Nature Sketches

Sketching is my form of meditation - nestle in a chair with a good pencil, textured paper and a few tunes and my mind relaxes to thoughts of lines and form. Winter is the best time for sketching.

Soul as Form

Soul as Form is a 24" x 36" acrylic painting on stretched canvas. If this painting looks familiar you may have seen it in an earlier stage. I posted it as "Feminine Nouveau" a nude figurative painting. 

There are 2 reasons I updated this painting. ...well actually 3 reasons. The first being - I like clothes. I like to paint clothes. I like the way they drape and flow and define a style. I kept coming back to the idea of flowing dresses and more color. Once I started painting the clothes I began to love the painting.

The 2nd reason for adding the clothing was the change of season. As winter started to set in, the women started to look less free and more...  cold. Yes ...I am laughing. The 3rd reason for the clothing is that nude paintings are not commonly accepted in public spaces. Until I find a space that embraces nude paintings I am happy to paint figures in flowing clothes. 

Bittersweet III

This is the smallest of the bittersweet paintings I have created so far. It is a 12" x 12" painting on stretched canvas and is acrylic. The bittersweet berries are so vivid and their movement so lively - it just makes me happy to paint them. 

I recently sold Bittersweet II and the new owner sent me a photo of it in its new home. I love to see where my paintings live once they leave my easel. I hope this one finds a home as beautiful as the last one.

Hennessy Market Show

If you are in Butte, Montana during the months of November and December stop at the Hennessy Market at 32 E Granite. It is a great market in Uptown Butte with a good energy. I have 14 paintings hanging and next month Josie and I will be showing our work together. 

Schweitzer View Trees - Sketch

In Ponderay, Idaho there is a beautiful corner lot where 2 Maple trees stand with a view of Schweitzer Mountain from their perch. The trees are magnificent creatures. Every day I pass these trees. They stand tall and proud even when they are leafless but they are in their full glory in the Fall when every color a leaf can be is represented on these trees. As the highway creeps closer their surrounding is getting smaller but their view stays the same. I love these trees.

Graphite sketch on watercolor paper.

Steady Center

I try to leave my abstract painting interpretations up to the viewer so I will not go into detail with this painting. The title will give you a little clue into my thoughts while painting this 10" x 10" canvas. The rest is open to your mind to play with. I would love to hear where your mind takes this.
10" x 10" acrylic on canvas

Montana Man

If you have ever spent time in the great state of Montana you will notice something about the men. I have never met a Montana man who was not totally in love with hunting, fishing and the great outdoors. This charcoal drawing is in honor of the outdoorsmen. 11" x 14" charcoal on heavyweight paper

New batch of Fall Necklaces

I'm excited about a new batch of necklaces that I have been cooking up for Fall. The cooler weather has me looking forward to layers and rich colors, bonfires and apple picking season...ohh and hats...and mittens. These necklaces are inspired by all of this.

I am testing out some new clasps which I just learned were out there. They are magnetic clasps and work really well with my light weight Porcelain necklaces. I also have been testing a new sealant which makes the pendent more resistant to water. I still do not recommend getting the necklace wet, especially since the cord is leather but if you do get it wet it will dry safer. 

I have posted more information and detailed photos of each necklace on my etsy shop site:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TownsdinPaints

Enjoy the Rich scenery of Autumn

the making of Entropy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-924myey9Q0

Entropy

I started this painting with a palette of rich dark blues, greys, greens and warm yellows in mind. It was to be organic, about twiggy nature and soft earthy elements. The more it grew the more I felt sweeping shapes and a mix of geometric lines that needed to be added. Soon my color palette became brighter and more vivid. Having the earthy organic sketch below helps to give this painting depth and movement. Once a painter learns to let go of the original vision and go with the feeling a painting needs to have, it can be a lot of fun.

The soundtrack is one called - Truly, Madly Deeply by Ray LaMontagne. I thought this would be appropriate since Mr. LaMontagne is played often while I paint. I hope you don’t mind that your music is my painting inspiration Ray.

ENTROPY - a painting - by Jessie Townsdin

36” x 36” acrylic on stretched canvas

more work: http://jessietownsdin.blogspot.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy_(information_theory)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-924myey9Q0

A Moment in Montana

This is #2 of my "A Moment in..." series. This series will all be graphite based. Some will have watercolor. I think this one holds its moment with pure graphite lines. It will look nice in a solid dark wood frame. 11" X 15" on watercolor paper. jt

A Moment in SoHo

I am working on a series of graphite sketches titled - "a moment in."

This is "A Moment in SoHo." I based the sketch on a stylish women I came across while in SoHo in 2010. I was tempted to leave the sketch all graphite but the more I sketched ...the more I visualized RED accessories. She almost needs a red bag but I thought coffee fit the scene better. I will add a few more shadows to her dress before calling this one complete. jt

Bordered by Bridgers

Bozeman, Montana is one of my absolute favorite places to be. This painting is inspired by the open fields of this area and the surrounding mountain ranges that nestle Bozeman in nice and cozy. Of course it is not Bozeman without a creek or river flowing through the land. If you look really close you will see a barn hidden in the distant mountains too.
Bordered by Bridgers is a 24" X 36" acrylic painting on stretched canvas. $350.00

new born necklaces - Summer Solstice 2012

I just finished a new crop of hand formed hand painted necklaces just in time for Summer. I'm keeping with the tribal feel and using bright contrasting colors. I'm excited to name these new born creatures. Stay tuned for the naming ceremony. 

Messenger

Birds and all their wonderful shapes and sizes have been on my mind lately. Maybe it is because of the feeder I keep right outside my window. It is constantly being visited by these fascinating beauties, an aquarium of the sky. Native patterns and colors are mixed in with this sky dancer to give him a feel of ancient stories being carried through to modern times.

I show "Messenger" framed and unframed here. It is a small 11" x 14" acrylic painting on stretched canvas.

Genuine Ambiguity

Genuine Ambiguity is not quite finished. I see a few areas that need attention but it is almost there. I will leave this one open to interpretation. The spirals and lobes are meant to keep your eye moving from one color to the next. You are not supposed to think with this one...just let your mind relax.

What appears as black shadows are actually deep blue hues. This is a small 11" x 14" acrylic painting on canvas.

Apple Blossom Bloom

Apple Blossoms and Cherry Blossoms are some of my favorite first blooms of the Summer. The subtle scent draws me in and the light little blooms make me smile. The little petal shapes compared to their imperfect askew branches make them even more lovable. I photographed a few of these this Spring as inspiration for my sister to paint.  Josie's floral paintings with their thick layers of rich oil paint and rich color inspire me. Check them out www.josietrudgeon.com. 

Josie told me to paint them myself....so I did. ... although I still want to see her paint them!

This is a small 11" x 14" acrylic painting on stretched canvas. It is a donation to the Sandpoint Volleyball team's auction held on Friday, June 22nd at the Lodge in Sandpoint. The volleyball team qualified for the Junior Olympic Nationals in Ohio - this is part of the auction donations to help get them there. 

Minnesota Boys for the Summer

Some of my all time favorite memories are of Summers in Walker [northern] Minnesota. Our family would pile in the car and head “up north” for sunshine, swimming, fishing and family time. Grandpa built and ran a campground on Leech Lake (named after a man with the name of Leech...not leeches..just to be clear) all of us kids would work and play at the campground. Camper’s Landing was right next to my Aunt’s cabin and we loved when Aunt Christy would arrive with our cousins. The Arizona cousins became Minnesotans for the Summer. They played on the lake like there was no tomorrow. Fishing, canoeing, skiing, sailing, swimming and always in the water they were. We are all grown up now but still share memories of the best days “up north”. So when Matthew approached me to paint a few of these happy days I was excited to start to paint. This is the first one and I am waiting for his feedback before starting the next. 

Minnesota Boys for the Summer is a large 36" x 36" acrylic painting on stretched canvas

A Wish is Formed

If you have ever seen the tiny leaf of a Japanese Maple tree, after it has flown from the tree, you know the exciting curl it often forms. I found one of these leaves last year. It took me awhile to realize what it was. It looked like a playful piece of nature begging to hold a wish. I have kept that leaf ...along with several other wish worthy capsules. Today that little organic form inspired a little painting. This one is 12" x 12" on stretched canvas - acrylic. I hope it invites you to form a wish too. 

Bittersweet II

Bittersweet II is a bright painting of oranges, reds and yellows with hints of blues and greens. I exaggerated the size of the berries to be more bold and vibrant than "Bittersweet I" which I painted last year. The wild bittersweet berries are a bright climbing vine that have always made me happy and remind me of home in Minnesota.

Bittersweet II is a 24" x 30" acrylic painting on 3/4" stretched canvas. Available http://www.etsy.com/shop/TownsdinPaints
soon!

Feminine Nouveau

I painted “Feminine Nouveau” in a loose painterly style. The palette is yellow ochre, grey, burnt umber, sienna and a few hints of crimson and blue with extreme highlights and shadows.  The female form in dancing motion is a fluid subject to paint. I tried to keep with this motion by using fast curving loose lines. My attempt here is to show the same form as she moves in a confident and free dancing motion. 

The canvas is stretched over 1.5” stretcher bars with a cross brace. 

Size is 24” X 36”

http://www.etsy.com/listing/99186670/feminine-nouveau

The Trees

This series of tree paintings was inspired by a painting I did back in the Summer of 2007. I had been painting a very realistic tree but was not inspired by it. The day was beautiful and just as the sun started to set I decided to put down my brushes and go for a walk in the woods. The more I walked the more my head cleared and my mind started to relax and fill with inspiration. I began to see the trees as swirly shapes and colors, dancing in the light. By the time I came back to my painting that evening I couldn't wait to paint these lines. I painted over the realistic tree and soon the "Inspiration Tree" took form.

I keep this painting hanging near my easel to remind me to relax and go outside for inspiration.

This new series is a spinoff of the "Inspiration Tree" to share with you.
Pink = Calming Tree
Yellow = Answer Tree
Multi Yellow and Blues = Transition Tree
Turquoise = Thinking Tree

Each tree is on an 11" X 14" canvas. These are original acrylic paintings. $80.00 each

The creation of Flutterfly Wishbone

Creating "Flutterfly Wishbone"
CLICK TO SEE THE CREATION OF "FLUTTERFLY WISHBONE"

Flutterfly Wishbone

Flutterfly Wishbone is a large 48" X 48" abstract painting that I had a lot of fun working on. I started it Feb. 4th and finished last night - Feb. 27th. I am also posting a video of the painting process from start to finish. Enjoy

Wild Orchid

Wild Orchid is a 24" X 36" acrylic painting on stretched canvas. I started "Wild Orchid" around Christmas time. I was envisioning loose sweeping organic shapes.... which turned into orchid shapes. The original color palette was more muted with soft greys and ochre but as the sun started to visit and better light appeared in my painting space the colors began to get brighter. I am tempted to photograph this painting in the morning and the evening because the palette changes dramatically from colorful and playful  to moody and dramatic. This one has a life of its own.