What would Monet Think?

Monet's Garden Cake, Oil Pastel on Arches, 11" x 16", ©2008 Jennie Traill Schaeffer, Private Collection

Today, look at my most recent wedding cake portrait which was commissioned for a Christmas gift. The recipient helped design the cake with NYC baker, Colette Peters.

Here is the original cake, on Colette's web site:

This was so much fun to create, considering the inspiration for the cake, and the vivid colors! I will be emailing Colette to show her my rendering of her cake, along with another cake she designed that I memorialized for a client over a year ago. I'll let you know if I hear back from her. If you know of a baker that I might be able to partner with I'd love an introduction.

Love is in the Air and so are Wedding Cake Portraits

As Valentine's Day nears, I'm thinking a lot about love. My new little boy, Joel, has got me head over heels. Of course, I'm still madly in love with my husband, too. But, Joel has definitely changed my life and I am surprised to agree with everyone who tells you that you will fall in love with your baby like nothing ever before.

Let me share with you in the next few posts about all things having to do with love.


To start off, let me remind you about my Wedding Cake Portraits, a fantabulous way to preserve your wedding day and makes for a truly distinctive Valentine's Day gift.
Gift certificates are available for giving on February 14th.

And, now through the end of February, any booked Wedding Cake Portrait commission will receive a set of ten linen note cards featuring the completed wedding cake (a $29 value).

New Year's Acceptance

" . . . a global cousin to the Whitney Biennial show of American Art . . ."
Dan Bischoff, Star Ledger

Photo of Main Gallery, from www.njcva.org. Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. 1/6/08.

Christmas week I was working in the studio feeling overwhelmed by juggling both my business and my baby, when I received a glorious phone call from an intern at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey telling me that I have been preliminarily selected for inclusion in its renowned International Juried Show. Historically speaking, amazing things have happened for me in the midst of frustration.

Adelina Vlas, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art juried the show. The center will do a final jurying process on the 30th from the actual work. I was in the show in 2006, and the intern reminded me that generally if you are in the preliminary round, your work will be included. The final jurying is to safeguard against misrepresented work.

I hope to see you at the opening reception on Friday, February 13th, 6 - 8pm. Two of my paintings from 2008 will be in the show, pending the final jurying.

Project Windows at TraillWorks

You've got to see the holiday windows at five merchants on Spring Street. Granted, all of the merchants on Spring Street have done stunning windows for the holidays, but five stand out. These five were the participants in the 1st Annual Project Windows, a Main Street Newton, Inc. sponsored event.

High school art students around Sussex county were matched up with merchants to design and install holiday windows interpreting the theme "snow figures". My windows I thought were just stunning. Newton high school student, Kim Grier, pulled together many elements of my work creating "applianceflakes" and an interpretive wedding cake.


Though Kim's windows did not win an award, I was impressed with her ingenuity and creativity in designing and installing the windows in less than two weeks. I absolutely love the stylized snowflakes depicting my kitchen appliances and how the wedding cake attracts attention with all of its glittery baubles and beads.


Thank you Kim for all of your hard work! Please stop by to see her windows in person.

Project Windows & Winter Stroll

Announcing Newton's
1st Annual Project Windows
& Main Street Newton's Winter Stroll

Saturday, December 13th
5 - 8pm

Can't get to 5th Avenue to see the windows? Come to Newton.

Project Windows is an annual competition that pairs up artistic teens with area merchants to create holiday windows. Students learned about the design process and goals of window dressing from a local dresser, Kathy Milici. They were required to work within a budget determined by the merchants to create interpretations of the theme, "snow figures". Their creations had to be creative, well- constructed, engage passerbys quickly, show off the stores' goods and lead to sales through the use of strong elements and principles of design.

Stop by TraillWorks on 2nd Saturday to meet its student designer, Newton High School senior, Kim Grier. I am quite impressed with the way she interpreted the theme and followed through on the design in a short amount of time.

Then stay in town to catch a little holiday spirit with a Winter Stroll. Participating merchants will be offering specials, giveaways, and seasonal treats. Santa will be on hand to see who's been naughty or nice.

For details about the events, go to the current events page of www.traillworks.com.

Baby's Arrived!

I know it's been so long since I've written, but my life has changed immensely over the past month. On November 7th at 1:40am I delivered a healthy, 7lb. baby boy named Joel. He is absolutely perfect.

I've been away from the studio for almost two weeks now. The days seem to pass slowly, filled with diaper changes, feedings, and oohing and awing over Joel's every move. But he has changed so much in just a week and a half that I wish time would slow down more.

I am uncertain how Joel and my career will work together but have faith that I will manage a way to symbiotically love and develop both. During this month TraillWorks remains open for business through the help of artists Carol Tremper, Lindsey Winkler and Kim Grier. The each are using the space to create their own work while maintaining TraillWorks' hours.

Keep posted for any changes in hours for the holidays and for my return to the studio. In the meantime I'll be busy loving and cherishing the time I have with Joel.

Newark Open Doors '08

It is so important to network with other artists and arts organizations; you never know what may come up. I've developed and maintained a relationship with Peters Valley since my residency in January through both the store / gallery and the director. About a month ago, Jimmy Clark invited me to exhibit artwork with Peters Valley's display in Newark's Open Doors going on this weekend.

At the time he asked me I couldn't quite commit as I had a lot of artwork in flux and was preparing for a show. Though, after a recent exhibit I had two large paintings that couldn't be incorporated in my current gallery setup and I realized the Newark Show would be the perfect venue, as well as a great opportunity.

Here's the info if you're going to be in and around Newark this weekend:

Newark Open Doors '08 October 24th - 26th

Peters Valley will be at 482 Washington St. (during DD)
Friday: 5pm–10pm, Saturday: 4pm–6pm
Sunday: 12 noon–6pm

You can spend the entire weekend touring galleries and temporary exhibition spaces in Newark. The Newark Arts Council has put together a phenomenal site dedicated to the event. For detailed information about Open Doors '08 visit the Newark Arts Council web site.