"Goodnight, Moon" (self-portrait of the artist after 30 consecutive days of painting) - mixed media on canvas paper, 16" x 20"

Day 30!  Yahoo!  Unconventional painting tools have been conquered, the moon as muse as been explored thoroughly, my studio walls are covered in mesmerizingly good mojo, and so much art has found its way to new homes filled with love and good karma.  Hooray!

So what's next?  No rest for the...wickedly creative.  In February, I will finish my pieces for the #100LoveNotes book project (the most incredible story ever), create art for Ciel Gallery's salon show in March and find my muse for the Back to the Garden show at Ciel in April.  The end of February will find me in Charlotte to teach two FUN-TASTIC classes - doodling ridiculous rabbits ("Hare-Do") and creating and framing small abstracts ("Finish What You Started").   And here in south Florida, you will find me at ArtServe  and the Plantation Art Guild getting to know the locals.

THANK YOU, dearest reader and art enthusiast, for coming along on this month's art journey.  YOUR feedback, support, encouragement and critiques are a precious gift.   A big, heartfelt hug to each of you!


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"Owl Totem" - acrylic on board, 12" x 12" (framed)

From the mystical native traditions of the Pacific Northwest comes this painting inspired by totem images.  A large owl shelters this man under his wings, keeping him under feathered protection and warding off evil.  Now who doesn't need an owl protector?  

Adoption fee: $25 (shipping included).  Contact Jen at mailto:imajenation@gmail.com to make adoption arrangements.

"Elephant Dreams" - mixed media on canvas, 18" x 24".  Ready for hanging.

Day 29!  In the home stretch and still have energy to spare.  This piece emerged from another sleepless night in the studio where I was contemplating elephant dreams.  I'd been watching videos of elephants painting (so amazing) and found myself wondering what this artistic elephants might dream of at night?  This piece met my goal and is 100% brushless.  It is also a paint-over canvas.  Can you see the elephant enchantress peeking through?

So this piece truly contains elephant mojo all the way through.  And of course that got me wondering - what is the magical power of the elephant totem?

If the elephant is your spirit animal, you have the gifts of wisdom, compassion, commitment and confidence.  You are able to remove obstacles and barriers in your life.  You're also gifted with the ability to communicate in relationships, gently and effectively.

This gentle giant teaches us to love and support each other, to help us all thrive in the physical world.  Elephant energy is nurturing and protective, and gives us access to three feminine energies: child, mother, and wise old woman.  If the elephant appears to you, the message may be to be sure you are nurturing yourself and not stretched too thin caring for others.

Elephants are introverts with poor vision.  They don't often see what is going on around them.  Elephant medicine might be reminding you to keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings, even if you want to curl up on your sofa and hibernate.

Elephants are strong!  If you have an elephant totem, you have the strength you need to overcome whatever life throws at you.  And a strong community of support to back you up.  Like an art tribe of gargantuan proportions.  Oh yeah!

"Girl With Bird" - mixed media (including bee's wax used as encaustic) on gallery wrapped canvas, 12" x 12".  Ready for hanging.

This little sweetie emerged from a quiet day in the studio.  Super texturized and layered with bee's wax, she reminds us of simple moments of quiet joy.  She and her tiny bird are in search their forever home.  Waiting to provide hours of quiet bliss and springtime flowers, she is a lovely garden companion whose dress never gets dirty.  

Adoption fee: $35 (includes shipping).  Contact Jen at mailto:imajenation@gmail.com to make adoption arrangements.

"Golden Slumbers" - acrylic on canvas paper, 16" x 20"

Day 28!  Today's piece was inspired by the suggestion I paint a "sleep fairy"...and of course, being who I am, the first thought that came to my mind was a pink elephant.  What better way to fall asleep than to be gently rocked by a pastel pachyderm?  All while gazing at (of course) a golden moon. The title comes from a Beatles song, which was itself inspired by prose written in the 1600s.  This piece met my goal of 90% without paintbrushes.  I am become more confident with the palette knife every day.

Sleep has been a topic in our home for years.  I am the lightest of sleepers.  My husband can sleep through a herd of pink elephants trumpeting Beethoven's 5th Symphony.  My dad is an intermittent sleeper, sometimes accumulating 8 hours a night for weeks, then running a deficit after several 2-4 hour nights.  I need 8-9 hours to feel human.  My husband thrives on 5 or 6  (yes, I have sleep envy).

The science of sleep is extensive.  There are sleep doctors and sleep clinics.  Sleep aids and sleep hygiene.  And one thing I know for sure - sleep is an elusive mistress.  The more we pursue her, the faster she runs away.  And I used to panic when I couldn't sleep all night.  Which made sleep run off to Katmandu for the next few nights and leave me stranded.  

I know now that my body will sleep when it wants to, even if it doesn't agree with my brain's assessment of the situation.  And those sleepless nights sometimes shake up my routine enough to create new thought patterns in my brain, new ways of looking at old stuff, and sometimes even epiphanies at 3 am.  Of course, there is no one to share my aha moments with at that time of morning...

"Hummingly" - pen and ink on watercolor paper, 13" x 13" (framed behind glass)

This little love has been a tremendous success in prints!  And yet the sweet original is still waiting to perch in his forever home.   Maybe he was just waiting for you?  It makes my heart sing  when someone connects personally with one of my little creations.  Iit is just like Harry Potter - "the wand chooses the wizard", and art chooses its collector.  Hummingly will never leave droppings on your head when you pass underneath him...and he is a quiet little thing, the perfect companion when you're curled up on the sofa with your tea and a book.

Adoption fee: $35 (includes shipping).  Contact Jen at mailto:imajenation@gmail.com to make adoption arrangements.

"INSOMNIA" - mixed media on canvas, 18" x 24".

Day 27!   A complete detour in the studio today - my regular playmate characters are still catching up  on their sleep.  An abstract today, and also a paint over!  Transformation and reformation.  This piece was begun during a 100% sleepless night - it is only fitting it was painted 100% without brushes.  Hooray!   So you might be wondering what piece I painted over?   The pink balloon piece from earlier this year.  I think it influenced the softer colors in this abstract, even though there isn't much visible of the original piece.

As 30 in 30 nears its end, I am experiencing a bit of melancholy (which happened each of the other times as well).  For artists (who by necessity tend to be solitary creatures and create in a little bubble world all their own) this challenge unites us all in a daily cyber-sharing, getting a little peek into each other's processes and inspiration, challenges and frustration.  It is tribal and communal.  My art tribe is out there and they are brilliant.

From an individual perspective, this challenge continues to teach me how POSSIBLE it is to focus on creating every day.  And when part of my every day is creating art and connecting with other creative-minded people (be they artists or art enthusiasts), every other part of my life becomes juicier and more fulfilling.  Life becomes on endless imagining of possibilities, and my ability and willingness to think outside of any box are multiplied.  It fuels a giant creative wheel, which builds momentum and speed and takes me (and those around me) on a huge joy ride.

But there are three days left to go!  So back to the studio to make some more magic

"Beluga" and "Baleen" - mixed media on cradled board, 8" x 8" x 3" Ready for hanging (or stacking).

These two mini versions of majestic giants are looking for their forever home.  They are very quiet, leave no mess in the house and communicate only via telepathy.  Their silent song will fill your mind with peace and contentment.  They will delight your visitors and repel door-to-door salespeople with their mental forcefield.  Who needs a watchdog?  You've got watch-whales!

Adoption fee: $35 for both (includes shipping).  Contact Jen at mailto:imajenation@gmail.com to make adoption arrangements.

"It's Not Easy Being Queen" - mixed media on canvas paper, 16" x 20"

Day 26!  More shenanigans from the studio.  This sulky royal is tired of wearing her heavy crown.  Being queen isn't all she hoped it would be!  But the piece did meet my goal of 90% without brushes.  Because of this month's challenge, I now reach for scrapers and such before I even notice my paintbrushes.  Mission accomplished.  But there are four more days left in this 30-day paint-a-thon, so I won't rest on my laurels just yet. :)

Lucky for me, I finished this piece yesterday afternoon.  I tend to work at least one day ahead, just in case something goes haywire unexpectedly.  Which it did.  For no apparent reason, I didn't sleep last night.  And I mean DID NOT SLEEP.  Once two a.m. rolled around and I realized the sleep fairy had forgotten to stop at my house, I dragged my bleary-eyed self into my studio and started painting.  Now let me tell you, the things I paint at that time of morning are not particularly inspired!  But I did get some groovy textures and backgrounds going.  Instead of pushing through to get it done, I gave myself permission to let it sit, contemplate and correct with fresh eyes after (hopefully) a great sleep tonight.

It is funny how things work out, however.  This sullen queen, though I created her yesterday, is exactly how I feel today.  She's perfect!  Her head is heavy with responsibility, her attitude is clearly a bit off, and her hair is a frightening mess.  She has birds nesting in her crown and she is too tired to wave them off. Life imitating art. 

The dogs will be running amok here today.  My dad may have taffy for dinner.  My micro-kingdom may be in chaos, but I am still the (tired) queen!

"Whoop-de-doo" - mixed media on paper, framed behind glass 18" x 22"

A hint of spring in January...flowers emerging in all their zantangled glory, with a little bird announcing "There was a great whoop-de-doo" - isn't that what happens when flowers bloom in your garden?  This piece will remind you to trumpet your  accomplishments and celebrate the little things that make life beautiful.

Adoption fee: $65 (shipping included).  Contact Jen at mailto:imajenation@gmail.com to make adoption arrangements.

"Moon River and Me" - acrylic on cradled board, 12" x 12"

Day 24!  A crisp, chilly Sunday morning in south Florida.  The perfect day for painting and daydreaming.  This piece was inspired by last night's brilliant full moon illuminating the lake behind our house.  I found myself a bit moonstruck, gazing at the glowing orb in the sky, fantastically bright on a cloudless evening.  If I had a boat, I decided, I would have been out on the water to bathe in the moonlight.  Alas, no boats here (yet - a kayak is under consideration) so my moon bathing took place on the grassy banks instead.

This piece met my goal of 90% without brushes.  This one is more primitive, with a moody background created by layering quinacridone nickel azo gold on top of varying shades of purple, scraped with credit cards and smudged with paper towels, markings carved in with a stick.

So the title of this piece is based upon a song written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer for Audrey Hepburn as "Holly Golightly" (how I love that name!) in Breakfast at Tiffany's.  There is one line in the song, the last line - my huckleberry friend, moon river, and me which captured perfectly my feelings about this girl in her boat.  The lyricist had a childhood friend with whom he spent summers picking huckleberries, and this memory and the lyric became his symbol of a carefree boyhood.

My childhood was far from carefree.  But there were moments which did (and still do) feel carefree within that childhood.  We didn't pick huckleberries, but did pick (and eat) gooseberries in Minnesota and blackberries in Ohio.  We held funerals in rural Minnesota for the gophers hunted and killed by the neighborhood boys (a bit morbid, but we had a flag, a song we hummed, downcast eyes and a shuffling gait which had to be the most dramatic and humorous funeral march ever).  We tried to outrun walls of rain in Alabama when the storms came through - racing across the parking lot right in front of the rain as fast as we could. 

What is truly fantastic about my life is the childhood I am experiencing now as an artist.  A sense of wonder, curiosity and play surrounds me.  Shapes, colors, textures and the certainty that anything is possible fill my thoughts with creative exploration and imagination.  I am on the moon river every day, ever grateful for a second chance at wonderment and magic.

"Oh, Bother" - pen and ink on paper,   14" x 12"  (framed)

This piece is the companion to "Silent Harold", faces inspired by ancient totem poles from the Pacific Northwest.  I felt a Winnie-The-Pooh-like attitude coming off this face (thus the title) and couldn't resist putting it to paint and ink.

Perfect for days when you just want to roll your eyes and sigh.  Let this totem be your repository for annoyance and frustration, so you can go on with your day stress-free!

Adoption fee $25 (shipping included).  Contact Jen at mailto:imajenation@gmail.com to make adoption arrangements.

"Moon Ball" - mixed media on cradled board, 16" x 20"

Day 23!  Only one week to go.  Today's piece is a bit of malarkey - Basquiat meets moon theme!  This one did not quite meet my goal of 90% without paintbrushes, as the skeletons required some brushwork.  But it was close.  As the month progresses, I rely more and more on my fingers, scrapers and paper towels as tools.  

Yesterday was "artist date" day after studio time.  These groovy dates (something I learned from Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way) are designed to refresh and inspire, and sometimes to get our minds away from art for a bit to let the mind relax.  I knew it was past time for an artist date when I was waking up at midnight worrying about what to paint the next day. 

So I learned from a friend (thank you, Melisa!) that Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food , had been made into a documentary.  It had been a while since I read the book, so a food refresher sounded good to me.  And the video was excellent!  You can stream it for free here:

Pollen compared the complicated web of modern food and nutrition to religion - requiring a priest (doctor, nutritionist) to explain so we could understand it.  And I have often felt that way when barraged with new warnings about certain foods or supplements.  What the heck are we supposed to eat?

But in his journalistic way, Pollan boiled it down to this:  EAT FOOD. NOT TOO MUCH.  MOSTLY PLANTS.  

So feeling empowered to feed myself without reading a textbook first, I went off to the grocery store to hunt and gather something to eat.  I shopped the perimeter, bought some lovely, fresh food and came home to cook it up.  Yum.

The way I look at it is this:  if I continue to eat this well, I will live a long and healthy life.  And after that, my skeleton, strong and energetic, will play moon ball under the night sky with other former healthy eaters.  That is something I don't want to miss!

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​Today's Adoption Event:

"JUMP" - mixed media on paper, 10 x 10 (framed)

This little cutie is ready to infuse your home with positive energy!  He will remind you the next big thing is only one hop away - all you have to do is begin...the perfect gift for that friend who is hesitant to step toward their dream.

Adoption fee: $25 (shipping included).  Contact Jen at mailto:imajenation@gmail.com to make adoption arrangements.

"Moon Face" - mixed media on cradled board, 12" x 12".  Ready for hanging.

Day 22!  The day before a full moon, with the eastern half of the country under wintery weather (or cool rain, here in Florida).  The perfect day for a cup of tea, a blanket and a book.  But here in the studio, with the rain pattering on the skylights, it is still 30 in 30 and the painting continues!  More lunar inspiration, this one on cradled hardboard instead of canvas.  Board (and its cousin, Aquabord) are my two favorite surfaces.  Board allows scraping and gouging and smoothness and woodgrain, easy collaging and a silkiness I can't get from canvas.   When doodling, board allows the pen to glide smoothly and the lines to be true.  This piece met my goal of 90% using non-brush tools.

My moon-themed pieces so far have all included luna, but today she demanded a solo performance!

The face in the moon has always fascinated me.  It has seemed wise and kind to me, never spooky or threatening. I find it reassuring and protective up there in the night sky.  So it got me to wondering - what (or who) is the face in the moon?

The Algonquins have a traditional story of the medicine woman in the moon.  A powerful healer decides she wants more knowledge, including to know when the earth will end.  The Great Spirit advises her to hide from other people, and in time she will be told.  So the medicine woman decides to seclude herself on the moon, where she waits for the answer to her question.  It is said the face in the moon is that of the medicine woman, weaving and cooking and waiting.

Other traditions hold the image in the moon is a rabbit (East-Asian cultures), a pair of hands (India) or even a tree or a toad.    New Zealanders join the Algonquins in attributing the face to a woman, Rona, who disrespected the moon and is serving out her penance there.

Scientists say our moon-gazing brains are basically taking a random image and trying to assign meaning to it.  Which, according to them, our brains actually find meaning about 50% of the time.  So those would be pretty good odds if you were playing the lottery!  

In the meantime, I will continue to moon gaze (and cloud gaze and star gaze) and let my brain do its thing, just because it gives me joy and inspiration  (well and maybe the medicine woman in the moon could help me with this cough...)

Another two for one! "Sandy" and "Misty", mixed media on cradled board, 6" x 6" x 2".  Ready for hanging (or stacking).

Two adorable girls in search of hugs, cookies and a bedtime story.   From the island of misfit art, these orphans are eagerly awaiting their forever home!  They would love to perch on your bookshelf between your copies of Charlotte's Web and Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang.  They are quiet, well-mannered and full of smiles.  Willing to walk the dog (but not pick up poo), together these lovable lasses are guaranteed to bring whimsy and playtime to your home.

Adoption fee: $25 (shipping included).  Contact Jen at mailto:imajenation@gmail.com to make adoption arrangements.

"Moon Catcher" - mixed media on gallery wrap canvas, 18" x 24".

Day 21!  What if we could catch the moon in our hands and hold it close?  Would we be infused with divine feminine energy? Would our hair light up the sky with lunar luminescence?  This enchantress captured the moon and is aglow with mysterious power.  Painted over 90% without the use of brushes, this piece contains  palette knife work, credit card scraping and paper towel texturizing.  Her blue dress is made of ink stamped tissue paper pieces.

This week I am continuing to read The War of Art, and am learning more about the muses.  "Moon Catcher" embodies the combination of empowerment and mystery I feel when the muse is present - like there is nothing I cannot do!  It is a place of divine flow, energy and excitement.  When the muse is present, I feel brave beyond my own boundaries.  Brazen, even.

So what brings the muse?  Athletes have rituals and lucky socks to summon their physical energy and steel-eyed focus and determination.  Homer invoked the muse in The Odyssey  Warriors summon the muse before heading out to battle.  It seems a ceremonial summoning of the muses before embarking on any personal quest, be it art or athleticism, is recommended.  I am working on my own small invocation to speak when entering my studio.  You can be sure there will be some malarkey in it, and my muse looks forward to that bit.

But what Pressfield tells us in this most excellent book, is the mere act of beginning whatever it is you are dreaming of is enough to enlist the aid of the muses.  Simply show up, begin, set forth, step out, try.  

​It is enough to dream it and begin.  The muses will guide us through the rest.  And, if we keep showing up, one day we might hold the very moon we've been dreaming of in our own two hands.

"The Full Moon is Calling" - mixed media on gallery wrap canvas, 18" x 24"

Day 20!  The moon continues to inspire me, but this time in an abstract.  Creating this piece was complete joy and grooviness!  And it seemed only fitting to name it after an Eagles song this week.  With the full moon this weekend, a wild week of windy weather and an obsession with lunar art, this tune was running through my head:

The full moon is calling 
The fever is high 
And the wicked wind whispers 
And moans 

I don't usually post tributes for celebrities when they pass, but the death of Glenn Frey this week made me a bit misty eyed and melancholy.  The Eagles have been on my turntable, in my tape deck, in my CD player and on my iTunes playlist most of my life.  It all started with the "Hotel California" record album when I was in high school.

So I never had this album at home as a teenager.  Every July, (yes, I said JULY) my parents would take us to Florida (yes, FLORIDA IN JULY) on vacation.   I've always wondered if it was a clever way to keep teen children out of trouble - take them somewhere excessively hot and humid where they won't feel like doing anything other than floating in a 97 degree swimming pool in a lethargic daze.  Anyway, one of those infamous vacations my parents bought a condominium, which was fully furnished.  It had a record console (one of those big, ornate cabinets) and one record album.  Yep, "Hotel California."  This was before iPods, tape players or anything portable other than a transistor radio.  So my sister and I listened to that one album over and over and over again that summer and the next two.   And so those songs became so ingrained in my head that I remember all the lyrics to this day.   

It has been decades since I listened to an entire album by any artist, as we now pick and choose individual songs, shuffle hundreds in a playlist or stream Pandora to give us a certain vibe.  And it makes me wonder - am I now missing the opportunity to memorize the rock ballad of my 50's by not being stuck with one album for days on end?   What unique songs am I missing by not being forced to listen to every song on an album? Hmmmm.

This abstract is my tiny tribute to a guy who was part of a band who played the music which became the soundtrack of my summers.  Rock on, Glenn Frey.