Jennifer Love Artwork BLOG

Do you know how to ride a bike? Did you ever have to pick yourself up, dust off your bruised and bloodied knees and try again? I still have gravel in my knees from many a crash in my youth. But, it is also a badge of honor! Proof that the effort I made to learn and improve paid off! And, now that I have the skill, I will never forget, no matter how long it’s been since I got on a bike. Learning to ride a bike is a good metaphor for our art pursuits. Being an artist requires tenacity. It requires dusting ourselves off and trying again. It sometimes even requires my blood, sweat, and tears (literally)! But, over the years, I have learned not to take rejection too personally (although it still stings), and I have persevered - and this is something all artists must do!  In 2003, when I joined the Utah Watercolor Society (UWS), I was anxious to “get going” with my art. I had no idea how competitive the art world was! I made slides of all my best pieces of artwork. I set up a studio

Roses, Peonies, Iris Summer is here! We had a wet, wet, wet spring (an unusual amount of rain for Utah). But, thanks to all that water, I have some beautiful flowers in my yard. This year has also been my personal project push to finish the KonMari tidying and decluttering method to my home. I started KonMari in 2015 (long before the Netflix special)...but, I paused in the middle due to life commitments. (I accepted the nomination to V.P of the Utah Watercolor Society 2016-2017, then President 2017-2018, then Past President 2018-2019).  With the 2019 UWS year closing out at the end of May, I decided I would push through to finish the tidying event in my home that had been on hiatus since 2016. I know, I know...that's not what the book says to do. "Tidy all at once, quickly, in one go." But, life happens! So January 2019 came, and I said to my husband "We're going to get this done!" and we jumped back in to the Komono (miscellaneous) ca

Background image source: Death to Stock Photos Have you ever encountered a Troll? When we post artwork online, sometimes we get hurtful or controversial comments intended to start an argumentative dialogue. These people are "Trolls." Sometimes we even meet Trolls face-to-face! This happened to me when I posted a copy of my painting "Kokopelli Conga" on Google+.  "Kokopelli Conga" | Watercolor | Jennifer Love I very quickly received a comment from a Google+ user (not someone in my circles) saying that he didn't think he would consider my painting to be "Art" but maybe "art" and asking what did I think? Basically, he was telling me I'm not really an artist and my painting is not worthy to be called Art. Ouch. Well, after my initial reaction of hurt feelings from criticism without any constructive advice or suggestions, I realized what this user was about and what he

"Inspiration is for amateurs!"  Have you heard or seen this quote? I have many times, and I believe it as well - in a sense. If we are to be professional artists, that means we show up to work as any other professional would. Some days you have a successful and productive day, others...not so much. But, you plug away at it no matter what if you want to create that paycheck! But, setting that attitude aside for a moment...sometimes artists are also inspired! When we are, we have to act on our inspiration, immediately if possible. And, a lot of times, that inspiration results in something magical. A painting that you truly love, where all the techniques and color harmony and everything just came together. Sometimes it is just a happy accident, when you are experimenting with new ideas and techniques. The question is...once you've created the magic...can you recreate it? What if you did that magical painting on inferior quality materials because you were just experi

I know it's cliche, but it's so true. Time just gets away from you! My kids are growing right before my eyes...time marches on! Some goals are accomplished, and some are left unfinished - to accomplish another day! I am still in the middle of my #KonMari tidy event. Even though I haven't followed her direction to do it "all at once"...I also don't feel that I quit in the middle. I just had to take a hiatus. Two years of commitment to the Utah Watercolor Society, first as the Vice President, and then the President. My "free time" was non-existent. Now, I am Past President and Communications/Webmaster. But, the demand on my time is significantly less. Last fall, I remodeled my master bedroom, including new paint, pulling up carpet, screwing down squeaky floor boards, and laying carpet tiles. (and yes...I did all the labor). We have an older home, rambler style, built in 1967. It needs a lot of fixing up, and we are slowly trying to work our way thr

Do you have a dedicated workspace for your art? It doesn't matter if you are a full-time professional artist or a hobbyist, a dedicated studio will help! My studio has gone through several iterations in the past few years. I started with unpacking supplies and taking my paints to the kitchen so I would have space to work on a full-sized sheet of watercolor paper until my painting was done, then putting everything away again. I don't recommend this method. It might take you 20-30 minutes just to get all your art supplies out and set up before you can work. What if you only have 30 minutes to paint? Kitchen table "studio" Next, I moved my "studio" to the top of my dresser in my bedroom. But, as you can guess, it was soon overrun with clothing and miscellaneous items that seem to accumulate on our dresser tops. (ARGH!) Dresser top "studio" Then I tried an old table set up in our home

Originally published 12/26/15 ___________________________________________________ Since I have dedicated my attention to watercolor painting in the past several years, it has been a long while since I created a pencil portrait. Drawing skills, of course, are important to any painter - as you still have to transfer your design to the paper before painting. But, I haven't focused on pencil drawings as the final product for a long time. So, recently, when I was commissioned to do a pencil portrait for a Christmas gift, I thought I might break down the steps and tools that I prefer to use in the process and write a little blog post about it. Tip #1 : Use a grid. This is good for any drawing you are trying to recreate from a snapshot, but especially for portrait work. Make a copy of the picture you are using and draw a grid on the top. Then make a proportional grid (in light pencil marks) on the paper you are using in order to lay out the picture proportionally. This will be esp

Repblished. Original blog post published on 5/22/15 __________________________________ Ian Ramsay ~  "I love to paint scruffy farms." I'm so excited for this featured artist post! My husband and I are collectors of Ian Ramsay's work and, to date, own at least eight of his paintings. He has an incredible talent for luminosity and seeing beauty in the every day things that most people might take for granted. Kudos to my husband for making the first purchase! But, I too love Ian's work and enjoy looking at the paintings hanging in our home daily as well.  "Capestrano, Abruzzo, Italy"   ©Ian Ramsay. This painting  is presently at the High Country Summer  Exhibition  at Trailside Gallery in Jackson Hole, WY I was privileged to take a workshop with Ian about a year and a half ago. He was so open with teaching his technique for building layers of watercolor in order to achieve the beautiful painti