Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Happy New Year!

I'm so grateful for all of the paintings sold this month! It's been the best ever.  Also, heartfelt appreciation for your continued interest in my work by reading this blog or keeping up with my work on Facebook or Instagram.  It is truly a blessing to have your support.  I'm excited about what the new year holds for my work, feeling energized and inspired.

Today is the last day of the 20% off store wide sale in my Etsy store. If you enter the coupon code 20off2014 when checking out it will show the correct lower cost. Below are three 30" by 40" paintings that I have added recently. Here is the link to my store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PollyPainting?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Praying for safe travels for all out there on the roads, including my daughter and friends.  May your new year be full of blessings and growth!!!
Finer Gravitations by Polly Jones


Upper Air by Polly Jones

Off the Highland Main by Polly Jones

Monday, December 29, 2014

Work in progress

History is an Angel by Polly Jones
Today I worked on a painting from 2011.  No painting around here is safe from being reworked with the paint brush.  I once read a story about Bonnard going to a museum where he had a painting displayed. His supplies were hidden in his coat.  He had a friend distract the guard while he worked on an area that bothered him.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Two blue flow paintings

Hope your holidays have been wonderful!  We have been having lovely family time.  Also, last couple of days I have been gratefully been back to painting after a hiatus.


Pear by Polly Jones
This is actually an older painting that I reworked a little bit.  It's pure paint on canvas with no mixed media. I have added it to my Etsy store here.

Blue Flow Grapes by Polly Jones
I wish you could see it in person because this one is all about surface and color shifts that I didn't photograph well.  Same bowl as used above but ends up quite different.  Sold

Monday, December 08, 2014

Trumpet Daffodil by Polly Jones

Clouds over the Loch by Polly Jones

Mandarin Happy by Polly Jones
Lemon Tea by Polly Jones


Murcot by Polly Jones


Happy to say these paintings are headed to new homes! Thanks for participating in my sale over on Etsy. I'm so grateful for new patrons and for repeat buyers too! 

Here is the coupon code again:  20off2014.  It is to be entered in when checking out. At that time the 20% off is shown before completing the transaction.  My shop link: PollyPainting

Friday, November 28, 2014

20% off coupon code in my Etsy store

Punch by Polly Jones

Right now I have a store wide coupon code for 20% off on paintings in my Etsy store! The code 20off2014 will be good until January 1, 2015. This coupon code is entered in at checkout time.  If anyone has trouble with it working correctly, all you have to do is contact me at pollyjonesart@gmail.com and I will refund you what you paid over.  It should work fine though.  Please let me know if you have any questions about available work or international shipping.  I would love to hear from you.

I plan to add a few larger paintings that I have not yet put up for sale including "Punch" from last year. 

Hope your holiday has been relaxing and wonderful!  We are in the lovely turkey coma and going to the movies phase. Taking time to be thankful reminds me how much I appreciate your your interest and support of my art work. 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Society6 Prints (free shipping today)

I really need to be baking but wanted to share that Society6 is having free shipping today. I have three paintings available as prints there at Polly Jones/Society6.  They also have all kinds of other prints from different artists too. 

Friday I plan on making a coupon code that will work as 20% off in my Etsy store. 

Hope you are having great friends and family time this Thanksgiving.  I'm so happy to have my daughter home and  my father-in-law driving in.  Blessings on you all.


Tuesday Afternoon by Polly Jones, now available as a print.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Clouds over the Loch original mixed media landscape by Polly Jones

Clouds over the Loch by Polly Jones
This mixed media acrylic landscape is 4" by 12" on canvas. Sold

Truly having fun with some of my photographs and memories from Scotland this past summer. Also, I have some bread rising which makes me feel disproportionately happy. It helps me forget the nagging, unfinished bathroom update that I'm trying to ignore.

Friday, November 14, 2014

BCCA show

Polly Jones with "Off the Highland Line"
I'm smiling really big here because I won a second place in the 2D category with my landscape painting last night. I got the same award last year. Also had the still life painting from below in this show. Have a great weekend!

Upper Air by Polly Jones

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Tuesday Afternoon original still life painting by Polly Jones

Tuesday Afternoon by Polly Jones
I did a painting with this same tablecloth and a yellow teapot a couple of years ago and called it Monday Afternoon.  Since I mostly finished this yesterday afternoon it earned the name Tuesday Afternoon.  Sold

Friday, November 07, 2014

Silver show at The Center For Contemporary Arts

For Lucy by Polly Jones

Slight Disorder by Polly Jones
Hello everyone.  I forgot to share with you that I have a couple of paintings in a group show of the signature artist members for The Center for Contemporary Arts here in Abilene, Texas. We went to the opening last night and I forgot to take photographs. "For Lucy" (which you have seen in many variations before on my blog) is 24" by 36" mixed media acrylic on a wood panel.  "Slight Disorder" is 36" by 41.5" mixed media acrylic on wood panel.

Thursday, November 06, 2014

On the easel

In progress, Polly Jones

I thought I would show a progress shot of the painting I'm working on today.  I'm so much enjoying the sunshine after a couple of cloudy days.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

30" by 40" mixed media landscape by Polly Jones

in progress painting by Polly Jones
I thought I'd show a picture of progress on the landscape I'm working on.  I liked the shadow of the paintbrushes on the canvas in the late afternoon light.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Slight Disorder, large original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

Slight Disorder by Polly Jones
I think I'm done.  (for now anyway) It's an acrylic mixed media painting on wood panel. I really liked working this large. My generous husband prepared the panel for me.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Pumpkin Painting Giveaway 2014 Winner!




Wow, thanks so much everyone!  I appreciate the nice comments and the entries in my pumpkin painting giveaway.  There ended up being over 80 people entering and some got two entries for following me on instagram or following my blog here or sharing on my Facebook page here.  


         
                                     
Add caption
 Kenny did the honors of drawing.



And the winner is Mary Kate Danley!!!!  If you will email me your address, I will mail you your painting.  Mary Kate chose the little white one on top.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Pumpkin Painting Giveaway Time

Pumpkin Paintings by Polly Jones
Hello everyone! It's time for my annual pumpkin painting giveaway:) Just comment either on my blog or on my Facebook Page and tell me which painting is your favorite. On Saturday, October 18th, I will write all your names down on little slips of paper and have my husband draw one name. If you share the contest on your Facebook timeline, or follow me on Instagram (pollyjonesart) you will get two entries! Just mention in your comment that you are elgibile for two entries so I'll know to write your name down twice.

The winner chooses their favorite pumpkin (or squash) painting that is available in my Etsy store on Saturday.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Not a pumpkin original painting by Polly Jones

Acorn Squash by Polly Jones

Fall paintings by Polly Jones
I'm mixing it up a little bit.  Acrylic and mixed media painting on 6" square canvas.  Hiding underneath it is a poem about dreaming.  I thought I had committed the poet's name to memory but didn't.  Next time may have to resort to writing it down.  On Etsy here for now but will be in my giveaway choices later.

Tuesday, October 07, 2014

Pumpkin painting lineup

Mini Orange Pumpkin by Polly Jones

pumpkin paintings by Polly Jones

I plan on doing a couple more pumpkin paintings (as the mood strikes) before having my annual giveaway.  Meanwhile I have them listed in my online Etsy store here.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Pumpkin painting by Polly Jones

Pumpkin by Polly Jones
Getting ready for my annual pumpkin painting giveaway. I want to have several, so the winner can choose. Stay tuned for details after I work on a couple more:) Any suggestions?

4" square in my Etsy store here.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Orange, Blue Willow and Chintz original still life painting by Polly Jones

Orange, Blue Willow and Chintz by Polly Jones
Have you noticed that they keep coming up with new names for fruit. This was labeled "murcott" at the grocery store.

8" square on wood panel with 1.5" edge. Sold

Friday, September 19, 2014

So sweet tomato still life painting by Polly Jones

So Sweet Tomatoes by Polly Jones
These taste really good and were fun to paint with their greenish orange cast, a little different from the grape ones I've been buying.  How I wish I could grow tomatoes in my yard.  Apparently it doesn't cool off enough at night to set the bloom in our climate.

6" square acrylic on canvas.  Sold

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Rainy in Italy original mixed media landscape painting by Polly Jones

Rainy in Italy by Polly Jones
It was a little bit rainy here in Texas too.

5" by 7" acrylic on canvas, sold.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Monday, September 15, 2014

Working from photographs



Near and Far original mixed media landscape by Polly Jones
Near and Far by Polly Jones
I finally did a large, 18" by 24" version of a landscape from one of the photographs I took in Italy this past summer. My mom was an artist and participated in workshops and shows when I was growing up.  She was co-president at the beginning of the Plains Art Association in my home town of Plainview, Texas.   I've been thinking back on how as a kid, learning from this environment, there was a big stigma about using a photograph to paint from. Real artists only painted from life. I've changed my mind about that over the years, believing it's what you do with the photograph that matters. It's important to keep in mind that the camera sees things different than my eye. Photography brings up the question of why paint realistically when you can just take a photograph?  What do you think?

In my Etsy store here.

Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Mown Fields original mixed media landscape painting by Polly Jones

Mown Fields by Polly Jones
All that talk yesterday about doing larger landscapes and here I am with an 8"square again.  In my defense, I did it in between preparing the surfaces of bigger panels to paint on:)

In my Etsy store here.

Monday, September 01, 2014

Blog hop around the world



Warning, this post is a little different for me, a lot more words than normal! I was tagged by Kathleen of Four Miles North of Nowhere to participate in a blog hop. I got to know Kathleen through blogging and art collecting. A couple of years back I had the pleasure of meeting her in person over a painting commission.  As part of the hop, I'm supposed to answer some questions about creativity.

Kathleen and me.


Here goes with the questions:

Why do I create what I do?

Creativity was something I grew up with.  My grandmothers were very different but they both were "makers."  Granny Compton sewed dresses without needing patterns. Once we were visiting them and it was discovered I had no dress to wear to their little country church, she whipped one up for me that very Sunday morning. Nanny Goodpasture made hats, sewed, and partook of every craft hobby that was available. Remember resin grape clusters and liquid embroidery? My mother was an artist who when young wanted to be a dress designer.  She painted and did pen and ink when her health permitted. She was a great cook and decorator.  My dad was one of the most creative people I have ever known. He wasn't a visual artist, though he was a good photographer. It was his approach to everyday living that was unique. One small example-he hung a radio in the peach tree to keep the grackles from devouring his crop.  He made a huge telescope from scratch. He also wrote poems and songs for his own enjoyment.

Some of my clearest memories are of drawing.  I remember in second grade my teacher had a linear picture of a daffodil for us to copy.  It was the first time I saw how to depict an object in space instead of symbolically.  This made a huge impact on me.  I never stopped enjoying the magical aspect of making something on paper that looks 3-dimensional. 

I love using still life as subject matter because it is full of possibilities.  It's a structure with which to hang all the other important parts of a painting...color, line, shape, texture, and value. I also have stayed with doing still life (over thirty years now) in a kind of stubborn resistance to the idea that it's not very important in the art world...that it's female territory.  I beg to differ, believing that these small everyday parts of life are full of opportunities to engage big ideas such as gratitude and mindfulness.

How does my creative process work?

Terra Incognito show, Polly Jones.
Different ways. Sometimes I get my ideas as a picture that comes to mind when I'm trying to go to sleep at night or taking a shower. The finished painting is never quite like the image in my head, but it makes a beginning point. Sometimes when faced with a blank canvas, I go look in the refrigerator, my still life shelves, or my kitchen shelves for inspiration. The next step would be to set up a still life. I use vine charcoal to draw with because it can be quickly smudged out and redrawn. When I have an idea of the composition, I prepare a ground of collaged papers and the color I want showing through the imagery. At this stage I'm ready to paint from my still life set up.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I'm not sure that it does that much. I have been combining collage with painting, but I see other people doing that as well. I have been told by people that they can always tell when a painting is mine. Every artist seems to have their own mark or gesture or way with color.

What am I presently working on?

Too many ideas right now! I have recently been inspired by a trip abroad to try my hand at landscape. So far I have worked small but am planning to try a larger format. Also, I have plans to use some of the old photographs I inherited last year as beginning points for paintings. Right now, however, another still life idea is demanding to be done. It popped into my head a couple of nights ago and it wants to be VERY BIG.

Who inspires Me To Create?

Thin Placements (with J.M. & H.P.) by Kenny Jones
Well, I mentioned the gratitude part and that is due to the Great Creator I believe in and am filled with amazement towards. I'm also inspired by my husband Kenny.  I wouldn't even have the time to paint were it not for his belief in the importance of art. Because of him, I have had the opportunity to pursue a life of art making. AND he is an amazing artist. We share studio space, ideas, criticism, art supplies, discovery of other artist's work, and encouragement. I'm inspired by his constant drawing and passion for visual ideas as well as rigorous thinking. His website is here: http://kennyjonesart.com/

Link 2 blogs that inspire you. 

I'm tagging both of the people below to participate in the blog hop for a posting next Monday.  I hope you'll check them out!  I procrastinated in asking and am not sure if Mary will be able to participate with the questions next week, but you can still enjoy looking at her work either way.

Natalie inspires me with her wonderful color, pattern and design sense.  She hails from London and her blog is: http://thehomelyplace.blogspot.com/

Fellow Texan Mary Gregory has a lovely way with the brush and simple images that make lasting impressions. Her blog:  http://marygregorystudio.com/blog/  


Provide a Relevant Quote

“My soul can find no staircase to heaven unless it be through earth's loveliness”  Michelangelo

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

For Lucy original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

For Lucy by Polly Jones
I have been working on this one off and on for a few weeks, posted some process shots on Instagram. It's named "For Lucy" after a chimpanzee in a story I heard on the radio.  Hidden in the tablecloth is a picture of a chimpanzee from a volumn of The Golden Book Encylopedia. 30" by 40" acrylic mixed media on wood panel. In my Etsy store here.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

A days work

studio, Polly Jones
Today I spent some time painting edges and wiring backs.
Lemon Sunshine by Polly Jones
I found a little lemon painting that had disappeared for a while.
Meander by Polly Jones
Sold.  It's 4" by 5"

This one I showed the other day got a little rework. Sold

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Down the Row landscape mixed media painting by Polly Jones

landscapes by Polly Jones

Down the Row by Polly Jones

I  promise I haven't given up still life... just continuing to have fun with landscapes painted from photos taken during our time in Italy this summer.  Thank you for looking!

5" by 7" acrylic mixed media on canvas by Polly Jones.  In my Etsy store here.