 In an effort to build consistency in making and open up some playful exploration I've decided to dedicate a newly gifted sketchbook to 10-minute daily sketches. It’s a beautifully constructed book by SugarBoo & Co., comprised of handmade paper signatures, bound with leather and embossed with a quote by E.B. White. The quote by E.B. White reads: “I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.” If you know me, this is fitting at times, and aspirational. I felt it too important not to waste the book, despite having other sketchbooks in progress, to set it aside until the others were full. I’m allowing this book to be a place of openness and play, not restricting media or subjects, to see what emerges. I'm finding some surprises and challenges with the paper, but it was the perfect blank slate from which to begin this practice.  The sketches began in pencil, and once I landed on the 10-minute framework, I quickly jumped from observational to a journaling, memory style sketch. I was enjoying this but also frustrated with how much the graphite was smudging, so it pushed me into trying different media, including wet media.   You can see some of the ghost marks of the smeared graphite above. I actually do like to smear and shade my work, but in these drawings I was finding it frustrating.  So this day I worked in watersoluble crayon and some colored pencil. It's definitely not mixed media paper, so I again felt somewhat frustrated, but equally enjoying brushing the medium on the paper. Additionally, the 10-minute time frame I used as a minimal guideline, so when I'm tired it feels achievable. In this case, I went over the limit.  So I shifted again and worked in pigmented pen, ballpoint pen and marker. I'm just allowing the subject matter to shift with what's coming up for me when I sit down to draw.  I was tired and uncertain what to draw. I grabbed some swatches from a bedroom painting project and collaged them onto the surface, also noticing the marker seeping through the front and allowing the drawing to work with that as a palimpsest.  And then I found my way back to landscape of North Carolina, along with the markers, the pens, the colored pencils and my brushes. And then the chair returned, which is the focus of the first painting above.  While my first reaction to the paper was frustration, I think due to the learning curve on a new surface, I quickly adapted and have found that I love the feeling of the dampened paper, heavily worked and showing through the backside. Those impressions are adding texture and depth to the drawings in a way I hadn't considered. I'm due for day 16 already - I started on the 2nd of January and I did allow for a missed day, so long as I picked it back up again. Curious to see more? Follow along on Threads, or in my stories on Instagram. More depth can be found by subscribing to my newsletter. Have Questions? Drop a comment and I'll respond! Love this? Please share with credit to me for my work.
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Hemming and HawingSeptember is a very full month if you're a parent with kids on a traditional school year calendar. This September was especially full, given two new schools for my 5th and 9th grade sons. As an artist mother, I was embarking on the decision whether to participate in the Thrive Together Network's bi-annual virtual artist residency, I was fearful it would be too much.
 I'm thrilled to announce that I'm opening up dog portrait commissions again and supporting the Animal Protection Society of Durham during the month of August. In reviewing my history of making dog portraits, I recognized that I was building momentum in creating more portraits just prior to the Pandemic. With my relocation to NC, I've completed a couple, but haven't been able to promote them. My studio is almost 100% finished (enough that it is operable) and the renovations in our home are complete. Now, as we move into the Dog Days of Summer, I'm ready to officially open them up and donate 10% of the profits of all booked portraits to APS.  Young Ringo, Oil Pastel, Cardboard, 2007 I've been making dog portraits since we rescued our first dog, Ringo, back in 2007. It started with just an oil pastel of him, roughly drawn on cardboard. I adore that drawing and have a dedicated spot in our powder room. At some point when I ran my studio/gallery in Newton, NJ, I began accepting dog portrait commissions, with one of the first subjects coming in for a photo shoot:  In April, I visited Greenville, SC, with artist Katrina Berg. She was in town visiting her daughter for a dance competition and invited me to join them for the weekend. It was a much-needed break from home and important time spent around art, seeing new places. I've been thinking about how important it is for us to experience wonder and joy, so going out of our comfort zone is one way we can do that. Knowing I would be in Greenville, SC, I decided to reach out to Lucy Boland, an artist whom I met last year at the Artist Mother Retreat in Black Mountain, NC. Lucy and I connected over an intense hike and many art making experiences during that weekend; her energy was infectious and memorable. She's based in Spartanburg - just next to Greenville - so I couldn't drive back to Durham without meeting her for lunch and visiting her studio. I'm so happy I saw her work in this space, especially since she's currently hosting a studio moving sale as she's relocating her workspace. It's been a bit since the end of April, and not everything is fresh in my mind that we talked about. I'll leave you with the morsels I remember, and hope you'll seek out her work and find out where she lands, maybe even collect something from her! CHECK out Lucy's work In PERSON July 13 - 15th in her Spartanburg, SC, studio, located at 146 E. Main Street, Spartanburg. She's hoping to sell everything in her inventory before her move. Connect with Lucy: Meet Lucy Boland Artist (https://shoutoutatlanta.com/meet-lucy-boland-artist/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lucybolandart/) Scroll down to see pics from my visit and you'll get a sense of Lucy's work and her infectious energy.  In person in Lucy's Spartanburg, SC studio.  With Katrina Berg (left) and Lucy Boland (right) I fled my home for a quick weekend respite away to Greenville and Spartanburg, SC upon hearing that my IG artist mother pal, Katrina Berg, told me she was travelling to South Carolina from Utah. She was going to be in Greenville for the weekend, and once I made plans to make it happen, realized I would be just 40 minutes away from another artist mother, Lucy Boland, who I met at an artist retreat last year.
Greenville is just about 3.5 hours from Durham; not a quick trip, but given Katrina's distance from me, I wanted to make this happen. Planning this 48 hours was not for the faint of heart - my husband took over logistics with my two sons - with two different sporting obligations, an overnight stay for one of them, help from another family with an overnight, and I coordinated dog boarding. It worked! I was gone from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon - full of conversation, art, good food, and enjoying the beautiful weather in South Carolina. This is proving longer than I intended, so read on for PART 1: Greenville. PART 2: Spartanburg is to follow. Sign up for my Newsletter so you don't miss it's publication. And, there are deeper reasons for needing a getaway - you can find out all about it in my last email here. |
Jennie Traill SchaefferDeemed the Kitchen God's Artist by NJ Savvy Living for my sainted appliances, I'm now known more for my vibrant, meditational paintings of chairs set surprisingly in landscapes. Since relocating to NC from NJ, mothering my two sons, and caring for our rescue pup, Cider, took the lead. Now, that my Durham home studio is renovated it's open again for virtual art coaching and the resumption of my personal art and commissions. The work I make is inspired by my joy of teaching, exploring nature, and traveling. On The Teaching Artist Blog, I share my approach to teaching and educate my readers about my creative process. Join my VIPs for First DibsWORKSHOPS
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