Thursday, May 20, 2010

'Island Gold' and painting the grandeur of the volcanic Hawaiian mountains


Detail of 'Island Gold', 24"x18" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Part of my challenge this year is to depict the beauty of the dramatic mountain ridges of the Hawaiian islands. To portray such grandeur and timelessness on a canvas is no easy feat. This is one of the first of several paintings that I hope to complete this year.

This UPCOMING WEEKEND: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

"Oceanside Dremas" & Thumbs up to Open Studio Organizers

Detail of 'Oceanside Dreams', 24"x18" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I'd like to give a big THUMBS UP to Jack Gaughan and his organizers for doing such an awesome job on this years 2010 East Contra Costa County Artists' Open Studio Tour. I'm certain that this will be the best year ever. Here is a two page article in 110 Degree Magazine...the article is on pages 80-81

For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are willing to drive only a few extra minutes, you can come visit my studio and others and enjoy some wine, chocolates, good art and sunshine. There are 62 artists on the studio this year and if you start at my studio, you can pick up your free 18-page full-color catalog with samples and maps of the other artists' works. The group works very hard on this event!

I will me hosing the fabulous sculptor, Crystal Lockwood, who often uses Hawaiian woods for her beautiful figurative pieces.

When? THIS WEEKEND, Sat & Sun, May 22 & 23, 10am-6pm. Call me at the number on my website if you need directions or have questions.

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Monday, May 17, 2010

Beachside Bliss detail and Twitter nettiquite

Detail of 'Beachside Bliss', 36"x24" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I must confess, I'm not exactly in love with Twitter...but I do participate on the platform. The reasons for my less than amorous feelings have more to do with how many fellow Twitter people find fans. One behavior that simply drives me crazy is when a person 'follows' you, you then get the email (and I always follow legitimate people back) but then you get a second email saying that they are now following you.

Did you follow that (no pun intended)?!!

What's going on is that after they've initially followed you so that you receive email about them, they then delete you from their list to pump their numbers up. Some decide to re-follow when you've signed up to get their streams...they are counting on the fact that a percentage will follow back but really, how is that a good way to reach people? Do these Twitter crazy people really think that others don't notice this same exact pattern?

What they are trying to accomplish is to show that they are popular and therefore, they must be worth following. It's kind of shallow considering how many people have the same exact businesses on Twitter. I mean, how effective is this obsession for most? Probably not enough to justify the time many can sink to gain followers who don't really connect with their product (like I need a get-rich-quick plan or like I need another protein-power-max-drink).

Thank you for not taking this rant to seriously...now must post on Twitter...

The above image is a section of a new larger painting titled 'Beachside Bliss'.

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Friday, May 14, 2010

Island Shack Getaway and to my collectors who have moved

6"x6" oil painting titled "Island Shack Getaway", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Here is another beautiful Waimea Plantation Cottage oil painting...but what I really want to address today are my hopes that my collectors who have moved over the past year are happy in their new homes, wherever that may be now.

Every spring I send out my Open Studio postcard to most of my mailing list and there have always been postcards that get returned because people move and sometimes they move and the US Post Office can no longer track them. This is the case with several of my well known collectors this year and if you are reading this...then you know that I wish you a very happy future in your new residence! Hope you are still within the San Francisco Bay Area and that I will see you at a show this year. Stay in touch and be well!

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Monday, May 10, 2010

Island Hut


6"x6" oil painting titled "Island Hut", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

What I love about this particular painting is the way that the sunlight filters through the palm and banana leaves. It's been less than two months since I was on Kauai last but I already miss it. That said, I'm lucky to be a full-time working artist who paints from their inspirations. Most of the past month has been devoted to my reverse glass painted chandeliers but I'm thinking that I'll be able to begin painting in oil on canvas early next week and perhaps through much of June...must get ready for the La Jolla Festival of the Arts, which happens at the end of June!

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Friday, May 07, 2010

Green Island Shack and What is an Open Studio Tour?

6"x6" oil painting titled "Green Island Shack", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

It's that time of year again and I'm preparing for my Spring Open Studio. Actually, I'm part of a group of artists who are all part of an Open Studio Tour. If you are like most people, you may be asking 'What is an Open Studio Tour'? If you are an art collector, then you probably know a lot about this sort of thing already...but let me tell you, it's one thing to tell people I'm having an Open Studio event at my studio/gallery but it's another trying to explain what an Artist Open Studio Tour is to people who probably don't spend much time thinking about art.

Some people just don't 'get it' if they aren't interested in art. You probably do, as you are interested in fine art.

Communities that have a strong pool of working artists tend to have what is called an 'Open Studio Tour' at least once a year. It is a highly organized event where anywhere from 10 to over 200 artists get together, produce postcards and a catalog with a sample of each artist's work and a map of all of the various locations and then they distribute the information to their clients and to the community. Often these events are held on one weekend but sometimes they spill over onto two weekends if the area has enough artists. Also, there is usually a gallery that will host a reception with one piece from each artist. This allows the public to preview artwork in person so that they can better decide which studios to visit.

What is the purpose of an Open Studio Tour? There are many benefits to this event. Working artists have an opportunity to show their collectors their studio work space and all of the work that they have on hand. Demonstrating their creative process helps to show collectors how they create their work. The public hopefully understands a bit more about an artist's life and their work from this experience and perhaps a few of these people even walk away with a treasure or two from the event. That is the heart of the Open Studio Event.

When I lived in Santa Cruz, the Open Studios spanned three weekends because the working artist population is that big. Marin County has a two or three weekend Open Studio as well. Again, lots of working creative people live in the scenic hills outside of San Francisco. Generally the San Francisco Bay Area counties are rich hubs for artists and most areas have an organized Artist Open Studio Tour. Hope to see you at mine!

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Your Island Beach and Making Designs Work

SOLD
6"x6" oil painting titled "Your Island Beach", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

This has been a very busy month of commissions for both of my painted glass chandeliers and my oil paintings. One project in particular had brought back memories to my earlier years as a graphic designer. At the time I had been out of college for about 4 years and I was designing for a studio in which the owner was a very talented designer in her own right. She taught me that no matter how many ways you could design something (could be anything like an ad, brochure, logo, etc...) that there was always yet another way.

Basically, I learned to always 'stretch my brain' in terms of design. I take that early lesson for granted as it comes naturally now. There's always a way to make another element fit or to rearrange information even when you've been through several rounds of innovative comps with the client.

These days I use my design skills on a regular basis. I use them in my printed collateral and in the printed collateral that I create for other artists and group art events, I use my design skills in my paintings when imagining a dynamic composition, in my chandeliers to give them that "wow" factor and I use them in commissions. Commissioned paintings can be especially challenging because you have to envision what the client is envisioning or you have the added challenge of taking an image and making it fit into a different shape or shapes (multiple canvases) to fit a wall space.

Looking back, I'm very thankful for my early life as a designer. Knowledge and experience are two things that I know are on my plate. They give me the confidence to know that I can create a commissioned painting with success.

A bit about the above painting: I don't have a side picture but the island house wrapped around the canvas. I sold this a couple weekends ago at a festival and it was an especially nice piece.

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Walmea Plantation Shack, and catching up from April


6"x6" oil painting titled "Waimea Shack", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

April was a whirlwind month. I exhibited in two 3-day festivals, which can be really exhausting...and commissioned paintings that needed to be created/completed/delivered were stacking up. It's completely amazing how quickly the weeks go by, especially once my festival season hits!

The above Mini Master is another lovely Waimea Plantation Cottage painting. Honestly, I could paint these cottages forever if I didn't have such a strong desire to also create large works.

What do I have going on this month? Well, I am finishing four separate commissions, preparing for my Spring Open Studio event and I'm also in the process of creating new works for my next set of shows...speaking of...time to go up to the studio!

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com