When an artist lives in an area, there are just iconic features of the community that beg to be expressed in paint or at least ones that the artist just wants to try to convey.  The Minnie Evans' Sculpture Garden and Bottle Chapel has been on my mind for awhile.  Eight local artists and one gardener worked for a year to create this memorial to Minnie, who was a former gate keeper at Airlie Gardens.  School children in New Hanover County contributed 95 mosaic stepping stones to represent each year of Minnie's life.  I invite you to read more about Minnie and her incredible art journey because she is indeed a treasure to the community, state, and art world.

The colors of this scene motivated my interest and of course the light coming through the bottles.  Dumay Gorham's angel was a challenge because one can see through most of her body, but trying to capture the coloration of the copper wings was fun.  For the sake of composition I moved some of the flower gardens around a wee bit because artist get to do that if they're not creating a "portrait" of someone's space.  I worked on balancing hues and creating a feeling of space, light, and atmosphere.  

The most fun I had was using my new Vasari oil paints that I treated myself to last week.  I've heard about their quality and pigmentation for a long time.  The colors are amazing.  Now if you're not an artist, I will tell you that buying art supplies is a sickness to which most artists succumb.  I have to tell you that the texture of these paints is just sexy....that's my story and I'm sticking with it.  Time will tell if I purchased the hype or if their reputation is the real deal, but oh what fun I'm having using them.  I think the French Ultramarine Blue communicates the color of the bottles nicely and then there the reds and greens and neutral hues to complete the story.  I'm a kid in a candy shop!

Hope your like Memories of Minnie and will stop by my studio to see it! Always welcome any comments you want to share!

Life is full of lessons if one is attuned to the possibility.  My personal belief is that Jesus leads me daily and helps me meet the needs of others.

Two years ago I gathered several artists to donate their time and talent for the Historical House Tour in Wilmington during the Azalea Festival.  Each artist created paintings of two of the homes on the tour and gifted them to the home owners.  Most artists receive donation request all of the time "for exposure" which doesn't pay the bills.  If one gives from the heart, nothing is expected in return and so on goes life.

Now, two years later, a couple contacts me to say that they saw one of my paintings on the Historical House Tour and wrote down my contact information. They were now ready to have me paint a portrait of their newly renovated Italianate house.  Having talked about commissions and their difficulties before, I will not go into the details, but a size and price were agreed upon and the work began.

The first historical homes I painted (check them out in the Architecture Collection on my website) were 11" x 14", but this newer one was 16" x 20" and because of the closeness of the neighboring homes, the house filled the canvas, hence a portrait of the home.  While I enjoy painting a certain amount of detail, I can testify that painting dental moulding, balusters, and brackets on an image that size tested me.

Photographing the house was a challenge that required a ladder for a better view point.  Even though the azaleas were not in bloom, the clients supplied photos for me to understand just how grand they were.  Suggesting the neighboring houses helped to fill out the painting and along with the plantings and sky, offered a softness to the work that balanced the harder architectural lines.  Of course a red/green color scheme is in evidence.  So far, so good!

I encouraged my clients to name this painting and they chose, Serendipity:  A House and A Cat.  Boo Boo adopted them when they moved in because his owner's home had too many other cats, but in this house he was king and unconditionally loved.  When I had completed the painting, I thought about the name and a voice told me that Boo Boo just has to be in it, so I communicated that I wanted to place him on the front porch guarding his domain.  His family agreed and now the painting's title made sense.

I'm grateful that I listened to that voice that told me to include Boo Boo in the painting, because the day before it arrived in its permanent place, my clients found out that he has cancer and will not be with them much longer.  They appreciate his image remaining an important part of the reason they love their home.  I value the development of events by chance that allowed me to know to provide it for them.

I thank God everyday for the gift of visual intelligence. He granted this to me and the time to utilize it.  I like to share that gift and especially with my close loved ones.  This week, my second born granddaughter, Bella, celebrated her 16th birthday, and I wanted to paint something special for her.

 Phoebe is her beloved kitty, so a perfect candidate for the job!  Phoebe wasn't so sure and getting a workable motivational photo was my first challenge  How pleased was I to find an orange and white cat on top of a turquoise and tan throw in a window sill with decent lighting?  More divine intervention I think!

Capturing a likeness was important, and I was thrilled when Bella noticed  all of the small shapes on the fur that makes Phoebe who she is.  Textures were significant considering the juxtaposition of the throw, kitty fur, the window, and sofa.

I was pleased with the results, but the squeals from Bella when she opened her package were her gift to me!  Art provides so much pleasure in this life time!  What pet would you like to remember with a work of art?

I'm celebrating a new feature on my website and want you to experience it.  This feature is best accomplished on a laptop or desktop computer, but accessible on a smart phone or tablet.

The first steps on either instrument are similar.  Go to my website at Janetbsessoms.com and hit "menu" or "artworks".  My Collections will pop up and I suggest going to Flora and Fauna and view the collection.  Arboretum Friends is the first choice, so tap on it.  Notice the caption and see "more Information".  If you click on that, options appear for you.  Here it's possible to view this painting in it's frame and understand it's relevant size in various room situations.  Here's where the devices differ.  On a laptop or desktop, the rooms are full size and clearly seen, but the smart phone and tablet  give you a limited view.  Either three orange buttons or a box saying "more viewing options" allow you to zoom in on the piece or view it in a room.  It's possible to change the type of room and wall color.  I think this feature is amazing and fun to view!

I have began the process of rephotographing available paintings to include their frames and a few are ready for your viewing.  If you discover a painting that you would like to see the frame, just email me and let me know. Of course frames are always optional.  Hopefully my directions have been clear enough for you to figure out this new feature, but I'm always ready to help understand the process if you need me!  Happy viewing!

In my younger years I've been a "blue" person and especially Carolina Blue!  I had a lavender bedroom as a young teen and as a more experienced person, the bedroom as always been blue....cool and very soothing!  Color is so personal.

My personal color palette has changed and warmed up!  I love orange and enjoy adding red to my paintings as well as other warmer colors.

Window Shopping is one of those paintings.  I have had the motivational photo for years and kept looking at it.  I'm drawn to organic shapes surrounded by geometric ones as witnessed by another of my paintings, Hometown Bus Stop.  There was something about the image that just wasn't exciting, the woman's dress was white and so was her purse.  Now I know neutral tones are popular now, but not me, so her dress became red/orange with a turquoise purse and I got excited to paint!

My intent was to have fun and feature a somewhat typical street scene in front of a jewelry store or at least one that use to be familiar until Internet shopping was born!  There are plenty of neutral tones, but the combination of two sets of complementary colors, blue/orange, and red/ green  make the scene pop.  That turquoise purse next to the red/orange dress adds some of that drama I enjoy too.  The light play added another degree of interest.

I enjoy window shopping more than store shopping and certainly more than Internet shopping, so maybe this is just another example of me enjoying  older ways of my youth.  Let me know if you enjoy it!