Lola Jovan Art Musings and Random Thoughts

Rabbit, Rabbit

11/29/2018

"Rabbit, Rabbit" - acrylic on paper, 12" x 18". Available here and at Artfinder.

A new month is just moments away, and with it the utterance of "rabbit, rabbit" to bring in good luck. Which is why I was not at all surprised when these two unusual rabbits appeared in this painting.

This is the last piece from the SoFlo studio. The last piece of paper and the last bits of paint. The whole shebang is wrapped, boxed, labeled and waiting for transport. Well, everything except a new travel art kit to keep me from pulling my hair out over the next three weeks (the approximate amount of time it takes to load, transport, unload and unpack when moving from one extreme end of the country to another).

But there are still nine rooms, a garage and an attic to pack, so I have the feeling there is plenty to keep me occupied until next Friday when I board a plane. :)

My head is twirling with lists and reminders. Let's leave the land of busy busy busy, dear reader, and spend a few luxurious moments standing on fishes:

The deep parts of my life pour onward,
as if the river shores were opening out.
It seems that things are more like me now,
That I can see farther into paintings.
I feel closer to what language can't reach.
With my senses, as with birds, I climb
into the windy heaven, out of the oak,
in the ponds broken off from the sky
my falling sinks, as if standing on fishes.

Rainer Maria Rilke

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Hope is the thing with feathers

11/22/2018

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"Who Does She Think She IS?" acrylic on paper. NFS.

A few quiet hours in the morning before the hubbub of Turkey Day commences. The children (none of them really children anymore) all sleep all snug in their beds after a late night of board games and highly competitive hilarity. These are the times a mom feels deeply, incredibly grateful. Well, and maybe a little bit shocked and aghast at how much they know and how much she does not. They are teaching me now.

I spent some time just watching and listening to these young folks yesterday. Their passion, intelligence, creative thinking and kindness filled me with hope for the world. That and their willingness to play with paint at the kitchen table, if even for a few stolen moments. Working with charcoal, titanium white acrylic paint and a little black gesso, they created some quick studies inspired by shapes and patterns in art book paintings.

Sigh. One happy mama on turkey day. :)

Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.
--Emily Dickinson

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Too Much

11/15/2018

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"Too Much" - mixed media on paper, 22" x 15". Available here and at Artfinder.

Oh gosh this piece was FUN! Thank you to Lia for challenging me to give this one a go. Watercolor, acrylic, gesso, colored pencil, paint pens and charcoal - the kitchen sink is in this painting.

It has been a week of words and phrases popping up and sinking in. It began with this word:

whigmaleerie or whigmaleery
PRONUNCIATION: (hwig-muh-LIR-ee)
MEANING:
noun:
1. A whim.
2. A fanciful contrivance.
ETYMOLOGY:
It’s a Scots term, but we know little about it beyond that. Earliest documented use: 1730.

My brain is full of whigmaleerie and malarkey. The words makes me smile.

And then there is this quote, posted by someone I greatly admire:

"Maybe we are here to love wildly, passionately and fearlessly," whispered the heart

"You are going to get us all killed," yelled the brain.

Living in that pocket, where the heart is pushing us to new limits while the brain is yelling to put on the brakes - that's where the good stuff grows. And that's where you will be "too much" for some people. But you, dear reader - fierce, brave, creative - you aren't afraid to be too much. You love wildly. You love fearlessly. And you aren't too shy to embrace a little whigmaleerie.

And just to be sure you understand how truly unlimited a little whigmaleerie can be, here is both the Whigmaleerie dance and the Whigmaleerie band. :)

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Tipsy

11/12/2018

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"Tipsy" - acrylic on cradled birchwood panel, 24" x 20" x 1.5". Ready to hang. Available here and at Artfinder.

I am back in the studio after a whirlwind week. This time expanding on the simple shapes and tension theme which I began exploring in a prior abstract.

This is a much large piece, and is painted using both thin, matte layers (achieved by mixing white gesso with acrylic paint) and thick layers of acrylic heavily applied with brush and palette knife. Colored pencils, charcoal and a chopstick (for scratching through the paint) were the finishing touches.

Tipsy

The world feels a little tipsy right now...people coming and going, events monkey-piling on top of each other - the interim time between being here and being there.

"No place looks like itself, loss of outline
Makes everything look strangely in-between,
Unsure of what has been, or what might come."
- JOHN O'DONOHUE

Older projects are wrapping up, winding down, quieting. Hush now.

New projects have sprung up like spring shoots, dazzling and demanding and promising the moon.

Somewhere in all this in-between I will pack my art supplies. But not today. Today the muse grabs me by the collar and drags me with a sense of urgency. How can I say no?

Once Upon an Artist: Telling Tales and Selling Art - November 20th, 7 pm at ArtServe (hosted by Gold Coast Watercolor Society) Free and open to the public

Once upon a time, there was a girl who was banned from art forever. Half a century later, she is an award-winning artist with art in collections world-wide, with four books under her illustrated belt. How did THAT happen?

You are invited to pull up a chair and listen in as mixed-media Maven of Malarkey and Queen of Quirky Jen Walls tells her story, tells you how to tell YOUR story and explains why storytelling matters in selling your art.

In this demo like no other, you'll learn to swashbuckle like a pirate, reign like a queen and SELL YOUR ART like the masterful genius you are!

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The Art of Illustration

11/8/2018

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Oh my goodness OH MY GOODNESS!

The day is finally here! An opening reception and the culmination of a collaboration that spans across several years and four states. The Storyteller's Apprentice art unveiling and book signing, with nearly all of the collaborators together for the show.

And that's a big deal! Because this entire book was created from three separate locations and then brilliantly edited and published in a fourth. There has not been one moment where author Dana Kumerow, illustrator Brittany Tate, editor Leslie Rindoks (a.k.a. Avery Caswell) and myself have been in the same space at the same time.

Since its publication just a few months ago, this little treasure has landed in the hands of delighted readers from New York to California, from Canada to Ireland, the U.K. and Israel. From ages 5 to 85, both male and female readers have thrilled us with their feedback. Authors and artists, musicians and bankers, soccer players and princesses - we couldn't have asked for better.

And today, we are absolutely gobsmacked to say - it is now on Amazon! But we know some of you would rather make sure more of your purchase benefits the author and illustrators, so we're giving away free shipping on our own website for the month of November.

If this day could be any more perfect, I am not sure how. :) Alright, maybe if Magnar the dragon came to life, it would be a teeny bit better.

Thank you, dear reader, for following along with me on this journey, for your support, your hugs, your cheers and your patience...book publishing is a long LONG process. Thank you for being a part of my story, and for letting me be a part of yours.

"The Art of Illustration" opening reception is from 6-8 pm at ArtServe. Online art sales are available here and at ArtServe.

For those of you in south Florida who are considering a leap into publishing your own book, there will be a meet and greet with editor Leslie Rindoks of Better Books (formerly Lorimer Press) on Friday from 7 - 9 pm. Email Jen Walls for details.

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Arella

11/5/2018

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"Arella" (sold), "Arella in the Barn" and "The Storyteller's Apprentice" each 17" x 12" (framed dimensions) mixed media on aquabord. Part of The Art of Illustration show at ArtServe, now through November 27. Available here and at ArtServe.

What an exciting week this is! The culmination of years of collaboration with a month-long show and a book signing. But what is really, REALLY making me smile is this brave character, Arella, who has become such a part of my life. Ever since author Dana Kumerow wrote Arella into existence, she has been a kindred spirit.

Arella has a stubborn streak...difficulty listening to people and reading the signs in life. She is tenacious and headstrong and determined - sometimes to her own detriment. Wait - am I talking about Arella or myself? So many of the lessons Arella learns in The Storyteller's Apprentice are lessons I am still learning.

Arella

Arella in the Barn

Arella has trouble accepting her own talents. She wants so much for her gift to be like the one someone else has - something more flashy, more exciting and different. She works hard to develop a gift that isn't hers to have, until finally learning to treasure the talent she had all along.

I remember when my dad once called me the family "pit bull", meaning I would fiercely and doggedly get things done, whatever it took, however unglamorous it may be. My sister, on the other hand, was a "golden retriever" - getting along with everyone, making people happy, being easy to be with. I wanted so much to be a soft, golden dog. It just seemed better.

Since that time, however, my inner "pit bull" has become something I rather count on. She gets the hard stuff done regardless of how uncomfortable it is (or how many people she ticks off!) and is a source of strength. And my sister is way better at being golden. :)

Arella also begins as a bit of a perfectionist..her hair just so, ribbons straight, everything right as rain. Her adventures ultimately give her no choice but to embrace the messiness of life, including her own wild hair and things around her being less than perfectly neat.

No one in my house would tell you that I've embraced messiness yet! But the older I am, the more my own unmanageable hair becomes just right the way it is. And perhaps there is hope for me to embrace the messes in life because a certain storybook hero of mine points the way.

The Storyteller's Apprentice

"The Art of Illustration", featuring original work from The Storyteller's Apprentice, November 2-27 at ArtServe. Opening reception November 8 from 6-8 pm. This event supports the important work of Kids In Distress. Donations will be accepted. Please visit their website for a wish list of supplies needed.

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November already?

11/1/2018

8 Comments

"Beaming", "Queen of Pouts", "Belle", "Lana" and "Norbert" - each 22" x 5.5" mixed media on repurposed fence wood. Ready to hang. Inquiries.

November ALREADY? And so it begins...our last month here in south Florida AND the beginning of the holidays. I am going to need an extra pot of coffee.:)

Thanks to the amazing team of hubby and Pongo, I'll be at the 32nd Annual North Palm Beach Arts & Crafts Festival this Saturday for the third consecutive year. There is nothing quite like a hundred talented crafters and artisans packed into a community center to get you thinking about putting up the Christmas tree. EEEK! NOT YET! Pongo needs more practice with the ornaments.

And The Art of Illustration, featuring The Storyteller's Apprentice, is going up at ArtServe today. If you're in the area, I'd love to see you next Thursday evening for the reception. More on that next week.

Beaming

Queen of Pouts

Lana

Norbert

Belle

But now, let's pause for a moment before the month runs wild with busyness and enjoy the soothing sounds of baby raccoons....Pongo got into a tussle with one last week, and is trying to convince us they are very, very scary. :)

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Rabbit, Rabbit

Hope is the thing with feathers

Too Much

Tipsy

The Art of Illustration

Arella

November already?

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