Wacky Wednesday

“Wacky Wednesday” has to do about wacky things I do for art.  These posts will be randomly placed on Wednesdays. 

copyright 2010

Valerie Jones

Okay, so I went to the store.  I went to the store for canvas and brushes.  The store didn’t have the size of canvas I need for a project.  I decided to go to the clearance isle for some brushes I’d seen there last week.  When I get to the clearance, all I see are beads.  I was upset because I bought these same beads for work and they weren’t on clearance!  Then, I got to thinking I could make birthday and Mother’s Day gifts with these wonderful beads that are on clearance.  I picked some out and then found the brushes I needed.  Oh, and then I remembered that the beading wire was on sale.  So, back to the regular beading isle for the wire.  But while there, the other bright and colorful beads were calling, “Valerie, Valerie, please come and look at me.”  So, I looked and looked for an HOUR AND A HALF!  I was only going to be in the store for 30 minutes.  Did I mention that these beads were half price?  Yes, indeed.  They were cheaper than the beads on clearance.  So, I finally decided on the beads I could use.  This was after my husband called to see where I was.  I had to embarrassingly admit that I’d been there for an hour already.  I took the beads that were on clearance back to their place and purchased the pretty new beads that were half price.   I should have never stumbled upon those beads.  Now I have a new addiction besides fine art.  I blame this new addiction to beading on my job and a friend who showed me how to bead.  It’s not self-inflicted, honest. 

copyright 2010

Valerie Jones

Blogs of Envy

“Macy’s Joy”

copyright 2010 Valerie Jones

We all have those blogs we envy. You know, those blogs that make us drool and make a green cloud of envy come over us.

I have one of those such blogs. The Pioneer Woman . Even though her blog isn’t about fine art, I still drool. The reasons I like her blog are numerous. The first reason is her humor. She is able to find humor in normal day to day activities. (I can take a lesson from her on this.) Secondly, she cooks. I love to cook and she has easy recipes that I grew up with. Thirdly, her recipes are in color and step-by-step! I love step-by-step with photos. Did I mention she has a cookbook? And that she lives up the road from me about 30 miles? Fourthly, she is not afraid to confess little tid-bits (sometimes embarrassing moments) about her life. Fifth, she gives neat things away. Oh, there’s even more, but I’ll leave you with one more. She takes photos and turns them into true works of art with Photoshop. I’ll be taking online lessons with her about Photoshop. I need all the help I can get in that area.

What are some of the blogs you envy? I’d love to be introduced to them.

Valerie Jones Art

To keep current on my artwork and blog, please go to my website.

Valerie Jones Art

See you there!

January 2010 Art Exhibit

Valerie Jones

Art exhibit

Fine Art Portraits and Still Life Drawings in

Graphite and Colored Pencil

Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise

4125 SE Nowata Road

Bartlesville, Oklahoma

 

January 7-28, 2010

Monday – Friday

10:00am – 5:00pm

Art Review 2009

Commissioned Piece

Copyright 2009 Valerie Jones

 

I am not one to make yearly goals because they very rarely are achieved.   “Live by God and He’ll do the planning for you”…that’s my motto.  I did make a list of goals for 2009 and I only accomplished one of them.  I decided to make a list of accomplishments for 2009 and share them with you.

2009 Accomplishments

January – Held an exhibit for my students; took a quilting class

February – Completed “Colors of Fall” colored pencil painting

March – Sewed aprons; Opened Etsy shop; completed “Wedding Day 1920” colored pencil painting

April – Bartlesville Art Association Spring Show – sold “Colored of Fall” painting; completed “Homecoming” colored pencil painting

May – Verdigris Valley Exhibit; Completed “Intermission” colored pencil painting

June – Sold artwork in the OKMozart shop; taught grisaille/colored pencil class

July – Vacation; completed graphite “Gerber Daisy” drawing

August – Taught colored pencil workshop – textures and metals; taught ellipse class; began teaching at Washington County Elder Care

September – Began teaching cat portrait class

October – Taught colored pencil workshop – textures and metals; prepared for the Bartlesville Art Association Fall Fling

November – Completed graphite commission

December – Completed colored pencil commission

January – December - Created a correspondence drawing course – Had 2 students take the course throughout the year.

January – May – Taught a colored pencil step-by-step portrait class

April – May – Taught a beginning drawing class at Hobby Lobby

August – December – Taught a colored pencil cat portrait class

Completed 10 paintings/drawings in 2009  (This is less than 2008’s number of 13 paintings/drawings)

2010 is looking to be another successful year.  I have two exhibits coming up in January and February.  I am in the process of creating a website.  I hope to attend a workshop in June.  I have a workshop to teach in August.  I’m sure God has other things planned for me this coming year also!

Happy 2010!!

How Do You Spend Your Time?

Copyright 2009 Valerie Jones

I took this picture the other day of a tree at work.  It was a picture perfect day outside and the reds just shone on this tree.

My question to you today is - “How do you spend your time during the day?”  Are you doing things you want to do, (art for example) or are you spending more time with things  you feel you should do? 

I made a list of 5 things I spend my time doing during the day and as it turns out, they are all things I have to do, work, cook, clean, raise children, and I forgot the other one!  There is no time for creativity.  Oh, I remember the 5th one now.  It is watching television in the evenings.  Watching television isn’t something I have to do.  It’s what I do to wind down after a hurried and flurried day of constant activity.  I usually draw while watching TV, so it’s not a total loss of time.

I’d like to hear if you spend your day in a creative way…

Commission Finished

Graphite on Strathmore Series 500 Bristol Plate

Copyright Valerie Jones

Word of caution – Don’t finish a piece of artwork late at night…it leads to sleep apnea.  That’s what happened to me anyway.  I finished this commissioned piece last night around bedtime.  Well, I had to stay up awhile to wind down!   I’m still only showing a partial of the drawing because it is a gift.  I might show the whole thing in January.  You all will have to remind me.

I really enjoyed working on the Strathmore 500 Bristol Plate drawing paper.  I was able to achieve a realistic texture for the skin.  It also let me erase and re-apply without any differences in the texture of the paper.  The Strathmore Series 300 Bristol Smooth won’t allow much erasing before it messes up the tooth of the paper.  It’s more student grade, so that’s to be expected, I guess.  Also, the Series 500 Bristol Plate is 4-ply.  I like to work with thicker papers because they are easier to control.

I didn’t realize how much of myself was put into this drawing.  After I was done, tons of tasks came to mind that I’d shoved to the back burner.  So, today was a busy, busy day.  I got a lot accomplished, which I am thankful for.

Have a beautiful day!!