Art Blog - Jackie Griswold

Nearly 30 pieces of my art work will be on display at the Palmer (MA) Public Library from February 1-28, 2011. There will be an artist's reception on Saturday, February 5 from 10 am - 1 pm. There are also several pieces on display at Barstow's Dairy Store and Bakery on Route 47 in Hadley,MA. They will be on display until February 26, 2011. Please stop by one or both exhibits if you're able… Continue reading… 3 comments

This is the first in a new series of guitars, inspired by my youngest son who is a musician. This painting and several others will be on display at the Palmer (MA) Public Library from February 1 - 28, 2011 in a solo exhibit… Continue reading… 2 comments

Three of my paintings have been accepted into the Women's Caucus for Arts "Illustrated Women" exhibit which opens next week. The exhibit opens on August 4 at the NACUL Center Gallery in Amherst. Please stop by if you're in the area… Continue reading… 0 comments

I'm taking at painting class this summer at Holyoke Community College and this is one of the pieces I've done. it's about 30 _ 30. I really like mixed media work, and have included paint, newsprint, scrapbook paper, various texture mediums, and a final coat of clear gloss medium… Continue reading… 1 comment

This painting and several others are included in my current exhibit "Alchemy" at the River Valley Market Cafe in Northampton, MA. The exhibit continues through the end of February. On Friday, February 12, there is a "Meet the Artist" gathering from 5-8 p.m… Continue reading… 3 comments

One of the things I love about doing collage is the intuitive, organic flow in the process of creating. I gather paper, glue, glitter glue, and simply begin tearing and arranging, picking different papers to add to the mood I'm trying to create. Usually I'm working on 5 or 6 collages at the same time, moving from one to the next as I see the connections in the paper… Continue reading… 4 comments

This summer I took a painting class at the community college where I teach in the human services program. In class we did a lot of still life paintings, and I learned a lot. However, I often felt very constrained by the assignments in class, so I knew my final project would move away from the order and structure of class. This is the final project for my painting class. It's a 42″ square, as yet untitled. My inspiration was the dried paint on palette paper...it seemed wasteful to just throw it away, and sometimes the dried paint was really lovely in design. So I began saving my own palette papers, and rescuing the palette papers that other students had thrown away. Then I decided to soak the layers of dried paint off the wooden palettes in the painting studio… Continue reading… 2 comments

This piece was recently sold via artid. I'm very excited and happy to be a part of this wonderful organization. Mixed media collage on 6 _ 8 canvas board… Continue reading… 1 comment

This mixed media collage - acrylic paint with paper flowers - was a lot of fun to make… Continue reading… 0 comments

The theme of the upcoming show at the Portsmouth Artists Guild in Portsmouth, RI is "Imagine Yellow." This is one of 3 works I'm submitting. It's a mixed media collage with acrylic and watercolor paint, fabric, paper, ribbon, fake flowers, glitter glue, and the word "imagine" in several different typefaces scattered across the surface. It's 24 _ 24 _ 3. The support is a recycled store display. My sister works in a women's retail clothing store and when they switch floor layouts they just throw these things away. She rescues them for me! It's really heavy cardboard with a surface that is canvas-like. I first painted it with Kilz to cover up the picture that was on it, then covered it with tissue paper for a textured foundation… Continue reading… 0 comments

I've been working on several mixed media collages lately - I find myself coveting scrapbooking paper at the art store....it's addictive. There are other examples in my gallery "New Works… Continue reading… 1 comment

Although I'll admit to being biased because one of my paintings is in the show, this is a beautiful show! 65 artists have been inspired by Gaia, Greek Goddess of Earth. The House of Art is comprised of eight rooms and two hallways filled with paintings, sculpture and a video program, there is a print shop, and this weekend a folksinger, Susie McHand and a free WineTasting Party with all kinds of refreshments on Saturday from 5-8pm. Come to Monson for a nice evening of art. The Monson Arts Council "House of Art" is at 200 Main Street in Monson, MA, right next to the town hall building. The show is open through May 3: Fridays 4pm - 8pm, Saturdays 10am - 5pm, Sundays noon-4pm. For more information, check out the website www.monsonartscouncil… Continue reading… 0 comments

This piece was accepted into the Monson Arts Council "GAIA" Spring Show. It's is mixed media on mat board… Continue reading… 0 comments

This paper and watercolor collage has also been accepted into the Portsmouth Artists Guild's "Works on Paper" Exhibit… Continue reading… 0 comments

This paper collage was recently accepted into the Portsmouth Artists Guild's "Works on Paper" Exhibit. It is 5 _ 7 matted to 8 _ 10… Continue reading… 0 comments

This painting is part of an exhibit at the Portsmouth Arts Guild in Portsmouth, RI. A couple of weeks ago I was gallery sitting and a mother and her son, who was perhaps 8 or 9, came in. Most of the other art on display was identifiable as "something." When the boy got to my painting he said to his mom "What is that?" She gave a wonderful explanation of abstract art and how it was often an expression of the artist's mood or emotions when they were painting. She then asked him what he thought the artist was thinking when it was being painted… Continue reading… 0 comments

Creating mandalas is a contemplative practice for me. The need to focus completely on drawing the circles, then the designs, and adding the colors, while still moving with the creative flow is a way to let go of the stressors of the outside world. Sometimes I simply color in the designs in my mandala coloring book, and sometimes I create my own. This is one I created. I drew the circles, and then it seemed to take on a life of its own. My husband said it looked like a stained glass window, and in many ways it is just that - a window into my heart space… Continue reading… 0 comments

Lately I've been working with little 6" _ 6" or 4" _ 4" canvases. Yesterday I began working on a 4' x 4' piece of masonite. My husband built a frame for it to provide stability. I began by gluing sheets of paper, canvas and bit of fabric in a patchwork fashion onto the masonite. Now I'm adding paint, and other embellishments to this collage painting - this photo is the work in progress. I'll post more as I go along - who knows what it will look like when I finish… Continue reading… 1 comment

I've lived in New England all my life. This has been a bad winter everywhere, but a few warm days in February have given me hope that Spring is around the corner...I started painting one day and found myself painting a series of flowers - this is the first - bright orange poppies on yellow background. My art tends to express my mood, whether I'm aware of it at the time or not. Art is truly my therapy… Continue reading… 0 comments

Had no idea where I was going when I began this one, but the spot of bright gold amidst the copper and green made me think of a sunrise... As a college professor, I have a wonderful long break between the fall and spring semester, and I took advantage of that by painting --- I have several new paintings to photograph and post… Continue reading… 1 comment