First Painting of Joel

Joel for a Moment, 5" x 7", Oil on Canvas, ©2009 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

I'm finally sitting down on the computer after consoling Joel to sleep. I'm in the midst of trying to figure out the balancing act of being both a mom and an artist. There was almost a break down.

Saturdays are one of the few days I have to get into the studio and work without interruption. Today, my husband dropped off the baby so he could meet with a business contact. We didn't discuss the length of the meeting. This has left me feeling frustrated by wanting to care for Joel and accomplish some long overdue tasks. For any new moms out there who are wondering how to juggle all of this, my advice is to stay flexible and communicate. Lee and I try very hard to have equitable time with and without the baby, as well as have the needed time dedicated to our work. It doesn't always work out as ideal as we would like, but it is working. I'm much more at ease now that Joel has gone to sleep and have kept reassuring myself of the importance of my husband being able to have this meeting sans Joel. He would do the same for me.

In the chaos of being a mom and an artist with her own studio, I found time this week to complete two small paintings: one of Joel and one, a Morandi-esque still life. Above is the painting of Joel and I'll include the other in an upcoming post.

Love did Rock

Crowd at TraillWorks

Kathy Morawski, left and Jennie Traill Schaeffer, right in front of Love Rocks

Spring Street Illuminated for the Annual Sweetheart Walk on 2nd Saturday

On Valentine's Day, I held an opening reception for artist, Kathy Morawski, coinciding with Newton's 2nd Saturday Sweetheart Walk. We had a tremendous turnout! TraillWorks had numerous people in attendance to see Kathy's Love Rocks and more people came in to find the letter heart conspicuously hidden as part of the Sweetheart's Walk word jumble. There was such great energy in the gallery with Kathy's heartfelt sayings and geode pendants. I was impressed by the over thirty people coming in and out of the gallery during the evening.

Kathy's work will be on view through the weekend. If you haven't gotten a chance to see it, stop in. Her work is very reasonably priced, pendants for $25, Love Rocks between $20 - $55, and framed Love Rocks affordably priced under $150.

Friday night we'll be open until 8pm celebrating Mardi Gras. I'll share more about Mardi Gras in an upcoming post. In the meantime, check out photos of the exhibit and her work.

23rd International Juried Show, Summit

Jennie & Lee in front of the Maestá paintings

The Sussex County contingent (Howie and Carol Tremper, Jennie, and Joanna West) in front of the Maestá paintings

Valentine's Day weekend turned out to be quite an artful time. Friday evening Lee, Joel and I attended the opening reception for the 23rd Annual International Juried Show at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. I was impressed by the show and pleased with the placement of my work; the main landing in one of the staircases. My overall impression of the show was that the work seemed to be of a smaller scale than previous years (though mine were some of the larger works and I happen to be local), and agreed with Dan Bischoff's review in the Star Ledger. The show continues through March 27th if you haven't gotten a chance to see it.

Check back for tomorrow's post about the Sweetheart Walk on Valentine's Day; Love did Rock in Newton.

Ben & Jerry's Meets Mother Goose in a painting for my son.

Ice Cream Diddle, 48" x 24", Oil on Panel, ©2009 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Finally, it's finished! I started this painting last October, before my son, Joel, was born in November. What began initially as a composition combining cows and their yummy product, ice cream, turned into a playful reference to the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle. Using artistic license, some of the rhyme was exempted and changed - rather than a small dog, I used my large dog Ringo for the line "the little dog laughed". I also included Joel's initial somewhere in the painting. Though the work will eventually hang in my son's nursery, for now you can see it in person at TraillWorks. And, there may be an opportunity for you to purchase a reproduction of the painting in the near future. Check back for more information in future posts.

Love Art this Weekend

love rocks, mixed media, ©2009 Kathy Morawski

Join me in New Jersey for an artful weekend of love: two exhibitions, a 2nd Saturday, and Sweetheart Specials. 

Friday : 6 - 8pm

23rd International Juried Show Opening Reception

Visual Art Center of New Jersey

Summit

Saturday: 5 - 8pm

Love ROCKS! Opening Reception

TraillWorks

Newton

2nd Saturday / Sweetheart Walk 

Shop, dine and stroll with your lover on Spring Street in Newton

Highlight: JUMBLE CONTEST

Visit area stores to find the letters of a jumbled Valentine phrase. Unscrambled phrases can be entered to win a gift basket featuring coupons, gift certificates and other items from participating businesses. TraillWorks included a $25 gift certificate towards any purchase.

Sweetheart Specials

All artwork by Kathy Morawski at TraillWorks 20% off

Purchase any artwork at TraillWorks and get a free calendar 

(Valentine's Day only)

Commission a Wedding Cake Portrait and receive a set of 10 linen notecards featuring your completed portrait.

(during the month of February)