PAINTING...PAINTING....PAINTING!!!

Sorry I have not been around lately...I'm getting ready for the fall Art at Home....


Just 2 more weeks to go...


Here's a sneak peak at some of my painting projects...
Let's just say there is still a lot to be done...

Many more layers...
    some new techniques (for me) to perfect...

and there are a couple of commissioned pieces to complete...


So, I'll see you when I finish....


Art at Home...November 19, from 10:30 - 3ish.
If you are in the Tampa Bay area, please stop by.
You can email me for directions...


Jane

OOPS.......

I have learned that if there is anything around me that would cause me to fall...

be it HUGE like a boulder in the road...

or just a tiny shell resting on the sand...

I will always find a way to trip, stumble, and fall.


And so I did...

So to give me a little more time to paint, as my arm and wrist heal...

I am moving the date for our Art at Home show. 

For those of you who are in the Tampa Bay area...and beyond...You are invited to join us on

Saturday, November 19

10:30 - 3:00 (ish)

Hope to see you here....

Hugs,

Jane

I'M LATE...I'M LATE...

I'm late, I'm late 

for a very important date

No time to say "Hello", "Goodbye"

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late

And when I wave, 

I lose the time I save

My fuzzy ears and whiskers 

Took me too much time to shave

I run and then I hop, hop, hop

I wish that I could fly

There's danger if I dare to stop

And here's the reason why

You see, I'm overdue, 

I'm in a rabbit stew 

Can't even say "Goodbye", "Hello" 

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.......

I am feeling a bit like the "White Rabbit"...there is so much to 

do and so little time left. Our fall ART AT HOME 
date is looming (November 5) and as usual, THE MUSE 
is just beginning to hit full force. All my free time will 
be spent in front of my easel (and my fingers will be 
covered in paint). So I will be taking a leave from blogging 
for a couple of weeks. I will try to stop by your blogs for a 
visit... Hopefully, I will have paintings up for you to see...
and possibly purchase (if my guru gets things done in time).

See you soon...

Jane

ps For those of you in the Tampa Bay area, I hope you will 

be able to stop by Art at Home. Shellbelle, Becky (the quilter) and I would love to see you. We have five artists sharing 

their work...photographs, quilted art, paintings and driftshells. And we're gonna have some of Catherine's Cupcakes 

(Sounds of Sight blog). They're worth the trip!!!

Email me for more information...

DO YOU REMEMBER....

THAT MISSPELLED SIGN I BOUGHT?

I promised I'd share my "repurposed" project with you...

and here it is...

Whatcha think???

(note the newspaper print...it's an article about the cookbook I am giving away)

Don't forget: 

     50th Anniversary Edition Gasparilla Cookbook giveaway...

The drawing will be September 25.

 All you have to do is leave a comment... 

For an extra chance, become a follower.

If you tell others about my giveaway, you'll get another chance.

Just be sure to tell me... LEAVE A COMMENT!!!

Have a great week...

Jane

Mt. Dora Art Festival

This past weekend was the Mt. Dora Art Festival...one of the largest art shows in Central Florida...

Most years, 300,000 plus visitors hit the small town of Mt. Dora to view art by "juried" artists from all over the U.S. This year, however, it rained...
and RAINED...
and RAINED on Saturday... traditionally the largest attendance day...and the crowds were smaller than planned.  All the streets of downtown Mt. Dora were lined with tents with artists, vendors of all kinds, and food! And along the sides of the tents...on the other sides of the sidewalks, wonderful shops and shopkeepers were offering shelter from the rain...while they hoped for sales. (Julianne's Coastal Cottage had a RECORD day!!! Of course, with tastings of their tropical wine smoothies, how could they not draw a crowd. I LOVED the pina colada and mango smoothies!!!)

This was my first time attending the art festival. I went with the idea of scouting out the scene to determine if there was a place for my art. I am happy to say, YES....if I want to go to the trouble of transporting everything 2 hours away from my home, finding lodging for 3 days, etc.  I spoke with many artists...and learned so much...Not just about the show, but I learned new techniques to try.

Honestly, though, I was a bit disappointed in much of the art...There was little in the way of painted canvas. Those I found were quite interesting. But most of what I saw were photographs which were transferred to canvas and called "PAINTINGS". (I am not talking about giclees of original artwork, but digital  photographs.) I love this medium and all that can be done with photoshop, but I would not claim them as paintings... What truly upset me, though, were the prints I have seen on allposters.com and art.com which were framed and called "original" by the displaying artists. There were even photos taken from the National Geographic and Flickr websites which were framed...and claimed as "originals" by the artist. (This I know because I had just been searching these sites for photos to determine the colors and patterns of some tropical creatures...and I recognized them!) Bad form!

Now that I have ranted and gotten that out of my system....here are some of the interesting art forms I found...some of which I am now coveting for my home...

These dogs were so amusing! There was even one that reminded me of Hurley...my Boggle Granddog.

This glass is created by a father and son from Jacksonville, FL. Inside each piece of glass are thin strands of silver...BEAUTIFUL!

Notice the thin lines running throughout the glass... That's silver!

All of the glass on display were in soft, coastal colors...

BILL SLADE and JON SLADE

Silver-veiled Glass

www.billsladeglass.com

These artists have work in several permanent museum collections, including:

   Ringling Museum of Art; Sarasota, FL

   Corning Glass Museum; Corning, NY

   Wheaton Museum of American Glass; Millville;

                                                                                                                                                           

As expected, many artists would not allow photographs to be taken, but there were a few who whole-heartedly agreed, and indeed, encouraged me to do so, when I told them it was for my blog.
(Always ask before you take photos!!!)

Don't you just love the diversity of these paintings...and the bold colors!!!

My favorite painter, Dawn Kinney Martin, from Atlanta,  had some of the most incredible paintings on display...They were all painted with  a palette knife and thick acrylic paints. There was so much dimension to her work! I did not dare ask to photograph her work. (You can visit her gallery at www.dawnart.com . It's worth the visit!) She did, however, explain her technique of photographing her subject in black and white and shared some of the photos which inspired her paintings. Dawn explained that the black and white photos gave her a value sketch from which to work and allowed her to capture the energy of her subject with color and a palette knife. I was fascinated! (I would LOVE to attend one of her workshops/classes.)

Here are a couple of photos of my absolute favorite artwork on display...if only I had a few thousand to spare...

This is a metal quilt... copper roofing materials are cut, painted and fired with enamel powdered paints.
Then they are reassembled to create a gorgeous "quilt"...

I met Will Armstrong, one of the artists who creates these beautiful pieces. He explained the process used. It's fascinating... You can see a short slide show of the process on their website...and other examples of their work...by visiting them at:
www.metalquilt.com

This metal quilt was my favorite...simple...it had ALL the colors I love to use in my home. It would be perfect in my dining room....

Oh drool....and dream...Maybe I'll win the lottery...

Maybe I should learn how to do this.......
  
Nah! I'll just have to sell a LOT of my own art to raise money to purchase one of these...



Speaking of selling my art...our next Art at Home is scheduled for MARCH 19...Mark your calendars. More info will be posted soon...
Jane

***I am linking with Susan at asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com and Outdoor Wednesday. Be sure to stop by for a visit!

Gourd-jus Tablescape and Art House Wrap Up

Well....for those of you who have been following my progress as a painter...the Fall Art House was held this past Saturday. Becks and I had a wonderful turn-out...lots of new people came through the house and we had valuable feedback. And both Becks and I had really good sales. (BIG SMILES) and we both have been commissioned to do some custom items. (Another BIG smile!)

But the absolute best thing that happened on Saturday is that I got to meet two of my favorite bloggers...Tracy, from Ms. Bake-It and Becky, from Beachsnaps (and Abbeystyle). I cannot believe that they came over...driving more than an hour to see my art. Thank you so much, dear ladies!!!!!

Yesterday, I had two speaking engagements...both were very successful. The first group, I demonstrated how easy it is to make a fall wreath. The demonstration and talk was well received. And...I was asked to teach this skill to a group of wonderful women. (the start of a new business?)

This is the "5 minute wreath" Idemonstrated. This photo shows the wreath as a centerpiece...

Last night, I spoke at another ladies group...all Greek! They were so welcoming and loved the presentation on tablescaping...

For this table...I love using burlap as a table covering for a fall table...or BBQ. I usually pull threads to "fringe" the ends and use the selvage (is that the correct term? I do not sew!) for the sides. The table runner is my favorite...one of Becky's creations. (I bought it!!!). The base of the centerpiece is a piece of wood I found in the garage about an hour before I had to leave for the talk. I quickly "stained" it with watered down acrylic paint and a chip brush. The grain of the wood is highlighted...The gourds are some I found last fall at Mark's Melon Patch in Dawson, GA. (http://artfullygraced.blogspot.com/2009/10/gourd-jus-centerpiece.html).

The fall leaves...well, we live in FL, where fall happens in December and January. So I have to use silk leaves from JoAnn's and Michael's. The candlesticks are those gaudy green ones I found at Steinmart last year...and PAINTED (burnt umber and mars black )!!! Plates are from Ross. Chargers are from WalMart. The napkins are actually tea stained white napkins. Take a good look at the table runner...the original photo did not do it justice. Now...do you see why I loved it so much?

(Note the pillow on the antique rocker...that's one of my painted pillows...it rests on the porch bench all summer.)

I am so blessed...I made new friends, met many wonderful women, shared my passions, and even earned some money.

Thank you, all my dear blog friends, for your encouragement and prayers. I am finally READY to take my paintings to the next level...

Hugs to all of you...

Jane

***I am posting this on Between Naps on the Porch...Susan's Tablescape Thurday Blog. Be sure to visit Susan and see all the wonderful tablescapes this week.

Art House...Fall edition

It's almost here.... our semi-annual Art House open house. So for the next couple of weeks, I may not be visiting with all of you. I have so many canvasses to complete! And I have to prepare for 2 speaking engagements which take place just days after Art House.

Here's a sneak peek at a couple of paintings which will be available.

Something for fall.... (there are some Christmas paintings, too)

Something tropical...

For any of you who live in the Tampa Bay area (or if you want to take a road trip...) Art House will be held Oct. 9 from 10am - 3pm. Email me if you would like more information...jane.mcmullian26@gmail.com

Becky, my cohort in this adventure, has some absolutely beautiful quilted items...table runners, placemats, wall hangings, throws... She has an unconventional eye for choosing fabrics. I'll share some photos soon...

Jane