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.

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

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

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.

This years early pumpkin painting, mixed media still life by Polly Jones

Early Pumpkin by Polly Jones

It felt like fall a couple of days ago!  You know what that means:)

In my Etsy store here.

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.

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.

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