World Blog Hop! by Jimmie Bartlett artist in Van Vleck, Texas

I am excited about The World Blog Hop event and want to thank my good friend Vernita Bridges Hoyt  for the invitation to participate.  Vernita is a very accomplished  and well known artist in Spring, Texas.  Her art and blog has been an inspiration to me.  I encourage you to visit her great blog at http://TXsauce.blogspot.com.

Before I start answering the questions below, I want to introduce you to my beautiful wife Carolyn.  Without her support I would never have achieved my/our goals and become a full time artist.  She is the pretty one on the left.  Carolyn is a very talented artist and creates beautiful crafts from vintage jewelry and repurposed items.

1. What am I working on?

Currently I am working on two oil paintings of roses and planning projects for 2015.  Carolyn and I have ten shows scheduled for next year and plan to add a few more. We also create and maintain our websites and sell our art on Fine Art America.

The picture on the left is our booth at Angleton Market Days.  We also do The Peddler Shows in Rosenberg and Corpus Christi (Robstown), Texas.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Probably the biggest difference is that I like to work on a variety of art for the challenge and elimination of boredom. I can easily go from painting birdhouses to work on a portrait. We also produce a line of crafts for our shows.

We started our business (The Bartlett Pair) in 1993 making furniture and crafts. Our business evolved over time to become a diverse offering of arts and crafts. 

I paint things that catch my eye or from my imagination, and don't specialize in any particular area of painting; but, want to make each one of my works special. I enjoy it all.  Some works come from photo references, and others just the brush, paint and me. My goal is to paint as well as I can, as much as I can, everyday.

3. Why do I create what I do?

I love arts and crafts, the processes, and the creation. As a child growing up I had a natural tendency to draw and build things. Most of my working life was in the technical field, but my desire to create art was strong and with the gracious support of my wife Carolyn, painting full time became a reality. For me, painting is a gift from God, and the ultimate release of creativity.

4. How does my creating process work?

Oh boy!  This is a wide open question for me, but here goes.  My main source of inspiration comes from within.  What do I want to paint or build next?!  Most of my ideas comes from seeing beautiful things or interesting subjects from real life and taking pictures.

When I have a great photo I want to paint from, I use it for reference to sketch it on the canvas.  If it's fairly complex, I grid it off or use my projector to save time. Some of my paintings come from planning them in my head for long periods before starting.  I don't really watch TV at night - I am usually thinking about art.

 Before I call a painting finished, Carolyn critiques it for me.  She is unbiased and gives me the good, bad and ugly. LOL!  Also, I take a photo of it to review for improvement opportunities.  The camera is another set of eyes. 

Next on the World Blog Hop:

My friend, Dorothy Berry Lound will post on January 12th to continue the hop at  http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/dorothy-berry-lound.html?tab=blog . Dorothy is a great visionary artist, writer, and teacher fromUmbria, Perugia - Italy and I encourage you can see her extraordinary work on Fine Art America.com.

Thank you for stopping in and putting up with my ramblings.  I hope you enjoyed the post and will visit my art blog again.

God Bless You,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Merry Christmas To All!

Carolyn and I wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas!

Jesus is the reason for the season!

I also want to thank readers of this blog for following my posts.  I painted poinsettias for our Christmas Cards.  

May God Bless You and Your Family,

Jimmie & Carolyn Bartlett

Note: There is an interesting legend about how the poinsettias relate to Christmas.  Ref: http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/poinsettia.shtml

Channel Lighthouse, Oil Painting

The Channel Lighthouse painting was created out of my imagination using oils and a palette knife for all of the work except for the impressionistic birds and my signature done with a liner brush.  The canvas is a 10 x 8 inch gallery wrap with edges painted.

I really enjoyed getting to use the palette knife mixing and spreading the paint like mayo on a sandwich.  Only one medium knife with a pointed end was used.  Blending the colors is so magical in this type of painting.  I was not going for perfection, but more for effect and keep the texture in harmony with the objects in the painting.  Notice the horizontal strokes seen in the water, dabs to create clouds, blends in the background sky, and edge work of the knife to make the house and rock foundation.  A soft touch is the key to getting the knife to glide and lay the paint on the canvas.  Palette knives can have sharp edges for years of use.  I clean mine with sandpaper and they do get sharp from that, so sand the edges to dull the blade.  We don't want to cut fingers or the canvas. 

Although this painting was a simple composition, I found it came out interesting and easy on the eye. 

Merry Christmas to All,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

www.thebartlettpair.com

Old River Wharf in Matagorda

Old RiverWharf in Matagorda is my most recent oil painting on a 11 x 14 inch gallery wrap canvas.  The edges are painted and the painting is ready to hang without a frame.

The work required detailing of the water reflections and the old wharf.  The white egret was a bit easier to paint.

The original painting is $200 plus shipping and handling.  If you wish to purchase an original or a different size of print than below, email jimmie@jimmiesart.com.

Prints are also available.

Print Sizes

8x10 $20.00 USD 11x14 $35.00 USD

I hope your enjoy my art work.


Have a Very Merry Christmas,
Jimmie@thebartlettpair.com

Art is a Lasting Gift

Artwork is a wonderful Christmas gift! Your consideration of my artwork as a gift choice would be greatly appreciated. I have a very diverse portfolio which can be viewed via links on my blog. Merry Christmas! Jimmie Bartlett

Poinsettias and Roses an Original Oil Painting

Poinsettias and Roses is a 20 x 16 inch oil painting on a gallery wrap canvas with edges painted.  I wanted to make our own Christmas Cards for this year and this is the results.  I left enough room for adding the lettering Merry Christmas! at the top and used my printer software to add it on the image for printing cards.  The painting is for sale.  I hope you like the work and will have a great Christmas!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

A Brilliant Rose, Original Oil Painting

I painted Brilliant Rose in a realistic portrait pose.  The oil painting is on a 16  by 20 inch gallery wrapped canvas.  The edges are staple free and painted so the painting can be hung without a frame.  I used a photo as a reference contributed to the wetcanvas.com reference library for artist member use.  Many Thanks to Skappy (WC user) for contributing the photo to the library.

I changed and added petals to make the rose a bit easier to layout and have a smoother composition.  The colors in this rose got my attention and I knew it would look great on a canvas.  Hope you like the painting.

God Bless You,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

can be purchased at
http://www.thebartlettpair.com

Two Paintings in Acrylics Done at the Show

I painted a couple demo studies at our last weekend at The Peddler Show in San Antonio and thought you would like to see these 'off the cuff' paintings.  Our shoppers liked watching the work and several came back to the booth to check my progress.  Both are listed on our web site:  www.thebartlettpair.com should you want to purchase the original or prints.

Let us not forget and pause for remembrance as today is the anniversary of the 9/11 attack on The United States of America.

God Bless America,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Flower of the Sun an Original Oil Painting

Flower of the Sun

I found a painting that I had not posted yet, probably because it was painted in 2007 before I started the blog site.  I had set it back with intention to rework the center of the flower and never got around to it until seven years later.

Flower of the Sun is painted in oils on an artists grade 24 by 18 inch stretched canvas.  I painted the stapled edges with a dark brown to compliment the center of the flower.  The flower is highlighted by sunlight bathing the petals from the back creating a lovely translucent effect.  The reference photo has some overexposure in the background resulting in a nice batch of bubbly lights.  I liked the effect and softened some of them into circles by spinning my brush.  Easily done in oils.

Flower of the Sun will be in our fall shows.  Hope you like the painting!

God Bless You,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

http://www.thebartlettpair.com

Fancy Tail Rooster Original Oil Painting

Fancy Tail Rooster

Fancy Tale Rooster is painted in oils on a 18 x 14 inch gallery wrap canvas with edges painted.

I took a picture of this guy several years ago and figured he would look good on a canvas.  Several challenges were offered by the reference photo.  I didn't like the drab back ground and the lighting was not the best, but it is hard to get a rooster to stand still and pose for the perfect photo.  The colors also needed some dressing up.  Since, I finally succumbed to using a very dark brown for the background, the black tail feathers were rendered in nice greens to make them stand out.  Hence, the name Fancy Tail Rooster.  He is available for sale on the below website.  Prints are also available in various sizes.

I like the way the fuzzy short white feathers turned out.  Hope you like the painting!

God Bless You,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com
http://www.thebartlettpair.com

St. Mark's Lighthouse Painting

St. Mark's Lighthouse painting is in acrylics on a 14 x 11 inch gallery wrapped canvas with edges painted black.  The lighthouse is located in Florida and there is information about it on the internet via our good friend Google.

In my rendition of the lighthouse, I took the liberty of condensing the scenery to basics and painting only what is needed to represent details, now I am an impressionist! I added some birds, oyster beds in the marsh pool, and painted the roof aqua green to face lift the ugly black.  I also like high clear skies and never ending distances in the background.  The egret fishing in the pool adds to the interest even though not a detailed figure.

I hope your like the results.

God Bless You,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com
http://www.thebartlettpair.com



If you are a new painter starting the journey, here is a couple of tips that you may like:

Pure white in a painting should be used sparingly as it represents the brightest light available.  As Bob Ross used to say in his TV demonstrations, "white is your sun".  A pure white lighthouse would be yugly.  Notice how the use of white in varying values creates the roundness and gives it a dimensional look.  Likewise, the use of pure black can be yugly, but by adding varying amounts of white very nice greys are created.  Suggest studying the use of "value" and experiment by making your own model of 10 shades of grey.

Please leave comments if you find the tips helpful or interesting.

Lighthouse with Stripes, Original Acrylic Painting

Lighthouse with Stripes is painted on a 10 x 8 inch canvas hardboard.  It is no particular lighthouse, just one out of my imagination while doing some painting at the last Peddler Show.  I painted this one using a free style approach with no references.

On a given bright sunny day, the beach is flat and sandy with a light wind creating gentle wave action. The gulls are looking for their next snack.

As with all art work I do at shows, I check the work and make necessary improvements when I get home  in the studio.

Thanks for visiting the blog.

God Bless You,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

http://www.thebartlettpair.com

The Outlaw Rooster, Original Painting

Sold

The Outlaw Rooster is painted in acrylics on a 16x12 inch gallery wrapped canvas with the edges painted black.

I finished the Outlaw today and feel good about the results.  It came out with a personality fitting for the mean fighting rooster.  And this guy is a mean one!  He roams freely and terrorizes the other roosters, and he tries to break into the neighbor's fenced in coop full of hens.

It took several tries and some time to get a shot of the Outlaw as he was evasive.  The day was hot and sunny and I zoomed in on him hiding under some brush to get this shot.  The sun shining through the brush produced some nice light effects bouncing off the leaves and weeds.  The photo was an excellent reference, but I made him and the scenery more colorful, and took liberties to abbreviate all the brush he was surrounded with.

I hope you like the painting and story about the Outlaw.  Prints are for sale on our website http://www.thebartlettpair.com  Please feel free to comment on the post or email me.

God Bless You,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Morning Glories on Lattice, Original Acrylic Painting

I painted Morning Glories on Lattice in acrylics on a 20 x 16 inch birch panel board in 2003.  This is the first offering in prints.  Hope you like it!

Texas Barn, Original Acrylic Painting

24 by 36 inch Acrylic Painting

Sold

There are several paintings I haven't blogged about as they were painted before starting this blog and this painting is one I am very proud of.  It is one of my first large paintings.

I painted the Texas Barn with acrylics on a huge 24 by 36 inch stretched canvas in 2005. The inspiration for the painting came during a vacation trip in the Texas hill country after seeing a few old barns with Texas Flags painted on them.  I wanted to put the composition I had envisioned on a large canvas with a barn as the focal point in remote woods with horses and cows in the scene.  So, from out of my head and some photo references, the composition came together.  The painting is of no particular barn or location. I just wanted to express the remoteness and expanse of the country in Texas, away from the fast pace of urban life and noise.  Some of  my thoughts in doing the work: the bull standing in the shade of the barn checking things out,  the mare looking at you, how many generations worked the ranch, how old is the tractor with stud wheels, the cattle in the background gently grazing, and the sounds of the windmill lifting the gift of water.  I hope you enjoy the painting as much as I did painting it.

God Bless You,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com

jimmie@thebartlettpair.com

Rockport Sunrise Oil Painting

Rockport Sunrise, 30 by 40 inches, Gallery Wrap Canvas

Rockport, Texas is an awesome place for painters.  The beautiful water is filled with wildlife, boats, docks, and sea birds.  I was inspired to do the painting of this marvelous sunrise while we were staying at the Beacon RV Resort.  (Carolyn and I were doing a show at the SeaFair Festival)  The RV Park is right on the bay front drive overlooking the bay and their pier and shrimp boat.  (Great RV Park!)

Rockport Sunrise is my largest painting to date and I plan to do more.  When we are staying near the coast, I try to get up before sunrise and take pictures.  Sunrise/sunsets are fascinating!  The light is changing rapidly and is a rare opportunity to capture a "one and only" moment in time.  That particular morning, the wind was up and showers forecasted; hence, the palette for beautiful colors projected on the clouds and water.  I tried to paint the scene the way I experienced it that morning using photos for reference.  No camera or painter can ever capture the perfection of the sunrises God gives everyday; and, I thank my Lord for giving me the ability to try and paint it.

God Bless You,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com

New Website and New Painting

Butterfly At Work, Acrylics, 12 x 12 inches, Gallery Wrap Canvas w/ Edges Painted

Price $150 USD plus s/h

Announcement: Carolyn and I have already posted many arts and crafts on our new website www.thebartlettpair.com, and invite you to click over and see the new jewelry art that she creates and the paintings and prints I have for sale.  Please forgive me for not posting to the blog as frequently as before.  The new website and travel to shows have consumed me.  More postings more frequently are on the menu!

Butterfly At Work is one of my show demo paintings.  I painted it at The Peddler Show in San Antonio last week and finished it in the studio yesterday.  This is a sequel to the Butterfly on Jasmine that was painted last year with the same butterfly feeding in a different pose.  The transparency of the wings allowed the light to shine through them brightening the colors.  The painting is mounted on one of my hard backed frames and the edges are painted black.  The painting comes ready to hang without a frame, however I think this fellow would look awesome framed should you want to do so.  The image is also available in print:  40 USD for 12 x 12 inch print.  I will have more print sizes posted on our new website www.thebartlettpair.com soon.  I hope you like the work.

God Bless You,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Roses, A Couple of Oil Paintings

Above are a couple of oil paintings I haven't shown on the blog before. These were done as studies in 2007 on 14 x 11 inch gallery wrap canvases.  They are free style 'off the cuff' compositions without use of references.  Painting from photos and sketches prepared me to be able to draw, visualize and create paintings without references.  I hope you enjoy the roses.

God Bless You,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Blue Daisies, A Decorative Painting

Blue Daisies is a painting I did this week on a 9 by 12 inch decorative box. (Also, built the box). These are painted with no plan, just make the composition up as the work progresses. Fine art works on decorative boxes very well and will make excellent prints. I had fun with it and the wood working. Hope you like it. 

Thanks for visiting the blog.

God Bless You,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com