42nd Annual Pastel Society of America Enduring Brilliance Exhibition

This is a little late, but you know what they say...better late than never!

I am extremely honored to have my painting "Purple Haze accepted into the PSA's 2014 Enduring Brilliance Exhibition! The show runs from September 2nd through September 27th at the Grand Gallery, National Arts Club in New York, NY. The Artist Reception is Sunday, September 21.

"Purple Haze"

6x8 Pastel

2014 For Pastels Only on Cape Cod

Not only do I love summer because it marks the end of what is usually a brutal New England winter, but it also means that The Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod holds its annual "For Pastels Only" exhibition in South Yarmouth, MA. I submitted three paintings and was so happy to find out that my painting "Frozen in Time" was accepted into the show. I was also extremely honored to learn it received the "Canson Excellence in Art Award!" I'm still not sure it has sunk in yet!

"Frozen in Time"

12x12 Pastel on Wallis Paper

Clyde Goldthwaite Trail, Danville, NH

"Guided Light" 12x16 Pastel

"Guided Light"

12x16 Pastel on Wallis Paper

Clyde Goldthwaite Trail, Danville, NH

Here is the finished piece from my demonstration for Melrose Arts. What a great time that was, thanks again to my friends who made the trip down and to those who had time to stop by...it was a very hot evening, and hopefully I can get back sometime in the future to do another demo! 

Miss me?

It's been a very busy summer painting, entering shows, preparing for fall
shows...so get ready for some blog updates!!!

I'll keep this post short but sweet...

When I last posted I was getting ready for Art in the Barn! It was a great weekend and I'm happy to say, the painting of Eben Creek sold at this years event. On August 16th I will be back in the area painting for the 3rd Annual Essex Wet Paint. Check back for more details!

Lastly for now for those of you who are up on your social media, I am now on instagram. Head on over to http://instagram.com/vision_of_fine_art and click the follow button!

That's it for now...don't go far, I'll be back very soon!

JOIN ME at the Cox Reservation this weekend for one of my favorite events of the year!

The 25th Annual Art in the Barn Weekend to benefit the Essex County Greenbelt conservation efforts begins with a sneak preview tonight!

The Art exhibit and sale runs from June 13th - 15th with the artist reception being held tomorrow evening at 6pm. The exhibit can be viewed Friday from 10-4, Saturday from 10-6 and Sunday from 10-4.

Below is one of the pieces I have entered into the show...
"Eben Creek Marsh" 6x8 Pastel

Come join the fun with some live music, food and drinks. The event is free and open to the public!

For more information visit:

http://www.ecga.org/explore_and_engage/view_event/112-25th_art_in_the_barn

May 7th Pastel Demonstration!

Check back soon for more information!!

2014 Melrose Arts Festival

Melrose Arts Presents Arts in April!!

Saturday April 26th and Sunday April 27th!

Artist Preview Party, Friday April 25th, 7-10 pm

A great event, don't miss it!!

17th Annual Regional Juried Show!!

I am pleased to announce my painting "Frozen in Time" has been accepted into the 17th Annual Regional Juried Show at the Newburyport Art Association!

The show runs from April 25th, through May 25th with the artist reception being held on Sunday, April 27th from 3-5pm.

"Frozen in Time"

Pastel 12x12

Clyde Goldthwaite Trail, Danville, NH

"Eben Creek, Essex, MA" 6x8 Oil

"Eben Creek, Essex, MA"

6x8 Oil

Here's the second piece accepted into the Newburyport Art Assocaition Winter Member's Juried Show Part 2. I was happy to find out over the weekend this painting was SOLD! Thanks to the buyer, i'm very happy this painting has a home. I love it!

This is not a picture of the finished painting, this is a WIP image. I looked high and low and can't come up with the finished picture so this will have to do.

"Washed Ashore" 8x10 Oil

Here is one of my paintings that has been accepted into the Newburyport Art Associations Winter Members Juried Show Part 2. I am honored to have both of my submissions accepted. My second piece "Eben Creek, Essex" is a 6x8 in oil also. I can't quite locate an image so I will try to post it at another time.

The show begins today and runs through March 1st. The artist reception is tomorrow evening, 7-9pm.

Photo of the Week

Newburyport Marsh

Parker River

#ThrowbackThursday

"Warm Winter Sun"

6x8 Pastel

"Purple Haze" 6x8 Pastel

Here's a recent pastel painted from another winter woods exploration to the Goldthwaite Trail in Danville, NH.

I painted this small pastel using only my Terry Ludwig "Most Requested Violets" set. My new favorite set. Ok, so I had to brighten up the snow a bit and add a touch of color to the trees so I used 440 and 210 from my Plein Air Landscape set.

I wanted to stay quick with my strokes and try to create a solid feel of impressionism with this piece. I started with a very dark underpainting and began laying the colors on very lightly. I wanted to create a nice texture to the snow while preserving an icy feeling to the landscape.

My favorite part....the trees! I love the touch of blue violet on the bark! This was so much fun, can't wait to use them again!

"Purple Haze"

Clyde Goldthwaite Trail, Danville, NH

6x8 Pastel on Wallis Paper

"Frozen in Time" 12x12 Pastel

Here is my first painting of 2014. This has been a nice accomplishment so fresh into the new year. Painting time is rather scarce these days so to complete this feels great. The bonus is that I really, really like it. There so much I love about it and I RARELY speak that way about my own work.

First, I love the depth of the piece. I love the perspective of the river and the feeling of a deep forest. Second, I love the values. I usually go very, very dark in my snow scenes and one of my focuses this year is to paint in a tighter value scale and definitely accomplished that here. I tried to stay light and I really like the results, especially in the water. I was able to keep the water a dark value and still make it feel cold and icy. Third, my color palette...I usually go VERY purple in my snow scenes, however this time I tried to be more natural with my color scheme. I still used purple, just not as much. The fourth and final thing I love is the TREE! I just love it, I feel it has so much personality, it has nice form, not too dark...just right.

There is one thing I incorporated into this painting that I have never done before in my snow scenes...It's not hidden but challenging to find...

Can you see it?

"Frozen in Time"

12x12 Pastel 

Goldthwaite Trail, Danville, NH

BIG NEWS!!

I told you previously I had some big news to share in 2014, but recently something has transpired unexpectedly that I can't wait to share with you! I will share my original news with you at a later date, so you'll have to check back to find out.

For those of you who know me, I'm sure you're sick of hearing about this over the past few days, but I recently submitted two paintings to the Newburyport Art Association's Winter Members Juried Show Part 1. On Wednesday, I found out not only were both my paintings accepted, but "Winter's End" is the  recipient of the BEST OF SHOW award!!!

Again, for those who know me, know how hard I worked on this painting and the story behind how it came together. For those who are not, read my previous post here.

I am utterly stunned and overwhelmed at this honor...among so many amazing artists...I keep expecting to wake up...thankfully I haven't yet.

The show runs from January 10 through February 1 and the artist reception is this evening at 7pm. 

The award ceremony begins at 7:30, I hope you can make it!

"Winter's End"

18x24 Pastel

Fremont, NH

"Olds Cool 2"

6x8 Pastel

Thanks for reading, see you soon!

-Jeff

Robin Thornhill Studio Workshop - Saturday February 8th!

Here's a great one day workshop Robin is offering on Saturday, February 8th. If your medium is pastel, oil and/or acrylic and you would like to focus on the importance of lighting, this is the workshop for you! Check out http://robinthornhill.com for more information!