New show alert! Happy to announce 4 pieces were accepted into What’s Up? Magazine’s 15th exhibition, “Into the Garden,” in partnership with the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, Md.
Works juried into the show include: Observed: Fork-tailed Katydid (featured), Observed: Orchard Orbweaver, Beneficial Bugs: Praying Mantis, and Observe: Ants—Accidental Planters
Observed: Fork-tailed Bush Katydid, Pastel on paper, 9”x11.5”. © 2021 Jen Sheckels
… something something in the studio!
I’ve created a new greeting card for the 2021 holiday season. I recently revisited screenprinting as an option for hand printing cards. Probably not wise to relearn a techniques right before needing to put it into production. But it was a small edition and I had a lot of fun figuring out the two color approach.
I plan to tweak the design a bit further and reprint when this first edition sells out.
Make it Merry, Screenprinted holiday greeting cards (first edition). © 2021 Jen Sheckles
Wishing everyone a safe and festive holiday season, and all the very best for 2022!
Sometimes you just need a little extra Monday motivation … am I right?
I've been considering a "Heroes of Childhood" series off and on for a while now. Without anything resembling a game plan, I recently sat down in the studio and just jumped in with one of my faves—E.T.
Though I don't have specific memories of my own (I had just turned two a few weeks before the movie's release), I have heard many a story about the numerous times we had to go to the theater to see it; how I was engrossed in what was going on up on the big screen while slowly sipping on strawberry slushies and gobbling up popcorn. Though there was an exception—the woods scene at the beginning (too scary!). Again, I was two … There also exists photographic evidence of some of the merch, including at least one plush doll and a preschool headshot wearing my E.T. necklace. (btw, is it just me or is an alien head an odd bit of jewelry to own? Between you and me, I wish I still had it …)
I loved E.T. as a kid. The movie has a lot of heart and I will still stop to watch when I come across it on TV. Or if it's been a while, I'll pop in the DVD. E.T. was a long way from home and the rest of his family, looking to find a way to connect and feel safe in a big, troubling (and sometimes scary) world. We can all relate to that once in a while. As an adult, I'm still enamored with his connection and care to other living things. I’m not going to lie—I also geeked out a bit when riding the E.T. Adventure ride at Universal in the early 2000s.
And so Be Good (below) seemed like the logical result of this random act of art. He now hangs above my workspace, quietly motivating me as I step into the next project.
Enjoy!
Be Good, from the Heroes of Childhood series. Mixed media on board, 9”x12”. © 2021 Jen Sheckels
Somehow, I never make time to post. That’s life I guess. But after pondering how to jumpstart some creativity over the last few weeks, I've picked up my sketchbook to explore facial expressions. With all the Zoom meetings and classes, I see a lot of different faces on a daily basis. So why not?
I'm using short gesture drawing sessions as warm up. In today’s haul:
And at the end of today's session, picked up a sketch from last week to play around with a possible "next step" in pastels. Not sure this will lead anywhere, but it's been fun to play around with.
Possible next steps for the sketches … pastel portraits? We'll see!
Truly a working-from-home adventure today. I’m in the final stages of a small print for a Print Exchange with the good folks at Pyramid Atlantic. But when your studio space is too small for most things, particularly ANYTHING in multiples, every available flat surface becomes your drying rack. Even the pantry!
And now … the final print! A bit salty with ink drying too fast on the plate, but I still dig it.
"Now (Is the Time to Start Something New)", two color linocut. @2020 Jen Sheckels
