Raspberries, Not Local original mixed media still life painting by Polly Jones

Raspberries, Not Local by Polly Jones

detail of Raspberries, Not Local

6"x 6" mixed media acrylic still life painting.  SOLD

Hope your Christmas was wonderful!  Ours was.  There's always that let down afterwards, so nothing gets me out of the blues like painting.  I really wanted to capture the glow that raspberries have in sunlight.  I didn't quite do it, so you must promise me that you'll really look at yours before you eat them next time.

Grapefruit on Blue Willow original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

Grapefruit on Blue Willow by Polly Jones

6" x 6" acrylic and paper on wood panel. SOLD

Hope all is well with you.  I fit in some painting time between candy making and grocery shopping.

Process photographs of "Doesn't Feel Like A Fall" by Polly Jones

24" by 36" original acrylic and mixed media painting on gallery wrapped canvas.  This is the painting that has been in the annual Big Country Art Association show.  I was happy to get an honorable mention.  Since I forgot to photograph it before taking it to exhibit, I'm posting it now with some of the stages and details.

For sale on Etsy here

Stocking Stuffer painting for CCA

Stocking Stuffers by Polly Jones

Stocking Stuffers (old version)

I redid this old painting by softening up some of the edges and adding a stem.  The Center for Contemporary Arts, where I'm an artist member, is having a fundraiser of small paintings for $50 each.  This painting and others will be available on Friday, December 7th with a reception at 5:30 and the sale at 6:00.  When I dropped off my work, I saw some wonderful pieces.

Stocking Stuffers, 6"x6" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.  It comes wired and ready to hang without a frame.  SOLD

Walks in Beauty original still life by Polly Jones

Walks in Beauty by Polly Jones

8"x 8" acrylic mixed media still life.  SOLD

My life in the studio has been anything but consistent for the last few months due to things mostly out of my control.  In spite of that, I'm grateful to feel good about the direction I've been working in.  Getting older has helped me let go of fear and experiment more.

This piece had as it's starting point a love poem torn out of an old poetry anthology.   Within serious art culture it's taboo to be sentimental...oh well.

Sonnets from the Portuguese original still life mixed media collage

6"x 6" acrylic mixed media still life painting on wooden panel with a profile of 1 and 1/2 inches edge. It comes wired, varnished and ready to hang, no frame necessary.   SOLD

This is part of my work based on poetry found in an anthology that I'm using for collage in this mixed media piece.  Found  a pink rose growing in late November in my garden to paint from. The love poem is by Elizabeth Barret Browning, "Sonnets from the Portuguese."  It's pretty flowery stuff so, I've included more mundane text from an encyclopedia to add a little balance.

I am having my 15% off sale until Wednesday with the coupon code CYBERSALE12.  This is for PollyPainting.etsy.com where I sell my paintings online.  When checking out, you just use the code for the discount.  I'll be mailing out items on Friday.

Cyber Sale in my Etsy Shop

studio

I'm having a sale over at PollyPainting on Etsy.  This sale will last through Wednesday. If you enter this coupon code, CYBERSALE12, you get 15% off.   There's a box for coupon codes when checking out.  If you have any questions, please contact me at pollyjonesart@gmail.com  

Pear With Phoenix Plate original mixed media still life by Polly Jones

Pear With Phoenix Plate by Polly Jones

8"x8" original mixed media acrylic painting on canvas.  SOLD

I hope you had a wonderful weekend full of family time.  Ours was great; we have much to be thankful for.  I was able to work on this painting with the blue flow pattern plate that was a wedding present.  It had matching cups but they haven't survived the 30 years and numerous moves. 

Pear Polka original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

Pear Polka original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

8"x 8" acrylic mixed media painting in my Etsy store here.  $80

I hope you can see I had fun here.  I'm working from life and have to say pears are more complex than you expect....it's hard to show the subtleties in their shapes and colors.

This has all kinds of papers from The Little Golden Encyclopedia, a vintage atlas, a typing manual, and an old dictionary. I like adding layers of text and maps in order to express the many influences that go into the simplest acts of seeing. 

Jayne's Pear original acrylic still life painting by Polly Jones

Jayne's Pear by Polly Jones

6" square acrylic on canvas

This is from last week for someone special's birthday present.   What has happened to this week??  It has slipped through my fingers.  I've painted a couple of mornings but nothing fit to share. 

Lemon Tea original mixed media acrylic painting by Polly Jones

Lemon Tea by Polly Jones

11" by 14" acrylic mixed media. Sold

Frame N Art Gallery

I meant to show pictures from Art Walk tonight but they didn't turn out. The painting I blogged about here got an honorable mention in the annual Big Country Art Show.  I'll take a photograph of it finished when I get it home again.  Earlier this week, I took some paintings down to Abilene Frame N Art.

Yautli original mixed media Dia De los Muertos painting

Yautli by Polly Jones

18" by 24" acrylic mixed media painting.  Please excuse this terrible photograph.  I forgot to take a good picture before I delivered it and this was taken on my phone.  Tonight is a wonderful celebration at The Center for Contemporary Arts of Dia de los Muertos and the life of Clint Hamilton. He was a founding member of the center and an amazing artist/character. There are tickets available at the door for $75, more info at 325.677.8389.  This group show has lots of energetic and colorful paintings and installations.

My piece is of the Mexican marigold that is used for decorating graves during the day of the dead celebrations.  The horizontal swaths are a reference to ascending heavens.  The idea of different levels of heaven is something I've been thinking about lately.

Painting In Progress

Mixed Media Acrylic Painting in Progress by Polly Jones

24"x36" charcoal, paint, paper on canvas.  I thought I'd take process shots of a larger painting I've been working on.  The top picture shows the vine charcoal with which I draw out my composition. In order to keep the black in it from mixing with my paint later, I have to "fix" it by painting it with acrylic medium and letting it dry. I am working from life but just took a photograph of my still life set up to show you what I'm looking at.  The camera really sees things differently than the eye.

A Pumpkin and Squash original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

A Squash and Pumpkin by Polly Jones

Mixed Media Acrylic, 6" by 6" on canvas.  SOLD
This is my last pumpkin one for a while.  Thinking and praying for all of you affected by the hurricane! 

Giveaway Drawing

My daughter was home for Fall Break and did the honors.  The winner is....Katherine!  If you will email me at pollyjonesart@gmail.com with your address, I will mail you your painting.

Thanks so much to all who commented and shared what they enjoy most about Fall! 

Pumpkin Painting Giveaway tomorrow.

Baby Ghost Pumpkin by Polly Jones

This small painting is my giveaway for tomorrow, Sat. Oct 27th.  To participate, you can comment at this link: http://pollyjones.blogspot.com/2012/10/pumpkin-painting-giveaway-original-art.html

Dreamy original mixed media pumpkin painting by Polly Jones

 Pumpkin painting by Polly Jones

6" square on gallery wrapped canvas.  I was excited to find one of these that had a good curly stem.  Don't forget to enter my pumpkin painting giveaway right here.

SOLD

Pumpkin Painting Giveaway original art by Polly Jones

Baby Ghost Pumpkin, 4" by 4" mixed media painting by Polly Jones

It's here!  My third annual pumpkin painting giveaway. I plan on drawing a name to win the above artwork on Saturday, October 27th.  Friends and family are eligible:) The directions for entering are below:


1. Either subscribe to this blog (from upper right sidebar subscribe box) or sign up to Follow (also at the right sidebar but further down) If you already get emails or follow, then just go to number 2. 

2. Please make a comment under this post.  I'd love to hear your favorite part about fall!

3. To double your chances you can also sign up for my Facebook fan page (use the button on my blog sidebar or click here.  I use FB for notifying people of sales, sharing links to videos etc.  Just mention in your comment on the blog that you are a Facebook fan also and I will enter your name twice.

4. If you have any questions let me know at pollyjonesart@gmail.com! 

Separate Pear original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

Separate Pear by Polly Jones

12" by 12" mixed media acrylic on canvas.  SOLD

It's been a rainy day, so nice for a change. 

Our living room is in the Room for Color Contest at Apartment Therapy!

Earlier this month, I entered our living room in the "Room for Color Contest" over at Apartment Therapy.  My daughter took the photographs.  I was so pleased it got accepted into the contest and is in second place in the "dark" color scheme portion.  There's a really cute nursery that's beating me out right now.  I'm wishing I would have included a puppy in our pictures to help with the cute factor. We could win a $1000 gift card and some Sherman Williams paint if we pull up from behind!  If you have a moment and feel like it, check it out here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/pollys-moody-blues-room-room-for-color-contest-178341http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/pollys-moody-blues-room-room-for-color-contest-178341

A Pumpkin mixed media painting and a Giveaway by Polly Jones

A Pumpkin by Polly Jones

6" square original mixed media painting.

I've been away for some time helping my parents with a move.  Seems like leaving town is great for sales on paintings!  I sold three to one collector, including a largeish one....so this is her bonus for being patient. 

Stay tuned as I gear up for my annual pumpkin painting giveaway:)

Stretching a Canvas

 I'm working on a piece for a group show at The Center for Contemporary Arts here in Abilene. Thought I'd show it from the beginning since I'm actually stretching a canvas for it.  Usually I depend on pre-stretched canvases I buy online from Dick Blick or ASW.  However, I happened to have an old frame of 12" by 24" size stretchers hanging around and that's the size I wanted. Initially, I began by stapling about three staples in the middle of the long side, flipping it to the opposite side, stretching it tightly and then stapling three directly across from the first ones.  Then, I did the same to the short sides.  The canvas grippers help make sure it's tight enough.  Just have to continue switching off and maintaining symmetry with my staples. I have to be careful about doing this too tightly which causes it to warp.  (very annoying and sometimes it doesn't warp until you apply the gesso) 

 I think I've gotten the proper and even tension throughout.  Tucking in the corners helps finish the back.  Later I'll trim the canvas more neatly.

Now I'm ready to put down the first coat of gesso.  I have lightly misted the canvas with water to help the gesso to soak in.  Later coats I won't need to do this.  I'll probably end up with two or three coats depending on how it looks.  It helps to change the direction of the brushstrokes with each coat so you don't get a dominate texture from the gesso.

Tennis Ball original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

Tennis Ball by Polly Jones

I know, what an original title!  This is a little 6" square commission I did a while ago.  It was meant as a present for someone being taken to the U.S. Open, so I didn't want to show it beforehand.  At first I had no idea how I could make a picture of a ball interesting.  It ended up being a lot of fun.  I used the shadows to interplay with the s curves inside the ball;  this helped offset the static nature of a circle inside of a square. 

Lemon Lotus original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

Lemon Lotus by Polly Jones

8" square painting and collage on wooden panel.  SOLD.  I was really focusing on texture in this one and the surface is pretty interesting.  However, it didn't turn out how I had intended.  Every painting has a mind of it's own.  The plan was to use all warm colors except for the lotus bowl.  This desire came out of a wish for fall that was inspired by a week in which we have had temperatures over 100.  Every day.  Apparently I am at the mercy of using blue!  In fact, I just finished painting our dining room a turquoise color. 

Peaches for Tea original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

Peaches for Tea by Polly Jones

detail for Peaches for Tea

12" by 12" acrylic and mixed media painting SOLD  Here I used one of my vintage tablecloths as a backdrop for the blue willow pieces.  Someone asked how I incorporate the collaged paper elements into my painting.  I use non-yellowing acrylic medium on the back of the paper and on top to protect it, with a final coat of protective varnish when finished.

I have a stash of papers from my favorite sources: maps from books or old traveling guides,  a huge old dictionary, and a set of vintage Little Golden Encyclopedia books.  I choose bits and pieces because of their color and also their words.  Sometimes I choose randomly because its so fun to see what unexpected associations result.  I like the idea of other people coming up with their own meanings.  Seems like a huge part of being human involves a need to make sense out of what we see and experience. 

A Nectarine original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

Nectarine by Polly Jones

This is 4" square.  I wanted to push the texture and color in this small space.  I've been having a hard time getting back into a routine in the studio since our trip.  I've been massively reorganizing around the house, though. I'm trying to go by the advice to cull out that which is not useful or beautiful.  Ha, turns out I have a big imagination about how something could be useful in the future and a wide range of what I think is beautiful.

Sold.

Abilene Frame & Art Galleries Grand Re-opening Reception

Oooops, this is a little last minute to get the word out, but, here goes-- tonight is a reception at the Abilene Frame & Art Gallery from 6:30 to 8.  I did a few paintings this week in 4" square size and 4" by 6" size to take up and "refresh" my small area.  The strawberry piece and the mandarin oranges  were reworked a bit.

The address is 3301 South 14th Street, 26B.  It's located in the back area of the River Oaks Shopping Center.  Their phone number is 325 793-1616.  There will be loads of refreshments and a huge crowd is expected.  The walls are overflowing with work by many different artists!  Linda Stricklin, the owner and an artist herself, also carries clay work, mosaic pieces and one of a kind jewelry. Hope to see you there!

Watercolor Landscapes Overlooking Florence

Looking At Florence from San Miniata by Polly Jones

On our trip this summer, we spent the most amazing afternoon painting on top of a mountain that was home to an 11th century church, San Miniato al Monte.  It overlooked Florence with a view of the famous cathedral, the Duomo.  This little pair of watercolors was done on-site.  They have their flaws but I decided to just leave them as is and not push them into something they aren't.

View From Whitby, a landscape painting!

View From Whitby by Polly Jones

Hello again!  It's been a while.  I hope all is well with you. We've been blessed with a wonderful trip based in Oxford, England.  My husband was one of the professors for a study abroad group of students from Abilene Christian University.  We traveled to Florence, Rome, Switzerland, Paris and several places in England.  The students were there partly for art history credit.  Just imagine how many museums and cathedrals we might have visited and then double it!  It was hard to process everything...I'm still working on it and plan to share more later. 

 The students also learned painting, so I tagged along on some of the plein air painting times.  The image above is one painted on site,  looking down at a fishing village from a glorious place on top of a cliff.  This cliff is the site for Whitby Abbey.  One of the scenes from Dracula was set here.

Break from Blogging and Three Seashell Paintings by Polly Jones

Three seashell mixed media paintings by Polly Jones

Here are the last two in a series of six commissioned paintings I've done this spring.  These two were done for a lovely collector in Florida.  I have a pretty good seashell collection for someone who lives in West Texas and looking and painting these helped to mentally transport myself to the beach.

At the end of April,  I'm going to be putting my blog and Etsy store on vacation for a couple of months.   It seems like a good time to take a formal break from the internet side of art and see what happens.  I'll be sure and show you what I have been working when it's over.  I appreciate more than I can express those of you who come look at my little corner of blogdom.