New florals blooming in my studio...

Yellow Polka dots and Pink 12x12 inch oil on canvas

I have new floral oil paintings blooming in my studio! I love pink peonies and I think the polka dots are pretty cute.

Pink Celebration 12x12 inch oil on canvas

I have one more I finishing up today, then I think I may do another landscape. I'm currently working on getting my website again. I have always used this as my website and had my other one connected here, but blogger doesn't have as much control over SEO's as Wordpress does. You may have remembered I started a new one back in 2013 (I think that's when it was...time flies!) When my life was disrupted, and I was uprooted from my home in 2016, I neglected to pay the domain name renewal and lost it. I'm paying the price now, as it was sold to someone who is impersonating me. I've contacted the web site owners and servers to have them shut it down and may contact the local police. This is my business, and even more, my life. I take it very seriously. The strangest thing is the website has an email that goes to a woman in Maryland who has the same name as I do...even the same middle name! Crazy and it is she's also an oil painter, as of a year ago. I've spoken with her and she seems very nice. She has also sent an email to the register site demanding they take it down. Our art is quite different, and I'm pretty sure you can tell if it's an original "J. Beaudet", but I don't want there to be any confusion or uncertainty about who you're dealing with. I live in California and always have, she's lives in DC or Maryland (the east coast). I have never lived there and never will. I have been painting and selling my art on Etsy since 2009. Click to see- My first painting I sold on Etsy (besides one to my mom)

I sell my work in my Etsy shop and sell prints on Fine Art America . I have also been accepted to Saatchi and I have my work on Artfinder   I've worked hard to get my name branded, and as you may know, I started this blog with that name "my life as a starving artist". While I may never have gone hungry, and I'm grateful for that, I do everything on a very tight budget (like mostly free...as in, I do it myself) I appreciate all of you who have bought my work over the years and allowed me to continue to create art. I can't do this without you! Seriously.
I am thinking about changing my name but not sure how that would be. I'm engaged and my last name could change when we're married. I don't think anyone will have his last name! Anyway, I'm still plugging along and Love that you are still with me! Thank you :)

New Woman in Red Dress Painting

available here

I've been moving a lot lately and working as a hair stylist for some stability but I'm still painting. I'll never stop. This painting continues my series of dress paintings. I'm changing mediums from oil to acrylic and really like the feel of it. I'm still working on colors as always but I finally achieved the feel I was after. What do you think? Oil or Acrylic? Does it matter? I don't think so. I hope you enjoy my latest painting and hopefully you'll be around to see my next! It's going to be a floral! 

Hi Ruby! I'll never forget all you did for me:)

New Koi Fish and Lily Pad Painting!

click here to view on Etsy

The Dance of the Koi

24x36 inch

oil on canvas

Here's my latest palette knife painting of beautiful koi fish with lily pads and flowers! I really enjoyed painting this one, especially when I broke out my knife! I had originally started this one with mostly a brush,using a knife on the flowers and a little bit on the fish, but soon realized it needed more interest and depth. I use such a small knife that this one took me quite sometime to complete, but it was so much fun bringing theses little guys to life!

close up

Koi represent courage and I need to tap in to this! 

They're referred to as "lucky koi"
Many of the attributes of the koi symbolize several lessons and even trials individuals often encounter in life. The koi fish has a powerful and energetic life force, demonstrated by its ability to swim against currents and even travel upstream. Some of the characteristics associated with the koi include:

Good fortune
Success
Prosperity
Longevity
Courage
Ambition
Perseverance

source

...all good things we could all use! 

 I tried to take the main photo at an angle because of the glare but it's still there, and now it just looks crooked! I'll be taking it again when it has a chance to dry more. I'll be working on a few commissions in the next few months, so I might not be sharing a lot of new art, but might be able to post some progress shots! 

New Tulip Painting!

this painting has been revised

available here

Here's the finished painting! I asked my friends on Facebook for help with a name. I felt it had a musical quality and Enzie came up with "Dance of the Tulips"! It's the prefect name. I have such a hard time putting my thoughts into words sometimes. I know what I want to say, I just can't come up with the right words. I'm going to retake the photo because the right side had a slight glare which makes it look washed out and grainy.

So for now, it's on to my next painting! I think I'm going to stay with the spring inspiration right now!

Jennifer

Wet Paint!

available here

Fresh off the easel! Well...actually it's still on it. This one was done with a palette knife and brushes in oil. I used a Ray Mar hard panel board on this one and it an 11x14 inch. 

Jennifer

Irish Cottage Commission and Dream Travel Tour Inspiration

sold

I wanted to share one of the commissions I've been working on. I'm really happy with how it turned out, and am very happy to say, so is the client! I'd love to paint one for you too! If you have a favorite vacation spot,honeymoon or wedding site,or even

family portrait, I'd love to work with you. You can find more information on commissioning me for a painting by clicking on the image below.

This painting has inspired me to start a travel series of paintings (when I'm done with the other commissions). 

I'm going to paint several paintings of places I that I dream about visiting someday and hope that my art will someday make it possible for me to. I'm going to start my Dream Travel Tour in.....Italy! I met a wonderful travel agent on a local networking group on Facebook. I'll announce her name with my first painting of the series. She's allowing me to find inspiration from her travel photos, and believe me she's been around the work and back! I'm like a kid in a candy store!

 

I'm working hard to improve my skills and developing my own signature style. I'm so happy you have all stayed with me through this journey! Thank you:)

Jennifer

Sunflowers Painting!

being revised

My inspiration for this painting was the weekly challenge on Daily Paintworks! I was a day late but at least I did it. I've done a few smaller sunflower paintings but never one this large. I tried to keep the colors dark so that the sunflowers could be the star of the show! With all that sunshine yellow there's no need for any other saturated color, with the exception of the touches of the magenta "flowers" that I added in the end. But even the magenta is not pure. 

Fourth of July has come and gone so quickly. Now it's on to my birthday! Time really needs to slow down! Summer is my favorite season and it seems so short. In honor of my favorite month I'm having a Christmas in July Sale in my Etsy shop! The sale goes from July 11th-21st and I'm offering 10% off anything in my shop. Mark your calendars! 

Time flies and the next thing you know it'll be Christmas time again! 

Jacarandas in Maui!

Upcountry in Bloom

Here's my latest painting of the Jacaranda trees in Maui! I just love the color of these beautiful trees! I was in Maui over a year ago now and we drove all over the beautiful countryside in search of these trees. I went down this exact street but it didn't look like this. The trees weren't blooming...and everything seemed a little dry. I was lucky enough to have discovered a wonderful photographer from Maui on Facebook. His name is David Schoonover. I contacted him to ask if I could use his photos of the Jacaranda trees as reference for a painting. He said ok! He actually ended up being from a town not far from me! It's such a small world. I was so glad I asked him! I didn't want to copy his work but use it as a reference so I went on Google maps and took a tour through Upcountry on Maui until I found the same street. Believe me, it took a while but it was fun! I found other paintings I want to do later.

google maps reference

I just discovered another resource for photos that are ok to use. Richard Robinson gave the tip on his website. It's called, appropriately, "Paint my Photo", and has many photos that members have uploaded for other artists to use. My ideal would be to bring my easel to Maui and plop it down right in front of that tree and paint the day away...but reality sets in, and until that day comes, I'm happy to have these great resources and gracious photographers available to me!

Hydrangeas!

this is a commissioned piece 

24x30

oil on canvas

I just complete this large hydrangea painting for a client. I've never painted them before but it was fun! I love hydrangeas. They remind me of vintage gardens. My mom has one in her garden, growing in a pot. It actually looks similar to this one, but more pinks. I love all the varieties there are. 

I'm off to town for some shopping, then I'm going work on a few new paintings of trees...Jacarandas and more! 

Have a great weekend! 

Roses and Cherries 2...maybe 3

Sold

I just completed this commission for one of my awesome collectors! It's a 12x12 canvas. I did one very similar to this one a few years back on an 8x8 canvas. I just bought some larger square canvases and can't wait to get started on them. Now,  I just have to decide what to paint on them.

I have one more commission I'm working on for a client. It's a large hydrangea painting. I'll share it here with you all when I finish it. I hope everyone is week and enjoying the weekend!

The weather has been pretty hot here so I've been inside for the most part. Heat seems to really bother me now. I need to live somewhere where the weather is moderate year round. That would be Southern California. Now if I could only get my husband to follow me there! 

Oh well, I guess I'll just stay inside for now.

Irises in my backyard...

Iris Study
Sold

Iris Garden
sold

Sold

This is a painting of one of my favorite places in Redondo Beach, where I grew up. It's a popular restaurant that has proven to be a popular subject as well. This painting sold in about 2 seconds after I posted it! I'm definitely going to paint more of this area.

Spring Botanical

sold

This just says Spring to me! I traveled down the mountain the other day and on my way back up, noticed a tree starting to blossom!

 I was so happy to see that and since then we've been enjoying beautiful weather and walks on the trails just about everyday. 

My puppy dog is sure happy too! 

Roses with Fruit

I just finished this one and I think, I have to say, this is my favorite of all my paintings so far. Probably for the fact that I love peach but I really like it. I don't always feel like that. This one isn't for sale.

So I'm sure everyone is super busy with shopping, parties, and decorating for Christmas! I'm excited for my daughter to come home from college. She'll be here for almost a month. It's going to be great and we always have fun! 

Still Life Study in Blue

no longer available 

I did this study for the weekly challenge on daily paint works. I haven't painted anything in over a week 

so I wanted to keep this one loose and spontaneous. I think I'll have to retake the photo because it was dark when I took this shoot. Actually it was dark all day. Dark and rainy. This painting shows the mood I've been in for the last few days. I've been feeling tired and achy, maybe fighting something off.

Also here
frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

And here

Stuff and Nonsense

New Cards and Studio News!

On Etsy Here

no longer available

I'm now offering a whole new line of greeting cards with images of my paintings on them.

These are notecards and they're blank inside so you can use them for anything. I've signed each one and have hand embellished some of them with paint, pen, pencil, and can't forget the glitter!

I'll post those here when I have them ready. I'm selling some in sets but you can select whatever images you want. I'm flexible, just convo me on Etsy or email! 

This is the just the beginning. Eventually I will be offering larger cards and more. 

Now on to the news! Last Friday, while on Facebook, I stumbled upon a contest at Fine Art Tips. It's called Favorite Friday and is graciously hosted by Lori McNee, an amazing artist and social media guru. All you have to do to enter is pick your favorite painting (your own art) and whoever gets the most "likes" wins a 15 minute consultation with Lori. As soon as I posted my painting (the one in the post below) the likes started rolling in! Then she liked it, so her fans saw it and I got more! Then I shared it with my friends. Anyway....I won!!!! I really can't believe it but it's true. So I am having a meeting (on the phone) on Monday! So excited!

A Bouquet of Roses...

ROSE BOUQUET

no longer available 

If you'd like to purchase or just learn more you can click here.

New Figure Painting...

Painting by Jen Beaudet Zondervan born 1970 California 

This is my latest impressionist oil painting. For now it;s going to be titled something like Girl Sitting. Any suggestions are welcome! I'll have it listed on Etsy later this afternoon but was hoping to get a little feedback before I did. Your comments are always appreciated! 

Peach Dress

sold

This is a small interior study with my favorite color, peach, as the star. It's available in an auction (has one bid) which ends very soon! The photo needs a little improvement here. I usually finish my 

painting late afternoon or night when lighting is low. 

Joining the party here...

Show and Tell Friday