Kelly James Art News

A good way to spend my time.

kjames — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:04:09 +0000

I had a great time at the Kalamazoo Living History Show. What a wonderful event; very well organized, marvelous facilities, tremendous exposure, and lovely people all around … from staff and volunteers to friends, new and old.

I had a really fabulous time talking to people. One trick I use to help me stay relaxed (and offer a demonstration) is to paint on site. I worked on the painting I had started at Oshkosh again with hopes of making more progress.

Showing the model how the painting had progressed.

Who could have foreseen that Grace, one of the lovely models I had photographed last year (and decided to use in this painting), would come to the event – and dressed in the same dress I had photographed. I love this kind of serendipity!

I was also visited by the wonderful gentleman who had posed for the painting, True Character. Bryan and his wife, Penny were seeing the painting he modeled for, for the first time at its debut at this show. Thanks for your support!

Both paintings, True Character and the now complete, Sisters, can be found in the sale gallery.

Thanks to my models for their patience and for lending me their likenesses. Thanks to Kalamazoo Living History Show for a great venue and exposure for a (re)emerging artist. And thanks to Leslie Martin Conwell for the opportunity to be in the show.

Most of all … thanks to my friends and family for your continuing support.

Preparing for a show

kjames — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:41:54 +0000

There are a thousand things to do before I hit the road for the Kalamazoo Living History Show in Kalamazoo, Michigan this weekend. I know going in I will forget something. There isn’t really anything I can do about the general influence of Murphy’s law — all I can do is try and minimize the ill effects.

Whether it is a gallery hanging or a trade show or an out-door fair, the preparation involves a myriad of little details that all need to be finessed into place beforehand just so the performance can appear seamless. It is a whole lot like making a Thanksgiving dinner. You shop and tweak and dither and make lists and shop and prep and … it quickly disappears in a loud and frolicking swirl. It’s like magic. Then it is gone. That moment you have anticipated for weeks, or even months, passes so fast you can hardly remember the conversations and the laughter. What remains is the warmth of recalling the people you see, the high of talking about your topic of passion all weekend and the satisfied feeling of accomplishment.

If you are near the show next weekend, stop by and introduce yourself. I will have lots of new work and prints are available for many. I will also have the original painting used for the cover of the Journal of the Early Americas volume 1 issue 2.

It’s a great day!

kjames — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:37:15 +0000

The sun is shining, wind is blowing, and colors are bright and saturated. It’s a painterly kind of day.

Working on site

kjames — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 03:51:21 +0000

Painting at Oshkosh 2012

Last weekend I was set up for the Oshkosh Trade Fair in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. My booth was in a good location on an exterior wall that provide me with excellent visibility and placement for traffic patterns. I painted off and on, roughing in a painting and getting a fair run on it while I talked about art to dozens of wonderful people; friends, patrons, historians, and strangers …although I try not to keep them strangers for long. And boy did I talk art– almost nonstop for two days — leaving at the end of the weekend wanting more.

Isn’t it great to have something you truly love to do and then share it with others?

The next step – opening up the portfolio

kjames — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:30:08 +0000

Time to take the next step towards making this site a proper artist’s website by opening up images for viewing… don’t you agree? I have opened this next part EVEN THOUGH it is still evolving (slightly under construction) so you can see my work and watch the site grow. Take a browse and get to know me and my work better.

On the right hand side you will find a new heading called Portfolio. Under this are three new tabs.

Buttons are hand painted buttons that can be purchased for those of you who do knitting or sewing. Detailed captions and prices will come.

in Private Collections are paintings that were either commissioned works or have been sold but are shown here, to spark ideas for your own custom piece and encourage you to contact me.

Recent Paintings is actually a slightly broad “kettle” that holds work completed as recently as last week but can contain older pieces as well. Most importantly, all works shown in this category are available for adoption. The pieces here are being compiled to take to upcoming shows so you might want to check the calendar to find out where you can see them in person.

Enjoy the look-see.

Worth thinking about.

kjames — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:58:22 +0000

I was asked a thoughtful question this evening. The question, “How do I get in the mood to do my art? By the end of the day I am wiped out. I miss indulging my creative side though.”

My response, although short, started an internal dialogue that might actually help keep me on pace. What I had said was that I think one of the greatest pitfalls of art discipline is to wait for the mood. Working in the graphics arts industry for so many years taught me that I had to work for the client by the clock and not by the Muse. As a result, I just start working and that turns on the flow. It may take a bit but it eventually kicks in.

The practicality of that model of discipline is something I had been brushing off for some time, telling myself that I work full time and come home tired and haven’t the energy to tap into any creative juices. The danger is that it puts a unrealistic burden of expectation on any work I would do, when I felt like doing it, to be more excellent and profound than is probable. The reality is that not everything I do is good and not everything flows smoothly but by pushing through the false need for Muse, I am gaining practice and discipline. Each time builds a stronger ability to ignore my natural tendency to whine and rationalize and that is certainly a worthwhile endeavor.

My New Year’s challenge . . .

kjames — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:59:38 +0000

. . . is to set an extremely vigorous schedule of making art so that I establish a much quicker pace and a much more robust discipline — my version of avoiding the common mistake “aim small, miss small”.

So to begin, I plan to paint one picture each week between now and the end of February. This should help me have some good new works for the Oshkosh show. If I completely succeed, GREAT! If I come anywhere close I will have built some inertia and that is not a bad thing either. The first week started slow but I finished the first painting on Sunday night. I might go back and tweak a couple rough bits but can call it done. Week two’s painting is roughed in and on track. Happy New Year!

Christmas Commission Portrait

kjames — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:45:25 +0000

One of the paintings I was commissioned to do for Christmas was a portrait of a beloved pet who had passed. Painting any portrait is both a real joy and a challenge. More than merely capturing a likeness a good portrait should also capture the spirit of the subject. Perhaps it is that challenge that makes portraits of any subject such an enjoying endeavor for me.

Connecting to FaceBook

kjames — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:45:13 +0000

From now on I should be able to post something here and have it push through to the FaceBook page for Kelly James Art. This is the test—Connect-the-dots.

Establishing new patterns

kjames — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 04:05:43 +0000

Over the years I have periodically been remiss in how much time I have spent making art. Sometimes I just get lazy. Rarely an intentional choice, usually it is just a subtle easing up on the discipline that is vital for successful production.

I have allowed the natural patterns of life, with its chaotic and random ability to derail most attempts at time management, lull me into complacency. I can’t afford to do that. I need to spend time being creative – often — even daily. So since December 1 I have been working hard at getting new patterns established. Every day I come home from my day job, change cloths, and head for the studio. There is work to be done.

I have four commissions due for Christmas and I can say that I am on target for delivery. .. and I am very much enjoying establishing new patterns of discipline.