Rhyme for Roses mixed media still life painting by Polly Jones

Rhyme for Roses by Polly Jones

It's title is in reference to the page from a Golden Book Encyclopedia underneath the paint about Mother Goose Rhymes. I absolutely loved painting this one. It only came together when I put the top band of invented colorful wall paper. The roses and jar were painted directly from life as is my usual process. I like to combine observation with invention.

In my Etsy store here.

Some paintings from November

Blue Day Pair by Polly Jones

Geranium Sprig by Polly Jones

Lime on Dots 2 by Polly Jones

One for You, One for Me by Polly Jones

Welcome Roses by Polly Jones

I did a group of ten paintings for a pop up shop in a boutique called Posh Pony in Midland, Tx. These are a few of  the new ones I did in November. I forgot to photograph my favorite one!

New prints on Society6 and a brief sale

Tea For Joanne by Polly Jones

Supplicant by Polly Jones

Monday Pears by Polly Jones

I have added three new prints to my Society6 page and have a promotion code for 20% off and free worldwide shipping on anything on my page over there. Just click this link in order to get the sale.

 Promotion expires December 5, 2015 at Midnight Pacific Time. *Free Shipping offer excludes Framed Prints and Canvas Prints

Etsy sale through Monday

PollyPainting.etsy.com

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful! We are still eating turkey and enjoying family time this cold rainy weekend. The tree is decorated, the mantle is half decorated and boxes and tubs are littering the rest of the house.

If you are shopping this weekend and interested in one of my paintings, use coupon code "HAPPY25OFF" when checking out in my Etsy store for a discount. This sale is in effect through Monday.  I just this minute added the below blue willow bowl painting to the shop and it's link is here.

Blue Willow Bowl by Polly Jones

Pictures from my show

with Kenny

with gallery director Debbie Manns 

with Marissa

I'm a little slow at sending out pictures from my show opening at The Center for Contemporary Arts earlier this month. It was wonderful and I can't thank everyone enough who came out to the member's preview and later, ArtWalk.  I'm grateful for people taking the time to look at my work, experience it and talk to me about it. This is an honor that I don't take lightly.

I wish the photos of the installation had turned out better. They were all so blurry. Hopefully, I'll have better ones for sharing later.

Having this show forced me to do both larger and more work than normal, twenty four mixed media paintings...mostly still life subject matter. I suffered many ups and downs during this process. Some paintings flowed easily and some were a struggle to resolve. Such a learning experience! I'm still trying to put into words what I was trying to accomplish. Below is the statement I wrote a year ago.

“On the Table” is a saying that means that things are up for discussion. I like that kind of open ended consideration. I want my paintings to emerge from a visual conversation that comes from paying attention to what I see and merging that with my feelings and experiences. Combining paint, high key color, drawing and collage elements help create a place of simultaneous visual experiences. These layers are a way to work out ideas about the paradoxes that I find to be a part each day. It’s an exploration into the possibility of transcendence in the midst of ordinary life.

I’m usually focusing on the stuff on the table in front of me. I hope that it will connect with others. The domestic sphere is a shared experience. Everyone has this everyday life in which they pick up their favorite coffee cup and eat that apple or pear or smell a flower. 

Many of the still life objects I paint are inherited pieces that have personal histories and meanings. I especially enjoy painting glass. Glass has it’s own metaphor of how we perceive. It sometimes creates a distortion and sometimes acts as a clarifying lens. Here we go with the paradoxes again.

Sale time in my Etsy store

I'm having a major sale over at PollyPainting.etsy.com. With the coupon code HAPPY25OFF you get 25% off of anything I have listed in my store including the large ones. The code is simply entered into the available box at checkout. The small pear paintings above have already sold. (I sent a newsletter out with the code earlier today) This sale will go on through November.

Signed and delivered

The day I've been working toward for over a year is here. I delivered 24 paintings of varying sizes to The Center for Contemporary Arts today. Below is the last one painted for this show. 

A Little Close, 30" by 40"acrylic mixed media still life by Polly Jones

I'm full of mixed emotions - excitement, relief, vulnerability, and worry about will there be enough to fill that space. The emotion I'm hoping to settle on is serenity that I did the best I could:) I hope you will come see me at the reception on November 12 during ArtWalk! I'll be posting more details later. 

33 Years of Flowers original mixed media still life painting

33 Years of Flowers by Polly Jones

30" by 40" acrylic mixed media painting on canvas. Painted from my anniversary bouquet this summer.

From the Garden large acrylic mixed media still life painting by Polly JonesFrom the Garde

From the Garden by Polly Jones

36" by 26" acrylic mixed media on canvas. I began this one back in the spring and finally finished it about a month ago. Predictably, now that I just uploaded the photo of it, I'm second guessing if it's truly finished! I've fallen a little behind in sharing work on this blog, but have recently updated my website at http://pollyjonesart.com/

Dear friends, thank you so much for your interest in my art!

Pumpkin Painting winner

Pick Your Pumpkin Giveaway winner for 2015

Thank you so much everyone who took the time to comment and enter my painting giveaway! I really appreciate your kind comments and support of my work. You guys are the best! There were over 60 entries combined from the blog, Facebook, and Instagram. I'll be mailing "Time Traveler Pumpkin" out to @wintergreenwoods as soon as I get her address:)

6th annual pick your pumpkin painting giveaway!

Easy as Pumpkin by Polly Jones

Polka Pumpkin by Polly Jones

Pumpkin in Bright Light by Polly Jones

Thursday Pumpkin by Polly Jones

Time Traveler Pumpkin by Polly Jones

Pick Your Pumpkin Giveaway paintings by Polly Jones

I can't believe I've been doing this for 6 years! I love fall. Plus, I'm truly grateful for all of you who keep track of my work and support it. It makes my creative journey that much more joyful. If you would like to enter this drawing for a free painting - just comment below with the one you want. I'll announce the winner on Saturday. If you haven't already subscribed to my blog (so you can find out if you won) Follow this link to Small Wonders Daily Paintings and look for the box to enter your email address for posts by email: http://pollyjones.blogspot.com/

I'm also posting about this giveaway over on my instagram and facebook page.  I post things in these places in between blog posts if you're curious for more behind the scenes stuff.

Stood Us By original mixed media still life painting by Polly Jones

Stood Us By by Polly Jones

I have been working back and forth on several large paintings...trying to resolve them in time for a November show I'm preparing for. When I get better photographs I'll show the lineup.

This one has all kinds of things going on in it. a kind of soup that is an expression of my grieving process for my mom and thoughts about the afterlife. In the lower right is part of a print of one of Monet's Cathedral paintings. (Steal from the best, right?) Other collage elements are: birds, mummies, a harp and other musical instruments, a page from a1906 theological book on prayer, chart of coins, a biology drawing of an arm, and bits of maps.

30" by 40" acrylic mixed media on canvas.

Sugar Bowl Bouquet original mixed media still life painting by Polly Jones

Sugar Bowl Bouquet by Polly Jones

Side view detail of Sugar Bowl Bouquet by Polly Jones

I have lost about a week of studio time with a stubborn cold. I did catch up on some Hugh Grant movies and managed to work some on this still life, a 12" square painting I did of my mother's green depression glass sugar bowl.

A landscape painting of Yorkshire

Yorkshire by Polly Jones

24" by 24" acrylic mixed media on canvas. Painted from a reference photo taken when on our study abroad trip. 

on the easel now

Seashells and Mermaids original mixed media painting by Polly Jones

Seashells and Mermaids by Polly Jones

24" by 18" acrylic mixed media painting. There's some information about mermaids in the Little Golden Book page that's part of the collage element here. There was a bit of debunking going on...where do you stand on this issue?  This painting is now available on Ugallery here.

Bottle Bouquets flower painting by Polly Jones

Bottle Bouquets by Polly Jones

detail of painting by Polly Jones

Trying to keep it loose here. 12" by 12" acrylic mixed media on cradled wood panel. Sold.

Indian Blankets and Blueberries original paintings by Polly Jones

Blue Willow Blueberries

Blanket Flowers in Green Glass

small paintings by Polly Jones

Stress relievers, a couple of quick four inch small still life paintings.

Blue Willow Blueberries for sale here.
Blanket Flowers in Green Glass here.

August Bouquet original mixed media still life by Polly Jones

August Bouquet by Polly Jones

Here is the larger version from that little study I posted yesterday. I used a ton of thick paint mixed with heavy gel medium and had to paint the blue willow sugar bowl quickly. It's funny to me after the fact, but my adrenaline was surging like I was in a race for my life. I had to "carve in" my details with the brush before it dried.  From my blog you can click on it in order to see a very large photo for details. The background drawing is on old ledger paper on which I drew nightshade. Nightshade fascinates me because it can be a poison or medicine, and it's classified as a weed. 24" by 20" mixed media acrylic on canvas.

Esperanza in Blue Willow still life paintings by Polly Jones

Esperanza in Blue Willow by Polly Jones

 This 6" square painting of a bouquet I scavenged from my flower pots will be headed to Australia for it's forever home. I'm a little sad to see it go.

More small still life paintings by Polly Jones

Blue Day by Polly Jones

Daisies by Polly Jones

I hope you don't mind the recent flurry of posts. I've just been having marvelous days free to paint the last couple of weeks, so I've been busy. Blue Day is 8" by 8" on wood panel and Daisies is 6" by 6" on wood panel (with lots of texture and paper layers)

I've added the teacup painting to my Society6 gallery and it is available as a print.

Small mixed media acrylic landscape, "Loch" by Polly Jones

Loch by Polly Jones

You might have noticed that I'm feeling nostalgic for our trip to Scotland last summer. I'm also really enjoying the Golden brand extra heavy gel/modeling paste for getting thick oil like paint affects.

8" by 8" acrylic mixed media on canvas in my Etsy store here.

Mown Fields 2 by mixed media acrylic landscape by Polly Jones

Mown Fields 2 by Polly Jones

I have been hard at work on some 30" by 40" large still life paintings and decided to take a break. I like them but they are not quite there yet. Painting landscapes is such a refreshing thing to do for a change. This one is from photos and memories of our trip to Scotland last summer. Oh how I wish we were there right now. Days and days of temperatures above 100 degrees here!

For sale in my Etsy store here.

Middle Pear original still life painting by Polly Jones

Middle Pear by Polly Jones

I found this older 12" by 12" acrylic on board painting when cleaning and organizing my studio a while back. Below is a screen shot of my Instagram feed that shows a part of the massive undertaking which included new shelves (from IKEA) in the lower right corner. They are great for holding my still life objects and anything else I could cram onto them. Anyone out there on Instagram? Let me know so I can follow you! I'm at https://instagram.com/pollyjonesart/

a glimpse of my Instagram feed

The pear painting is in my Etsy store here.

Answering some questions with MarquinDesigns

Colorburst Marsh by Marquin Campbell

Hello everyone, I wanted to share a couple of things today. Above is a painting by Marquin Campbell, a lovely artist that I have become friends with through the amazing internet. Her website is: marquindesigns and totally deserves checking out. I am amazed at how productive and creative she is all of the time and continues to be even as a new mom. Marquin has kindly interviewed me on her blog here. Hope you have a moment to read it as she has asked some really great questions.

Finished Commission mixed media botanical painting by Polly Jones

Just Breathe by Polly Jones

24" by 20" acrylic mixed media on wood panel. It was such a good experience creating this commission and I think that the receiver was happy with it too. I am continually amazed at the people I have the privilege to come into contact with through my artwork. It certainly stretches my horizons beyond this little town in Texas. Technology definitely has it's benefits for which I'm grateful. I've done several commissions this year and now it's time to focus on creating enough work for my show this fall. Gulp.

detail of Just Breathe by Polly Jones