Painting with Pencils

After taking a weeeee little break from teaching classes so I could attend art festivals and complete an online class, I'm super duper excited to present my first local class in a few months!  "Painting with Pencils" coming soon (July 24th from 12-3pm) at Swank Coffee Shoppe and Handmade Market!  I"m working on a longer version of this class so whomever attends will get a SWEET deal on the price with tons of information and inspiration!  Pick up your pencils, journal, eraser and come join us!  Did I mention that Swank has some of the best coffee you will find on the East Coast???   PLUS some amazing art and arti-crafts that you will ever feast your eyes on in our little gem of a town.  Make a weekend of it and take in some of the shops and local flair or hit up a round of golf in one of our bazillion world  renowned golf courses!  Hurry though, space is limited!!!
Town of Southern Pines
Village of Pinehurst

Come and enjoy an afternoon learning the basics of drawing and illustrating a magical character & painting with water soluble pencils.  We will be working with assorted graphite pencils,  water color pencils and water soluble graphite pencils to compose our character and background  in your journal or sheets of watercolor paper.   No experience necessary!   Shading, blending and facial feature development will be covered in this fun filled class!

Supplies:  2b, 4b, 8b pencil,  watercolor pencils in indigo, brown, and yellow, You may bring more if you have them.  Kneaded eraser, kneaded eraser, watercolor paper or Bristol vellum paper, small angled paint brush. 

Date:  July 24th  12-3pm
Cost:  $35.00 plus supplies *If you would like the instructor to bring supplies, there will be a 20.00 supply kit charge which must be ordered 1 week prior to the work shop.
Place: Swank Coffee Shoppe and Handmade Market in Southern Pines, NC

To sign up email Jessica or Petra at swankgirls@gmail.com
Visit the shop on Facebook  HERE


If you are interested in me teaching a work shop for your shop, gallery, or organization-email me at jodiohl@hotmail.com !

The Best Is Yet To Come.....Art Everyday Month Day 22

Things I love....I can't help it I've listened to this song about 50 million times and I just love it...actually love the whole album of these rugged southern hippie boys, Kings of Leon :) Listen to it and hopefully you'll be inspired to create! Or dance....or just ride down the road with the music blaring smiling on your way to your destination!

So if you've walked along my road over the last week...you will have seen these pages and canvases evolve....my painted muses really have taken form and they are at the point where I am feeling like they are strong enough to leave alone so I can go on to my next inspiration.

How will I know what that will be?  Did you ever feel alone and wonder if anyone could hear what you are saying?  Did you ever wonder if you were ever going to be able to do better than you've done before?

What if this last one was as good as it gets and you will never be able to top that last big thing?

I was listening to Elizabeth Gilbert's speech on nurturing creativity and the expectation the world places on creative minds who have achieved greatness....and the expectations that we place on ourselves.  Is it realistic?  Are we destined to a life of solitude and crazy moods or  be predisposed to turn to altered states of mind to cope with what was and what might not ever be again.  Go ahead and listen to it.  It gives you another perspective on achieving greatness and nurturing what is in you no matter how good the 'next' is.

When you are feeling alone and aimless....there is someone watching over you and nurturing you even when no one is looking. Or listening.   A muse, a guiding light, a supreme being, a God, a friend, a loved one, a stranger, they are behind you and watching and helping to guide and shape that which is inside of you. I have to admit...even though I by far have not achieved the ultimate success of whatever I do...I have that fear of not being able to come up with another story idea, what if I never sell another painting and the best is already behind me....what if, people laugh at me and what I do??? Silly things but fears nonetheless....if you listen long enough, you can be moved into inaction and the creativity fades away.  Stomp it out and listen to the positive muse inside of you....let  her show you that the best is still yet to come.

Turn on your favorite song.  Listen to the beat, the movement, the voice, the enthusiasm and let everything else happen. Even if your greatest thing  you've ever done happened yesterday, who cares! You will never know if something else better isn't just down the road as you plant the seeds each and every day trying to find it unless you try and move along. .  You have to do it.  You must do it....you must engage in persistence. Determination.  Allow guidance from the world it will show you the light.

Listen.

Heading Towards the West..... Art Everyday Month Day 7

My piece I worked through yesterday while in my graffiti class...:)  Still some things to do but I love how it turned out. I had several wonderful students who really had a great time playing with paint and experimenting.

It's Sunday and I'm not ashamed to say I'm still in my pajamas

playing a little bit in my journal, catching up on laundry and some reading I've been wanting to do....and just thinking about what it is I want  need to do for the week.  Taking time to breathe and relax is important.  Little man asked me what's on the agenda today.   I replied, nothing.  NOTHING??  As if I cursed at him.  Of course nothing to me is really something, its just something without a definite schedule of when I have to do it, and if it doesn't get done, then it's not a crisis.  That's my version of nothing :)

 

 "I Look To The East To See Where I've Been, And to the West to see the Places I've Yet to Visit"  A rather quick journal page this morning....I played with picture I had of my self looking into the distance somewhere at something...very reflective.  I somehow turned this into something where I look very aged and worn out..LOL  not exactly the effect i was going for but who cares, it's just play and practice.  

Materials used:

Strathmore mixed media journal

Derwent watersoluble pencils in light and dark wash

Gray and White Neocolor II crayons

Black zig pen

lt blue and pink markers

blending stump

water 

brushes

It's getting to be that time of year where I really take stock of what I've done and what I've yet to accomplish. I tend to get really reflective as do many near the end of the year but furthermore it's almost my birthday...I start to question myself and at the same time challenge myself.  Can I really be almost 42 years old?   Maybe the picture is more accurate than I choose it to be. My skin isn't as flawless as it once was. My eyes show wear of worry and stress, my lines on my face by my mouth are indented from smiling and experience of life's up and down.  I'm not as young as I feel nor as old as my years would suggest. 

It's time to make a plan for the second half of my life before too many more days and years slip away. I'm not really a spontaneous person although I'm not really rigid in my direction either.  I like plans though--so the first thing on my list is going to be a business plan. I want direction in my art life because that really is going to define how the next phase of my world is going to be.  Or at least the part that is feeding my soul at this point.  Of course my children are also guiding my happiness and giving me direction, I'm merely speaking on an individual level.

(more student work from yesterday!)

In that plan is definitely going to be more teaching activities.....I truly enjoy and am inspired by seeing others  have fun and enjoy creating.

When you find something you enjoy doing.....stick with it...even push it to the next level. Challenge yourself!

I hope the students I have taught over the last year and half are continuing on their own artistic journey...

So yes, I'm still here in my pjs, enjoying this brisk Sunday....drinking coffee, relaxing, enjoying the silence of not having to adhere to a schedule or be anywhere at any giving time.  It's giving me time & breathing room to begin laying  out some plans fo my own as I head towards the West.

Are you starting to take stock of your year behind you and the one to come?  What is it that you truly want to accomplish in 2011?

Searching Art Everyday Month Day 2

Art Everyday Month Day 2  "Searching"
Journal page created in the new Strathmore Mixed Media art journal 9x12. 
Materials Used:  stabilo pencil, pitt pens, neocolor II crayons, and acrylic paint.
I created this page while watching TV last night, intervention and hoarders were on.   If anyone has seen either of those shows--it truly is mind blowing on similar levels.   People feeding their emotional issues with drugs, alcohol, junk, purses, clothes, trash, pets, and more, to the extent they all shut out the world to feed their addictions & escape reality,  or cocoon in their homes surrounded by objects that have taken on the role of other humans.   It's shameful and poisonous behavior for the families affected as much as it is for those with the issues.  

So what do these shows have to do with the journal page?  For me, it just got me thinking how in some ways I can see myself cocooning myself with my art, similar to a hoarder.  I buy supplies, sometimes in irrational quantities because it makes me feel good to have and dream of what I can do with them all.   Instead of talking to someone about how I feel, I'd rather put it in a journal or work out my issues with a painting. That's not to say creating is a bad thing because it truly is healing and uplifting--but to avoid contact with others in effort to shut the world out is not necessarily a healthy way of coping with life.





"Searching" what is that I'm searching for? What do I need to cope with?   Well, I'm searching for my purpose. Am I on the right track or have I taken a detour?   The stress of my past relationship over the last 7 years definitely has taken a toll on me and has caused me not to even really care if I meet someone anytime soon but yet at the sametime, I want to have that connection again (minus the issues and drama). I justify how much time I work on my art because I'm on a mission to make it my full time job one day, but spending all this time on it comes at a cost. It's worth it to me, but at the same time I want to make more time for more real world connections, not just connections on the canvas.  Does that make sense?   I do know though that having a creative outlet to cope with life's daily stresses is definitely healthier than turning to other evils in this world.  I do think I'm on the right track I just may need to scale back a bit if I truly want to open the door to having someone share the ride with me.  Until then, I really am 'Okay with the Journey'. We all question ourselves and our motives at times, and that's alright. It's called self discovery. It may even take a lifetime to find the answers and that's okay, too.   That's called living. :)

Portrait Complete!

And she is completed...
12 x 12 Mixed Media Portrait on 1 1/2 inch canvas. Layers of color include yellow, gray white, turquoise, green and black. Enhanced with charcoal, graphite pencil and gel pen. Collage first layer. Hanging hardware applied, and varnish with spray matte for longevity. Signed and dated by the artist

If I told you the story behind this portrait, you'd never believe me. Suffice to say, someone I loved disappointed me or betrayed me is an even better word for it, for the last time.

Good does come from bad--and even though I have been broken, I am not going to be lost.

To see the progression of this painting see the post HERE

More of my flickr photos HERE.


*****

I'm working on something to jump start my art online again, stay tuned for a big challenge for me coming in January!

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A Nest of Her Own

Here is my latest artwork:

"A Nest of Her Own"

((((Description taken from my Etsy Shop))))

Created on wood about 1/4 inch thick. Original piece included in my Series of "Altered Thoughts of Women". 1st two pieces in the series are now sold--be the third to own one of my quiet inspiration pieces, which gives a voice to my growing self realization that I am worthy as a woman, deserving as person, and growing into my own skin now as an adult.

In this piece, I convey my desire to have "A Nest of My Own", not just a home of my own, but I long to live somewhere that I can plant my roots and truly belong. I have always loved botanicals and incorporating flowers in my paintings, as flowers give me hope. Representing the roots and beauty I so desire in my life. Have you ever felt this way?? Hopefully this original artwork will speak to you and you can give her a good home.

There is a ton of texture and detail embedded within this piece, as well as areas of metallic sheen achieved by dusting pearl ex powders over the layers---so much to discover!!

This artwork comes UNFRAMED. Sides are painted and back has been finished. Can be framed or set on an easel for easy portable (and affordable original art)!

Thank you everyone for the sweet comments on my new do. How come no one told me that one side is longer than the other?? LOL I need to go back this week and even myself out a bit. Unless, I walk around with my head tilted most of the time!

Hope everyone had an artfully great weekend!!

*****update: Also available in my etsy shop is REFLECTIONS IN THE SUN !! stop by and check it out!