Merry Christmas 2022

White birch trees in Winter. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. The weather is frigid here and I've heard that across the county, many people are not only getting the cold temperatures, but also heavy snow. Stay safe and enjoy your holidays. Try not to venture out if possible.

The Snowball Fight. If you get snow, I hope you can enjoy a friendly snow ball fight.

White birch trees by the Lake. Otherwise, stay in and catch up on movies or bake cookies.

Snow Shadows. Snow can be beautiful just to look at (and also paint.)If you don't paint, then photograph it. Enjoy this cold time with your family and friends and I hope all of you have a great Christmas/and or holiday.

Best in Show Award at Watercolor Exhibition

Painting to the left: Rooftop View of New York-watercolor by Jane McElvany Coonce I am so thrilled to have won the Best in Show Award at the "The 28th Famous Artists of the 21st Century, a watercolor exhibition held at Hollin Hall in Alexandria, VA. The show runs through tomorrow from noon to 4pm. The address is 1500 Shenandoah Rd, Alexandria, VA. There are many beautiful paintings, and I'm honored that I won the top award. If you see the show, you will see that there were many paintings that could have won this award. Stop by, if you can.

Art show at Ft. CF Smith this weekend, Dec 2-4, 2022

The painting "Georgetown in Winter" will be one of the paintings at the Artful Weekend at Ft. CF Smith, 2411 North 24th St. in Arlington . There will be 35 artists showing their art work, and I am honored to be one of them. Hours: Friday, Dec 2 from 3 to 7 pm (reception is 5pm - 7 pm.) Saturday, Dec 3 from 10 am to 5 pm. and Sunday Dec 4 from 10 am to 3 pm I will be there during the reception and also part of Saturday and Sunday. Hope I get to see you. If not, you can at least see my paintings.

This painting is called "Snowy Path to the Gate. I will have both watercolor and oil paintings there, as well as cards and my 2023 calendars.

So thrilled that my watercolor painting,"Concert in the Cathedral," was selected in the juried show at The Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover, Delaware. This show was sponsored by the Delaware Watercolor Society. The show hangs from Oct 26, 2022 - January 11, 2023. The opening reception is Oct 29, from 2 o- 4 pm. This painting depicts a concert that I attended in Venice. It was such a beautiful venue for a beautiful group of musicians. It is such a special memory that I HAD to paint it.

Candy Land

Here is my latest painting that I called Candyland. I planned this painting about 1 year ago. I went to Cracker Barrel and picked out all kinds of candy. The colors in candy are so vibrant and beautiful. The gumball machine is something that has been in our kitchen for at least 30 years. I had planned to start this painting last spring, but then my surgery for cancer interferred, and I had to postpone the start of this painting. Finally, when I felt back to normal, I set up this painting and worked from the still life set up. It was so fun to paint. I especially enjoyed painting the lolly pops which I really had to think about in order to get them to look shiny. And no, I did not eat any of this after I finished the painting. If I am going to spend calories on candy, it's going to be chocolate!

Final Results of my Solo Show

What a month it has been. My solo show at Gallery Underground was a huge success! It passed my wildest dreams! I sold 21 paintings which was almost half of the painting in the show. So thrilled that it was such a hit. Thanks to all my supporters: people who came to see the show, those who came to the reception, those who sent me kind words and those who gave my paintings a new home. Now that I have a little more room in my closets, I can start painting more to fill up the space!!!!! Here's one I did last week called Backlighting in Venice. Looking forward to painting again and eventually thinking of where my next show will be.

What's Your Favorite Season?

People ask me what is my favorite season to paint? During Covid, I painted all 4 seasons and really enjoyed doing the different landscapes that came with every season. Summer, of course, makes me think of the beach. My brother has a beach house up in Dewey Beach, Delaware, and we go there all the time.

I even tried my hand at some palette knife painting.

Winter can be beautiful with the snow. I took a walk around the tidal basin where the cherry blossoms bloom in the spring. It was winter and there was snow on the ground. The trees were bare, but the color of the snow was beautiful.

Spring is always beautiful after a long cold winter. It feels like the earth is rejuvenating itself and sending flowers to get us out of our deep sleep. Spring is the best time to visit the tidal basin when the cherry blossoms are actually blooming. It's a sight to see if you've never seen it before. The Jefferson Memorial is there, and all the pink of the trees reflect in the water.

Fall is the time when colors change. I normally don't paint many autumn scenes, but this year I did. Birds fly south and the kids go back to school. The beach is quiet. It's my favorite time down there.

Last 2 weeks of my solo show

My solo show has been going very well. I've sold 19 paintings! Way more than I ever imagined. Thanks, everyone, for your support. I am thrilled with the show. I've add a few new paintings to replace the ones that sold, so there is still plenty to see. I had 4 paintings of my favorite subject matter, Georgetown and the Key Bridge, and there are 2 left. I've added their pics to this blog. If you come to the gallery, I have noticed that the 23rd St garage is very full. I think it's because the mechinism to let you in is broken and so everyone can park for free. You can also use the garage on Crystal Drive (between 20th and 23rd St.). Just bring your ticket into the gallery and they will stamp it for you so you can park for free. If you can't make it in person, you can always check out the online store. https://www.arlingtonartistsalliance.org/store/Four-Seasons-Solo-show-by-Jane-McElvany-Coonce-c134249003 Again, thanks to everyone for supporting me with your kind words and emails. Jane

Online Store for my Solo Show

My solo show has been a huge success, and it still has 2 1/2 weeks to go! If you can't get to it in person, the next best thing is to see it online. I'm attaching the link. Click on it, and it will take you to my show. (Or copy the link and paste it into your google search.) You can also see the paintings who have found new homes. I've sold 18 paintings so far, and some of them have been from the online store. https://www.arlingtonartistsalliance.org/store/Four-Seasons-Solo-show-by-Jane-McElvany-Coonce-c134249003 Thanks, everyone, for your support and kind words of encouragement.

One more Day before My Opening Reception

One more day until my opening night reception. I've been baking and preparing food all week to get ready for it.

These are a few of the summer paintings I've done.

There's a lot of blue in my summer paintings. 2 of my paintings in the show have already found new homes! I'm thrilled that I sold even before the opening reception.

One Week Away from my Opening Reception

My show officially starts tomorrow. It's hung and when the doors open at 10 am, it's the beginning of my solo show. I hope everyone has Friday evening on their calendars. The reception is from 5 - 7 pm this coming Friday.

All four seasons of the year will be represented. It represents the whole year of covid that I painted.

I have all sizes, too, from 5x7 to 30x36.

BlogThis!

I hung my solo show today at Gallery Underground with the help of my friend, Jessica Mickey. There are 44 paintings in all! I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to see so many of my pieces up in one place. At home, I see them in boxes! Jessica has a great eye for arrranging, and I love how the show looks.

The show opens on Monday. It's open during the week from 10 am to 6 pm. Free parking is provided. Make sure you bring your parking ticket into the gallery so it can be stamped. The opening reception is next Friday night , July 1, from 5 to 7 pm. Stop by and say hi.

Solo Reception is 2 weeks away - Friday July 1 from 5 - 7 pm

My solo show is called 4 Seasons and it is comprised of the paintings I did during Covid. The above painting, "L'Amour des Fleurs Flower Shop" is one of the spring time paintings.

Theis painting is called "Azaleas at Bon Air Park." If you've ever walked the path over there when the azaleas are blooming, it's really lovely.

This painting is called "White Awnings of the Flower Market."

And this one is called "Flower Market with the White Umbrellas." These are a few of the "Spring" paintings that will be in the show. Hope you can make it. Crystal City Underground Free parking at the 23rd Street Parking Lot ( in between Rt. 1 and Crystal Drive) The show runs from July 1- July 29.

Save the date: Friday, July 1 from 5-7 pm- My solo show reception at Gallery Underground

My solo show is coming up in July at Gallery Underground. The show title is "Four Seasons." It's all the paintings I did during lockdown and then some. There are paintings of autumn and of winter.

There are paintings of Springtime: waterfalls and Cherry Blossoms.

And there are paintings of Summer, glorious summer! Save the date, Friday, July 1 , and plan to come to the opening reception from 5- 7 pm. Show runs until July 29. Hope you can make it.

Art A Fair at Walker Chapel this weekend

I hope everyone can make it to the McLean Art Society's show at Walker Chapel United Methodist Church this weekend. The church is located at 4102 N. Glebe Rd in Arlington, VA. There is a reception Friday night, May 13 from 5 to 8 pm. Stop by, I'll be there. Also, the art show is open on Saturday, May 14 from 10 am to 5 pm (I'll be there from 10 am to 1 pm) and on Sunday, May 15, from 10 am to 2 pm.

Georgetown with Morning Light (oil) by J McElvany Coonce

American Crab Feast (oil) by Jane McElvany Coonce Hope to see you at the show.

Iris Outside the Box

The Potomac Valley Watercolorists are having a show at Green Springs Gardens in Alexandria, VA. I entered 2 paintings. I won an honorable mention with my painting called "Iris Outside the Box." Very honored to receive an award with so many fabulous paintings. The show will be there until June 26, so stop by and see the show. It's a really beautiful exhibition of watercolor paintings.

Nassau Valley Vineyard Art Show in Lewes, Delaware

I became a member of the Delaware Watercolor Society whose home base is Rehoboth Beach. I just received notice that I received signature status which in the watercolor world is a big deal. I entered my first show with them. It will be at the Nassau Valley Vineyards for the month of May.

Every artists was allowed to enter 3 paintings which I did. I was hoping to get at least one in. To my surprise, I got all 3 into the show. The juror was Kathleen Conover. I dropped off my paintings today. The reception for the show is this Thursday, May 5 from 5 to 7 pm. So if you live up that way or are visiting the beach this month, stop by and see the show.

Crabs, Old Bay and Butter

Here's a watercolor I did about 2 months ago. It's large, and I did it because I love eating crabs. It's a social thing. My grandparents lived in Norfolk, and as a kid, my dad and I would go crabbing with chicken necks and string. We would throw the chicken necks out, wait a few minutes and then slowing pull the line back, keeping the chicken neck on the bottom of the bay. Then when it was close enough, I would slowly pull the crabs up. When we could see the crabs on the chicken neck, my dad would take the crab net and quickly scoop up the crab and chicken neck. He had a wooden basket that he would float inside an inner tube, and we would dump are catch in there. When we were done for the day, we would bring home our load. My grandmother would steam them and then the whole family (aunt, uncle, cousin) would sit around the table, picking crabs and talking. It takes quite a while to get your fill so there was a lot of talking going on. To this day, I love a crab feast. Not just for the delicious taste of crab meat, but also for the talk that goes on for hours.

Seagulls by the Rough Water

Here is a painting I did recently. I had assigned my students to do rough ocean waves and turbulent skies. After I finished my painting, I thought it needed more so I added some seagulls in the distance. Then after looking at it more, I decided to make some bigger seagulls. I'm please how it turned out. I started with one idea and kept adding to it until I was satisfied.