Sorry About The Delays!

I have not been able to paint and am getting worried as next summer I have alot of workshops to give!!! Check out my website as maybe one will be near you!
I have been working on my fall and Holiday collection of clothes and am almost done. Thought I would post one of the sweaters so you could see that line. They have been selling well in the store in Oregon where they really appreciate recycled and reconstructed clothing. It is a niche I am filling and it has been alot of fun.
Today I go to speak at the college to the senior class of Fine Art students and to give them a reality check. For as successful as I have been in many ways, I still do not make a great income and I want them to see that I have to work in other ways to still support my art. That is the reality today for most of us and finding that thing that we can still be creative in and enjoy is the trick! I am lucky I found such a thing and yet it is upsetting that I cannot be just painting. We must do what is necessary these days to stay afloat however! Hopefully my next post will actually be a painting!!!
My book will be the selection of the month at North Light and you will see it featured in Watercolor Magic in this coming issue...so take a peek!

Finally It Has A Name!

The suggestions was given to me just a couple of days ago to title the grapes and silver piece "Saucey Grapes" which I liked very much. I wanted something to elude to the gravy boat and I just could not come up with anything. Of course, those serving pieces were also used for sauces too so that worked great. I had to have a title as it was at the printers and did not have a clue what to tell them...so Saucey Grapes it is!Now the question is should I use the sauce spelling and add a y...or what as I am not sure there is such a word as that. The word would be saucy which is impertinent...insolant...and I do not want it to mean that. So I think to keep it from having a wrong meaning I have to gio with this spelling? Any suggestions? There is the "well sauced" which is seasoned... so is it more correct to say "Well Sauced Grapes"...? Let me know your thoughts! J

Grapes and Silver Completed!

As you can see I still do not have a title for this! I like the idea of using Gravy Boat in there but nothing is coming to me. I am sorry it took so long to get to this point but seems I had a million interruptions and the company scanning it took their sweet time! Just the way life is sometimes I guess.
I know this could have had a lot more drama with a dark background but I am so tired of seeing that as the solution to everything by so many artists that I try to steer away from that as an option. I am hoping it worked well enough to make it seem airey rather than heavy which the dark would have lent to it.
The Workshop went well and the schedule is filling up. It appears next summer will be a blurr of teaching and airplanes and if my delays and cancellations this time are any indicator or what is to come...I will dread flying. I was left in Chicago this time for 12 hours~! Then I had to teach with a little 2 hour catnap...but I did better than I thought I would being so deprived of my precious sleep! Ha! Anyway, any suggestions for a title would be appreciated!

Workshop Schedule

I am beginning to list the workshops at my site for next year. One the first ones is in March to the Mexican Riviera aboard a cruise ship! For all the details you can go to my website at www.janefreeman.com and check out the workshops. I am now team teaching with Cindy Agan so it will be twice the fun I think. She does wonderful portraits and pets besides everything else! Again, it will all be in watercolor.
As for the scan of my last painting, when it came back it was not dead on with the colors so had to have it redone...so still waiting for the proof to ok it. Then I should get the slides and be able to put it up here. Sorry for the delay.
I will be in Michigan teaching a workshop next week and then things will slow down and I hope to be more active here. Thanks for your patience!

My Book Has Arrived!!

Yesterday afternoon my book arrived by UPS. It was very strange to see it all together as a book! I hope that you will enjoy it as I have also a page of instruction from 10 artists whom I call friends as I have known them now for a number of years through emails and encouraging words. They are: Cindy Agan, Peggi Bstcheck, Janie Gildow, Susan Harrison-Tustain, Paul Jackson, Laurin McCracken, Arleta Pech, Sueellen Ross, James Toogood and Marilyn Wear. My foreward is by Robert Reynolds, artist and professor of Art/Emeritus, Cal Poly University. He and I have also been friends for a number of years. So I have quite the list of A list watercolor artists behind me which I think will be of interest to everyone because they share a little about how they capture light as well! Wow! Now that is done and I have been booking workshops for 2008. I will be team teaching with Cindy Agan which should be great as it will you two instructos and twice the attention!
My proofs are suppose to be here by Wed and I hope the jpeg will arrive too so I can put up my new painting! It is yet unnamed so I might need your help again!

Off To The Printer!

My latest painting is off to the printer to be scanned and have slides made. As soon as I have the image I will post it. This is one of those paintings that I will not know if it was successful until I see it framed.
Lately I have been very busy with my second business which is reconstructed clothing for little girls. I have had to come out with the fall line and so that has been alot of work as with summer my seamstress that helps has been busy so.....I am doing all the stuff. Hopefully I will be able to juggle all of this without dropping the ball in either court. I hope to have an update by the end of the week but if anyone has an interesting title for the gravy boat with grapes, I would be very anxious to hear it!

My Book Is Available!

My book "A Celebration of Light" is available at Amazon for pre-orders! I was quite surprised to see it there already as it will not be available in bookstores until perhaos the first week in Sept. You can view it here http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0/105-3676027-9721251?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=A%20Celebration%20of%20Light&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AA%20Celebration%20of%20Light%2Ci%3Astripbooks and hopefully you will want to order one to see what this old goat has to say!
I am nearly done with the gravy boat painting but unforseen things have kept me from finishing it of late but I believe it would just take a couple of days to get it done and off to the printer for scanning...so hopefully my next post will be of the finished piece! Thanks for your patience!