New Horizons

New Horizons - Acrylic and oil pastel on 16" x 20" canvas, 2015

This painting was my first of the new year. Though it is full of lots of vivid color, it was actually inspired by the winter palette I see here in New England. The cool tones of shadows on snow, and the warm tones of brush and leafless trees that catch the setting sunlight. 

The original painting is available in my Etsy shop, but you can also purchase prints and products on Society6.  

Hello 2015

Christmas tree farm, Connecticut

Happy New Year! (Ok, so it is technically halfway through January already, but happy new year nonetheless!) I hope you had a lovely holiday season and that 2015 has treated you well so far.

This blogging thing is a little rusty for me, but it's something I'd like to re-commit to this year. It's on a list of things, in fact, that will help me refocus my life/career on making and living ART. It's not as if I haven't been doing that for the last ten years, but this year I'm taking on a new approach. A more active engagement in what my goals and dreams are rather than a passive "play it as it goes" approach (which admittedly is kind of how I've "rolled" for a while).

There are a couple of ground rules that I'm trying to live by right now that also apply to how I am working/plan on working this year. Work with what you've got, pay attention to your thoughts/feelings as well as what's working and what's not, and, if possible, eliminate any anxiety triggers that are unnecessary.

"Work with what you've got" unfolds in many ways. First of all, I'm trying to once and for all eliminate the mindset of waiting to have/feel/be/do ___ in order to have/feel/be/do ___. Fill in the blanks as you choose. That way of thinking has been prevalent my whole life and I'm finally realizing the truth that if you wait forever to have everything fit "just so" to be truly happy and content, you are missing your life as it is unfolding right now. Therefore, you are missing the opportunity to be happy right now. In the face of that, I'm trying to be more appreciative of the uniqueness of every moment unfolding as it will. I'm also trying to think/be more resourceful when it comes to every aspect of my life - from home repair to cooking to my business.

Paying attention to what I do, what I consume, and how it all feels is another way that I'm working on being happier and more productive. If there's something unnecessary that I do in my day to day that gives me stress or anxiety and there's a way to simply not do it/consume it/etc anymore? Well, then, what are you waiting for!?

Speaking of, there is one more mantra that's been really weighing on me... at first in a nagging, unsettling way, and now in a more positive, encouraging way, and that is, (to repeat)... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? When, exactly, is an appropriate time to ask yourself the very important question, "What do I want?"? What year does "someday" fall in? If not now, then when? How wonderful it feels to embrace something right in the moment and deal with it right then. I'm learning this in such simple, small ways so far, but the idea of its reach is quite exciting... and still very new.

Now that I've expressed all of that, who really knows how this year will actually unfold? I know that I could make the grandest plans and life could take a sharp turn at any point, laughing at all of my foolish "preparation". At the same time, I also don't want to be the loose little seed floating in the wind, carried away without any will or say of my own. Finding a balance, as always, is key.

. . . . . . .

New Work Post the Cape Collection

 Autumn's Approach - Acrylic on 16" x 20" canvas - SOLD

Tangled Up in Blue - Acrylic on 16" x 20" canvas - SOLD

Saying goodbye to summer isn't ever easy for me but alas, time moves on and so must I. These two paintings were a couple of new works post my Cape Cod series that sold to a local collector. She happens to be super awesome and I love her enthusiasm about art and artists. Honestly, it's needle in the haystack people like her that keep me painting. (THANK YOU! You know who you are!) 

Shades of Love - Acrylic and oil pastel on 24" x 30" canvas 

Tropical Dreams - Acrylic on 16" x 20" canvas

I have been loving the delicate brushwork of circles, white in particular, and even bought a new brush to fully accommodate this look. That brush is the star of all of these paintings. I have since changed ever so much in what I want to create and so this particular brush, and its marks, may not be seen again for a little bit. Or not. You never know!

The Cape Cod Collection

Tide Pool Reflections 1 - Acrylic and oil pastel on 24" x 24" canvas, 2014

There is something that happens to you when you spend even just a couple of days by the ocean. That magic something happened to me this past June when my husband and I went on an anniversary trip to the Cape (where we married and honeymooned 8 years ago). 

Tide Pool Reflections 2 - Acrylic and oil pastel on 12" x 12" canvas

During this wonderful trip (now 3 months ago) I experienced a sense of peace that I really can't say I've ever experienced before. With some reflection, I now understand why. 

1. We camped. 

The media/entertainment/news-feed of our modern society can become not only addicting and something to obsess about, but also alter who we really are. It was so great to get away from technology - the television, the internet, our online businesses and who left a review for one of Rob's books on Amazon and who favorited one of my Etsy listings. Being in nature and connecting with nature's rhythm was so very good for the soul. #mediablackout

2. We were on the freaking Cape. 

Not only does it hold a bounty of good memories and heart strung connections for us personally, the flexed arm of New England is everything that a laid back traveler could want. There's room for every kind of New Englander to get their taste of the Atlantic - from the super wealthy (hello Kennedys?) to your average Joe and Josephine getting clam strips from a roadside stand. Life is good on the Cape. Whoever you are you can make it work... and thensome. #tartarsauce

3. The beach has magical powers. 

This is where I feel for my landlocked friends. If you've never been to "the beach", than you really do not know what you are missing. The ocean is the best anti-whatever-ails-you antidote that I've ever experienced naturally. People come to the shore to veg and let it all hang out. You could say that in the outer Cape, that is more true than other many other oceanside locations internationally. (he he - #nudists!) 

Tide Pool Reflections 3 - Acrylic 12" x 12" canvas, SOLD

If you've been paying attention, I've shared 3 paintings titled the same. Tide Pool Reflections 1-3. 

It was our last day on the Cape and we were at a bay side beach. The tide went out for as far as the eye could see, but in between here and there were many tide-pools - from knee deep to just barely covering the top of your feet. As any normal person connected to their inner child would do, I skipped my feet in the water, watching the beautiful patterns of swirls and circles of light dancing on the surface of the water before me.

And that was the beginning of a series. 

Serenity by the Sea - Acrylic and oil pastel on 18" x 24" canvas, SOLD

This series was yes, about the reflections of light on water, and New England earthy sand vs the salty sea BUT it was also about transcending petty problems and just living in the moment. It gave me the idea that hey maybe I could feel this way - this zenned out, happy and fullfilled way, any time I wanted. And wasn't that radical. 

Song of the Sea - Acrylic and oil pastel on 24" x 36" canvas

Check out all of the mellowed out, ocean inspired, Cape Cod Collection here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JessicaTorrant?section_id=15658933

Triptych Commission

Custom original acrylic and oil pastel painting on three 20" x 30" gallery wrapped canvases, 2014

This piece was commissioned by my cousin and his wife. Scroll down to see each canvas larger.

 

I'm so pleased with how this turned out and I can't wait to see it in its new home!

Express Yourself

Play It Loud - Acrylic and oil pastel on 12" x 12" canvas, 2014

Lately I've been focused on creating my own take on abstract impressionist paintings (see previous posts). A certain style is calling to me this painting season and I'm rolling with it - scratch that - I'm loving it! But that doesn't stop me from having pulls in different directions that I can't help but indulge in. These two paintings are bold and bright and totally expressive and different from everything else I've been doing lately. Truth be told, I haven't been in the best mind set lately, and sometimes just letting it all out via the brush is great free therapy. If it happens to go outside the "what I'm working on currently" playground, so be it.

I recognize the validity of working in a series, but maybe it's the stubborn Taurus in me that wants to rebel against any kind of rule or expectation, even from myself. As far as I'm concerned, just painting, just making art in any form, is a mission accomplished. So hey - I made a couple of paintings that don't fit the current mode/zone/series/whatever you want to call it. Like them or not, they needed to be made. I will always paint what I feel needs to be made. Even if it's just for myself and no one else gets it or likes it. It's something I would tell young artists to do no matter what voices they have swirling around their heads about what to do and what no to do. Oh yeah... maybe you are a young artist reading this blog... in that case... JUST DO YOU! I mean it.

I think working in a series is a revelation for an artist. You have to do it, even if it's just one time (but once you do, you'll be hooked!). At the same time, during the time you are working on that series you may feel a little twinge to do something else, and all I'm saying is to follow that and see it through.

Take the time away from a series or project that you are committed to when inspiration calls from a different corner of the room. Allow yourself to invest the resources it takes to create this new thing that may not be anything ultimately but you've just GOT to explore it. In my experience, there is always an audience. If you are an online art seller such as myself, forget the business side of the equation, just go there, let yourself do it. Given my facebook page's responses to paintings, it is always very interesting to see who likes what. I am a firm believer that being a one trick pony artist isn't necessarily the right goal for every artist. You can put a lot of your various takes on subjects and styles out there for people to see and yes, sure, maybe it will turn some people away because of inconsistency, but who exactly would be all that bothered by it? In my opinion, let's just say it... art snobs. Let's just call a spade a spade, am I right? If you want an artist to be one dimensional, I'm sorry, but you must not know an artist personally. 

This blog entry is one part free form rant and one part call to arms for independent artists to go their own way and break the mold. But to sum things up - to the budding artists, my dear friends, if you happen to be reading this, my advice is this... attempt working in a series, give it a try even if you don't think you are "there" as an artist yet to do so. Just do it to get comfortable with the concept, give it a go. Who cares what the results are. Also, don't ever stop listening to the inner muse. Follow her voice, she's going to lead you in the right direction. If that direction deviates for a moment, go there without any regard to expectations or concerns about how you will be perceived. Paint it, make it, do it anyway.

She's On Fire - Acrylic and oil pastel on 16" x 20" canvas, 2014

Vibrant Meadow

Vibrant Meadow - Acrylic and oil pastel on 12" x 12" canvas, 2014

Original painting - https://www.etsy.com/listing/186603159/abstract-landscape-painting-original-art

Prints - http://society6.com/JessicaTorrant/Vibrant-Meadow_Print#1=45

Sanctuary

Sanctuary - Acrylic on 20" x 30" canvas, 2014

Original painting: https://www.etsy.com/listing/186225165/abstract-painting-original-art

Prints: http://society6.com/JessicaTorrant/Sanctuary-m9H_Print#1=45

Days Like This

Days Like This - Acrylic on 20" x 30" canvas, 2014 by Jessica Torrant

Original painting: https://www.etsy.com/listing/185687215/abstract-painting-original-art

Prints: http://society6.com/JessicaTorrant/Days-Like-This-RDk_Print#1=45

2014 Mojo

Hello! Is anybody out there?

I've sadly neglected my blog in such a major way that it has been almost a full YEAR since I've posted! Time to get my bloggin' boots on and just dive right back in.

After a rough, seemingly endless Winter in New England, Spring has actually made an appearance just recently and I've been able to get back into my backyard studio. That means painting season is officially back on for me and I couldn't be happier about it!

Here is my first painting of 2014.

 Radiance - Acrylic on 22" x 28" canvas, 2014

Original painting available here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/185634016/abstract-painting-colorful-original-art. 

Also available as a print in multiple sizes: http://society6.com/JessicaTorrant/Radiance-XX7_Print#1=45

Society6 - New Prints and Products

Today I set up a new shop on Society6.com.  I'm limiting the collection to my latest series and you can buy prints, stretched canvases, throw pillows, greeting cards, iPhone cases, laptop skins and more!

Visit my shop via the link below to receive free shipping through May 12th!

http://society6.com/JessicaTorrant?promo=05a269

Love Song

©2013 Jessica Torrant
LOVE SONG
Acrylic, 16 x 20 inches

Click HERE for purchasing information.

Wonder

©2013 Jessica Torrant
WONDER
Acrylic, 16 x 20 inches

CLICK HERE for purchasing information

Week In Review 4/29-5/3

This was probably my most productive week ever!  Thanks to nearly perfect weather all week, I was able to really dedicate myself to painting every day.

Monday I completed this painting...

 ©2013 Jessica Torrant
THAT AND SO MUCH MORE
Acrylic, 16 x 20 inches

This was a fun piece that incorporated wet/drip techniques, sgraffitto, and palette knife painting.  

On Wednesday I completed this painting...

©2013 Jessica Torrant
THE SUN'S RETURN
Acrylic and oil pastel, 16 x 20 inches

Thursday this one came together... 

 ©2013 Jessica Torrant
THRIVE
Acrylic and oil pastel, 16 x 20 inches

And today (Friday) I worked on a larger canvas that is still a work in progress.  I like the movement and larger, gestural swatches of color.  I still want to keep working on this one, but hopefully I won't overwork it and lose some of that initial energy. Working on this piece makes me realize how much I want to work exclusively on larger scale canvases right now. 

You can find all of the above original paintings at www.jessicatorrant.com. 

I'll be spending the weekend with my family so everything has been put on pause until Monday.  I hope you enjoy your weekend and Happy Spring!

Between Two Worlds

©2013 Jessica Torrant
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas, 16 x 20 inches

CLICK HERE for purchasing information - $350

All of It

 

©2013 Jessica Torrant
ALL OF IT
Acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24 inches

Studio Clean-Up Round 2

If you read my last post you know I have been on quite the cleaning kick lately.  After getting the porch area cleaned out, I tackled the indoor area which was much more disheveled and disorganized.  I had a couch in this space that served no purpose (I never sat on it) so I took that out of there which opened up a LOT of space as well as the dresser that I moved out to the porch.

This is my new art storage area.  I used the shelving that originally went with the work table outside that perfectly lined up with the spacing between boards.  Foam core boards give some stability to the larger paintings on top and a piece of board was used on the bottom to connect the bottom shelves which keeps my 16x20's off the ground in the middle.  It's still not a perfectly ideal storage solution, but it's better than what I had been using.

 
I went through the dresser on the porch and organized each drawer.  Above (from left) you'll see one for brushes, one for drawing materials, and one for water media.

Here you'll see my new shipping/framing table with various tools, hardware and shipping supplies tucked below.  To the left is my stack of paintings that still need work and/or can be painted over.  They are right by the sliding glass door that leads out to the porch so they are ready to go with easy access.

Here is the view looking out to the porch.  On the left are paintings that need some TLC due to slight damage or other issues.  On the right are my canvases waiting to go and up above the door is a collection of trinkets I've collected and special paintings that remind me of my favorite places, people or states of mind.  An "inspiration shelf" if you will.

And finally, I just had to share this picture of my beautiful one eyed boy Leo who posed for me in front of the studio.  What you may not be able to get a sense of is the fact that his entire body is tense with anticipation of me throwing a frisbee in one hand while I snapped the shot with the other.  He looks so calm and docile here but in reality he was seconds away from sprinting full steam ahead after his wonderous flying friend.

Spring Cleaning

When the forsythia blooms, that's when I declare Spring's official arrival.  Time to put your work clothes on, rake the lingering leaves, clean out gardens, and dig in the dirt!

I planted this humble little garden outside the porch area of my studio (the potted bulbs you see are now planted too).  Some colorful flowers and little trinkets make me smile and draw me out to the space.  Some extra personal touches include my grandmother's knitting needle holding up the sun sculpture, the frog that reminds me of my uncle (and a little painted stone that represents him watching over me).  I know my loved ones are always with me, but little things like this are just a visual reminder and tribute to them.

Lately I have been on a big "if you don't do it the right way, don't do it at all" kick when it comes to all things cleaning.  I will admit to years of only giving cleaning a cursory effort, which frankly is not nearly as rewarding.  So instead of just sweeping around furniture and wiping down tables, I took EVERYTHING out of the screened in area of my studio (where I paint), and swept from ceiling to floor.  So much dust and pollen and cobwebs gather during my off months, it's great to start my "painting season" with a completely fresh space.

When it came to bringing everything back in, I realized how rickety the shelving units that held up my table had become.  Click here for what this originally looked like.  Looking at alternatives I had around, my grandfather's old dresser was the perfect height, super sturdy, AND it would make all of my materials easy to retrieve and at the same time out of the way.  How had I not thought of this sooner?  I had been keeping it in the indoor portion of the studio holding various supplies and last year I had the drawer with paints out of the chest and sitting on top of the table.  Now it's easy access to ALL of my supplies!  I'm going to have a blast geeking out on re-arranging and organizing those drawers.

The only issue with this was the table top slipped around, so my husband (who I had enlisted help from at this point) glued on some non-stick pads to the top of the dresser.  It worked like a charm.

This was also great because I was looking for something to represent my grandfather (and others I still have yet to find the perfect item for, but will) to put in the garden, something to honor him.  This was an even better active tribute of gratitude for him, especially since that man supported my art career with incredible loyalty and love, never missing a show and always the first to arrive.

In the process of moving the dresser out, I had to move some things out of the way and rediscovered an old mirror I've had hanging around for ages.  It was a tag sale find about ten years ago - a huge antique beveled mirror that weighs a ton.  I thought I might be able to fix it up, but never bothered (there's a lot of etched away areas on the back which makes it look dirty even when it's clean).  Finally I found it's intended purpose - a palette!  The most epic palette of all time, if I might be so bold.  30" x 36" - now that's a lot of room for paint mixing.  I'm giddy just thinking about it.

So other than a couple folding chairs and a tv tray, I'm keeping that space pretty sparse for now.  Just the basics.  But before you start thinking my work is done, take a look at this....

DUH DUH DUHHHH!!!

It's a good thing you can't get a clear view of the complete mess that lies beyond these sliding glass doors.  Lots more work to be done! 

Soon this will all be filled in with wild violets and the strawberry plants will start launching out in all directions on the south side of the porch and the sun will keep setting later and later in the day.... ah... welcome back my favorite time of year.  I missed you.

New Work

 ©2013 Jessica Torrant
TRANSCENDENCE
Acrylic on canvas, 22 x 28 inches

©2013 Jessica Torrant
SPRING'S DELIGHT
Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 16 inches