A rainy day is an invitation to get your goof on

It was a downpour day and I didn't feel like getting into my larger paintings only to be slowed down by drying time so I worked on some smaller things inside the house. First I carved a funky face stamp then I started playing around with collaging the stamped image into ACEOs. On any other day I could have gone in an entirely different direction with this stamp - called it starchild or mystic dreamer. But I wasn't in that kind of mood today. Instead, I named him Dude.
And then I made this ACEO and listed it on Etsy. It's called Dude Says Yes and this is what I wrote in the listing. "Dude is a new handcarved stamp I made - he's a pretty cool dude. I'm working on a mini series of original ACEOs featuring the Dude stamp and in this one, he's agreeing with you. Which is a plus."

This next one is called Dude Just Looked Straight Into the Sun - Dude, you can't do that!

Dude's about to get into all kinds of situations. I'm thinking of possible themes such as:

Dude Just Stole Your Loafers (first typo was "Loathers" hmmm, wonder what my psyche was trying to tell me with that one?)
Dude Says Surf It Out
Dude Wants a Falafel
Dude Can't Catch a Break

Check them out at http://www.livefunky.etsy.com/

Leaning

Textured acrylic painting on 24" x 36" canvas, 2009

http://www.jessicatorrant.etsy.com/

This is the first painting in my Relations Series - a series I've been working on and evolving throughout this year. The relationship of abstract shapes and forms represent our own relationships. In this piece, I see a wave of the blues. On the other side of the arch, a gathering of loved ones come to the rescue with light and love to break up and lift the wave.

Summer Haze

Texture acrylic painting on 16" x 20" canvas, 2009
http://www.jessicatorrant.etsy.com/

This reminds me of driving back roads to the beach in Rye NH ten years ago when I lived in the area. A hot, hazy from humidity summer day looking out over the marshland, smelling the ocean breeze ready for a cold dip in the sea...

(PS - I also started a group page on facebook for my art if you're interested in checking it out - not sure if this link will work, let me try... Art by Jessica Torrant

Untitled

Acrylic texture painting on 12" x 12" gallery wrapped canvas, 2009
Available for purchase at www.JessicaTorrant.etsy.com

Asleep in the Sea I Dreamed I Could Fly

Mixed media on 12" x 24" gallery wrapped box canvas, 2009
Available for purchase at www.jessicatorrant.etsy.com

Back in action

This is my second stamp set available at www.livefunky.etsy.com (the first set sold). There are more on the way so stay tuned!

I've been away for a little bit but I'm happy to report that it's been to enjoy some summer fun. Entertaining company, visiting family and friends and enjoying my husband's family reunion in New Hampshire. Which, by the way, has me dreaming of moving back to New Hampshire to some fabulous lake house... a girl can dream! I feel so rejuvenated and ready to work hard doing what I love.

Earlier this summer I hit a bit of a roadblock and I'm thankful for my husband and dear friends for some really great, illuminating conversations getting to the heart of the issue and then getting beyond it, letting the baggage go. When I opened my second shop www.jessicatorrant.etsy.com I had such high hopes and aspirations, which was great but it also left me feeling somewhat timid and doubtful of my ability. I think this might be the first time since my sophomore year in college that I really felt completely lost creatively and it scared me - was it gone, was it over, would it ever return? Again, it was heart to hearts with my best of friends that led me to the answer - the same answer I've stumbled into any time I've run into a mental hurtle creatively. I have to let go of definitions/plans/expectations and just be in the moment, follow my instincts and let them take me where they will. Trying to define myself destroys the intuitive source that I rely on to create art. Examining the internal conversations and definitions I have makes me realize that I feed off of plans and lists and I don't have to stop doing that, but I have to stop holding myself to them. It's inevitable that half the things on any particular list or dream sheet will change tomorrow or in a few weeks - and I need to be ok with that. So, long story short, I'm feeling very light and optimistic and eager to be free to have fun painting again, something I love so very, very much.

New stamp set! - no wait....

Aw... I was so excited to announce my first stamp set but it came to light that I need a new glue. It's always painful for me to do it, but I have to beat on my test subjects. No matter how high my expectations for that little creation may be, I know I need to put it through a battery of tests before it's ready to sell to the public. I've been using a super glue pen to adhere the stamp to the glass base. It's a generic brand but plenty powerful nonetheless (I've actually been quite terrified of it because it sets in less than 30 seconds). The glue works great on lots of surfaces but I think the oils on the glass and rubber surfaces, no matter how clean I get them, are causing the problem. It seems like it's set firmly, but with some pulling at the stamp, it cracks and peels at the edges without too much muscle. Looking for some glue suggestions in the Etsy forums, I found a link to this site http://www.thistothat.com/ - plug in the surfaces you want to glue and it gives you an answer! So tomorrow it's back to the hardware store to test out the recommended glue and see if I can get this first set back in action.

Stamp sets coming soon and built to last!

Carving stamps is my latest obsession

You're looking at a scan of a test page of hand carved stamps I made recently, with some cut out shapes made using the same stamp around in a circle at the top. So far I've made mostly garden forms - flowers and leaves - but it will be fun to keep exploring various subject matters. Once again, geometrical shapes that remind me of the Hungarian folk art patterns I grew up looking at are appearing in my sketchbook. The simple forms used together can create beautiful patterns and mandalas. I'm going to be offering these at livefunky individually and as sets very soon.

Spirit Guide

Spirit Guide - Acrylic on 12" x 12" canvas

This piece took some time to really emerge and come together. At one point it was faceless and on the right side was a sky with birds and an abstract interpretation of the ocean. There was just too much going on and I liked the effect of the starry cosmos as a backdrop. Kendra Zvonik helped me realize some final details (thanks Kendra!). I hesitated to title this piece because I want the viewer to have their own experience with it. I see a female spirit guide encouraging me to move forward with courage and strength, but you may see a goddess, an angel, your own inner spirit or a mystic traveler.