"Koi Kisses"

Koi Kisses

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350.00

Part 4 in the Manito Park Series

There is something mesmerizing about Koi fish. As they gracefully glide along the water a peaceful feeling of calm relaxation washes over you. Each one with it's own unique and vibrant style from dazzling gold to white painted with splashes of brilliant colors. 

During our visit to Manito I could have spent several hours in the Japanese Garden. If we lived closer I'm sure I would be a frequent visitor. It's the perfect place to bring a book and read or just sit and reflect on life. : )

Hope you are taking time this week to enjoy the beauty around you!

                          "Mountain Poppies" SOLD

Mountain Poppies 

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

I sold this piece on Memorial Day which seemed to be the perfect timing for the dear lady who purchased it. She was looking through my collection of works and when she saw this piece she said without hesitation "I want this painting!" There was an immediate connection for her that she went on to explain... 

"When I was 10 years old my twin sister and I lived in an orphanage. There was a field nearby that we used to run through that looked so much like this. My sister has passed away from cancer, but when I saw this painting I immediately saw my sister and it brought back those precious memories I shared with her."

Of course as she told this story I was trying not to allow the tears to well up in my eyes, not only for her, but for my own sisters who have both gone through a battle with cancer this past year. I cannot imagine being in this woman's shoes as I am so blessed that I still have both of my sisters with me while she stood holding a painting that was a reminder of hers. 

It is moments like this that I cherish what I do. To know that my work can touch someones heart and in doing so can bring such joy to mine.

If you have been following my blog you know that this month we have been working to raise money for The Race for the Cure.

The race will be held this Sunday June 3rd in Seattle, WA. I will be there walking hand in hand with my sisters and many other family members and friends under team name Hope, Faith and Gods Grace. 


As I have mentioned before, with the purchase of any item through my Art & Soul print shop http://jacquelinebrewerart.imagekind.com/store/ I will donate 50% of the proceeds to cancer research. To order a print simply click on the link above and then click on galleries to view available works. You will then have the option to order a print framed or unframed or have a  giclee made on canvas. 
Since this is the last week before the race I have decided to offer all of my prints at a discounted rate through this weekend. So for those of you who have been considering making a purchase now would be the time to do so!




“Sometimes, on our way through the world, we meet someone who touches our heart in a way others don't.”

― Philip Reeve
It is up to us to decide if we are going to be that person. : )


Wishing you a wonderful week!

                        "Blooming Abundance"

Blooming Abundance

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350.00

Part 3 of the Manito Park Series

Manito Park is one of my absolute favorite places to visit throughout the year. We spent several hours wandering around the park last weekend. I was on a mission to take a bunch of photos to bring back to the studio. 

We started in the Lilac garden, (which smelled oh so sweet) then made our way over to the Japanese garden and looped around to the Park Bench Cafe for lunch. 

It was a gorgeous day and we had plenty of time to take it all in. After lunch we... To Be Continued. : )

Have a GREAT day!

                        "Lilac Lane"

Lilac Lane 

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350.00

Part 2 in the Manito Park series. 

OK, so I have a little confession to make. My daughter called me this morning during our morning coffee chat time and said "Mom, I'm not gonna lie, I can tell you didn't put much thought into your blog yesterday." I had to laugh because she was absolutely right and I had been caught! : )  (I felt like the kid who didn't get her homework done.)

So I launched into my explanation of what happened...you see I hadn't finished up my painting until later in the day and by the time I had photographed it, posted it to my website and all the other marketing hoo haa, it was late. Evie our 10 year old was home from school, my husband was home from work and they were both STARVING wanting to know what was for dinner and when was I going cook it??? I had just started to post the blog when my husband walked up behind me munching (loudly) on his bag of chips asking how my day was. I told him it was great and I would tell him all about it after I finished my post. Evie called up from downstairs that she really was STARVING and how much longer til dinner. I told them both that the sooner I could finish up the blog post the sooner we would be eating dinner. 

The next thing I know Evie has her recorder out and Bob is blowing out a tune on it while Ev is banging away on the piano singing at the top of her lungs! Of course I am in my studio which is an open loft directly above them so needless to say my blog was short and to the point! And come to think of it that's probably why it ended with the word 

S   E  R   I   N   I   T   Y

P. S. Everyone survived until dinner...It's a miracle no one starved to death!

Since I've already rambled on about yesterday's blog I would just like to mention one thing I've been thinking about lately. 

KINDNESS

If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from other lands, but a continent that joins them.

FRANCIS BACON, Essays

A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.

AMELIA EARHART, Magic City Morning Star, Jun. 1, 2005

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

AESOP, The Lion and the Mouse

The reason I've been thinking of kindness is this...being an artist you put your heart & soul into your work. Your creativity and emotions are exposed, on display for the world to see! Sometimes you might feel a little insecure or question your talent and abilities. Sure you will always have family and friends to enthusiastically cheer you on but we all have those moments of doubt. When your site isn't getting as many visits as you would like or the sale you thought you made didn't happen etc;.. Then it happens...just as you begin to have those feelings of doubt...virtual words of KINDNESS!

Something as simple as one or two words like "Nice Work", "Beautiful" or "Love it!" can lift your mood, bring a smile to your heart and give you the encouragement you need to step up to the easel and create your next masterpiece!

I must give kudos to my new friend Nick Young at  http://nickyoungart.blogspot.com   for showing us all what kindness is all about. Thanks Nick!

Thanks to technology we are all connected so let's all join together and share some kindness. You never know when the kind words of your heart will be exactly what someone else needs to hear at that very moment!

Have a Wonderful Day! : )

                        "Japanese Garden"

Japanese Garden

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350.00

This week I am doing a series of paintings from the gardens of Manito Park. It is a magical place where you will discover yourself surrounded in delightful beauty everywhere you turn. It is a feast for the senses as you inhale the sweet scent of the lilacs, listen to the bumble bees buzzing from flower to flower and feel the warm sun & gentle breeze as you watch the baby ducks following mama around the pond. : )

Today's painting starts off in the Japanese Garden. 

A place to breath deep and let your mind relax. Listening to the trickle of the waterfall, the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees above and watching as the beautiful Koi gracefully glide along the calm waters. 

S   E   R   E   N   I   T   Y...

                       "Breezy Days"

Breezy Days

6x6 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

Life can get so crazy sometimes. Wouldn't it be great to stop everything for just one day...no bills to pay, house to clean, job to rush off to, people to please and the list goes on and on.

Just one day to set sail and let the wind carry you where it will. No worries, just a gentle breeze and a peaceful calm that washes over you. AAAAaaaaah!

Then again...isn't it great to know we have a job to rush off to, a house to clean and people who need us?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

: )

                         "Big Scooter"

Big Scooter 

8x8 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350

As promised today's painting is completed and posted! This piece was inspired by a friend who owns a Boss Hoss bike similar to this one. Everywhere he rides heads are turning and people are pulling out their cameras to take a photo. 

What a thrill it is to experience the wide open spaces and the beautiful scenery on a bike.  Okay, so my bike is peddle powered by me, myself and I so it's quite a different experience but it's still fun nonetheless.

Regardless of where you are going or how you get there...be sure to enjoy the ride and have the time of your life! : )

Have a wonderful week wherever you are!

                                            "Blank Canvas- Coffee Talk"

Blank Canvas

8x8

$200

(Just Kidding!) : )

Why the blank canvas today you might ask?

I was actually just getting ready to pull out my brushes and paint tubes to start another piece when my phone rang. It was my husband calling from the office to tell me that someone had stopped by on their way through town and wanted to speak with me. (He also added that I would never guess who it was) he was right about that. It was my long lost best friend from childhood that I hadn't seen in over 10 years! I was shocked to say the least..first because we live in a very small town and people usually don't pass through the middle of nowhere and second because my friend and I hadn't spoken in years! So of course I dropped everything and beat feat down the mountain for a long overdue visit. It was great to see her and catch up. 

Soooo... I thought since I was busy and out of town over Mother's Day weekend (hope you all had a good one) that I should at least grab a cup of coffee and hop on the blog to let you know I'm still here!

I've decided today I would share a few tips and tricks for all of you artists out there that I have found to be cool and useful. 

Tip #1.  how to clean your PAINT BRUSHES.

I learned this cool trick from one of the fellow artists at a recent workshop I attended. It is not necessary to use toxic stinky chemicals to clean your brushes. Instead you can use any old cheap brand of cooking oil! As I am painting if I am done with a brush I just stick it in the jar of oil. If I need to leave it for a while, (not that I would know anyone who would leave their brushes messy overnight) ;) no big deal because the oil conditions the bristles. Then when I want to use the brush again I just take a paper towel and a bar of soap to the sink. I run some warm water and rub the brush on the bar of soap to get the rest of the paint residue. It only takes a few seconds to clean each brush and there is no stinky smell to deal with! In case you are wondering I use Dove soap..it's really soft on your hands.  : )

Tip #2. How to preserve your PAINT.

If you are anything like me..or most "starving" artists for that matter you cringe at the thought of wasting a single precious squirt of oil paint! You try to work with that little blob as it hardens, poking at it and flipping it over to get every last bit of wet paint possible. Don't laugh you know we all do it. Well except for Dreama Tolle Perry who paints like she has an endless supply delivered to her door by Dick Blick every day..just scraping away piles of paint as everyone looking on gasps at the horror of it all! 

So..if you are like me and feel the need to save every last drop, there are these nifty little thingys called paint savers. You put them right over the top of your little blobs and they suction right to your palette! No more hard crusty piles..YAY! 

You can find these little gems at  www.paintsavers.org 

Tip #3 CHEAP & EASY EASEL for small works on panels.

This was also a great idea I learned at the workshop. When you are working on a small painting sometimes (well all the time) it is difficult to get your paint on the bottom edge of your panel when it is stuck in that little groove of your easel. One very affordable solution requires only 1 regular clip board, 2 paint sticks and 4 large clips. 

You simply lay the paint sticks across the front of the clip board spaced according to the size of the piece you are working on. You put a clip on each end to hold the paint sticks in place. Slide your painting panel in between the paint sticks on the clipboard and then place the clipboard on your easel. Viola' you are now ready to complete your masterpiece!

Hopefully you found at least one of these ideas to be useful and if anything you will save a few bucks that you can apply towards filling up your gas tank!

I will get to work on that blank canvas now and post it here when I am done. Until next time...

Have a Great Evening!

P. S. If you have any great tips you would like to share please post them in the comment section below. 

                                  "Paris Aglow"

Paris Aglow 

8x10 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350

The City of Lights sparkling brilliantly each evening by the glow of the Eiffel Tower making it magical! Or so that's what I hear. : ) I have never actually been to Paris but someday I would love to go. 

I can imagine sitting in the grass on a sunny day taking in the surrounding scene..kids eating ice cream cones, gentlemen buying flowers for their lovely ladies, couples walking hand in hand. At night as the sky dims to a deep violet blue, the lights begin their dazzling display as romance fills the air. Wedding proposals are made and newlyweds sigh in joyful bliss.

Even when it rains you can visualize the colorful display of umbrellas with couples snuggled up underneath. Beau Amour!

While it might still be on my list of places to travel, I can always visit Paris through my paintings! ; )

Where would you love to visit if you could go anywhere in the world? 

Post your comment below on your favorite place and maybe it will become my next painting!  : )

Au revoir!

                              "Simple Pleasures"

    "Simple Pleasures"

8x10 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

$350.00

A few quotes to think about today...

Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! ~Author Unknown


How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank


I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ~Edward Everett Hale

On that note I would like to encourage you to be that person who realizes you are not too small or insignificant to make a difference! Like a little pebble... when tossed into the pond it creates a ripple that gets wider and wider touching the lives of countless others. 

 

If you would like to help us raise money for cancer during the month of May please visit  www.jacquelinebrewerart.imagekind.com

If you click on the galleries link you will see all of the paintings available in print or canvas format. For each purchase made during the month of May we will donate 50% of the proceeds to cancer!

Thank you for making a difference!

"Seeking Seashells"

12x12 in Oil on Museum Quality Panel

Mother, the ribbons of your love are woven around my heart.

Author Unknown

Mother's Day is just around the corner so I decided to create a piece that captures what all mothers love...watching her children playing, laughing and enjoying life!

This original painting is available on my website. If you haven't found the perfect gift for your mom yet you can also order a print of any of my paintings at http://jacquelinebrewerart.imagekind.com  starting at only $28.47! 

Not only will you have a special gift for mom but  any purchases made in the print shop during the month of May will help raise money to fight breast cancer! You can make a difference for someone's mother, wife, daughter, sister or friend. : )

P. S. Mom if you are reading this...I LOVE YOU!