"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.

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.  

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.

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!

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)

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!

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.

"Lennon" 2004

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

SOLD

Gilden collection, Ann Arbor, MI

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.

"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.

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

"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.

"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!

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!

"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.

'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!

'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.

"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.

"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.

"EMMA" 12/2003
acrylic on canvas

Our granddaughter, Emma, sent this quote to us today... here is a portrait i painted of her when she was nine...she is 14 now, the oldest of our nine grandchildren and a very talented songwriter, singer and actress... thanks Emma!

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."