my apologies once again everyone, I’ve been coordinating my first international show and it’s been a series of headaches to say the least. most people would use this sort of thing as fuel to write about in their blog, but for some reason every time I’ve sat down to write lately I’ve been withdrawn, lost, afraid to write, unsure what to write. it isn’t flowing easily for me at the moment and writing should be fun.
one of the problems is my blog has been getting away from me. it’s been less and less my blog and more and more about nude art issues. now, I love writing my opinion pieces and editorials on these issues, but more often than not it’s the same story over and over. it’s wearing to cover the same thing. depressing even. but when I feel like I can’t write about myself on my own blog.. then we have a problem. so, inbetween working on this show I have been thinking about the direction of this blog. I still want to cover the stories and write the opinions but I also want to write about my work, my influences and even (gasp!) my self.
Admittedly I’ve also lacked the drive to work on my blog lately, and on my online marketing, I’ve been in the studio more and it’s been blissful! ideas are coming thick and fast and I’ve been reveling in the pure joy of painting.
so, I am going to make some changes around here, make my posting schedule a little easier to cope with, and I will see about condensing the twitter – because – yikes! sorry about that!
322 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Opp Bar Open. Free event.
All proceeds to the Red Cross
Galleries 1, 2 & 3
Please come and join us for a great night of entertainment and an opportunity to bid on paintings, drawings, prints and photographs by Melbourne’s best artists at bargain prices. This is a great opportunity to help the victims of the tragic bushfires we have experienced in recent weeks. Please tell as many of your friends as possible and help us help those in need.
I need your help. I am donating a piece to an art auction to raise funds for bushfire relief. I am only allowed to contribute one work. which one should it be? you can vote on the ones I’ve already selected or add your own choice in as well.
The auction is on Tuesday March 3 at 6pm at BSG Gallery Brunswick st Fitzroy Melbourne. more details coming soon.
this post contains a poll. if you are reading it in rss you will need to click on the title and visit the post in order to vote – thanks!
I have updated my prices online and have made changes to my blog artwork page to match. don’t you love it when you have an efficient day? my old pay per click advertising program has dumped me for not earning enough. I was earning small amounts here and there, enough to pay for my blog which is all I was after but apparently that wasn’t enough. so I have added some amazon affiliate links on the side for books that I think are relevant and interesting. sorry to be a bit commercial but multiple streams of income and all that!
I’m still unpacking and setting up my studio and the world of nude art is somewhat quiet right now so just a quick question – are the twitter updates interesting or really annoying? I’ll get rid of them if they suck, I really only had them up for the move as content for when I had no web access. right now they are an experiment.
I’ve been reliably informed that I am undercharging for my pieces. by a lot. and that it is in fact detrimental to my career, not to mention that it is not particularly helpful for all my collectors. so on the first of February I am doubling my prices. so this is your last chance to get my paintings at their original price! get in quick! if there is a painting you have been eyeing off for a while put in an offer with the comfortable knowledge that your investment will double in a couple of days.
Thankyou all for your patience and well wishes over this really difficult period. we are now settled into our new place, there are still boxes and paintings stacked everywhere but it is beginning to feel more and more like home. Liam has picked up some extra hours at work and things feel like they may be finally going our way again so I am very happy. especially now that we have web access once more! I think i am addicted, having no internet access was horrible, I felt isolated and lonely and incapable of finding out the most basic things without it!
I am putting together my new studio and getting it all set up, I think it will work very well. it has better storage and sage green walls and perhaps most importantly it looks out onto a private garden, not a new unit’s front door. I think it will be an inspirational space. having spent a lot of time and money restoring the old studio in order to get our bond back, I have been putting effort into making sure we never have to do all that work again. I am covering the walls and the floor and hopefully we won’t have to repaint, resand and refinish the entire room when we move.
things are still a little hectic here but I am going to try and get back to my regular posting schedule soon. now that I have web access I can also do more than twitter my updates so I can fill you all in. thanks again for your patience during this crazy time!
I covered the Bill Henson debacle from beginning to end – more, I think, than any other arts blogger. (pretty sure, I did a lot of searching)
my husband and I reached a very big decision to start trying for a baby
I cut out a lot of my pain killers and harmful drugs in anticipation of #13
I reached 70 and 80 on my main! (oh yes.. I had to put in a WoW one)
I voted. absentee votes were hard but this year the election really counted. My state was really close (when usually it isn’t) so I feel like my vote made a difference.
As many of you know our house has been sold by our landlords and we have to move very soon, which means we are house hunting all through christmas. Christmas is normally one of my favorite times of the year, I’m usually a Rockwell painting of good cheer around the holidays, but at the moment I am more like a Munch painting of anxiety. so, in an attempt to maintain my sanity I am going to be taking a 2 week break. I may drop a line in occasionally if the inspiration strikes to blog but I won’t be posting to my usual schedule.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, full of good cheer, good company and good fun. I hope that I will have a home to go to when I get back to blogging!
I am having a moving sale to try and raise funds and minimize the amount I have to move. go to http://nude.boundlessgallery.com for 15% off everything or make me an offer. I am raising my prices after January so now is the time to make a deal!
Turmoil – 12"x12" Oils on Canvas by Jennie This work is for sale at the upcoming show Small Works
Well, I’m not able to attend the Small Works opening, apparently when the website said Ground Floor in their floor plans they meant 3rd floor, up some rather difficult stairs. sadly I can’t make it up one flight, let alone 6.
I am very sorry to everyone I invited. you are all most welcome to attend, I’m thinking of having a dinner locally after the opening to chat about it – let me know if you are interested in something like that, it could be fun!
Some of my paintings will be featured in Brunswick St Gallery’s latest exhibition Small Works. drop by to see all new nudes! I will be attending the opening and would love to see you there
Show Details:
Small Works
Brunswick St Gallery – 2/322 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 3065
Exhibition Runs from 9 – 19th July 2007
WordPress have fixed the issue, they really are fantastic. Don’t forget to check out April’s Nudes of the Month – my piece Repose is in it. Thanks again, you all helped me get in this exhibition and I appreciate it. Voting will start soon for my favorite nude, I’ll let you know when voting opens.
I am going away over easter, camping again. I think it will be good to get away, have a rest and recoup from everything. I’ll come back full of new fresh ideas and posts and ready to take my art career in my teeth and shake it all about.. or something..
I was going over my news feeds for possible story ideas, news and reviews in the art world when I came across this column. I read part of it and thought ‘I’ve covered this story before..’ then as I kept reading I thought, ‘Thats funny, this person writes just like me..’ so imagine my surprise when I reached the end of the article!
As in my works are selling like hotcakes! Two more sales this weekend to the USA. I am particularly happy to see this piece going to a home I know will love her. Just a reminder that my paintings can be bought online at sculptr or Boundless. Get in quick because prices (and values) will be increasing soon at this rate.
Grace 36" x 48" Acrylic and Gesso on Canvas, by Jennie
The latest calendar is up at Barebrush.com, My painting Grace made it in and I am delighted – especially considering it’s on the 7th! (my Birthday is on the 8th) The competition was really fierce this month and next month is going to be even harder! Barebrush is gaining momentum dramatically with enormous amounts of traffic and many amazing artists. Visit the Art Log to keep track of my entries or my featured artist page to see the works that have been featured in previous calendars.
In preparation for actively hunting galleries, I have done a lot of work behind the scenes – My new marketing materials have arrived, they look outstanding. I especially love my new business cards (Thanks Vistaprint!). I have also worked on my website. I think it is looking pretty damn fine, I have whittled my gallery down to two main ones representing my main styles. i may add a third gallery of my other stuff if it is missed, but I think I have enough works now that I can afford to represent the best of the best, my signature pieces.
I have spent quite a large amount of time re-photographing and enhancing the photos of my works on Photoshop. Making sure the colors are as true to life as I can make them on my screen, sharpening the detail and taking out little things like glare and shadows. it’s time consuming and boring but I do it in front of the TV and it isn’t so bad – it makes a huge difference.
Things still to do involve getting some kits together ready to send out, mounting the photos of my pieces and sorting out my portfolio and editing my Blog categories. they don’t seem to be working for me anymore – I think I should tighten them up.
I’m sorry I am not my usual vociferous self, I am working on building my physical strength up, trying to get over the Bug That Will Not Die. The problem is that the Bug comes back if I work too hard so I have a pattern of feeling sick, resting, working furiously as soon as I can and getting sick again – it is frustrating. Not only that, but as I am working with greater complexity and inspiration, I am terrified that if I think about it too much, or blog about it, the bubble might burst!
Jennie Rosenbaum, an artist from Melbourne, Australia, participates in the Artists Interview Artists Project. Below Jennie responds to another artist’s five questions (Jesus de la Rosa from McAllen, TX). In order to participate, Jennie had to provide me with five questions for some other artist to answer. The assigning of questions to artists is completely random.
This is such an interesting interview project, I am delighted to be a part of it. Artists write questions and send them to blogger and fellow artist J.T Kirkland, who randomly assigns some questions from another artist and posts the responses on his blog Thinking About Art.
I have had some experience now in responding to questions and interviews, I think it is so important, not only to increase my ability to talk about my art, but also to know what to say. every interview or question is an opportunity to look at things in a different way, I find more about myself every time!
I have taken some time this week to really sit down and think about what I want to achieve this year. Last year was pivotal for re-discovering my self, for branching out in my work and for making an excellent start on my career. This year I wish to make solid goals and strive to attain them. rather than setting vague resolutions, I am going to write them here, then revisit them in 6 months, then 12 months. My aim is that by blogging them here, I am accountable for maintaining them. Some may seem silly to you, but sometimes the small stuff counts the most.
The art side
I will create at least one work a week (total 52 for the year) Each piece will be blogged.
By the end of this year I will have gallery representation.
This year I will have a solo show, I may have more group ones.
I will experiment and grow as an artist. I will not be constrained by any pre-conceived notions.
I will take pride in my work and believe in it.
I will update and maintain a database of my works, media, dimensions, a blurb about each one and it’s price. when it sells I will mark it with the details of the person who bought each work.
I will continue to maintain my website, blog and resume. I have been good so far, now is not the time to let it slip!
I will have lovely kits ready to send out and an excellent and professional portfolio.
I will try to be more outgoing at openings and occasions.
I will keep building my mailing list – My goal is for 200 at the end of the year.
I will write newsletters to justify my mailing list.
I will maintain the bloody thing even with postal addresses.
I will continue to keep records of earnings and receipts so I can do my taxes properly.
I will blog at least once a day, 5 days a week. weekends I will allow myself a break.
My sales goal this year is 20 pieces.
The personal side
I will stop judging myself so harshly and stop beating up on myself.
I will stop changing the goalposts.
I will try to conquer my phone phobia.
I will not let my conditions dictate who I am.
I will stop sitting at home and start getting out and enjoying life more.
I will work to make my condition as easy to manage as possible.
I will try to eat at least 2 meals a day – when I can do that I will move up to 3. by the end of the year I will be eating 3 healthy meals a day plus snacks.
I will cook more, with healthy and delicious meals and tasty snacks. One night a week will be takeout night for a break.
I will learn to save money and actually do it.
I will make more time for fun.
I will get health insurance.
Well, there it is, quite a list – I hope I am up for it!
Well, this new year is already shaping up very well. I have two works in the January Nudes of the Month and I received a wonderful surprise when one of my pieces was featured in Alyson B. Stanfield’s Art Marketing Action Newsletter. Her newsletter is widely distributed making this very exciting.
I have a featured artist page on Barebrush.com now as well. one easy location to see the works that make it into each month’s competition. Visit it here
I am still recovering from a most rocking New Years bash. I’m still sore because I danced but I had a great time! Thanks to everyone who came, especially the people I haven’t met before.
Phew! anyway, with the holiday season behind us I am going to start knuckling back down. painting more and posting more. so stay tuned
Thankyou all so much for your support, I really appreciate all the emails and comments. I cant believe it was all a week ago, it’s been a crazy long week driving to and from hospitals, making arrangements and keeping everyone informed. No-one was sleeping very well. The good news is Dad is doing fine, he is out of the hospital and back at home. we don’t know what was wrong and he is still undergoing tests but luckily it doesn’t appear to be critical.
I haven’t had to deal with anything like this before, it was so scary. I had to be strong the whole time, to liaise with doctors and with Dad’s friends and for dad himself who was quite frightened himself. all the time I was being strong and competent but petrified on the inside.
Anyway, I am getting back into it, I needed a bit of time to recover and catch up on sleep.
Please excuse the lack of posting over the next few days. My dad is in hospital with heart trouble and all I can think about is him. My dad is one of my biggest inspirations and I love him very much. I am sure he will be fine, he is fit and healthy and should come through with flying colors, but I admit to some trepidation still.
I have been having a nightmare of a time with wireless mice. My RF belkin one had horrific reception and lousy battery life. I ordered a bluetooth one on sale online only to be sent the RF version. After much to-do I finally got the mouse I requested. it worked well with good reception but ate titanium batteries for breakfast. I had to change them about once a week.
So I finally gave in. Or rather, after I was about to hurl both mice in a howling rage, Liam got tired of my ranting. I have given in and gotten rid of the last remnant of my seedy windows history and bought a shiny new Bluetooth Mighty Mouse. It has had mixed reviews but I just love it. It’s precise (laser), efficient, shiny and white (because it’s by Apple), and worked perfectly first time. It’s also comfortable to use which is a plus. I can monitor my battery levels on screen and if it is anything like the keyboard the batteries will last for ages.
so why, you may ask, has it taken this long to buy this mouse? well really this is a lesson to me. sometimes cheaper isn’t always better I tried to save money by buying another cheap wireless mouse and trying to save money but ended up losing even more. This seems to be a metaphor for the whole mac/pc world to me, A PC is cheaper to buy. you can really save money by buying no-name parts, but by the time you add up all the pieces, the replacement pieces, the parts you need to upgrade it, etc, then it is about the same price, if not more, over the life of the machine. I guess it’s about quality in the end.
I’ve finished one of my sketchbooks, I’ve been sketching so much. I have some plans for paintings but I really need to make some changes to my studio before I really get going again. in a way it is exciting knowing that there are paintings lurking in my mind, beating down walls to get out, it is a kind of ecstasy to draw it out, but it is frustrating too, I want to go crazy painting them but I really do need to make these alterations.
I am taking a bit of a vacation this week, Liam and I are going to do holiday type things so my posting may be a little sporadic. We were going to go away, but it’s too complicated with all my needs so we are going to act like we are on holiday instead.
@nifwlseirff she isn't bad actually, understands quite a bit of my garbled speech, omits the ums.. Siri learns your speech too which is good 3 days ago
I'm painting in my studio, dictating a proposal to Siri and planning my next steps. life is good 4 days ago
Two more sales this weekend to the USA. I am particularly happy to see this piece going to a home I know will love her. Just a reminder that my paintings can be bought online at 
I tried to save money by buying another cheap wireless mouse and trying to save money but ended up losing even more. This seems to be a metaphor for the whole mac/pc world to me, A PC is cheaper to buy. you can really save money by buying no-name parts, but by the time you add up all the pieces, the replacement pieces, the parts you need to upgrade it, etc, then it is about the same price, if not more, over the life of the machine. I guess it’s about quality in the end.
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