Getting material for next projects in Canada (Quebec City, Montreal, and Ottawa)

We spent a little over a week in September driving through parts of Canada to get ideas, photographic reference material, and a feel of the landscapes in our Northern neighbor.

We drove to these locations starting from Virginia. So, this was somewhat of a grueling experience, but still enjoyable.

Probably the best place she got materials were in Quebec. There is a significant amount of old-world charm dating from the 1600s. The structures are well preserved and the landscapes are stunning in many areas with Fall just turning leaves.

Loved Quebec City's Old Town. The people speak French primarily but are mostly English capable, as well. We found it more French-speaking in the modern Quebec City (probably as it is more residential than touristic).

Wherever we went, we made sure to enjoy the coffee, which is practically a side hobby.

Definitely took time to visit the local artisans and fine art museums. 

Jill created a great watercolor course on UDEMY.COM

Jill spent the last four months creating a class on the foundations of mastering watercolor. As her usual self, she spent an enormous amount of time on attention to detail to ensure the message was clearly understood through the use of videos, animation and demonstrations.

The intent of the instruction is on the aspects of watercolor painting that is not commonly taught. Such as an in-depth understanding of what watercolor is from the technical/scientific aspects of water, pigments and binders, but doing it in a clearly understandable way with animations and demonstrations she's made.
Take a look at the curriculum to see the varied topics that would help students and also active artists in better understanding the tools they are using.

It is quite amazing how polished this class is. For anyone interested in looking at it, there are a number of free (previews) videos in the curriculum to get a feel of the instruction.

Click click here for a 60% discount for the class if you decide to take or preview it.

Overnight Expedition through Lewes, Rehobeth, and Dewey Beaches

Taking an overnight opportunity of visiting the surrounding areas after Jill's jurying, we perused the areas of Lewes, Rehobeth, and Dewey beach.

Dewey Beach

South Dewey Beach was a great walk and unpopulated for a busy area.
We stopped in a British diner-like place for some really good British food.

Town of Lewes

And walking around the town of Lewes, enjoyed the architecture and scenery. Of course, Jill took some reference photos.


Go Brit Restaurant

Jill juried the Delaware Watercolor Society Exhibit this week

Jill juried the Delaware Watercolor Society exhibition at the Nassau Valley Vineyards and Winery    on July 1st. She enjoyed the opportunity and we, both, took the opportunity to check the area as it is a well-known beach retreat/vacation spot with Lewes, Rehobeth, and Dewey beaches nearby.

Minimalist Painting Series and Abstract defined

In shaking things up a bit, Jill ventured on a minimalist type of painting series to test the waters as there appears to be a decent interest in this type of painting style. As she is more of a realist painter, this afforded her a challenge to loosen the reigns and be a little more impressionistic and in some case more abstract ~ which I've been pushing her to do more of :-)

Here are two paintings she just added (forgive the blue tint) onto her UGallery site:

These are smaller paintings than usual, but I find there is more play and expression afforded to specific objects here. She has a total of ten completed right now and is just feeling out its marketability. I hope these paintings encourage her to venture more into impression and abstraction as it seems a natural progression.

As an editorial point here, ABSTRACT artists should be skilled realist artists first as they THEN abstract from realism to form an art piece that can be appreciated and meditated on for its opaque to sublime message.

Pollack, J. (1952). Convergence [Painting].  Retrieved from
http://www.jackson-pollock.org/convergence.jsp#prettyPhoto

Jackson Pollack is a great example where, at first, as an amateur art eye years ago, I could not comprehend his work, but after years of learning through Jill's work and love of art, I am better able to contemplate this style. I will do background research if I'm fully confused as in Pollack's case, and it does help.

Jill's Videos

I realize I have not written much about Jill's videos. This is a recent and great additon to her portfolio of work that I thought I'd inject this brief post. You can see the videos here.

Here recent videos include:

Watercolor As A Fine Art
Emotion in Art
Demystifying Art Styles
The Evolution of Watercolor- A Closer look
The Evolution of Watercolor (Short Version)

Time for a Survey?

Jill put out a short survey a short time ago. If anyone is interested in participating, the information would be greatly appreciated/helpful:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9W3ZLV3

It is just to help her get an idea of how the market is these days.

Eight Months Later....

Time Flies. Almost 8 months since the last post.  It's been a busy time, as well with all the holidays.

As custom, we revisit the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC when we get a chance as we did last month. Always fun just to roam and see anything different. This time was the first I saw students doing a class.










Jill has been working on a number of pieces. Some from the Colorado trip, others more local. The mountain paintings are both in oil and the tree in watercolor.These paintings are in their final phases to completion.

Her time has been mixed between painting and creating videos. Would recommend taking a look at her YouTube station for her new stuff.

 As I get warmed back up to blogging, I'll add more content. Just wanted to do a quick update.

Beginning to Exhibit Colorado Paintings / Jurying / Beating me in Scrabble

Jill just released her first of a series of paintings she is working on from our Colorado trip. The below snapshot of her watercolor "Mountain Range" is now available on UGallery.com.

She is having a great time with this new series. She is doing both oil and watercolor paintings that are really coming out beautifully.

This is a good time for her to paint with some downtime between other requirements.

Jill will be the juror for an art show next weekend and she is looking forward to that engagement.

Last note, we are currently playing Scrabble and she put down TWO 7-letter words in a row (Quintan and Cements)- OUCH. She is well over 100 points ahead of me now.

Relaxing afternoon at the...ummm....gun range

We took the afternoon off a few weeks ago to hit the gun range. It's something we got interested in while I was in the Military.

As you can see below, Jill is a crack shot. I believe she ranged between 20-40 feet, but she used a bigger 9mm handgun; specifically, the FNS-9 Long Slide (image right). It did not take too long for her to get comfortable with it. Since it is a double-action gun and shooting 10 rounds at a time, she was expending her ammo fast. I looked over and she was 2/3rds done. To my defense, I was refining my shot group to a longer distance of 70-75 feet.

**Ladies, FYI, larger handguns absorb recoil (the kickback from the gun when shooting) better than smaller handguns; so, you'll have more control over continuous shooting....as long as it's not too heavy.

What is great about this sport is the discipline to be patient, breathe right, and then eventually move between targets with greater accuracy. It also enhances focus by removing the fear of the firepower.

 

Jill's New Website - JillPoyerd.com

Today, Jill published her new website, JillPoyerd.com. Previously, it was *jpwatercolors.com, but as she has expanded into oil paintings, books, and e-learning, it seemed appropriate to redefine the page.

In the process, she revamped the site by using another provider (Wix.com) as it is much richer in capabilities than her previous hosting company. The look is very different from her prior site, which she had for years, but it gives a cleaner, refined look about it. She was uncomfortable about using her last name as it is not easy to remember, but the decision was made as it also will cover for any future additions she brings to her base.


* jpwatercolors.com will be forwarded to the new website, JillPoyerd.com, as a phasing out approach.

Jill's Instructional Landscape Painting Videos - Now Available

Jill just published her new e-Learning site for Landscape Painting Instruction. She currently has only the first course in the series; titled Composition. She put a lot of effort and kept the price reasonably low to reach a broader audience.

Personal bias, of course, but I do believe these videos are wonderfully done. My interest was kept up throughout as it was both instructional and entertaining.  I now look at scenery with a deeper appreciation and a critical eye as to whether I am looking at a paint-worthy scene. So, enjoy!

This course has 5 videos:

Compostion 1: Introduction
Compostion 2:Design Tools
Compostion 3:Photo Shoot
Compostion 4:Capturing Emotion
Compostion 5:Putting it All Together

Avid Reader/Military History Buff

An interesting tidbit about Jill is one of her hobbies. She is an avid reader, and has a special interest in military history. I think parts of the interest comes from her early childhood with her brother's interest in military themes, her years as a military spouse, and living in an area rich in US Civil War history.

When our son was very young, Jill would take him all over the local area battlefield sites and gained an appreciation for the strategy and personal interest stories of the people and soldiers of the time. We have several points of interest and battlefields; such as, Manassas, Antietam, Balls Bluff, and Harpers Ferry.
The picture above is a shelf of WWII books, she went through. Honestly, anyone who could willingly read through the George C. Marshall series is, in my book, a military history buff.
A favorite historical figure for her is Teddy Roosevelt. He is one of mine, as well. She read through a few of his biographies and was just amazed at his accomplishments as well as his integrity. I, and most probably Jill, would recommend the two books shown here by Edmund Morris. Well written and researched.

Informational and eLearning Painting Videos

Well, Jill has been very busy with her newest passion in creating information/instructional videos these past few months. I am very impressed with the level of effort and skill already afforded to making this a reality.

In addition to YouTube, she now uses Vimeo for both the information and now her e-Learning series.

The e-Learning series is her pay-for training. She has not stood it up formally yet, but the pricing is going to be quite affordable. I've seen a number of the completed training videos and like the free informational ones, they are not only interesting but entertaining. I walked away with a lot of information mostly due to the style it is relayed with not only static pictures but diagraming and highlighting techniques, as well as well-placed music and some videos.

So, now when I look at paintings or photos, I automatically try identify the style and tools used to compose the piece.

Of course, I have a bias, but hopefully have been a highly critical assistant to her projects.

Recommend: Look at the free informational things she's done and then decide if you'll enjoy the eLearning series (when it comes out)...I believe you will.

Vacation/Subject-Matter-Picture-Taking in Colorado

We took some time to travel around Colorado and, of course, take lots of photos for possible future paintings. Here are a few of Jill just taking pictures.

These were taken at the Colorado National Monument in Fruita outside Grand Junction:

Along the road from Denver to Durango to Telluride:

 

 

Good Times...

 



Evolution of Watercolor Videos

Jill completed another project that pulled together her love for watercolor and history along with a new skill...making movies. Using the iMovie app, she created two wonderful videos tracing back the roots of watercolor painting. There is a short, 3-minute, video that is just a visual walk, and then a more detailed documentary version.

Take a look and let me know (or her know) what you think.

 

 

A Busy Month, Travel to NYC and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

A busy few weeks. We just got back from a business trip to my old hometown, NYC. Took the opportunity to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After just seeing the National Gallery of Art in DC, this helped fill some gaps in research Jill is doing for a video project she is about to release. We took time to appreciate the ancient Greek and Roman sculpture while admiring the frescos of the time. Amazing how far back the use of watercolor painting dates. From bare uses in Prehistoric times to more elaborate techniques in the Middle Ages and Renaissance to today. Did not know Michelangelo painted in watercolor (fresco) in the Sistine Chapel. Remarkable.

NYC is quite the place to experience many cultures somewhat seamlessly interoperating. The mix of culture is not only in appearance but characteristics and language too. Walking the streets provide a good test of all the senses, while marveling at the old architecture as well as all the new. The Freedom Tower is remarkable and the monument of the fallen is somber and surreal. Taking the time to see the police officers walking and in discourse between themselves and citizens is an encouraging reminder of the bond people have in the common good. Even the homeless seem to work in the culture as not an added burden but just as another facet of life in this city.

Qualia at the National Gallery of Art

Taken from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy website (http://www.iep.utm.edu/qualia/Qualia), qualia is the subjective, conscious experiences we get that have a uniqueness about it. For example, on a very wintry day, sitting in a café and taking down a cup of coffee. That intimate time of enjoying coffee- the sense of smell, taste, and touch during that moment in time coming in from out of the cold as opposed to making coffee from home is that experience catalogued in your mind (called sense-datum) and contributes to your memory.

Incidentally, qualia is the plural form. Single instances are known as quales. With that said, Jill and I went to the National Gallery of Art yesterday and the below picture is a perfect example of a quale. It is Jill appreciating Andrew Wyeth's "Wind from the Sea" painting. She had just referenced it in a video piece she is working on and was joyfully surprised to see it. Unlike most other paintings she pondered over that day, this one was a quale. Other paintings that added to her qualia came from artists like Cuyp, Monet, and Sargent. It was an enjoyable day.

 

 

 



Looking at Art with Indifference

The positive definition of Indifference is an impartial, unbiased view of something.

This post refers back to the page I wrote on painting like the Masters, etc.. In that post, I compared Jill's techniques and skill to a couple of famous artists to demonstrate that creative and high quality art is produced today. Of course, my post has prejudice.

Below are two paintings, one is Jill's and the other a well-known artist. Select which one belongs to Jill and the undisclosed artist and then look below for the answer.

 Jill's is on the left and on the right is Monet's "Flowers in a Pot." I hope you are surprised, or if you selected the correct order then I hope you are still surprised at how much on par the two works are. For reference, I pulled the image today from the WikiArt website: http://uploads6.wikiart.org/images/claude-monet/flowers-in-a-pot.jpg!HD.jpg.

Now, if possible, open your mind and be indifferent to the fact that Jill's painting is not a noted masterpiece. Does it seem like it should? I expect someday it will. Perhaps that is how we should approach all art. Before making a decision, identify prejudices and try to look with fresh eyes.

Was William Blake Spot On? Do we limit ourselves or are we limited?

As Jill is in continued debate on LinkedIn over whether making prints is a loss of some level of professionalism, I'm reminded of a poem by William Blake, called the "Garden of Love."

I believe the poem is about how man-made limitations or boundaries are put on us and limits our ability to grow (and wonder) outside of the constraints of civilization. It is necessary to have obedience (to the law) but what a shame what is lost in the process.

Here's William Blake's "The Garden of Love":

 I went to the Garden of Love,
 And saw what I never had seen;
 A Chapel was built in the midst,
 Where I used to play on the green.

 And the gates of this Chapel were shut
 And 'Thou shalt not,' writ over the door;
 So I turned to the Garden of Love
 That so many sweet flowers bore.

 And I saw it was filled with graves,
 And tombstones where flowers should be;
 And priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,
 And binding with briars my joys and desires.

How this relates to Jill right now... well, I suppose it relates to all artists that find themselves limited by one thing or another. In Jill's case, it's divergent perspectives from society and peers that define an obscure normative and what is lost is some of self depicted by the graves in the poem. But c'est la vie, non?

Jill initiated a debate on LinkedIn yesterday that stirred the pot for many opinions regarding selling prints of original artwork.

The problem: artwork that is mass-produced hurts the art industry. Artists struggle to put out originals only to be in competition with much cheaper reproductions that would be inferior in quality to an original. So, does making prints hurt the artist's status?

IMHO: Conditionally No. That is, I believe making prints are fine in that it affords others the enjoyment of art they like that would otherwise be limited to one owner. However, I believe care should be taken on how prints are made. There needs to be quality control to ensure an equally high-standard is met with regard to the material (canvas, paper) and the color-matching. Additionally, I think it would be good to do limited editions in order to create value.

The art industry is hurting with the digital age. It is much easier for people to create, which is great; however, true masters of art are left as relics instead of cherished as caretakers of their art.

Painting Like the Masters Today (Added As A Page Link)

I added a new page today on a topic I've been working on leisurely over the past two weeks. It may sound like a stretch and non-objective, but it is based on a study I did of Jill's work as compared to artists both past and contemporary.

Therefore, I invite all to read my page topic called "Painting Like the Masters Today: A Study of Jill Poyerd's Use of Lights, Darks, and Reflections."

I do reference her art as impressionistic and realistic comparing her to Monet and Rockwell with the thesis that it is the combination of her technical skill and the qualitative use of lights, darks, and reflections to tell a compelling story.

When I look at the other artists in this breadth that include greats like Wyeth, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Homer, I am confident that the analysis stands on its on.

Be mindful that I am not equating her status to theirs. I am comparing many of her finished products though.

Please comment constructively, please. Thanks.

JPWatercolors offered prints on SAATCHI - then took them off

Jill added some of her works as prints on SAATCHI now...she was reluctant to do this as she's concerned that her art would transfer well, but we got some prints to compare and they are very well done.

SAATCHI did a great job reproducing her images.

With that said, there's a lot of work in getting a high quality image. Not just a good camera and lens, but lighting and distance and, in Jill's case using Photoshop, to ensure color accuracy.

She decided to remove the print capability because they were cropped due to fixed sizing requirements and, therefore did not relay the art as well. We have a high-end printer (Epson Stylus PRO 7880) that does reproductions just as well without the sizing restrictions, but have not used it much out of availability to reproduce high-quality prints.

So, right now, she is selling only originals with her online galleries. I would guess this is a tough realm to cross as it now ventures into doing art for money vice doing art for art.

Submitting URLs

Now that there is some content, I've moved on to submitting the URLs and ensuring the Google Analytics script is added to the pages

In the meantime, Jill has added some of her work to HOUZZ..so I've now added a new link to that :-)

I think another article worth writing is on the life of an artist from a 3rd person perspective. Even though we're married, I guess there is some objectivity there.

Adding Content

What makes any site is good content. So, I will add additional pages describing different aspects of Jill's art; to include, what I love about her skill being her use of light, reflection, and water.

Additionally, I think it would be helpful to talk about her studio..the technical build-out of it. This adds a perspective of the level of professionalism involved in everything she does.

As I add these pages to search engines, I am hoping that will help attract people.

Day 2: Adding links and getting more comfortable with the look and feel

Day 2 and productive. I've added a number of links to this site. Kind of tough creating a background from a guy's perspective for a fan site to a woman, but I think the one selected is a good compromise.

Below is a picture of Jill and me out and about last year.

As I ramp up this blog, I'm trying to identify how best to SEO it. Google is obviously the first route, but there's also the link sharing, etc...

Part of the interesting thing here is networking remotely.

I think part of what will make this more interesting are areas I see as strengths in defining Jill's credibility which may otherwise go unnoticed. First, I'm amazed at her dedication and also her technique. She uses some serious engineering techniques to get her desired effects. The sketch, measurements and tracing are a subset of her entire process. For more on her technical process, check out: http://jpwatercolors.com/blog/

Kicking off my fan page for my wife as an inspiring fine artist but outside the bubble

    

So, I am now on a parallel voyage with my wife discovering how to get her artwork more recognized. Hope it works :-)

Thought it might be useful to journal this attempt. But it might also be helpful to know why I think Jill’s art is worth the effort. See for yourself: