October 15, 2024
300 Mason Jars: Preserving History has arrived in Canada and is set for release on October 29. I have seen it and it is quite lovely (if I do say so myself). I'm working with Monica from Heritage House publishing to put together some events to launch the book. The first two confirmed are:
1. The Official Book Launch in the Kearley Room at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria on Thursday, November 7th between 4 and 6 PM. I'll organize the presentations to happen close to 4, 5, and 6 PM so you can choose when to come depending on your own schedule.( turn right just past the gift shop. The Kearley room is near the Art rentals section. In the mansion).
2. Author talk and presentation at the Sooke Museum on Saturday November 9 at 3 PM. This is part of the Sooke Museum's author series
it is free! Books will be available in the gift shop and they hold a nice collection of my cards too.
I'll update on how the other invitations firm up- there will likely be a few more in November and then they'll start up again in the new year. Great interest so far bookstores and small museums.
300 Mason Jars: Preserving History has arrived in Canada and is set for release on October 29. I have seen it and it is quite lovely (if I do say so myself). I'm working with Monica from Heritage House publishing to put together some events to launch the book. The first two confirmed are:
1. The Official Book Launch in the Kearley Room at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria on Thursday, November 7th between 4 and 6 PM. I'll organize the presentations to happen close to 4, 5, and 6 PM so you can choose when to come depending on your own schedule.( turn right just past the gift shop. The Kearley room is near the Art rentals section. In the mansion).
2. Author talk and presentation at the Sooke Museum on Saturday November 9 at 3 PM. This is part of the Sooke Museum's author series
it is free! Books will be available in the gift shop and they hold a nice collection of my cards too.
I'll update on how the other invitations firm up- there will likely be a few more in November and then they'll start up again in the new year. Great interest so far bookstores and small museums.
July 2024- the book is off to the printers and it looks beautiful. It will be hard bound with linen binding and 256 pages! All the poetry, and some family history and photographs will be included. I'll be doing a book launch for 12 and readings. Sign up for my newsletter if you want to be notified. Thanks for your interest. Joanne
Mason Jar originals for sale.
Here are some of the originals that are still available. Priced between $250.00 and $500.00. Let me know if you are interested from the contact page.
Mason Jar #3 with knitting needles 7" X 11"
|
Mason Jar #21 with Spider 7" X 11"
|
Mason Jar #60 with Compass 7" X 11"
|
Mason Jar #177 with Magenta Cosmos 14" X 11"
|
Mason Jar #244 with Japonica 7" X 11"
|
Mason Jar #263 with Dogwood Flowers 11" X 7"
|
Mason Jar 275 with recorder and whistle, 14" X 11" 2019
|
Mason Jar 252 with Maple blossoms. 14 X 11" 2019,
|
Mason Jar 225 -226 with daffodils and winter squash
|
Mason Jar 227- 228 with Tulips and Indian Plum
|
Mason Jar 230 with wild bleeding heart
|
71 Mason Jar with Dandelion Greens 11 X 14"
|
March 2024
BIG NEWS FOR THE MASON JAR SERIES! IT IS GOING TO BE PUBLISHED AS A BOOK BY HERITAGE HOUSE PUBLISHERS IN THE FALL OF 2024!
I'm pretty excited. I have all the files into the editor and designer now and am awaiting further instructions.
I'll post here as things progress. Joanne
BIG NEWS FOR THE MASON JAR SERIES! IT IS GOING TO BE PUBLISHED AS A BOOK BY HERITAGE HOUSE PUBLISHERS IN THE FALL OF 2024!
I'm pretty excited. I have all the files into the editor and designer now and am awaiting further instructions.
I'll post here as things progress. Joanne
Secrets and Stories: A Room Full of Mason Jars now over, was a great show. Thanks to everyone who came and purchase, shared stories and enjoyed the series.
ONE DAY ONLY: November 5, 2022 2 pm – 8 pm Swan Creek Recreation Center 3950 Columbine Avenue,Victoria BC V8Z 6G2
Every family has secrets. Every family has stories. Some need to be told. This exhibition is about one such secret and the rich legacy of joy and sorrow I uncovered with its telling. A Room Full of Mason Jars are over 200 intimate watercolour paintings of artifacts that represent fragments of the legacy of my maternal grandfather, Werner Preetzman. He took his own life in 1951. It is an ordinary story, of an ordinary man, in extraordinary times, and is interwoven with my journey to understand the legacy that echoes in my life through a love of nature, hard work, music and family. It is the reclaiming of a heritage and a refusal to define someone solely by their final act.
The Mason Jar Series is comprised of 276 paintings and depicts artifacts in 300 mason jars (as a nod to my maternal grandmother’s story of having 300 mason jars of preserved food stored at all the times as insurance against hunger).
It is about the man who helped to put food into those jars.
ONE DAY ONLY: November 5, 2022 2 pm – 8 pm Swan Creek Recreation Center 3950 Columbine Avenue,Victoria BC V8Z 6G2
Every family has secrets. Every family has stories. Some need to be told. This exhibition is about one such secret and the rich legacy of joy and sorrow I uncovered with its telling. A Room Full of Mason Jars are over 200 intimate watercolour paintings of artifacts that represent fragments of the legacy of my maternal grandfather, Werner Preetzman. He took his own life in 1951. It is an ordinary story, of an ordinary man, in extraordinary times, and is interwoven with my journey to understand the legacy that echoes in my life through a love of nature, hard work, music and family. It is the reclaiming of a heritage and a refusal to define someone solely by their final act.
The Mason Jar Series is comprised of 276 paintings and depicts artifacts in 300 mason jars (as a nod to my maternal grandmother’s story of having 300 mason jars of preserved food stored at all the times as insurance against hunger).
It is about the man who helped to put food into those jars.
Some from the Mason Jar series to go to the buses.
|
August 4, 2020 I have selected images from my Mason Jar series for this new work. Once a year there has been a huge celebration of agriculture, home crafts and food of all types on the Saanich Peninsula. Residents from all over the Island participate. In 2020 for the first time in over 200 years the fair has been cancelled. My Mason Jar series is about preserving and releasing the past. When I began the series I was trying to understand my pioneering ancestors and much of their lives were about growing and preserving food for long winters. In this work I have selected a few images from the series related to the Saanich Fall Fair and have added some words to lead the viewer through them.
|
Mason Jars 299 - 300 with tools of the trade. This is the last one in the series of 300 mason jars ( 276 paintings in total!)
June 28, 2019 Mason Jar series is finished! What a rich and varied journey it has been. This last one shows the tools I used to create the images on paper for the series. It does not show all the inner work that was required and all the rich interactions the series continues to bring me. The show will go on with about 20 paintings being featured in the Wood and Water exhibition October 22 - November 10 at Cedarhill Arts Centre and an exhibition booked for a more substantial showing in the Old School House Gallery in Qualicum Beach in February 2020.
Here are a few of the woodworking related image for the October exhibition.
Here are a few of the woodworking related image for the October exhibition.
May 10, 2019 Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I updated this page. Last year was slow for the Mason Jars as I was captured by Mandalas when my Mom passed. I am back though. Full speed to have the series finished by October this year. I finished 266/267 on Wednesday and am busy on 268. These are 'workshop buddies of Gregory Brown's. Lovely old tools and will fit well with my exhibition in October about "Wood and Water". I've also been working on tree branches in jars. Here are a few.
July 2018 The Mason Jar series is now in Kerrobert Saskatchewan with the two most recent paintings. My Mother passed away in February and these two are about her. She always had a prayer plant on her coffee table (246) and I learned to cook using these spoons (245),
|
|
March 1, 2018, there have been fewer Mason jar paintings this past year. Very few I realize looking at the last entry on this page. I am now up to 243. The series travels to Saskatchewan and Port Alberni this year.
Mason Jars 266/267 with Victoria Hack and Keyhole saws. 14" X 11"
|
Mason Jar 263 with wild dogwood
|
Mason Jar 259 with Western Hemlock
|
January 31, 2017. Here are a few of the newer images in the Mason Jar series that are featured in the THRIVE exhibition until February 18th. I also have two new posters...
218 Mason Jar with Cedar
223 Mason Jar with Honey and honey comb
|
212 Mason Jar with wild mushrooms
201 Mason Jar with Cottonwood
|
202 Mason jar with Garry Oak
216 Mason Jar with Red Geranium
|
Mason Jar 229 with Daisy Chain Daisies. 7 X 11" watercolour on paper
April 2017 and the series continues. I just finished #229, with Daisy Chain Daisies, yesterday.
Here are some images from the Mason Jar show that was in Terrace in July 2016. The Terrace Art Association has a Big gallery and the works held their own in the space. Another wonderful sharing of stories and folklore. Thanks TAA!
May 27- 29, 2016 The mason Jar series made a guest appearance at the Greenwood Art Club's annual exhibition. Greenwood is the town my Mother was born in and just down the road from the Kerr Creek property where she grew up. It was good to go back and see the land again and visit with the people who still live in that area. They got the works both literally and metaphorically. Notice the wonderful tin panels on the roof. It was once the ceiling for the opera house in Gold rush heydays. In the 40's the height was divided to make two floors to house the Japanese families that were interned there during the war.
|
|
MyMom, Jean Thomson with Fred Marshall who now owns the Kerr Creek property in Midway BC
|
|
January 28, 2016
300 Mason Jars: An installation is now completed. Well the first run is completed. Reception to the show was overwhelmingly positive, so I expect I will offer the exhibition in other locations in the future. No firm plans at the moment, but I will keep you posted on developments as they arise. If you missed the exhibition and want a chance to walk through it Virtually. My friend Doug Butler created this wonderful 360 Photo of the installation where you can do just that. It is automatic, but you can also use your mouse, fingers, or arrow keys to navigate around the image. http://www.victoria360.ca/300MasonJars/
This page used to be the sponsor page. It is now open to all. If I have another exhibition like this that would benefit from some 'crowd' funding I'll let you know through my newsletter.
300 Mason Jars: An installation is now completed. Well the first run is completed. Reception to the show was overwhelmingly positive, so I expect I will offer the exhibition in other locations in the future. No firm plans at the moment, but I will keep you posted on developments as they arise. If you missed the exhibition and want a chance to walk through it Virtually. My friend Doug Butler created this wonderful 360 Photo of the installation where you can do just that. It is automatic, but you can also use your mouse, fingers, or arrow keys to navigate around the image. http://www.victoria360.ca/300MasonJars/
This page used to be the sponsor page. It is now open to all. If I have another exhibition like this that would benefit from some 'crowd' funding I'll let you know through my newsletter.
November 2, 2015
BIG NEWS: the press is really coming on board for this exhibition. I have been interviewed by FOCUS magazine and will be their feature artist for the December issue. AND Preview magazine has asked for information for a short feature article as well! Hopefully there will be more interest generated from those articles too. I am not telling far and wide about the FOCUS article as I want people to be surprised (and a little bit because I want to see it first to be sure it is real!).
AND I have finally decided on pricing. All the works will be sold unframed. So easy to mail to you and easy to take home in a suitcase too.
A= 5” X 7” 175.00 plus GST 8.75 : 183.75 and PST 12.25= total $196.00
B = 11” X 7” 230.00 plus GST 11.50 and PST 16.10 = $257.60
C = 14” X 11” 345.00 plus GST 17.25 and PST 24.15 = $386.65
I was planning to post the entire inventory list on the sponsor page of my website (141 paintings, plus their poems and prices.) However that has proven cumbersome. So I can send you the list by PDF if you like, then if something strikes your fancy and the image isn't already on the site, you can ask and I'll send you a jpeg of the image. Some of you have your names already on a few paintings so I have them listed as HOLD on the inventory list- and your initials, so please don't think I have forgotten. If you don't see your initials then I have forgotten! So please panic, then call or email me so I can remedy the situation!
BIG NEWS: the press is really coming on board for this exhibition. I have been interviewed by FOCUS magazine and will be their feature artist for the December issue. AND Preview magazine has asked for information for a short feature article as well! Hopefully there will be more interest generated from those articles too. I am not telling far and wide about the FOCUS article as I want people to be surprised (and a little bit because I want to see it first to be sure it is real!).
AND I have finally decided on pricing. All the works will be sold unframed. So easy to mail to you and easy to take home in a suitcase too.
A= 5” X 7” 175.00 plus GST 8.75 : 183.75 and PST 12.25= total $196.00
B = 11” X 7” 230.00 plus GST 11.50 and PST 16.10 = $257.60
C = 14” X 11” 345.00 plus GST 17.25 and PST 24.15 = $386.65
I was planning to post the entire inventory list on the sponsor page of my website (141 paintings, plus their poems and prices.) However that has proven cumbersome. So I can send you the list by PDF if you like, then if something strikes your fancy and the image isn't already on the site, you can ask and I'll send you a jpeg of the image. Some of you have your names already on a few paintings so I have them listed as HOLD on the inventory list- and your initials, so please don't think I have forgotten. If you don't see your initials then I have forgotten! So please panic, then call or email me so I can remedy the situation!
October 6, 2015. I had no idea it was so long since I updated this page! I have been working on this series all summer, painting and canning and collecting mason jars. I will be featuring the paintings and the canning in my solo show in December and January at the Gage Gallery and I am very excited. It will be an installation of about 140 paintings, 160 jars full of fruits, salsa, jams and jellies, additional jars full of dried herbs and fruits and a wonderful assortment of artifacts that I have collected will be placed in jars too. I will have extras that you can bring something to put in and some friends have been asking if they can bring a beautiful jar of canned something to add to the installation. I say Yes and will figure it all out at the time. The show goes up December 29th and I'll host and opening on New Years Eve at the Gage Gallery. I'll post a few new images above. My Mother gifted me with some jars that belonged to her mother (my Grandmother) and they are featured in # 134 and 136 above.
Oh and I didn't get the grant that I applied for. Just not in the cards, or in the jars.
Oh and I didn't get the grant that I applied for. Just not in the cards, or in the jars.
Mason Jar 104 - early spring violets
May 2015,
Looking at this site I realize why I wanted the grant. This earning a living is tough stuff and takes quite a bit of time. Right now I have the mason jars on the back burner while I finish work on the Gray whale and then the George Jay Mural project. August and September should see concentrated work on the project and there will be paintings done before then too. I am hoping to feature the series at my solo show at the Gage Gallery December 29 - January 14th. It is a good timeline for me to aim for. Here is an image of one little on that I painted at Francis King park.
Looking at this site I realize why I wanted the grant. This earning a living is tough stuff and takes quite a bit of time. Right now I have the mason jars on the back burner while I finish work on the Gray whale and then the George Jay Mural project. August and September should see concentrated work on the project and there will be paintings done before then too. I am hoping to feature the series at my solo show at the Gage Gallery December 29 - January 14th. It is a good timeline for me to aim for. Here is an image of one little on that I painted at Francis King park.
January 6, 2015
Well, I haven't painted a mason jar since late November. It isn't that they have been off my mind. Contrary, they have been, however, I am in waiting and gathering mode and getting things set up so I can dedicate time to them later on this year. I just scanned in the latest and found that I hadn't painted any for over a month. My studio has been undergoing a re-organization and I took some time off too. Here are a few of the latest.
Well, I haven't painted a mason jar since late November. It isn't that they have been off my mind. Contrary, they have been, however, I am in waiting and gathering mode and getting things set up so I can dedicate time to them later on this year. I just scanned in the latest and found that I hadn't painted any for over a month. My studio has been undergoing a re-organization and I took some time off too. Here are a few of the latest.
December 11, 2014. I am now over 100 mason jars in the series. I applied for a BCArts Council Grant for funding to dedicate time to the series and the more difficult works. Below are three of the larger mason jar, about 11 X 14" that I have had scanned. (the smaller ones I can do myself). I have been slower in creating works for this series this Autumn with my full teaching schedule. However, the lists are continuing and the musings and I have been applying for exhibitions. So I guess work has been continuing, just not as visible as when I am painting...
99 Mason Jar with tea and ornament 7 X 11"
|
98 Mason Jar with grain 11 X 14"
|
100 Mason Jar with beeswax candle 7 X 11"
|
Video of the 300 Mason Jar Installation and a short artist talk filmed by Efren of Exhibit-V. Here is a link!
December 2014
Much progress since my last update. I have sent in an application for a BCArts Council grant to have dedicated time to work on the project. This time I got two wonderful letters of support to send in with my application. I have also sent out two exhibition proposals for 2016 and will be sending out more. Painting has been slower this fall, however, I am now at 101 completed paintings! It has been a busy with fundraisers, teaching, and said applications. In the Spring I have a residency at Francis King Park and will be using that time to do more mason jar works focusing on the forest artifacts that are applicable to the project as well as some just for fun. I have had the larger works professionally scanned in now so I have digital records of everything. Here are a few of the larger works from this past summer.
Much progress since my last update. I have sent in an application for a BCArts Council grant to have dedicated time to work on the project. This time I got two wonderful letters of support to send in with my application. I have also sent out two exhibition proposals for 2016 and will be sending out more. Painting has been slower this fall, however, I am now at 101 completed paintings! It has been a busy with fundraisers, teaching, and said applications. In the Spring I have a residency at Francis King Park and will be using that time to do more mason jar works focusing on the forest artifacts that are applicable to the project as well as some just for fun. I have had the larger works professionally scanned in now so I have digital records of everything. Here are a few of the larger works from this past summer.
76 Mason Jar with Beet
|
78 Mason Jar with Corn on the Cob
|
93 Mason Jar with Pickles
|
September 10, 2014, Not much news this month. I have been too busy travelling to do much painting though I did do one image in England while visiting my cousin Gloria Bullen. She was sharing some of her Father's letters from WW2 and I did one jar with a postcard that he sent from a prisoner of war camp in Korea. It had lettering in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and English. It is the first mason jar in private ownership as I gave it to her as a thank-you for hosting me on my visit.
I have also been to Saskatchewan and brought back some artifacts from the railroad that will end up in mason jars. Mostly now I am working on objects from the harvest and will wait to do artifacts again. I just finished these tomatoes yesterday. They are here fresh and have since been canned. Life is good and wonderfully abundant. Don't you agree!
This month I'll also start working on the application for a BC Arts Council grant again. They haven't actually posted the application yet. I think they wait until later this month. It will be quite a different request than the last one with the work I have done and the direction that is emerging.
Thanks again for your support.
j
I have also been to Saskatchewan and brought back some artifacts from the railroad that will end up in mason jars. Mostly now I am working on objects from the harvest and will wait to do artifacts again. I just finished these tomatoes yesterday. They are here fresh and have since been canned. Life is good and wonderfully abundant. Don't you agree!
This month I'll also start working on the application for a BC Arts Council grant again. They haven't actually posted the application yet. I think they wait until later this month. It will be quite a different request than the last one with the work I have done and the direction that is emerging.
Thanks again for your support.
j
#59 Mason Jar with two bits
Above is a mason jar painted on July 10, 2014 when I was visiting with Freda Ericson in Rock Creek. I had been to the old Kerr Creek Ranch, now called Bauer Creek Ranch and had a tour with Fred Marshall all around the property. He loaned me a 'bit' to use in a painting, when I got to Freda's I realized that it didn't fit inside, even in the largest of the bottles, so she went outside to get me a smaller bit from her fence, but it didn't fit either. I arrived at this solution 'two bits'. So this is my 'two bits worth about bits'.
July 18, 2014
I am back from a quick trip up to Kerr Creek to visit the old procurement and explored the land with the new owners. Even had a chance to help them herd their cows and calves up to the old home site. It was hot and clear and yet there was a breeze most of the time that made the heat quite comfortable. There were also virtually no biting insects- perhaps they prefer the cooler times of day. I had a great time and did 10 paintings 6 were started while I was there and the rest when I got home. I brought wild flowers with me and they needed quick attention. Fred Marshall, the new owner, also gave me a number of artifacts from the site that I'll paint once the flowers and fruit slow down some, these are shingles, brick fragments, charred pine and a few rusted tin cans. Here are a few of the new ones for your enjoyment. I put the 'two bits' up on the Mason Jar Gallery page if you want more information about it. One thing not there though is that my Mom and my Aunt rode horses all around the hills near Midway. They would each have had a bit for their horse. So the 'two bits' has a multitude of meanings.
Below are two I painted on site and the hare bell that I brought home and painted between bouts of canning peaches, apricots and cherries for using later in the series.
I am back from a quick trip up to Kerr Creek to visit the old procurement and explored the land with the new owners. Even had a chance to help them herd their cows and calves up to the old home site. It was hot and clear and yet there was a breeze most of the time that made the heat quite comfortable. There were also virtually no biting insects- perhaps they prefer the cooler times of day. I had a great time and did 10 paintings 6 were started while I was there and the rest when I got home. I brought wild flowers with me and they needed quick attention. Fred Marshall, the new owner, also gave me a number of artifacts from the site that I'll paint once the flowers and fruit slow down some, these are shingles, brick fragments, charred pine and a few rusted tin cans. Here are a few of the new ones for your enjoyment. I put the 'two bits' up on the Mason Jar Gallery page if you want more information about it. One thing not there though is that my Mom and my Aunt rode horses all around the hills near Midway. They would each have had a bit for their horse. So the 'two bits' has a multitude of meanings.
Below are two I painted on site and the hare bell that I brought home and painted between bouts of canning peaches, apricots and cherries for using later in the series.
#69 Mason Jar with Hare Bell
|
#65 Mason Jar with Hay
|
#62 Mason Jar with Settler's Cabin- Sorry for the poor photo- this one is too big to scan.
|
#46 Mason Jar with Dead Dandelion wishes.
July 3, 2014, I am spending a week as artist in residence at Fort Rodd Hill, unfortunately not as much time as I had hoped to paint, but still fun, and the weather is extraordinary! I have the loan of a few artifacts for the week and finished a painting of the leg wraps called "puttee's but forgot it at the park today. So I'll try to get it home with me tomorrow and scan it for you. Until then here is another one. I painted the living version of this before I went to New York with my Mom and these were waiting for me when I got home. Dead and still holding onto their wishes!
Thanks again for your sponsorship. It is very validating. I showed a few at the Gorge On Art on Canada day and they were very well received. You were the first though!
j
Thanks again for your sponsorship. It is very validating. I showed a few at the Gorge On Art on Canada day and they were very well received. You were the first though!
j
#40 Mason Jar with Strawberry plant SOLD
July 3, 2014
This is a new and developing series for me. I am just starting to call it the Mason Jar Series. It started out as the 'transforming pain project' inspired by Richard Rohr's quote, "the pain which is not transformed is re-transmitted" this is my attempt to work through generations of family secrets and release them and the pain they carry, to make room for more joy! More information on the series and the ideas behind it are available to sponsors. And of course when I finally exhibit them. For now though they will be kept close as I watch where it is all leading. Joanne
This is a new and developing series for me. I am just starting to call it the Mason Jar Series. It started out as the 'transforming pain project' inspired by Richard Rohr's quote, "the pain which is not transformed is re-transmitted" this is my attempt to work through generations of family secrets and release them and the pain they carry, to make room for more joy! More information on the series and the ideas behind it are available to sponsors. And of course when I finally exhibit them. For now though they will be kept close as I watch where it is all leading. Joanne
#48 Mason jar with Zebra
June 12, 2014
I am back from my New York trip with my Mom to see her foster son graduate with a BSc in Radiology. It was an adventure! I have been painting again since I got home. Here is the latest.
This one is definitely about me, and influenced by my trip to New York. We went to the Bronx Zoo and I saw real Zebras for the first time. They were absolutely beautiful. This little one has been with me since I was a child. A toy zebra that I have kept for over 50 years! Not sure if there is deep meaning here, but I enjoyed painting the image. She is in a Dominion jar and the lid can easily be knocked off. Dominion is for Canada, though I guess it could be for any of the Commonwealth countries, for me it means Canada.
I am back from my New York trip with my Mom to see her foster son graduate with a BSc in Radiology. It was an adventure! I have been painting again since I got home. Here is the latest.
This one is definitely about me, and influenced by my trip to New York. We went to the Bronx Zoo and I saw real Zebras for the first time. They were absolutely beautiful. This little one has been with me since I was a child. A toy zebra that I have kept for over 50 years! Not sure if there is deep meaning here, but I enjoyed painting the image. She is in a Dominion jar and the lid can easily be knocked off. Dominion is for Canada, though I guess it could be for any of the Commonwealth countries, for me it means Canada.
The wall of my living room with most
of the mason jar paintings!
May 29, 2014
As promised. You can see it larger if you click on it. Mary was by yesterday and witnessed it then called William in. The works seem to stir up memories in other people as well as in me! What I was aiming for! My son came by too and he raised his eyebrows!
As promised. You can see it larger if you click on it. Mary was by yesterday and witnessed it then called William in. The works seem to stir up memories in other people as well as in me! What I was aiming for! My son came by too and he raised his eyebrows!
# 18 Mason Jar with crochet hooks
May 28, 2014
Hello Sponsors,
I have completed 44 images and am working to keep from being overwhelmed with ideas for more. They all come with a story and I am recognizing that they are all from my own past and my imaginings about other's pasts. Quite wonderful. This small work is of crochet hooks and threads. I learned to crochet with my Grandmother when I was 14 years old. This was after we had a fight and I had stood my ground with her. That fight was the foundation of a wonderful relationship with her. That and my training in being polite and respectful of my elders. We had many cups of tea as we crocheted, (the teacups will be painted this winter), and I was instructed on the correct way to make the tea each time, it was a ritual of learning and acknowledging. I shared the series with my mentor/colleague Diana Thorneycroft and she asked why there were so many flowers. So I'll tell you too. Because I have to paint them while they are here- they are so quick to change into fruit and seed and berries. Next will be the painting of the fruits and berries. No shortage of subjects! Thanks again for being sponsors. I am thinking of a simple home opening early in the Fall since the summer is becoming pretty crowded for me. The trip to Saskatchewan will be wonderful for this series though as my Grandfather homesteaded there and I'll stop in Kerr Creek on my way out to do some more research at the ranch and in the museum. It all links together somehow, I'll just keep gathering until that becomes clear. J
Hello Sponsors,
I have completed 44 images and am working to keep from being overwhelmed with ideas for more. They all come with a story and I am recognizing that they are all from my own past and my imaginings about other's pasts. Quite wonderful. This small work is of crochet hooks and threads. I learned to crochet with my Grandmother when I was 14 years old. This was after we had a fight and I had stood my ground with her. That fight was the foundation of a wonderful relationship with her. That and my training in being polite and respectful of my elders. We had many cups of tea as we crocheted, (the teacups will be painted this winter), and I was instructed on the correct way to make the tea each time, it was a ritual of learning and acknowledging. I shared the series with my mentor/colleague Diana Thorneycroft and she asked why there were so many flowers. So I'll tell you too. Because I have to paint them while they are here- they are so quick to change into fruit and seed and berries. Next will be the painting of the fruits and berries. No shortage of subjects! Thanks again for being sponsors. I am thinking of a simple home opening early in the Fall since the summer is becoming pretty crowded for me. The trip to Saskatchewan will be wonderful for this series though as my Grandfather homesteaded there and I'll stop in Kerr Creek on my way out to do some more research at the ranch and in the museum. It all links together somehow, I'll just keep gathering until that becomes clear. J
#27 Mason Jar with Miner's Lettuce
May 7, 2014
Hello Sponsor's.
I just sent out another newsletter, so thought I'd send you another preview image from the series. This one is of miner's lettuce, an early Spring green, edible and welcomed. The jar is one of my Aunt Gloria's and has Chinese writing on it. As I was painting it I remembered many things, walks in the forest with my Mom, a trip to Barkerville with my parent's and sister. Discovering wonderful bunches of them near my home in Saanich. They are such a surprising, adaptable, resilient plant.
You will see the number is 27. I am now up to 35. Lot's of ideas still coming, some on hold until the winter months as I work to capture the Spring growth and the memories it evokes.
thanks again for the moral and monetary support.
I'll post some more images soon.
j
Hello Sponsor's.
I just sent out another newsletter, so thought I'd send you another preview image from the series. This one is of miner's lettuce, an early Spring green, edible and welcomed. The jar is one of my Aunt Gloria's and has Chinese writing on it. As I was painting it I remembered many things, walks in the forest with my Mom, a trip to Barkerville with my parent's and sister. Discovering wonderful bunches of them near my home in Saanich. They are such a surprising, adaptable, resilient plant.
You will see the number is 27. I am now up to 35. Lot's of ideas still coming, some on hold until the winter months as I work to capture the Spring growth and the memories it evokes.
thanks again for the moral and monetary support.
I'll post some more images soon.
j
April 12, 2014
Hello Sponsors,
Thank you so much for offering to sponsor this project. I see my path as an artist has been leading here for many years. The "Bottled" series was about personal growth and healing. This project is wider, it is about ancestral and societal healing. The title comes from a quote by Richard Rohr, 'the pain which is not transformed is re-transmitted'. I heard the quote last summer and it really resonated with me. I know that pain is part of our human condition, but what about happiness and the simple joys of living? Over the years I have studied happiness and contemplated whether or not it is in our human nature to exist in a state of happiness. I have concluded (and claim the option to change my mind in the future) that we are not wired for happiness. What we pass on to our children are cautions, warnings, information that will ensure their survival. Yes, we also pass on joy and happiness, but sometimes that can be buried under the cautions we send. I think we are able to be contented however, not continually. There is something about humans that demands striving and learning and trying to understand and create. Happiness means being in "The Now" but the now is so transitory that it is very difficult to reside there. Instead, I think that we can live a contented life, one that offers a good balance of challenge and reward, one in which we can take joy in the simple things in life. I was listening to an interview with Adam Phillips who has written the book, Missing Out: In Praise of the Unlived Life, in which he talks about our need to live in the present, the past and the future. He also said that we all live 'haunted by the myths of our own potential'. Intriguing stuff. This body of work is about myth, happiness, loss, legacy and family. It is evolving and growing. As of today- April 12th, 2014. I have created 15 new 'mason jar' images. They are meant to stimulate thought as well as be visually interesting and even beautiful. Thanks again for your interest and your support. I hope to make you glad of your offer!
Hello Sponsors,
Thank you so much for offering to sponsor this project. I see my path as an artist has been leading here for many years. The "Bottled" series was about personal growth and healing. This project is wider, it is about ancestral and societal healing. The title comes from a quote by Richard Rohr, 'the pain which is not transformed is re-transmitted'. I heard the quote last summer and it really resonated with me. I know that pain is part of our human condition, but what about happiness and the simple joys of living? Over the years I have studied happiness and contemplated whether or not it is in our human nature to exist in a state of happiness. I have concluded (and claim the option to change my mind in the future) that we are not wired for happiness. What we pass on to our children are cautions, warnings, information that will ensure their survival. Yes, we also pass on joy and happiness, but sometimes that can be buried under the cautions we send. I think we are able to be contented however, not continually. There is something about humans that demands striving and learning and trying to understand and create. Happiness means being in "The Now" but the now is so transitory that it is very difficult to reside there. Instead, I think that we can live a contented life, one that offers a good balance of challenge and reward, one in which we can take joy in the simple things in life. I was listening to an interview with Adam Phillips who has written the book, Missing Out: In Praise of the Unlived Life, in which he talks about our need to live in the present, the past and the future. He also said that we all live 'haunted by the myths of our own potential'. Intriguing stuff. This body of work is about myth, happiness, loss, legacy and family. It is evolving and growing. As of today- April 12th, 2014. I have created 15 new 'mason jar' images. They are meant to stimulate thought as well as be visually interesting and even beautiful. Thanks again for your interest and your support. I hope to make you glad of your offer!
#7 Mason Jar with dried rose
This little painting is an early one. Mason Jar with Dried Rose. 6 X 7.5 inches, watercolour on paper.
As I was painting this I was contemplating my Grandmother Preetzman's stories about pioneer life. How hard she had to work to survive and to ensure the survival of her family. She was quite vocal about her labours and all the work she had to do and how it wore her out. I know she worked very hard. I wondered when she became lost in 'the myth of her own potential'. Then my mind turned to myself, all painting is self-portrait after all, and I saw my own journey. The need to let go of 'what could have been' and enjoy what is. I used to have a sign on my studio wall. I can't remember the author now. But it was something like. "A terrible thing happens when you take responsibility for your own life. You have no one to blame." The myth of romantic love haunts me still and I think haunted my Grandmother too. The dried rose in this painting is a symbol of the desire to preserve the myth of romantic love however the lid is off now and the myth can dissipate and make room for other ideas.
As I was painting this I was contemplating my Grandmother Preetzman's stories about pioneer life. How hard she had to work to survive and to ensure the survival of her family. She was quite vocal about her labours and all the work she had to do and how it wore her out. I know she worked very hard. I wondered when she became lost in 'the myth of her own potential'. Then my mind turned to myself, all painting is self-portrait after all, and I saw my own journey. The need to let go of 'what could have been' and enjoy what is. I used to have a sign on my studio wall. I can't remember the author now. But it was something like. "A terrible thing happens when you take responsibility for your own life. You have no one to blame." The myth of romantic love haunts me still and I think haunted my Grandmother too. The dried rose in this painting is a symbol of the desire to preserve the myth of romantic love however the lid is off now and the myth can dissipate and make room for other ideas.