Let's Talk About Snowmen When it is 110 Outside

It's like Christmas in July....

I'm just a little late in getting this news out but with good news I think it is always better late than never.  

I am so happy to announce that my painting, "First Snowman" won both the visitor choice award at the Boulder City Art Gallery for two months in a row.  (March and April 2018)  If that isn't exciting news enough, I  find out that this piece has now been selected to be the featured artwork for all the Boulder City Winterfest marketing materials. This piece is very special to me as it is actually a painting of myself and my brother. Here is the memory I shared with the Winterfest committee,

"This piece was inspired by a reference photo that was taken of my brother and I after we finished building, what seemed to me at the time the best snowman ever. We were standing in front of my grandmother's house in Swedeborg, Missouri. I think I might be 5 here and my brother 4.

I clearly remember my sweet grandmother out there helping us put together what is very likely my first attempt at sculpture. I even remember getting the scarf and hat from my grandmother's closet and then going through her button jar to find the perfect buttons to form the eyes and mouth for this jolly old fellow. A photo captured the moment but it was my grandmother that made that moment a sweet memory."

December Over Load But Oh So Joyful!

I continue to be overwhelmed by the response that I have gotten over the past month on my blog post "Pond Scum Sucking Scammers".  I initially wrote the blog out of frustration but am so pleased that perhaps this effort has saved other artists from the same weeks of frustration.  Now I hope that I am really cutting into their action and eventually they will have to change up their story.  Maybe, if enough artists read my blog it it will actually cut into their profits.  Oh I can only dream that this would come true.  This blog has had not only the most post views but also has so many wonderful comments associated with it.  That makes me happy. I have had another disturbing cyber issue this past week and it is concerning this blog in particular.  I noticed earlier in the week that I had a huge spike in blog views.

Normally, I have 100 in a day at the most and that only when I post a new blog.  This spike was near 3000 views in one day and they were all coming from the country of France.  I have since learned that my blog is under attack from Spam Bots and now that my statistics are forever ruined by these nasty internet bugs.  It was suggested that I use Google analytics to compare statistics rather than the statistics available to me on blogger because it is much more details and reliable.  I have only briefly looked at Good Analytics and that for my website.  I have tried to add this blog to my dashboard but of course it just can't be simple.  I'm going to have to put in some effort to learn how to move around and edit my site so that I can view accurate blog numbers and how to block this spam activity.  It is always something when you are a non-IT type person!

Enough about my internet wows and lets turn the focus to my favorite subject.  My artwork of course. I have been so busy with holiday art receptions and gallery events that I haven't got to showcase my newest artwork pieces on this blog for a couple weeks no.  Here is what has been going on in my studio recently:

Right after Thanksgiving we welcomed our 8th grandchild into the world- Hunter is a cute bundle of joy to his parents and Brad and I can't wait to get to know this little guy.

Speaking of "Bundles of Joy", I added this little sketch of baby chicks in the nest to my Etsy Store, You can check it out along with my other listings at Julie Townsend Etsy Store. I was thinking about how I felt when our third son arrived and how it was a real game changer  My husband and I were officially outnumbered not to mention that we had to buy a larger car.  When we adopted our daughter (#4) the adjustment wasn't as big to me as we already seemed overwhelmed.  Of course that was the point that we had to buy a Suburban.  I always said once you have 3 children you can raise 7 or more without much more problems.  We did go on to raise a total of 6 kids so I do know a thing or two about raising large families.  

I made this piece in such a way that it could serve as a birth announcement or gender reveal artwork.  I could customize the drawing by making the little egg pink or blue.  I can turn this into greeting cards, small medium or large prints to hang in the nursery.  All of these options are available on my Etsy Store.  Contact me if you have an idea for a special commission piece that you would like me to consider.


Now I'm not saying this is the niche but these turned out "STINKING CUTE" if I can say so myself.  I was asked last week to decorate these large cardboard numbers to serve as table decorations for the Boulder City Art Guild December meeting/40th anniversary party.  Normal to my usual MO I waited until the last moment to get started.  I think I spend about 3 hours painting these two numbers and of course the chickadees are from other artworks and I simply printed them out and used my mad scissor skills and a little glue stick to add this fluffy little characters to my efforts.  I wonder if there is a market out their for this type of artwork for gifts or decorating a children's/nursery room?  If you would be interested in having me create custom initials for say a nursery or perhaps a perfect gift for a wedding or engagement, then just contact me and I will be happy to create something special for you.

This past week I attended the reception for the Holiday Art Show out at Lake Las Vegas.  What an amazing evening with approximately 500 people in attendance.  The place was packed when we arrived at the clubhouse.  We had to practically push people out of the way just so that I could get this blurry picture of me next to my artwork.  So happy for my dear artist friend, Jeffrey Oldham for winning both 3rd place and 1st place visitors choice award during the evening.


Currently on my studio easel- I found out this past week that I have been offered a solo library show in March-May 2017.  The theme will be once again, "Down Country Roads".  I just have so much fun painting these country art scenes and I'm going to want to have plenty of new pieces to showcase there.  I want to be sure and paint a couple more large pieces that continue my fence post and morning glory theme from my 2016 work before now and March.  This little 11 x 14 nosy girl is just the start of my new country work.  I really like how the border frames in the picture and gives it a 3D effect.

Here are just a few other things I got finished this past few weeks.  Cardinals are so festive and beautiful and are just popular for a seasonal piece.  The wooden spoons turned out to be a winner and have almost sold out.  

Large Cardinal painted on a slice of wood

Winter themed wooden spoons

Chickadees Galore

The season is changing outside here in Las Vegas but it has been slow coming with November temperatures still in the upper 80's but in my studio there is snow all around.  Winter and the holidays has arrived in full force. With December approaching I am finding that every gallery I affiliate with has decided that a holiday themed show is the thing to do and I have 4 of them I'm busy trying to create for not to mention my recently completed ornament that is on it's way to Washington D.C. to be hung on the National Christmas Tree.  I've been one very busy artist!  This ornament features the Mountain Bluebird, which is the state bird of Nevada.






After finishing the ornament, I focused on creating more unique Christmas designs including a painting.  As you can see this week has clearly been a Chickadee kind of week.  I finished this 12 x 12 acrylic snow scene and what fun I had painting it.  I'm calling this one "Chickadees in the Snow" and I'm thinking of hanging it in the Boulder City Art Gallery for December.












Then I decided to add a couple of more sketches that featured a similar pair of birds and those adorable red berries by having them appear to be stringing garland or decorating their nest.  I thought it was a cute idea and the "Stringing Garland" piece looks really great on a greeting card.







Speaking of greeting cards, I have also been working on improving the look of my cards by adding a border around the 4 x 6 print with a slightly larger rectangle of Christmas designed card stock.  I bought a pad of 60 sheets at the Michaels Store  just to see how I could spice up the design on my cards and I think they have turned out really nice.  I'm looking forward to filling card orders and making these available at a number of local area galleries and hope to take some out to the store in Pahrump.




A final design created this past week is more in a cartoon style but those little Chickadees are still going strong.  This one I have called "Decorate to Impress".

If you enjoy my work please leave me a comment below and check out my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com or follow me on Instagram or like my Facebook Page.

 

Finally! I Got To Do Some ART This Week.

I stayed a pretty busy artist this weekend.  After battling several bouts of different kinds of flu at the beginning of the month and visiting a hospitalized family member it felt good to let my creative self be in charge for a change.

Friday, I fulfilled my galley sitting duty at the Boulder City Art Gallery.  I'm pretty sure the co-op gallery scene is where many artist find their start and I'm currently involved in two different galleries.  I love the Boulder City Gallery because everything is neat, orderly and the walls are filled with really nice art.  We just had a change out of artwork so everything was new and fresh and it was just a real pleasure to be there.

Saturday, I gave my first painting lesson of 2016.  My two young students are in the middle of painting eagles that they started back around the first of November.  We spent the entire hour lesson just working on the details in their eagle feathers.

The student area of my studio-Everything laid out and ready for their lesson

There was also plenty of time on Saturday and Sunday for me to work on my own piece.  I blogged the other week about this piece and have posted several progression photos along the way.  Sorry for the blurry cell phone photo but I will post high resolution pictures when I get the piece finished.    I'm still working my way around the canvas on the small details and at 24 x 36 inches this is by far the largest cow I have painted.  Painting large adds a level of difficulty because the details have to be so exaggerated to be convincing.  I've got things pretty well blocked in with the composition and am happy with the addition of the "Momma Jersey cow" complete with her licking her nose.    I plan on add some wildflowers in the foreground and of course the barbed wire but that will be when I am finished with the morning glories and these cute bovines.  

Current Work in Progress- # 3 in my Country Life Series

I was excited to hear that my piece that I call "First Light" sold yesterday to a wonderful couple visiting the Boulder City Art Gallery.  I was told they knew right away when they saw it that they wanted to buy it.  It is a small 11 x 14 acrylic piece but it thought it turned out to be impacting.  I guess they thought so too.

Sold this piece yesterday at the Boulder City Art Gallery

You Want to Build a Snowman?

BEST IN SHOW!

That is what my painting,  "First Snowman" was awarded at City of the World Gallery this past week for their annual JOY show.  This show certainly wouldn't be classified much of an art show, but it didn't deter me from putting my heart into this piece as I painted.  

This painting is very personal for me because the little models are actually myself and my younger brother.  I used a reference photo taken in front of my Grandmother's house in Swedeborg, Missouri probably around 1967.  I remember the day because my grandmother took the time to actually help us build this fine snow sculpture.  On our own we were way too small to accomplish the creation of such a magnificent looking chap but she did what Grandmas are supposed to do and that is to spend time with their grandchildren.

 I can even remember going through her button box to find the perfect buttons to complete his blackened stare and his sweet cheery smile. You can see just how happy we were on that day as we posed for the picture.  Bundled up warmly in our coats, gloves and snow boots we don't that a care in the world.  All we have in mind at that moment was loving our grandma and being so proud of our very first snowman.   Even today I find myself humming the "Frosty the Snowman" song as I think about that cold Missouri day.

I might have moved to the Las Vegas desert way back in 1978 but you just can't take the Missouri out of my heart.  Painting is a way for me to clear my mind of the insanity of the world I find that I am now living in and tell a story where for just a moment I can capture a memory or a feeling.  I guess that makes the term "ART FROM THE HEART" clarity.

"First Snowman"- 18x24 Acrylic

A Chip off the Old Block

Titling this post a CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK is probably not as accurate as referring to it as a SLICE OFF THE OLD LOG but I thought it made a catchier title for today's blog post.  I actually picked up this slice of wood at a local art and craft supply store a number of months ago and it has been lying around my studio ever since.  My initial thought was to try my hand at some wood burning or what they call pyrography but hadn't yet taken the time to seriously get that project started.  I opened it up several days ago and have had this blank raw slice of wood sitting on my easel just crying for me to do something with it.  

Monday of this week turned out to be a perfect day to spend some extended time in the studio.  My initial intention was to paint several cowbells but as I walked in I had the strong urge to paint something on that slice of wood.  I selected a reference photo for inspiration and about an hour later this is the results.

I did find it a bit of a challenge to blend the acrylic paints on a surface that is soaking up the moisture so quickly but after several coats I was able to get the blended effect that I was looking for and am happy with the ending result. This was my first attempt at painting a landscape on a piece of wood but I don't think it will be my last. It was a easy composition and yet I feel it turned out rather striking.  I am especially pleased with how the light draws you into the center of composition, while in such a small area I am able to still able to maintain the feel of a dark shadowed forest along the sides. 

This photo was taken from my cell phone before a coat of varnish was applied.  We finished the piece off by installing a hanging wire and have already hung it on my gallery wall at City of the World all in the same day.  Not too shabby.  

This piece is available for purchase along with many of my other paintings that I have done.   I also do commission work and paint a lot of custom cowbells.  You can contact me if you are interested in this piece specifically or check out my website to see my other work at Julie Townsend Studio . Emailing me works good to at julie@julietownsendstudio.com.

Snowy Winter Scene painted with acrylic on a slice of wood

All I Can Hope To Do Is Make Pink

It's this time of the year that your mind is turning to memories of fresh fallen snow, fires in the wood stove and a steaming hot bowl of chili.  Today, there is a chill in the air and just grabbing a sweater sometimes didn't seem to be enough and I thought of this piece.

I have observed that snow scenes are popular among many collectors and art enthusiasts and I understand why.   There is just something so breathtaking, refreshing and renewing about the fresh fallen snow.  It has a quality that is almost supernatural and moving as it lays like a thick blanket glistening like thousands of sparkling diamonds under the rays of the rising sun.  This piece that I've titled "In Awe" is smaller than most that I paint, but even with its little size I hope it inspires you.   I want just looking at the piece, to give you the feeling of a shiver spreading across your body and a sudden urge to jump up and make yourself a mug of hot chocolate.

Today when i was meditating about snow, this blog and this painting in particular, I was reminded of that promise of forgiveness found in Isaiah 1:18 where the Lord says, "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool."  

When painting, I have heard a number times experienced artists give a warning about using the color RED  and how it is such a POWERFUL color.  They caution their students when mixing it into a second color of paint. Just the smallest amount will completely change a color and over power it.  A little RED goes a long way.  

That is true of sin on our lives.  The smallest amount of sin completely stains and blocks us from the life that God has in store and promised for us.  We are separated from His love and have no hope except for the sacrifice of His most precious Son.  It took the spilling of His RED blood to wash away the darkness in our lives and bring restoration and renewal.  Only the  Master Creator has the ability to take red and turn it into pure white.  The best that I could hope to do with my flawed human efforts is to make a shade of PINK!





 

"In Awe"- 12 x 12 Original Acrylic

I Would Much Rather Paint Snow than Shovel it!

First Light

This piece was absolutely a joy to create.  I can honestly say that I love painting snow, I love looking at pictures of snow but I have never been a great fan of being out in it.  I'm pretty sure there are times as a little girl growing up in the Missouri Ozarks that I experienced some childhood enjoyment from the cold wet stuff.

Getting to enjoy a SNOW DAY would probably top that list.  We would have school cancelled because the vast network of gravel roads in Miller County were too dangerous to travel when they were covered with snow and ice.  Sledding was also a lot of fun and I can remember that perfect hill between my neighbor, Donna Wood and her brother Don's house.  What a thrill to fly across the snow and end up rolling into a snow bank.  I also have great memories of building a snowman with my grandmother on her front lawn in Swedeborg, Missouri.

 I have ZERO experience driving in the stuff and find dealing with it stressful and exhausting.  I think it has only snowed in Las Vegas maybe 4 or 5 times in the 38 years that I have lived here.  After all I was only 16 when I moved here and so I have never had to deal with it on a daily basis.

This piece maybe small but the colors are impacting as well as eye catching.  In the right frame, this piece can easily become a focal point in any room.  If you are interest in seeing more of my work, then please click on the gallery tab above or visit my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com.

I also think this piece makes an amazing shower curtain or throw pillow.  You can order prints or accessories at my Fine Art America Site

Getting Your Art OUT of the Studio

This past week I got to enjoy a great afternoon in historic Boulder City yesterday at their annual ART IN THE PARK event.  While I wasn't at the actual event, I did get to set up my artwork outside the Boulder Dam Hotel.  It is a real pleasure of mine to be a part of such an amazing gallery and am blessed by the friendships I have made among this group of exceptional artists.  There is some real talent at the Boulder City Art Gallery!

While I could have chalked the day up as a failure because I didn't make any sales, I think it is good to get your art out of the studio and experience sunshine and fresh air.  The Nevada sun has a way of burning away all the brain cobwebs and get your creative juices flowing.  I can't wait to start a new painting today.  

Here I am standing in front of all my newest pieces.  With the exception of the bottom framed piece, these were all painted in the past two weeks.   

Trying Something New

The past few weeks I have been creating something a little different in my studio.  I finished a commission piece for a friend and ever since then I have just had a real urge to break away from painting on a canvas and have been turning my attention to using a combination of watercolor, pen and ink and colored pencils.  I love the richness that the colored pencils give some of the areas when I go over it using the watercolor as a base. The end result is a  combination of looseness and yet rich details that neither the watercolor or the pencil has on its own.

I am also stuck on the look of outlining in pen all of the randomness of color and designs that are created by using watercolors for my backgrounds or on the fur.  It creates an abstract effect that I like in the background.  I have no idea if anyone else will actually like this technique, but I'm having a BLAST!

All these pieces will be hanging by Preview Thursday (October 1, 2015) at City of the World Gallery.

Watercolor pieces getting matted and framed

Fun piece to paint of a lions eye

Almost finished with the details on this Red Eyed Tree Frog

The Progression of a Painting

1st lesson-Acrylic layout of the composition

2nd lesson - Covering the canvas with the first layer of oils

3rd Lesson- Adding in the first layer of details to the background and placing the shadows in both the water and the snow

Lesson 4- Glazing the sun rays and adding depth to the background by including touches of lighter colors

Lesson 5- working on details of the branches and water reflections

Lesson 6- More glazing on the sun rays and working on the snow

Final Piece- "Fire and Ice" on 16 x 16 gallery wrapped canvas-

If you are interested in purchasing any giclee prints of this particular piece visit my Fine Art America site at:
 Julie Townsend-Fire and Ice

Let Gravity Be Your Painting Friend

Last week I went to my painting lesson as usual.  I'm currently working on a winter scene that contains a number of bare trees.  I am actually painting from a reference photograph that taken by a fellow artists and Facebook friend, Clive Hughes.  I fell in love with the reflection and the bright sun rays and graciously he granted me permission to use his photo.

Reference Photo taken by Irish artist, Clive Hughes

I am in the place in my painting where I need to add the small fine branches for the background, so I grabbed the small script brush and started to paint away.  I had only made a few lines when I heard my painting instructor, Lily Adamczyk give a loud statement about the way I was holding my brush the wrong way.  My painting lessons are often a humbling learning process because it seems almost every lesson brings to light something that I am not doing correctly.

I was holding my brush more as you would a pen.  Far down on the handle near the bristles.  According to Lily, I need to hold my brushes more to the end of the handle so that I can allow for a more freedom of movement, letting the paint actually do the work.  The result will be a more natural looking branch because small branch detail should not be rigid or uniform.  Another helpful technique is to actually paint the small branches with the canvas turned upside down.  This allows gravity to actually assist you with the loose, free movement that you need to make realistic branches.

Current state of my WIP painting that I am doing from the above reference photo at my painting lesson

To reinforce what I have learned I had the perfect picture to come home and work on because there was actually painting a woodland snow scene full of bare trees that is a WIP on my easel.

A portion of my WIP painting that shows the lack of fine branch detail

Holding my brush the WRONG way!

Example of the correct way to hold the brush to get the loose fluid movement needed for the fine branch detail.  The canvas flipped upside down can also be a helpful technique.  This allows gravity to help your brush movement.

Additional small branches add to fill in the tree using the technique that Lily taught me

Winter on My Mind

The weather here in Las Vegas has been unseasonable cold with several days of temperatures never leaving the 30's.  For almost 20 years we have heated our home exclusively with a wood stove.  This works fine at night to take e chill out of the air, but with these temps the house has been like living in a meat locker all day.  The last few days have certainly been a challenge and my studio has been SO cold that I've been painting in my jacket and scarf.  Mittens wouldn't allow for good brush strokes so gloves weren't an option but for a moment I did consider it.  Seems fitting to have a winter scene in progress on my easel and so yesterday I started working on this 16x20 frozen composition in acrylics.  The weather today is supposed to begin warming up and so maybe spring will soon be in the studio air!

Just Another Snowy Day

Beautiful Kawich Mountains East of Tonoapah, Nevada

Clifford Mine- just off US6 before you head up into the mountains to Bellehelen

The ruins of Bellehelen

I'm the type of person that you could classify a planner...I often stress over the details and worry too much about the small things in life.  You can probably say I have a need to be in control of my environment.   Occasionally, God just steps in a throws me a curve ball..or in this case... should I say a SNOW BALL.


For months, I have reserved vacation time to add to the already 3 day Memorial Day weekend so that we could make the trip to our favorite remote camping spot far in the Kawich Mountains, east of Tonopah, Nevada. I don't know many people that would drive of 245 miles just to spend a couple of days of solitude and relaxation but that is what Brad and I like to do.

The camping spot is perfect for us and to our great pleasure we found the creek that has been dry on our other visits, flowing with water from the snow melt and so we were greeted with a symphony of bull frogs.  For a Missouri girl, transplanted to the Nevada desert this was sheer music to my ears.  My artist eyes drank in the beauty of the mountains, rocks, trees and abundant wildflowers.  Painting for me, in that setting was pure joy and I found myself hesitant to stop even though I was obviously getting sun burnt.  But it was only Saturday and I had another full day to enjoy my new plein air experience, so I made plans to spend the next day painting at the ruins of Bellehelen ghost town. 

But now to the God sized snow ball part of my adventure.  First kink in a perfect camping trip is a sick rat terrier throwing up all over the camper at midnight.  There is just something about sharing small quarters that bring a family close together but when you are in a 23 x 8 foot box and 1/2 of it is covered with greasy dog vomit you find yourself questioning many things in life.  Like, why didn't I secure that bacon grease in a better location?  Why didn't I put the dog in the crate like I do every night?  Why did I bring the dog in the first place?  Okay...I can deal with this.  I just cover stuff up and wash the disgusting stuff of my right foot because I didn't have my glasses on and stepped on the wrong 1/2 of the camper floor.  Just a little extra effort on my part and I'll be painting away again before too long. 

The sunrise found me with a resolve to tackle the tasks before me and get that camper whipped into shape so that my day would be as I had planned.  But low and behold..I open the camper door to find that 6 inches of wet, fluffy snow was covering everything.  Now I might be from Missouri but I moved to Nevada when I was only 16, so driving in the snow is something I have only experienced twice and both times the experience wasn't exactly positive.  I was frankly, very nervous and the idea that we were beyond any human assistance and we're now faced with the possibility of having some real issues to get back to the safety of civilization. It was hard not to think about how just a few weeks prior, the news reported the story of a Canadian woman that had been stuck in her van in Northern Nevada for 7 weeks living only on melted snow, trail mix and candy. 

I felt the panic welling up and I just said a prayer and decided that I just needed to trust my Montana husband to get us out of this situation that we found ourselves in.  With the wonders of 4 wheel drive, my husband was able to pull us all to safety.  This experience makes be mindful of the scripture found in II Samuel 23:20  "Benahiah, son of Jehoiada, a VALIANT fighter from Kabzeel (is that in Montana), performed GREAT exploits.  He struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors.  He also went down into a pit on a SNOWY day and killed a lion."  Brad might not have been a fighter, a warrior or have killed a lion, but he sure was my hero on a Snowy Day!

5-6 inches of fresh snow that fell surprisingly during the night

Heading back to Las Vegas-My Montana husband saves the day!

Let me just share a few of my paintings that have snow as a focal point.  I love to painting snot but as you can see by this story I'm not to fond of spending much time in the cold, wet stuff.  If you like my work and would like to see more, please visit my website at http://www.julietownsendstudio.com/.  These paintings and many more are featured there.