about it, just ask.  You can email me at:  jjjacobs@comingabstractions.com

And if you already know about the piece and want to purchase it, just tell me the name of the painting and the price you feel it's worth.  If it's reasonable (don't worry about insulting me - I've got thick skin) it's yours plus shipping costs.  

I take PayPal, VISA/MasterCard, and of course cash.  I will even arrange payments if you want -- let's make a deal!