Thursday, September 25, 2008

One Year of Blogging!

"Bottles", 8"x10", Oil on Board
My blog has lasted a year! I had wanted to post this painting on the 17th (the actual blog anniversary date) but things never work out quite the way I plan. I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of my work over the past year. Your comments and support has meant a lot! A special thanks goes out to: Alvin Richard, Todd Ford and Joanne Giesbrecht. These three wonderful artists have been so supportive and encouraging to me. Thanks folks! I've been painting with oils now for a little over a year and feel like I've improved so much; however, there is still so much to learn with this medium and not enough time in a day.

I really wanted to get this painting posted tonight so I apologize for the quality of the photo because I usually photograph outside in natural daylight. I painted these old bottles as a companion piece to my vintage series. I had all of these bottles on a shelf in my kitchen except for the cobalt one which I recently purchased at an antique shop. The cobalt bottle is my favorite but I also like the old, big bottle with all of its stains.

Around the first of September, I got an email from a gallery owner in Rockport, Maine expressing interest in my work (she found me on the internet). After meeting with the owner and showing her my work, I'm pleased to say that the Carver Hill Gallery will be representing me. It's really a nice gallery in a unique setting. The gallery carries a diverse body of work most of which isn't listed on their website. I'll be delivering my work to the gallery around the first or second week of October. I'll keep you all posted!

15 comments:

Unknown said...

CONGRATULATIONS on your 1st anniversary, Jean! I feel privileged to have been a part of your journey; I have learned from and alongside of you! This painting is probably my favorite of yours - it is just so appealing to me. I love old bottles, and that electric blue is a color that just sings. I love how you have accomplished the stains in one of the bottles - and the Mason jar metal is amazing. You are now as accomplished in oil as you are in pastel. Enjoy your weekend, my friend!

Jean Victory said...

Hi Joanne,
Thanks for all of your support over the past year. I love old bottles also and have so many to pick from. I kind of struggled with the stains in the big bottle but accomplished them by doing thin glazes of color. Take care of yourself!

T.Ford said...

Love this current painting!
Jean, that is fantastic news about the gallery! You certainly deserve it. Keep up the good work!

Jean Victory said...

Hi Todd,
Thanks! I certainly struggled with this one but I enjoyed the challenge. The painting has its flaws but at this point, I'm ready to move on to something else for now. Hey, you've really been doing some awesome work lately...good for you! Take care and happy painting!

Pierre Raby said...

Great painting! There is something unique about this " bottles composition". It doesn't feels like a technique demonstration( often the case with that kind of subject), something deeper radiates from it. I like it a lot.
Congrat for your 1st anniversary!
-Pierre

Jean Victory said...

Pierre,
Thanks for stopping by and looking at my work. You've made an interesting observation because it's really not a technique demo. I'm actually still working on my technique. I want my compositions to move beyond just your "traditional" still life setups. If I had shown all of the bottles from top to bottom, this would have been a different painting. Again, thanks for your comment!

Alex Perez pintor contemporaneo said...

Joanne,hi.
Wonderful transparency and unusual composition, great!
cheers.
Alex

Alex Perez pintor contemporaneo said...

Jean, I mean Jean,upps.. hahaha! and CONGRATULATIONS!!
Alex

Cooper Dragonette said...

Hello Winslow! Hi Jean. WOW you've been busy and the work is stunning! Any openings coming up? Thank you very much for your kind words about our new baby boy. I keep having to tell people that b/c his parents are not originally from Maine, he's not really a Mainer either. "Just because a cat has kittens in the oven, that doesn't make them muffins."
Paint n diapers!
Best
Cooper

Casey Klahn said...

Happy blog birthday, Jean!

Jean Victory said...

Hello Everyone!
I just got my computer back from the shop this morning and see that I have comments waiting for me. Apparently I had over 13 viruses on my hard drive and it hijacked my internet explorer. Fun! Fun! Anyways, Alex - thanks for stopping by and your comments about my latest piece. Hey, hi Copper! How's fatherhood and all of those late night feedings. It was the 2:00 am feeding that used to kill me. Yes, I've been quite busy over the past year learning how to paint and no I don't have any openings coming up just yet. Thanks for stopping by and good luck with the little one. Hey, Casey, how's it going? Having you been working on any great pastels lately? Thanks for stopping by here!

Alvin Richard said...

Jean, this piece is ''Spectacular''. I love the blue bottle especially. So pure and intense in color. The lighting is also beautiful. If I had anything to do with your evolution as an artist....I'm blushing. Just know that you had it within you all along. Congratulations on your new gallery representation. This one will be snapped in a nano second. It has the WOW factor!

We just got back from a weekend trip from Maine to do some fall shopping and more. This morning we visited the Portland Art Museum. I had only been there once, a decade ago. They had a great show underway ''Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism'' featuring 40 works from the Brooklyn Museum. But my ''coup de coeur'' went to a half dozen painting done by N.C. Wyeth. I had goosebumps!

Jean Victory said...

Alvin,
Thanks for your comments on the painting. I don't know if it really has the wow factor but I think I'm improving. The cobalt bottle is my favorite also and probably came out better than the others because it was the last bottle that I finished. I'm still having a hard time getting my reflections to pop enough but I think I just need to establish my values a little better. I wish I had known you were in Maine because I would have loved to have met you and your family and at least bought you a coffee. It's funny you mention that impressionism show at the Portland Art Museum because I want to get down to see that one for sure. If you like Wyeth, I'm wondering if you've been to the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine. They have whole galleries dedicated to the Wyeth's. I've always admired Jamie Wyeth's work and had a friend that volunteered at the Farnsworth catologuing his work and actually met him while he was here painting one summer. I think I'm rambling but I get excited just talking about art. Take care Alvin.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Hi Jean,
thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Love these bottles. Your work is wonderful. You are maybe a tad too critical of this really fine painting but, I understand how that is. Sometimes I don't get the result I was looking for but the viewers love it.
Thanks again.

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Congratulations on one year! Thanks for dropping by my blog as it gave me the opportunity to learn about you. You have some really lovely pieces. I love your glass jar paintings.