Posts

Presenting at Utah Watercolor Society - Social Media for Artists

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Last night I had to opportunity to speak to the members of the Utah Watercolor Society (UWS) about using various social media platforms to promote and market your artwork and yourself as an artist. What a great experience for me and such a fun night!  Of course, in all the effort to get my presentation set up, my iPad set up to record a video of my presentation (which, unfortunately stopped recording after 5 minutes - I'll have to figure that out), and getting ready to speak...I didn't think to take a "selfie" with myself and the group of wonderful UWS members who attended the meeting.  DUH! Very UN-social of me! So, I will be depending on the photos taken by others who were in attendance. (Thank you!) What makes me a social media expert? I'm not, really. Just a user who has been blogging, Facebooking, Twittering, and Pinteresting for a while to promote my artwork. I just happen to have a little bit more knowledge and a little bit more experience than many

Wild in the West opening reception

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Last Friday was the opening reception of Wild in the West at the Utah Arts Festival Gallery .  It was such a great experience to see all 15 paintings I had submitted hanging for the show, and so fun to meet and converse with the many people who came through the gallery during Gallery Stroll that evening. My work was hanging at the back of the gallery near the refreshment area (prime real estate!).  This show featured 5 artists (including me). Mike Beals , a metal sculptor who made some wonderful bells. Kate and Adam Rice , wildlife photographers who had some awesome photos displayed on metal. And, J. Randal Young , a landscape painter (and podiatrist!). So, there was a variety of artwork available for every taste! I really enjoyed meeting the people who came through the gallery, talking to visitors about my painting process and inspiration, and hearing their thoughts as well. It was a great night and I appreciate everyone who came out as we

Wild in the West

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My new exhibition is nearing. "Wild in the West" at the Utah Arts Festival Gallery opens this Friday. I was selected for this group exhibition and have delivered 15 paintings for display.  I am excited for the opening reception on Friday night from 6p-9p during the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll. If you are in the Salt Lake City area, I hope you will join me. I would love to see you there!

Telling stories

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I have recently been challenged to "tell a story" about my artwork and my technique. Each painting I create has a story behind it, and I am now in the process of trying to put that story into words (the inspiration behind creating the painting, the techniques used to create it, etc.) and to write an "artwork statement" for each of my paintings. An added component to this exercise is the fact that the digital world is now very video oriented and many people are looking for more than just words and pictures, so my extra step will be to also create a video about each painting. "A Patchwork Fall" ©Jennifer Love Today, I have created a new You Tube channel called Jennifer Love Artwork where I will try to post some videos that give you a little insight into each of my paintings. I started with a video about "A Patchwork Fall." You can click here to watch it. :) As always, thanks for stopping by my blog!

Snow Days

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Big winter storm hit us on Monday this week. 25 inches of snow in 24 hours in my area of northern Utah - I believe it set a record. So...basically, all of winter came in a day! I have removed snow from my driveway 5 times in two days (plus my neighbor's driveway once). Thank goodness for my snow blower! Merry Christmas season!

A Place of Sanctuary: If I tidy up my home life, it will benefit my professional life.

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The following is a blog post I recently published on my LinkedIn site - with a few minor changes and updates. I have been moving through life in the past few years in a constant state of stress. I’m sure many of you relate. Not that there aren’t moments of joy, but the demands of my professional career and my personal roles as mother and wife are often hard to balance, let alone try to find a few minutes of serenity and quiet for myself. My brain is constantly buzzing with “to-do” lists: things I need to take care of when I get to the office, things I need to remember to do on my way home from work, things I need to do when I get home from work…and how to cram it all in two the 2-3 hours I have in the evening for preparing dinner for my family, packing school lunches for the next morning, getting my children into PJs with teeth brushed, and (most importantly) story time and snuggles for bedtime. And, let’s be honest, even though I have a huge laundry list of items (and act

FRIDAY FEATURE: Featured Artist ~ Colleen Reynolds

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Step on board the U.S.S. Watercolor with Colleen Reynolds! Funny and direct, I have worked with Colleen Reynolds on the Board of the Utah Watercolor Society for the past year and a half. She was actually the person responsible for recruiting me to take over as the UWS Newsletter Editor. Colleen is the current UWS President, and we are in for a fun-filled year!  Big Ship and a Little Tug  ©Colleen Reynolds Colleen served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years and 6 months. She enlisted as a communicator, then called "Radioman," and achieved the rank of Radioman Chief Petty Officer (RMC or E-7). She was then selected for a commissioning program and earned Cryptologic Officer, achieving the rank of Lieutenant before retiring in 2000. She served in San Diego, CA; Oslo, Norway (with NATO)l; Edzell, Scotland; Washington D.C.; Moscow, ID; and Chesapeake and Norfolk, VA. While in Norfolk, she had opportunity to serve onboard the U.S.S. George Washington, the

A Fall of UWS Shows!

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I have been working to set up a new studio space in my home for  the past couple of months, and also to  clean up our house a bit - so I am not constantly bombarded by the mess factor, feeling guilt that I should be cleaning or doing laundry or dishes rather than painting. In fact, we are in the process of using the KonMari method of tidying our entire home! The end goal is to allow myself to get into a higher level of art production and to create a "sanctuary" at home. I am hoping for a place that feels relaxing when I walk through the door, so that I can unwind and let my brain rest and rejuvenate - thus allowing me to focus better on all things I would like to accomplish. (That is what I hope to do by tidying our living space...create some peace for all of us! Getting the hubby and boys on board hasn't been too difficult, but we still have many things to do in order to achieve that sanctuary!)  Additionally, in the last few weeks, the new school year started for b

Art Festival Day

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Spent the day at the Park City Kimball Arts Festival today with the hubby. Beautiful day, lots of wonderful art to view and treasures to be found! Art booths up and down Main Street Art booths up and down Main Street Guilloume - beautiful sculpture work