Stocking up on Smalls

Lately, I have been working almost exclusively in a tiny 4" x 4" format. Because they are so small, I can sell them at a very appealing $40-50 price point.

I'm using all sorts of bright, springy colors and all sorts of patterns. If any of these tiny pieces is striking your fancy, do get in touch. All pieces are mounted on 3/4" deep cradled hardboard panel and are ready to hang. 

 

P.S. This piece is my entry into a contest at Rex Art Supplies. Help me win $100 in art supplies by clicking here and "liking" the photo on Facebook. Thanks much!

Have a fab week! Ta-Ta.

My 2014 Color Palette

Hi there. How are you? 
I can't seem to get enough of this color palette lately. I'm digging that little pop of neon red against the aqua and brown. I've started some new abstracts featuring these hues.

These pieces still need a little touch of ink embellishment, but I'm not quite sure what that will look like yet. I'm going to let the ideas marinate in my brain for a bit. Trying hard not to rush or be too impulsive.  I'll be sure to share these when they're all done.

What colors are speaking to you these days? Do share! Have a fab week. Ta-Ta!

Just Jack

Hi. How are you? I'm feeling a little tired today. Too much sun, I think.

I completed "Just Jack" (featuring my stepson) a few weeks back. This is the first figurative work I've done in almost 9 years! For being so rusty, I'm quite happy with the results. It really captures the likeness and spirit of 12 year old Jack.

Jack, on the other hand, is not thrilled with this piece. He thinks he looks like "Michael Jackson??" I don't quite understand that..... I guess it's his fedora???

I'm happy to report that this piece is already sold. Yahoo! Its sale motivates me to make more figurative pieces. Stay tuned for more!

Ta-Ta for now.

Summer Hues

Happy Sunday Funday friends!

Summer has arrived in Southern Illinois.  The summer clothes and flip flops are out. The AC has been going full blast for days and at 9am it's already 81 degrees!

All this sun and heat inspired the color palette of this little cutie.  "Fun" measures just 4"x4" and was created on a tiny cradled hardboard. 

Ta-Ta for now. 

Jen's Coffee Window

Greetings friends! I hope that you are enjoying and making the most out of this fun, festive, and frantic time of year. I am packing up the car today, in preparation for my 6 hour trek up north tomorrow. Not looking forward to the drive, but looking forward to the time with friends and family.

The eye-catching collage that you see here was created by my artist pal Kari McDonald. She has challenged herself to make a collage a day for a year. I'm humbled that Kari took her inspiration for this this piece from my own work! I love the little pops of yellow amongst the neutral palette and her crazy good paper cutting. Look at those chair legs and back. Some mighty fine exacto work! Did you notice the text in the bottom right corner? She uses lots of vintage ephemera like this in her work. Sometime in 2012, Kari will be exhibiting her 365 collages all together. I can't wait to see this momentous show!

"Jen's Coffee Window" and Kari's other collages can be seen on her blog and flickr page. She also sells her fun repurposed vintage button jewelry and accessories at The Paper Button and her  handmade etchings, lithographs and screen prints at The Paper Button Press on Etsy. Please patronize my talented friend! 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway over on the Mrs. Monologues blog!  Last day to enter is Tuesday, December 20th.

Ta-Ta and Happy Holidays!

Spring Break (Work)

Well hello friends! Long time no see.

It's finally Spring Break at school and I've had some time to catch up on things I've been meaning to do for months now (like write on this blog!)

With just 51 days to go, wedding planning has been taking up a great deal of my time. It's exciting, but geez, I'm tired! This week I decided to knock off the few remaining details I need to wrap up for the Temecula Wedding, one of them being wedding favors. As an artist, I knew I wanted to incorporate my art into the wedding favor. I decided to make card sets, a gift I'd hope that my guests would appreciate and actually take home with them. I realize that the handwritten note is dying, but I hope these cards encourage my guests to write!

The artwork that I decided to feature on the cards may look familiar to some of you. This piece started its life as the backdrop for my wedding "Save the Date" card (seen above).  I came across the original watercolor and collage backdrop today, and decided to finish up the composition to use as the imagery on the cards. 

I filled in the negative space with more of my abstract flower forms and added a little more embellishment with my trusty white gel pen. I decided to add a little pop of orange in the right corner just to shake things up a bit. I'm happy with the results, and I hope that my guests will like them too!

My next artistic endeavor is to create reception invitations. We are having a small wedding at a winery in Temecula, California and then having a large reception here in our hometown when we return. Though I love the color scheme I have chosen for the Temecula affair (chartreuse green, black and white) I decided to shake it up a bit for the reception. Stay tuned for more details soon!

A Great Escape

We all need to escape sometimes.

For some, escape is a place. The couch, a room, the beach, the mall.

For others, escape is a state of mind. Prayer, food, exercise, reading.

I find escape in many ways, with art being a primary means of escape. I can escape in the very act of creating. When I am making art, I am in that "right brained" state - losing track of time and feeling content and confident. I even escape into the images I create. With each piece, I aspire to create an ideal and comfortable little world within the confines of the format.

Where do you go to escape?

Class Critique

I've never been to Abilene

8" x 10" on canvas.

One of the things I miss about being in school is the community of artists I was a part of. If you had a question about your work or were looking for feedback, there was always someone in the studio to consult and bounce ideas off of.

Flickr, Twitter, and Etsy have become my new art community. I'm grateful to have found a group of creative people to learn and grow from in the cyber word.

So I'm reaching out to you about "I've never been to Abilene". I don't know how I feel about this one. I can't put my finger on it, but it needs something, or needs to be edited.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Don't worry, I have a thick skin. Say what you feel.

Ciao!

Renewed and Relaxed

This week, I am thankful to be a teacher. Though my job is a struggle and a stress, I am afforded time off to renew, recharge and relax.

Spring Break couldn't have come at a better time this year. One of my teaching partners had to have emergency surgery and was out most of the last month. I had to take over one of her classes, which meant that I lost my plan time. It was definitely wearing on me.

I'm only a few days into my spring break, but decompression is already happening. My art "mojo" has returned. (I was having a hard time making anything for a while.) My head is clear and I'm motivated!

I just finished "My Dear Acquaintance" yesterday and have started two more pieces this morning. I used more of my vintage stamps in this piece. Frank Lloyd Wright, Grace Kelly, George Washington and Paul Dudley White MD all make an appearance in this piece.

I'm going to be cranking out this floral/tree themed pieces for a while as I will be peddling my wares at a spring flower themed show on May 8th in Sterling, Illinois. There isn't a web page for this event, but I did manage to find a Facebook event page. I also found out that I got accepted to the Art on the Lawn show at Rockford College on June 13th. I'll be busy, but motivated to make some money for my upcoming trip to Italia!

"My Dear Acquaintance" is available for sale on Etsy.

Have a great week. Hopefully I will have more work to show off later this week.

Spring Cleaning Sale

The calendar reads March 10th. The mercury topped 60 degrees today, and the students are particularly restless. Spring is indeed in the air!

I've decided to do a little "spring cleaning" in my Etsy shop and have marked down several original pieces. "A Spring Garden" pictured above, has been reduced from $65.00 to just $40.00. This is an original people. Its a steal!

Be sure to check out the whole Spring Cleaning section in my Etsy shop.

Lovin' the Ledger

I found an old ledger book in the teacher's lounge today. I loved the pattern and color of the grid and decided to use it as a support for my newest collage. The earthy colors of the lines inspired the jewel toned color scheme. Instead of embellishing with black ink, used sepia on this. I had forgotten how much I enjoy that dark brown shade. It creates a nice warmness that black lacks.

I'm not sure what to name this piece. Any suggestions?

A Pig in the Parlor

Its been an uneventful week at school. My kiddies are diligently working along on their projects and don't need much help from me at the moment, so I've had time to work on my own art. I did the majority of the the work on this new piece at school. Its so nice to have daylight hours to do art!

"A Pig in the Parlor" started off like any other piece in my comfy chair series. As the composition evolved, the bottom third felt too sparse. I quickly flipped through an old Domino magazine and came upon the ceramic pig. It just seemed to fit. There is an old Irish tradition that it is good luck to keep a "pig in your parlor".......at least that's what my mom has always told me. I'm pretty sure that its also a lyric in a folk song. I tried to do some research online about this tradition, but couldn't find any information. Is there anyone out there who could fill me in on this?

In other news, my interview on the Copper Leaf Studios Blog went live yesterday. Christen Zielski does a great series of interviews with part time artists like myself entitled Balancing Act. I enjoy reading about other artists like myself who hold down full time jobs. I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my struggles to keep my art career and teaching career afloat.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

New Art and a Giveaway!

Well Hi!

I finished a new piece over the weekend. After hours of stippling its time to show it off. "Come Sit Next to Me" measures 8" x 8" and it was created on cradled hardboard. Though I have made many chairs, this is my first couch, and I'm quite pleased with the results. This piece is made entirely of magazine (I usually put some plain paper in these pieces) and was finished off with a little black Prismacolor technical pen and a while gel pen. I can't help but stipple.....It adds that little bit of character and dimension.

The "Come Sit Next to Me" original is not yet for sale, but it is available as an 8" x 8" archival print in my Etsy shop. I've also decided to give away one of these prints! Yahoo! Freebie!

HOW DO YOU ENTER?

Just leave me a comment on this post and make sure I have a way to get a hold of you.

EARN ADDITIONAL ENTRIES BY:

1. Following my blog.
2. Twittering about this giveaway.
3. Blogging about this contest, linking to this post.

* Make sure you let me know you've done these things so I can give you the extra entries.

THE DRAWING WILL TAKE PLACE:

• Sunday, 7:00 central time.
• Winner will be announced Monday morning.

Happy Little Trees

hilltop, originally uploaded by Jennifer Mullin.

I managed to crank this out yesterday while my students were working. Its simple, but sweet. No ink for this one - it will be sold as is for just $10.00. I'll post the link here when its up on Etsy.

Happy Thursday.

Accidental Art

I had a chance to sit down and make some art this past weekend. "Accidental Art" measures just 5" x 5" and was fashioned out of magazine. All the bits and pieces were adhered to a warm gray cardstock that I then embellished with a sepia tech pen and a white gel pen.

I'm really into clouds at the moment, and I came about this particular technique in a very accidental manner. I managed to accidentally get glue on a piece of paper and then stick it somewhere that it didn't belong. When I realized my dorky-ness, I tried to remove it but was left with the white residue of the paper. I liked the look of what was left and now repeat the technique on purpose all the time.

Accidental Art is available for sale on Etsy.

I'm hoping to be more active on Etsy and on the blog in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more art.

Falling Back

Well Hi there! Its been a while.

The last month of my life has been utterly insane, and my "art" life has been pushed to the wayside. That pesky "real" life has gotten in the way. Slowly, things are getting back to normal...Well, as normal as they can be in my life.

On the Etsy front, I've got a new locket for sale in the fab and famous Polarity shop. The "Take Time to Breathe" locket features 3 magnetic interchangeable lids, including the "Where I Belong" print along with "Floral Improv # 5". In Cat's signature style, the third lid features a page from the dictionary with the word BREATHE.


Cat creates these adorable, industrial little lockets from a recycled steel auto part to which she silver soldered a little eyehook. I love the "green" aspect of these.

I did manage to make some new art today. I'll leave that to post another day. Have a great week my friends.

Stay a While.......please

Its finally finished. "Stay a While" measures 8" x 8" and was created on a cradled hardboard panel. I think I started this piece back in August, before school was in session, so I'm happy to have this one completed. I will be submitting this piece along with two others to the Midwestern - a show at the Rockford Art Museum. I'm hoping that one of the pieces gets juried in.

Now that things at school are slowing down, I'm trying to get back into the swing of "arting" again. Its been difficult for me to get going, and come up with some new ideas. I've decided to start small, and make some ACEO's. I made a little tree piece today and am quite happy with it. I hope to have more new work to show you soon.

Happy fall friends.

New Art Supplies Breeds New Art

This is my first ever piece on cradled hardboard. I'm hooked! I love the firmness of working on wood and the detail it allows me to create. I finished this piece off with some UV-resistant acrylic sealant and now its ready to hang. I have a show coming up in a few weeks and the less framing I have to do the better.

Thanks to my flickr friend LethaColleen, I started using mounting film (basically glue in a sheet form) on this piece. Its the best! The pieces stay nice and flat and theres no glue seeping out of edges. It also makes it possible for me to still embellish with pen/ink on the hardboard surface, something I can't do when working on canvas.

New art supply finds are the best! Hardboard and mounting film may just revolutionize my work!

"I'll Be There", the print is available for sale in my Etsy shop and is included in my Chair Sale.

Have a good week all. I'm actually a little excited for my first full week with my art babies.

Lazy Day

Yesterday was quite an eventful day. School and art supply shopping in Schamburg and then a Cubs game at Wrigley. What should have been the most fun part of the trip (the game itself) was pretty much a nightmare! The Phillies opened the game wide open in the 4th inning, with two 3-run homers and 8 total runs. Embarrassing!

After yesterday's overindulgences, I'm feeling pretty lazy today. I was so unmotivated this morning I even skipped yoga. I never skip yoga! Shame on me. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself, realizing that soon I really won't have time to be lazy. Next week is my last week of freedom before the onslaught of school!

I leave you with my newest piece "A Mod Spot." It seems like a nice place to waste away a lazy summer day.

In My Place - My Newest Work

I've been in a bit of an artistic frenzy the past few days. I'm realizing that my summer is coming to an end and I won't have as much time to devote to art in the coming months.

I have been creating floral pieces all summer, and have grown a little tired of them. (Don't worry, they'll be back!) I sat down at my desk on Friday without a plan and created this! I've done chairs before - I created a whole series of them in 2007. But I have to say that this is the best one yet!!!! There is something very endearing about this little space.

A chair piece takes much more time and concentration to create that the florals do. When I'm working on a floral piece, its very much an improv. I find come great colors and patterns in my magazines and start cutting away. I have to do more planning with the chairs. Each piece has to fit together, so the cuts have to be precise. I pay attention to the value of the pieces, so that there is somewhat of an illusion of depth. The floor and the chair have to work together to create a sense of perspective. The whole process is labor intensive. I spent a good five hours on this piece.

"In My Place" is for sale in my Etsy shop.

Have a great week.