Sunday, December 29, 2013

1591 Meets 2013









"The Critique"
Acrylic - 24 x 12

Just who is critiquing whom?  This is a young woman at the San Francisco Legion of Honor sketching a painting by Frans Pourbus the Younger dated 1591.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Has Jeanette been eaten by a dinosaur?


I know, I know.....I have been gone for awhile on both my personal blog and my painting blog.


I've been busy. 


Everyone seems to be busy. 


Life needs to slow down.

Can that happen???

Sing this to the tune of the 12 days of Christmas....


This month I had.....
1 dad recovering from hip surgery
2  friends in need of meals
and 3 new painting shows.

4 commissions waiting
5  deadlines  approaching
and 6 places to be to-day! 

7 new paintings drying,
8  Lemon trees freezing,
and oh yes,
many days of no-oh-oh rain.

10 Christmas lists,
11 Amazon drop offs,
and 12 places to be at once!

After wrapping 46 gifts today, I will be ready to put my feet up.  How about you?

Enjoy this holiday season, for no matter whether you got every ornament on your Christmas tree or the perfect Carrot Pudding made this year, or the dust bunnies from under your bed, it truly is about more important things.  And you are one of them.  Family and friends!!

Enjoy 2014...

xoxx - Jeanette

Monday, October 7, 2013

Cowboy in Paris


Cowboy in Paris

This is one of my new paintings from my waiter series for the New Lafayette Art Gallery exhibit "The Heart of the Art"!  I just loved how it looks like a still life with each person in their own little world.  And the reflections of the outside world on the glass were fun to paint!  Did you notice the diner's cowboy boots?  Hence the name.....Cowboy in Paris!

Every other year, two of my girlfriends and myself go to Paris for several weeks.  I am able to snap so many photos of Parisian Bistro's and Cafe's.  Especially because most of them are outside on the sidewalk and with my telephoto lens, I can do it without getting in anyone's face.

We missed our trip last year because of too many commitments all around but Jackie just emailed me that she is ready to go Spring of 2014!  I can't wait!!!






 The Lafayette Gallery has finally moved to it's new location at The Forge in Lafayette!

Please join us for our Opening Reception or just stop by and say "Hello"!

"The Heart of Art"
October 8th - December 28
Grand Opening Reception on November 9th from 5 - 8 PM



Lafayette Art Gallery                                                         
3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Suite A                                          
Lafayette, CA 94549                                                          
925-284-2788                                                                        
Open Tues. – Sat. 11 - 5                                                                                
www.lafayettegallery.net

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

We're Moving!



(no name yet - suggestions??) Acrylic - 18 x 24

Just a quick update on all that will be happening in my little art community this Fall......

The Lafayette Gallery will be moving on Oct. 1st to a larger space at The Forge in Lafayette!  Our new address will be -

Lafayette Art Gallery
3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Suite A
Lafayette, CA 94549


Check out this short video to see our new location -  The Forge

The upcoming show in Lafayette will be "Art of the Heart" and opens on Oct. 8th through Dec. 28th.


Also, The Bay Area Studio Artists (BASA), a group of LAA members who paint together at Marcy Wheeler’s studio, have two shows in November and December:

·         Barn Dance, Celebrating Our Agrarian Heritage at Village Theater Art Gallery, 233 Front St., Danville, Nov. 13 to Dec. 22.
Reception
Sat., Nov. 16, 5 – 7 p.m.
·         California Shades at the Marilyn Citron O’Rourke Art Gallery at the Benicia Public Library, 150 East L St, Benicia, Nov. 18, 2013, to Jan. 2, 2014.
Reception and Art Sale, Sunday, Dec. 8, 3 to 5 p.m.

Barn Dance

Old Guard - Acrylic 30 x 40


Barn Dance commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Grange being established at the gallery’s location.

“The idea of our agrarian heritage is iconic to most Americans, even the city dwellers among us,” said Marcy Wheeler. “Our group includes some painters who grew up as farm girls and some who only imagine the rustic life. But each artist reaches for images that reflect our shared history on the land.”

California Shades

Tranquil Truckee - Acrylic 18 x 24


The California Shades exhibit features artworks that explore the play of sun and shade on California’s dramatic color palette. The show captures the sun on a brilliant Big Sur ocean, the shaded trunks of a twisted California Oak, the San Francisco Bay cloaked in coastal fog and many more visions of our state.

The artists extend the exhibit off the walls and into the airy gallery, creating a multi-media ambiance that sets the scene for visitors to enjoy and think about California’s character and characters.

BASA is a group of local artists who have painted together for more than five years.  They paint in acrylics and oils and represent a wide range of aesthetic choices and viewpoints on California. Their painting styles range from nuanced realism to gooey expressionism. The shows are curated with an eye to illuminating this diversity of point of view.

Artists represented in this shows are Jeanette Baird, Susan Bonebakker, Pat Dallacroce, Ellen Reintjes, Joanne Taeuffer, Sharon Tama, Marcy Wheeler and Barn Dance includes guest artists Suzun Almquist and Joe Bologna. For more information on the Bay Area Studio Artists, see the website: bayareastudioartists.com or contact Joanne Taeuffer at jaytee@aol.com.

Show Hours
The Benicia Library is open M-Th 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., F-Sun noon – 6 p.m. (Holiday hours apply Dec. 23 – Jan. 1.)
Danville’s Village Theater Art Gallery is open M - T by appt, W - Friday noon to 5 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Making Waves



Tuesday, August 13 the Lafayette Gallery will open with a new show "Making Waves".  The above painting is "Beach Dance" and was from a photo I took at Stinson Beach in June of a couple frolicking in the waves with their multicolored umbrellas.  It felt young and carefree.




My other entry is "Gone Surfin' "  and was a composite of several different photos.  This young man was in a parking lot near Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz but I really wanted him on the beach.  I found one taken several days earlier where the lighting was from the same direction and combined the two.

Hope you can come by and see the new show!

Friday, July 12, 2013

Mini Solo Show


Yesterday I helped to hang my first solo show!  It consists of seven paintings and is at Chow Restaurant in Danville.  I was so excited that I forgot to take photo's of the paintings!  Next time I dine there, I promise to take a few photo's to share.  The photo below is of the interior when I was there several weeks ago to check out the interior space.

They have great food in a casual atmosphere and a friendly wait staff.  My husband and I go there frequently for their Sunday Brunch (mmmm...) and love to dine on their patio!




Chow Food Bar is located at:

445 Railroad Ave  Danville, CA 94526
                                                                       (925) 838-4510

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

La Vela d'oro


la vela d'oro




Just finished up my Venice painting that I began several weeks ago in Lake Tahoe. I love the reflection of the sail on the water and the warm afternoon colors on the domes as well as the three men expertly handling the boat.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Celebrate Summer



I have just finished two new paintings for the Lafayette Gallery's new show "Celebrate Summer".  The painting above was from Peggi Kroll-Roberts workshop that I took several years ago and was done from both a study and a photo.  The model had an iPod in her hand while she posed which made her had posed funny.  I decided to place a love letter in her hand instead - hence the title "The Love Letter".  She has a look on her face that doesn't really give away what her letter is saying to her heart.






The second painting I submitted for hanging is of two women taking their little terriers for a walk on the beach down in Aptos, California.  I just loved how the lead Westie was cruzing and the little brown Carin was working so hard to keep up with his buddy.  The folds in the womens jeans and the colorful leashes work as a ribbon moving your eye through the painting all added to the fun of this one! The title of this is "Toes and Tails".

Hope you can come by the Gallery to see the new show.  It will be on display until August 10th.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Upcoming Gallery Summer Shows

Over the weekend we were in Lake Tahoe celebrating my birthday and I was able to start a painting for the galleries summer show - America's Cup.

It was my birthday so I was enjoying a little wine too!


The painting is based on a photo I had taken in 2005 while in Venice.  I loved the late afternoon sunlight on the old buildings behind a wonderful little sail boat that had a breathtaking golden sail.



Also, if you are around this upcoming weekend, please stop by The Lafayette Gallery on Saturday, June 15th.  I will have a booth at the Artist Market from 11 - 5.  Stop by and say "hello"! Click HERE for the address.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Birds and Pearls


Last Wednesday, my husband and I drove to the de Young Museum in San Francisco to see "The Girl With a Pearl Earring" by Jan Vermeer.  This was an exhibit of Dutch paintings from the Mauritshuis, which is being remodeled.

The exhibit first took you through several rooms full of 200 or more small, sometimes tiny etchings & drawings from "Rembrandt's Century".  I needed to get up close to admire the amazing talent in these pieces but after 50 they all began to look alike.

Self-Portrait Drawing at a Window by Rembrandt van Rijn (1648)

Suddenly we were in a room full of color and there she was - The Girl With a Pearl Earring" (c1665).


I fell in love.  The pose is just so intriguing with her looking over her shoulder with those big eyes looking straight into the viewer with a slightly open mouth and just a hint of glistening on her lips.  The blues, the golds, the pearl and the head wrap all added to my fascination.  

I had to go back three times to look at her - "just once more"!


The only other piece that captured my heart was by an artist named Carel Fabritius and it was titled "The Goldfinch" (1654).




Yesterday a new exhibit opened that at the Legion of Honor - "Impressionists on the Water"
 June 1 - October 13, 2013.  I can't wait!

Claude Monet


Sunday, May 19, 2013

The GIRLS

Just completed two fun paintings for the new show at the Lafayette Gallery - Much Ado About Color.


 Girl With the Blue Dress




Girl With the Pink Dress

Exciting titles (I know!) but I did have fun painting both of them.  I had taken a workshop from Peggi Kroll Roberts  several years ago.  It was about 108 degrees in the shade in Lodi, California.  We were all in a vineyard and it was beautiful but very warm.  These were done from studies and photographs.

Plus, I learned how to do watermarks yesterday.....can you see them?


Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Hanging All Day

Wednesday several of my painting friends and I hung a new show at the Orinda Library.

CALIFORNIA SHADES







The show looks fabulous!

I hope you pop in and see it!

Orinda Library
26 Orinda Way, Orinda, CA 94563

May 1 -31, 2013
Reception - May 11 - 3:30 - 5:30


AND.....




I also hope to see you this evening at the BMW show in Concord!


ROADSHOW







Live music, drinks and appetizers (as well as wonderful ART by the Lafayette Gallery)!

BMW - Concord
1867 Market St., Concord, CA 94520


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Classic Corvette



Just finished putting the final touches on my newest painting of a 1961 red Corvette convertible.





I found her parked outside of a restaurant just as the sun was setting.  Her headlights and bumper reflect the colors of the evening sky.

I have one more car painting finished and waiting to be framed but I am thinking about doing several smaller ones.  Maybe one of a Vintage Green Vespa!!!

Yesterday I found a black Sting Ray parked near my car at the grocery store.  Mmmmm.....

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Varoom......



My painting "Roadster" was accepted into a show at BMW.  Now I have to say I am on a little bit of a car theme.  I love the sexy lines of the older cars and the reflections of light on the chrome, hood, windows...everywhere!  So much fun to paint.

The roadster above is a BMW 507 Roadster circa 1957.

Below are two photo's that I plan to have ready for the reception in April.  I don't have the exact date yet but I will let you know as soon as I know something.  BMW plans on having a live band, Napa Valley wines and a catered event!  Sounds fun to me!!








Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Inside/Outside Show




The new show at the Lafayette Gallery is up and looks great.  If you would like to stop by and see the show, please check the address under the "Galleries & Events" tab above.

This is my "Outside" painting for the show, entitled Poetry in the Park.  

Several years ago I took a workshop in Lodi, CA with Peggi Kroll-Roberts and I did this large painting from a small gestural study and photo.

To see other artists work at the gallery...... http://www.lafayettegallery.net/

Saturday, March 9, 2013

The Morning Paper




Tomorrow we will be setting up a new show at the Lafayette Gallery.  The show -  "Inside/Outside", will include various paintings from 24 local artists.

This is one of the paintings that I will be submitting.  I painted it from a photo that I took in Paris several years ago at the Cafe du Metro.  This gentleman was enjoying his morning coffee and paper while it was storming outside, just before hopping on the metro right outside the cafe's door.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Singing in the Rain

Sergio Romo - Singing in the Rain






I have been a baseball fan since my teens and especially a Giant's fan!  I have been to games at Candlestick park with my girlfriends on warm sunny days and late at night when it has been freezing.  Through thick and thin (or as they like to say now - TORTURE), I have cheered for the Giants. Mr. B and I have taken our three boys to Spring Training several times.

Last October the San Francisco Giants Won the National League Pennant in the Rain at AT&T Park courtesy of another Sergio Romo save.  This was a wonderful moment to paint.  I just love Romo's energy while soaked to the bone, he has such great spirit!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

A New Beginning

Does an artist need a website or will a blog be more up to date with current paintings and events?

This is an experiment of mine to see if I can eventually do away with my website and add new art to my blog!  Therefore allowing my sweet son, Jon, who has been my "webmaster" for all of these years to take a little break from mom's lack of understanding HTML!

Thursday I began a new painting that I am very excited about.  After painting several 8 x 8 painting's, I was ready to jump into something big!  Luckily on Thursday in class, a painting buddy of mine happened to have a fresh canvas in her car that she offered to me. I tossed out the 8 x 8 that I had brought and pulled out some reference for a larger painting.

I began by placing a grid on both my reference and my canvas.  From there I did a quick sketch from my reference.  A few angles were off on the sketch so I fixed them as I went along.




I then began adding my darks and my central figure.  The photo was take at the Cafe du Metro, Saint-Germain-Des-Prés, 6ème in Paris. It was pouring dogs and cats outside.

The windows were steaming up from the coffee machines & fresh baked goods. I loved the busy waiters and the hustle and bustle of people coming from the nearby Metro station but this older man had found his "zen moment" with a cup of coffee and the morning paper.






As I worked on the painting in my studio, I contemplated on whether to leave in the foreground craft of water.  I felt like it gave the painting a foreground, middle ground and background but I also felt like it was distracting.  We will see if it stays or goes as the painting progresses.






Thank you for viewing my art and if you have any questions, please contact me at jeanette@jeanettebaird.com



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...