Day 4 Just Down the Street...

Light At the End

8x10

oil

$100

It's little every day scenes like this one that make me appreciate the beauty that surrounds me. I've had took reference photo last year while driving around my county. Fall is such a beautiful time of year and just around the corner! I could feel it in the air this morning and notice the changing light. I do love Summer but am ready for some cooler weather…for a while at least.  

Jen

Day 3 Bougainvillea Love

The Sunny Side

8x8 inch

Blick canvas panel

SOLD

available here

This is another little painting inspired by my friend on face book's travel photos. I cropped in close on this scene and made the bougainvillea blooming a little more than it was at that time. I was drawn to this scene for the stairs, the flowers, and the sunny warmth on the stone walls. Off to paint my next one! 

Jen

Day 2 of the 30 in 30 Challenge

8x8 inch panel

sold

Busy painting! I've also been working on a portrait commission which is coming along nicely. It has four faces in it though so it's a little more work than normal. This painting was inspired by a Facebook friend's travel photos. Just a quaint little French scene. I added the flowers and the tree on the side.

Tomorrow's painting will be another from her photos. (I'm still waiting to get some of my daughter's photos from her trip to Paris…) 

Jen

Open The Door to Begin!

Enter Here

6x8 inch panel

oil

sold

The 30 in 30 Challenge by Leslie Saeta is here! I'm opening with this little door painting, and will follow with a few more European architecture pieces. I'll also be doing some florals and figures and finish with a few from Paris. 

Jen

New Peonies Painting!

Vintage Shells and Peonies

This painting is "me", full of my favorite things. I love the Shabby Chic, French Country, Romantic style. It has an old vintage feel to it because of the palette,  which I love. This is definitely a palette I would like to stick with for a while.

Jen

Joining the party here- French Country Cottage-Feathered Nest Friday

A New Woman in Red Painting

sold

I took a break from my commissions (while waiting for my canvas to arrive) and painted this one. It's been a while since I've done a figure with the palette knife loose work. Felt good to free up and express my feelings with paint. I think I need some art therapy these days… 

I asked my friends on Facebook for help with a name and Amira came up with the one I used, "Forgotten Rose". There were so many great suggestions! Thank you all! I was pleasantly surprised that this one sold in two hours after posting it! I really need to do more of these…and larger. This one was an 11x14 which is my go to size but I know many of you want a larger statement piece. Look for some in the future or, if you can't wait, commission me! 

Jen

My Life As a….Thriving Artist!

click to view on Etsy

Some wonderful places where my art has been mentioned:

adaanddarcy.blogspot.com

A Femme D'Un Certain Age
beachvintage.blogspot.com
BeingRuby.blogspot.com

BelleInspiration.com 
bluebirdnotes.blogspot.com
dahlhausart.blogspot.com
dailyvitaminsea.com
thedecoratingdiva.com

EnzieShahmiri.com
etsyfineartgallery.blogspot.com
frenchcharming.blogspot.com

GirlMeetsParis.blogspot.com
inotherwords-catania.blogspot.com
greenandpretty.net
ramblinggallivantinggirl.blogspot.com

SchlumanArt.blogspot.com

So About What I Said

sweetgalaxy.blogspot.com
tellloveandchocolate.blogspot.com 

if I forgot you please let me know so I can add your site here!

I appreciate all of you! I just wish I had known what a big deal it was back then. I didn't have a clue what I was doing. 

I even had a visit and comment from Joanna from A Cup of Jo and I really had know idea how cool that was. I loved her blog but didn't realize the opportunity. I've learned so much…but am still a little naive sometimes.

I'm going to be doing some small paintings starting in September as I am participating in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 challenge again! Here's last year's post of my challenge. 

This year, I'm planning it out a little better and have preordered some canvas panels so I don't have to paint on paper. I may do a giveaway of an original sometime during the month so keep you eyes out for that! 

Below are some of my available paintings….

click to view on Etsy

click to view on Etsy

Thanks so much for your visit! I hope you all have a great week!:) 

Jen

Final Painting For Kincaid's Restaurant!

Here's the final (approved!) painting going in to Kincaid's restaurant on the pier in Redondo! I really can't wait to see them hanging! This has been an amazing opportunity and so much fun to work with Randy Ruby. Looks like Blogger, or Google, has messed with the saturation on this one and it was hard to get the right hue anyway. The water is a little more grayish teal than it looks here. Well, just know it looks better in person, I promise! 

Things have been busy here for me in the studio. I just finished this one today and am already starting my next commission. After that, I have 3 more confirmed and possibly 2 others! I think I may need to post that I won't be able to promise any for Christmas. I figure I'm about 3 months booked now. Never thought this would happen…but I'm not complaining! 

I had some very bad news about a week ago. I had been waiting for months now to find out if my mom had uterine cancer and the labs just came back positive. She has a great attitude about it all but it's just not something you want to have to go through. I'm very close to her and it's not easy, but am being strong for her. The good news is she's having the surgery at UC Davis, where her granddaughter lives! So we'll be able to see her then. My sister is also coming up from L.A. 

So that's what I'll be doing for a while and painting my commissions. I may be able to squeeze in one of my French inspired paintings, but am not sure. 

Jen

Redondo Beach, California Painting for Kincaid's! by Jen Beaudet

soon to be seen in Kincaid's in Redondo

Painting number 2 is complete, and now it's on to the last one!This is Redondo/Torrance Beach California from a rare viewpoint. It was taken from the water not by me, no way! By photographer Randy Ruby! 

When they're thoroughly dry they can be shipped. I may hand deliver them, but will have to think about that. It's a 10 hour drive from here so…and…they won't fit in my car! I do want to be there when they're hung, though. We'll see. In case you can't tell from the photo this painting is enormous! It measures 60 inches across and 30 inches high! It took me about 2-3 weeks to paint and that was putting in long hours each day. Not the 11x14 painting that I'm accustomed to finishing in one day. This has been a great experience so far, and a lot of fun gaining new local fans on Facebook! I feel so blessed to have been chosen for this! Out of all the artists out there I still can't believe it! Anyway, I'm truly grateful to whoever was the one that spotted my work on here! Was it the restaurant designer? Was it the company? I wish I knew. All I can say is thank you! And thank you to Reggie for keeping me on (you could have picked anyone!) and especially to Randy Ruby for allowing me to paint your photographs! They really are something special and I hope I did them justice. 

So now, it's on to the last one (after this one sets up a little. It's impossible to move at this point without messing it up). 

Thanks so much for following my progress! Hang in there Floral and figure (vintage lady) fans! I promise I'll get back to my normal paintings soon…and will have lots of new Parisian photos to use very soon!

Jennifer

Monet's Muse...

Awww….Monet…

of all the impressionist artists I think he's my favorite. It's hard to choose but every single painting

he has created takes me to another place. I would love to visit his home someday and paint a long side him, in spirit. I know he's still there…how could he leave? 

I'm joining the party over at Castles & Crowns

Everywhere you look…a painting lives, just waiting for the artist to let it out.

Monet saw the beauty through his own magnificent eyes.

Oh….the bridge that has inspired so many after him. To this day artists paint their interpretation of the bridge at Givenchy

Someday, I will go and paint it.

Can NOT wait! 

Too hard to choose a favorite...

His work has been an influence on mine over the years. When I was going to art school I worked with 

a pastel landscape artist and looking at these now I'm reminded very much of his work. He doesn't have his images available online so unfortunately I can't show you how beautiful they were.

sold

Davis Arboretum
sold

This painting was inspired by the Arboretum in Davis, California. When I saw the bridge my mind immediately was transported back in time to Monet's bridge. The real place is nice but there aren't any flowers.

I'm going to have some great inspiration coming my way very soon! Keep your eyes out for new Parisian paintings! Finally! 

Happy Friday! 

Jen

Peonies Birthday Giveaway!

It's my birthday and I'm celebrating with a giveaway! You could win this signed 11x14 giclee print just by popping over to my Facebook Page and giving me a "like"! While you're there, if you'd like to comment and like the giveaway post too, that will help me keep track of your entries. Share, share, share (anywhere you can think of)! Thank you! Good luck to everyone! 

You might want to check out my Summer Sale on Etsy, on some of originals too! 

(prices are already marked down) 

Have a great week! 

Jen

Thanks for participating! The winner is Jo Turner! Congrats! 

Kincaids Redondo Beach Artist J Beaudet

 

Here's the finished piece! Still wet on my easel. This pic was taken with my phone so it's not the greatest. I'll be taking some good ones tomorrow and then send them off for approval! 

It's finally happening! You might remember me mentioning some big studio news about six months ago.  I had been contacted by a restaurant designer and asked if I had any Redondo Beach artwork. She was in search of new art for an upscale restaurant on the Redondo Beach Pier. If you've been following me from the beginning, you'll know what a big deal this is for me! I grew up there, and the pier is always been the first place I go with my daughter when I visit my home. So many good memories there! I blogged about the pier back in 2009 and have done several paintings of it. They were interested in buying this one I had already done, but the size wasn't right. There also needed to be three that went together. 

This was the one she was originally interested in…the one underneath was a smaller version I had painted before I painted a larger one. 

A Day at the Beach 

available as a print…


 The photographer, Randy Ruby, is kind of famous in the South Bay, and I was already familiar with his work. Actually, I was already friends with him on Facebook! It couldn't have been anymore perfect! It's strange how things work out!Fast forward months later to now, it's finally happening! I'm working on the first one now! There will be three altogether and one of them is the largest size I've ever painted (30x60)! I think I'm saving that one for last.

I'll be sharing the progress on here and…if you're in town, maybe you would like to see them in person! They won't be there for about 3 months from now, but I'll let you know when they are!

Oh! I guess I should mention what the restaurant is! It's one of the finest restaurants in the South Bay. It's the place my family goes for celebrations. (somehow, I was never present for those celebrations, and have never been!) Anyway, it's a nice steak and seafood restaurant with a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean. It's called Kincaid's; you've probably heard of them as they have many other restaurants around the country! Now I'm wondering if this will lead to more! I sure hope so!

Here's what's on my easel now! I took the photo with my phone, so it's not the best quality. The sky is more blue than it looks right here.  Since this one was taken, I've done more work on the pylons and boardwalk, and I'm almost done; just getting ready to start the next one! I'll try to post the finished one tomorrow. 

Here's Randy on his kayak...

Here's the beautiful reference photograph from Randy Ruby…

Prints available here...

Good times around here right now! Thank you to all who have made this happen…! :)

Update-

I was honored to have worked with such a wonderful man. He is deeply missed.

At the time I painted this I was living in Northern California. I am now in Socal again. I'm in San Clemente. I will always love my hometown of Redondo and try to visit as much as possible. 

Here are some new local landscapes I've done

Happy 4th of July Weekend to all my friends in the US! I have to also mention that this is my birthday month and I'm already starting to celebrate! 

Savoring Summer...

My mom's deck-my retreat

Why is it that Winter is so long and Summer just flies by? I guess that's one of the reasons why I dream about living in Hawaii. It's always summer there. It's a dream that I'm not sure will ever happen and I'm wondering if I might have to do it alone. We're in the early stages of searching for a new place to call home. Maybe in two years (hopefully sooner), but I'm a planner and love to research different places, finding the pros and cons. Weather is number one with me, so that definitely narrows our choices down a lot. Cost of living is a big one too. Lately, I've been thinking about Oregon as an option. It's got the art scene, paintable beauty (for inspiration), lots of GF and organic places, and a moderate real estate market. It does get a lot of rain, but is pretty mild and that keeps everything lush. I think my autoimmune problems have made it hard to tolerate extreme weather, so I'm looking for a place that's not too hot and not too cold, but juuuuust right. The hunt is on! 

I've been busy working on some commissions (very large ones), but took a very quick 2 day trip a few weeks ago to see my beautiful daughter graduate from college! It was the best day ever! I am so proud of my little girl! She's overcome a lot of obstacles and worked so hard to earn her B.S. degree in Psychology. She wants to help people. I'm just so proud! 

Hopefully I'll be able to spend some more time with her this summer before she starts her new life as a pre graduate student, yes she's going on! She's going to be so busy! In the meantime, I'll just be painting, while taking little breaks to savor my favorite time of year. My birthday month is coming up! Enjoy your summer!:)

Jen

Be Open to Receive

Dance of the Koi

Everything happens for a reason. Be open to receive and all things are possible.

Jen

Sharing my latest...

no longer available 

Jen:) 

Positive Vibes

sold 

Jen

Palos Verdes View and Poppies!

P.V. View 24x36 oil
sold

This is a very familiar view of my hometown in Torrance, CA. I had originally painted this scene pretty much how it looks in real life but wasn't completely happy with it. It looked a little bland like it needed some pizazz! So….I added a few palm trees, some bougainvillea, and statice (the purple flowers) and a few other minor changes. I like it better now and am inspired to do another in a vertical format. I have several more reference photos to use from my recent trip to Southern California. 

I'm going to be doing more of this area soon for a big commission job. I mentioned it earlier and it's happening!!!!….I just don't know when. haha! Well, right now I have another large commission job for a cityscape! It's going to be a biggy- 30x60 so I've ordered more paint! Don't want to run out (like I did here). 

Now on to the poppies! I took a quick trip down the street to The Highland Art Center this morning for some inspiration. It's a cute little local gallery that I show my work in sometimes. They have the most beautiful garden and picnic there, and at this time of year the Chinese Poppies are blooming like crazy! This town has some history with Chinese people, because of the Gold Rush. We honor them with a Chinese New Year Parade every year, where a few local children dress in a dragon costume and parade down Main Street. There is also The Joss House, an absolutely beautiful Chinese Temple, which is the oldest in California! 

Dance of the Tulips
18x24
oil on canvas
sold

All photos by Jennifer Beaudet Copyright © 2014

Jen

Building Self-Confidence…not always easy

Dance of the Tulips oil on canvas

If you've been following me for any amount of time you may have noticed that I lack confidence and suffer from social anxiety. I've struggled with this all my life and it's definitely a handicap when trying to achieve my goals. 

I can remember the first set back I encountered at the early age of seven. I was given the opportunity to test for AT, academically talented, now called GATE. I was so excited to be among this elite group of peers, but when it came time to take the test, alone in a room with the proctor, I froze. The questions coming from her mouth were jumbled and my head was spinning. I couldn't focus let alone get the words out. Being put on the spot has always been a challenge, to say the least. I remember standing in front of my 6th grade class in a spelling B, just me and another classmate left. Do you think I wanted to be there? No! I was terrified and remember thinking, 'time to misspell a word and get myself out of this!'. How many times I've failed in order to get out of the spotlight. I can't be alone. Am I? 

This month is Mental Illness Awareness Month. It's something that not only I've been affected by personally, but I have many close friends and family members who suffer from various mental afflictions. There's nothing wrong with talking about it and you shouldn't be ashamed. I believe much of it is caused by nutritional deficiencies and should be treated accordingly. I found out about 2 years ago that I have Celiac, an inability to process gluten. Because I had been undiagnosed for so long, possibly my whole life, I was deficient in essential vitamins which contribute to well being and healthy brain function. I'm sure I have a genetic disposition for anxiety and such, but fully believe that lack of proper nutrition for so long, has played a big role. I also have Hashimoto's.

I've researched the effects of these deficiencies,extensively and found that many brain related problems can be attributed to them(such as- anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and some other really scary things). Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 complex, zinc, selenium, and more are needed for healthy brain function. I was having major anxiety and panic attacks but have almost completely gotten rid of them from following my Dr. orders along with adding some other supplements I found through further research. I'm not a doctor, and I'm not saying that it will work for everyone, but it is working for me. I have never taken any medication for anything other than antibiotics, I've done it all with my diet and supplements. I eat a clean Paleo diet, which is not processed foods, and all organic and non-GMO's. Grass fed beef is important although I don't eat a lot of red meat, only because it's hard for me to digest. I was having a lot of other issues caused my my auto-immune issues (Celiac and Hashimotos) and borderline arenal fatigue), like rashes, dizziness, extreme fatigue, allergies to almost all foods, and many other things. Right now, I can say I feel better than I have for years and am almost without symptoms (besides my undiagnosed sjorgren's) I may have other things going on, but I feel good! One other great benefit that I just realized yesterday is, that I no longer have seasonal pollen allergies! Every year since I was 21, come springtime, I've had major allergies for a few weeks; sneezing, headache, dripping nose, drowsy feeling…no more! 

I know I still have pretty bad social anxiety sometimes, but at least I know my brain is getting what it needs now. There's a lot more to it than I've written here because it's so complex, but this is just the very basics of what I've learned. 

Ann Tran wrote a great article about building self-confidence that has some great tips on living a healthy life and developing good habits for building your self esteem. It's based on Allan Loy McGinnis' 12 points about building your self-confidence; a must read. 

So if you're still reading this…(I know, I've gone on a little too long, and said a little too much) maybe there's another person out there who feels the same way as me. Maybe they won't feel so alone knowing they are not alone. 

Jen

Update: 

Flash forward to May 13,2020...It's hard to believe I wrote this post in May of 2014. Something made me look at it again...not sure what it was. Re-reading this is both difficult and encouraging at the same time. Mental health is more important than ever now in dealing with our current pandemic situation. How are you staying healthy? I've gained about 5 pounds but am still eating gluten free...no longer paleo though and I feel it some days. I have not had a panic attack since 2013, although I've felt some serious anxiety recently, keeping me up at night. I had no choice to eat gluten free because of Celiac but I still feel very strongly about how a "clean diet" not only benefits your physical health but mental health, as well. I will add to this the importance of daily exercise and meditation. I walk every day but have not made a habit of sinful meditation yet. I know how much I need it but have been stubborn. Do you have some tips? I'd love to hear them! Stay well everyone! 

PS...The tulip painting is no longer available but here's a link to my latest

Mother's Day Rose

Mother's Rose

8x8

oil on canvas

$125

Roses are just plain hard to paint! I actually think I might be getting better though! After painting the first version, I realized (well, I guess I pretty much already knew)that I need better studio lighting. Our overhead lighting is not very good and I bought a cheap desk lamp at Target, but it's just not cutting it. I do most of m painting later in the day, so I need to buy a real studio light. The other thing I've been trying to do without is a computer display or an iPad to see the image I'm painting. I've been printing it out on paper, but I'm missing so many subtle color changes. I have a laptop but I don't want to get it anywhere near paint…it's a Macbook and I love it! 

I'm glad I did the challenge from Daily Paintworks this week. I haven't had time lately but I'm starting a small commission and am in the planning stages right now, so this was good practice. I should probably do 100 roses so I can feel really comfortable painting them. I still need to figure out how to get that glowing translucent look to the petals. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as your Mother's Day gift from me! Have a wonderful day tomorrow and Happy Birthday Julie! I hope I got it right this time!