The River Diver

I started to work on The River Diver back in May. I have always loved otters, in all their shapes and sizes. I'm actually shocked I have not painted one sooner. I used to draw them all the time in high school, and even did a graphic media project with a sea otter. We created logos. If anyone is familiar with logo design, you know that you draw about a million thumb nails and sketches before you start getting close to the shapes you want to represent the animal and the product they represent in the logo. If I find photos of old drawings and files of the media project I will share them. Currently most of my apartment is packed up in boxes. 

This was my first time painting a river otter. I had a lot of fun with this. Bright blues creating their own motions while reacting the the otter's dive. The colors twist like the otter as he swims below. He is many hues: reds, browns, purples, and cream. The River Diver came purely out of my imagination. I coudln't tell you when his image came to my mind. Otters are always there. 

The only time I had to use a photograph reference was for his ears. Did you know otters can close their ears and nostrils when under water? They can stay under water for 8 minutes and dive up to 60 feet under the surface. 

 

Some details:

Those whiskers. Gosh of those these animals. 

Here you can really see the amount of blending and choice of colors. 

I didn't blend too much because I wanted shapes of this diver to stand out. 

The overall effect is smooth in texture and strong in lines and colors. 

A fun camera angle shot just because. 

Now that I am in the process of moving, the paints have been put away. The River Diver will get bubble wrapped like the others and await their move into their new home. Speaking of said home...we got a house! FINALLY! 

Guess what is in this house? Space for a bigger and brighter (more natural light) art studio.

 I can't wait to get that set up and expand my efforts into illustration. 

My focus for the next three weeks, however, is to prepare for moving while doing prep work for this year's Sweet Chalk Festival in Lockport, NY. I will be returning this year as a featured artist. I decided on my piece and will be doing pre-work: grids, initial drawing, and real size stencil. I will share the progress through more blog posts soon.

Life is so busy, but awesomely so. Diving in!

Stuck In A Rut April

Mid March to April has been quite the roller coaster! I have been getting my "day job career" under control. As most know, I work for a BIG insurance company. I was in sales and I hated it and that unhappiness spilled over into my personal life. However, I am pleased and blessed to say that I have accepted a new position within the company as an Underwriting Technician.

What does that mean?

I review motor vehicles reports and all things related to risk for our policy holders.

It feels like editing and I enjoy the puzzles my work tasks bring me. What this new position also brought me is the experience of a minimal stress job. When I go home I go home and don't think about work. I go home motivated to take control of my shoe box apartment clutter, to finally draw or paint something I have been meaning to for years, to take my dog for a nice long walk, to see my husband's smile before he goes to work, to finally know what it is like to have balance... The schedule rocks too! Monday through Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm. I do get the annoying itch to paint or create something at 10:00am but I work through it. I need to adjust the internal muse clock. Having weekends free means I can do more in my community for art related events.

Now, another big thing the hubs and I tackled this month is applying for a mortgage. We got our pre-approval letter and are starting our first home search. That should be interesting.

Blah, blah, blah...what is the artwork status in the life of Jess?

I have been in a rut this whole month. However, I went to Hobby Lobby today and bought more 18x24 multi media drawing paper! I can't wait to get back into painting and creating the characters and scenes that pop into my head. As far as illustrating goes, I am working on WHAT I SEE. I have 3 images near completion and will keep pushing through. I hope to have the illustrations done by the end of summer.

There have been a few little projects that have occupied my interest and I will blog about those later.

Time to pick up the pace! Spring has sprung!!! As always, stay tuned.

Writing Works Update

The three titles I have finished and are in the process of being sent to literary agencies:

WHAT I SEE

HOMER THE HUMMINGBIRD

ABBEY BECOMES AN ANGEL

My works in progress:

THE PERFECT PAIR OF PURPLE BOOTS

TULIPS FOR TRINA

ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT AN ALLIGATOR?

PRINCESS OF THE PIGEONS

As always, inspiration hits me in strange places. 50% of the time I'm usually driving when the muse comes shouting in my ear. I can't wait to complete these four books and start the illustrating process. So many ideas dancing in my head.

Stay tuned!

June and Nora Play Time

I started this painting in June of 2013. I have finally finished it after 10 initial drawings, 1 failed painting, 10 more drawings, and then this finished piece! Oil paint and I have a love/hate relationship.

I have yet to do a painting for my Mom. She commissioned me for a painting of movement with her two youngest dogs. The two dogs in this one are June Bug and Nora, the springer spaniel is lovingly known as Junie. Then the flat coated retriever is lovingly known as Sweet Nora, Nora Jean, Nora Belle, and Alligator Butt.

Actually this won't be the last you hear of Nora...she inspired a book I am writing.

Illustrating dogs is always fun. I have loved these dogs since they were pups and I know their personalities. I think that is why when I painted them I couldn't help but create them in a cartoon like fashion.

I spent an afternoon trying to get pictures of the dogs to use for reference. The 2 that I ended up using are below. I mashed them together. When trying to get photos of the doggies during playtime I realized that they are either tongue monsters, blurry, or they looked possessed.

The sketch that turned into a painting hung on my wall for months.

Then finally the painting started to come to me. Bold colors and swift lines. Highlights and texture. I took creative liberties for the tennis ball and background. I wanted to capture the movement in a still frame. This view is what we see when they retrieve the ball. The last three seconds before they drop it willingly at our feet and bound away to fetch it again.

            

I took some amateur photographs of the painting. The paint and canvas had a gloss so naturally I loathed my flash. As usual, and anyone who has seen my work, they are always better in person.







I had a lot of fun using blue as a shadow and a highlight for June. I also love the eyes of Nora. How many times I have seen this gaze?!

My Mom now has to find wall space in her house for it. 18x24 is my preferred size for paintings. Sooner or later her house will be a private gallery.

I will be challenging myself to paint more loosely. I have a skeleton painting from college I loved because it was rough, loose, and bright. I think finding my balance with my passion and my day job will certainly help me let go a little more away from a computer screen.

I will be writing very soon about my next four titles for children's picture books!!!

Writing On Through!

Hello strangers,

It has been too long! Well I would like to address my recent life hiccup. January 15th I went to the ER which was followed by testing, testing, and more testing. I had to take a leave from work to deal with the pain on January 21st and will be returning March 3rd.. For a 24 year old, I should not have had this issue but my good old "friend" Murphy was hanging around: I got my gall bladder removed! My first ever surgery on February 10th, 2014. It is amazing that I have not needed a surgery with all the things I did as a kid and well...I'm a klutz. I won't bore you with the horrible experience and memory of that little organ being in my body. Lets get down to what I have been doing with this spare time.

A great way for me to recover is to throw myself into one of the things I love, until I get the stamina to paint and draw with my usual enthusiasm: I have been writing, researching, writing more, reading, writing again, highlighting, crossing out, hitting the delete button, emailing with my draft editor (the awesome, Ellen Walker), rewriting, and finally...being brave enough to go after what I want.

At the end of January I submitted a query letter and manuscript for a short children's picture book titled WHAT I SEE, to agents with the hope to get represented and eventually published. My story is written in a tiger mother’s point of view, her internal dialogue address the physical and emotional observations of her cub and the relationship of mother and child and follows these characters on a walk in the jungle. The tiger cub embraces his surroundings and experiences new things under the mother’s guidance. The mother tiger watches her cub race with pride, swim for the first time, hunt butterflies, and recognizes that he will need reassurance. She shares with him the commitment of her love. 

I'm really big on where authors and artists find inspiration. For this story, what got me writing was listening to Blake Shelton's Mine Would Be You when driving down the street that leads to my apartment in the Falls. The song's rhythm started it. Then the idea hit out of no where and tugged on my heartstrings. My father would tell me that every day when he came home, exhausted from work, he would look at his children to find something that is unique to each of us. He would tell me about my “constellation freckles” and how when my brother concentrates, he sticks his tongue out. He wanted to share the simplicity of a parent’s joy with me and to remind us that what we are is unique and special. I wanted to capture that feeling and put it in a children's book. It is warm and fuzzy and perfect for bed time.

So Plan A is to see if I can secure an agent with my submissions within the six week time frame. Plan B is to go the self published route and I will be illustrate the stories myself. I have been drawing here and there for WHAT I SEE. Here is sneak preview:

There was another story I started writing years ago, before I got married, around the time my brother graduated from high school.Thank goodness my Mom saved any art work or writing piece I did. She found it and I got into the editing and rewriting process. HOMER THE HUMMINGBIRD is the second children's picture book I sent out to agencies. 

What happens when a hummingbird has too big of an appetite? 

This story follows a very competitive young hummingbird with an insatiable appetite and poor attitude. Homer becomes mean spirited towards his sisters and does not heed the warnings of his parents about his gluttonous behavior. He is soon faced with the threat of the diabolical old garden cat named Boss and is too plump to fly. Homer finds that his family has a larger capacity to forgive than his stomach can hold and they come to his rescue, but did Homer truly learn his lesson?

My Grandma Bailor's garden inspired this book. She had a family of hummingbirds in the vines right outside her front door. I have been chased down the sidewalk a few times by them so I know they are extremely protective. Hummingbirds are athletic and agile birds normally. When I think of Homer I see a boisterous, comically obese hummingbird. He is so far one of my favorite characters to write about. 

I have not done illustrations for this book yet because I don't picture my style of art for this story. I envision watercolor artwork but like I said, Plan B will mean I will be creating my own art for it.

Writers write everyday. 

There is more! (I feel like a commercial)

I have been writing, editing, and rewriting my third children's book. This one is different. There is no rhyming and the story is very near and dear to my heart. The title is ABBEY BECOMES AN ANGEL. When that is finished and submitted I will post more about it. This story is very much about a real dog and my family. I want to help children understand death, life beyond death, grief, and never ending love. So stay tuned for this blog post. 

Well its time for me to get back to finishing Abbey's story. I will be painting again this weekend and hope to post about those pieces next month. It feels so good to be back!

The Murrel Magnolia

I had some down time and decided to draw one of my favorite flowers, a magnolia. Not just any magnolia, the kind that is bigger than my head! My husband and I took a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC during our college years and came across a church in Murrel's Inlet. This church looked like it belonged in a Nichols Sparks movie.

I was  loving the sunshine, soft breeze, and feeling of peace on this stretch of southern coastal heaven.

I found this giant magnolia plant on the side of the church and snapped a few pictures, knowing I would end up drawing it down the road. I don't like to make my illustrations to look exactly like the picture, I use photos more so for inspiration.  I put the Jessie twist on the subject and composition. 

I think it is now one of my favorite pieces. "The Murrel Magnolia"

Hello 2014

Prepare for my epiphany.

I have spent the last 4 years or so chasing something I thought I needed to be. January 2010 I had just changed my major, my college, and put my art stuff in a box. I had an unfortunate chain of events at Buffalo State (fall 2009) in a graphic design program that made me hate what I was doing. I was trying to rely on computers to bring my work to life in a digital age. I had succeeded in the class, my critiques went well. However, I was not satisfied and it drained me. I much preferred my fine art roots I had just previously graduated with from NCCC.

I made decisions on a personal level I wish I could take back. I was so stressed out about a project that I left my dying great grandmother to work at the campus, an hour away trying to impress I teacher I did not respect and for a program that I knew I didn't want to finish. Things like that keep me up at night. However, I had made the decision to "start over" and change schools and majors for 2010.

Niagara University was my next stop in this journey. I chose to get into event management.  I had interest in organized events such as fundraisers, parties, galas, weddings, festivals, and the business side of art presentation. The courses were repetitive, business like, hospitality industry focused. I thought there would be more job opportunities there and I got good grades. I had opportunities to be part of fundraisers and tourism focused events for Buffalo and the Niagara region. However, like most graduates today, work was not easy to find upon graduation.

Since I was 17 I have worked all types of hours; night shift as a cashier at TOPS, split shift while doing night shift, and working days Wilson Tuscarora State Park. I would sleep in three hour increments between the two jobs. I worked seasonal and then part time year round for the park which was inside the field of study. Tourism and Recreation with a concentration in Special Event Management was my life at the time. I was a full time student. I met some truly wonderful people in my community through the college and my part time jobs. I learned I was a self starter, I never got discouraged on a project, and I loved the interaction with people-especially children. I graduated with my Bachelors in May of 2012 and tried to find work in the hospitality/tourism field.

I got hired at a travel agency in Lewiston, NY in March of 2012. This agency is focused on missionary travel. I started off as a part time assistant then was made a full time agent. I enjoyed my coworkers, some of which I am still very close to. I learned a lot about the travel industry and also about myself. I ended up leaving in July of 2013. During this time in life of school and first big girl jobs-I married my husband, moved into our own place, adopted a dog, and found myself pulling out the art supplies once again.

School loans are a pain in the arse. I left the travel agency and now work for a corporate insurance company. My life consists of a headset, classrooms for training, phone conversations, computer screens, cubicles, and boredom for my poor creative soul. However, this job pays very well and is not commission. I have a schedule I love. I'm free in the mornings until 11:30am then I am off Fridays and Saturdays. This alone is valuable because I still sit for my favorite kids on the planet-who also constantly inspire me. So where am I going with this long story?

I have waited too long to be who I really am. My career is part of me and I have ignored it's importance.

I had the honor to be part of the Lockport Sweet Chalk event this past August. I was one of the featured artists and drew the Lion of Lockport. There are posts about this event in this blog you can click the hyper link and read about it. http://wildatheartillustration.blogspot.com/2013/08/sweet-chalk-festival-2013.html
The thing is...I loved every second of being part of that event. The artwork, the kids, the community, and the people.

I am a writer. I am an artist. I love children. I love animals. I am a Christian.

Sometimes you get so caught up on trying to solve problems yourself you end up missing the best guidance only He can give.

I believe that to waste a God given talent-to ignore it, is to not follow the path you are meant to take in life. You can serve His will and share his love by being who you are and trusting him to point you in the right direction. Life here on Earth is too short to not be happy in your life. What we do here and who we influence does matter.

I am not waiting any longer.

I am dedicated 3 hours every morning to writing my children's books, editing them, re-writing, editing some more, then illustrating each scene on my own in case I end up self publishing. Weekends will be dedicated to my relationship with my husband and family as well as continued work on my dream.

This is a whole new world to me-writing to get published as well as illustrating for others and myself. This is more than portraits and commissioned work. This is more than an idea or pipe dream I have talked about for as long as I can remember...This is BIG.

For everyone who has been waiting for me to do this thank you for your confidence and encouragement.

Hello, 2014! This is the year to change my career into something I love.