Saturday, March 2, 2019

New website

I appreciate everyone who has followed this blog, but I moved all of my information and updates to a new website.  You can find any information about my current art work, shows and exhibits at www.jeanbrodenart.com.  Thanks for following, and please check out the new site!www.jeanbrodenart.com


Saturday, February 18, 2017

Spring Is Coming!


Sure, I know it's still February, but this beautiful weekend is too inspiring to ignore.  In honor of the coming season,  I painted this little blue jay.  All winter long the jays and cardinals brighten up our otherwise dreary view, and keep reminding us that there is still color out there in the world.  That said, I have a partial list of the shows I'll be doing this year.  I'm hoping that winter 2017 is an indication of great weather all year long.

Come visit us this year at:  Glenside Fine Arts Festival          Saturday, April 22nd
                                            Peddler's Village Strawberry Festival    
                                                                                                  Saturday & Sunday, May 20th &21st
                                            McConkey's Market                      Saturday, June 17th
                                            Peddler's Village Bluegrass Festival    
                                                                                                  Saturday & Sunday, July 15th &16th

And of course, you can always check out the paintings, prints and cards anytime at the online store at: https://squareup.com/store/jean-broden-art

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Apple Fest at Peddler's Village


This Saturday and Sunday, November 5th and 6th,  will close out the art festival season for me in this area.  I really enjoy shows at Peddler's Village, but I can't pretend that this has been the smoothest season.  Almost every show we did this year had some kind of weather issue, but somehow we made it through.  The unpredictable weather had a lot to do with me setting up the online store.  It's a great way to show my work without anyone needing to brave the elements.  Check it out for a great selection of unique Holiday presents for your friends and family.  There's lots of cards too, especially winter ones that make great Christmas and holiday cards.  You can hop right over to the store through the link on the blog.

And since so far the weather forecast is pretty good, consider a visit to Peddler's Village.  We'll be there all weekend, and always love to see familiar faces!  And if you're in the Poconos over Thanksgiving weekend, we'll close out the season completely at SkyTop Lodge.


Sunday, July 31, 2016

Online Store is Open!


Summer is still here, and I managed to get the online store off the ground! I'm sure there may be an adjustment period, but I feel proud to have at least mastered the fundamentals of website building. (With a fail-safe template, of course!)

Here's the link: https://squareup.com/store/jean-broden-art
I will ask my tech savvy son to officially link the sites together, but this should suffice for now.  Check it out and let me know if anything needs fixing.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Portrait Paintings



Maybe its being a proud grandparent; I can't really be sure.  What I am sure about is how much I've been enjoying portrait painting again.  I had all but abandoned portraits in recent years for still life work.  Why? Well, you can work off and on a lot easier with a still life.  And it seems there is always something unusual and interesting that catches my eye and makes me want to paint it.  The world is full of strange and wonderful things.
Having said that, I've been longing to get back into painting people.  The three cuties above are my grandsons.  This painting comes from multiple photo images of the boys (because getting the three of them to look forward at the same time is nearly impossible!!)  I'm pretty pleased with the personalities that have come out in the painting I've dubbed Poppop's Posse. I enjoyed painting it so much, I'm ready for some more, so expect some others before the summer is out.
On another front, I've been putting together an official website through Square marketplace.  I'll be selling the paintings, prints, and cards that I bring to my shows.  Look for it soon.  I just have a few kinks to work out before its ribbon cutting.


Next Shows:  Jenkintown Arts Festival   9/25   &   McConkey's Market   10/8

some older portraits:


Tuesday, April 26, 2016

2016 Festival Kickoff

 
This Saturday is the start of the 2016 Art Festival season for me.  This is the show's third year, and my third year of being a part of it.  So far, the show has been a great success and I'm sure it will not fail to please again. The weather forecast looks great so there's no excuse not to spend some time looking at great art, eating some great food and listening to some great music.  Hope to see everyone there.  I'll be near the Citizen's Bank at Easton and Waverly. (My usual spot.) Just finished a painting of Pope Francis for the show.


I've included a list of shows that I plan to do this year.  There may be one or two add ins, but this should cover the majority of them.


Art Festival Schedule – 2016
(as of April, 2016)

       Saturday, April 30th – Glenside Fine Art Festival                                                
Sat & Sun, May 21st & 22nd – Peddler’s Village Strawberry Festival
Sat & Sun, June 18th & 19th – Trenton Art All Night
Sat & Sun, June 25th & 26th – Peddler’s Village Paris in the Village
Sunday, September 18th – Jenkintown Arts Festival
Sat & Sun, November 5th & 6th – Peddlers Village Apple Festival

Sat & Sun, November 26th & 27th _ Skytop Lodge



Friday, March 25, 2016

Competition Time - Yikes!


So I decided I would enter some things in competitions this year to try and boost exposure and get some feedback on my work.  Jerry's Art-a-rama was looking for self-portraits, so I thought I'd give one a whirl. Since I put off entering the Portrait Society's competition every year, I decided to go for that too.  What the heck!  
When I was deciding how to approach this painting, I thought I'd use my studio as the background with a variety of still life objects in it from other paintings I've made, but I wasn't really happy with how that was working.  I realized that I spend a whole lot more time in my classroom, and that the students I've taught and still teach are a huge part of my life and of my art. The result: my background became the classroom; me at my desk with my cork board and papers pinned up behind me.  All these images are a great comfort to me.  They moved with me from one Lansdale to Hubert's to help my transition go smoothly, and I still like to look at them and remember everyone they represent - old and new.
My personal favorite is the picture of my mom dancing in her wheelchair at my niece's wedding.  It was her last big family event before she got really sick.  It's great to think of her having so much fun, and being her silly self. On hard days at work, I use the photos as meditation material.  Thoughts of a better day, but mostly they just give me a daily reason to smile.
I submitted the two paintings at the bottom to the Portrait Society contest too. I really enjoyed getting back into portraiture work.  If anyone out there is looking for a painting of someone special, let me know.  You can contact me here, through my Facebook or at petrobaker@verizon.net