Hope - Day 11 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Hope" - 24" x 18" acrylic on paper - $295

.....and from yesterday's "Peace" offering comes "Hope" - another lively little number with lots of colors, drips and swirls. 

Peace - Day 10 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Peace" - 24" x 18" acrylic on paper - $295

There's more shiny metallic gold dust floating on the top layer of this painting, though it's nearly impossible for me to capture its beauty!  I like working with the gold as it gives an extra "umph" to the finish of a piece.  You don't necessarily see it when you look at the piece straight on, but as you walk to the side, you're gifted with a new visual experience of wispy swirls of rich gold.

It felt right to add the dust on this piece - an important message worth its weight in gold. 

Sea - Day 9 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Sea" - 24" x 18" acrylic on paper - $295

Try as I might, I simply cannot escape wanting to do some type of tribute to my favorite place on earth, the ocean.  This piece reminds me of the swirling water in a tide pool, with little sea creatures scurrying about, trying desperately to get back out to sea.  There may even be a jellyfish or two in here.....with a star-lit night!

Ego - Day 8 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Ego" - 24" x 18" acrylic on paper - $295

I'm loving these colors and the wild texture!  Day 8 means only 22 more days to go.....what will that look like?  Time will tell.

Dream - Day 7 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Dream" - acrylic on paper - 24" x 18" - $295

Today's painting is called "Dream" which seems fitting since all of the layers seem to bring me into a dream state just looking at them.  I added some black and white line pieces into this painting and will probably add them to more paintings in this series.  The little splotches of color reminds me of flowers in a mystical garden....maybe I really am dreaming!!

Soar - Day 6 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Soar" - 18" x 24" acrylic on paper - $295

I really liked the colors and contrasts with this piece, and the addition of the asemic writing.  I'm working on 10 new paintings right now, and all are in various stages.  With work being absolutely crazy, it's been a bit challenging getting in the studio as much as I'd like.  Here's hoping I can get a jump on these new works and get ahead of the clock.  I seem to do my best work under pressure, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed this works with art too! 

Be - Day 5 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Be" - 24" x 18" acrylic on paper - $295

I'm finding I'm more present during these intuitive painting sessions, and just enjoying the moment for what it is.  In my other works, I am constantly thinking of a solution for a color problem or a composition issue and at times feel like I'm solving a puzzle versus just painting to paint.

I'm trusting that whatever I do is A-OK, and if I don't like it I can always gesso it away.  But I'm also finding that those little "mistakes" often turn out to be a favorite part of the end piece!  For example - in the lower right corner underneath the work "Be" I was playing with my fingers in the paint and decided to make some dots in the paint.  I had some more at the top and covered them up; but am glad I left the bottom ones alone.  They add another dimension to the painting and remind me of lush green treetops growing on a purple mountain, with their foliage waving back and forth through a misty cloud.

And the metallic gold powder makes another appearance in this painting.  It's hard to photograph but I've got some wisps of gold at the top and center of the piece.

I'm looking forward to adding more pieces like this to the "Silence Between the Noise" series.  If you want to see more of my work or purchase this painting, check out my ETSY shop.  I offer FREE SHIPPING to the continental USA!

A Golden Opportunity - Day 4 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge"

"A Golden Opportunity" - 24" x 18" - acrylic on paper - $295

You never know when "A Golden Opportunity" is around the corner, just waiting for you to accept.  Intuitive painting has a way of opening your mind to seeing and feeling things differently than before.  Letting go and painting without rules and total abandonment lets your Inner Child loose and you will find it's not the end result that matters most; it's the journey along the way.

This painting has metallic gold that's hard to photograph but makes a perfect ending to the "message received" painting session. 

Breathe - Day 3 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Breathe" - 18" x 24" acrylic on paper - $295

“Breathe” - I often find myself holding my breath when I’m painting and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the anticipation of what’s to come? Hmmm..... do you do this too?? 

Here is Day 3's offering for the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I'm so excited to have a whole weekend to play in the studio!  Feels like Christmas all over again.  I'm planning on working on quite a few pieces at one time, so we shall see what transpires.

I'm also going to try doing some Instagram Stories of the process and maybe add a video or two.  If you want to follow me on Instagram here you can see the stories when they're so up!

Trust - Day 2 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Trust" - 18" x 24" acrylic on paper - $295

Sometimes it’s hard to stop adding features and last minute touches to a painting, but when a title pops into my head while I’m working I have learned to trust it’s time to stop and say “done.” For this piece, I was wondering if I really wanted to keep pursuing this style again (old for me and very #cytwombly) but “Trust” popped into my mind and I am listening.

Boy, am I listening......

Silence Between the Noise - a new series for another 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.

"Talk to Me" - 24" x 18" acrylic on paper - $295

It's been a long while since I've painted or posted or done any art in general.  Last May I did three big shows in two weeks and it just wore me out.  Sometimes I do that to my Self and I swear I won't push like that again, only to find I do it and do it twice as well :-0

So I gave my Self permission to take some time off.  Time off from doing shows, and participating in challenges.  The only show I did do was the Sac Open Studio Tour, which I had signed up for in February, 2017 and I was committed to do it.  And I'm glad I did - sales were fabulous and I met a lot of new collectors.

I also taught 18 Holiday Ornament fused glass classes in my glass studio in October through December.  And a few collage classes too.....so I haven't been a total artist slug!

And I did do some small seascapes.  Little babies that are 2.5" x 5" up to 3.5" x 6."  They all fit in small 5" x 7" mats and can be found on my new ETSY site called "Whispers to the Sea" where I'll be selling ocean paintings, calendars, and other shore-related goodies.

I promised some people I would start painting larger seascapes and planned on doing a new series of them for this new "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge, but just couldn't get excited.  I really, really tried but I just felt kind of "ugggmphhhh" about it. 

But - I did get excited about working with charcoal, pastels colored pencils and graphite!  And gesso and acrylics.  And quickly prepped 30 sheets of paper and started playing around, just having fun.  And here's the first piece from that little studio romp!  It's called "Talk to Me" and you can see it some close-ups here.  It's the first of (hopefully) 30 new works from my brand new series called "Silence Between the Noise." 

It feels really good to be making art again and even better because I'm having fun.  Getting burned out helped with my decision to pull back and take care of me.  It's hard for me to do this because I'm so used to taking care of everyone else, but art has always been my grounding force and it keeps me sane when things are just crazy.

I can't wait to see what else comes from this series - it's a lot of fun to paint with total abandon and the addition of words into the paint is purely intuitive.  If a word pops into my head, I just etch it into the paint.  Some will stay and others will go.....but this first one just screamed to be "Talk to Me."  So there it is, in all it's glory.  I hope you like it and the others to come. 

Please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email - I'd love to hear from you!  You can also see some of my work on my Instagram feed.  And if you want to purchase my art, you can buy it here on my Judy Jacobs Art ETSY store or my Artfinder store. 

Scattered Nation

"Scattered Nation" - 18" x 24" acrylic on paper - $295 plus free shipping

I will begin by saying this is not a political rant and I'm not dogging anyone for their political vote or beliefs (my parents raised me to honor and respect others, for goodness sake!)  This is however, an observation and a call for grace.

Most of you know I make my living selling my art and do some real estate leasing and consulting on the side to make ends meet.  I deal with a variety of people with widely diverse backgrounds in both businesses, and I absolutely love what I do.

January is notorious for being a slow month for artists, but I somehow managed to shatter this notion by selling 7 paintings; taking on 2 commissions; hanging one solo show and one painting is on hold for another couple (and picked up a couple new consulting gigs on the real estate end!).  This artist is doing the happy dance, and is very grateful.

Whenever I do sell a painting, I tend to post it on one of my FB pages and often get private messages from artists I know asking how I am making so many sales/where am I selling/who are my collectors/etc.  And I am usually quite free with the information (except for the list of my collectors - seriously?)

I sell on many on-line sites including Artfinder , Saatchi Art, ETSY and Vango Art.  I also sell through various art consultants and interior decorators, and sell a fair amount of art via my personal Facebook page and my Fan Page.  My social media pages tend to be filled with art - my art and others - and tips and informational sites. I stay away from politics and other controversy as much as possible because I know I need to focus on my art (aka career) if I want to eat, and I also know if I choose a side, it's very likely I'm going to be judged or alienated by the other side.  Right or wrong, it just is.

A few days ago I witnessed a full-fledged on-line attack to an artist whose opinion happened to differ from the attackers, and let's just say it was brutal.  No matter how hard he tried to respond in a kind, thoughtful manner, he was basically told it was "their way or the highway" along with other cruel, mean-spirited words.  He's removed himself from FB for awhile and who could blame him.

When one of the attackers of my bullied artist friend sent me a message asking about my recent sales, I had to consciously wait for a long time while I figured out what to say.  One part of me wanted to call her out for being so mean to my friend; and the other part of me wanted to ignore her altogether.

But instead, I responded with all the information she had requested, and wished her best of luck with her art in the New Year.  I still haven't received a "thank you" for supplying the information, but that's on her.   I really have no desire to prolong the conversation any further.

We live in a nation where we are fortunate enough to have the right to say what we feel, and until that right is taken away, I intend to voice my opinion when it is called for, but in the event it differs from another human being's opinion, I will choose to respond with dignity and grace, kindness and compassion.

Paris Locks of Love Bridge

A couple of months ago I was commissioned to decorate a lock for a woman's 42nd wedding anniversary to attach to the "Locks of Love" bridge in Paris, France.  She wanted to surprise her husband on their upcoming European vacation and found a reproduction of an old vintage lock on EBay that looked like this:

When the lock arrived it was a lot larger than she had imagined it would be -- nearly 10" tall and weighing over 8 pounds!!  Could she get this huge contraption from the States to lovely Paris without her husband finding out??

I admit I hadn't known of the landmark until I had watched an episode of "Beverly Hills Housewives" and saw one of the couples adding a lock to the bridge, so I was very excited to help her out with her secret mission.  I Googled photos of the bridge to get ideas of what others had done to their locks but didn't see much that inspired me so I pulled out my paints and got to work.

A little gesso, acrylic paint, a clock stencil and a permanent ink calligraphy pen transformed the metal lock into this:

After the Tiffany blue paint dried, I took sandpaper and removed some of the edges to give it a worn look.  Then I mixed some burnt umber acrylic with matte medium and added some Indian Yellow paint to glaze the base color for a mottled look.  After the glazing dried, I added two coats of UV protective varnish to the lock to protect the paint from fading in the hot Paris sun.

My client carefully hid the lock in her luggage and managed to get through airport security and customs without alerting her husband to the locks' presence.  On the day they went to the bridge, he was thoroughly surprised and overwhelmed when she pulled the lock out of her bag.  Holding hands,  they found a place to secure the lock then threw the key into the Seine. 

There are two lock bridges crossing the Seine River in Paris -- Pont des Arts and Pont de l'Archevêché.  The "Pont des Arts" bridge is for long lasting love, and the "Pont de l'Archevêché " is for lovers.  Apparently the lover's bridge is filled to capacity, while there is still plenty of room on the bridge for long lasting love.  Yet in June of this year, part of the "Pont des Arts" railing collapsed from the weight of the locks and the government is now in the process of removing them to make the bridge structurally sound again.

Hopefully John and Madelyn's lock was not the reason the railing collapsed, and at least they were able to partake in a popular tradition while they were enjoying their romantic vacation.  Happy Anniversary, John and Madelyn -- may your love continue to grow through the ages and till the end of time.