Day 7, Pastels, The Flock

30 in 30 hosted by Leslie Saeta.

 Day 7

The Flock

7" x 10.75"

SOLD

Two years ago my feeders were visited by a flock of

cardinals consisting of 12 males and 12 females.  

It was beautiful - I couldn't believe it! I took pictures with plans to paint them and also, I didn't think anyone would believe me. It turns out that they were more difficult to photograph than I thought and quite honestly the feeders weren't all that attractive. Anyway this is what I came up with . It was first time doing snow in pastels.

To purchase this drawing go to http://www.jillraefinallyart.com/30-in-30.php  Or just hit the "Visit My Web Site" button on the right of this blog. When you get there go to "My Art"  then "30 in 30 in the pull down menu. 

Win a Custom Ink Drawing. 

I will create an Ink Drawing from a photo that you email me. It could be a favorite vacation place, your house, or anything - just not portraits (they aren't really very distinguishable.) The art work will be between 8x10 and 11x14, depending on the photo and will take about one week to complete.

 

All this is to introduce my new Monthly Newsletter coming out at the end of this month. It will include what's currently happening at JR Finally Art along with some deals exclusively for my newsletter readers. Each month this free newsletter will be emailed to you so you won't miss a thing.

All you have to do to enter the Custom Ink Drawing Giveaway is to subscribe at

http://eepurl.com/SHx-f  or just hit the subscribe button to the right of my blog. I will draw a name from all new subscribers on January 9th. You will be contacted by email and asked to send a clear photo via email within 5 days of winning. After about a week I will sent it out in the mail to you, no shipping charges, no taxes. It's free!

This has a $65 value.

Good Luck and thanks for subscribing.

Darling Starlings, Christmas Card Giveaway

Win a set a six Darling Starlings Christmas Cards.

The six cards are 5x7. They come with six envelopes and a clear plastic box.

The inside reads;

Wishing You and Your Flock a Joyous Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.

The drawing starts today, Wednesday, December 10th and will end Friday December 12th. I will mail the cards out as soon as the winner claims their prize. 

Four easy ways to enter:

1. Like my Facebook Page

2. Comment on my Facebook Post regarding the cards. 

3. Comment on my web-page at http://www.jillraefinallyart.com/index.php

4. Comment on this blog post

Do all four to get four entries!

I still have a few card sets left if anyone is interested in purchasing them. They cost $9.95 for six. Please contact me for more details if you are interested.

Good Luck everyone. The rules are listed below.

•  

Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions for Jill Rae Finally Art "Giveaway"
Your participation in JR Finally Art Giveaway (“The Giveaway ” or “Promotion”) shall be deemed to be your complete acceptance of the Terms and Conditions herein.

The following are the Terms and Conditions of The Giveaway, which is sponsored by the operator of the Internet site www.JillRaeFinallyArt.com   (“JR Finally Art" ).

1. Only persons over the age of 18 are eligible for entry to The Giveaway. You may be asked, at any stage, to provide Jill Rae or a third party with proof of age and /or identity.
2. The Giveaway shall take place on the date specified on the Giveaway page on www.JillRaeFinallyArt.com
3. The Promotional Prize will be mailed out to The Giveaway winner after the winner has provided Jill Rae with a valid mailing address and proof of identity .
4. In the event that, for any reason whatsoever, the Promotional Prize winner fails to contact Jill Rae within Fifteen (15) days after being announced the winner on the www.JillRaeFinallyArt.com website, such winning entrant shall be deemed to have forfeited his / her claim to the prize and  Jill Rae shall not have any obligation whatsoever to compensate the winning entrant in any way.
5. Jill Rae's decision is final with respect to all matters relating to awarding of the Promotional Prize and shall not be subject to review or appeal by any entrant or by any third party.
6. Your participation in The Giveaway is considered your agreement that Jill Rae may contact you to let you know of your winning and to announce you as the winner on www.JillRaeFinallyArt.com, JillRaeFinallyArt.blogspot.com and Facebook.
7. The Prize is neither transferable nor exchangeable and cannot be exchanged for money or money's worth.
8. By entering the Giveaway each entrant unreservedly agrees to these terms and conditions which govern the Giveaway and the awarding of the Prize.
9. By entering the Giveaway each entrant agrees to release, discharge and hold harmless Jill Rae Finally Art,  its legal representatives, affiliates, subsidiaries, agencies and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents from any damages whatsoever suffered or sustained in connection The Giveaway or the acceptance of the Prize.
10. The winning entrant shall be solely responsible for any taxes levied in relation to the delivery or receipt of the Promotional Prize.
11.  Jill Rae reserves the right to alter these Terms and Conditions at any time and in its sole discretion.
12.  Jill Rae reserves the right, at any time, to cancel, modify or suspend The Giveaway if, in its sole judgment, The Giveaway is not capable of being conducted as specified.
13.  Jill Rae reserves the right to disclose winner’s name and identity.
14. These terms and conditions and any matters relating hereto shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of the State of Illinois, USA and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Commonwealth of the State of Illinois, USA.

Katie's Cup and My New Home Page.

If it's the first Wednesday of the month, it must be Katie's cup!  

I had a wonderful time today with Prisma Colors and Ink as I drew these three birds, a winter scene with very little color. I'm thinking it will make a good banner for my new Web Holiday Home Page.

Yes you read that correctly.

 I'm making a new Holiday Home Page on my web packed with many of the things I love about the this time of year!

 It will highlight some terrific crafts along with some great family recipes. In the spirit of finding that perfect gift, I'll post some links to my favorite Etsy shops for unique gifts that are sure to thrill along with some suggestions from my own page. And of course, there will be special deals and coupons. Along with all of that I'll keep you posted to what I'm up to along with sharing some of our family traditions which make this season so memorable to us. So bring the holidays on... I'm not afraid! Although I will admit to quickly turning the radio station after hearing a few Christmas songs. Some things are just too early for the first week on November. I'll keep you posted as to when it's done.

What I Learned From Doing 30 Paintings in 30 Days. 2014-02-26 07:41

It’s been about a week since I’ve finished my 30 in 30. The lessons I learned from that experience were significant to my growth as an artist. I’m glad I don’t have the pressure of producing some piece of work that will be posted on the internet each day. But in some ways, I think it was so good for me. I feel to really make a go doing art full time and making somewhat of a living off of it, I need to be very serious about the amount of time I spend painting each day. I had not done that up to this point. Sure, I knew I needed to paint for at least four hours a day but up to this point I hadn’t been able to do that.

And then there’s the question about experimentation. I know I’m not painting the way I will be in three years from now. There’s a more free, expressive form of painting dying to get out of me. I’m just not fully aware of where I’m going with it yet. It’s important that I continue explore my different painting styles. It will come, maybe when I’m done with the style I use to paint my garden series. Maybe that will evolve into something different.  Sometimes I love being very loose and free with oil painting and then find it comforting to go back to my slow, controlled style of watercolors.

“Never Apologize!” That’s what Julia Child always said about her cooking and I think it truly applies here. While doing the 30 in 30 I had to post work each day. It didn’t matter if I liked it or not. What a long way from over a year and a half ago when showing any of my work made me feel over exposed. So, I say experiment, meaning sometimes producing “bad art” and don’t apologize. You don’t know where it may lead. I also should point out that the 30 in 30 certainly showed me that people all have very different tastes. You don’t know how someone will react to you work.

I also learned that sometimes I spend way too much time on paintings deciding how they should be. Sometimes do it and move on is a better practice. That’s not to say “living“  with a piece for awhile is not bad either.
I guess I found the answer that I always knew to be true … More Art.

• Am I doing enough art?… more art.
• Is it good enough?… more art.
• What’s my style?… more art.
• Can I make a living with art? …more art.

What are your truths?