millward studios

We make plans... and the universe laughs.

2012-01-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

'Winter Trees'
15" x 30" x 3/4"
Acrylic on canvas
Livingstone collection- Tucson, AZ

Happy New Year everyone!
2011 was a doozy, with many twists and turns we least expected.

My Brian got sick early in the year. So, I put away my paintbrushes and spent much of the year helping him through some really difficult stuff.

B's Journey is chronicled here .

December started out with Brian seriously ill in the hospital, but these last few weeks he's been improving rapidly.

He no longer needs constant care.

That being said, there's even a chance I may be painting again within a few days.
First I have to clean my very dusty (and somewhat cluttered) studio.
Then squeeze some paint on palette and dive in.
I'm sort of nervous and excited about that. I literally haven't painted a single stroke in over 4 months.

What if I've forgotten how?
I'm sure rediscovering painting will be quite an adventure and I'm curious to see what changes this 4 month hiatus may have created in my approach to painting in general. I've got a ton of ideas I've been chomping at the bit to paint. New subjects, different cropping, and maybe, just maybe I will try oils for the the very first time. Oooh, scary!
I'm hoping to recap my 'Year in the Life' accomplishments within the next few weeks. I did get a lot done before Brian became ill.
I'm also taking the optimistic approach in making my New Year's list of Art Goals for 2012. I believe Brian will continue to improve and I will find more and more time for painting and marketing. I've got a ton of new ideas to help get my art out there and look forward to getting those ideas up and running.
Wish me luck.... and...
Happy Painting!!

Win A Mug featuring my painting 'First Christmas'!!

2011-11-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Nichol Boyle, winner of the December Mug giveaway!!
My thanks to all of you who've become followers of this blog. You will all be eligible for all future contests as well.

A print of this painting will be featured on the December Mug giveaway.

click image for larger view

'First Christmas'

11" x 14"

Acrylic on canvas

I'm having a Dec 1st contest for all followers of this Art Blog.

The winner of the contest will get one of my popular Zazzle Mugs, this one featuring a print of my painting 'First Christmas'.

If you're the winner, you'll get your mug in time for the holidays, to enjoy yourself, or perhaps give as a gift.

It's so easy to enter!

Click the blue 'Join this Site' button found in the right margin over here. ►►►

Scroll down a bit, past my artist's bio and you'll find the blue 'Join this Site' button. It's just above all the little thumbnail images of my Blog Followers so far.

Simply join this blog and be entered.

All my blog followers, old and new will be eligible.

If the drawing were held today, the odds would be 1 in 34 that you'd win, because that's my blog follower count at noon today, as I post this contest. The odds will be 1 in whatever that number is on Dec 1st.

All my Blog Followers, old and new, are eligible for all my Blog Contests.

Become a blog follower before Dec 1st, and your name will be entered in this drawing for the 'First Christmas' mug giveaway.

Remember, once a Blog Follower, you are eligible for all future contests held on this blog as well. So, join today. Keep up to date on all my latest art happenings and be entered to win free stuff now and then.

Thanks for visiting ... and good luck!
View Mug here.

Win A Mug featuring 'Emma's Fireflies'!!

2011-10-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I'm having a Mug Contest this month. Go to FACEBOOK and like my new Millward Studios-The Fine Art of Jenna Millward Corkill Facebook Art Page and your name will be entered in the November 1st, 2011 (next Tuesday!) drawing to win a free mug featuring my painting 'Emma's Fireflies'.

VIEW MUG HERE

So, click the FACEBOOK link, LIKE the PAGE, and be entered to win this mug, featuring a print of my original painting:

Congratulations to...Jason Livingstone! He won the 'Emma's Fireflies' Mug on my Facebook Art Page contest.

My thanks to the 60 folks who entered the contest by Liking my Facebook Art page.

'Emma's Fireflies' 2011

10 X 10 X 1.5"

Acrylic on canvas

Original not for sale,

but prints are available here.

click image to enlarge

I'm also having a Dec 1st Mug Contest for all Followers of this Blog.

That Mug will feature a print of my painting 'First Christmas',

and you'll get it in time for the holidays, to enjoy yourself, or perhaps give as a gift.

All my current Blog Followers are eligible, old and new, for all my Blog Contests.

Become a new follower before Dec 1st, and your name will be entered for the 'First Christmas' mug giveaway.

I'll be having additional contests periodically for all my Blog Followers, so start following now to be eligible for all future contests as well.

(Click the blue 'Join This Site' button found in the right margin, just above all the little thumbnail images of my Blog Followers so far.)

Thanks for visiting ... and good luck!

click image

to enlarge

A print of this painting will be featured on the December Mug

'First Christmas'2004

11" x 14"

Acrylic on canvas

'Sometimes, you just have to let it slide'

2011-09-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

or ...
'No sense fretting about it'
~a-work-in-progress~
6" x 6" acrylic on canvas panel

I haven't decided if this one will be for sale or not.

Morning light filters through our window blinds on a few of Brian's guitar slides.

(For those of you not familiar with what a guitar slide is,

here's video of Bonnie Raitt playing guitar with a slide.)

Placed on your finger, you make notes by sliding it on the guitar neck. They create a very distinctive sound.

Brian's got about a dozen slides, each one unique, and I think they make cool subjects for still life paintings.

I love the reflections in the metal slide.

This painting is almost done. I still need to finish bringing the sunshine in with highlights here and there, as well as a few minor tweaks on the metal slide.

I can work on these small canvases in the house, without being too isolated from Brian while I paint, so you will probably be seeing more of these smaller works from me for a while, although I am still working on the giant canvas 'Matheson Hammock Memories' too.

"Men plan and God laughs." ... old Yiddish proverb

I started this year with a plan. To chronicle, 'A YEAR IN THE LIFE' , a year in my life as an artist, with a focused plan to grow my art business and expand my art endeavors. I looked forward to seeing where that new, more focused approach would take me.

Then, on a dime, in March, the plan changed. Brian's lymphoma returned and I had to put my 'YEAR IN THE LIFE' project, along with a whole lot of painting, on hold.

Being there for, and taking care of this man, my best friend, my husband Brian, is (happily) getting almost every bit of my attention.
So, in the spirit of this painting's title, I'm learning to let (the less important) stuff slide right now. And it's ok. It's been necessary to help me these last 6 months.
My (overgrown!) flower beds are actually pretty, in a wild untamed sort of way, and adjustments with what chores are really necessary everyday, has allowed me to still find small snippets of painting time.
Using these small canvases allows me to paint near Brian, to be close by if he needs me.

This newest Non-Hodgkins lymphoma journey has certainly had it's ups and downs.
The most recent up- the chemo is working! (as per PET scan results).
The most recent down- Brian, weak from chemo treatments, fell and broke his back last Sunday night.
Our whole journey, thus far, is chronicled on my blog page, B's journey.

Thanks for visiting.... and please consider becoming a blog follower while you're here. (Click the blue 'Join This Site' button found in the right margin just above all the little thumbnail images of blog followers so far.)
My (somewhat lofty) goal is to perhaps hit 50 followers by years end.

Matheson Hammock Memories

2011-09-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

A peek at the process.

I found time to paint today and was able to get the sky almost done on this big canvas. It just needs some minor tweaking where the black gesso is peeking through the highly textured areas a bit too much. Otherwise, I like it. My apologies, as this photo is not very good. It was taken tonight and the colors, brushwork and texture are lost in the poor lighting. It's much prettier in person.

As I was working on this big canvas, I got to thinking about some of the beaches I used to visit in the late 1960's as a teenager growing up in Miami.

One of them was Matheson Hammock Park. A man-made atoll on the Biscayne Bay, near my hometown of Coral Gables. It was built in the early 1930's, a part of President Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corp that helped put unemployed men to work during the depression.
Back in the day, it was a beautiful place to spend a day at the beach. I hear it's not quite as nice now, which is too bad, but I'm painting it as if it's still in it's heyday.

The only photo I have of me as a baby, was taken at Matheson Hammock Park. I'm in the water, being held by my mom. I've always been fascinated by that photo, probably because it's my only baby pic and because my mom looks so happy. All heck broke loose in my family a few years later, and I pretty much rarely saw my mom happy again. Heck, I rarely saw my mom at all.

Reminiscence emotions got a hold of me and I decided to change the random location of my original beach painting, to this beach at Matheson Hammock Park.
I love it when I have an emotional connection to a painting I'm working on. It takes the painting experience up a notch.
This change of location meant I had to add the sea wall/sandbar and a few palm trees and I had to make the water calm. It's almost like a tidal pool at this beach. The water softly meets the sand, so the big waves I had started in my original layout had to go bye-bye.

Before I added the sandbar and trees to the canvas, I used a technique I learned from artist Robert Vickrey. He painted with egg tempera. When he wanted to add an element to one of his paintings, (such as a hat on a child) he would often place a piece of clear acetate on his (dry) canvas, painting the idea on the acetate first, to see if he liked it. He could move the acetate around, helping him with placement, perspective and such, before he actually painted the new element directly on his canvas.
He, of course, did not use the acetate on wet paint. So, if you use this idea, let whatever medium you are using dry first. Because I use acrylic paint, which we all know, dries in a nano second, I usually don't have to wait long if I want to use the acetate.

I use 3M Transparency Write-On Film. Sold in a box of 100 sheets (8.5x10.5) for about $22. Another neat thing about these sheets is they will static cling to the canvas. Just rub the sheet around on something to activate the cling. No tape needed.

Here are my trees, sketched on an acetate sheet to see if I liked the idea or not. I put the sandbar where one of the original waves was. You can see the lights in my studio shining on the acetate sheet.

The reference photo for my original beach/umbrella idea is one I created by mashing several photos together with photoshop.

I had a photo of a plain umbrella on the beach. I wanted a patterned umbrella, one of my own design, so I replaced the plain umbrella with a polka dot umbrella I found in an advertisement. Fortunately it's perspective jived pretty good with the original (plain) umbrella so it fit in nicely.

The polka dots became perspective reference points for me so I could create the patterned umbrella correctly. I wasn't worried about copyright issues using a published photo, since it was going to be SO different from the original. It was just a perspective tool for me.

Here's the painting from my last blogpost, before I added the sandbar and trees. I'm glad the silly cartoon clouds seen here are gone now.

Brian's latest battle with lymphoma has kept me out of the studio quite a bit, so my painting updates will be sporadic for a while.
I can't wait to find a chunk of studio time again soon as I'm really having fun with this painting.

Thanks for visiting!

Paint it Black...

2011-08-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

or... 'Rocky Mountain Bye'

There were several things I really liked about this painting, before I gessoed the entire canvas black!

One was the tree canopy... the leaves.... another, the black edges peeking out here and there. I liked that concept.

One mistake I made with this painting, was tackling a new style without a reference photo on a HUGE canvas ...what was I thinking?

Whenever I changed my mind on a composition element, it was ridiculously time consuming to make the change throughout this gigantic canvas... and then my AAADD* would kick in, making painting a chore (painting should not be a chore!) 'til I finally said "enough!".

But the biggest reason (besides not having a reference photo) for starting over on this big canvas was I simply decided I didn't want a giant Colorado landscape in my living room. This painting is for our home and this canvas is meant to go back to the same area it's hung for 10 years. It's was an (unfinished) ocean scene for 3 years, and I didn't know how much I liked having a waterscape in that spot 'til it was gone. The forest was pretty, but it wasn't water.

This poor ole canvas has been gessoed over 3 times before. It's first two incarnations were colorful abstracts, then it was the simple (unfinished) sea scene. Each time I brought the Colorado landscape in from my studio to see if I liked the colors in my living room's east light, and I'd find myself wishing I'd stuck with an ocean theme. When I mentioned this to Brian, he simply said, go with your feelings.

Wow. Duh. I couldn't get the black gesso on the canvas fast enough. (except for a few parting photos of the spots I liked). At the time I decided to gesso the whole darn thing, I was happy with most of what I'd finished on the painting... so I took photos of the parts I liked and will use those ideas in future works.

This time, with a reference photo in hand, and a whimsical patchwork umbrella idea brewing in my head, I started this giant canvas's newest life. An homage to my hometown, Coral Gables and to the beach... my ocean. I miss the ocean.

This is definitely a work in progress. The umbrellas will all be COLORFUL, the sand almost white, and I think as soon as I'm done posting this, those silly cartoonish clouds are going to float right on out of the painting.

I'm trying to channel a soft, old fashioned vintage post card feel with this. Wish me luck.

Thanks for visiting! ... and if you like to see what this giant canvas (finally?) ends up being, please consider becoming one of my blog followers.

*AAADD- age accentuated attention deficit disorder :o)

'Rocky Mountain High'

2011-07-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Under-painting of a work-in-progress-

3.5' x 4' Acrylic on Canvas

When I was a little girl, I loved crayons and coloring books.... I loved to color! I loved COLOR!

I spent a good deal of my childhood in a state-run orphanage. Sometimes, local charities would deliver donated toys and if those goody boxes had crayons and coloring books, and if I was one of the lucky kids with a chance to use them, I was thrilled.

Back then, using the black crayon, I'd carefully trace all the lines of the design. Then I'd fill each area with color. Lots of color. Layered colors. This look of beautiful colors, outlined in black, has always been a favorite of mine. I think that's why I was drawn to becoming a glass artisan as well. I love the brilliantly colored glass bordered by the dark lead came outlines. Simply love it.

A few weeks ago, I decided to explore this idea a bit with paint. Bright colors, darkly outlined here and there. I had this big (3.5' x 4') canvas that I'd gessoed black. I started drawing, using the medium and dark colors of the under-painting (this image didn't capture the Prussian/ultramarine blue sky at all), to compose a Colorado mountain scene. Currently, I'm just playing with colors and shape. Once I'm satisfied with the composition, I'll start adding more colors with an emphasis on brushstrokes. I want to play with light. I want this painting to shimmer!

I'm working top to bottom, and the bottom third of the painting, under the trees, is still unknown. I've got this vague image in my head of dappled light hitting the ground under the trees with a few flowers sprinkled here and there. I'm chasing that illusive idea, trying to capture it with paint. Right now, it's still mostly black gesso.

So far, there are a few parts of this painting I sorta like, and if nothing else, it's given me a chance to simply play with paint. A little escape from the reality of my Brian's ongoing battle with cancer. He's sick today, so to stay close to him, I'm on the computer in the house rather than out in my studio (it's too isolated from B). Since he was diagnosed, there's been no time to blog....little time to paint. I wasn't even going to show any work-in-progress photos of this random experiment, but I've missed blogging (it's been 3 months), so what the heck.

I'm only getting small, random chunks of time to paint, sometimes having to put my brushes away for days, at a moment's notice. With this newest experiment in style, I've been able to come back to this canvas days later and easily pick up where I left off. I need the flexibility this style is providing. It's allowing me to be creative....to paint.... and I need to paint. I don't know where this painting is going for sure, but if it ends up somewhere I don't like, there's always black gesso. In the meantime... I'm still chasing.

2011-03-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

"Never take time for granted, and always, everyday, let the ones you love, know it, by your actions and your words." Jenna Millward Corkill

'Lauren and the Old Piano' 2003
Acrylic on canvas

Private collection- Tucson, AZ

This is one of three paintings I entered in this month's CFAI art challenge. Two of them star our granddaughter, Lauren.
Update 3/28- The March results are in and I didn't win, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Part of stepping outside my comfort zone this year is entering art contests and I'm doing just that. Who knows, someday, I may win one.
See all the CFAI entries submitted (including mine) here

This portrait is of three year old Lauren. She will be 16 next month, the 2nd oldest of our ten grandchildren. She is beautiful and talented young woman, who has starred in a few of my paintings. Fifteen year old Lauren is also the star of 'The Girl', a modern style portrait and another entry in the March contest. I am especially pleased that in the painting of the younger Lauren above, I was able to capture her Mom's piano and music books for posterity, as that piano is now gone and missed.

Now, on a different subject, I'm sorry to have to say, my wonderful husband, Brian, the light of my life, was told yesterday his Non-Hodgkins lymphoma has returned.

We knew this day might come, as when they 'typed' his cancer in 2000, they told us the good news/bad news with his type of lymphoma was:

Good news-it doesn't like to metastasize.
Bad news-it was a persistent type that almost always comes back.

The docs were hoping he would get 10-12 years of remission, saying that with the advances in cancer care, if/when it came back, they would have new medicines to fight it with. We got 11 years remission.

So begins another journey.

I'm not sure how much time I'll get to paint or post, but I hope I'll be able to find time to do both. I hope through this blog, to chronicle another success story for him. He has been my Superman, fighting cancer (twice) and heart disease this past decade, with courage, determination and grace. We've had three miracles and now pray for another. If any of you speak regularly with your higher power, please put in a good word for my/our Brian.

2011-02-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

'Strawberry Roan' 2005

24 X 24 X 1.5"

Acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Wingate collection, Tucson AZ

This is 'Shortcake, the strawberry roan' ©. She is one of 3 horses I created in 2005. She, along with 'LaLa, the appaloosa' ©, and 'Firefly, the grey Chincoteague' ©, have always shown up in my equine paintings since then. They are the horses I never got to have as a kid.

Today I seem to be stuck. Mired. Motionless. Blocked. I simply can't paint a thing I like and I'm pretty sure I know why. Today I find myself caught up in the dreaded comparison trap.

"You shouldn't compare yourself to the best that others do."...author unknown

That's the first line from 55, a note I posted on my 56th birthday summing up some of life's lessons that I've learned while having the privilege of spending 5.5 decades living on this marvelous/perilous planet!

You shouldn't compare yourself to the best that others do.

I find that if I start to compare my paintings with the work of those artists that I'm most in awe of, I open the door and invite in for a spell, one of an artist's worst enemies, the self-doubt monster. And while he's visiting, his influence on my painting is paralyzing. The faster I show him the door, the better. By allowing myself to be inspired, not intimidated, by the the work of my favorite artists, I come away lighter, free to let myself explore where I fit into the big picture.

How boring if all artists painted exactly alike. I have a friend whose paintings hang all over her own house. She does beautiful landscapes. But her palette rarely changes, her style stays consistent. While I'm visiting, I find myself looking for that one painting that's a bit different. Her paintings, when hung with other artist's, stand out. But walls and walls of just her stuff leaves me searching for something.

In this big old art gallery of a world, there's plenty of room on the walls for all of us. Explore! Learn from others. Be inspired by others, but be careful not to put out your creative fire by comparing your work to the best of the best. We all have something to offer!

Ahhh..sometimes, just putting things into words helps. So now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a monster who needs to be shown the door.

2011-02-07T17:05:00.000-08:00

'Autumn Rooster' 2005

18 X 24 X 1.5"

Acrylic on canvas
SOLD

McCourt collection- Boulder, CO

Janie, the owner of this little rooster painting, called me today to let me know he was the star of a party she'd had recently. Asking me if I had any other barnyard critter paintings in the works, she reminded me of several ideas I've got along those lines. Thanks Janie. Great hearing from you my friend!

click image to enlarge

A YEAR IN THE LIFE- January recap and progress report

I spent this first month going full steam ahead on this one year project to introduce myself to the online art community. There was way too much time spent at my computer, rather than my easel, and that was a bit disconcerting. I kept having this nagging thought that I was building a beautiful store, but with little time spent painting, the shelves were going to be quite bare. Then I would remind myself that every bit of what I was doing was important to the larger picture, so I stayed to task. Now as I do my January recap, I realize I really did accomplished quite a bit. I know my YEAR IN THE LIFE project kept me going in the right direction and I did finish two paintings.

My list of online to-do's was extensive. After all, this was the first month of my journey. Many of the things on my to-do list, once established, will require minimal upkeep, but the process of setting things up does take a good chunk of time. I was pleased to discover I have some pretty good instincts and was already applying some basic fundamentals to my blog and art marketing.

So, here's a recap of what I accomplished this first month. Blog building, using the How To Create an Insanely Popular Blog for Your Art broadcast, was the focus for January. My goals to tidy up this blog, as well as build a new blog for my 'The Daily Painters of Arizona' endeavors were among the things I completed. I also:

Launched my YEAR IN THE LIFE chronicle here, posting Part 1 and Part 2.
Joined and started posting on 'The Daily Painters of Arizona' blog~ for this I created a second artblog dedicated to posting only on DPOA. Probably spent more time than I should have on the header for this blog, but I liked the way it came out. And I learned a few more photoshop skills along the way, so the time was well spent. See this new blog by clicking here.
Redesigned this blog~ Wow! This took a big chunk of time, but blog-building was this month's focus. I changed templates, creating a customized version of 'Watermark'. I also played around with a new header for this blog, and although I'm still not crazy about it, it'll have to do for now.
Created a Zazzle store and an Imagekind store for my paintings.
De-cluttered and organized my blog's margins. I got rid of outdated links and added links that are currently relevant for me, such as links to my newly created Zazzle store that sells greeting cards, mugs and totes with images of my artwork on them and my Imagekind store, where prints of my paintings are available with a variety of sizes and options.
Became a professional member of Contemporary Fine Arts International. I had to write and send a bio of myself along with 15+ images of paintings for my Artist Page found on their website. All the images needed resizing before I could send them (more photoshop time), but writing the bio was the hardest thing for me. I waited 'til the morning it was due to write it and I'm sure a few months down the road, I'll be wondering what the heck was I thinking when I wrote it. But it is what it is for now.
I also entered 3 paintings in the CFAI monthly painting challenge. This is a first for me! These are all archived works, but were relevant to this month's challenge theme, FRIENDSHIP. See all the paintings (including mine) submitted here. Submitting art to be judged is not as scary as I thought it would be. The results of this competition won't be announced until early March. I've got my fingers crossed.
Had some success with my blog building adventures, increasing my blog followers 20% this month.I'm at 25 now. I am also timidly approaching a few other artists who's blogs I love, asking if they might consider adding my blog to their blogroll lists. I am surprised and delighted by the friendly reception I'm receiving. My humble thanks to Carol Nelson, Dana Cooper, Jennifer Woodburn, Lisa Walsh , Carol Schiff and Gwen Bell.
Speaking of blogrolls, I expanded and improved mine, adding more great artists. I've also added links to some fun Art Challenges I've found online. My plan is to also add links to suppliers and art resources as I put together my lists of companies I love doing business with.
I only completed two paintings, but did play around on a few others. I organized and cleaned my studio, and I created a new still-life staging area, that's going to be great for my daily paintings of everyday stuff. Yippeee!
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" - John Lennon ~A lot of life stuff went on in January, including two of our granddaughters' birthdays. I read a book. I gardened (well, I cleaned up my garden after a pack of javelinas tore it up). And, I spent almost a week paralyzed, watching, along with the rest of the country, the events unfold here in my beloved Tucson, after a madman went on a shooting rampage. Read my related blogpost.

When I started A YEAR IN THE LIFE, I thought I'd be covering two radio broadcasts a month. Well, I can already tell that's not a pace I'll be keeping up with. I spent way too much time away from my hubby and my painting this first month. Time spent applying what I'm learning from each broadcast to my own endeavors, as well as keeping up to date with the chronicle, is a bit much. Instead, I'll cover one broadcast a month, relevant to what's next on my list of things I need to do.

Website building is on my list for February. My website is self-built, and embarrassing. I hope to find the resources I need for building an affordable website I can be proud of through Artists Helping Artists. I especially need to have a gallery to display my available (and sold) paintings. Do any of you artists out there have any recommendations for a Fine Art website builder? I could sure use some suggestions for a good one, or warnings if you've had a bad experiences with a bad one. Oh, and I need to be able to post and edit my new paintings myself as needed, so it needs to be somewhat user friendly. (I do have a grasp of html and css)

Once again, thanks for visiting....and happy painting!

2011-02-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

"Emma's Fireflies" 2011

10 X 10 X 1.5"

Acrylic on canvas

Original not for sale,

but prints are available here.

click image to enlarge

Yesterday, our oldest granddaughter turned 17. An amazing, gifted singer, songwriter, piano and guitar player, she already 'glows'. She likes fireflies, so I decided to do a little painting for her birthday. As grandparents, we love to pass on words of wisdom to our grandchildren and I feel that through this painting that I will be able to 'speak' to her for many years to come.

I'm making prints to give to my other 6 granddaughters. If there's someone in your life you think would also like to have one of these, you can ORDER PRINTS HERE through Imagekind. I also have matted, signed prints of this painting available by contacting me directly HERE . This painting is also available HERE on mugs, greeting cards and totes through Zazzle.

2011-01-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

'Red Sentinels' January 2011

20 x 24 x 3/4

From my Tall Trees Series. Highly textured tall trees with many layers of glazed colors, this style has been a favorite for my collectors for years. I've done these trees in many different colors, including greens, golds, rusts and reds. I think this latest warm red version has a rich, Old World look and feel.

Click here to Zoom

SOLD

Dawson Collection, Tucson, AZ

Here's the canvas during the texture phase. Trees are loaded with texture and there is a subtle fern-like texture throughout the canvas. Glazes of color are added a layer at a time. This one has rusty, warm red tones. The gloss finish really highlights the texture, especially the fern relief. Camera isn't doing this one justice.

2011-01-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

'Hooked' 2005
18" x 24" x 1.5"
Acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Smith collection- Iowa City, IA

Thanks to my cousin Tom Hapgood for the awesome black and white reference photo of this old hook in Chad's Ford, PA.

Click image to enlarge.

A YEAR IN THE LIFE- part 2

Joining The Daily Painters of Arizona meant creating a separate blog dedicated to art posts only. With that in mind, I was looking for ways to make the blogging experience better for my visitors. An entertaining, informative, less cluttered, more functional, pleasant blog experience. One that will develop a good following with visitors who are also willing to leave a comment or two now and then. We art bloggers gotta admit, we love comments. They help us know we've found an audience who likes what we're doing.

So, I went to my trusty new friend, Artists Helping Artists, and found just the show to help me tidy up my blog sites. Originally aired on 4/22/2010 I found Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry's broadcast, How To Create an Insanely Popular Blog for Your Art. That sounded like just the ticket, so I grabbed my java and my notebook and started listening. Fun and informative! What a nice group of artists! An hour well spent!

I found tons of good ideas for improving the overall appearance, feel and functionality of your blog. ( If you have an hour, I encourage you to listen to the broadcast). In the meantime, here are the highlights. I've already started applying these suggestions, and I'm liking the results:

Look at your blog as if it's your very first visit.
Put beauty in your blog- include photos of your art. Use consistency in style and post format. Put your art photos in the same spot on each post. Make return visitors feel comfortable.
Talk to your audience through your blog. Your audience will probably include other artists, collectors, friends and family. Talk about your feelings, your passions, and opinions. Be yourself. Let people know what you're thinking.
Art is an emotional buy, so tell stories about your paintings. Use humor whenever possible. People like to chuckle.
Use a creative, intriguing blog post title/headline to draw your visitors in from other sites.
Revisit and simplify your blog's sidebars with a new eye now and then. What may have been relevant 6 months ago may not be anymore. De-clutter. Simplify.
Review other blogs you like. What do you like about them? Would these ideas work for your blog? Are they using widgets and gadgets you like that you could apply to your blog? Mentioned on this broadcast was the 'Link Within' widget. At the bottom of every new post this widget shows 3 links with photos to archived posts from your blog. Great way to increase visibility of past work.
Make your blog easy to navigate. Use labels, and links, that can take you to and fro whenever possible. Make it easy to return home to your blog from your other sites.
Use keywords to increase your web search engine visibility.
Add links to your blog. To other artists, galleries and the art suppliers you love.
Share the great tips, ideas and art secrets you've learned. I've provided a link on my sidebar taking visitors to my blog page how I keep those small, unruly canvases in place while I'm painting.
Edit your posts. Give the maximum amount of info with the least amount of words. (Ahhhh, I need to work on this.) :O)
Have a contest. Give something away. Notecards or a mug featuring your art, or perhaps a print of one of your paintings.
Use Facebook and other social media to promote your blog.
Ask to be linked to other artist's blogs.
Leave comments on other blogs.
Visit other non artist blogs and sites that relate to your subject matter. I paint VW vans quite a bit, so I'm going to visit a few sites where other VW enthusiasts like myself hang, let them know I'm always looking for neat photos and invite them to send me a photo from one of their van adventures. Offer a free print if you use their photo for a painting. Or maybe they'll want to buy the original.
Add your blog's URL to your business cards. Mentioned on this broadcast was Vista Print, where you can get 250 free business cards online. They have quite a few freebies on their site. I'm going to order the free business cards using an image of one of my paintings as the background.

Comments on our blog posts are a way to help us know we're connecting with our audience.

Here are the highlights of the ideas and tips they mentioned to help get the comments flowing:

Make it easy to comment. Make sure you enable comments through blogger. It's easy to do and the settings will still let you filter SPAM. None of us like that mystery meat showing up unannounced! Enable email notification to yourself when a comment's been left so you can respond in a timely, courteous manner.
Find a few blogging buddies willing to comment with some regularity on your blog. They'll help break the ice for those who don't want to be the first to comment.
Ask a question. How does the painting make them feel? What do they like about it?
Ask for suggestions. Encourage. Suggest they share their own story.
Ask people to help you name a painting.
And last, but not least, acknowledge all comments left on your blog posts. Show gratitude for comments left. Say thank-you.

Well, that's all for this installment of A YEAR IN THE LIFE. I'll fill you in along the way on how these tips are working for me. One positive sign would be an increase in my blog followers numbers (currently at 20), and more comments of course (currently about 1 or 2 a post).

Let me know if you like this chronicle along the way. Any ideas for making it better? Any idea that's worked for you on your own blog that I didn't mention? If you've been here before and can see the changes taking shape, let me know what you think of the new look... oh, and.... ahhh, leave a comment if you'd like! :O) ...thanks for visiting!

Tucson's tragedy

2011-01-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

'Shortcake and Jen' 2005
24" x 24" x 1.5"
Acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Walker collection- Ruffin, NC

click image to enlarge

I love my Tucson. I have lived here since I was 17 years old. 40 years this December.

Because of last week's Tucson tragedy, I won't be posting the second installment of 'A YEAR IN THE LIFE' quite yet.

The events that occurred here, a week ago today, have caught me so off guard, I've just been sort of going through the motions all week.

Our granddaughter's 11th birthday party was scheduled for that same day. While the kids played at the local pizza place, the adults' attentions were fixated on the TV screens mounted everywhere. It was surreal. In this noisy pizza arena, surrounded by dozens of simultaneous celebrations of life, we learned that one of the victims was a 9 year old little girl. Surreal...and so incredibly sad.

A word about our town. We are a vibrant, eclectic mix of cowboys, college kids, retirees, young military families and everything in between. And, we are the biggest small town you could ever live in. There's not even 6 degrees of separation here. I'd say about 3 at the most. Everyone here really does know someone who knows someone.

I hope my Tucson isn't to be remembered just for this horrible crime, but also for our wonderful townsfolk who showed us their amazing courage, their decency and the resilience of the human soul. We will never forget the victims, the survivors or the heroes.

We stand strong and proud of our city, bent by this forceful wind of crime, but not broken.

2011-01-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

Click image to enlarge

A New Year, replete with the promise of New Adventures!

...especially for this shy, hermit-like, self taught artist.

The last few months of 2010 have presented me with new opportunities I hadn't dreamed of. Artist Laurie Justus Pace invited me to join The Daily Painters of Arizona, for whom I'll be posting art weekly, and Contemporary Fine Art International (CFAI), a fabulous group of artists.

Also in late 2010, while visiting the blogs of a dozen or so other artists, not only did I discover a wonderful world of online art, but these artist's refreshing insight and helpful hints as they chronicled their own painting adventures were entertaining, delightful and informative. I also discovered Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry's weekly radio show chock full of valuable information to help other artists, appropriately titled Artists helping Artists.

As I was listening to one of the broadcasts, thinking about how I might apply what I was learning to my own artistic endeavors, I had an idea. Let me use their sage advice for a year and see where it takes me. That said, I've decided to launch 'A YEAR IN THE LIFE', a one year chronicle (2011) of this non business savvy, extremely shy, *AAADD afflicted artist's journey. Using guidelines, links and suggestions found on the weekly radio show 'Artists Helping Artists', and applying the vast array of information found there, I hope to step outside the comfort zone of my cozy studio and explore the world.

From each broadcast, I'll take notes, creating a list of weekly/monthly goals to apply to my own art endeavors. Then, I'll keep you up to date, through this blog, on my successes as I go along.

How much growth can I achieve, artistically and personally? Can I increase my number of blog followers each week? Will my name recognition increase? Will I continue to grow my art sales, both online and locally? What successes will my January 2012 recap reveal?

Drop in now and then and follow my progress. I'll be sharing all the neat stuff I find.

So here I go!
A YEAR IN THE LIFE- part 1

From the Artists Helping Artists radio broadcast on 12/30/2010 - "Goals for 2011"

This show appropriately dealt with setting goals for 2011. It was the last show in a 5 week series on goal setting. There are many archived shows I haven't listened to yet, but plan to catch up on as soon as possible. I encourage all of you to check out these archived shows, conveniently found on their Artists Helping Artists blog.

Pour yourself a cup of your favorite brew, and get ready to learn. I'm taking notes and sharing what I'm learning. I'm not going to stick to any particular order of broadcasts, but rather, refer to their list of archived shows, and listen to what show will work best for me at the time.You'll be able follow my progress here on my 'YEAR IN THE LIFE' chronicle.

Now, as Leslie and Dreama, suggested, I'm sharing my list of:

2011 Art Goals:

paint daily (explore new subjects)
expand and create new 'series' works
paint ahead (for my weekly posts on Daily Painters of Arizona)
blog weekly (I'd actually like to blog bi-weekly, but we'll see)
build my blog followers (currently at 18, can I hit 50 this year?)
improve my portraiture website (it's embarrassing)
increase painting sales (list one painting a week minimum)
build a client email list
enter a painting competition (a first for me)
enter one local exhibition (another first for me)
organize my studio (minimize the studio space my artglass uses)
continue to add helpful resource links for other artists through this blog (how to, where to, etc)

There is wonderful calm that I have found as I've gotten older. My fears seem to be melting and instead of being afraid of how my paintings will be received, I'm excited at the prospect of sharing my paintings and hearing what others have to say.

I have found that there are many things that make me happy, but painting is one of those things that makes me happiest.

This new recipe of 2011 Art Goals sprinkled with a pinch of new found confidence, hold the shyness, has the potential for making 2011 a truly HAPPY New Year!

*AAADD-Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder :O)

2010-12-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

click image to enlarge

"First Christmas" 2004
11" x 14" x 3/4"
Acrylic on canvas
Livingstone collection- Tucson, AZ

A portrait I painted of our grandson, Trevor.

2010-12-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

"Winter Trees" 2005
15" x 30" x 3/4"
Acrylic on canvas
Livingstone collection- Tucson, AZ

Wow, how can it really already be December?!

Decided to paint some pine trees for a different twist on my Tall Trees series. Pretty, cool colors with
really neat texture found throughout,
especially on the tree branches.

Click cropped detail below to see tree texture a bit better. Wish I'd taken better photos of this painting.
It was so much prettier in person.

2010-11-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

Another from my archives
My son, Chip, and his family (7 of our grandkids) came to Tucson last week for Thanksgiving. They live in Colorado Springs now. While visiting, a few of the grandkids were caught up in this painting I'd done in 1995 of John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliff. Chip and I told them the story behind the painting and I mentioned I had featured it on this blog in 2008. I told them I'd repost it so they could read it when they got home. So here it is. Click image to see a larger version.

"JOHN AND STUART" 1995
16" x 20"
acrylic on canvas
artist: Jenna Millward Corkill

The Art War ~ a friendly competition
My son, Chip, is also an artist, with a degree in visual communication from the University of Arizona... while he was still in college in 1995, we were both employed by the same company....about 75 employees worked there. One day Chip and I happened to be in the break room at the same time, along with several other employees... everyone knew Chip and I were artists, and on this particular day we were discussing our current art projects... well, this child I'd brought into this world, started talking smack about who was the better artist, me or him!... back and forth it went for a few minutes until someone there suggested we have a little 'art competition' to see who was the best... so a few guidelines were decided along with a deadline and the 'art war' began.

It was decided we had 30 days to paint a 16" x 20" black and white of any dead rock and roll artist... we would then display these 2 paintings in the break room and let all our fellow employees vote for their favorite.

The day of the unveiling was so fun!... I was completely blown away by Chip's painting of Kurt Cobain (seen below) and tickled by his positive reaction to my portrait of John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe... when the votes (60+) were tallied after a few days, Chip was the winner, by one vote!... I teased him that I had voted for him, so it was my vote that won it for him... then he revealed he'd voted for me!... that's my son~son!

My painting was based on an Astrid Kircherr photo taken in 1960... George Harrison was in the original photograph, but he was still alive in 1995. Since this painting could only include deceased rock and roll artists, I had to leave him out of the painting.

"CURT COBAIN" 1995
16" x 20"
artist: Chip Cole

If you look closely in the shadowed area of Chip's Kurt Cobain painting, you will see a skull.

Below is a detail of my painting for the competition... I love painting guitars...heck, I just love guitars... look at Stuart's big ole Hofner hollow body bass and John's famous Rickenbacker Capri 325.... I am currently learning to play bass guitar and loving it, but that's a story for another day.

2010-11-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

click image to see detail

"Time flies, don't wait too long"2005
24" x 60" x 3/4" triptych
Acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Nucaro collection- Clive, IA

In 2005 I played around a lot with large abstracts. This is one of several triptych's I did that year. I don't have any photos of this painting on a flat wall. It is seen above with the left panel hung on a 45° angled wall. Also, large paintings have always photograph a bit distorted anyway, so I don't really have a true representation of what this painting looked like.

This painting is loaded with interesting features, including the feathered 'hourglass', which referenced the painting's title. Click on the image to see a larger version which will help you find the subtle text detail as well as soft feathers in the sky radiating from the center of the hourglass. Instead of sand, the hourglass has water, contrasting the desert landscape.

At the time I was painting this, my husband Brian, a professional musician (singer and guitar player) was finishing up radiation treatment for vocal chord cancer. It was profoundly on my mind that we can't take for granted.....time.

I am happy to report that this month marks 5 years of remission. And he proved all the docs wrong who said he'd be lucky to talk again, much less sing. He sings beautifully. His voice is a bit different and he lost some of his range, but there is a richness and soul in his singing now that reflects an appreciation for that which he almost lost completely.

And his guitar playing while he was going through treatment, unable to speak, was something else again. He still performed every week onstage, and he let his guitar speak for him. It was magic.

On a different note, come the first of the year, I am starting a new painting and art adventure. I've had to create a secondary blog for this. Visit my new blog Millward Studios Fine Art to see what's in store for me in 2011. And, as always, thanks for visiting today!

2010-11-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

click image to enlarge

"Autumn Fields" 2007
18" X 36"
Acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Private collection- York, PA

Another painting from my archives. Loved the layers of glazed colors on this one! The foreground wheat grass detail was sooooo pretty! Right after I sold this, I missed it.

Still didn't find my way back into the studio this week. While doing the yard trimming these last two weeks, I discovered our front yard's irrigation system needed to be completely replaced. I do like digging in the dirt, but this was ridiculous. I finished that project yesterday, and hope to find a block of studio time today.

2010-11-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

"HARVEST MOON" 2007
20" x 24"
acrylic on canvas
Ronstadt collection, Tucson, AZ

click image to enlarge

"...there's a full moon risin'
Let's go dancin' in the light
We know where the music's playin'
Let's go out and feel the night."~ Neil Young

From my archives..... This painting was the result of just playing with texture on the canvas first, then adding paint in glazed layers.

I'm still outside diggin' in the dirt and climbing trees... tomorrow's the last day of two long weeks of yardwork, then, finally I can return to my much missed studio.... I simply can't wait!

2010-10-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

"California Dreamin'..." 2006
24" x 36" x 3/4"
acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Scolnik collection, Washington, DC

I am a huge fan of old VW micro-buses and they frequently show up in my work.

"California Dreamin'..." is a painting made up of 24 separate 6" x 6" ocean and beach paintings on one canvas. There's a classic old VW van starring in one of the mini paintings. It was a fun painting to do. I divided the canvas into 24 squares, then played at the beach in each one. Some simple, some more detailed, together a fun mix.

Once again, to keep this blog visually interesting, I am featuring a painting from my archives. I haven't painted for a week. I try to post at least once a week, so, if I don't have any new paintings to share, I'll find an old favorite to feature.

I have been called away from my studio for the last week by the arrival of cooler temperatures and a deadline. November 8th, the city of Tucson is once again providing it's free Bulky Trash pick-up. I have a huge amount of tree trimming to do, and must take advantage of the time and energy saved by this service. It is soooo much easier to drag whole branches to the curb, without having to break them down into bite size chunks.

I had about 2 hours into a new VW van Daily Painting, when it hit me that I was burnin' daylight by not getting outside and getting the trimming started. Once that thought had crossed my mind, that was it. My OCD kicked in and I couldn't give "Rusty '59" my undivided attention anymore. Might as well get the chores done.

Tucson gives us a two week notice of the pick-up and while that might sound like plenty of time, I always seem to cut it close (pun alert) with the serious tree trimming I need to do in that timeframe. Now that I'm a wee bit older, it seems to take me a wee bit longer to get it all done. I even have to climb one of the trees I trim, although I kinda like that part. I get up in that tree and sit there looking around for a while, taking in the view, and then, I thank my higher power for letting me still be able to climb trees at my age. Yep, I like that part.

"Rusty '59"
~a work in progress
6" x 6" x 1/4"
acrylic on canvas board

I've finished the first week of yard-work, I'm half way done, so, it's just for one more week, that the "Rusty '59" will have to keep on rusting. I'm looking forward to getting back to that little canvas.

Instead of painting each morning, I'll be donning my gardening gloves and getting to task outside. Thank goodness I love to garden. Play in the dirt. It feeds my soul. It centers me. It's all good.

Having made it through another hot summer here in the desert southwest, I'm looking forward to the next 5 months or so of our beautifully mild temps. Coffee and breakfast on the patio weather! Lunch on the patio weather! Heck, dinner and dancing on the patio weather! Yippee! And the yard-work will be done! Trees trimmed, gardens planted! Double Yippee!!

Now, on an entirely different note, here's a helpful hint for you other artists using small canvases.

The 6" x 6" canvas covered boards like the one I'm using on "Rusty '59", are only about 1/4" thick and quite lightweight. It's hard to keep them in place while pushing paint around on them, so I've come up with a simple way to keep them from moving while I paint.

Reusable adhesive putty, found in just about any store for around $3. Great stuff!

See how I use it on my newest blog page,
HOW TO KEEP REALLY SMALL CANVASES IN PLACE WHILE PAINTING.

2010-10-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

"Blackbeard's Bounty" 2010
12" x 12" x 1.5"
acrylic on canvas
not for sale

It's late afternoon and a youngster is busy raking clams at Teach's Hole (named for Edward Teach, also known as, Blackbeard the pirate)... the clam bounty is tossed into a cooler that's held by an inner tube.... a rope, tied from waist to inner tube, keeps the changing tides from setting it adrift.... the late day sun is reflecting off the inner tube and water.

I grew up on Florida's Atlantic coast and now find myself landlocked and constantly missing my ocean...many of my paintings are all about water. I love painting water, capturing the way it's motion plays with light and reflections!

2010-10-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

"FREE FALLING" 2007
An autumn leaf floats through the breezy sky.
12" x 12" x 1.5"
acrylic on canvas
$150
Unframed, sides painted black, hanging hardware installed, ready to hang.

To purchase this and see more of my paintings for sale, visit my
AVAILABLE PAINTINGS GALLERY

2010-10-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

"THIRSTY" 2006
20" x 24"

acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Cardoso Iken collection, Manassas, VA

"There are days when I feel I could paint the Sistine chapel and, then, there are days when I'm not sure I could trace a stick figure.... the only difference between those days is my state of mind"~ Jenna Millward Corkill©

Struggling again, with the day to day stuff. Trying to digest and come to terms with my daughter and her family moving away, taking the last 3 grandkids I have living here in Tucson to Colorado Springs. My son moved there 4 years ago and I still struggle with bouts of sadness, missing him and my other 7 grandkids something fierce.

Modern technology, facebook, skype and such, will help keep us connected over the miles, but like Marvin Gaye sang years ago "Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby, ain't nothing like the real thing". I miss my kids and family!!

My daughter's potential departure has left me in a daze. I'm not mentally present when I'm painting and the canvas results reflect that. And while I am still working on several paintings, I did not get one finished this last week. I'm trying to use the "mind over matter' approach, but the matter ain't minding.

So, once again, to keep this blog visually interesting, I am posting a painting from my archives. This originally posted August 23, 2008 and features 'Shortcake, the strawberry roan' ©, taking a sip of water.

Of the 3 paintings I'm currently working, one is a waterscape, with water vaguely similar to that found in "Thirsty". I'm hoping that swirling streaks of beautiful colors on canvas will help put these sad thoughts out of my head and let me get a painting finished.

2010-09-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

'Brian' 2002
20" x 24"
acrylic on canvas
private collection, Tucson, Az

In 2002 I came across a photo of Brian onstage in early 1997 opening up for 'Three Dog Night" and thought it would make a neat portrait.

Brian has been a local Tucson musician since 1969... in a variety of great bands including... Hobbitt, Aftermath, Hit and Run, Tunesmith, Trilogy, The Billy Shears Band, Raven and his current band, Still Cruisin'.

Still Cruisin' plays almost every weekend at a variety of local venues.
Visit http://stillcruisinband.vpweb.com/ to see their upcoming event schedule and if you get a chance, come out to one of the shows. Lots of great folks gathered together in clubs, having fun, dancing, visiting, and groovin' with a pict!

I am working on several paintings right now, but none are quite ready to post on this blog so I decided to repost this portrait of Brian. The original blogpost was in 2008. A lot of visitors don't have the time to browse my blog archives, so I will occasionally dust off one of my favorites, and feature it again.

I have been working on "Peace~Richie and Me" and making great progress. I hope to have that one done and pictures posted with in a week or two. I am also working on a new 'Tall Tree' painting as I sold "Cherry Trees" this week. And last, but not least, I have started another 'whole new style' painting, one that is really making this hard to please artist quite happy. Can't wait to share at least one of these new works with you in the next week. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this encore of my 'Brian' portrait.

2010-09-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

"The Girl" 2010 ©
ACRYLIC ON 22" X 28" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
This one's not for sale, but I can do a custom portrait for you.

Yippee! 'The Girl' is finally finished!

I finished it a few days ago, but couldn't post it as my camera was giving me fits, misbehaving and such, making the colors untrue and absolutely yukky while also distorting the canvas perspective.

I finally decided maybe I should read the camera's manual (just kidding). I've spent enough hours in that manual to know that this isn't the right camera for shooting these over-sized art works. It was a gift from Brian and it takes great everyday photos and videos, but isn't so great for shooting some of my artwork.

I did find a fix while reading the manual that helped with the color problems I was having. And I found a hint on Google to turn the canvas sideways to help with the distortion issue. Surprisingly, that helped, although I don't have a clue why...perhaps it was just a coincidence that I finally lined the canvas and camera up precisely correct when the canvas was sideways. Coincidence or not, I'm just glad it finally worked. I was getting quite frustrated. Someday, I will get a camera that's better suited for my needs, but for now, I will work with the one I have. I'm afraid to start the research on camera shopping and even more afraid of what a good camera will cost. Pretty sure that will be a scary number.

Happily, as I was at the absolute edge of my attention span on this painting, it took only a few more hours at the easel to complete. That included getting the sides painted black and hanging hardware installed.

If you compare photos of the 'work in progress' from last week's blog post to the completed piece, you will see subtle differences, mostly in her hair and jewelry. I also warmed her skin tones with a glaze of titanium white/speck of cadmium orange mix.

work in progress completed portrait

click to enlarge

I am excited to add this new style to my portraiture repertoire. Just in case you may be interested in having a portrait done in this bold, modern style, I think I will have an introductory price of one like this on a 22" x 28" canvas for only $500. The first step is simple. Email me at jennacorkill@cox.net and we'll get started.

Note: I have safely shipped completed paintings to clients all over the United States.
Client pays shipping, but that's usually less than $50. Heck, if the shipping costs more than $50, I'll cover the extra expense, so for all you folks in Maine or Florida (I'm in AZ), this deal's for you!

2010-09-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

"The Girl" 2010
ACRYLIC ON 22" X 28" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
not for sale

~a work in progress~

I had so hoped to have this done by now. But once again, studio time took a back seat to life's requests. So, I will finish tomorrow (in a perfect world). My goal was to get the finished painting posted this evening, but this work in progress will have to do. I also want to give this to The Girl, whom I will see tomorrow. She is an amazing subject, absolutely stunning.

It is 90% done. Her hair is blocked in, but not finished and there are still a few things (skin, jewelry and such) that need fine tuning, but it's close enough to post as a work in progress.

I am pleased with the results of this one. Once I get her hair and skin done, she will look even better!

This was supposed to be a one day painting, but that plan got sidetracked again by.....life. I guess if you added up all the hours I've spent on this one, it's actually closer to a two day painting, spread out over 3 days. I've got about 12 hours into it so far and I successfully balanced hubby, friends, family and home time with painting. Yippee!

Once again, since this was a brand new style, I played around with different ideas, painting over the stuff I didn't like, which added to easel time.

I used a regular photo of the girl, playing with colors and style, trying to make it dramatic. It sort of reminds me of a comic book character. I think this might become a popular style.

I am excited to add this new style to my portraiture repertoire.

I'm also excited my painting a day goal, though not reached, did once again get me back in the studio painting.

So, for now, I think I will continue to be happy with a painting a week. :O)

2010-08-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

"Colorado Dreaming" 2010
ACRYLIC ON 8" X 8" X 1.5" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS

SOLD
Gelson collection, Baltimore, MD

My very first Daily Painting. Done in a day and a half. Yippee!

For your viewing pleasure, this brand new Daily Painting combines my love of Colorado and fall's changing leaves, with my longtime affection for old VW micro buses.

" An artist must find peace with selfishly, sometimes, letting the fences go unmended." ~Jenna Millward Corkill ©

I once asked my friend and painter, Carl Rice Embrey, how he found time to paint. First of all, he's definitely not producing a painting a day. His masterpieces sometimes take 800 hours. I can't even wrap my head around that! For one thing, my AAADD* would never let me work on a single canvas for 80 hours, let alone 800. My head would explode! But, thank goodness, Carl can do it.

His beautiful paintings regularly sell for 5 figures. He paints rural Texas, especially in and around a little town called Hamilton. His detail is phenomenal, his paintings are amazing!

Carl told me you have to stop worrying about mending the fences. I guess what this old Texan was saying is you have to be OK with letting the chores go sometimes, to indulge your artistic nature.

I follow a few artist's blogs that astound me with their ability to produce a painting a day.

A painting a day! Really? How do they do it?

For one thing, they're making time to paint, and the lucky ones, who can finish a painting in just a few hours, don't struggle at all with a painting a day. For others who, like me, don't paint as quickly, we sometimes have to let a few chores, a few fences go unmended, if we want to get a painting done start to finish in one day.

So a few days ago, I challenged myself to try a one day painting. Get in there and stay in there 'til done. "Colorado Dreaming" was the result of this challenge. OK, it took a wee bit more than a day (an extra hour on day two), but it was fun, and I finished.

So, I'm thinking this painting a day idea might be a way for me to learn how to balance studio with home. An exercise of sorts on being a bit selfish for painting's sake, on being OK with letting a few chores go unattended for a day. Finding a balance. A way to give my painting my undivided attention on a regular basis. I don't expect that I'll be finishing a painting a day, but I'm sure I'll be painting more. And who knows, I might surprise myself.

Wish me luck!

AAADD* - Age Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder :O)

2010-08-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

" Do not take for granted, each opportunity to stop and smell a rose."
~ Jenna Millward Corkill ©

©
click image to enlarge

"Forever Autumn"1997
Detail of 22" round Art Glass Panel
178 glass pieces...with small faceted Topaz jewels in flower's circular center.

I have fallen in love with my studio again.

Two years ago, I lost my sense of smell. Suddenly. Completely.
The cause could have been a side effect of a nasty med I had taken for a stomach issue at the time, or my chronic sinusitis. No telling, but after that first scentless year, I sadly resolved myself to the fact that it was probably gone for good.

Gone for good!? My sense of smell! The, makes food taste better and, lets you know when the dog needs a bath, sense? Forever lost, the smells that trigger a sense of well being, happiness, warm memories? Fresh coffee brewing, cookies baking, a favorite soap, a freshly bathed baby, the smell of glazing dap and paint? Yep, gone, along with all of life's other little aroma therapies I now desperately wished I hadn't taken for granted. Yep, it was gone, and after two years of not being able to smell anything, I figured, definitely gone for good.

Then, unexpectedly, about two months ago, I caught a brief whiff of my morning coffee brewing! It was fleeting, but I definitely smelled it! Delicious! Through out that week, other scents would surprise me briefly and I began to cautiously hope that maybe, just maybe, the mysterious loss of smell might just as mysteriously, be coming back.

Happily, now almost everyday, I notice a new smell that I'd thought was lost forever.

Yesterday, when I walked into my studio, one of those long lost favorite smells was waiting for me. Glazing dap! Paint! Turpentine! That unique, blended, workshop smell that an Art Glass/Painting studio developes over time. Delicious! Dizzying! Heaven!

And a perfect reason to feature one of my Art Glass panels and my studio today.

My studio is a good size, 14' x 18', with half of it occupied by my art glass... 3 work benches, several glass storage bins filled with small to good size sheets of glass, tools, light tables and such. I haven't worked on any new art glass in the last 6 years, but I can't seem to bring myself to say I'm done with that form of expression. If and when I do, I'll have a heck of a painting studio, with tons of room, but for now I'm OK with being a little cramped in here.

I simply love the smell of my cozy studio and every single time I walk back in there, I feel peaceful... and thankful, for the gift of smell, which I will never take for granted again.

click image to enlarge

This photo shows the amazing glow that my art glass panel "Forever Autumn", produces when the afternoon sun begins to set behind it... the entire studio is filled with brilliant red, orange and gold streaks....it is truly breathtaking and one of my favorite times of day to be in my studio. If you look closely at my easel you can see I was working on 'NIGHT NIGHT LITTLE SIS' at the time I took this picture.

2010-08-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

"Aurora Borealis"2005
ACRYLIC ON 24" X 36" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Stork collection, Klamath Falls, Oregon

One of my abstract adventures. I really love the colors on this and I sure enjoyed having this one hanging around before it sold.

I could look at it for long periods of time and see different things each time.
I mostly got lost in slices of mini ocean sunsets, but sometimes I saw a colorful woven blanket, folded roman shade like.

2010-08-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

"Cabo San Lucas"2004
ACRYLIC ON 14" X 18" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Private collection, Tulsa, OK

"Nature is a revelation of God; Art a revelation of man."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

2010-08-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

click on image to enlarge

"Peace~Richie and Me"
ACRYLIC ON 24" X 36" X 1.5" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS

~A work in progress~

My brother Richard came to visit from Durango last week. He comes down a couple of times a year and we just play and have fun the whole time he's here.

He's 9 years older than me and in 1966, when he was just 21 years old, he petitioned the courts of Dade County, Florida to become the legal guardian of both me (12 yrs old) and my little brother, Geoff (11 yrs old), rescuing us from what would probably have been many more years in Kendall, Florida's state run home for children. Our parents were hopeless alcoholics, and couldn't care for us, so the state stepped in when we were little and placed us in the dependent section of Kendall. We were there 6 years before Richie was able to get custody of us.

He's not just my brother, but a papa of sorts. I can't thank him enough for the sacrifices he made at such a young age to take on the likes of Geoff and me. We were a lot to handle and he was awesome to take on the task. I will never be able to thank him enough.

This painting is taken from an old snapshot of me sitting on his shoulders the week I turned 18 in February 1972. I'm shooting a couple of peace signs, but it sort of looks like I'm giving him rabbit ears. I am also pleased that captured for posterity will be my favorite shirt with the peace sign zipper pull, and Richard's flowered shirt. Our clothes back then were so cool! Funny, it's all back in style now.

I am once again using the Indian Yellow/Thio Violet wash technique seen in 'Tornado Road', 'View from a VW', and 'First Lesson'.

I really think most of the painting is done, except the skin tones. They are still just under- painted. I will bring out more of our features as I brighten our skin tones to the proper shades seen under full sunlight. I've also got a bit more to do on our clothes, but they're close.

I am going to leave quite a bit of this painting rough. I am liking the abstract quality of the sky and trees and although it looks unfinished, I like it. I also like how the warm washed canvas is peeking though, leaving a neat glow around my hair and our clothes. I'm not changing it. I'm thinking the rough sketched look of the background will be a neat contrast to the bit more finished look of Richie and me. We'll see. I may change my mind, but for now, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :O)

I'm hoping to find time to finish this painting next week. Let me know by a click on the 'like it' button below if you're following this one, and I'll make it a point to stay on task. I am so easily distracted by other things, but perhaps your interest will help get this finished.

Thanks for visiting!

2010-08-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

click image to enlarge

"Glorious Gloriosa"2006
ACRYLIC ON 24" X 30" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
Unframed, sides painted black, hanging hardware installed, ready to hang.
$900
$50 US shipping via USPS Priority Mail, delivered to your door within a week.
($100 International shipping, delivery times vary)
Contact me at jennacorkill@cox.net with any questions.

Wake up your walls!

Contemporary fun! Dramatic, bold! I love zooming in for a closer look at a flower's center. There's a wonderful symmetry to be found there. This oversized flower is sure to make a statement in any room and the warm fall colors are perfect for this time of year. Painted with many layers of colored glazes including rust, red, orange, gold and purple, this is a beautiful painting.

I have mixed feelings about selling this painting, as I've really enjoyed having it hanging around these last few years. It's looked great in our living room but I guess now it's time for someone else to enjoy it.

2010-07-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

"You see what you want to see,
and you hear, what you want to hear."~Harry Nilsson

2010-07-15T14:13:00.001-07:00

click image to enlarge

"C/1995 01 (Hale-Bopp)"2005
ACRYLIC ON 24" X 36" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Corbin collection, Medford, Oregon

A whimsical minimalist painting I did in early 2005. I made the sky huge in comparison to our small comet watchers to try to portray the vastness of our universe.

I have a photo of the Hale-Bopp comet over the Arizona desert when it was most visible one night... and I had always wanted to paint it. I wanted that painting to somehow convey the feeling of wonder I felt and still feel when I look at the stars in our big, beautiful night sky.
Looking through the telescope, I am humbled by how vast our universe is and how small we really are.

The mysterious Hale-Bopp comet won't be back around again for another 2387 years.

For this painting, to simulate glowing stars, I applied tiny chips of a material that duplicates a phenomenon know as diffraction, the same phenomena that makes the 3-D rainbow colors in a hologram. The sky was painted with many layers of transparent colored glazes, each layer getting some chips (stars). The comet is also made from these holographic chips. The result is a shimmering, starry sky with beautiful depth, that changes as the viewer moves around. Photos can't do this painting justice.

Close up of the comet watchers.

click image to enlarge

2010-07-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

a new look
My regular visitors to this blog will notice it's new look... for one thing, I've decided to start capitalizing letters again that are supposed to to be, capitalized....I'm not even sure why I stopped capitalizing, I just started doing it one day and the (bad) habit stuck for a few years. I am also using a new blog template. I like the soft green color.

Regular visitors have noticed that I haven't posted anything new since January of this year. ....well, that's about to change too as I'm headed back into the studio after taking a bunch of time off from painting to explore other things that interest me.

Painting is just one part of my life and it had once again taken a back seat while I nurtured those other interests... like my music... my garden.... and my family.

But even when I'm not painting, I'm thinking about painting, inspired by things in my everyday life that I know will make great subjects once I return to the studio... I've been taking photos... jotting down notes... and studying the colors and shapes of this beautiful world. All done knowing that, once I dust off my brushes, I'll have some exciting new ideas to explore.

Two things that have been continually beckoning me to paint them during this hiatus have been The Girl and the guitar... that's all I'll say for now... I'll let the paintings speak for themselves as they are posted.

Oh, and some of the works in progress from previous posts will get revisited, with a few of them hopefully getting finished once the brushes get wet again.

I think it might be interesting (for other *AAADD's like myself) to see the many incarnations some of my paintings go through. I try not to give up on a painting just 'cause it loses my attention.... but I will stop working on that painting until I get a new idea that excites me to continue. I get the best results when I'm enthusiastic about what I'm doing. Consequently, the look some of my painting's start out with, is vastly different from where they end up. This said, I think now would be a good time to add a photo of where the tornado painting is right now. It was the subject of my post in January, and it doesn't look anything like it did then. It's not finished yet, and who knows what the final painting will look like, but I'm telling myself it's not always the destination, but the journey, that counts. So far, Tornado Road has been the one less traveled, but fun, nonetheless. It's certainly turning out to be more colorful than I anticipated.

"Tornado Road"- a work in progress
I've added opaque shades of blues and violets over the warm Indian Yellow/Thio Violet washed under painting. I think greens and yellows will be next but that will depend on which one of my personalities shows up at the easel.

Note- I add labels to these posts, so to follow the progress of a particular work in progress, use the label feature at the bottom of this post, or the links found in the margin on the right.

*AAADD-Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder :O)

2010-01-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

tucson tornado watch
last night tucson was under a tornado watch... highly unusual for us... actually i can't remember ever being under a tornado watch before... and i've lived here since 1971.

i am excited about this new style of painting i'm exploring.... the indian yellow/thio violet wash over a painted sketch.... i have used it on the last two paintings i've done and really liked the resulting little patches of that underpainted warm glow left peeking out here and there.

while painting these last few weeks, i kept glancing around at the half dozen or so paintings in various stages of completion surrounding me in the studio... bigguns and little uns, all abandoned because i wasn't excited about what was happening on the canvas.... it's not unusual for me to put aside a canvas that's not working...could this new style work to bring them back to life?

several of those unfinished canvases kept catching my attention ... they looked like perfect candidates for this new warm wash underpainting i am playing with, even though they were a bit beyond a painted sketch... the biggest drawback was that they already had color on them... and the warm IY/TV wash would look dull over the existing blues on these canvases.... any existing warm and white areas would be just fine with this glaze over them.

this morning i went into my studio and picked up a painting i had started several years ago... a landscape with a tornado about to skip across a rural road....it caught my eye...hmmm....wonder why? ......decided it was the one to be reworked with the warm glazed underpainting.

this old tornado painting needed to be readied for the IY/TV glaze underpainting.....kind of creating an underpainting for an underpainting... not something i usually do, but if this works, maybe those other lonely ole paintings might finally have some attention paid to them too.

unfortunately i forgot to take a photo of this painting as it has looked for over a year, tucked away in a corner of my studio. ...it was simply a very rough washed sketch...it had some dark details with washes of ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson in the sky...the road and fields were washed in warm siennas.

as shown above, i decided to block in white over any areas of blue, to remove as much blue hue as possible ...my reasoning was orange over blue = mud... and i don't want a muddy sky... i also dry brushed white over most of the canvas to soften all the other colors.... i like to see the little canvas nubs created when a dry brush of paint is dragged over it. ....i'm thinking, these little white dots will also become warm when the IY/TV wash is added... of course, this may not work in the real world, but nothing ventured, nothing gained... i mean, after all, this painting has been waiting quite a while to come back to life.

a small hint of blue did still remained after several quick layers of white... but not much, so after letting those layers dry thoroughly, i applied the wash....when i need a layer to dry quickly, i will often times use a blow dryer to speed up the process....can you believe i sometimes need acrylic paint to dry even faster than it does naturally.

here it is with the wash... kinda neat... next session i'll start blocking in the opaque colors, and bring out details, making sure i leave this wash here and there....how much i leave showing will depend on what the painting tells me to leave...i envision the finished work an abstract landscape.... bringing it to life should be FUN!

2010-01-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

click on photos to enlarge

'view from a vw' 2010
ACRYLIC ON 40" X 23" PANEL
SOLD
private collection, Tucson, Az

i occasionally work with a local faux artist, janie mccourt, when one of her clients needs a custom artpiece... she came to me with a couple of photos and an idea... her client was having a custom shadowbox made to hide their wall mounted tv when they weren't watching it... they needed a two panel painting that would slide open when they wanted to watch tv... when closed, it would look like a framed artwork... i haven't seen the shadowbox, but i understand it's pretty neat... janie supplied the canvas supports for the painting, 2 custom sized somewhat rigid 20" x 23" panels... the main reference photo was one the client had taken of a favorite spot in our beautiful desert... combined with another photo of theirs they'd taken of a glowing tucson sunrise.

"sure", i said.... "two days?" ...."no problem."

what the heck was i thinking!!??.....obviously a momentary lapse of reason on my part... i've rarely painted anything in two days, (except for my more abstract adventures)... and i'd only done a handful of paintings in 2009...this was a pretty big canvas too.

janie and her clients were quite accommodating with my request for a bit more time...and a mere week later, a 'view from a vw' was delivered... yep, that's what i'm calling it, 'cause there was this one rock that kept looking like a vw microbus no matter what i did to it...of course, once i saw it as a microbus, that was it (have i mentioned my OCD)... i kept trying to make it look like just a rock (whatever that is?) until i finally decided to embrace that rock's 'microbus' resemblance and be ok with it... ....now, go on......look at it again...you see it too ... it's that whimsical westfalia rock....don't ya love it! ( it also looks a bit like a hedgehog, or a silverstream trailer, but i went with vw microbus 'cause i'm a bit obsessed with them)... i could have completely changed it's shape, but the client wanted that spot painted and that spot has that rock, and that rock is what it is, so. :O)

reference photos

on my last blogpost, i mentioned this 'new' style i'm currently playing with... Indian Yellow/Thio Violet washed over painted sketch......used it again with this painting and i know it probably had something to do with the extra time needed.... i could have probably finished a few days earlier if i had done this in one of my more familiar styles, but then, what fun would that be?..... i actually was able to discover some neat new canvas magic playing with this.

clockwise from top left are a few 'work in progress' shots.

black and white painted sketch.... Indian Yellow/Thio Violet wash...and a few showing the sky and mountain colors going on... i let bits of the warm underpainting show on the edges of stuff here and there.

an alternate title i considered was "ocoti!!o" because of that 'in your face' fellow in the foreground... client's wanted it included to sort of camouflage the seam between the two panels when closed.

if you have a photo of a favorite spot that you want painted, you can contact me at jennacorkill@cox.net ....i also do house portraits....and people portraits...and pet portraits.... and.... well, you get the idea.

2010-01-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

click images to enlarge

"first lesson"2009
ACRYLIC ON 12" X 16" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
private collection, Tucson, AZ

i am still a self-taught artist.... no formal training yet unless you count the one 'arts and rec' painting class i took in 1980.... i have learned quite a bit from books, but most of my learning has been at the easel, trying this, experimenting with that, painting over THAT, trying it again... painting over it..... AGAIN... chasing that bright, elusive ???....(butterfly of love)

sometimes, clouds clear, stars align and the painting gods help me make sense of the bits of book learning stuff which may have actually stuck to my attention challenged grey cells... composition, perspective, and color mixing knowledge align with the hands on experience gleaned from many painting experiments... and... something clicks... not even the (challenging) physics of acrylic paint hold me back and i finish up with a painting i like more than most.....acrylic paint...really? can it dry any faster? how 'bout painting with it while living in the DESERT? ...can you say ARIDzona.

thankfully, after several months of not putting a single brush stroke on canvas, i was able to pick up my brushes and produce this latest portrait.... it is easily one of my favorites.... as well as being a portrait, it can stand alone as a figurative painting, a direction i really want to take with my future portrait commissions whenever possible... you can appreciate this little father son moment forever captured on canvas even though you don't know them personally.

i'm experimenting with a new painting style, again!... this short attention span brain of mine seems to need constant stimulation so i'm always trying out new ideas... this sort of explains the diversity of styles seen in my finished works...my multiple personality disorder also plays a part :O) .

right now, over a painted rough sketch, i'm playing with brushing the entire canvas with an Indian Yellow, Thio Violet wash... i want bits and pieces of that warm glow to peek out here and there as i add layers of paint to the canvas..

the single reference photo for this portrait can be seen just above the painting... this was a cell phone photo so the quality left something to be desired, but i like the moment captured so much, i decided to use it anyway...i made a cropped copy of the baby's face to help with detail along with a black and white enlargement to help me with values... click on the finished portrait above to see bits of the warm glow i let peek out here and there all over the painting... created kind of an aura... i like it.

2010-01-15T09:21:00.000-08:00

just breathe

heard this song for the first time last week while i was LIVING in my studio trying to complete what was supposed to be a two day painting.... it took 7, but was worth it... i think it was day 5 when this song snuck into the studio... it coincided with a bit of magic that was happening on the canvas....a goosebump moment, head to toe.

eddie vedder's voice on this reminds me a lot of brad roberts from 'crash test dummies'.

NOTE: before playing this YOUTUBE video, find my playlist at the very bottom of this blog and click pause to stop the music that's playing automatically ... otherwise, it will conflict with this video and you'll be hearing two separate songs at the same time.

2010-01-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

a question of balance

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some."~ Robert Fulgram

Where did last year go?....it's a blur.

My studio and painting took a back seat for sure.... I only listed one new painting in my Ebay store... for lots of reasons.

I got more organized... went through years of life's paper scraps and souvenirs... got the VHS transferred to DVD... worked on organizing a lifetime of photos.

I spent time stretching my creative muscles on home projects....wall murals, carpentry and sewing.... I started and more importantly, finished, numerous things I'd been thinking about doing for years.

I spent lots of time with my musical interests... I played bass more... and I watched my husband make music.... his band played A LOT and I was at every gig....he really is an amazing singer and guitar player and watching him perform is one of my favorite things.

Painting can take up a good deal of my time... this time last year, I found that spending more time with Brian was at the top of my new year's wish list.... or at the very least, to spend less time in my studio when he is home... we are not promised tomorrow, and should not take for granted time spent with our loved ones.

The kitchen also took a bigger bite of studio time.... another 2009 goal was to start eating healthier which meant more time in the kitchen fixing 'good for us' food.

A snippet of my 2009 heaven on earth was sitting with Brian, on the couch, a plateful of yummy dinner balanced in our laps, watching all our tevoed telly faves... also his and her's remotes. :0)

But, I missed painting... I missed my studio... more than I thought.

So where the heck am I going with all this?

Well, there are things like the “couch potato evenings” or the "numerous gigs" or the “sharing the same book” stuff that I’ve gotta keep, but spending more time painting is high on my 2010 new year's list.

Because, after all, this is an artblog......I just have to find a balance. :O)

2009-04-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Brian Corkill, Bill Ronstadt, John Ronstadt, and Peter McLaughlin

Sunset Serenade
One of the greatest blessings in my life is the way music is intertwined into almost every aspect of our day to day life.... my husband Brian is an amazing musician and makes music regularly with many other wonderful musician friends.... he plays five or six times a month with 'Still Cruisin', his oldies band and is a guest guitarist in several other groups.

The 'Still Cruisin' gigs are good, loud, fun with lots of dancing and visiting going on, but I think my favorite music times are the ones when we have gathered with our friends, at our home or theirs, and after a meal, instruments come out, chairs get pulled up, and music begins to fill the air... magical.

Last weekend, at a get together Bill and John Ronstadt set up to introduce their friend, Peter McLaughlin, to Brian, we went to Peter's house for pizza.... Peter has an authentic pizza oven that he built in his courtyard, so everyone brought a favorite topping or two, and we made amazing homemade pizzas... forget built in B-B-Q's!! ... this pizza oven was great!... hey, I'm a pretty good brick mason....hmmmm?? :o)

The music that evening was wonderful.... all of these guys are amazing singers and players...our new friend, Peter, is a national flat-picking champion and his folk songs were great (I love folk music!)....... singing together since they were kids, Bill and John's singing and harmonies are always amazing and their pickin' ain't bad either....John's wife, Jeanne, played accordion and added her own sweet harmonies.... in perfect weather, sitting on the patio overlooking Tucson as the sun was setting, watching the city's lights come on, listening to these fellows make their music, I was pretty sure I'd found a little of heaven on earth.

2009-04-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

click images to enlarge

Yellow

Almost as if on cue, mother nature has decided to use the happiest color in the crayon box to tint our back yard... i can almost hear her saying "what we need here is a big burst of yellow to banish any remaining remnants of them pesky 'blues'...." ......thanks mom.

The view from my hammock is a study in yellow... the palo verde tree, cats claw vines, yellow oleander and an abundance of wildflowers are bursting with yellow blooms... heck, even the lemon and grapefruit trees still have some yellow fruit on them....it is so beautiful and serene... the birds are singing their spring songs and the temperatures are perfect!... someone pinch me.

2009-03-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

Me, circa 1966, just after leaving Kendall (Florida's state run children's home)...My brother Geoff and I spent 1960-1966 there.
To see some serious freckles, click on image to enlarge.

This is one of only a handful of photos from my childhood that exist.... i was 27 when i saw, for the first time, photos of me as a baby and toddler.... never knew what i had looked like as a kid (except for vague mirror memories) ....... vastly different from the kids and young adults of today who have probably seen videos of their births. :o)

Ok, i know i was a little weird in my february 24th post.... but i have spent the last month wrestling childhood monsters back into their cave and i'm happy to report, they are once again banished.... i have won this latest battle and am feeling much, much better... i actually think, after 45+ years, i may have won the war... but, shhhhh, i don't want to jinx this... time will tell.

I think part of the catalyst for last month's melancholy was going through boxes of photos (from a previous life), along with old letters and such as i continue my quest to be more organized.... i opened boxes that had been sealed for a long, long, long time and a few of them had Pandora's name on them.

And just as Pandora did in her legend, i too, at the bottom of the box, found hope.

I also found a calm new strength and a wonderful stockpile of forgiveness... for those who hurt that innocent child so many years ago... and for me, for not always being strong enough to push on through the fears... i did the best i could.

Miami midnight stroll

2009-03-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

click image for larger view

"Miami midnight stroll"2006
ACRYLIC ON 16" X 20" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Curless collection, Cincinnati, OH

2009-02-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

"...because it's scary out there"2007
ACRYLIC ON 16" X 20" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Amouyal collection, New York, NY

My 'Threshold' paintings are a series of darker, moodier works that have helped me whenever childhood monsters surface. Fortunately, as I've gotten older, these paintings have become more rare.

"...because it's scary out there" deals with my agoraphobia, mild now compared to when I was in my 20's, but present enough for me to easily become more of a hermit than i am.

After an amazingly prolonged absence, they have returned... i am once again fighting my childhood's monsters... really? why do they, seemingly out of the blue, suddenly rear their ugly heads?...you'd think after four or five decades, i'd have figured out how to banish them permanently, but apparently not..... usually it only takes me a week or so to drive them back into their cave, but they seem stronger than usual... i sometimes wonder if i should share with my kids the darkness of my childhood, or if i am making the right decision to spare them the details.... they think they know me.... they do not.

I am wearing the face i keep in a jar by the door... i will be glad when i can put that jar away again, with it's lid tightly closed.

2009-02-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

click image for a larger view

"Autumn Rooster" 2005
ACRYLIC ON LARGE 18” X 24" X 1.5" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
McCourt collection- Tucson, AZ

2009-02-12T22:35:00.000-08:00

click image for a larger view

"White Gerbera" 2006
ACRYLIC ON LARGE 24” X 30" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Private collection- Miami, FL

2009-02-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

"I rarely feel 'over the hill' which is why i'm always caught a little off guard by how, sometimes, just a few words from one of my kids can make me feel 'over the mountain' :o)"~Jenna Millward Corkill©

2009-02-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

55

Yesterday i began my 56th year... i still feel 30ish inside but mirrors scattered here and there throughout my world are always surprising me with a reflection that doesn't quite match what i think i should see... who is that stranger in the mirror?

Yep, it's me ...but the weird thing is i'm not really a stranger at all... i know more about myself now, than i ever have, even if sometimes i'm surprised by my own reflection... i feel blessed to have lived long enough to recognize lessons learned along the way, about myself and others... lessons that only reflection, seen from the perspective of different decades, can provide.

I've been amused witnessing cliches come true... yes, we do, in ways, become our parents, but funnier still is watching our kids become us (although i'm sure they would beg to differ..LOL).

I recently ran across a note i saved a long time ago about lessons learned in life (author unknown)... i've borrowed a few thoughts from that note and added a few of my own.... what follows are some of life's lessons i've learned from having the privilege of spending 5.5 decades living on this marvelous/perilous planet!

I've learned~ that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.

I've learned~that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned~that you should never tell a child their dreams are foolish.

I've learned~that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned~that no matter how hard you will try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt, and you will hurt for them, no matter how old they become.

I've learned~that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I've learned~that i really don't like paperwork, but ignoring it doesn't make it go away. The same applies to laundry.

I've learned~that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others, you must learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned~that you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I've learned~that no matter how badly your heart is broken, the world won't stop for your grief, but your friends will.

I've learned~that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned~that you can't make someone love you... all you can do is be someone who can be loved.

I've learned~heroes are people who do what has to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of personal consequences.

I've learned~that sometimes i have the right to be angry, but that doesn't ever give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned~that the bounty of planting seeds of kindness throughout your life is priceless.

I've learned~that your life can be changed in a matter of minutes by people who don't even know you.

I've learned~that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.

I've learned~that it's not WHAT you have in you life, but WHO you have in your life that counts.

I've learned~that true friendship continues to grow, no matter what.

I've learned~to trust that my God walks with me and gives me wisdom and strength.

I've learned~that prayer works.

I've learned~that it's taken me a long time to become this person i am today and i'm good with 55.

2009-02-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

"Lennon" 2004

ACRYLIC ON LARGE 24” X 24" X 1.5" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS

SOLD

Gilden collection, Ann Arbor, MI

2009-01-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

Wise words

A friend forwarded this email message to me with the standard footnote "send this to a gazillion friends in the next 2 nano seconds and you'll be hit on the head with amazing good fortune" ... i never forward these and i'm doing just fine thank you, but i often times really like the root message of these emails.... so today i'm going to include a few of my favorite lines from today's email.... hmmm , maybe i should go buy a lottery ticket or something...

~Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
~Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
~When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
~When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye and mean it.
~Talk slowly but think quickly.
~When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
~Live the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; & Responsibility for all your actions.
~When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
~Spend some time alone.
~Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
~Believe in love at first sight.

2009-01-28T14:21:00.001-08:00

Believe;
intransitive verb
1 a: to have a firm religious faith ~ b: to accept as true, genuine, or real
2: to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something

"There are days when I feel I could paint the Sistine chapel and then there are days when I'm not sure I could trace a stick figure.... the only difference between those days is my state of mind"~ Jenna Millward Corkill

Thankfully, today I am conquering the artist's angst... I am working on 4 separate canvases with really good results, and having a blast... but the day started with a big dose of self doubt.... only by taking a deep breath and getting the canvas wet did I overcome the fear ... and now I'm having a wonderful painting day... you gotta believe!

One of the paintings is for our granddaughter Emma and was supposed to be completed by her birthday, but that's not going to happen.... I'm not spoiling her surprise by mentioning it...she's seen the work in progress and loves it and is being very patient with me.

Her painting is almost done... which reminds me of another angst I struggle with... when is a painting really done?... Brian says Emma's flowers been done several times already, but I keep fine tuning them... often times I'll show him a canvas I've just tweaked and he has no idea what I added or changed.... I need to learn to be done sooner... now, back to tweaking Emma's flowers...LOL

2009-01-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

click image to enlarge

"Cherry Trees" 2009
ACRYLIC ON LARGE 20” X 24" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
click image for a larger view
SOLD
Van Riemsdyk collection, Tucson, AZ

I love the textures used on my TALL TREE paintings... especially on the tree's branches and backgrounds....in the past i've done TALL TREES in some really nice colors, including sage, rust, red, greens, golds, sienna and more... I paint these using multiple layers of different colored glazes and the glazes i used on this painting resulted in these beautiful warm cherry wood tones... there's also a hint of metallic copper highlights scattered here and there throughout the painting... TALL TREES are my most popular style on EBAY and are in collections all over the country.

2009-01-22T16:35:00.000-08:00

A New 'TALL TREE' Painting!

The last few days have been quite productive... and fun...... in the midst of launching my new little website several weeks ago, i kept mentioning to brian how slloooowww my computer was, that i thought it needed a bigger brain... i was spending quite a bit of time working on the new website, but was in 'wait mode' a lot, three steps ahead in my mind, trying to be patient while my computer took it's time thinking about ????... i was getting frustrated which is unusual... i'm usually a really patient person.

So imagine my delight when a few days ago the birthday fairies delivered a new computer!!!.....for me!!! ...i thought all i had wanted was a bigger memory card until this new thing showed up with it's fancy big monitor and sleek design... i've gotta say it was love at first sight!

The computer i had been using was a hand me down from brian... and trust me, his hand me downs are just fine, but it's computer brain was way too small for my newfound geek adventures..... it took brian a few days to get all my data transfered and load the programs i use, so now i'm playing catch up for the few days of lost computer time... i'm having so much fun with this new speedy computer.... thank you bunches brian!

I did a lot of painting while i was computerless... and had a blast!...worked on multiple canvases, including emma's gerbera daises, some WIP's and a new 'tall tree' painting.... it has really neat texture and the colors remind me of warm cherry wood tones... i also used a few metallic copper highlights that look great.... the tree branch texture is especially nice.

2009-01-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

~click this image to see a larger picture! neat!
"FAMILY"
by Matthew Stricker

Friends and Family

Yesterday I went to my good friend Linda's surprise 60th birthday party... in what seems a lifetime ago, we had bought homes on the same cul-de-sac a few weeks apart in 1979 and raised our kids together there... Linda's son Matthew and her daughter Susanne were the same age as Chip and Casey and they became close friends right away, attending school together from kindergarten through high school....our kids really had fun growing up one house away from each other....and here it is almost 30 years later and they are still good friends.

At the party Sunday, I spent some time catching up with Matthew... I always knew he was artistic but I am amazed at his work... he belongs to an elite society of astronomy artists... only 70 world wide members ... his paintings are astronomically (is that a word?) correct and mesmerizingly (again, word?) beautiful....I added a link to his website in my blog's margin under 'OUR ARTIST FRIENDS'....He is also an executive chef at an exclusive restaurant in Tucson's Tortolita mountains... I bet his food not only tastes great, but looks out of this world!...Sorry Matthew, I couldn't resist saying that. :O)

2009-01-09T16:45:00.001-08:00

"The Cole Zoo" Our son, Chip, and his family.

Said slowly with a distinctively beatlesque british accent......"number nine.....
....number nine.........number nine........"

Little Miss Rimona with her proud grandmother.
She's the youngest of our nine grandkids, and a little doll!

2009-01-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

"Orange Daisy Sphere" 2006
ACRYLIC ON HUGE 24” X 36" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
Unframed, sides painted black, hanging hardware installed, ready to hang.
$1200
$50 US shipping via USPS Priority Mail, delivered to your door within a week.
($100 International shipping, delivery times vary)

I love this painting!...contemporary fun! ...flowers are always a favorite of mine to paint... and i like the neat 3-D effect of these big daisies on this giant sphere ...could be a marble? or even a beach ball!... perfect for the beach house! ...game room! ...any room!... it currently hangs in my own home office and it's bright cheerful colors look great in there.....it was painted using many layers of beautiful glazed colors... this painting also looks great from far away or up close ...as the viewer gets closer to the painting they are rewarded with interesting bold textures as well as subtle, unique filigree texture details ... i enjoy this painting so much, it will be hard to let it go someday...but i know when it finds it's new home, it will be making someone else happy too.

Cropped detail of "Orange Daisy Sphere" showing some of the filigree texture found throughout the painting.

2009-01-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

Can I paint a portrait for you?

I have decided to start accepting portrait commissions again after a small hiatus spent throwing paint at the canvas with no regard for capturing likeness... FUN!

There are a few of you who've been inquiring about when i was going to start scheduling new portrait commissions and that time is now... i appreciate your interest and patience as well as all your kind words about the portraits i've done in the past.

I also decided to launch a new little website to showcase some of my past portraits and other paintings...the website includes contact info as well as information about the process of commissioning a portrait, the fees and such.

This website stuff is really tedious, and sometimes frustrating for this non-geek, but i'm pleased so far.... it is definitely still in the fledgling stages, but viewable... and it's not fancy...no bells and whistles yet, but maybe someday as i learn... i think building this new website is helping to keep the neurons in my aging (not old!) brain connected... and it will also showcase available paintings as well as a sold gallery... i hope to add new paintings to my new web galleries everyday (in a perfect world) but i haven't seen brian for two days, picked up a paintbrush or even updated this blog because of this website building stuff!... so it may stay simple for a while.

If you're interested in a portrait, send me a note at jennacorkill@cox.net.
Visit my website http://sites.google.com/site/millwardstudios/millward-studios
today to learn more about commissioning a portrait.... traditional and alternative styles are available.

Also, please note that i am only going to do a limited number of portraits this year... portraiture is very time intensive with a deadline and brian misses me if i spend too much time in the studio... those of you who know us pretty well know that we have our priorities straight, something we learned when brian was sick... my # 1 priority is brian and spending time with him... never take time for granted, and always let the ones you love know it, by your actions and your words.

2009-01-01T20:59:00.001-08:00

"An eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind."~ Mahatma Gandhi

2008-12-31T12:14:00.001-08:00

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

2008-12-29T10:07:00.000-08:00

"In my waking wrestling match with gravity, I am continually pinned, yet sometimes, in my dreams, I can fly! ... I know I am lucky, as this privilege, is not shared by all. ...Feeling almost weightless, I swoop and soar.....laughing in wonderment at the trees and seas below me...fearless...free...happy." ~Jenna Millward Corkill

Every now and then, i have dreams in which i am flying... so real i can almost feel the wind on my face as i soar... i am thankful for the gift of these dreams, they are magical and fun!... i don't know the catalyst for these flying dreams, and that's probably a good thing because if i did, i would probably be sleeping too much!

2008-12-28T18:59:00.000-08:00

"DRAGONFLY"
ACRYLIC ON LARGE 18” X 24" X 1.5" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
click image for larger view
SOLD

About this painting........early in my career, realism was the style of most of my paintings…many looked almost photographic…now I find myself working more and more in a softer abstract style…in ‘DRAGONFLY' , I have blended these two styles…I love the contrast of the realistic beads of water over the soft, subtle dragonfly tiles in the background...this is a tranquil painting.

After a quick glance on my website at my AVAILABLE PAINTINGS or my SOLD gallery, you'll see many different types of paintings, so different in fact, many people can't believe the same person paints them all.
My 'TALL TREE' series is the closest I've come to recognizable and it's become a favorite for collectors. It's a style I like to visit from time to time, but I can't be pigeonholed or tied to any one style...I tease I have multiple personalities, but teasing aside, there's actually quite a bit of truth in that statement.

I'm never really sure who'll show up at the easel, but I do know it'll be an adventure.... a search for the magic...colorful and bright... or dark and moody.... realistic or abstracted... EBAY is a wonderful outlet for these sometimes introspective, sometimes playful paintings!

Cropped detail of "DRAGONFLY"

The snowflake wish

2008-12-25T20:23:00.000-08:00

The snowflake wishjenna millward corkill 2007©

You've heard it many times before,
though try as hard as you might,
out of a trillion, billion, gazillion,
you will not find two alike.
So imagine our amazement
while searching the winter sky,
we happened to see, oh could it be?!
twin snowflakes floating by!
We ran after them a shouting,
as we couldn't believe our eyes.
They turned around and smiled,
delighted with our surprise.
"Make a wish, hurry!" they laughed
"like you do on a shooting star!"
for seeing us is a special treat
and much more rare, by far!
So we closed our eyes and made our wish
of all good things for you.
Have a very Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year too!

To all our friends and family, far and near, Brian and I wish you a joyous, peaceful Christmas.

These are all photos of actual snowflakes taken with a photomicroscope.

2008-12-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Treasure Hunt

When the kids were young adults, before their own families got larger, they would come to our house Christmas day... Along with a little gift, we would also give them a little $... to make that present really exciting, we started having Christmas treasure hunts to find the gift... the last treasure hunt was in 2002, then the kids started staying at their own homes Christmas day, establishing their own family traditions with their kids... so no more Christmas at mom's, no more treasure hunts.

This year, Chip and Lisa and their kids are here in Tucson for the holidays... so along with Casey and Jason and their kids we had our Christmas dinner for everyone this last Sunday, the 21st..... we decided to surprise them with a treasure hunt for the grandkids.... Chip and Casey were overwhelmed with emotion as the grandkids found in their one giftbox to all, the envelope containing...

The 10 clues of Christmas~2008

T’was four nights before Christmas, at our grandparents house
Something magic was stirring, and it wasn’t a mouse
Clues had been hidden, for the grandkids with care
All the grownups could feel, excitement in air

Moms and dads smiled, when they heard these words read
Visions of treasure hunts past, danced through their heads
But this year is different, so parents, take a nap
Because this year it’s the grandkids, who will hunt for the map

So merry Christmas grandchildren, let’s have some fun
A new treasure hunt tradition, has just begun
Your parents will now watch you, with faces of glee
While you kids find the clues, that will lead to the key

There are nine of you grandkids, each has a clue all your own
And these clues will be hidden, throughout rooms in our home
Each child will be searching, for their very own clue
While the other’s all watch, to see what you do

Finding treasure hunt clues, might be hard for the little ones
But let them try for themselves 'cause watching them search will be fun
Big kids, can give hints, when the clues aren’t quite clear
For it’s true helping others, fills our hearts with good cheer

Now dash away, dash away, dash away all
The first clue can be found in a closet, in the hall

Found in the hall closet for~ Rimona (age 1)
Hey Miss Rimona, we bet you are glad
That you have the help, of some moms and some dads
Cause you’re not very tall, heck, you just started walking
And for you it’d be hard, to reach the red stocking

Found in a red Christmas stocking for~ Lennon- (age 3)
It’s your turn now Lenny, it’s all up to you
Frosty the snowman is hiding your clue
Under the Christmas tree is where he is at
And the clue that you seek is under his hat

Found in Frosty’s hat for~ Gianna- (age 5)
Now Miss Gianna, this clue’s for you
We’ll all be watching to see what you do
Will Santa ride in a car on Christmas day?
No, he’ll be riding in a GREEN Christmas sleigh!

Found in the green sleigh for~ Trevor- (age 5)
This next clue’s for someone and Trevor’s his name
The clue that he seeks hides in a fun X-box game.

Found in an x-box game for~ Kamea- (age 7)
It’s time for Kamea to find the next clue
We know you can do it, it’s all up to you
Sometimes we cough, sometimes we sneeze
And if our nose runs, we need one of these

Found under a tissue box for~ Aubrey- (age 8)
It’s your turn now Aubrey, to find the next clue
And it’s hidden inside a duck that is blue
He quacks as he sings, but that’s not all he does
He hides the next clue inside all that fuzz

Found in the blue fuzzy duck for~ Brina- (age 11)
Brina all treasure hunts past have had this one clue
And this year finding it, will be up to you
Is it up, is it down, is it here, is it there?
The clue that you seek is under a chair

Found under a chair for~ Lauren- (age 13)
This clue is for you, miss Lauren Jane
Ho ho ho’s what he says, hiding clues is his game
This may sound too easy, but it’s not all that
Just like frosty did earlier, he used his hat

Found in a Santa Claus hat for~ Emma- (age 14)
Emma, hooray! It’s now up to you
It’s finally your turn to find the next clue
Hanging somewhere that’s really not too hard to see
In a box you will find the map and the key

Found in a small box ornament on the hall tree garland for everyone~
Map and key to treasure chest!!!

We put little 'NO, NOT HERE' notes under most the chairs, also in every Santa hat, red stocking and box style ornament...except of course, for the correct chair, hat, stocking, box, which held the real clue.....it was so much fun when they'd find a note thinking it was their CLUE only to see 'NO, NOT HERE'.

The Treasure chest was hidden in the same closet as the first clue, so they went full circle...when the grandkids found it they were screaming with delight! They carried it back to the living room, and all 9 of them crowded around it as they used the key to open the lock and find their Christmas treasures...it was truly a magical moment when they lifted the lid and saw their gifts and beautiful scrolls, one for each of them with $$ at the bottom!

Hooray! Wow, you did it!
You found your own scroll.
With your prize at the bottom,
when it’s completely unrolled.

We hope that this gift,
will help you acquire.
A present you want,
a thing you’ve desired.

We’ve had a fun time!
You kids all did great!
You’ve all found the treasure
of Christmas 2008!

oh yes, i almost forgot.... even though my pace was slower, i got the house and tree trimmed with time to spare... i used the mantra 'less is more' and was quite pleased with the results.

2008-12-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

"BRINA" 12/2003

acrylic on canvas

This is a portrait of our granddaughter Brina... She was 6 years old at the time i painted this portrait during Christmas time 2003.... She is the third of our nine grandchildren, now 11 years old with a wonderful sense of humor, cracking one liners a lot like her grandfather Fred... she's amazingly easygoing and has a strong sense of wanting to help the world and others less fortunate than her... for the past two years in a row she has donated her beautiful long hair to the cancer society to make wigs for kids with cancer... she is truly a special child and we are very proud of her.

2008-12-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

"There is more to life than increasing it's speed."~ Mahatma Gandhi

Blink and your children are grown... blink again and you have 9 grandchildren.Since i've retired, my pace has slowed considerably.... it's not a physical necessity, it's a conscious choice to take a more relaxed pace doing daily tasks.... when i was working and time challenged, these same tasks took a fraction of the time it takes me now....because now i stop and take the time to enjoy the simple things that come along throughout the day... a sort of ' stop and smell the roses' approach...i tell Casey i live a still life, and i love it's stillness....(not to be confused with boring, no, definitely not boring).... in comparing notes on retirement with Melanie, one of my best friends who retired 5 weeks earlier than me, we simply can't believe how much more time we take doing tasks we were once able to get done quickly.... because now, we allow ourselves to be sidetracked by all the nonessential wonderful things we once had no time for.

I am finding though, that i may be taking this slow paced thing a bit too far this Christmas and if i'm not careful, THE DAY will arrive and i will be totally unprepared... for us, THE DAY this year will be Sunday, the 21st...all the kids and grandkids are coming to Christmas dinner at our house and i'm not sure they will understand all this slow paced stuff if it doesn't look a little bit like Christmas' when they arrive.... i haven't done a single thing about Christmas yet except put lights on the tree....no shopping, no presents, no cards, no baking, heck, the tree's been up for over a week with just it's lights and the rest of the house is undecorated as well...totally uncharacteristic for me...i'm usually done with 90% of holiday preparations by now.

Me: we really need to get the ornaments on the tree soon and finish decorating the house

My brain: what's the hurry...we have time

Me: well, last week we may have had the time, but time is running out quickly, we've got visitors arriving next week, we haven't even started shopping or baking or....or......or.....

My brain: ok, ok, i guess we do need to get the tree done today, but first i think i'll... update my blog...or...(do just about anything else but decorate the tree or house)

Now don't get me wrong....i love Christmas and all the trimmings so i'm still not completely in touch with why i'm dragging my feet this year with this tree/house trimming stuff.... i think it feels a bit like work and being a retired florist has a lot to do with that....all the years spent decorating and trimming my shop and displays, getting the holiday centerpiece orders filled, keeping the fresh display cooler full of Christmas arrangements, etc..etc...etc.....i just think i'm a little burnt out on all that decorating and trimming stuff... it's just another task.... the first few years that i wasn't a working florist during the holiday season, it was fun turning all my attention to trimming our home...it was novelty to have the time to spend on home decorating and i loved it... but now, i want to simplify.... slow down....everything..... including Christmas.

All those active florists out there right now know the holidays are a wonderfully crazy time of year...heck, in my shop just watering the poinsettias took hours ( we had hundreds of poinsettias) ....and hundreds more of living pine trees in many shapes and sizes....and you can't just randomly give each plant the same drink or you'll drown some and deprive others...these are living plants and absorb water at their own pace... and a drowning plant presents with the same symptoms as a parched plant, so adding water could be the final blow... at the holidays, a florist's work is never finished, you literally run all day and you have to convince yourself to go home at the end of the long day, finished or not, or you would never sleep.

Definitely not a slow pace... definitely not still...which is why i savor this slow, still life i now lead... i guess i'll just have to accept that Christmas time will always be a bit hectic, but at least, for me, the retired florist, i can now look forward to valentines day, easter, and mother's day being happily taken at my new slower pace.

Well, i guess i've stalled long enough with this extra long post... it's time to get to the tree trimming... wish me luck.

2008-12-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

Making progress on 'venetian pool'.... the water, the long brick steps that all the little kids would sit on while we listened to our swim teachers, the pergola with it's allamanda vines, the loggia.... there will be many little points of interest in this painting because the actual 'VENETIAN POOL' is just like that... full of beautiful little surprises... the coral walls that have fern growing right out of them, the old carved stone benches , the beautiful old doors now painted periwinkle blue, the archways, wonderful stairways, the waterfalls, the fountains, the sandy beach... they are all just begging to be stars of their own in future paintings... for those of us who grew up with this historic pool as a daily part of our childhood, these paintings will have added meaning...

These detail shots show progress on the background sky and palm trees.

I think this is one of my current favorites to work on... let me know along the way if you like it too.

Venetian Pool~a work in progress

2008-12-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Here's a view of the whole 24" x 36" canvas of my current work in progress 'Venetian Pool'... this is a view of the shallow pool where i learned to swim in the late 1950's.

venetian pool, a work in progress

2008-12-05T14:35:00.000-08:00

As i've mentioned in previous posts, i always have multiple works in progress... this is cropped detail of "venetian pool", a current work in progress featuring the historic Coral Gables landmark where i learned to swim as a toddler many many many many, ok, maybe not that many, years ago... the painting will measure 24" x 36" when completed and this little detail only reveals a small portion of the overall painting... this will be a fun one to follow.

i was born in Coral Gables and Venetian Pool was one of my favorite places to visit... it's been around since the 1920's and was once a coral rock quarry pit that was turned into this magnificent pool... it's history is wonderful... it's 820,000 gallons of water are emptied and refilled every night from cool underground springs... and it looked remarkably the same as i remembered it from the '60's when i went home for a visit in 1997... i took a bunch of pictures and this painting is one of many i want to do from that visit home.

...AND THE PATCHES MAKE THE GOODBYES HARDER STILL

2008-11-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

Once I dreamed I was a butterfly, and now I no longer know whether I am Chuang Tzu, who dreamed I was a butterfly, or whether I am a butterfly dreaming that I am Chuang Tzu." -Chuang Tzu

"...AND THE PATCHES MAKE THE GOODBYES HARDER STILL" 2005

detail of 20" x 48" diptych

acrylic on canvas

SOLD

private collector, Marinal Del Rey, CA

This was a really neat painting... a large abstract diptych with realistic looking painted denim covered in both painted and real patches... a tribute to my favorite bluejeans from the '60's.

Oh very young

What will you leave us this time

You're only dancing on this earth for a short while

And though your dreams may toss and turn you now

They will vanish away, like your daddy's best jeans

Denim blue, fading up to the sky

And though you want them to last forever

You know they never will

And the patches make the goodbye harder still-

CAT STEVENS

2008-11-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

"FOREVER AUTUMN" 1997
22" artglass panel

As promised, here's a detail of my flower artglass panel... lots of glass pieces!... i love the colors in this window... the circular highlights in the flower's center are small faceted topaz jewels.

This photo shows the amazing glow this window produces when the afternoon sun begins to set behind it... the entire studio is filled with brilliant red, orange and gold streaks....it is truly breathtaking and one of my favorite times of day to be in my studio.... if you look closely at my easel you can see i was working on 'NIGHT NIGHT LITTLE SIS' at the time i took this picture.

I love my studio!

2008-11-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

This is the southeast corner of my studio... my main easel is just out of this picture, on the right, facing my Eames chair...the sunflower lamp on the table is one of my original designs, from my lamp making days... the studio is a good size, 14' x 18', but half of it is still occupied by my artglass... 3 work benches, glass storage bins from small to good size sheets, tools, light tables and such... i haven't worked on any new artglass in the last 4 years, but i can't seem to bring myself to say i'm done with that form of expression... if and when i do, i'll have a heck of a painting studio, with tons of room, but for now i am a little cramped in here... i love the smell of this room... it still smells like an artglass studio and every single time i walk in, i feel peaceful... it also has a great stereo to play my current favorites while i paint... I LOVE THIS SPACE!

There was a time, over a decade ago, when i was really into sunflowers, so consequently i received a lot of sunflower related stuff for my birthdays, Christmas and such... the sunflower things seen in this studio shot are a few of my favorites i've kept from that period...i am not a person who wants to be defined by the collections i keep, so if i start to have too many of any one thing, i will downsize to a favorite few....... i've kept the sentimental sunflower things that my kids and friends have given me, including a handmade blanket that Eva made for me and the two foot long blown glass sunflower gift my friend Rob Cuttieta brought me from the chicago museum of art... because of it's fragile nature and size he had to hand carry it all the way back to tucson on his flight home from chicago (thanks rob, i love it).

In my next post i will feature the west side of my studio, or more specifically, the west window in my studio.... i have artglass panels in all my studio windows, but the one in the west window is unique... every afternoon as the sun sets, it fills the studio with an amazing magical glow... it's really something special.

"ANNIE" ...also know as 'the boudge dog'

2008-11-09T18:48:00.001-08:00

"ANNIE" ...also know as 'the boudge dog'

~a work in progress~

I am currently working on a half dozen new paintings, all in various states of completion... sometimes, when i start spending too much time on a painting, i begin to paint in circles, with little progress and poor results... so i step away from it for a while... i put it aside.......if i find i still want to continue painting during that session, i'll start playing with another 'work in progress'... often times, after i've finished playing with some of these different canvases, i'll return to the painting i put aside and be amazed at how clearly i can now see what the next step will be.

2008-11-09T18:26:00.001-08:00

"REFLECTIONS" 2005

18" x 24" x 1.5"

acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Bennett collection, Woodinville, WA

2008-10-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

"KAMEA" 12/2003
acrylic on canvas
cropped detail

Brian has always said i captured lightning in a bottle with this portrait... it was the first portrait of any of our grandchildren and took just a few hours, instead of days, to complete... for reference, i used a photo of Kamea taken as she was running and playing with her sisters and cousins... she had stopped for just a moment to let me take her picture... no, she is not an armless child, she just has them behind her back... she was 2 years old at the time and is now 6... she may be the most precocious of any of our grandkids so far... an amazing child!

©

"TREVOR" 2004

acrylic on canvas

This is a portrait of our grandson, Trevor... the reference photo for this portrait was taken by our daughter Casey... she is an aspiring photographer and was playing with capturing Trevor lit just by the Christmas lights... it is one of my favorite portraits, glowing and warm... Casey would like me to paint another portrait of Trevor someday that shows his adorable face... add that to my 'to do' list of grandkid portraits... as i've mentioned in an earlier post, i still have 3 grandkids whose portraits i haven't painted yet... anyways, this was obviously Trevor's first Christmas, so he was about 9 months old... he is 5 now, just started kindergarten... whenever the family gets together for visits, he is papa's (grandpa brian) little shadow... a darling little boy!

2008-10-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

For all you reunion folks in Columbus this week, here's a pic of Brian, Kathy and Jeff taken at Kathy's grandson Connor's first birthday party on Oct. 11th...
In the margin, on the left side of this blog, you will find links to friends and family blogs...click on James' (Kathy's son) and Nichol's blog to see some really amazing photos of Connor and get a glimpse into their lives.

2008-10-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

The leaves are changing in Colorado Springs... our daughter-in-law, Lisa, sent us this photo of her with our grandkids... i know they love their new home, but we sure miss them tons! This is their second fall season in the high country... i can't believe they've been gone over a year and a half!

From left to right they are Emma, 14, Lennon, 3, Brina, 11, Rimona, almost 1, Lisa, Gianna, 5 and Kamea, 6. Lisa, do i have the ages correct? I lose track occasionally.

2008-09-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

"HARVEST MOON" 2007
20" x 24"
acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Ronstadt collection, Tucson, AZ

"HARVEST MOON" photos just can't quite do justice to show the neat texture found throughout this painting... i primarily paint using many layers of transparent glazes, a process that usually doesn't produce a lot of texture, but with this painting i heavily textured the canvas first keeping in mind the composition i was imagining... i really like the way it turned out, especially the swirls in the sky...the grass and tree texture is neat too....i've included a few close-up shots with some texture and signature details... click on photos to enlarge a bit more.

2008-09-25T09:13:00.001-07:00

I am a retired florist and a frustrated transplanted floridian gardener... my yard is beautiful... with flowers, ferns, hibiscus and such blended with our local more native plants.....my yard has always leaned towards having more of the tropical stuff than the native stuff, and i guess that would be ok, if i wasn't living in the desert... trying to maintain this little oasis takes a lot of work (which equals time) and a lot of water (tucson's shrinking water table has been on my mind quite a bit lately).

This last year i've begun to resent the amount of time my gardening takes from my studio time...i still love to garden, but i want to reduce my workload and reduce our water consumption... i have been saying goodbye to the high maintenance water guzzling stuff and replacing it with some really stunning low maintenance native stuff... no cactus though!... i don't do thorns and spikes!... although i have made an exception for a really nice giant spanish bayonet that was living here before us and he's here to stay! stunning! he just sent up a 20 foot bloom last month that was incredible!.

Anyways, the results of my yard makeover so far are really nice and i know brian will appreciate the lower water bill... in some of my outdoor pots, i'm using native plants to mimic the look of flowing water... the effect is really neat and these pots could someday star in one of my gardenscape paintings... i also designed and built a waterless fountain, that uses succulents, asparagus fern and dusty miller to suggest the look of water in a fountain...below are a few photos of my back yard taken today.

I will go into a bit more detail about the succulents and native plants i've added to our backyard in a later post... some of the potted plants that mimic water flowing are in these photos, but difficult to see, so i'll post some close ups later, along with botanical names and such.

On a different note, this last week our 5 year old grandson needed a soccer banner for his team and i was elected to make it... being an artist i probably spent more hours than necessary on the project, but trevor loved it, as did all his cute little dinosaur team mates..... i think casey will have some pics of the finished banner in the livingstone family blog soon. When i finally catch up, i am looking forward to some serious studio time.

2008-09-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

I've been on vacation this last week or so... my best friend from childhood, Lisa, came from Vero Beach, Florida for a 5 day visit... she brought her two daughters, Kristen and Jenny and we had a great time!... we got in lots of local Tucson shopping, including the 4th Ave and the University of Arizona districts...we also did a lot of sightseeing, including a visit to Kartchner Caverns and a scenic drive through our Saguaro National Monument... i don't think either Kristen or Jenny had ever seen a saguaro catus before, let alone a 'forest' of them... it's neat to see the desert through a newcomers eyes... it reminds me of how i felt the first time i came out here to arizona from florida... the mountains are beautiful, and much of the vegetation is beautiful in a unique way... i just wish we had an ocean... i miss my ocean... probably why i paint a lot of seascapes and waterscapes.... landlocked, i am, and at times, restless, for the sea.

We found time to take an overnight trip to Sedona, Arizona and spent about 5 hours being pampered at Sedona's New Day Spa... facials, sauna and something called the 'true sedona clay treatment'...oh my gosh! it was amazing! a great getaway!

Lisa with her girls.

Me, with Kristen and Jenny.

I have lived in Arizona 37 years and had never visited Sedona's beautiful area before..it's was absolutely breathtaking and a fun experience for all of us...

A few photos shot on our way out of Sedona, Arizona. To see enlarged versions of these photos, click on each picture.

Thanks, girls, for a wonderful visit! I'll miss you!

2008-08-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

"MISTY AUTUMN MORNING" 2008

18" x 36"

acrylic on canvas

contact me at jennacorkill@cox.net for purchase info

Click on picture above to see larger image.

Here's the new autumn painting i've been working on... it features Shortcake, my strawberry roan... she hasn't been in any of my new paintings since 2006 and i'm pleased she's in this one.

2008-08-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last few days completely absorbed in an autumn painting... perhaps i'm trying to fast forward a bit, but late august almost always brings a longing for fall... we are close to the end of summer and sooo close to beginning our 8 month stretch of amazingly beautiful weather... cooler fall temps, mild winters, topped off with our magnificent springs... if you've never visited the desert in the winter, you should... it's quite nice.

Anyways, back to the autumn painting... i love it so far and hope to add it to my ebay store soon. One of my horses is grazing in a field, but i haven't decided if it's LaLa, the appaloosa, Firefly, the gray Chincoteague pony or Shortcake, the strawberry roan... in the past, my 'horse series' paintings have let me feature my friends, LaLa, Firefly and Shortcake.

When I was a kid I used to dream of having a pony of my very own… I read every horse book there was in the library... and although my wish never came true, i have discovered with the creation of these three friends, that it's never too late to have your own pony.

My paintings featuring LaLa, Firefly and Shortcake have a special place in my heart. I try to do several each year for EBAY and i think Shortcake is going to show up in this current autumn painting i'm working on.

Below are a few sold paintings featuring Shortcake, the strawberry roan...

"SHORTCAKE, THE STRAWBERRY ROAN" 2005

24" x 24" x 1.5"

acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Wingate collection, Tucson, AZ

"THIRSTY" 2006

20" x 24"

acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Cardoso Iken collection, Manassas, VA

2008-08-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

detail of 'EVANGELINA' portrait

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."-Michelangelo

"EVANGELINA" 2008
16" x 20"
acrylic on canvas

I presented this portrait to Evangelina on saturday, july 19th, 2008, her 80th birthday!...this portrait journey began when her daughter, Rebecca, brought me a 60 year old photo and asked if i could do a portrait from it... if i had looked closely at that source photo and seen how poor the quality was, i might have declined, but i didn't... the challenges were great, but so too were the rewards... Evangelina was thrilled and Rebecca cried, saying i had captured her mother exactly as she remembered her as a little girl... a good day indeed!

2008-08-19T19:35:00.001-07:00

The Art War ~ a friendly competition
My son, Chip, is also an artist, with a degree in visual communication from the University of Arizona... while he was still in college in 1995, we were both employed by the same company....about 75 employees worked there. One day Chip and I happened to be in the break room at the same time, along with several other employees... everyone knew Chip and I were artists, and on this particular day we were discussing our current art projects... well, this child I'd brought into this world, started talking smack about who was the better artist, me or him!... back and forth it went for a few minutes until someone there suggested we have a little 'art competition' to see who was the best... so a few guidelines were decided along with a deadline and the 'art war' began..

It was decided we had 30 days to paint a 16" x 20" black and white of any dead rock and roll artist... we would then display these 2 paintings in the break room and let all our fellow employees vote for their favorite.

The day of the unveiling was so fun!... I was completely blown away by Chip's painting of Kurt Cobain and tickled by his positive reaction to my portrait of John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe... when the votes (60+) were tallied after a few days, Chip was the winner, by one vote!... I teased him that I had voted for him, so it was my vote that won it for him... then he revealed he'd voted for me!... what a sweet son!

"JOHN AND STUART" 1995
16" x 20"
acrylic on canvas
artist: Jenna Millward

My painting was based on an Astrid Kircherr photo taken in 1960... George Harrison was in the original photograph, but he was still alive in 1995. Since this painting could only include deceased rock and roll artists, I had to leave him out of the painting.

"CURT COBAIN" 1995
16" x 20"
artist: Chip Cole

If you look closely in the shadowed area of chip's Kurt Cobain painting, you will see a skull.

Below is a detail of my painting for the competition... I love painting guitars...heck, I just love guitars... look at Stuart's big ole Hofner hollow body bass and John's famous Rickenbacker Capri 325.... I am currently learning to play bass guitar and loving it, but that's a story for another day.

2008-08-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

"TIFFANY'S VIEW" 2006
8" x 10"
acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Van Riemsdyk collection, Tucson, AZ

i've had an artglass studio for 22 years... and i loved creating beautiful artglass panels... i simply love the glass!... i have a studio full of beautiful sheets of glass that i have collected over the years just waiting for the perfect panel...

the painting "TIFFANY'S VIEW" came from an idea i had to capture the essence of the skies in many of Louis Comfort Tiffany's landscape artglass panels... he not only did artglass, he was a painter first, and when he started making his own glass, the glass he created for each panel was perfectly suited for the window he was creating... many of the sky portions of his works look like paintings, but are actually glass...Tiffany created the glass by swirling various minerals into the molten glass thus creating the colors he wanted for the beautiful skies found in his panels.

i think i captured that soft muted Tiffany sky feel in this painting... and in the wooded area i used colorful transparent glazes with darker outlines to slightly mimic the look of artglass... i like the results and plan to visit this style again in future paintings.

'TIFFANY'S VIEW' is one of brian's favorite paintings... he calls it 'the hobbitt painting'.

Below is a Louis Comfort Tiffany window that illustrates his remarkable custom glass making abilities... panels like this and other Tiffany landscape windows were my inspiration for 'TIFFANY'S VIEW'.

2008-08-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

"AUBREY" 12/2003
acrylic on canvas

Of our 9 grandchildren, i have done portraits of 6... all painted in 2003...portraits of our granddaughters, emma and lauren, appeared earlier on this blogsite ... my son's youngest 3 still need portraits painted.... i know, i know... so many grandkids, so little time... this is a portrait of our granddaughter, aubrey, taken from a photo of her when she was about 4 years old... she looks like she was up to something when the photo was snapped... maybe she was hiding something behind her back...all i know is i just loved her impish expression so much i had to paint it... when aubrey saw her finished portrait she asked me "grandma, why aren't i smiling?"... "oh my little miss aubrey, that is a smile, an impish smile, and you are absolutely adorable!"... aubrey is 8 now, smart as a whip and still adorable... she was teachers little helper within 5 minutes on the first day of school.

2008-08-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen. 'Careful,' he said,'CAREFUL! Put in some more butter!
Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter.
Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL!
You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind?
Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt! USE THE SALT! THE SALT!'
The wife just stared at him. 'What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?'
The husband calmly replied, 'I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving.'

Brian sent me that joke today and it reminded me of this story...
When brian and i go out together he almost always does the driving... and i almost always, i mean, i occasionally help from the passenger seat... one of the things i love about my relationship with brian is the sense of humor we apply to our differences, so rather than be annoyed with my occasional, i mean, rare offers of side seat driving help, he found a wonderfully funny solution to help me tone it down a bit... he hid a rolled up sock in the car's center console compartment... while driving one day, probably after i had asked him again if he was sure we were taking the easiest route, he pulled that sock out of the console and handed it to me with a twinkle in his eye... i laughed so hard!... ok ok, i'll put a sock in it!... that sock only came out occasionally, but worked wonders when it did.

For the record though, that sock worked so well, that, when he missed his turns or wasn't sure where we were going, he lamented he sorta missed my help... now the sock is gone and i didn't take it.

A few days ago, i was doing the driving, and in true side seat style, he was asking me if i was sure i wanted to take that route... we just looked at each other and grinned... it's gotta be the seat!

2008-08-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

Below are a few photos of a wall niche mural i painted.

This niche was over the stove and the mural complimented perfectly the decor of the kitchen and house... and this was quite a house! Janie McCourt occasionally requests my work for some of Tucson's upscale homes who commission her amazing wall design services.

The niche was relatively high up and required I worked from scaffolding. I enjoy these occasional breaks from painting at my easel.

Detail of ~'au petit jardin'~ niche mural.

2008-08-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

'BRIAN' 2002
20" x 24"
acrylic on canvas
private collection, Tucson, Az

In 2002 i came across a photo of brian onstage in early 1997 opening up for 'Three Dog Night" and thought it would make a neat portrait... i once did a series of black and white portraits of various musicians... hendrix, lennon, harrison, harry chapin, ian anderson (jethro tull)... perhaps in later posts i'll feature a few of those old paintings in this blog... including the results of an art competition between my son and me in 1995...

Brian has been a local Tucson musician since the '70's... in a variety of great bands including... Hobbitt, Aftermath, Hit and Run, Tunesmith, Trilogy, The Billy Shears Band, Raven and his current bands, Still Cruisin' and Chuck Wagon and the Wheels... he also fills in as a guest guitarist in several local bands... some of his favorite gigs are the ones he does with John Ronstadt(guitar, vocals), Jeanne Ronstadt(accordion, vocals) and Bill Ronstadt(bass, vocals).......he is also a guest guitarist for The Desert Sons .

Still Cruisin' played for Palo Verde High School's 40th reunion last saturday and it was a blast!
That class of '68 knows how to party! ...and there were a lot of really good musicians in that class who sat in with the band... lots of fun!

2008-08-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

'NIGHT NIGHT LITTLE SIS' 2004
16" x 20"
acrylic on canvas
SOLD
private collection, Tubac, Az

I like painting children... this was a portrait commission taken from an old 1970's polaroid. These little ones are all grown up now and their parents were delighted with that moment in time captured for posterity in a painting.

2008-08-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

"ELLIOT AND CAITLYN" 2004
acrylic on canvas
SOLD
private collection, Dragoon, Az

Elliot and his daughter, Caitlyn, share a moment in the shadows of a willow acacia tree... this is another one of my favorite portrait commissions.

2008-08-03T19:38:00.001-07:00

"LAUREN" 12/2003
acrylic on canvas

Here is a portrait i painted of Lauren taken from a photograph of her at age three... she is 13 now, the 2nd oldest of our nine grandchildren... a beautiful and talented young woman, she recently made the national junior honor society... she also plays a mean game of jacks, but has yet to beat her grandma, although she's coming close... i am also especially pleased to have captured her mom's piano and music books for posterity in this painting, as that piano is now gone and missed.

When i'm painting a portrait, there is this moment of magic that happens...when the subject's eyes come to life in the painting...
When they seem to be looking right at me, smiling and saying "thanks...I like what you've done."
It gives me goosebumps every single time.