Studio Sale/ Studio Warming

The construction in my studio is almost finished.  Although I will be cutting it pretty close, it will be done just in time for my studio sale. We hadn't planned on doing construction right before the sale but our contractor had an opening so we took it, not really thinking about what else we had going on. I'm sure next week will be super crazy with my setting my studio back up AND getting ready for the sale, but I did manage to get our house completely unpacked and throw a house-warming party within two weeks so this should be no problem. Please stop by if you live in the area (email me and I'll send you my address) and see my new space!

Here is a preview of some of the work that will be available just in case you are not local. Please email me at jhina_alvarado@yahoo.com if you would like to purchase any of the following pieces.

"Cutting Ties", 24"x30"
acrylic on canvas $900

Untitled: Green Stripes, 30"x30",
oil, graphite, and encaustic wax on panel. $1,000

"Resignation" 18"x24",
 acrylic, vintage book pages on canvas $600

"Shooting Gallery" image is 14"x11", 16"x20" framed
mixed medium on paper $450

"The Rower" 30"x30"
oil and encaustic on panel $1000

The following are gallery prices and priced by size:

10x12 $750

12x12 $950

16x16 $1,950

16x20 $2,100

20x24 $2,300

24x24 $2,500

24x30 $3,000

30x40 $4,500

30x30 $3,750

36x36 $4,500

"Sweater Set" 10"x12"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Awkward" 24"x24"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Bird Watching" 20x24
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Women Who Lunch" 36"x36"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Off Balance" 24"x24"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Striped Swimsuit" 16"x20"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Two at the Beach" 30"x40"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Finding Our Way" 40"x30"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Beach Day" 16x16
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"College Sweethearts" 24x24
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"County Fair" 30x30
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Dancing Nurses" 30x24
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"First Communion" 24x24
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Holding On" 12x12
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Homemaker of the Year" 24x24
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Three Women Wearing Shorts" 30x30
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Photo Album" 30x30
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"The Rescuers" 36"x36"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Two by the Lake" 30x40
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"TIde Pool" 24x30
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Three on a Swing" 36x36
oil and encaustic wax on panel

More New Work in January

January was a very productive month with many pieces completed and many connections made. There are a lot of good things on the horizon. My work will be published in the Spring edition of Studio Magazine. Lux Lisbon, and English band, will be using my Forgotten Memories series as art for their new album, merchandise, etc. I am now represented by Anne Nielson Fine Art in North Carolina and this new gallery will be opening in March. These are just a few things happening this year. Stay tuned for more as things develop. In the meantime, here are the latest finished pieces:

"Awkward" 24"x24' oil and encaustic wax

"Off Balance" 24"x24" oil and encaustic wax

"Ladies Who Lunch" 36"x36" oil and encaustic wax

"Striped Suit" 16"x20" oil and encaustic wax

"Make a Wish", 24"x24", oil and encaustic wax

A Busy 2014

It's been a busy and productive 2014 and it's only the 11th of the month! I have been painting like a mad woman, partly because I have been so inspired by my new work, partly because I am happy to say that I have a galleries waiting for work, and lastly because I figured that once we adopt our child, there will be very little painting for awhile. So, I need to get as much done now before the expected chaos of a new child in the house begins. I have completed NINE pieces since Christmas, which is impressive even for me. I am tired, my body hurts, and I would love a real vacation but I can't stop now. I have a ton of ideas and I can't wait to get them done.

Here are the latest completed pieces:

"Bird Watching", 20"x24" oil and encaustic wax on panel

Untitled: Green, 24"x30", oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Two at the Beach" 30"x40",  oil and encaustic wax on panel

"The Tourist" 36"x36",  oil and encaustic wax on panel

Three Pieces in Progress

I have been working really hard on this new series of mine during the last two weeks while I have been on Winter break. It has been so nice to be able to get up early and start painting in my pajamas, usually before I've eaten or even brushed my teeth. I get a lot done this way, usually 3-5 hours worth of work. Since I am a fast painter, that amount of time accomplishes a lot. The best part is that when I am done, I still have a full day to do other things. Unfortunately I start teaching again on Monday so my "painting in my pajamas" days are over until my next break. Here are the three pieces that are in different stages of "done-ness'.

New "Eyes", New Work

The other day I was going through the photos on my computer, deleting duplicates and bad images etc. I came across some images of the first pieces I painted in my Forgotten Memories series. These were dated 2009. I remember being excited back then about my new work and I was proud of myself for challenging my skills and painting people, something I had never done before. It was a turning point in my career as an artist and it is because of these pieces that I have shown in so many galleries.

I, fortunately, do not have any of these paintings still in my studio. They have all been sold and are living in someone else's home. Because of this, I haven't really had a chance to look back at these pieces and reflect on them. I never really felt the need to look at the old photographs, either. It wasn't until I did that I realized how far my work has come. I realize that my skills have improved tremendously, which shouldn't be so surprising since back then I had never painted people before and now I have been doing it for five years (WOW, five years? Has it really been THAT long???). But what shocked me was how much I have changed as an artist, and by this I don't mean my subjects or my techniques. My skills have change (for the better) and more importantly, how I see things and what I find "acceptable" as a finished product has changed. A LOT. I look at these older pieces and I see so much that I could have improved. I see so many mistakes. I see so many things that could be worked on that I NEVER noticed back them. This is not my being over-critical about my past and thinking everything I've done now sucks. Some of the pieces are quite good. But what I deemed as good or acceptable back then for most of those early pieces clearly isn't okay anymore.

It's natural to grow and change as we get older and continue to make art. I think over the years I have definitely matured as an artist. My "eyes" have improved along with my skills and I can see better now. It's nice to look back every once and awhile and see this growth. It's not something you can do too often since it takes time for growth to happen and to be apparent. But now that I have seen it, I am so happy with my progress and even happier with where my art is now going.

Here are the first five pieces of my yet to be titled series. I hope you like what you see and feel free to comment about them on my blog.

"Pretty in Pink", 36"x36"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

Untitled: Blue, 36"x36"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Smile for the Camera", 20"x16"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

Untitled:Yellow, 20"x24"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

"Fleur de Lys" 30"x24"
oil and encaustic wax on panel

It's Been a Long Time

It's been a long time since I have written anything on this blog...since July 2013 to be exact. Last year was an interesting year, to say the least, and I wasn't in the right mind frame to do much of anything, including writing or painting. It was filled with a lot of frustration and heartache that came from my body refusing to do what I wanted it to do, this then causing my creativity to shut down. It was a hard year to feel like I should be creating but not able to do anything about it. I am really good at making myself feel guilty about things like this, which only makes matters worse. But today is a new year and with this new year comes a commitment to write more and, of course, to paint more.

Albert, our dog we adopted in June, is such a character!

This year I will be working on a new series that has me excited and inspired (some of you have had peeks of of the new work on Facebook). I have just completed five pieces (as soon as I have them photographed I will add them on this blog) with a few more in the works. The bulk of these new pieces will be shipped to a new gallery in Charlotte, NC, which will have it's grand opening on February 6th. A few of these pieces will also be available at JoAnne Artman Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA. I am hoping to have a few more galleries showing this work, so stay tuned.

Along with a lot of painting this year, Ben and I are planning on adopting! We are working with an agency that works with children that are in the foster care system and are hoping to get one to two children (siblings of the same sex) under the age of three. We have already completed our training and paperwork (which was pretty hefty) and are now waiting to get our home study done. I am hoping (keep your fingers crossed!) that we will have a little one by summer.

Happy New Year from the Morse Family!

A lot of great and exciting things are in the works for the Alvarado/ Morse family this year. Some of these things will be challenging, and I truthfully, I can't wait to face them head on. I am ready for 2014 to be a great year! Happy New Year everyone!!

Here are my "2014 Goals/ Resolutions":
1. Continue to write in my blog and keep it updated.
2. Paint at least 15-20 hours a week.
3. Kick ass on this new series
4. Have at least one solo show/ featured artist show this year.
5. Try something new once a month.
6. Keep a gratitude journal.