Let’s celebrate the chaos: Moving Day + art by Alex Kanevsky

August 13, 2013, 5:31 am

≫ Next: Alt Summit Bound PAINTING-A-DAY by Emily Jeffords

≪ Previous: “Make My Getaway” the final painting-a-day landscape (for now…)

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    Hello!   When we moved from Texas to Charleston I featured the work of Alex Kanevsky.  His paintings perfectly encapsulated what I was seeing and feeling in my own home: beauty in chaos.  Packing, boxes, piles, stacks, colors, textures, shapes jumbled up together – making their way to a new home.  Well, the same thing is happening today as we move into our new home in down town Greenville, SC, and again, Alex’s work rings true in my mind.

Kanevsky is one of the many artists that delight in painting the ordinary, but he is one of the few that elevate and distort the ordinary scenes found in day-to-day life into something beautifully original and appealing.  He has a way of seeing beauty in the chaos, and also, adding his unique distortion and perspective on the orderly.  I love the rushed, colorful, scattered, high-contrast, and “drawn” characteristics in these paintings.

“The moment something works well and is under control – is the time to give it up and try something else.”  – Alex Kanevsky

This quote has stuck with me since reading it about two years ago and it’s something I’ve noticed happening naturally in my life.  Comfort in your craft and in your art often leads to stale and formulated artwork.  And no one likes stale art – now do they?

And now – once again, I’m back to un-packing!  I can’t wait to share our new little home with you!  But, for now, enjoy more work by Alex Kanevsky.

Filed under: Artist & Designer Showcase Tagged: alex kanevsky, art, artist, artwork, interior, oil, paint, painting, still life

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Alt Summit Bound PAINTING-A-DAY by Emily Jeffords

January 6, 2014, 8:51 am

≫ Next: Winter & Winds: Original Oil Landscape Painting by Emily Jeffords

≪ Previous: Let’s celebrate the chaos: Moving Day + art by Alex Kanevsky

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Two weeks ago I was ignoring the fact that, in just a little while, all of the movers & shakers, creatives, and makers from the blogging & creative community were coming together for the biggest, greatest conference of the year.  Tickets to this conference are hard to come by and I was not fortunate enough to get one.  Which I was okay with, because, remember, I was ignoring the entire event.

But then, things changed.  … More the story coming soon… And I am going to the Alt Summit in Salk Lake City!!!

This is huge guys.  I had the honor of attending Alt NYC (and it blew my socks off), but this event (which is a couple days longer, bigger, and covers even more spot on industry topics) is going to completely and totally amaze & inspire.

 

Being invited to attend Alt was a WELCOME and honoring surprise – but it was totally unexpected (and therefor, un-budgeted).

So, in order to make this trip a reality, this week, starting tomorrow,  I am going to be doing a painting a day for four days to raise a bit of money for this exciting trip!

 

The paintings will be fairly large (16×20 inches), oil on canvas, and will all be impressionistic landscapes.

 

At the end of the 4 days there will an additional surprise (giveaway – eep!) so be sure to share the photos & follow along on social media!  More info coming soon & it’s going to be worth it.  Promise.

 

I’m off to the studio to paint landscape #1 and will post it at noon (est) tomorrow here and in my shop: EmilyJeffords.com

(Above are examples of previous work.  Stay tuned for the new painting-a-day landscapes or check out those available in my shop EmilyJeffords.com)

Filed under: Artwork & Designs by Me Tagged: art, artist, artwork, impressionistic, landscape, oil, painting, painting-a-day

Winter & Winds: Original Oil Landscape Painting by Emily Jeffords

January 7, 2014, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Come Rain or Shine: Original Oil Landscape by Emily Jeffords (Painting-a-day)

≪ Previous: Alt Summit Bound PAINTING-A-DAY by Emily Jeffords

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It has begun!  My short painting-a-day project: 4 paintings in 4 days, begins today!

My pallet is full of wintery blues and grays, and my brushed messy with creams and dusty teals…   I love the muted tones and the lush textures in this landscape.   “Winter & Winds” is an expressive and poetic depiction of the peace that covers the world during the stillness of winter.  The earth is cold and quiet, yet full of minimalistic beauty and simplicity.

This painting is 16×20 inches, oil on canvas and will be available in my shop in ONE HOUR, at noon (EST), today!

Please note, that since these photos were taken Winter & Winds has been signed in the lower right hand corner in red my signature script.

This painting, and the three to follow this week, are created to raise funds for my very unexpected & totally exciting trip to Salt Lake City to attend & assist with the Alt Summit!  Read more about that adventure on the blog of my dear friend, MJ.

Check back tomorrow for Painting No. 2!  There is also a lovely collection of originals & prints on sale in my studio shop.  Check them out!

Filed under: Artwork & Designs by Me Tagged: art, artist, artwork, Emily Jeffords, landscape, paint, painting, painting-a-day, winter

Come Rain or Shine: Original Oil Landscape by Emily Jeffords (Painting-a-day)

January 8, 2014, 8:00 am

≫ Next: “Rain in Spain” Painting-a-Day, oil on canvas, by Emily Jeffords

≪ Previous: Winter & Winds: Original Oil Landscape Painting by Emily Jeffords

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I have the unfounded notion that days have moods – just like people.  Some feel happy and light, while others are sleepy and slow.  Winter days don’t really want to face the world – just snuggle and enjoy – while summer days have

boundless energy and the cheeriest disposition.  (Like I said, completely unfounded, and ridiculous, and yet, you know exactly what I mean…)

This painting can’t seem to make up it’s mind and is in flux between gauzy summertime bliss and the occasional moody storm.  And don’t get me wrong!  I love simply beautiful days.  They are just great.  …but the days where you don’t quite know what to wear or how to pack, or whether or not you’ll need a coat or umbrella…  those day’s are interesting.  They’re evolving and moving.  They’re lively and expressive and adventurously moody.

“Come Rain or Shine” depicts just such a day.

 

 

This painting is 16×20 inches, oil on canvas and will be available in my shop in ONE HOUR, at noon (EST), today!

This painting, and the two more to follow this week, are created to raise funds for my very unexpected & totally exciting trip to Salt Lake City to attend the Alt Summit!  Read more about that adventure on the blog of my dear friend, MJ.

Check back tomorrow for Painting No. 3!  There is also a lovely collection of originals & prints on sale in my studio shop.  Check them out!

 

Filed under: Artwork & Designs by Me Tagged: art, artwork, landscape, oil, paint, painting, painting-a-day, Rain, spring

“Rain in Spain” Painting-a-Day, oil on canvas, by Emily Jeffords

January 9, 2014, 8:00 am

≫ Next: “Here Comes the Sun” Painting-a-Day by Emily Jeffords

≪ Previous: Come Rain or Shine: Original Oil Landscape by Emily Jeffords (Painting-a-day)

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Admittedly, I have never been to Spain, and have never seen the “rain falling mainly in the plain”.  However, I have the happy staccato of Eliza Doolittle dancing in my head and I think the motion of the song – upward, peppy, thriving, moody, helped to evolve this painting into a scene of motion and loose vibrance.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: sometimes I put too much paint on the canvas – I allow the scene to become cluttered and stiff (these canvases are currently gathering dust in a corner of my studio).  But when I stop at JUST the right time – not too soon, not too late – the expression and refinement are balanced and beautiful.  And THAT, delights me to no end.

“Rain in Spain” is 16×20 inches, oil on canvas and will be available in my shop in ONE HOUR, at noon (EST), today!  $100!

This painting was created to raise funds for my very unexpected & totally exciting trip to Salt Lake City to attend the Alt Summit!  Read more about that adventure on the blog of my dear friend, MJ.

Check back tomorrow for the FINAL painting in this mini painting-a-day project!   There is also a lovely collection of originals & prints on sale in my studio shop.  Check them out!

Filed under: Artwork & Designs by Me Tagged: art, artwork, Emily Jeffords, landscape, painting, painting-a-day

“Here Comes the Sun” Painting-a-Day by Emily Jeffords

January 10, 2014, 8:01 am

≫ Next: Fine Art GIVEAWAY #GiveMeTheArt

≪ Previous: “Rain in Spain” Painting-a-Day, oil on canvas, by Emily Jeffords

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The final painting in my mini painting-a-day series is here!  My brushes are still messy, my studio even more so, and the canvases lining my studio walls cheer and delight me.

“Here Comes the Sun” is a fitting way to end this mini series.  Warm tones, movement, loose brush strokes and creamy & vibrant colors speak to the hope that each new day brings.  I love the muted tones and the lush textures in this landscape and how they contrast with the lightness and vibrance in the sky.  Winter is ending and the warm spring days are in the air.

This painting is 16×20 inches, oil on canvas and will be available in my shop in ONE HOUR, at noon (EST), today!

This is the end of this short painting-a-day project.  However, there is a lovely collection of originals & prints on sale in my studio shop.  Check them out!    All profits from Print sales goes to charity until the end of February!

 

This painting, and the previous three, were created to raise funds for my very unexpected & totally exciting trip to Salt Lake City to attend & assist with the Alt Summit!  Read more about that adventure on the blog of my dear friend, MJ.

 

Filed under: Artwork & Designs by Me Tagged: art, artist, artwork, Emily Jeffords, landscape, painting, painting-a-day

Fine Art GIVEAWAY #GiveMeTheArt

January 13, 2014, 4:28 am

≫ Next: Honesty & Inspiration

≪ Previous: “Here Comes the Sun” Painting-a-Day by Emily Jeffords

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Hello everyone!
What an exciting holiday & New Year season it has been!  You all have been, as always, amazing and wonderful.  I’m so happy to have been able to say Thank You with a fab GIVEAWAY!

- 1st prize: an 8×10 commission painting!  You pick the colors and inspiration & I paint a landscape painting just for you!

- 2nd & 3rd places: 2 5×7 fine art prints for both of you!  Take your pick from any of the reproductions available in my Etsy Shop.

So, how do you get in on this artsy-goodness?

Share & Follow on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter

Share the photo above or take a (new) photo of your space.

1.  use the hashtag #GiveMeTheArt
2.  follow & tag @Emily_Jeffords (Emily Jeffords Studio on FB)

You can enter across all social media platforms up to 5 times a day.
Giveaway ends at midnight on Wednesday (Jan 15th) Open to US residents ages 18 and older.

Follow and join in with the hashtag #GiveMeTheArt

Filed under: Resources + Goodies Tagged: art, contest, Emily Jeffords, giveaway, landscape, oil, painting

Honesty & Inspiration

February 9, 2014, 11:24 pm

≫ Next: DIY: Mixed Media Landscape Painting

≪ Previous: Fine Art GIVEAWAY #GiveMeTheArt

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Creativity doesn’t grow on trees.  (I’m sorry if I’ve burst your bubble!)  I’m sure you’ve heard about artists block: those times of frustration and self doubt that every creative person feels.  Maybe you have experienced it yourself?  It’s horribly frustrating, untimely, uncaring, and dreary.   And creative dry-spells  seem to come when time is of the essence and productivity is especially important.

I’m kind of feeling the effect of one of these frustrating times right now.  But the good news is that even when inspired ideas don’t instantly come to mind without a bit of trial they can be trained.  Artists block is totally treatable!!  Rest, refreshment, time away, and new perspective are the very best medication.  It takes a lot of grace to be an artist – far more than we like to give.  You have to allow yourself to mess up and to fall short of your expectations often.  That’s actually a GOOD thing!  It means that you expect beautiful and meaningful things of yourself.  You should expect yourself to create amazingness.  But, allow yourself to grow into the artist you know you can be.

One of my favorite ways to refresh is by creating these visual mood boards.  They help me gather all the bits of inspiration floating around my head and edit out the ideas that aren’t cohesive and add concepts that unite and elevate the whole aesthetic.  It’s a fun and refreshing process and one I totally recommend!

To visit these images – and to see a collection of others – follow my Painting Inspiration pinterest board!  I am brainstorming new ideas and intend to fill this board with beauty.  Join me!

Filed under: Inspiration Board Tagged: art, artist, artwork, black and white, Create, creativity, design, inspiration, painting, Photography

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DIY: Mixed Media Landscape Painting

February 18, 2014, 4:18 am

≫ Next: Let’s Celebrate Spring with a lot of ART

≪ Previous: Honesty & Inspiration

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Yesterday I introduced you to one of my newest mixed media landscapes (Golden Starts), and today I’m going to show you a few of the steps in my process!

Mixed media painting is SUCH a fun creative process.  Really.  It feels as if there are no limitations and so few rules.  Whatever you imagine you can create – using whatever tool works best.   Forget the limits of traditional mediums and mix things up a bit!  Even if it is just an experiment, I promise, you’ll find it liberating.

In this example I used gold-leaf, charcoal, watercolor, graphite pencil, and oil on canvas.  But, really, you can use almost anything you want or need.  The only rule is that oil goes on top (unless the oil paint is totally dry or you don’t mind impressions in the paint – see? no limits…)

The thing that excites me the most (at the moment) is how mixed media painting allows me to show the layers within the creative process.  You can see the canvas, the under-sketch, watercolor, charcoal, and, finally, the oil painting on top.  It’s fascinating, you can almost watch the process unfold while looking at this painting.   The trick is finding your balance.  You can develop it as much as you would like, of course, but it is very important to know when to stop, when to put your brushes down.

So, what ideas do you have?  Any materials you are exciting to combine?  I can’t wait to continue exploring this form of mixed media painting!

Filed under: DIY Projects Tagged: art, artist, artwork, landscape, mixed media, oil, paint, painting, sky

Let’s Celebrate Spring with a lot of ART

March 3, 2014, 4:10 am

≫ Next: Celebrate Spring with Fine Art PRINTS

≪ Previous: DIY: Mixed Media Landscape Painting

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  Oh you guys….  Spring is in the air and that totally puts me in a good, good mood.   So good that I kind of feel like celebrating because warm weather + wonderfully amazing readers/customers/collectors are worth every ounce of warm sunshine. (note: for those of you stuck in perpetual winter for the next month, […]

Celebrate Spring with Fine Art PRINTS

March 4, 2014, 4:28 am

≫ Next: Celebrate Spring: Little Art Sale

≪ Previous: Let’s Celebrate Spring with a lot of ART

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Let’s get this thing started, shall we?  Heck yes! In my Etsy shop, there are several (totally beautiful – but I’m biased) Fine Art Prints in a variety of sizes.  You can pick any print your would like, use this code (CELEBRATESPRING) and get 30% off! However, if you would rather party on Instagram, I will be […]

Celebrate Spring: Little Art Sale

March 5, 2014, 4:25 am

≫ Next: …and now, Two Original Landscape Paintings: Celebrate Spring!

≪ Previous: Celebrate Spring with Fine Art PRINTS

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1:  PNW Rains   2: Gone to Carolina   3: Blue Bayou    Guys!  Thank you all so much for celebrating with me yesterday!  Your print orders have been seen, recorded, and cheered over.  For real, you all amaze me and make me feel so humble and thankful. And now, a sweet and special little […]

…and now, Two Original Landscape Paintings: Celebrate Spring!

March 6, 2014, 5:35 am

≫ Next: Fabric & Fine Art DIY: Sweet As Honey

≪ Previous: Celebrate Spring: Little Art Sale

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Painting No. 1 :: New Day Dawning This is such an exciting day for me.  It is the icing-on-the-cake and a mini-project that is incredibly close to my heart: Art has such a way of connecting people. An original painting holds the physical marks and movements of a person, it tells such a tangible and […]

Fabric & Fine Art DIY: Sweet As Honey

March 18, 2014, 4:31 am

≫ Next: 12 sweet and little ABSTRACT BOTANICAL oil paintings (and a party. just cuz)

≪ Previous: …and now, Two Original Landscape Paintings: Celebrate Spring!

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This post makes my heart happy on so many levels  One: Bonnie Forkner of Going Home To Roost has created the MOST charming and beautiful new line of fabric, Sweet As Honey, and, Two: we get to paint-by-number (and it looks totally legit and, yes, it is still so much fun!) You know that bare wall […]

12 sweet and little ABSTRACT BOTANICAL oil paintings (and a party. just cuz)

June 4, 2014, 8:23 am

≫ Next: Artist Interview with Alethea & Ruth, a Minted Designer

≪ Previous: Fabric & Fine Art DIY: Sweet As Honey

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A few weeks ago I several friends and I pulled our skills  together whipped up a dreamy garden dinner party (more images from that night coming soon!).  Because it was a dinner party we all brought something to the table to make the night special and meaningful – our gifts:  screen printed napkins, hand-cut wine […]

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Artist Interview with Alethea & Ruth, a Minted Designer

June 18, 2014, 5:24 am

≫ Next: Artist interview with Kiana Mosley, a Minted artist

≪ Previous: 12 sweet and little ABSTRACT BOTANICAL oil paintings (and a party. just cuz)

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Hello everyone! I am so honored to have Rachel Nanfelt of Alethea & Ruth with us today! Rachel has such a stellar design sense and a charming aesthetic.  I love her use of color, her handwritten typography, and, most of all, her super sensible, inspiring, and encouraging perspective on creative entrepreneurship. I had the honor of asking […]

Artist interview with Kiana Mosley, a Minted artist

June 20, 2014, 5:08 am

≫ Next: Art Studio Life: Is it as awesome as you always imagined?

≪ Previous: Artist Interview with Alethea & Ruth, a Minted Designer

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Hello! There are some people who just exude joy and happiness.. who, even over the internet, make you smile and really enjoy life a little more.  …Meet  Kiana Mosley!  Kiana is one of Minted’s newest designers and is soon launching a collection with West Elm!   Beyond being a wonderful person, Kiana is also a stellar […]

Art Studio Life: Is it as awesome as you always imagined?

June 26, 2014, 5:24 am

≫ Next: “Leave Behind the Shadows” Painting No. 1

≪ Previous: Artist interview with Kiana Mosley, a Minted artist

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Oh, studio life…  It’s kind of the thing that most artists dream of, fight for, and aspire to create.  In our imaginations, it’s a place of pure passion where you can put your head down and work (and where, of course, everything you touch will turn to gold).   While much of that is true […]

“Leave Behind the Shadows” Painting No. 1

July 15, 2014, 8:58 am

≫ Next: “Cool of the Stillness” Painting-a-Day by Emily Jeffords

≪ Previous: Art Studio Life: Is it as awesome as you always imagined?

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. You know those hot summer days when it feels as though the afternoon will never cool off, then the sun begins to set and the earth is transformed into a peachy-buttery-candy-colored landscape?  The sunset lingers for hours and it seems that darkness will never come – nor do you want it to. We had […]

“Cool of the Stillness” Painting-a-Day by Emily Jeffords

July 16, 2014, 8:00 am

≫ Next: “Finding The Breeze” Painting A Day by Emily Jeffords

≪ Previous: “Leave Behind the Shadows” Painting No. 1

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I began this painting anticipating something a little dark and moody; something with some grit to it or at least a little mystery.  But as things progressed, and my emotions shifted throughout the day, this painting evolved. I love the delicate colors, the vibrant and carefree brushstrokes, and the modern coolness in this painting.  It […]