Bottle and Red Zinnia Still Life by Jacki Newell

I guess I should stop calling these 30 minute attemps because I really haven't been able to stay under the 30 minute mark. This one was at least 45 minutes. When my alarm went off I had to do something with the background-it was so splotchy, and the bottle was a little mis-shapen.
I bought this cute little bottle at one of my favorite stores on North Main St in downtown Greenville-"Drakes". It's a beautiful gift and florist shop. I had my eye on this bottle for a few weeks and finally got back to buy it on Saturday.

Bottle and Red Zinnia

8x8 oil on gessoed panel

$125 unframed

30 Minute Painting-Attempt #1

I was inspired by artist Robin Cheers' blog post http://robincheers.blogspot.com/2010/10/30-minute-start.html to attempt to paint a small painting in 30 minutes. It took me about that much time to find something to set up to paint and adjust the lighting, etc, but I did paint this one in just 30 minutes. Well, to be honest, I took 2 extra minutes to touch up the highlights, etc. but was suprisingly happy with the results.

Some of the benefits of painting so quickly is that it forces me to work more instinctively rather than labor over each decision. The brushstrokes are fresher and bolder as I hurredly move on to the next section rather than hang around and redo the paint that I just put down. One of my favorite things to look at in other artist's work is the freshness of their color and brushstrokes. Learning to work quickly is especially helpful when I paint outdoors and have to keep up with the changing light and shadows. I'm hoping this little 30 minute excercise will help. This zinnia theme continues, as I have never been one to let a perfectly good little zinnia go unpainted:)

"Zinnia and Coffee"

8"x 8" oil on gessoed board

$125 unframed plus $10 shipping

Recent Painitngs

Here's what I've been working on lately-more zinnias! When we got home from our 3 week trip to Omaha and Colorado Springs, I was happy to see that my zinnias were still alive.

All 4 are 8"x8" oils on gessoed panels.
$125 each unframed. .

$150 framed.

$10 shipping

Orange Begonias

I painted this piece earlier this summer but forgot to take a photo of it before I took it to the gallery. Sadly, the gallery had to close and all my paintings are back home.
The orange begonias have, since then, exploded in blossoms that have lasted for 3 months. I'm out of town right now, and I'm afraid when I get back home they will be fried from the hot sun. If that is true, I'm going to have to go out and find some more to enjoy for the rest of the summer.









Orange Begonias
10"x10" oil on canvas
$200.00 unframed plus $10 shipping
$225.00 framed plus $10 shipping

Juried in!

I was happy to hear recently that my painting "What now?"was juried into the Spartanburg Artist Guild Annual Show. This is the second year that one of my paintings made it into the show. I was so impressed with the quality of the art there and wanted to see if I could get one in this year to prove to myself that last year wasn't a fluke.
$250
$275 framed
add $10 shipping

Pallette Knife Zinnias

I decided just for the fun of it to try painting the zinnias with a pallette knife. It was fun, but not as easy as I hoped it would be. I spent a large part of the day on it, and it's so small.
8"x 8" oil on gessoed panel.
$125. unframed
$150. framed
plus $10 shipping

zinnias-SOLD

This past week was my birthday. I was in the mood to paint these cheerful zinnias that I picked from my yard because they remind me of birthday cupcakes. They are so easy to grow, and great colors. This year I planted my usual zinnias and then this type that I haven't seen before. They are gorgeous deep pastel colors and shaped kind of frizzy-ish, like fireworks. I love them so much that i bought another pack of seeds the other day and planted them on a Saturday morning and they were all already up on the following Monday morning. That is fast!!!!

These are oil on gessoed panels, both 8"x8", unframed $125 each or framed for $150. Plus $10 for shipping

Rose Garden at Furman Univ.

A couple of weeks ago,I had the joy of spending a morning in the most incredible rose garden I have ever seen. The gardener told me that I had picked the perfect time to be there, while the roses where in full bloom. I wish my painting could do the vivid colors of the roses justice. I painted this on location there, under a shady spot in the corner of the garden. I could live there, I love it so much. I must say, I was quite overwhelmed by the sights and had such a hard time deciding what to paint. Once I found my location, what a challenge it was to try to keep everything organized. The light was changing, so I had to stop after an hour and a half, leaving out the gazebo. Today, I worked from photos that I took that morning, and painted the gazebo into the scene.
Furman Rose Garden
9x12 oil
$200 unframed
$225 framed
plus $10 shipping

Sunflower Oil Painting-Gazing into the Sun

This little sunflower looks as if it's gazing into the sun and is having to shade it's eyes because of the sun's brilliance. That is something that I appreciate about sunflowers, if you'ver ever seen a whole field of them, they keep their faces looking towards the sun. (Hence the name, I suppose:) They are devoted sun worshippers, and one foggy day I went out to get some photos of the sunflowers, and there they were, all with their heads bowed, as if sad and maybe, praying for the light they love so much. Sunflowers are a great reminder to me, to keep looking to God's Son, the Light of the World, and, of course, to pray in this dark world.


Thank you for visiting my blog.

Gazing Toward the Sun
10"x10"x1 oil on stretched canvas with gallery edges.

$200 unframed.
$225 framed.
Add $10 for shipping.

Sunflowers Oil Painting

Just finished this a few minutes ago. For some reason, this went so much easier than the last sunflower painting. Not much of a struggle at all, very enjoyable. Any ideas for a title? As I paint these guys, they seem to me to take on a personality. It looks like the big sunflowers are peering down on the poor little guy for some reason. Let me know what you see and what I should title this.
As for now, it's just going to be titled:

Sunflowers, Oil Painting
12"x12"x 1"
$250 unframed. $275 framed plus $10 shipping.

Email me at jacki.newell@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing this painting. It has the nice gallery edges, so no need to buy a frame.

Sunflowers

I just finished this one from photos taken one morning on my walk. I couldn't believe what a hard time I had with it. I was going to do a larger one with sunflowers, but I don't think so now.

Sunflowers

10x10x1" oil on gallery edged stretched canvas

$200 unframed. $225 framed, plus $10 shipping.

To purchase this painting, contact me at

jacki.newell@gmail.com

Queen Anne's Lace, Simpsonville,SC

I'm home and I'm painting! I had a wonderful time in Henderson, NV, staying with my daughter and son-in-law and their little ones, until the new baby was born. She came on Sunday morning at 5:36am, weighed 6:12 and 19 inches long. Her name is India-Jade Ryan Schmidt and she is beautiful.
I spent the day yesterday working in the yard, planting flowers, fertilizing etc, and then went swimming with my grandson's, Skylar,7 and Brecken who is 5. What a beautiful summer day and perfect for swimming.
My plan today was to paint outdoors, my favorite. But I must admit, I'm a wimp and it's been raining all day. I took a walk this morning with my umbrella in the rain and saw so many scenes that i would love to paint. I came back later in the car and took a photo of this field ful of Queen Anne's Lace. I decided to try painting in my studio exclusively with a pallete knife. It was fun.
Queen Anne's Lace-Simpsonville, SC
6"x6"x1/2" oil painting on panel
$75. unframed, $95 framed, plus $10.00 shipping.

If interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me at jacki.newell@gmail.com

View from Mt. Vernon Gardens, Omaha, Ne

This is a small plein air oil painting that I did last summer, but thought i should post it so i would have something to post, since I am still in Henderson, NV waiting for the birth of my grandaughter, and haven't painted at all in the past 2 weeks. It looked as if she was going to be born a few weeks early, so I rushed out here to babysit my two little ones when my daughter Jaimi went to the hospital, but so far, the little stinker is staying put. Jaimi will be induced tomorrow nite, and the baby will most likely come sometime in the early hours on her actual due date, May 31. I'm praying she'll come today sometime.







View from Mt. Vernon Gardens, Omaha, Ne
8"x6" oil on canvas board
available for purchase $95. unframed, $225 framed, plus $10 shipping .

If interested, contact me at jacki.newell@gmail.com