Trip to Southern California; What's your favorite drive?

Huntington Beach Harbor

I visited my home a few weeks ago. My daughter was off for Spring Break and I needed to take care of some art business, while also using this opportunity to do some field work, the perfect opportunity for a Road Trip!! In the end I had over 300 photos! That is…with the help from my passenger (aka daughter). Some of the photos aren't worthy of showing, only because my passenger window in my car can't roll down, along with both of the back ones, which I just discovered! Anyway…on the bright side, I can use any of the photos as painting reference. I don't need a picture perfect photo, that's what I do with the paint! 

The first photo is where we stayed for the week. I'm so lucky to have a sister who lives in a home with such a gorgeous backyard. Yes…this is her actual view from her deck! We were living the good life! The weather was a bit too cold for the beach but we made the best of it. Funny though, the week before...perfect weather...and now, two weeks later, my dad tells me it's hotter than the hottest day in summer! Isn't that the way things go! haha

Kincaid's Redondo Beach

Here's a shot of my favorite place to visit when I go home, The Redondo Beach Pier! I used to go there as a child, then, as a teen had lots of fun catching crabs off the side! They tasted so nasty though! 

Later, when my daughter born, we had so much fun spending the afternoon at The Fun Factory, then would enjoy a nice bread bowl of clam chowder…not anymore, since I found out I have Celiac. ugh! But I still have the memories, and absolutely love the ocean air with the seagulls soaring overhead. 

This is home. 

Tony's on the Pier

In the photo above you can see Palos Verdes, which I just painted a month ago. Not sure if I'm going to work more on it or not. It's hanging in my home right now, so I can decide. In the meantime, it brings me a little piece of home in my mountain retreat!:) That's what I like to think of my home now…just temporary…until I can move back to my real home of Southern California. I'm not sure of what city, but I just can't stay away. Going back just makes me long for it more. 

I finally had a chance to visit my brother and get a tour of his little town of Ventura! Who knew this town was an artist's haven! We drove up to what Venturians call "The Cross" for a beautiful view of the whole town, from the vineyards to sea. It has everything! 

He even informed me of the affordable housing for artists! Can you believe that? They actually support starving artists and their families! I only wish I had known about this years ago. I haven't applied for it yet, but am seriously thinking about it. 

It seems the wait list is extensive, which makes sense. Who wouldn't want to live and paint in such a gorgeous place? 

Carmel Scenic Loop

Back to the trip…

At the last minute (that's how I roll, not the planner at all), we decided to drive home up the coast instead of the boring old Interstate 5. I'm so glad we did because it was the absolutely most gorgeous day for it! I've done the drive a few times before and it's always foggy…and a little scary. I guess someone knew I was driving that day because it couldn't have been any more perfect! 

We took our time and, instead of a 7 hour drive, it ended up taking 14 hours! I drove the whole way, while my daughter snapped away, getting shots like the one above, of Carmel By the Sea. How gorgeous is that? Another big artist's town and no wonder. 

This one is sure to become a painting soon! 

I also got a lot of the rolling green hills with some wild flowers (but I'll have to add more flowers to make it a nice painting!) 

I gained so much material and inspiration from this trip and we had a fabulous time! It was just so fast! Need to go back soon! What's your favorite drive? 

Jennifer

I'll do a part 2 soon with more photos! 

Spring in a Mason Jar!

Spring in a Mason Jar

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Here's the finished painting! I'm already planning my next one. I used a palette knife for most of the painting except for some areas that I wanted to recede a little. I posted some close ups on Etsy so you could see the palette work. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and have a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring flowers blooming! I'll just be working on another painting!:) 

Jennifer

More progress on my spring floral painting...

16x16 inch oil

If you saw how this began, it's changed a lot. It's definitely a work in progress! I usually paint florals this way; make it up as I go. I try to have an idea about the kinds of flowers and the basic colors I want to use but it always evolves. Even if I have it set up just the way I want it, once I start painting, it takes a life of it's own. 

I think I'm going to take out the middle green bud in the top left corner and am not sure about the bright orange/red tulip hanging down. It may become more of a yellow/orange and a different kind of flower all together! I'm using a palette knife with a little brush work to give some variety, but I like the free movement I get with a palette knife. Anyway, I'm loving painting these spring flowers! 

Jennifer

New Spring Painting in Progress

Just getting started on this one, inspired by the coming of Spring! I've just laid down some color but have a long way to go yet. It's actually already changed I just haven't loaded the pic yet! It's a 16x16 inch canvas and I'm using both a palette knife and brush with lots of juicy paint! 

I took a very quick last minute trip to the South Bay, with my daughter, last week. She was on her Spring Break and I thought it would be nice to go down and visit family while getting some business done. We had a great time seeing everyone and managed to take over 300 photos! Lots of inspiration! I needed to get some new reference photos of the area and stopped by a restaurant that I'm hoping to have my work in. They contacted me about 3 months ago, and I've been working with them, planning what paintings they are interested in, the sizes, doing tests on the canvases for durability, etc.. Now I'm just waiting for the final word from the corporate office (send me some good vibes!). It would be a really big deal for me! 

Jennifer

Something for Spring!

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I just finished this small springy piece and found out it sold this morning! I really enjoyed painting this one, trying to keep things lose but deliberate. I noticed it's very similar to a few of my earlier pieces.

available as a print or cards on Etsy

Jennifer

Little Women Studies

I'm studying right now! I've bought a few more art books and am watching Peggy Kroll Robert's videos on demand. I love watching other artists paint! It's so relaxing and inspiring at the same time. My favorite workshops are Richard Robinson's landscape workshops, but I love painting people too, so I was thrilled to find Peggy's videos. I actually first found her from a plein air site which was advertising her workshop coming up in Palos Verdes, this March but I'm not able to take the workshop at this time. Her videos are a great substitution

 and are pretty reasonably priced. 

I read an article last week about how art school is a waste of money. That's a little controversial, I'm sure, but I was happy to find several links to videos and recommended readings that are supposed to take the place of school. It was a very well thought out article, that mentioned about the need for a mentor. Hmmm, don't know where I'll find that around here, but I do my best with my online resources. Of course if money was no object I would find a mentor online and pay for their expertise…but…that's not quite where I'm at right now. I did have someone I refer to as my mentor, but that was before I was this serious about my art. While in college, I worked for a wonderful landscape artist who painted large pastel landscapes. He taught me a lot about the art world, but I wasn't taking notes! I wish I could go back and pick his brain. I actually just heard from him the other day and it's been years! Is that a sign?  

I guess I should tell you about my art education. I've taken just about every class that my community college, in Torrance, had to offer; three semesters of art history,(although I would really like to take a whole course on the impressionists)drawing, lettering, design, painting, and sculpting(one of my favorite classes). I also had two amazing semester of life drawing from an amazing professor. El Camino College had the best instructors, at least for art. My sculpture class was taught by a professor from Long Beach State which has a very competitive art department. So even though I don't have a BFA, I got the most from what was available to me at the time. Since then, I've been teaching myself through books and more recently, videos. The videos are great for me, as I'm a visual learner. 

But someday, I hope to be able to take a workshop in person and even better yet, teach my own! 

Jennifer

Finished my Palos Verdes, California Coastal Painting!

available here

I'm not used to painting this large and it taking so much time. I tried to rush it posting my progress everyday, which I will continue to do. However, I need to take a step back, give it a few days before I post it for sale. I ended up making a few changes to make the diagonal lines less prominent by adding some curves. Sometimes when I'm not sure of what to change, I go to my favorite workshop site, Richard Robinson's The Complete Artist. The people on there are always helpful and sometimes, if I'm lucky, I get input from Richard, himself! Michael Severin, is so knowledgeable about painting and design, I always learn something from his help! 

Jennifer

Coastal Painting in Progress

Here's what's on my easel this week! It's an oil on 24x36 canvas; large for me! I've been posting my progress on my Facebook page and hopefully will finish it up this weekend! 

This is the view from Torrance/Redondo Beach sidewalk. It's where I grew up. Thirty years of my life were spent there, actually thirty one if you count the year I moved back. I miss it…a lot. It's hard when you grow up in such a beautiful place being able to roller skate to the beach, spending the whole day there 'til the sunsets. I have the best memories from this place! It's my home, and always will be. I'm displaced right now, in the mountains, so far from the ocean. How can you miss a place so much it hurts? I feel the same way about Hawaii though and I didn't grow up there. Must be the ocean, it gives me life! 

Anyway, as you can see, this painting has a very deep meaning to me. I could almost paint it from memory. I'm mostly using a brush for this one, with some areas needing a palette knife for a nice edge. The flowers in the foreground are from blooming ice-plant (which brings back memories of writing on the sidewalk with it. Did you ever done that?) 

The blooms are a beautiful magenta and bright yellow (which I haven't added yet). Ice-plant is not the most aesthetic of plants but I'm trying to achieve an impressionistic feel to it so that it's more appealing. 

The sand in the above stage was to saturated in color so I toned it down adding some ultra marine blue and more white, to the mix. This set it back further and made the hill come forward. I feel the hill is too dark though so I'l lightened it up with some a little lighter but saturated color mixed with areas of greys. 

This was stage one. I toned the canvas with orange since it would be a predominantly blue piece, this would give the painting some warmth and unity. I sketched in the scene very roughly with a brush.

 I usually use a darker color but this one worked. 

The lines aren't visible in the end so it didn't matter. 

This stage was done with acrylics. 

So, this is what I'll be doing this weekend! What are you up to? 

Jennifer

Final Woman in Red Dress Painting SOLD!

I finished this piece on day 4, Valentine's Day, appropriately! I listed it on Facebook and had it sold in

3 hours! It's always so exciting when that happens and I'm left wondering if I can do it again. Being consistent is not always easy. I recently had a discussion with a fellow artist about this subject. It is one of the most important aspect of success in this business, but being an artist, wanting to "express" my feelings, consistency can be challenging. This is when hard work and determination plays an important role. So…with all that being said, we'll see what I come up with next. 

Will I be able to do it again? Stay tuned to see! Are you being consistent? Any tips?

Jennifer

Day 3 of Woman in Red Painting

I've worked more on this one and am really enjoying the process. I think I mentioned earlier how much I love painting fabric. I remember back in my early college drawing class. 

One of the assignments was to draw a crumpled sheet. 

It seemed like an odd subject but I learned so much from it

 and was amazed when it actually became a piece of artwork. 

There's so much intricacy to the folds. Sometimes a bit challenging but in a good way! 

I'm planning on finishing this one today so hopefully will get it posted and listed on Etsy by tonight! 

Oh! Happy Valentine's Day! 

Jennifer

Progress on New Sitting Lady Painting

Here's what's on my easel today. It's an 18x24; larger than what I've been doing lately. It feels good to work on a larger canvas! So freeing (is that a word?) 

I'm going to leave the background alone…well I'm going to try to at least. It's hard to resist overpainting, 

but I want this to have a raw feeling.  She still needs work on her arms as right now she looks armless. They are resting on the sofa, so you basically all you see are her shoulders. I think her hands will be on her head, but will be very vague. More work needed on her dress. This is my favorite part. I love painting folds in fabric, especially beautiful dresses like this one. 

Jennifer

Sunset Stroll...

Here's a commission I'm finishing up this weekend. I still need to paint the figure in and work a little more on the background. I just really love the colors in this. I started it with a very colorful acrylic canvas. That way I didn't have to worry about any white peaking through.

 It's making me want to go to the beach, but that's nothing new. Thank goodness it's a sunny day here today...even though we desperately need rain here in California!  

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

Let's Get it Started!

I'm so excited for this New Year! Time to take a look at my dream board to see how far I've come! 

...maybe make a new one. Do you have a dream board? If so, do you make a new one each year?

 I have a few art related goals in mind for the new year, 

but haven't written any down yet. But number one would be get organized! 

I have a beautiful art/craft studio on my dream board but the only thing I've accomplished for that is that I actually have a designated room for it. But hey, it's a big start! It would help if I knew how long we would be in this house though. I haven't even hung pictures yet! 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I sure did. I got the greatest gift ever! He's furry, cuddly, and the cutest little guy ever! 

Here's my Christmas gift this year! He's a bundle of joy and trouble all in one! I haven't laughed so much in a long time! I named him Kona after my favorite place. So, I'm not sure I'll be doing the 30 in 30 challenge this month because I still have a few commissioned pieces I'm working on and am taking care of this little one! 

The paintings above are some of the commissions I did  this Christmas. I've heard from a few of their new owners so far and they were thrilled! I always love hearing that!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Merry Christmas!

I just want to say Merry Christmas to everyone out there in blogland! I hope you all have a nice Christmas and a Happy New Year! My daughter is home for Christmas, so I know I will. 

We're going to have an "art day" and paint together. 

She's just starting to do watercolors and

 I think she's a natural at it. 

This has been such an amazing 

year for me and I hope it continues into next year! 

Thank you! I really can't say that enough! 

Jennifer

Giving Thanks

Commission an artist for your own special gift! 

I just wanted to take a moment to say how thankful I am to be living my dream! Up until now my life has been far from a dream but I've never given up on my dream of being a working artist! Don't ever give up on your dream! Be persistent, do at least one step a day to get you closer to your dream, and work your little tail off! I'm not there yet, but am working hard to conquer my fears and overcome some obstacles in my way. Stay positive and live in the moment...I must remind myself of these, daily! 

Thank you to each and every one of you who have supported me along the way! Even if you're just popping over for a quick hello, sharing my work with others, or maybe even adding a piece to hang in your home, I am truly blessed to have you in my life!

As a thank you gift, I'm offering free shipping on all my items in my ETSY SHOP through Cyber Monday! Happy shopping! 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

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

Busy Painting!

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I just realized I haven't posted on here in a while, and thought I'd let you know what I've been 

up to. I'm practicing sunsets because they've kind of scared me until now. It's a lot harder than it looks! 

I have more work to do but I'm happy with how this turned out. I used to different photos to come up with this one. I've also been working on some commissions for Christmas time. I just completed 2 and have 2 more to do. I may also be getting 3 more! So while I'm busy with the custom work, I won't be posting as much on here. I am still going to working on a few more sunsets and continuing

my figure paintings series. This painting sold the first day I posted it! I'm so grateful to be busy!  I usually post my paintings on my Facebook page before anywhere else and would love for you to follow my page! It's J Beaudet Studios.

Jennifer

Original Painting of Vintage inspired French Woman

sold

Here's the second in my new series of vintage inspired women. I used both a brush and palette knife for this modern impressionist painting. I called it Attente, as I imagine her anxiously waiting for her date arrive.   It's available on Etsy. Thanks for looking, I hope you like it! If you haven't already, I love for you to join me on Facebook. I like to post my lasted painting on there to get feedback before I list them. 

The model is Nicole, this very cool style blogger from New York. Her blog, Running in Wedges, features fashion photos of Nicole, taken by her amazing photographer You can find her blog here. http://www.nicolealyse.com. 

Jennifer

Tiny Homes Need Tiny Art

I'm a fan of these tiny homes not just because they're adorable but because they're economical and good for our environment. I am currently living in a 3 bedroom 2 bath house (renting) and know I'd have to get rid of a lot of clutter in order to feel comfortable in something this small. What can you do without? What do we REALLY need? I think it would be so freeing to know that I could literally pick up and move to a new place on a whim. I tend to get unsettled staying in one place for a long time. It's been about two years now since I moved back in Weaverville and am feeling that "need to move" feeling coming on. Maybe I was a gypsy in a past life! I don't know...but I love these little homes. It would be so much fun to decorate this space with art! Little small format art would be the perfect addition to this quaint and cozy, portable home.

Jennifer

30 Paintings in 30 Days!

they're all sold or in private collections now

I learned quite a bit from this challenge. As usual, I skipped around in subjects, sizes, medium, just about everything. I learned that I need to focus on one thing! I was using this challenge to explore acrylics and figured out how to

achieve the look of oils! I was also able to paint a few subjects that I had never painted before, like the waterlilies.

I'll still be using oils but am happy to have another

less expensive alternative. 

Thanks for following and supporting me through this challenge! 

I can't wait for next year's:)

Jennifer

Day 30 and I finished them all!

Oh Little Deer

This is number 24, inspired by a sweet little deer I captured on my phone,in the meadow the other day. You can see the rest of the paintings on my facebook fan page here-J Beaudet Studios. While you're there I'd love for you to "like" my page!:)

I love seeing them grazing in the sunlight. I'm going to be listing all of my

paintings from the 30 in 30 Day Challenge and will be 

sharing them again on here when I 

retake the photos.

Jennifer

Day 18 and running out of time!

sold

Well I've almost made it to 20 of 30 and I'm thinking that's pretty good! I'm not sure if I want to sell this one but need the money...so she's for sale (at least for now). 

Jennifer

Day 17 Still in the game!

nfs

I'm still trying to paint 30 in 30. This has been quite the challenge for me! This painting (sketch) was completed in about an hour because I wasted the day doing nothing (well cleaning...so I guess that's something). 

So I've been noticing some strange traffic to my blog. I'm getting a lot from something called vampire stats and some other strange ones. I wonder if that means my blog was hacked or something. I've also emailed a few old blogger friends and haven't heard back from them. I guess people are too busy to reply, but it's strange that no one replied. I'm wondering if they even received the messages. I guess I shouldn't worry about...I'll just keep painting and posting.

I'm having lunch with a group of artists today and am excited to meet them and learn more about their art! I'm a little worried about eating out because of my celiac and other allergies. I avoid eating out anymore and have only found a few places i can eat. A lot of restaurants say they have gluten free items but why does it make me sick. So I usually pack a lunch, but that's just a little too embarrassing in this case. I just wish I didn't have to worry about this. 

Jennifer

Day 16 and a New Series of Figure Paintings

sold

I've been planning this series for a while now and excited to get started! There will be 10 when it's complete but that might take me a while. I have three commissions in the works now and am still trying to complete the 30 in 30 Day Challenge by Leslie Saeta.

This new figure series was inspired by a blog I found via Facebook. I thought my daughter would like it...so I "liked" it. Turns out I'm the one that liked it. It's called Running in Wedges.  Nicole Alyse is  a New York City,personal style blogger and vintage buyer. She not just beautiful,also has great hair and an amazing photographer. One day a post popped up and I was inspired to paint her so I was thrilled she said yes, and have been anxious to start the series ever since. It will consist of a series of 10,small format,somewhat abstract figures of vintage fashions.

If you've been following for a while you may remember how excited I was to have my daughter be my muse, only to discover I'm too attached to the paintings to sell them. Now I'm happy to have  found Nicole's blog,and my new muse!...Maybe someday...when I'm famous...I will be able to afford a live model, but until then, thank you Nicole!