Original Art Can Make the Perfect Birthday Gift

I have tried now for the past couple years to create a special piece of birthday art for my grandchildren.  I've now decided to try to include my grown children in this tradition.  Today is my son Jason's birthday so I will start with the piece I made for him yesterday and then share a few other pieces that I have done in the past few months.  

Jason has just started to once again be careful with what he is eating and regularly exercising.  I had to make his birthday art reflecting this fact.  The adorable bunny in the corner is from my original color pencil artwork that I call "Don't Forget Your Vegetables".  The beets, turnips and cupcake are also drawings out of my sketchbook.  I added additional royalty free salad graphics to finish off the background.  That picture of Jason I found on his Facebook page is a real hoot and fits perfectly into my composition and with the magic of Photoshop, I can create a one of a kind birthday greeting.

The second piece I want to show you is for my little grandson, Noah who turned 5.  He loves the video game, Minecraft so I went to work figuring out just what I could create.  I knew I wanted to include his little stuffed enderman doll in the picture because he loves to take a nap with it.  I jokingly call it a spider and he is always correcting me on the point.  I drew my grandson, a sword and his little stuffed buddy in my sketchbook.  I used colored pencil to complete the sketch.  I then scanned that sketch into Photoshop and added the royalty free background, TNT and the pig to the picture.  This turned out so cute that I actually had it blown up to a 16 x 20 poster at Sam's Club.  You should have seen his eyes when he realized he was on a poster.  I also made him a sheet of personal stickers.  Here is how his birthday card turned out.

Hunter also has a November birthday so I had to work on a design that was special to a 1 year old.  I was informed he LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so I knew I needed to add Mickey in there for him.  When he was born last year I painted him a special elephant floating with balloon painting to decorate his nursery room.  He still has a number of elephant themed things so I grabbed my sketchbook and drew both a stuffed elephant and his sweet little face.  I once again used colored pencil to finish off the sketching part.  The rest of the image is from graphics that I used in Photoshop.  I think this turned out super cute!

Finally comes my two sweet September granddaughters.  Their birthdays are just 2 years and 1 day apart so I decided to make their art very similar.

Katherine turned 5 and is the owner of a giant doberman named Odin.  I sketched a simple likeness of both her and the dog and colored them in using Photoshop.  The bees and the purple flowers are also part of my sketchbook.  The rest of the composition comes from royalty free graphics.  I printed out a 5 x 7 image and matted it so she could frame it in her room.  I also had the image printed on a small tote bag using the print on demand services of RedBubble.com.  It turned out GREAT!

Sweet little Jenna turned 3 and she has a GIANT great Dane named Bane and yes the dog has one blue eye and one brown eye.  Both sketches turned out amazing and the girls love their personalized tote bags.

Brad and I have a total of 9 grand kids so just keeping up with their birthday art is a challenge but I'm loving the creativity that Photoshop allows me and all the GRANDMA points I'm scoring.    

To end this blog post, I thought I would show you one more commission artwork I finished this year.  This is a transaction that took place on my Etsy Shop back in May for a woman that lives in Canada.  Here is the 8 x 10 colored pencil commission piece I did using a few reference photos she sent me.    This piece features two curly haired sisters and their doberman puppy.  I believe this is going to be her brother's Christmas gift.       

I'm Seeing RED!...but RED is GOOD Thing!

Oh how I love blogging about RED DOTS- Their presence on a painting signifies that the art piece has been sold and is not longer available as an original.  Some lucky collector has picked your work over a gallery full of beautiful and skilled pieces.  Oh yes, RED DOTS can be in many cases more thrilling than winning large ribbons in juried art shows.

"Great Horned Owl"- 10 x 20 original acrylic

I am just pretty excited today after finding out that my most recent painting "Great Horned Owl" just sold at the Boulder City Art Gallery this afternoon.  Selling art is confirmation that as an artist, I am heading in the right direction with my art.  With each sale, I am encouraged, even when there are times that doubts and insecurities creep in.  That simple commerce transaction between the gallery, the collector and myself brings with it energy.  Energy to get back in that studio and CREATE more art with added purpose and passion!  

My recent disappointment caused by scammers (more details about this story can be found on my September 1st blog  post) is not going to get me down. I didn't fall for their schemes and while I was sad that I didn't make that first website sale, I am greatly encouraged today. There are people out there that appreciate my work enough to want it to spend their hard earned money in order to hang my paintings in their homes and offices.


If you would like, please consider checking out my entire gallery of work at Julie Townsend Studio.  I would love to have you stop by and leave me a comment to let me know you were there.







This week I also stayed pretty busy in my studio restocking my inventory of greeting cards.  I had gotten a little low on some of my designs and I just love having a nice selection to choose from to use as give away gifts to friends or for marketing purposes.  I probably put together over 50 cards yesterday and am waiting for more cellophane bags to be delivered to finish them up.  Then I can start work on updating magnet inventory next.

I'm putting this year's investment of my Canon Pixma Pro-100 to work.  I love that printer!

Here are just a few of the cards I put together yesterday.




Finally, this past week we celebrated two granddaughter birthdays.  I have for several years now tried to draw each grandchild a special drawing on their birthday that I'm hoping will be a treasured item for them in years to come.  Nothing too complicated but something from their year that they can recognize.  These are the two drawings I came up with for my little September girls, Katherine (4) and Jenna (2).  Brad and I are soon to welcome grandchild number 8 into our expanding family and so I have plenty of work a head of me.

           

A Very Special Studio Guest

I was so blessed to have a studio visitor last week and we had so much fun doing this collaborative work on my newest piece while it was still in the "Work in Progress" stage.  My adorable grandson was so proud that he got to help me paint the grass in on the bottom of the canvas.  This was the best blurry picture that I could manage to get of him because he was so excited about getting to use real paint on grandma's painting.  Of course I watched pretty closely to make sure none of that green got up into my blue sky or on my cute little calf's nose.

When I look at this sweet boy that is smart as a whip, his head full of curly golden hair and his impish smile, I can't help but feel blessed.   It also makes me mindful of my own great memories of time spent with my grandmother.  She and I might not have created art together but we did spend a lot of time playing games like Yahtzee and Chinese Checkers.  She loved to go fishing and I was also her little fishing buddy.

I grew taller and she began to shrink and become frail and weak.  Blindness and loss of hearing plagued her final years and then one day I sit there beside her bed, holding her as she took her last breaths here on this earth.  I sang the old hymn "What a Day that Will Be" at her funeral.  It's been 16 years since she left but I miss her terribly.  I think she was a believer, though most of her life you couldn't see it outwardly.  She had met Christ in a real personal way as a teenager and I'm certain that she never denied that belief.  She didn't go to church, I never saw her reading her Bible, but I do remember her teaching me to sing"Jesus Loves Me".

Art is a great connection to children because they have such creative hearts and fresh minds but I need to take it further.   I need to use these little studio times to share my faith, establish a legacy by finding ways to spend more time with all of them.  Praying more diligently for them and their parents, claiming God's promises over their lives and pointing their hearts towards our Heavenly Father.

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, (Psalms 103:17)

5 Years of Blogging

This past week marked the 5th year anniversary of my very first blog post.  Since that realization, I have been considering what that means to me and how much my life has changed in that short time.  I know that I have learned so much as an artist and yet I hope to continue to learn in the years left to me.  

As I read these words, I am mindful that they may have been penned some years ago but they still ring true for me and affirm the desires of my heart.   I want to continue to develop and discover the creative gifts that are God given and keep them burning strong in my life.  It has definitely been a journey and blogging has been an additional creative outlet for me.  I find that writing entries for this blog, sharing my art with you are ways for me to record that journey and hopefully inspire and encourage others to find their creative passions.  It's never too late to become and artist!


My first blog post from 2011....

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.  Colossians 3:23  I think as I get closer to my soon approaching 50th birthday, I am mindful about legacy and mission, purpose and value of a my life.  What have I done on this Earth with the time that God has given me.  Will I be remembered for how well I balance the church checkbook or for how clean my house has been?  

I don't think so...It is the creative part, the passion in your life that brings impact to those that remain after you are long gone.  I think that is partly why I am so driven to improve my artwork.  Besides my influence of others by my Christian example, it is my art that I believe will define me in the memories of those that are left to eulogize  my life.  There is an urgency in my heart to take my work to the next level.  I want to leave little pieces of my heart framed and hanging on a wall for everyone see it, appreciate it and remember me by.  Will my grandchildren stop and tell their children that this is one of your Grandmother's beautiful paintings?  Will they say that "She loved the Lord and honored His creation by painting beautiful pictures?"  Time will only tell, but in the mean time, I need to keep practicing."

Wanna Build a Snowman?

"First Snowman"- Original Acrylic on an 18x24 stretched canvas

Very often life floods in and takes over when I start to paint a composition.  I'm thinking of my childhood or some life experience that I have encountered along the way.  This piece that I'm calling "First Snowman" is no exception.  This painting is actually based off a photo taken of myself and my younger brother in front of my grandmother's place in Swedeborg, Missouri.  I'm not positive that this is the first snowman experience but because my grandmother took the time to build it with us it is the forever memory that makes this snowman standout from all the other snowmen in my childhood.  

I can still recall picking buttons out of her button box to aid in the creation of facial expressions on what otherwise just a cold blank stare.  Her plaid scarf around his neck and a silly knitted stocking cap finished off his accessories.  The picture snapped that day shows both myself and my brother, red cheeked and squinting from the bright sun but smiling ear to ear because a woman we greatly adored took time to make a memory in the life of a 4 and 5 year old.

The photo of us and the snowman was cute but we are standing in front of my grandmother's house with just a plain window and drab blue-gray aluminum siding as a backdrop so of course I had to make up a charming snowy barn scene.  That my friend is the joy of using artistic license.  

I will end this blog post today with a meditative question to myself, but one that I hope you too will consider.  I have to wonder that now that I am a grandma soon to be seven times over, do I do enough making of memories with my own grandchildren?  I can make my life get so busy that I'm not so sure that I've done the best job in the memory department as I could.  I think it is time to do some planning as the holidays approach and carve out some memory making activities.

Art is a Family Affair

Being an artist is for me very much a family affair.  I'm so blessed to have the support of my husband and children with making my dreams a reality.  I couldn't do this without them.  My husband follows me to galleries and artshows, helping pack and unpack the truck, hang artwork or make a frame if I need with very little complaining.  

My children endure a constant barrage of photographs sent to their cell phones of my newest works in all steps of completion and are always my most energetic cheerleaders.  My adorable grandchildren actually have no memory of a time when grandma didn't paint and there wasn't a "STUDIO" in my home.  I LOVE IT!  Here is one of them modeling my most recent masterpiece!  This little guy would make any artwork look good.  I love that he comes into the studio and picks up a dry brush and pretends he is painting chickadees with grandma.  I can't wait to be able to give them painting lessons and spark that creativeness that I know is there.  

There is Someone Watching You!

Standing in front of my piece called "Casting out the Darkness"

Yesterday, I was told on two separate occasions that my progress as an artist is inspiring to others and that my work, struggles and artistic journey is being monitored silently on Facebook.

One was by a dear friend that is in a real life struggle surviving colon cancer.  I gave her two extra long hugs and she asked me to remember her in my prayers.  During our embrace she shared with me that she loves seeing all my beautiful artwork and that she is watching my progress through my posts to Facebook.

I just find it fascinating the interaction that goes on social media.  When I was young girl, growing up in rural Central Missouri, I was an avid letter writer.  My allowance was often spent on buying postage stamps. I would walk that 1/2 mile up the gravel road to the highway daily in hopes that there would be a letter waiting for me in our mailbox.   It was a definite highlight in my day when I received a letter.  How times have changed, because here I am today, drinking my favorite McDonald's coffee and composing this blog post on my iPad while enjoying the free WiFi.  This blog potentially may be read by many individuals from around the world.  That is an exciting prospect in my mind and so I keep blogging.  What a tool social media and email has become. 

If you are an artist and you don't have a Facebook page dedicated to your work, a blog that journals what you are currently working on or a webpage that serves as your cyber gallery then you are really missing out on such an opportunity to build a fan base in which may someday turn into your collector base. 

Check out my website at JulieTownsendStudio.com

I wanted to share my message I received yesterday from a Facebook friend that lives in Washington state:

"You inspired me to try. I never knew you as "an artist" perhaps you always were and I just didn't know it, but you are always sharing your journey of learning, struggles and all, and I love your work and dedication. So just know, that you have inspired me to be brave and try something I Don't have much confidence while doing. That's a big thing for me. Usually I just stick to what I know and operate within those bounds. Thanks for the encouragement to go for something new. Now I only wish you were closer so I could take you up on art classes."

Tugging at Heart Strings

I've only been painting seriously for the past 3-4 years, and during that time there have been several pieces I have painted that have evoked a strong personal emotion.  Usually they have been pieces that I have created that focused on my father who passed away 4 years ago today.   

I recall that shortly after his death I tried to do a piece that focused on this favorite cowboy boots.  It was still very painful but somehow putting my feelings on a canvas helped with my healing process.  Since then, I have created 3 more pieces that show him as a young cowboy on the professional rodeo circuit.   It is difficult to explain the emotional experience you feel as an artist when painting something so very personal.  

Riding the Buckskin

This is the last piece I painted of my dad in 2014.  I call it "Riding the Buckskin" and it is painted from an old black and white newspaper photo taken probably in 1959 or 1960.  He is young, strong and full of life.  I wouldn't arrive in his life until 1961 and he wouldn't leave mine until 2011.  

This week I had that same emotional experience as a painting I started for a Hearts and Carnivale themed art show for a local gallery that I am associated with.  The piece just morphed into something so much more.  I had the image of a silver heart painted on a web of ribbons in my mind and that was what I was thinking of when I started to paint on this 12 x 16 inch canvas.  

At some point, I realized that rather than painting just a simply silver heart, I really needed paint my treasured puff heart pendant that once belonged to my dearest Aunt Marilou and was at that moment hanging around my own neck.  

My relationship with my aunt was close throughout my whole life.  She was my only aunt; my dad was her baby brother and she was my dad's only sister and they always enjoyed a close special relationship.  Some of my fondest adult memories are of those two together and the stories they would tell.  Both had a great sense of humor and could keep you in stitches for hours.  

I often admired her silver puffed heart necklace and she wore it often.  Now it is around my neck just as frequently and I love hearing my little grandson hold it gingerly and say in his sweet two year old voice, "Pretty heart."  Maybe someday one of my granddaughters or granddaughter-in-laws will proudly wear this simply necklace and remember me in the same way.

Heart Strings- An Original Acrylic on 12 x 16 stretched canvas

For more of my work, please check out my website at julietownsendstudio.com

Join Me In My Journaling Journey

The journey I've started on as an artist includes belonging to several co-op art galleries.  Co-op means that as a member you have responsibilities to the running of the gallery and that includes taking your turn each month sitting.  Often this means long periods of time in between gallery visitors.  City of the World Gallery is situated in a way that I can actually bring in my painting supplies and sit up my easel there in the main room.  Usually, I have an artist friend with me and we can enjoy visiting and painting together all afternoon.  

My sketching supplies that I carry in my backpack

The second gallery that I have joined this past January is the Boulder City Art Gallery.  A beautiful gallery situated in the old Boulder Dam Hotel in quaint downtown Boulder City, Nevada.  This gallery has only a small office area so bringing my easel to pass the time isn't a possibility.  Equally enjoyable to me is spending the afternoon sketching so when I'm at this gallery I spend my time drawing.  I even have people stopping by just to see what I'm currently working on and I've started getting inquiries about doing some commission work.  It isn't hard to keep my iPad, a pencil box and a sketch pad in my backpack with me everywhere I go.  Yesterday this was the case and so I'm sharing the sketches I have completed yesterday at the gallery and two that I completed the week before. 

I've been doing a lot of thinking about starting a sketching journal and am in search of just the right journal to begin.  I can't think of any better legacy to leave for my family then beautiful journals filled with my drawing, notes and thoughts.  My plan is to start journaling during my summer vacation.  I will be blogging about this process and my learning experience as I discover my own journaling style.  To assist me I joined a Facebook group called "Artist Journaling Workshop" so that I can be constantly inspired by those artists that also enjoy journaling in their sketchbooks. 

In the mean time I'm going to keep drawing with my pencils (Prismacolor turquoise drawing pencils) and pens (Prismacolor premier fine line markers) on my Bristol, 96lb by Canson paper.     

3x5 quick sketch of my Facebook artist friend who is also the marshal of Dodge City, Kansas- Allen Bailey

A sketch of a young Native American girl from an old public domain reference photo

A sketch of my dear friends adorable Granddaughter Lucy blowing bubbles

Hollyhock blossoms

What Are You Standing On?

A few months back, I started painting this piece as part of a photo challenge with several of my artist friends.  It wasn't long before this piece took on special meaning and I begin considering the old hymn "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" by Edward Mote as I painted the composition.  Now this morning I did a little reading about Pastor Mote and his famous song during my devotions.  Do you know this song was written in 1834?  What a message of encouragement he has left as his legacy.  As an artist, it is the greatest goal to create pieces that move those that view it.  As I started painting this piece the words of this old hymn kept coming to my mind.  

As I painted the distant storm clouds, I thought of the words "In every high and stormy gale" and when I worked on the strong rocky cliffs, I sang "On Christ, the solid Rock". And when I added little tree, I was reminded that "His blood support me in the whelming flood".  I was moved to consider my own life and all that my relationship with The Lord has meant to me.  I still remember that night, as if it was yesterday. It was April 1, 1975 and at the close of the message, I went forward and knelt at the little alter in the front of that tiny church in Osage Beach Missouri.  As 13 year old unhappy girl, I was desperately seeking acceptance and purpose in my life.  It was that night that I met my merciful and gracious Savior Jesus in a real and life changing way.  Ever since, He has been my Solid Rock.  He is the one constant that never changes.  Even when I struggle with relationships or experience tragedy in my life, it is my faith that I always cling to.  When this world that I am part of seems to be spiraling out of control, all I can do is turn to Him and pray!

My prayer this morning is that you will read these old words by Edward Mote and study my piece that I call "Standing on the Solid Rock" and be encouraged.

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" 

                        by

              Edward Mote

1. My hope is built on nothing less
   Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
   I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
   But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
   • Refrain:
     On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
     All other ground is sinking sand,
     All other ground is sinking sand.
2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
   I rest on His unchanging grace;
   In every high and stormy gale,
   My anchor holds within the veil.
3. His oath, His covenant, His blood
   Support me in the whelming flood;
   When all around my soul gives way,
   He then is all my hope and stay.
4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
   Oh, may I then in Him be found;
   Dressed in His righteousness alone,
   Faultless to stand before the throne.

20 x 20 Acrylic painting titled "Standing on the Solid Rock"

If you are interested in this piece or viewing my other works please consider visiting my website at julietownsendstudio.com or email me at Julie@JulieTownsendStudio.com.

The Family Tree

For years, I have worked countless hours researching my genealogy along with that of my husband.  It has been a passionate hobby of mine.  Somehow, in my mind, the act of discovering a name or a date brought meaning to the lives of these forgotten generations.  In reality it doesn't take long and the memory of your life is easily wiped from the face of the earth.  In James 4:13-15 we are told "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."  A cemetery marker, a census record or a vague certificate filed in court house is usually all that is left.  Yet somehow when I discover them it brings their life back into focus and while their are few that have great accomplishments, they make me who I am and their blood flows through my veins and the veins of my children.  This makes it important for me to document as much details as I can about their lives and share their stories with everyone that will listen.

My newest painting really has little to do with this subject except for the name that I have chosen..."The Family Tree".  This pair of cardinals have taken on the awesome responsibility of being a parent.  They have picked a strong and safe location to build their nest, high up in the branches of this oak tree.  Doing what parents of all kinds have done for generations, providing safety for their young and perpetuating their kind.  I hope that as you enjoy this painting that you will think about your own legacy.  It is never too late to say a kind word or make a memory.

$300.00