Julie, in (and out of) the studio

Holiday Arts Tour Shout OUT

2011-11-17T13:55:00.000-06:00

Lincoln Parish Artists Ready For Holiday Tour | KEDM

I had the great opportunity to go on Public Radio this morning and drum up some interest for this weekend's HOLIDAY ARTS TOUR in Ruston. If you didn't get a chance to hear about it, its not too late!

some exciting news

2011-11-14T21:15:00.000-06:00

I found out a few days ago that one of my paintings have been chosen to show in the Louisiana Art & Artists' Guild 42nd Annual River Road Show. The juror, Pam Ingalls, selected 80 paintings from 479 entries by 153 artists.
This is my first national juried art exhibit.... yea!

Louisiana PBS interview

2011-10-26T21:58:00.002-05:00

neighbors

2011-10-06T15:12:00.000-05:00

neighbors
3 1/2" x 5 1/2"
oil on wood

Arts Rocks in Baton Rouge

2011-10-04T15:53:00.000-05:00

Nan and I went on a Mommy-Daughter date to Art Rocks in Baton Rouge last Friday. Enjoyed every minute of it.

settled

2011-09-27T13:11:00.001-05:00

Got everything moved last week, and was so busy I took only two pictures, the before and the after.

BEFORE: (in my bedroom)

AFTER: (painting bliss)

2011-09-19T21:27:00.003-05:00

I am moving. Well, my art supplies are moving... into their new home...

my own PRIVATE STUDIO!!!!

I have found a place to rent downtown and will be moving everything this week. I will take pics of the moving craziness. (This ought to be good, as I have an interview with LPB on FRIDAY and they want to videotape me in my studio working, and shoot some other examples of my work. I just hope I have a workable space by then.

This photo has nothing to do with my post. Isn't it fantastic?

my favorite

2011-08-14T22:58:00.001-05:00

Took a nap this afternoon, and I awoke to my husband smiling on the couch, and the whole ~~house~~ kitchen cleaned.
Thank you Niel, my sweetness.

not November

2011-08-10T15:22:00.001-05:00

So the show at the Bistro was a success. It was so good to see my friends and colleagues come out to support the arts effort in Ruston. Just before the show went up, the Manager of the venue pulled the plug on the one large piece I had planned on including. No hard feelings. He said it wasn't close enough to Christmastime to put it up, which at first I thought was funny. He said, "Talk to me again in November." I never considered these two massive Christmas ornaments as Christmas decor. They had become to me nothing more than interesting subject matter. When I stepped back and took a more objective approach, I could see why he thought hanging the painting in August was inappropriate. I am not sure I had ever had such an experience with disassociation before. Interesting.

At any rate, Merry Christmas to you all. And if you are on my card list, don't be too surprised or disappointed to see the image again in your mailbox come December.

fear and ease

2011-08-10T00:28:00.000-05:00

Painting, or any thing else for that matter, is not always easy. In fact, the thing that we love and are ultimately committed to doing is ofttimes the thing that fills us with fear. I realized during a conversation with a long-time friend last week, that every time I start to paint I have to push past fear. Fear of the ugly line. Fear of failure. Fear of so many more things. I was reading through Art in America this evening and I came across and article about Rirkrit Tiravanija. Featured in this article was an "original" tear out of his art created expressly for the issue. It prompted my post.

The art was text.
It read: FEAR EATS THE SOUL

I believe that. Fear does eat the soul and I have experienced a little soul eating in my time.

Lately the fear has been about content, and context. I read not too long ago something that sculptor Horatio Dowbley said, "Art is language, and in language, a person says things." That haunts me a little. I understood my work better after having read his remark. I understood that for the most part it says nothing.They are mere studies in disguise, something pretty to hang above the couch...end table...chair...

Now, there is the fear of what to say. (And the fear of painting mere decorative art- but that is a discussion for another time.) I am not alone. We have all been there, maybe not in the context of creating art, but the fear of "saying things" I think is universal:
Picture the social situation where you are invited but not known. You are welcomed but not sure. Where and when do you feel at liberty to be yourself? Do you safely stick to small talk? Do you drink the pretty drinks and be seen and not heard, to leave feeling lonely? Or do you jump in and spill the beans on your latest guffaw? Do you open your mouth and risk sideways glances and the mingly groups parting like the red sea?

While I do not believe I will ever naturally be able to rid myself of fear, I choose to acknowledge it and respectfully not feed it. The thing to do then, I suppose, is to keep painting what I love. While I want dearly for my work to say more than, "I look good in your foyer, don't I?", I cannot ever let the language be that of didacticism or blatancy. If I love what I am doing and I forge ahead, sans fear, it will have to say something, and what it says may end up surprising me.

2011-07-26T21:46:00.000-05:00

102 A Bistro Art Opening: "Sifting the Exotic & Familiar"

On Wednesday, August 3, from 5-7 p.m., the North Central Louisiana Arts Council (NCLAC) and 102 a Bistro will present “Sifting the Exotic and Familiar,” an exhibition of recent work by regional artists Julie Crews, Melanie Douthit, and Jan Thibault.

Their works, while distinctly different, still complement one another, and while each of these women has a unique style, they share a passion for the creative process.

About painting, Douthit said, “I love the limitless possibilities that can be achieved through letting go and stepping ‘outside the lines.’”

Similarly, Thibault said, “Painting is a joy filled journey involving color, energy, and spirit that transcends everyday life. All can be abandoned to allow creativity to flow.”

Crews said that the advice and sometimes “rules” she gains from teachers and other artists influence her, but at the same time, she added, “Sometimes I paint and ask myself, ‘What rule can I break? Will I be successful?’ and I measure my success through my experience of the process and product. Did I smile, or did I stamp my feet and cry during the process? Was the product disappointing or in the end, was it beautiful?”

The artists will attend the reception honoring them Wednesday, so as you enjoy wine and appetizers, ask them about their work and what inspires them.

Afterward, stay and have dinner. Since it opened in April 2009, 102 has built a reputation as a place to experience great art and great food. More than just a restaurant, 102 is a unique cultural experience.

If you are interested in purchasing a work in “Sifting the Exotic and Familiar,” look for NCLAC’s Executive Director Leigh Anne Chambers at the reception, contact NCLAC at 318-255-1450, or stop by the Dixie Center for the Arts Tuesday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. We look forward to seeing you at the Bistro.

A sneak peak

2011-07-21T22:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the last post. It was pretty gross. But I thought it a good joke for anyone who may keep up with this blog. I take it back, I'm not really sorry.
Here is a black and white image of the largest piece I will have in the show coming up, which by the way, I found out today is entitled: SIFTING THE EXOTIC AND FAMILIAR. (Such a great name, Leigh.)

Double Self-Portrait
24"X 24"
oil on luan mahogany

I began this painting at the end of last year and had posted the beginning stages of it here. It is rewarding to see it completed. Now I am waiting for what Peter Jones, my retired professor and friend, refers to as the painter's reward: the frame.

operation poison ivy avoid

2011-07-19T21:10:00.001-05:00

Just kidding. I am fine, but isn't this a gross photo of some poor individual who didn't know to use TECNU?

stand oil and tecnu

2011-07-16T23:26:00.000-05:00

5 1/2" x 3 1/2"
oil

Another small painting of one of my painting materials.

Today I was clearing out the hedge by my neighbors and when I was finished I asked Niel to show me what exactly poison iv looked like. I knew our hedge was known to have it, but as I kept my eye out for it, I never saw any small, shiny, reddish/greenish three leaved plants. So he came into the back yard and showed me some very large, NON-shiny and green three leaved plants. Turns out I was all up in the poison ivy. DUMB. So while I stood in a towel, my sweet and non-judgmental husband ran to Walgreen's to buy me some TUCNU. Here's hoping it works. I should know in a few days.

rectified turpentine

2011-07-15T21:48:00.000-05:00

5 1/2" x 3 1/2"

oil

This little painting will be one of several new pieces I will have hanging at a group show I have coming up. NCLAC, in conjunction with 102 Bistro, is hosting it.

Peru in June 2011

2011-07-14T14:39:00.000-05:00

Until just shy of one month ago, I had never been out of the country-- (O.k., I'd been to Toronto once but that doesn't really count as they take American currency and I didn't need a passport to come or go). Earlier this year my husband and decided to take a trip to Peru. Ten years ago (and before we were married) he served a full-time mission there for the duration of two years for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He always wanted to go back, and take me. So, I finally get a stamp in my passport.

We did not do "the tourist thing" since my husband had several contacts there and has maintained a solid grasp of the language since living there. So even though we missed out on places like Cusco and Machu Picchu, I feel blessed to have been able to see a closer glimpse of what life is really like for a Peruvian, at least in the city of Huanuco, which is where we spent most of our time.

So I will warn you now, there are a ton of pictures here. They are only posted here in such great number my popular demand. Instead of attaching a heavy dialog to every photo, I will let your experience of the trip be a photo essay (only supplemented intermittently with text.)

Also, a special thinks to my dear, dear sister-in-law, Anita Ervin who also documented her summer vacation with my four children. There adventured can be seen on her blog: swervinervins.

the kitchen of the Chuy home- our first night in Lima
I am such a sucker for hanging laundry

view off the kitchen balcony- Chuy home

Same balcony, other end of street

This pic cannot fully describe how crazy the driving is in Peru, wish it could.

Typical residences on a street in a richer part Lima.

After unsuccessfully getting a seat on a bus to take us over the Andes, we decided to fly from Lima to Huanuco.
Smart choice: 8-9 hour drive vs. a 45 minute flight. (We learned later the next day that the bus we were trying to get a seat on was delayed on the mountain pass several hours due to a car accident a distance ahead of the bus.)

View of Huanuco from the air.

Add caption

The doors to peoples' homes are right off the sidewalks.

Typical street in Huanuco.

The Luna family, whom we stayed with in Huanuco, live above the family-owned auto parts store, so to go in or out, we needed to walk through the shop. This is the entrance.

This is the view from the dining room table. Amazing to see all these rooftops.

To get around, you either walk, or take moto-taxis.

The Luna family: Carla, Omar, and Frenanda

All of these people are standing on the sidewalk looking into an appliance store watching the soccer game.

Me and Niel.

Fernanda, my sweet little friend.

The Internet cafe.

Our living room, the bed room and bathroom are up the stairs.

FELIZ COUPLIANOS TO ME!!!!

I had the most wonderful birthday party ever.

With the way they drive, it is no wonder the children's are running for it in the school crossing sign!

Yummy food. (especially the cuy...aka. Guinea Pig. MMmmm.)

Rotisserie Chicken is a very popular and very delicious meal.

My favorite and most trusted bathroom in all of Peru.

Up at the Hacienda de Shismay. We stayed here for two nights.

at Shismay. Omar and Carla accompanied us for the afternoon, and had lunch with us.

We chased some pigs. Omar caught one so we could hear it squeal.

A little family walking to get firewood.

Staking the pigs down by the road.

Nial and his new favorite instrument, the charango.

Again, a sucker for hanging laundry.

Warming up before breakfast, and a big drive up the Andes to see a lake.

I cannot believe we are making this drive in this old car. Seriously, we were off-roading in a little Toyota!

These pictures demonstrate how Niel was feeling right about now.

These are very isolated dwellings that are used in season. People bring their livestock up here to graze.

No altitude sickness here.

Niel and our guide.

Probably my favorite picture of our trip. I think I am holding in Niel's sick guts (from motion sickness).

We left the car behind and are on foot at this point. An enormous rock slide covers the road.

Don't know why we are feeling particularly victorious here, just feeling good.

never did catch anything but it as fun teaching our guide how to cast a line with a rod and reel. We took with us telescoping poles from the states and gave them away, one to our guide and one to the owner of Shismay.

It wouldn't have been the same if I didn't get a picture of myself with my head out he car window... Everybody's doing it.

We waited for three days for this wild steed.

Our last morning at Shismay I finally got my chance to horseback ride.

This Peruvian Paso was about as wild a horse as I have ever ridden. Apparently, only the owner can ride him, but I got a chance anyway. Was I scared. Not until we actually got going (the owner lead him on a VERY short rope) and I realized the only way he could get the horse to slowdown was to make him turn (sharply- as pictured above). That, and the fact that during the entire ride the owner was chanting and whispering to the horse: tranquillo. tranquillo. Translated: CLAM DOWN. CALM DOWN.

Would I do it again?
Yes.

Our last meal at Shismay. Coca tea. Soft goat cheese. bread and fried yucca. Delish!

A woman spinning yarn.

Tranquillo!

We are back in Huanuco from off the mountain at Shismay. We are
getting ready leave this amazing and generous family to take an overnight bus back to Lima to meet back up with the Chuy girls, Brenda and Madeline. and then off to AMERICA!!!!!!! (and my children!!)

Brenda and Madeline Chuy and Me and Niel.

Back at home.

Happy Simon in a Peruvian sweater.

Wesley trying to thread up a trompo.

And of course, Mallie with a glass of milk.
(Nice sweater.)

a peaceful fourth

2011-07-04T13:43:00.001-05:00

What a blissful day.
A little Neil Young, Laura Gibson and Alela Diane on the pandora. A little patchouli.
A return to the studio. Roma sweetened with some peruvian honey. The smell of that old familiar gamsol filling my nostrils again.
A month is too long to be away. I am well on my way down the road to recovery: recovery from a maddening finish last quarter at school, immediately tearing the house apart to lay down a new floor in the living room and hallway, a week of chaos, then packing and off to Peru.
I have a breath now, and a sweet one it is. The children are playing peacefully with each other, no doubt they are pretending they have real animals to care for.
Now some Johnny Cash, and back to the studio.

in Huanuco, Peru

2011-06-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

I am having what is definately the most exotic birthday of my life today. If my adventures here in Huanuco are any indication of the year to come for me, then I continue to be excited about getting older. 34, here I come.

I will post pictures as soon as I can, I think a lack of internet availablity naturally comes with no running hot water. I am at an internet cafe and cannot access facebook or my e-mail for some reason. I am greatful for the opportunity to post this short message here this morning.

bicycle

2011-05-14T21:54:00.000-05:00

This painting will be up at the Turbo Goat for a while. I was asked to be part of their most recent show: Bicycles! Art Exhibit.

Backyard at 6
oil on board
24" x 49"

(Thanks Stephen for the reference so many years ago. I knew it would come in handy one day.)

Another movie and being mean

2011-04-11T14:43:00.001-05:00

Do any of you remember the self-portrait I posted a while back- my starting point? Click here for the link. I painted that almost exactly two months ago and it was the first self-portrait I had ever attempted in the mirror (without the "help" of a photo). Today I finished my second one. I had to make a face as part of my assignment, so that is why I look angry. Can anyone say "progress"?

I made another movie out of todays class work. This movie-making went a lot faster and this time you can enjoy a little music.

my first painting movie

2011-04-08T15:07:00.000-05:00

I have watched many artists' videos of the progress of their paintings (Karin Jurick, and Duane Keiser to name two) and have always been fascinated by them. This is my first attempt at a movie, though it is really only a progression of still shots. The entire process of this painting took about 4 hours (which might be equal to the time it took me to figure out this whole video thing!) I think I will definitely make more painting movies in the future, and hopefully they will all turn out better than this one. Enjoy nonetheless.

The still shots ARE IN ORDER. There are a few major jumps in the progression, and several wipe-outs. I was not at all familiar with the process of working the painting and then wiping it out, but it has proved to be an excellent means to correct drawing issues and get a better likeness of the model. I regret that I did not take a clear picture of my model, but you can see her in the background of this still:

big hands

2011-04-04T13:28:00.000-05:00

oil on canvas
16 x 20

These are my hands. I painted them several mornings ago in about 3 hours for a homework assignment. (I know I had divine help, because I don't think I could have REALLY done it by myself.)

the most beautiful model

2011-04-01T11:46:00.000-05:00

I was able to take my wonderful daughter to my figure painting class with me this morning, and she modeled for us for two hours! AND SHE WAS AWESOME!!!! Thank you sweetie. You rocked it OUT!!

Oil on parchment paper

Approx. 36" x 20"

small standing self portrait

2011-03-31T08:56:00.000-05:00

oil on primed board
5.5" x 3.5"

I really needed to do some painting today that didn't have to do with an in-class assignment or homework, so I did this little one in about 30 minutes this morning.

the time machines

2011-03-04T13:47:00.000-06:00

Today was the first real day of figure painting. Hang on to your hats boys and girls, we're going for a RIDE! Two and a half hours went by like 15 minutes. Regretfully, I didn't think to snap a shot of my painting. If I get back up to the school this weekend I will take a picture of it and post. (I will only be posting the clothed models.)

A little less than a week ago, I decided to go on a journey. This is a journey that only I can go on and I have to go alone. I expect this experience will change me. I don't know how; I can't anticipate that. I do hope however, that by seeking wisdom it will help me see myself in a truer light. The journey: to take every journal I have ever kept, and read them. So far, my fourteen year-old self is teaching me not to trivialize the things that are important to the youth today. I could scoff at those concerns I had so long ago, and sadly I must admit if I were reading someone else's account, I probably would have. But it was as if I was there again, in fourteen year-old skin wearing a fourteen year-old's ugly velcro shoes. I went walking in those shoes to visit friends I thought I couldn't live without then, and yet haven't thought of in years. Of course, I am not that same young girl, but we are all made up of our past experiences.

What have I kept? What have I let go? What have I sold? Was the price right?

six

2011-02-20T23:09:00.000-06:00

prep

prime

surprise party

hair chop

finished eaves and etc.

Wesley's tulips

...better than it was and still so much to do...

We have been having very mild weather here and the jonquils and daffodils are sprouting up everywhere. FEBRUARY!!! That still amazes me even after three years. We are taking the chances when we can to work on painting the outside of the house. Yesterday I was able to finish the fascia board, soffit, and eaves of the front of the house. I felt like I had accomplished so much, and I guess I had, but then I looked at how much further I have yet to go. Do you ever feel that way about anything?

Niel and I threw Wesley a surprise early birthday party on Friday (since his birthday this year fell on the Sabbath). Niel came home early enough from work to be here when Nan and Wesley got off the bus and when the saw the HUGE note I left on the back of the van in the driveway that said "Come to the back yard" they were both met with helium balloons, bubbles, pizza and cake, and of course, presents. Wesley kept asking, "FOR ME?! FOR ME?!" I got him his very own trowel (because last spring he kept trying to plant seeds in the hard mud- to no avail) and I wanted him to have success this spring. So we planted-- sorry, HE planted tulips and hyacinths in the front of the house. He also got a haircut. We had a nice movie night later and THIS morning Nan gave him the present from her: a little hamster. How in love this that little creature he has already fallen! The woman who gave it to us was pretty sure it was a girl so this morning before church I said, "What will you name her?" and while holding it tenderly in his hands he immediately turnrd to Mallie and said, "YOU name her." And Mallie did. She speedily attached to it the same name she graces ALL her little toys and friends and dolls: Sally.

Definitely Six

Unfortunately though, Sally didn't last very long. The name, not the hamster. For you see, by the time church was over he decided that his hamster should not be a girl, but a boy. "I don't want my hamster to be a girl." He pouts. At lunch I explain that the hamster is definately either a girl or a boy, and that since we cannot really be certain (it is extrememly difficuly and sometimes impossible, to sex a hamster) that he could name it whatever he wanted. He named "him" Roku (pronounced Roe-koo). And there you have it, Wesley is six.

I love a good sale

2011-02-17T21:40:00.000-06:00

I love a good sale, but this was CrAzY!! Recently, Super Book Store BARNES and NOBLE bought university owned bookstore. All summer the art supplies that would no longer be carried by the new owners were sold at discounted prices. I enjoyed the array aof discounted items including pens, paper, pallets, Grumbacher pre-tested oil paint, and spent a good deal of money on these great deals.
Today, however was an entirely different story. This is what I bought:
12~ 16 x 20 in. cold press Illustration boards
16~ 32 x 46 in. white mat boards
2~ 50 sheet packs of graphite transfer paper
13~ Beinfang 18 x 24 in. 30 sheet heavy weight drawing paper pads
16~ various prismacolor pincils
14~ size 10 filbert synthetic paint brushes
10~ boxes (12 count ea.) of various gray Primsacolor NUPASTELS And
1~ 50 count pack of 32 x 48 in. heavy vellum

I paid $0.01 for each item, paying a grand total of $0.91. Yes, you read that correctly: ninety-one cents.

CRAZY!

hAPPY vALENTINE'S dAY

2011-02-14T10:35:00.000-06:00

For obvious reasons this self-portrait is better than the last. I started and finished this yesterday. And thank you all so much for your wonderful comments. You are all really encouraging to me.

a starting point

2011-02-10T20:53:00.000-06:00

In three weeks I will begin a figure painting class. Words really cannot express how excited I am to be able to take this class, and grateful. I am also extremely grateful for having the unique opportunity to straight from color theory to figure painting. All these new realizations about color relationships will be fresh in my mind as I forge ahead next quarter, and hopefully I will IMPROVE!!!!
So, a small head study of the only figure in my life right now that I can count on to hold still enough ... me.

2011-02-09T22:38:00.000-06:00

I painted today for the first time (outside of school) in my new studio. I should like to make up a new word here: studio-ette ~n. a very small studio; an almost-too-small studio; the studio belonging to Julie Crews. When Nan turned eight, I just couldn't bear the idea of the boys and girls sharing their bedroom any longer, so I downsized my studio from the space I was taking up in third bedroom/ playroom to a corner in our master bedroom. And so, with a smaller space for the New Year comes a smaller format for my work. For the next while any painting done at home will be done on prepared birch boards approximately 5.5 in. x 3.5 in. I am not used to working quite this small, but I think I am going to like how it lends itself to working quickly. I expect I will get many studies done working like this. Here is the first:

walls

2010-12-29T21:51:00.000-06:00

Sometimes walls are to sit on.
Sometimes walls are to beat your head against.
Sometimes walls are for shade.
Sometimes walls are restrictive.
Sometimes walls are secure.
And other times walls are for pushing through, tearing down and moving past.

the geese are getting fat and deodorant

2010-12-17T12:59:00.000-06:00

Last week we had a little cold snap and our heater busted. I guess the Louisiana forecast was just too hard on this old house's furnace (that, or the old furnace was exactly that.... old.) So this year Santa brought us the need to get a new one. Thanks Santa; now we are all toasty and warm again.

The rest of this post is for a certain stinky friend in Idaho, seeking, but not finding, a good natural deodorant. I have searched for one of those myself off and on for the last 12 years, always returning to the chemically-heavy and commercially processed products anyone can find at their local one-stop-shop. I believe my search finally ended 6 months ago. Other products and I (and I am sure to have tried them ALL) have only really gotten along for a maximum of two weeks. And generally our relationship only lasted that long because I am stubborn. But the desire to be stench-free always won out, much to the satisfaction and relief of those I lived around. (Sorry to everyone that had to endure me.) So, back in June a friend of mine introduced me to two products made by LUSH Cosmetics. I use the following products together and feel fresh as a flower petal all day (and I can always enjoy a little "pick me up" in the muggy summer months by applying a bit more powder through the day.)

Here are the products (AND WORTH EVERY DIME):

Lush Aromaco Natural deodorant ( I also have and use the Aromarant but like the smell of the Aromaco better)

AND the Vanilla Puff Powder Dusting Powder. (I am NOT a fan of "foody" smelling body or home products, so understand that the vanilla in the Vanilla Puff Powder is not what it may sound like.)

I apply the deodorant and then a healthy dusting of the scrumptious powder. Freshness all day!!!!! Six months and going strong...in a good way. HA!

Good luck, stinky friend.

out of the studio, and in a shoe

2010-12-08T18:54:00.000-06:00

his morning my oldest son said his shoe did not fit. I felt the tip of his shoe and told him to wriggle his toes. His feet really were jammed up to the toe of his shoes! I couldn't believe he had outgrown them that fast, so I had him take the shoes off. This is what I found: 1/3 cup of sand....IN EACH SHOE!!!!

some paintings I didn't get a chance to post from the show

2010-12-03T15:53:00.000-06:00

Black and Red
oil on masonite
6"x 6"

Pistol
oil on masonite
6"x 6"

Christmas balls in progress

2010-12-03T15:21:00.000-06:00

Here is the first pass of the still life with a double self portrait. I am not convinced the "wall" at the top will stay orange.

Up and going

2010-12-02T16:20:00.001-06:00

I was up and in the studio this morning at 5:30. I will be getting to bed a lot earlier tonight so I can can better time in there in the morning. Currently I am working on a larger project: a still life of two glass Christmas ornaments, containing a double self portrait. I will be submitting it to a juried group exhibition entitled "Intimacy" in Chicago. We'll see if it makes it in.

honoring a sacrifice

2010-11-29T21:44:00.000-06:00

School starts on Thursday. I am enjoying a quiet night; the baby finally quieted down in his crib and the newly decorated tree is all lit up beside me. I have a lot on my mind, despite the stillness of the house. I have been thinking about painting. My family makes such sacrifices in supporting my efforts to paint. We own a small three bedroom house and all four of our children sleep in one room, so I can have a place to paint. Nan is almost eight and I have been wondering if I shouldn't pack up the studio temporarily (we are going to close our carport in for a new office/studio space in the spring) and let the girls and boys have their own rooms. I have been thinking of what happened the last time I had a show (Feb 2008 in Salt Lake). When the show ended, I didn't paint seriously again for two years. Coming into the Holiday Tour I recalled all the time that went by and tried to identify why I stopped. This is what I came up with: I had a four month old baby and my two other children were 5 and 3. My husband was finishing grad school and later that summer we moved across the country. It always takes me what seems to me to be a longer than normal time to get my bearings straight when I move (mostly socially) and there was no exception when we moved to Louisiana. My oldest child started attending public school and then I was expecting our fourth child. Pregnancy and I do not get a long well, and neither did the children left at home while Nan was away. So I had our fourth child a little over a year ago and when I decided to start school again (on the extremely slow track- one class a quarter, so I can still be at home with my little ones) I think I started to see the light at the end of the creative tunnel. Of course while in that unproductive tunnel I judged myself. I thought that if painting was important enough to me I would make it happen no matter what. Who knew that it was a necessary time for me to be attending to other things? I don't think I need to be afraid of a repeat. I am in a different place in life now than I was three years ago. The studio needs a bitter cleaning, and now that Thanksgiving break is almost over and our wonderful guests are safely in their own home again, I can attend to that. I will not temporarily pack things up, and maybe this will help speed the process of our home addition along. I will honor my family's sacrifice and paint.

A Great Success

2010-11-23T15:21:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all who made the Holiday Arts Tour here in Ruston such a great success. I had approximately 100 visitors. My sales were tremendous; I sold three paintings and numerous card sets. Thank you Frothy Monkey, thank you generous guests, thank you all who wish you could have come! I look forward to doing the tour again next year, ready to show all new work.

25 hours

2010-11-18T13:48:00.001-06:00

Just one last push to get everything ready for the Holiday Arts Tour. I am so very excited to have fourteen new pieces to show. The last thing I need to do is hang all the work at the Frothy Monkey this afternoon and finish the card sets. I will have 100 of those for sale, so if any one out there wants one, they should let me know. Seven cards with matching envelopes come in a beautiful box (choice of red, craft or white) and each card showcases a different image of my most recent body of work. They are $16 each.

the boot

2010-11-11T14:43:00.000-06:00

Getting ready for the Holiday Arts tour. I had an interview with a reporter form the Ruston Daily Leader this afternoon. She asked all sorts of questions about my art that I hope I ended up having an intelligent answer for. Here is one of my latest paintings:

boot
oil on masonite
8"x 8"

Condie's backyard

2010-11-05T13:35:00.000-05:00

This is a little sketch of my friend's backyard. I have become increasingly aware of how loose and gestural my landscapes are turning out. Compared to my recent still life studies, these landscapes are almost abstract. There is a certain personal value in working both ways. Here is a still life I finished earlier this week:

2010-10-30T12:22:00.000-05:00

Hillside by Turner Falls
8"x 8"
oil on masonite

I did this on my way home from Oklahoma City a few weekends ago. It was around 7:30 am and the sky changed so rapidly, that the clouds here are actually just the toned ground of the board showing through. I totally lucked out that the board and the clouds were the same intensity and hue. That made for what I think is now a real loose and gestural landscape.

sketch from imagination

2010-10-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

I think this may be the very first sketch in oil I have ever done from imagination. I took a bike ride at dusk with my nieces a few weeks ago and that night I did this painting demo for them. Though I will admit it looks to me more like the sun is going up than down.
Any opinions out there: Dusk or Dawn?
Either way, I am pleased with it.

a lot of mileage

2010-10-24T10:50:00.000-05:00

The editors of our town newspaper chose my painting as the cover for their quarterly magazine! How cool.

launching a new website

2010-10-21T18:03:00.002-05:00

Here is my new website. I will be adding more paintings to it very soon, but the format will stay the same.

www.juliecrews.com

babies love venetian red

2010-10-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

As a viewer of this post, you hereby swear to not call the Department of Child Services on me. Thank you.

One catastrophe led to another yesterday. While I was painting, something fell down in the hallway in my house and I set my pallet down as quickly as I could to go attend to it and calm my frightened three year old. In the meantime my almost one year old:

Poor Simon.

(Simon is O.K.)

...so am I, Thanks for asking...

For Alana

2010-10-11T07:01:00.000-05:00

The Gesture of Love

by George Eliot

Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.

study of a Jean Baptiste-Camille Corot landscape

Thanks Leon

2010-10-08T22:11:00.000-05:00

So maybe I can't resist painting things sitting on a shelf. These were next to the old gas cans I last posted. I've had it finished for a while now, but have been having a difficult time photographing my work. This morning I went out before the sun was up and the sky was essentially a giant blue/white light source. I had a lot less glare with this experiment. I am going to go back on this piece and paint the shadow cast by the shelf onto the wall blue. I was working from a photograph, and the shadow was really brown, but I am reminded of something my toughest art teacher, Leon Parson, once said, "Just because it looks stupid, doesn't mean you should to paint it that way."

Glass Jug
oil on masonite
8"x 8"

three gas cans

2010-09-29T19:40:00.000-05:00

three gas cans
8"x 8"
oil on masonite

I found these old gas cans in Shreveport outside of Big Mama's Antiques. No telling how many rain showers these little guys have sat through. This took me appropriately 3 1/2 hours to paint today. Thank the heavens above for nap time.

homework

2010-09-22T23:02:00.005-05:00

I finished my first homework assignment this evening. The instructions were to set up a still life consisting of three objects placed in front of a black background and with a light foreground. The background had to take up more space than the foreground and the shadows of the objects could not enter the background. I tried to take a series of photos to document my process, but my camera's battery died. I've shared what I was able to get. Overall, I am pleased with the painting, but if anyone has a suggestion as to the color to use on the core shadow of an orange, I am ready and waiting for some advise. I am still not sure I got it right.

loose and tight

2010-09-21T13:00:00.001-05:00

Some clarification: I did not do this rooster in one day. It actually took about four sessions of a few hours each to complete. I tried some new painting techniques with this one that really made it fun: trying to paint faster in some areas and keeping a balance between loose and tight.
Soon I'll have it off to it's new owner.
Got new business cards in the mail today! I really like the way they turned out.

the front

the back

rooster

2010-09-20T22:33:00.001-05:00

I finished this today. The frame is part of a heart pine floor ripped out of a 200 year old home in Kentucky.

Rooster
24"x24"
oil on gesso board

Sold

My visit to New Orleans was great. I got to spend about three hours in the New Orleans Museum of Art. ( I touched a Wayne Thiebaud painting. Couldn't help it, I just had to.) The fried oyster po' boy I had on Friday was delish! And the beginets at Cafe Du' Monde's were....ummmm.

happy days

2010-09-16T13:33:00.025-05:00

This post marks my 100th post on BLOGGER.

Even though the weather hasn't really begun to cool off yet, these are happy days for me. At the moment, my two oldest children are at school, and my two youngest are napping simultaneously. I am sipping chocolate Silk and eating goldfish crackers with a healthy (meaning generous, not heart-smart) side of pepper-jack cheese. Last fall, I made the decision to go back to school beginning in fall 2010. I am now pursuing my bachelor's of fine arts degree at Louisiana Tech University. I am a transfer student having aquired already an assoicaite degree in illustration. My first class here is beginning painting with Peter Jones. This painting is after day two, we will finish it during the next class. It is a still life (obviously) using a limited pallet. I am having a lot of fun with it.

I was just picked as the featured artist showing at the Holiday Arts Tour!!! (Click the link to see more.) My work will be in Ruston, LA at RUMO'S Barber Shop during the Arts Tour and I plan to have 31 new pieces ready for sale then. Here is one for a sneak preview:

A White House8"x 8"
Oil on Masonite

My husband and I are going on a little get-a-way to New Orleans Friday night, and I am going to spend some time in the New Orleans Museum of Art. Finally, A trip to a museum! It has been far too long.

Keep tuning in for more sneak peaks.

coupon

2010-09-03T08:55:00.000-05:00

I just went shopping at UtrechtArt.com and for what I spent, they sent me the following. Use it if you want to. I bought everything I was in need of.

A special offer, just for you!

Please enjoy 20% Off your next purchase* at UtrechtArt.com! Use the unique keycode below to save on thousands of top-quality art materials from leading creative brands. This offer expires in seven days.

Your unique keycode is: 86467

* Valid online & by phone only. Offer does not apply to: sale or clearance items, “BEST BUYS", vendor direct items, special orders, school kits or gift cards Limit one coupon per customer. Offer applies to in-stock merchandise only. Must enter keycode at time of purchase. Offer expires in seven days.

two sketches

2010-08-30T16:26:00.000-05:00

Jury Duty, I am convinced, is only fun for people with sketchbooks.

a rooster- unrelated to Jury Duty

none the richer

2010-08-28T15:56:00.004-05:00

I spent a little time this afternoon giving my blog a renovation, and I will post a painting tonight.
Here is your opportunity, you secretive and silent blogger friends out there, comment today and tell me what you think of the new look.

Here, for your viewing enjoyment is a picture of some of my ancestors.

enjoy the show

2010-08-26T20:42:00.003-05:00

This is Karin Jurick, one of my favorite artists. Amazing.

Brie

2010-08-25T20:12:00.005-05:00

oil on 10" x 7" canvas board

Paint scrapings

2010-08-24T21:28:00.001-05:00

My painting efforts amounted to this today.
Any encouraging words?
Goals for tomorrow:
Have a wonderful last-day-before-he's-an-official-kindergartener with my son.
Swim 1/3 mile before 6am.
Put more paint on the canvas than I scrape off.

to post or not to post

2010-08-23T21:01:00.005-05:00

not to post

I am joining the Sketch Book Project 2011.

2010-08-22T16:58:00.006-05:00

today's sketch in oil

2010-08-20T15:39:00.003-05:00

I bet you didn't know I take requests. O.k. I don't. But it is August 20th, which just so happens to be Matt Linder Request Day. So here's celebrating:

8.5" x 8.5"
oil on masonite

alterations

2010-08-20T07:19:00.001-05:00

An unalterable goal is not one worth making. I swam this morning, but only three laps. Personally I think every lap swam before 6am should count as double.

wishful thinking

2010-08-19T23:10:00.004-05:00

This afternoon I swam farther than I ever have previously (I am relatively new at the sport and went 1/3 of a mile.)
The laundry is folded and put away and I did a small (3"x 3") sketch of what I wish the weather was like right now.
Tomorrow:
Get Nan to school.
Swim a third of a mile again.
Post another painting.

goals achieved...

2010-08-18T23:10:00.004-05:00

I didn't get to the pool this morning at five, it had to wait until six. But I went. And I didn't get this painted by noon, I took this picture of it at 11 pm. And since I am not asleep yet and I am posting this, I also met my third goal. Feels good.
Goals for tomorrow:
I will swim four laps instead of three at 6 am.
I will fold my laundry (AND PUT IT AWAY).
And I will paint something before 3pm to post before I go to bed.

My backyard this morning around 8am:

time

2010-08-17T22:02:00.002-05:00

When I get restless creatively, the elements in my life seem to do a little unraveling. I have found that I tend to spread my efforts thin instead of what I know I need to do to get this restlessness to subside. It is time to exercise a little self discipline and lay my efforts thick.
It is hard to judge who may read this, but I am writing for myself, so it doesn't really matter. I have realized through the events of the last 4 days that I am ready for a new set of priorities. I am swimming at five am tomorrow morning, I am painting something tomorrow before lunch, and I am posting it on this blog before I go to bed tomorrow night. Three simple goals...attainable goals.

Happy Birthday Wendy

2010-08-14T12:40:00.004-05:00

Mallie over the 4th of July

2010-08-08T22:12:00.001-05:00

new light

2010-08-04T08:58:00.003-05:00

I re-wired and hung this chandelier yesterday. Took down the ceiling fan and put this in its place. (A great find from a lady off craigslist- $20!!!!!)

some stuff

2010-07-16T14:55:00.013-05:00

Loving the eats at the Waffle House!
Nan played soccer last spring.
and got her hair cut the last week of first grade.

Got new windows put in the house.

Niel ran his first 5-k!

lemon loom

2010-05-05T18:42:00.005-05:00

When Nan was little she called our living room the "lemon loom". So here is our Lemon Loom before and after:

BEFORE

AFTER

perfect weather

2010-04-09T18:08:00.002-05:00

The little ones and I went to explore part of Shreveport this morning. I forgot to take many pictures, but here is one (sans Simon).

a secret message

2010-03-22T21:39:00.002-05:00

shopping spree

2010-03-20T19:26:00.000-05:00

she must live very far away

2010-03-14T14:38:00.004-05:00

Nan (to Wesley): Just eat it!
Wesley: No! It's an orange peel!
Nan: Well, I eat orange peels.
Wesley: Well I don't.
Nan: Then you live in a completlely different country than I do.

2010-03-11T21:12:00.002-06:00

Tonight Niel shared with me the fact that he has to give advice on how to gain employment to some of the female aspiring engineers where he teaches. The stay-at-home mother in me popped out and suggested that he tell them to get married and have babies. "Any other suggestions, honey?" he asked. Realizing he may actually be soliciting my advice, I said, "Yeah. Mascara."

Daily Painting #1

2010-02-27T13:27:00.003-06:00

Gwen's Gala (8" x 10", oil on gesso board)

molehill hangers and bragging rights

2010-02-24T21:03:00.010-06:00

I have been reminded by several people of a few cliffhangers (well, probably more like molehill hangers) that I have created. My husband reminded me that I never posted pictures of the shower he worked so hard to repair. It was also brought to my attention (by my long-time friend Joni Wells) that I never said what I did to surprise Niel at Christmas. Well here it is, our family's second car:

I traded the previous owner a painting for it. Man, I love the barter system. It's old, but it is new to us, (the car not the barter system) and i'd have given just about anything to not have to wake all the children up every school morning in order to take Nan to school and then drop Niel off to work. Ok, I know I could have let him take the van everyday, and have him drop Nan off, but being stranded at home is even worse than getting up early. (Funny, I sleep in nowadays and don't go anywhere... but I have the option and that's what counts.) When we gave it to Niel on Christmas morning, Niel just stood in the road with his mouth open and saying, "What? Huh? (long pause) What?" because we had talked about buying a used second vehicle, but decided jointly to use the money for something else.

Speaking of Nan and school, I just love the right bestowed upon me as a parent to brag. Nan is doing so well in school and I just about grabbed her off her feet tonight when she showed me report card. I told her over and over how proud of her I am. Go ahead, click on the report card. Get a better look.

And finally, here is the AWSOME re-tiled shower floor that Niel put down all by himself with his crazy srong muscles:

25 Nina's

2010-01-18T23:13:00.001-06:00

Today I took senior pictures for my young neighbor, babysitter, friend, and example. You are beautiful Nina, outside and in!

Merry Christmas Everybody

2009-12-20T13:27:00.005-06:00

I am ready to blog about a Christmas gift that Niel has coming, but as he sometimes reads my blog, I can't. Keep tuning in...

feelin' good

2009-12-16T21:50:00.001-06:00

I love Christmastime

2009-12-16T21:21:00.006-06:00

Daisy

2009-12-10T16:17:00.003-06:00

dumpster diving

2009-12-09T12:51:00.007-06:00

I have a question. Is it still dumpster diving if you don't actually go into the dumpster?
Niel and I have been discussing the storage issues of our home food storage, so when I saw this shelf out by a dumpster at the University, I could not resist. With the help of four great friends we went from this:

To this:

Canned goods aisle at the store, HERE WE COME!!!

Also, we FINALLY finished the dining room an kitchen floor. NIEL- You are amazing!

do you remember?

2009-11-06T16:35:00.000-06:00

announcement and Wesley's super powers

2009-11-01T07:23:00.007-06:00

We are so glad Simon is finally here, safe and sound. All Wesley could do upon his arrival is contained in the following video:

Yes, I am still pregnant

2009-10-22T22:01:00.005-05:00

I am due in two days, and for posterity's sake I decided to finally take some pregnant pictures. So, here I am in all my rotund and shining voluptuous glory. (I can't wait to meet you little baby boy.)

Happy Birthday Mallie!!!

2009-09-30T20:40:00.001-05:00

Mallie is two tomorrow (Oct. 1st.)

a clean yard

2009-08-23T14:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we all spent about 2 hours reclaiming our yard (front and back) from a few weeks of neglect . After we were finished, I said to Nan with much enthusiasm, "Doesn't our yard look so much better!?" And she said with just as much energy, "Yeah! And everyone is going to think someone else moved here!"

Now for some cute pics of Wesley and Mallie together in the same chair:

October 3 2007 (Mallie 2 days old) and August 20, 2009 (Mallie almost 2 yrs. old)

Quote of the month

2009-08-10T20:10:00.000-05:00

Winston Churchill, having been called to task for ending a sentence with a preposition, retorted, “This is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put."

the children infront of my camera today

2009-08-06T23:30:00.008-05:00

(This last one is a funny little "old polaroid" I created in photoshop.)

company and stillness

2009-07-28T16:29:00.002-05:00

Company is coming for dinner and I told Wesley he needed to pick up all the toys he dutifully dumped out all over the livingroom.
"How come?" he asked.
"Because," I said, "we don't just want toys lying all over the place."
"But Mommy, the toys can be real still."

new music for me

2009-07-16T21:39:00.001-05:00

I LOVE it Jeffrey! Thank you SO much!

A bee sting, we think

2009-07-14T08:10:00.005-05:00

So we may need to carry an eppi pen with us now, but we still aren't sure it was a bee.

This is about 10 minutes after the hospital staff administered benadryl and steriods. Wesley is a lot stronger now.

a grouch, I guess

2009-07-06T20:42:00.004-05:00

I am pretty sure that every day this summer I have worn my hair up in a ponytail. So this morning I decided to try to get my hair decent-looking enough to wear down. Upon completion I asked my daughter if she noticed anything different about me. She paused for a minute and then said in question form, "Um, you're happy?"

lots of links and a poster, or finally IN the studio

2009-06-19T13:07:00.010-05:00

So I have a friend, Manelle Oliphant who does amazing posters for her local playhouse, The Empress Theatre.(Check out her poster for See How They Run). So, as I secretly want to be like Manelle, I am copying her. Shortly after we moved to Ruston, I put myself in contact with the The Dixie Center for the Fine Arts which houses the plays performed by The Ruston Community Theatre. I finished my first play poster this morning.

hovel rhymes with shovel

2009-06-18T10:03:00.007-05:00

How is it that summers lend themselves to endless and seemingly insurmountable tasks? Mine are all happy tasks (nearly all), not a source of what will inevitably sound like complaining. Know, however, that I am not complaining, and am grateful for the opportunity to modify, improve and beautify our living space.
Right now there is still what I have affectionately termed "the peek-a-boo hole" in the wall between the dining room and the master bathroom. Niel and I worked on it all last Saturday but didn't quite get it all the way filled in. And so the list of "we'll get to it next Saturday" grows longer.

I took off all the cabinet doors in our kitchen yesterdsay and this morning in preparation to paint them. Luckily this project won't require as much sanding as it could have. All the top cabinet doors were already sanded. Should I feel bad that they were once white, and someone sanded them, and I am going to paint them white again? Um, NO, because I think the wood like it was looked horrible. (I will hopefully post some before and after pictures soon.)

The shower floor in the master bath is still in need of new tile.

AND the yard needs to be mowed, but first, all the dog poo around our hovel needs to be attended to with a shovel. (I'll spare the picture on that one.)

today's harvest

2009-06-12T12:24:00.002-05:00

what's for supper on a warm summer's night?

2009-06-11T20:57:00.003-05:00

Baked chicken, cucumber salad, broccoli and blurry children.

it bites

2009-06-09T21:27:00.001-05:00

I vote that it is both annoying and WRONG when mosquitoes buzz into your living room and proceed to bite you in the comfort of their new home.