Ft Smith Art Show - This Weekend, Nov 16-18

Moonstruck
original oil painting by Jane McElvany Coonce

This weekend is the annual Fall show at Ft. C.F. Smith. It's always a lovely event. I'd like to invite everyone to the opening on Friday, Nov 16 from 6 to 8 pm. It's always a lovely event. I'd love to see you there on Friday night. If you can't make it Friday, the show will be open on Saturday from 10 to 5.  I will be there on Saturday, too,  from 10 to 12 at the sales desk on Saturday.  The show continues on Sunday from noon to 4.

Besides larger framed work, there are small paintings that make great gifts. There are also unframed pieces in the shrinkwrap bins, and there are also cards. Boxes of cards make great hostess gifts.

Ft Smith is located at 2411 N. 24th St in Arlington, right off Spout run and Lorcom Lane.
Friday, Nov 16 from 6 to 8 pm
Saturday Nov 17 from 10 am to 5pm
Sunday Nov 18 from noon to 4 pm

Hope to see you there!

More Key Bridge/Georgetown Paintings

One of my signature pieces that I'm known for are my Georgetown/Key Bridge Paintings. Whenever I show art work, people will ask, do you have any of your original Georgetown scenes. Most of the time, I have to answer, "No" because they sell so fast.

I've done paintings two recently. They are both showing at Gallery Clarendon. One is downstairs in the main gallery and the other one is on the 2nd floor in my studio area.
They are both 11x14 and are oil paintings.

The show will be up until Dec. 2. Hope you'll stop by and see the show. It's a beauty this month!

Home Studio Tour this Weekend

Saturday and Sunday this weekend will be nice and sunny. Come visit me at my house for the Visual Arts Studio tour of Arlington.  I have lots of my paintings displayed, and I would love for you to stop by.  It's from 11 am to 5 pm both days.  Visit the website to see all the 56 studios that are open this weekend.
www.arlingtonartstudiotour.org

2018 Arlington Visual Art Studio Tour this weekend

I am participating in the Arlington Visual Art Studio Tour this weekend.  I'm opening up my house and showcasing many of my paintings.  I hope you will be able to stop by and see me painting in my home work space.  The tour has 56 artists that you can pick and choose which artists you want to visit.

The show will be Saturday, Sept 29 and Sunday, Sept 30 from 11 am to 5 pm.  You can look at the website and download a map and a directory of all the studios that will be open.

Please visit to get the map and directory:
www.arlingtonartstudiotour.org

Hope to see you this weekend.

A Colorful Life

Pumpkin and Gourds

Sunflowers

Finished Mural at Preston's Pharmacy

Scenes of Arlington Mural at Preston's Pharmacy
by Jane McElvany Coonce

Today I finished painting the mural that I've been working on for a month.  I started exactly 1 month ago today! It's been lots of fun, painting and talking to the customers who come into the store. Everyone has been very supportive of the work.

Some people don't get it. It's a trompe L'oeil mural; it's supposed to look like photographs pinned up on a bulletin board.  I painted the cork, I painted the frame and did the woodgrain, I painted the pushpins, and I painted 8 scenes of Arlington. Some people ask if those are big photos up on the wall. When I tell them I painted them, they say they don't understand. Not sure why that's so hard to understand. They ask questions like, "What did you paint that on?" When I say, "The wall," they look at me like I didn't understand the question. When I point to the other green walls in the store and say it started out looking like this green wall, they look at me in disbelief.

I've met a lot of great people, customers and employees of Preston's. I thank everyone for your words of encouragement. It's been a long haul, but it's almost over. Tomorrow I will varnish the painting, let it dry and put a 2nd coat of varnish on. Then I can declare it completely finished! 

Stop by and see it next time you are close. Preston's Pharmacy is at 5101 Lee Highway (at the corner of North Edison St and Lee Highway) in Arlington. It's on the back wall of the store. You can't miss it.

5th Post on the Preston's Mural

Ovechkin and the Stanley Cup 

Sorry I haven't been posting as I work on this mural.  I have been putting in long hours every day, and by the time I get home, I'm exhausted.  It's really coming together, although there is still a lot to do.  The small details will make it really cool.  I have to put shadows under each photograph so that it really looks 3- dimensional.  I also am going to paint a wooden frame and do the woodgraining. I also need to paint push pins that will hold up the "photos."  But as you can see, I've made a lot of progress in the last week.

Working on the last " photograph"

The other views I've done since the last post are Rosslyn with Key Bridge, Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington House with the Cemetery, the Pentagon, and the Nat's stadium. (I know that is not in Arlington, but we love the Nat's.)

I've met a lot of people as I'm painting. A lot of friends have stopped by to see my progress. It's really been a lot of fun. 

I think of all the scenes I've done, I like the Iwo Jima the best.

Iwo Jima

4th Post on Mural at Preston's Pharmacy

Drawing of Present Day Preston's

Transferred Drawing on wall

 I started the 2nd drawing at home, put it on tracing paper, and transferred it to the wall at Preston's.

I had some finishing touches to do on "Old Preston's".  I had to do the lettering and the telephone wires.

Then I started painting the 2nd image, "Present Day Preston's."  The new Preston's is just down the street from where the old Preston's was. It's at Lee Highway and Edison St.

At the end of the day, I was almost finished. Again , I wanted to do the lettering on the awnings and the door and sign when I was fresh, so I will save that for tomorrow.

I've talked to so many interesting people.
Again a few friends stopped in: Rebecca Croft and Mary Misch.

Looking forward to the next "photograph."

Almost finished "Present Day Preston's"

3rd Post on the Mural at Preston's Pharmacy

White rectangles ready for the "photos" of Arlington

Drawing of Preston's from 1940

 Now that the background was done, I began to prepare the "photos".  I taped off the rectangles and painted them all white.  It took 2 coats so it took most of the day.

I went home and drew the image of Preston's Pharmacy from a photo from 1940. (Preston's was at Glebe Rd and Lee Highway back then. )It's easier to draw at home when I can do it on a piece of paper on the table and erase lines easily.  Once I was satisfied with the drawing, I traced my drawing. I took the tracing back to Preston's. Using transfer paper (carbon paper) I transferred my drawing onto the wall.

Transferred drawing on the wall with reference photo

 Then the fun begins. I begin to paint the scene. I finished it except for small details like the telephone wires and the lettering on the windows. I decide it would be better  to do it when I'm fresh the next day.

Lots of customers stop and comment about the mural. It's fun to meet new people. Even some of my friends have stopped by : Janet Tramonte, Patty Lynch and Robert Twining, all friends from high school ( although technically, Robert has been my friend since diapers.) I love having people stop by. It gives me a chance to take a break and step back and look at my work.

Almost finished "Old Preston's"

2nd Post on Preston's Pharmacy Mural

The next step of the mural is to create the cork board.  I used the warm tan base coat to set the tone. Then I began sponging a layer of dark brown. Next I sponged a layer was burnt sienna. The 3rd layer was yellow ochre. The forth layer was Naples and white. I still wasn't happy with the color so I ended up doing two more layers of sponging. The next part was the most tedious part of the cork board. It was painting the dark lines that separate each of the pieces of cork. Needless to say, I was exhausted after this day!

cork board developing

sponging layers

Close up of the Cork effect

Mural at Preston's Pharmacy

I have a new project. I've been asked to do a mural at Preston's Pharmacy on Lee Highway in Arlington.  I have a long history with Preston's. When we bought our house in the 80's in North Arlington, we started going to Preston's. They moved down the street to their new location at Edison St. and Lee Highway. Both Nicholas and Kevin had summer jobs there when they were in high school.  I've been selling my Key Bridge Cards and my Crabs on Newspaper Cards in their gift shop for years.

Recently, they approached me about doing a mural on their back wall. The idea is to do a "bulletin board" with scenes of Arlington "pinned up" to the bulletin board. The plan is for me to paint a cork bulletin board. We have picked out various images of Arlington that will be painted on the wall. I'll also paint "push pins" that will hold up the painted "photographs" of Arlington.

 So last week I started the project.  I thought it would be fun to keep you posted on my blog as to my progress. But please stop by the store any time and see my progression. 

Base coat , a warm tan
(spaces marked off for "photographs")

original wall color (dark green)

Save the Date: Saturday Sept 15, 2o018

Marshlands
original oil painting by Jane McElvany Coonce

I haven't posted in over a month as I was out of the country.  My family and I rented a car and drove all around Ireland. It was a fabulous trip. Hopefully, there will be some paintings coming from that adventure.

In the meantime, I want everyone to save the date:  SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

This is the date of the GRAND OPENING of Gallery Clarendon. It will be an all day event. In the daytime, there will activities and demos. I am teaching a free watercolor class from 2 to 3:30. We will be painting flowers in a window box. If you've never tried watercolor before, this is your chance. I will provide all the supplies. You supply the enthusiasm.  All you have to do is to sign up on our website: www.arlingtonatistsacademy.org . It doesn't cost anything, but seating is limited.
Also, that evening, we will have our grand opening reception from 5 to 8 pm. I hope you will be able to make it. I will be there on the 2nd floor so please stop by and say hi.

Gallery Clarendon is located at the corner of Fillmore St. and Clarendon Blvd. Look for the red awning. That's us!  There is a parking garage on Filmore St, and there is also street parking.
I'll send more about our event as it closer to the time, but put it on your calendar now so that you won't forget!

Gallery Clarendon's Opening Reception is this Friday, July 13

Zebra Stripes
oil painting by Jane McElvany Coonce

This Friday is the opening reception of our new Gallery Clarendon. The Arlington Artists Alliance members started working in January on this. We built walls and display areas. It's finally completed and we are very excited to sponsor our first reception. I have paintings in the gallery on the 1st floor such as the Zebra Stripes painting above. 

I also have a studio space upstairs where I display more of my work such as the one below "Seagulls' Playground."

The gallery is open 7 days a week from 11 am to 7pm.  Our reception on Friday will be from 5-8 pm.

Gallery Clarendon is located at 2800 Clarendon Blvd #R800. It's at the corner of Clarendon Blvd and Filmore St. Look for the red awnings - that's us!  You can park in the garage on Filmore St or on the street.  Hope you can make it on Friday. I will be there and would love to see you.

Seagulls' Playground
oil painting by Jane McElvany Coonce

Sights and Sounds of New York

Sights and Sounds of New York
watercolor by Jane McElvany Coonce

I haven't blogged in quite a while. I apologize. Life sometimes gets in the way and then we get out of the habit of doing things.

I painted this watercolor just before Christmas. It's from photos I took when I went to New York several years ago. I have lots of photos waiting to be turned into paintings. This photo's turn finally came up, and I plunged into the challenge of painting the busy lights and wet streets of New York.

I entered this painting in The Art League's juried March Landscape show, and it was selected. I was pleased because lately the jurors for The Art League shows have been more avant-garde. This is very discouraging for realistic painters. I've seen many beautiful representational paintings rejected for stuff that I don't even consider art. It's frustrating when you hear people say "representational art has all been done before." And my answer is, " And abstract art hasn't?"  There is room for both in the art world. I personally enjoy shows that have both. If you get a chance, stop by this month at The Art League and see the landscape show. It will be hung on Monday, March 5 and hang through April 1.
Can't wait to see the show myself!