Rachel Jones and Art

September 21-29, 2014 Apparently I have not posted in a while. I have been busy painting, though. There were several larger more detailed paintings I wanted to finish. One  of the 'truths' of painting is that everything does not always work. For weeks I threw paint on a canvas trying to 'save' a painting when in reality it should  have been put away. Forcing a success out of it only wasted tubes of paints,   time, brainpower, and proved frustrating. The painting grew just as tired of me as I of it. It has now been hidden in a dark corner to be revisited once  we have forgiven each other. by Rachel Jones (The Unforgivable and Unfinished) In between the oil painting sessions, I was able to work on a few more watercolor type paintings to loosen up and relax. I found a little leather photo book in a local shop (The Mad Hatter and Company LLC  http://www.madhatterandcompany.com/ ) that will require at least 50 little paintings.  I'm conside

September 19, 2014 Today was the Duplin Wine and Art event at House of Blues, Myrtle Beach, SC. http://www.duplinwinery.com/    http://grandstrand.happeningmag.com/autumn-art-wine-festival/ I met some lovely people, heard some great music, viewed some  amazing art and even got a chance to do a little painting along the way. I've only done the blocking in. I still have quite a bit left to do. I will post the final painting when finished. Enjoy. HOB setup/Rachel Jones

September 18, 2014 Quite a large floral painting for a friend. Acrylic on Canvas by Rachel Jones

September 16 and 17, 2014 I am adding the finished version of the skull painting. I added a layer of oil color. The photo doesn't really let it show, but there are still layers of the under painting in acrylic that come through and add to the aging of it. I could probably do a little more, but I think it has a certain feel in this unfinished state. As previously stated, understanding and rendering the skull accurately is a major aid in creating a realistic portrait. I'm not there yet, but am learning and feeling more confident with it. I have also done a few acrylic poppies on canvas. Skull Redo acrylic/oil/paper on wood by Rachel Jones September 17 Poppy Acrylic on Canvas by Rachel Jones

September 15, 2014 I've been working on one of my skulls and books paintings. I'm considering adding flowers. This is a largish painting done on wood panel ( 2' X 3'). It is acrylic. I've made a frame already for it and had epoxy-resin on standby, but instead am considering adding a layer of oil color to soften the edges a little and add a little more richness to it. I don't think the epoxy and oil will make a good combination. I'll stare at it a bit more and hopefully make a final decision before the night is out. What I am certain of is there is much more to do and therefore I suppose this may not qualify as an official "Painting a Day" painting, Actually, I'll probably need another few days...BUT... I found time to paint today after working outside the home. Being able to add a stroke here or a glaze there seems to bookend the day quite nicely and I'm happy about that. WIP skull/book study Acrylic/Wood/Paper by Rachel Jones

September 14, 2014 What better way to break in the Moleskine. I present... a chair . Moleskine Chair #1 Acrylic on Paper by Rachel Jones

September 10, 2014 Having been born in a much later time period, I am fascinated by the past. Some are a little closer in time such as the 40-60's in the south where little leaning sideways tin or wood buildings down dirt tracks served as hot entertainment spots. There may have been cracks in the walls and drip pans to catch the rain, but that didn't stop people from dressing up in their finest apparel and make the journey to dance and drink their cares away and maybe even find love.Every once in a while on my drives, I come across one of these.... still in use! Of course in my mind it always seems glamorous in a rustic sort of way...but I've been told from those who actually frequented, owned, played in such joints that there was a less  pleasant side to it all too. So today I've explored both sides of a typical night. I've actually made an attempt at this twice before. It is a photo of some distant relatives and no one seems to remember their names. I've

September 9, 2014 I have decided that between new paintings, this would be a perfect opportunity  to 'refresh' forgotten ones that have been stuffed in corners, closets, and  beneath beds. As most painters know, sometimes you just get stuck! A painting may begin so well with vigor and promise and then.....Well it just sort of fizzles for  whatever reasons. Maybe the inspiration has left or a technical problem arises  that needs resolving that seems impossible. Whatever the case, the painting  ends up in the dark recesses of the home and mind.  I hope to pull a few of these out,  dust off the cobwebs, and do battle with its dragon. I will continue creating new paintings or this month's challenge.  I'm just hoping to see  now that I have little bit more experience and knowledge,  am I able to determine what  went wrong  and how to fix it.  Of course, a nice layer of gesso fixes all such problems! Today, I finished this one... (finally) She i

September 8, 2014 I really needed to catch up on some larger paintings. In keeping with the daily theme, I will share a glimpse of what I am working on. Only a glimpse since it is in the unavoidable 'ugly' stage. I've had the fortune of selling a few paintings lately which means the production line must pick up pace in order to fill wall spaces. I suppose it is a real "first world" problem not worth wasting breath on. I am doing what I love and so few have that privilege. Putting things in perspective means that I should just paint and not fret too much over the fact that the washing may get done a few hours later than normal and dinner may have to come out of a can. I am in the ugly stage by will be better soon by Rachel Jones

My delayed painting from Friday. For details concerning the "delay" read yesterday's blog. A Cuppa and a Read Acrylic on Canvas by Rachel Jones

I did a painting for Friday. I will post it tomorrow. A more important event 'trumped' my humble little painting. A good friend of mine had the fortune of being one of the ladies chosen for the Women Painting Women show at Principle Gallery in Charleston, SC. If you aren't aware of this movement, please Google it. It is truly a marvelous thing. Below are some photographs from the event. This is Charleston, SC. The painting by Nicola Joy Johnson Nicola signing the WPW wall ....and with fellow talented artist There are many more photos I would love to add, but would rather you just go and see it for yourself. The paintings were beautiful. I've chosen just a couple below that I'd seen online for some time and was excited to see them up close in all their finery. Photographs do not do these justice especially the Jennifer Balkan one Very happy to see this painting by Teresa Oaxaca. To see this up close was marvelous. I understand that ma

September 4, 2014 I am not usually into brands. However...I have wanted to replace my Moleskine for quite some time. My first Moleskine was a gift from a friend in Sweden. I loved that little book with it's pockets and smell and fine paper. I filled it with little sketches, mementos and stories. Then it was stolen! I tried to pacify myself hoping the thief would become a better person or an adventurer after reading my little travel stories and antidotes. But most likely, the little book was discarded and they sold the camera and other valuables in the bag for crack. I got to thinking about it lately and told myself that the next painting I sold, I would make sure that a Moleskine was bought for watercolors. And so I did. Without putting too much pressure on myself, I am hoping that the first painting in it will be magical.                                                    I took a charcoal drawing class this weekend to refine some skills. Not to mention there was a m

September 3, 2014 As a figure painter, it is always good to occasionally return to basics. For me, that means concentrating on what lies beneath our skin. Though I've not chosen a theme for this challenge as many others have, I am using a few days to hone drawing skills and remind myself of structure. Sometimes the simple things can be forgotten. Working with this little skull has been very useful in helping refine a few areas. I should probably do this more often as I'd like to head more into portraiture (no pun intended). September 3rd Acrylic on Canvas 4" X 4" by Rachel Jones

September 1, 2014 or The First Stroke Is the Hardest. So today is the first day of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge set up by Leslie Saeta. As soon as I find the link I will post it here. Like any decent project, One must prepare. So first things first... I made a cup of tea. I realized I was still not in the right mood, so I lit incense. I then sat down to check the weather, and when I turned on the tv, I realized Perry Mason was on ...the old ones AND it was an episode I hadn't seen (or did not remember) so I had to watch that. Then I found my listening material for the day/month which was the Dostoevsky book on 28 CDs below.  I picked and watered  the basil. Afterwards, I glued together a little frame I made for a little painting I wanted to finish.   I checked on my oil paint for a completely different painting that has nothing to do with this challenge! "Hello Oil Paint in There"  I then fou