LEMON and STRAWBERRY

I was reading this morning on Katherine Glover's blog that she set up her painting of" Pool Balls" on a piece of aluminum foil! I was so impressed with it and inspired that I had to give it a try! I thought I will just set it up on the foil and do a quick sketch in paint. Oh man was I surprised to see ALL those reflections, it was really a mind bender!Her idea was to paint all the reflected color and it was beautiful! You will have to see her painting, go to her blog on the right of my blog here on the blog roll.
So there I was, with my lemon and strawberry and foil thinking this will be fun and quick! It was fun, but not quick!! A real experience! Thank's Katherine for a great stretch!!!xx
6"x6" oil on board

LITTLE CROSS

New this morning, little crosses for the Chambers Gallery , I'm making a bunch

more, these are just a sampeling.

My sister Julie gave me a pile of beautiful Chintz plates and do you recognize one of her lady bugs on one of the crosses? A broken piece of one of her beautiful pottery pieces. These little crosses measure 2"x3".

Beautiful Gardens

This last weekend I was privileged to attend to the Murrieta Home and Garden Show. Gorgeous gardens and lovely homes.
My girl friends are from high school and we meet once a year,from many different places, attend the show and get inspired by the beauty of the gardens and each other!

I was excited to see the lily ponds and took many pictures of those because not only do I love them but I love to paint them too! Talk about inspiration! Oh and the beautiful roses!

I just loved the potting shed at one of the homes and just had to share all of this with you!!

WHITE DRESS

18x24 original oil on canvas.

This little painting is for the workshop in Washington in June. I love the cool of the "white dress" against the warm of the background. The play of warm and cool.

I also love white dresses!!

EASTER SUNDAY

My grand daughters Elizabeth and Amanda are modeling beautiful silk rose Easter bonnets made by my daughter Heather.I love this picture it was taken on Easter a long time ago, the girls are now in there 20's and Elizabeth has a little one of her own now, Natalie, who is three!

I hope all of you have a Blessed, beautiful Easter Sunday!

WATER COLOR DOODLES

Small water color doodles this morning. Warming up to paint. I'm going to work in oils however, not water color. This gets me going though. Really fun to play in water color with no real intention to be super serious! No pressure!

I spent the early morning cleaning a straightening up my studio, cobwebs, I haven't been in there in so long! Well it seems like it anyway.

I've put my sewing machine and fabrics away for now, sadly and out I go to get paintings ready for my work shop in Washington in June.I know I will see many of you there and I'm so looking forward to it.

It's such a beautiful day, maybe I'll go water the flowers instead!

BIRD and ROSE Tote Bag

17"x21" Original design. Rose oil painting applied to vintage quilted rose fabric with vintage satin ribbon. Original painted bird on canvas, cut out and applied. This bag is completely lined in soft yellow cotton. Matching handles with a 9" drop. A little pouch comes with. This bag was a special joy to make! I love the quilted fabric and the colors. Adding the painted bird is just fun! I have enough to make another bag and will be designing it soon. You can find my bags on Face Book at Susan Jenkins Art Salon. Soon to be on Etsy. Please send your inquiries to me at susanjenkinsart@msn.com .

TEA POT Tote Bag

19.5"x15.5" New Bag!! Original oil painting on canvas front and back painted, email me for more pictures and details at susanjenkinsart@msn.com . Double stitched and completely lined.

Includes a little pouch for your cell phone or any little extras you want to carry with you. Black leather handles!

BIRD NEST tote bag

16"x21.5" Hand made tote bag. Original oil painting with painted bird applied.Vintage materials, stamping on fabric. Leather handles and a beautiful peach lining. I LOVED making and creating this bag! Adding more embellishments and really having fun! The fabrics are so pretty, some are vintage incorporated with new, it's fun to combine the colors and textures.

BIRDS and FLOWERS TOTE BAG

17"x22" Vintage fabric tote bag with original oil painting of flowers and a bird

This newest bag is completely lined with a pocket. Leather handles. Very fun to make with new ideas with the addition of the bird.

ABSTRACT FIGURE

36"x36" oil on canvas Well this was very fun! I decided to go to my studio and paint! No more excuses! An abstract was on my mind and I was inspired to paint it using the figure as my subject. A pastel palette was important too . Weather beautiful, being out side in my studio was so pleasant. Really a fun day!!

LILY DOODLE

Yes, another doodle! It is so cold in my studio, damp. It's outside and really the elements have been rough on it. I did get the roof fixed , thank heavens, before all the rains but it is still very damp! Yes, I do have a heater but it is going to take some time to warm it up. So I sat here in the dining room at the table and just doodled today....again......I must get to work, have paintings to paint for a work shop coming up!! Maybe tomorrow, that will be two days of sun! My sister Julie just sent over a bunch of beautiful fabric for my bags too! Now, that's something I can do tomorrow and not go to the studio!! HA!

WATER LILY TOTE BAG

New Tote Bag! 15.5" x 18.5" My original oil painting stitched on to off white cotton quilted fabric.

This is a smaller bag. It's a nice size. Lined with a lavender fabric(same is on handles) with pocket and pink button.
I couldn't wait to start sewing! This tote was fun to make , I love the quilted fabric and matching handles!

ALL ABOUT SEWING

I am so excited! The book I ordered came today!
This book was published in 1949 and is just full of wonderful lessons and ideas.

When I was a little girl my mother made me a pinafore and so many other wonderful outfits. It seemed to me that she was always at her sewing machine making me a new outfit and a dress for my little sister. One year we had matching dresses for Easter.

My granddaughter Mandy was given a copy from a friend who found it in a thrift shop. She sews and was so pleased. When I saw it I knew I had to find one too. Where in the world would I find one? I did, on Amazon! I'm so excited. If you love to sew, you will just love this book. Page after page of wonderful illustrations and photographs of the time, even a lesson on making slip covers and draperies!!Talk about vintage!!

I'm back home after teaching a workshop and next week I start sewing!

CUP DOODLE

I can't stop!! I really must do some serious work but I leave at the end of the week to do a workshop and every thing I want to start requires a longer attention span than I have right now!!
In between the doodles I'm running here and there and packing and just can't concentrate. I know you can totally understand this. Sooooooo in the meantime I will continue to doodle and start new work next week when hopefully I will be over my love affair( temporarily) with the water color crayons! Have you tried them yet? My favorites are the Caran d' Ache. The white is just wonderful, softens colors.
Ok now what else to doodle???

DOODLES

Yep! More "doodles"! Small little crayon paintings. The largest is 5"x5". I am having fun with these. I already said that didn't I?

SEASCAPE DOODLES

All small little sketches with water color crayons. Very relaxing and fun. Experiment with them, you have a bit more control when you are using the crayons too. Just have fun!

DOODELING

4"x 3" water color crayons on Bristol paper. What fun!

I went to my daughter Heather's for several days last week and painted in her beautiful gallery studio www.Heatherroddyartgallery.com. I didn't want to do a large oil and really wanted to just play. I bought some water color crayons at the art store and brushes and just had fun sketching.

Have you tried them? I sketch my paintings in crayon on paper and use those sketches as a guide. Well, to have them be water color with a few swipes of your brush is delicious! I have to get back to work next week but just wanted to put a few of these fun doodles up to share.

MONO TYPE

Have you ever done mono types? I just love doing them! You paint your subject on to a piece of glass with paint( they do have special paint for it, inks.Some one told me acrylics work but they dry too fast for me) I used oil paint. Simple subjects are best to start.
Lay a piece of pre gessoed paper over the glass and painted subject. Use a bray er to roll with pressure or a wooden spoon works too. Lift your paper and you have a print!! Very rewarding and always a surprise! Try it!!

TEA POT

9.5"x10.5" Pique assiette tea pot front and back.

Actually either side could be front or back because the lid can be turned. Shards of old plates and a little hand built figure made in clay complete this tea pot. It is weather sealed .
I have wanted to get back to painting and had every plan to do so but this tea pot beckoned me to decorate it! It was fun ! Now....to painting!

ABSTRACT LILY POND

24"x30" oil painting on canvas
Oh how I love to paint abstracts. So freeing. This is one I had done some time ago and got it out to look at it this morning.I loved it and kept it. Tomorrow I will start a new very large one and I can hardly wait! I'm excited! I have a couple of beautiful new colors to play with too which will make it extra fun!

Small Abstract Landscapes

5"x7" oil on board.    Small landscape sketches in an abstract form.

I'm getting ready to start painting and these are nice ways to warm up. Loving abstracts as I do I might start one this morning. It has been raining and gloomy and I was about to make soup and here comes the sun!! It is suddenly beautiful and I want to get to work in my studio! Soup has to wait I think. I can have a sandwich for dinner!!  

FLYING CROW

3.5"x11"  black glazed terra cotta crow. Hand built from terra cotta clay and fired. Wired for hanging.

A flying crow! Hang it on a garden gate or anywhere for that matter! It's large enough to make a statement! Crows are our friends!!

RADDISH

5"x 8.5" hand painted and cut pottery shards on a hand made clay tile.

This piece in the shape of a house is one of my favorite shapes. Nature and home are my favorite subjects. Guessing that's why I love to paint still life too, the things you find in your home " be it ever so humble". This is fun out side too , weather sealed.

GREEN BIRD

10.5"x 5"hand made clay bird embellished with colorful broken bits of pottery.

I know, it's not really a green bird. I was loving the contrast of the pinks and greens and white potterie pieces. These birds are very sweet in the garden as well as in the home. They are weather proof with a sealer.

VALENTINE CROW

8"x3"  terra cotta hand built crow with heart

Yes, more crows.I just pulled him from my kiln this morning. I love to make them, paint them, photograph them, watch them, feed them!!  This crow has a clay heart glazed in red around his neck. He is made of terra cotta clay and glazed in rich black.

BLUE HEART

8"x9"  piquetassiette shards on clay hand made heart tile.
I do love blue and white! So crisp and old world to me. I'm looking through my plates and shards now for green pieces. I want to do a green bird next! Such fun! SOLD!
For info on this piece and other works please email me : susanjenkinsart@msn.com

BIRD'S and HEART Pique assiette

Birds are 5"x 10.5 Heart is 8"x9" cut potterie on hand made clay tile.

I'm back to work but this time with Piquetiassiette. I love to work with the old plate shards that I cut to fit in a decoratitive motif. Always fun and rewarding. My friends see that I have alot of old and broken pottery to work with. Some pieces I can't bare to clip! You must be ruthless I was told some years ago. you can't fall in love with your materials...oh but I do.Some of you will recognize your gifts of lovely old plates. xo
 email me for info   susanjenkinsart@msn.com

CLASSES

I'm getting emails about the workshop asking about the painting I posted. This painting was something  painted some time ago and  it isn't the workshop painting. We will paint all sorts of things, set ups and anything that would be fun, colorful and interesting! Even abstracts!
I  also want to start a weekly class. 3 hours a session. In this class you select what you would like to learn to paint. All levels are welcome.So if this is of interest to you please contact me at susanjenkinsart@msn.com  for info.
The CLASSES ARE FILLED but you can send your name and have it put on a waiting list!! ?Thank you to all of you who will be in the classes!! :

WORKSHOPS COMING!

As many of you know I have been looking for a place to teach! I've found a place and like everything it was right under my nose! It will be wonderful and I will be starting workshops in the Spring. I want to start in April! If you think you might be interested please email me for information and any questions you have.
email:  susanjenkinsart@msn.com

Wine Bottles, festival paintings

These paintings represent not only the end of the festival but the end of the "wine bottles" for a while!!I have enjoyed painting them ( these were the demos for Friday and Saturday) but I'm bottled out!! On with something new!!