Robert Jackson Opening Night Exhibition

"Poker Night" Oil 24" x 36" by Robert C. Jackson

I attended the Opening for the Robert C. Jackson exhibit at the Arden Gallery on Newbury street and it was spectacular as expected.  I did get a chance to chat with Bob (I was he goes by Bob) for 20 minutes or so and he shared some helpful tips on his painting techniques. 

He also shared his story about painting and hanging out with John Morra at his studio which is a converted church.  I saw photos of it in Workshop magazine and it's unbelievably beautiful.  I guess John invited a bunch of artists to his place for a weekend and Bob attended.

The pieces on exhibition were great and there were a few new subjects that I've never seen such as some milk containers, a wooden table and there was even a painting of this huge stack of oreo cookies that was about 3 feet tall.  Very whimsical paintings indeed!  If you ever get a chance to view his work, you will not be disappointed and you'll certainly get a chuckle.

Also, I'm not very big on spending lots of money of books unless I really, really like them, but Bob has a new book out that features tons of his work in full-colored plates and I'm going to purchase it myself.  I viewed it a the opening and for some stupid reason I didn't purchase it there.  Why?  I have no idea why because I could have saved $10 shipping and had him sign it while I was there.  Lesson learned I guess.  Click on this link to order his new book:

http://www.robertcjackson.com/pages/book.html

Karin Jurick: Painting A Day Pioneer

"Left Holding the Bag" ~ Karin Jurick

I've been following Karin and painting along with Karin on her "Painting A Day" blog.  Karin is one of the pioneer's of the "Painting a Day" concept and I believe that combined with the fact that she produces beautifully depicted scenes rendered in a wide spectrum of colors are what makes her pieces so highly collectable and sought after.  She mostly creates smaller pieces such as her current series of faces, appropriately entitled "100 Faces" which are all 6" x 6" in size.  Karin has a few videos on YouTube that you can watch by clicking here so you can see how she works and view the video that describes her paletter (or pizza pan in Karin's case).

Please visit her web site at: web.mac.com/kjurick and take a look.  Her paintings are available for reasonables prices in the range of $300-$500 and considering that I believe that these will at some point be considered collectible and will only go up in value then you might be able to get yourself a nice piece of art and an investment.

You can also visit Karin's Painting A Day Blog and although she put the "Weekly Challenge" project on the back-burner to focus on her painting and gallery representation (isn't that postion we all aspire to be in?) you can still visit her "Differenet Strokes from Different Folks" blog and take on her previous challenges.

Terry Stickland: Exceptional Fine Artist

"The Ascent" ~ Terry Strickland

I've been a follower of Terry for some time now and I felt it necessary to give her mention on my blog because I love her work. She paints beautifully and I love the emotion she brings forth in her work not matter how subtle.

Terry has a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Central Florida. She has had a very diverse art career, working as an illustrator, teacher, silk screen artist, and a courtroom sketch artist.  Some of her clients have included ABC Televsion, Sea World and Busch Gardens just to name a few.  She is now devoting her time working full time as a painter.

At the time of this article I'm hoping that I might be able to afford her two classes that are coming on on November 13th and 14th at the Gadsden Art Museum in Gadsden, Alabama. You can book a spot by calling(256) 546-7365. Please visit Terry's web site for information and to view her work at:  http://www.terrystricklandart.com/ or visit her blog at: www.terrystricklandart.blogspot.com/

Terry writes on her website, "I consider intangibles, challenging myself to capture small nuance in relationships, life, death, and love. Much of my work is about transitions, whether it is a midlife juncture or coming of age as a universal truth. These paintings are decisions reflected and possibilities contemplated. I'm frequently inspired by fairy tales, superheroes, or works of literature, and reexamine them in a contemporary way." 

It's the small nuaces that Terry mentions that draw me to her work.   I love the way she conveys the emotions in the subjects of her portraits.  Please pay a visit to her web site and her blog, her work is must see!