Commission and Art Classes!

I'm very happy to share my latest commission, "Petey" for Darin and Stephanie Kerns. From the stories he is quite the active and lovable character and he looks after their daughter Lena. Petey steals socks and is adorable. I hope I get to meet him someday! :)

ALLLSOOOO..... I have started teaching art lessons on Saturdays at my house. This is the second week and we went into charcoal, value and shading. June has a variety of ages and experiences grouped together. What a great group of kids!

I need to get a computer where I can edit the size of photos so I can make things come out the right orientation! :) 

Boy Drawing

I thought I'd share an old drawing that hangs in my home. I walk by it several times a day and have sort of forgotten about it. I'm still fond of it though. Currently working on a painting for my mom for Mother's Day and will post it soon!

Have a glorious day with many little joys! 

New Paintings...:)

Glad to be back and able to paint. I sat for five nights with canvas, paints, etc. in front of me and just couldn't do it. Funny how when life brings me emotional pain I have a lot of difficulty getting back to producing work. I think my mind finally wanted a some healing bad enough to just do it. Here are the results...

"Fate Cookies" Acrylic on wood
SOLD

"Golden Cogs" Acrylic on canvas
SOLD

 "Green Tea" Acrylic on canvas
This piece still feels unfinished so I may go back into it. 

"Divine Feline" Acrylic on wood
SOLD

"Real Definition of Skater" Acrylic on wood
Commissioned work

I, unfortunately, am using a borrowed computer at the moment and have no photo editing program so stick with me for a while until I can get a new computer or figure something out! I plan on keeping going with these wood paintings. It is a moment of peace that I am enjoying. :)

Life and Adversity...

I haven't posted as of late because my life has entirely been turned upside down in the past weeks. I am still trying to pick through the pieces to see what can be learned and what can be built upon. I hope to rediscover my strengths and am humbled by the kindnesses of others. At the moment I am trying to truly appreciate things in life - family that love me, friends who I know will always be there, my lazy lovey cats as they sit in the windows listening to the birds, my home. May all of these things comfort me, give me strength when I don't think I have any, and lead me to the path I'm meant to be on.

And may great works come forth when they are ready....

Java Central, SAQA exhibit & Otis

Latest showing of work: JAVA CENTRAL 

I'm pleased to announce that I have a number of pieces currently hanging in the back room at Java Central in Uptown Westerville. It is a neat eclectic place that serves yumminess.There are nearly 30 pieces hanging, including the newest smaller artworks. The closing reception for this exhibit of work will be on April 14th, 2012 from 2 to 4 p.m. The public is welcome so come on in! 

http://www.java-central.com/

LATEST SHOW NOTIFICATION: 

I'm very excited to announce that two of my artworks have made it into the SAQA Ohio juried show, Creative Statements: Ohio Art Quilts 2012. They are pictured below. This exhibit will be at the Zanesville Museum of Art and the opening reception will be on April 21st from 2 to 4 p.m. This will be an amazing show of textile/quilt artists from all over Ohio. Please come have some art fun with me! 

"Cocoons"

"Battles"

I haven't really given a full explanation of "Battles" so I thought I'd take the opportunity. When brainstorming I tend to choose subjects that are very close to me and that I'm very passionate about. This piece came about as the result of dealing with someone dear to me who happens to be a heroin addict. This family member reached out to me and came to my house to make an attempt to get clean. I was able to see the effects of this drug and just how addictive it is. In creating the piece I knew I needed to make it big. I wanted it to be something that used symbolism and had a greater meaning than what it appears. In thinking of the idea of attacking heroin and began to picture monsters destroying cities. Even the Stay Puff marshmallow man from Ghost Busters came to mind. To me, the ultimate monster attacking cities is Godzilla. It was also something the viewer would recognize. When looking closer at the work you can see the symbols leading the way to the meaning of the work - the dead red dragons, the breaking of the spoon, the scattered balloons, the syringes making up the city skyline. In creating this work I was instilling all hopes in the recovery of someone I love, hoping he realizes he has so many possibilities in life and can be so much more. I felt like I was trying to instill strength in the piece for him. I'm honored that the piece will hang - and may Godzilla win this one.

MEET OTIS:
A new member of the family will be arriving this weekend. Meet Otis Earle Tankenheimer. He is a six week old mutt and I'm sure will appear in future pieces because he is going to turn this house upside down!

UPCOMING:

• I will be speaking about my work at Central High School to art students on March 8th. I'm excited to share and talk with them (some are past students!) 
• I'll be starting to sell and get my new Mookie monsters out there in the next month.

I have many new pieces I'm trying to finish so I hope there will be much to share in the next month! 

love and light to all, 

jancy (juno)

CHA paintings

Staying busy is a good thing! I just completed these two paintings for the Citizens for Humane Action Animal Shelter. They are undergoing a bit of sprucing up and these two are their mascots, Susie Spay and Nicky Neuter. :) I'll be doing other murals and repairing an existing one over the next few weeks and will post pics as they get done. I love how this shelter works and go in to work in the kitty room twice a month. 

If you want to see some of the great pets at the shelter go to http://www.chaanimalshelter.org/

I like using talents to make the most of my volunteer time and I hope everyone who enters is able to see what a great place the shelter is! 

Doing work for the shelter is appropriate since we're adopting a wonderful little mutt in a week and a half! I'm sure Otis will be making appearances in some of my pieces all too soon! 

February Sip & Sketch

This past Tuesday I had the pleasure of teaching collage at the Sip & Sketch, sponsored by the Westerville Arts Council. Sip & Sketch takes place every first Tuesday of each month at Meza on State St. For $15.00 customers enjoy tasting five wines and the joy of creating. http://www.vinomeza.com/index.html
To sign up for the next one go to http://www.artscouncilwesterville.net/ or give Meza a call. It is my understanding that the upcoming teachers will be covering photography and painting wine bottles in an Impressionist style. I may go as a student! :)

We all had great fun trying out photo tape transfers with old black and white images and playing with the MANY different supplies available! Thanks everyone for making it a great night!

Roscoe and Emerson Burkhart

Recent turns of events have brought me to know my grandfather. He has never chosen to know me and at the age of nearly 40 I am getting to know him. probably for the first time in my life. While attending Columbus College of Art & Design  in 1991 I discovered that my grandfather painted and had attended CCAD for a period of time. This was all news to me. I saw him maybe once a year, if that and it was always brief. He is now 92 years old and is back in Ohio. When visiting him last month he began to tell stories about his friendship with the painter Emerson Burkhart. It is very obvious he loved Emerson very much and greatly admired his work. Emerson gave him one of his painting at one point and he treasured it. They seemed to both be wild and doing exactly what they wanted in life during their friendship. Below you see a picture of myself and my grandfather, otherwise known as Roscoe. (a name he obtained while out getting into trouble in the early days)

My grandfather was a businessman in his active days. At points he owned a roller rink in Columbus, a thriving dairy in Lancaster, Ohio, and, among other ventures, had a great ice cream shop in German Village, Ohio, for a number of years. It was dubbed "The Golden Eagle" and featured homemade ice creams, rock candy and the like, mirrors, and old school ice cream chairs and tables. A child sized one still is at my mother's house today. As a little girl I loved this, of course. I have many fond memories of the shop and my dad's import shop that was attached across the back of the building. I'd go in and Dorothy, their faithful employee for years, would take off her apron and walk me down to the bakery for a donut if someone was there to watch the shop. The building that the Golden Eagle is in now is a fantastic fine dining restaurant by the name of G. Michael's Bistro that my husband and I enjoy going to from time to time.
Here are a couple of pictures of the shop and what it was like.

The story he relayed goes as follows...
When Roscoe had his grand opening he was standing out front doing the ribbon cutting with the mayor of Columbus and the police chief when Emerson came flying down Third Street and with squealing tires and smoke flying stopped right in front of them all. After laughing and cajoling them all, he peeled out and took off down the street towards Schiller Park. The police chief and the mayor stood there, both shaking their heads and one of them said "That's Emerson!" That night Emerson asked my grandfather to come over to the studio as he has some new pieces he thought he would like. Roscoe said he'd wait to come over the next day. By that next day Emerson was gone, having passed away. My grandfather said simply "I should have gone over."

I found this story sad, but in trying to picture them laughing and getting into trouble together I can only smirk. I'll be going down to hear any more stories he can remember and maybe I'll try my hand at a Burkhart style painting for the wall in his room. He has requested a picture of cows. :)

For more information on Emerson:
http://emersonburkhart.info/about.html

C.O.R.G.I. backdrop mural

Greetings everyone!
I wanted to post a picture of the backdrop I created for the Central Ohio Rain Garden Initiative                    ( http://www.centralohioraingardens.org/ )  Check out their site and their mission! This project was done in conjunction with the Franklin Soil & Water Conservation District, among other sponsors.   They are having a great sale of fish, trees, perennials, rain garden kits, fruit trees, shrubs -- http://www.franklinswcd.org/2012/01/2012-tree-and-fish-sale-on-line-ordering/  --in case you're interested in supporting a great cause.

In creating this backdrop I became acutely aware of the fact that I'm short. The backdrop is 8' by 10' and I had to enlist the hubs to hang it on the garage wall so that I could airbrush it. I dug in, sporting my attractive black and purple respirator, by blocking out colors and attempting to match the scale required so that it would fit the items in the display. As I worked on a big step stool I felt as if I was floating around as I spread the paint. I felt like I was doing Tai Chi! There was a good deal of tweaking done with colors before going back in with black to do outlines and details. After hemming, I sewed a sleeve on the back so that it could be displayed easily. I very much enjoyed doing this and am happy with how it looks within the display - this group worked hard on this concept and I think it turned out great!

On the left, behind the brochure rack in the photo, there was to be a rain barrel with a hose that ran through the fabric on the gutter. The hose was to be held in place by a rope attached to the top. There is a Corgi dog in the foreground since their organization is C.O.R.G.I. and I put my kitties, Mollycat & Meridith,  peeking out of the upper window. Every window needs a cat. :)

Holidays and Art Happenings

After the holiday hubub I often have the same thoughts every year...was the three weeks before the holiday worth it all? I tend to spend that time in a frenzy of making gifts. Do the people who open these gifts truly appreciate it? You never really know. These gifts are always well thought out and I often think of the people they are for as I create them.  This year I made two crocheted afghans, a knitted shawl, around 30 ornaments to give as sets with family names on them, two paintings, two crocheted stuffed animals, 5 or so pillows, handkerchiefs and I don't even know what else at this point.
I'm now heading back into art mode, and very happily I might add. :)
Here are pics of family with some of their presents! :)

I painted this for my hubby. It is a propaganda drawing  that was done in WWII with the idea of getting women to join the SeaBees, but was never used. Her name is 'Flo' and I painted her on an old cupboard door. She hangs in our living room now. 

This is my grandma and the blanket I made her. Her favorite color is blue and she is the woman who taught me to sew  at age six. 

The world's best nieces and the afghans I made them. :) 

My gorgeous sister in law and the painting I did for her on another cupboard door. 

Art happenings! 

• I'll be taking down work at Vino Where You Live on the 26th so if you haven't checked it out and had a nice glass of wine now is the time! 

• A body of my work will be hanging at Java Central in Uptown Westerville for the month of February. More info forthcoming! 

• I'm very pleased to be heading down to Athens this Friday for the OH+5 reception at The Diary Barn. I have one piece in this show and am honored to have been chosen to be a part of it. 

• I have recently been commissioned to create a mural backdrop for CORGI, a local initiative. http://www.centralohioraingardens.org/  I'll keep you posted on this project. It is a short timeline so it won't be long! 

• I'm starting to volunteer at the local animal shelter and will be doing a couple of paintings as well as some mural work there - plus taking care of kitties! :) 

Well, I seriously need to get to work here in the studio! Love the day!

jance