I take that back - Finished.

Patchwork Bliss
Acrylic on 30" x 40" canvas
Available in my Etsy Shop - HERE

Ok. I got my wish for more sun and looking at this painting with fresh eyes I knew - I'm done. If I added just one more block of color, I'd *need* to add a whole new layer. I'd end up losing some of those first layers that are still present in places, and those are some of my favorite "moments" in the painting. So - finis!

I also took a drive out to West Hartford to Jerry's Artarama to get a bunch of new supplies. Since most of the people that read this blog are fellow artists, y'all KNOW how great it feels to get a batch of supplies! It's kind of.... delicious. That feeling plus a cup of coffee (I'm usually a tea drinker so coffee to me = ZING!) has me in a pumped up and sort of spazzy mood. Ready to rock more canvas with my lovely new set of paint. I've got a commission to begin, and that is going to be a lot of fun. I estimated production time to take about 2-3 weeks, but I have a feeling it will be a matter of days. I'm just really excited to jump into this one. Speaking of.... the sun is out and I'm going to go paint! Have a great day....

JT

A few updates

First off, I'm officially declaring 365 Sketch is a great idea, but it just isn't going to work for me, at least not right now. I've got so many things I want to get done in a day, I feel like even if I participate, it will just be something I throw together because "I have to". That isn't the spirit of that flickr group, so I'd be doing a disservice to everyone else participating as well as myself. I think it is hilarious that I only got to 7 days. I guess it just wasn't meant to be for right now - maybe in the future it will fit right into my creative patterns.

Onto other updates.... you may have noticed that I used to have a ton of prints in my shop and then they all of a sudden disappeared. I decided that I'm only going to offer prints on Etsy of paintings that have sold because otherwise it can be a little confusing to look through and see the same pics coming up for prints and originals. I am listing each print as having 10 available and once those sell out, I probably won't renew the listing to keep things fresh in my shop. This doesn't make them limited editions, just "limited to Etsy"!

New Paintings

Coffee and Cream - SOLD

Acrylic on 8 x 10 canvas, 2008

Make A Wish

Acrylic on 8 x 10 canvas, 2008

Available for purchase at http://www.livefunky.etsy.com/

Modern Art Apparel on Zazzle

a few examples from my online apparel line....

www.zazzle.com/artjct*

Tranquil

Original acrylic triptych by Jessica Torrant, 2007.
www.livefunky.etsy.com

New big paintings on Etsy!

The Question
24" x 36" acrylic on canvas, 2006
Available at www.livefunky.etsy.com

Today I listed a bunch of paintings on Etsy that I scooped up from my studio in Indian Orchard. These pieces have only been seen at our open studio shows, and I'm excited to share them with my online community finally! I didn't do any painting today (just listing on Etsy), but I did a lot of thinking about painting.... we'll see how that manifests itself tomorrow in the studio.

Ed, You are the man!

Good friends are hard to come by, and we are quite lucky to know and love our Ed (shown here in process of giving me Slayer hands). He and Marissa stopped by today with this awesome machine that lays piping deep under the ground. It's the first step to getting power out to the studio. Thank you Ed! You seriously are THE MAN!

I did some painting today and here is one that I finished called Looking Up.

It is available in my Etsy shop here. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7453969

Indian Orchard Mills Open Studios Show - this weekend!

Magic Unfolding
Acrylic on 20" x 20" box canvas, 2007

Looking for something to do this weekend? Come to the Open Studios Spring Exhibition at the Indian Orchard Mills!

Friday May 11, from 6-10 pm
Saturday, May 12 from 12-4 pm

For more information about the show, including directions, please visit www.indianorchardmills.com

New Paintings

Circles On All Sides IV by Jessica Torrant
Acrylic on 6" x 6" box canvas
Available at www.livefunky.etsy.com

I've been enjoying working on a batch of new box canvases. Instead of painting the sides black, I've been experimenting with extending the painting onto the edges. You can see all of my new works in my Etsy Store.

In other news.....

The OPEN STUDIOS Weekend at the Indian Orchard Mills will be Mother's Day weekend. I'll be opening my studio to the public, along with the other fifty plus artists that share the unique space of the renovated mills. Show dates and hours are:

Friday, May 11: Opening Night 6-10 pm
Saturday May 12: 12-4 pm

For more information and directions to the show, please visit www.indianorchardmills.com and click on the Open Studios Art Show banner.


In other news....

I'll be thirty years old on May 12.

Painting up a storm until the sun comes back

Alone Time
original ACEO available at www.livefunky.etsy.com

Guilty as charge - I have neglected my blog. BUT I have been painting a ton and listing all new works on Etsy, so that must count for something, eh? The cold, wet weather we faced for the last week has been instantly erased by some sweet sun shining today - and the weekend is supposed to be even better. I cannot describe how happy I am. Sun and comfortable temps make me feel whole.

I am looking forward to a girl's night tomorrow night. Even more sunshine my way - could I be anymore content right now?

Happy Spring everybody.

Transitions

Elegance
Acrylic on 8" x 10" stretched canvas, 2007

Transitions
Acrylic on 8" x 10" canvas, 2007

Check availability of these paintings at www.livefunky.etsy.com

New Paintings

Eternal Embrace
Acrylic on 8" x 10" gallery wrapped canvas, 2007

I Am A Building With Many Rooms
Acrylic on 8" x 10" gallery wrapped canvas, 2007

Connected Growth
Acrylic on 8" x 10" gallery wrapped canvas, 2007

It's been a good day, today. I woke to bright, blue skies and a melted, muddy backyard. Spring is so very much in the air, that my allergies caught on right away. I always forget about that part.... ah, but it's all worth it.

Leo is looking GREAT! It's been one week since we took him home and the progress is so dramatic. Just one more week and his stitches will come out and he'll be my cone-head-free happy little boy again!

Rob being back to work after his vacation means that he's sleeping in again (he works nights). So Leo slept in late with him, giving me some time to paint. These three new pieces are now listed in my Etsy shop at www.livefunky.etsy.com and there are a few more I am working on right now, as well.

Thanks to all of my blogger buddies that have left comments in the last week. Your support and encouragement means so much to me!

Big SALE on Etsy

Window of Opportunity
watercolor, 2007


I am having a big sale at my shop on Etsy. FREE SHIPPING worldwide and Buy One Get One Free on all items over $50. Please visit my store at
www.livefunky.etsy.com

ACEO Magazine

With great excitement, I can announce this evening that I will be the cover artist for the spring issue of ACEO Magazine! Check out the link here:
http://aceomagazine.com/page3.html

Commission Complete!

These two canvases are each 36" x 36". It felt SO great to work on a large canvas again, it had been a while. The pictures are a little fuzzy, but I had to share them anyway. I am celebrating with a glass of red wine and the feeling that I can sleep in tomorrow if I want to. Life is good.

A New Freedom

This week I worked on two commission projects. The first one will be documented in the next post.

This one was for a larger version of my original painting called Freedom. I really connect with the woman who commissioned this painting, and we have had some great conversations about mysticism, religion, existence - you name it. That connection to the universe feeling came through when I was painting her new piece, called Freedom II.

Freedom II
Acrylic on 24" x 36" canvas, 2007



Freedom
Acrylic on 20" x 30" canvas, 2006
Still available at www.livefunky.etsy.com

7th Day Sale

Puzzle
original ink and watercolor, 2007

In honor of my favorite number, I've decided to start offering sales on every 7th day of the month. Today I am starting things off with a BIG sale - buy one painting get a second painting of equal or less value for FREE!! This sale extends to as many pieces as you like, so you could get 20 pieces for the price of 10 if you wanted. :) Check out my shop at www.livefunky.etsy.com and have a great day!

Back to work again

Set of three contemporary art abstract paintings by Jessica Torrant, originally uploaded by jtorrant.

We've had the kids since Sunday (as we do every week) so I've been having some fun family time for the last few days, and now it's back to work. Having them around, filling the house with their enthusiasm, giggles, and adorableness lifts my spirits and inspires me.

Next week I'd like to make some home made ornaments with them and I just found a thread on the Artwanted discussion board with lots of ideas. One of them was the "recipe" for flour dough ornaments, and it sent me back to doing that as a kid. What fun to sculpt the clay, watch it bake, then paint and bedazzle the finished product. Are there any crafty things you like to do during the holiday season?

I Believe

I Believe, originally uploaded by jtorrant.

This painting is now available in my Etsy shop!

Sun Kissed Day

Sun Kissed Day, originally uploaded by jtorrant.

Click HERE to see this painting on Etsy

This is cool! I just figured out how to blog my pictures from flickr! (Ok, if someone doesn't know about computers they will think I just spoke jibberish). I feel a little behind in discovering both Etsy and now flickr, but I'm eager to continue using this system. It's much easier and I can load clearer, larger images here (blogger times out on me when loading big files).

For artists unfamiliar with flickr, go check it out at www.flickr.com - you get a large amount of space for free every month to store your images, and there are a lot of other artists on there sharing their work, including links to their sites and on-line stores.

It's amazing to me that this whole world of art online has changed so much in the last 7 years (when I took my first steps in the "world wide web"), and it's still evolving, and will continue to - you can really feel the flow of change around you. New sites emerge, new techniques, new codes and programs, etc. that can dramatically alter how an artist not only does business, but perhaps CREATES his or her art! I was talking about this with Paula Manning-Lewis and it's thrilling that she and I and so many others can do most of our business from our homes, located anywhere one can get internet access. Paula and I seem very similar in our desires for "the little cabin in the woods" fantasy vs. the city life. One hundred years ago, we wouldn't be able to make a living selling our art living anywhere BUT a creative center/city. On another note, it is unlikely that we would have the option as women to pursue our passion for painting. For these reasons and so many more, I feel very lucky to be alive right now, making art, and sharing it, right now.