even me | first exhibit

Even Me had its first exhibit at the Ponte Vedra Cultural Center! It was such an honor showing at their gallery for the month of March and April. The show consisted of 12 paintings including Maurin, John, Isaka, Neema, Irene, Beatrice, Glory, Frank, Kelvin, Aneth, Rebecca, and Mary (see photos above).

It was also an honor having a couple write ups about my paintings with Folio Weekly, St. Augustine Social, and St. Johns Magazine! 

As of now, I'm finishing the other half of the project (12 more paintings to go)!

one finished, one starte

i finished rebecca's painting! here's the final product. all she needs is a crisp white background and a custom frame with a unique piece of african fabric (and boy, do i have some awesome pieces to choose from)! 

and here's the 12th painting, kelvin. very early stages, but i'll post more on the progress soon! xoxo.

Neema

Neema, pronounced ney-mah, means "grace" in Swahili. I love that name, and boy, did she carry it well. Meet Neema! This is the girl I'm painting (it's actually the girl in the middle of the header photo above)! She has quite the story. Leaving out specifics, she was found at age three surviving on her own. The orphanage school I worked for, Rafiki Foundation, took her in, gave her a home and put her in school. While I was in Tanzania, I got to teach Neema art! She absolutely loved it. Her personality was a little timid, kind, and observant - the personality of a true artist. I sure do miss her!

I want to show you an Even Me painting in its early stage. The painting process is different from drawing. Instead of drawing from left to right, oil painting is about building upon layer after layer. The layers start out ambiguous and evolve into the specifics. I'm about three layers into Neema's painting. Most Even Me paintings take...I don't even know how many layers because it's so many... I want to say 50+ layers. Neema's still in its ambiguous stage, but you can see the shadows, highlights, and, if you squint, you can start to see a face emerging. After this layer dries in a few days, I'll start stippling colors with my itty bitty paint brush. 

Stay tuned for more about Neema's painting!

XO, Jenna

although i haven't posted in ages, the good news is i'm still alive. the getting married and having a baby thing really takes up a lot of time. i'm glad it does because i'm the happiest girl alive. with that being said, i want to let you know i'm still painting! i am close to finishing twelve even me paintings! i've been so blessed to have them hung in my gallery / studio space in st. augustine, florida. the greatest people have walked through those doors, which have led to many opportunities. 

the really good news is my even me project has its first showing! it will be the first official exhibit (besides here at my shop) of the twelve paintings together as a collection. the show will open march 6th at the ponte vedra cultural center from 6 - 8 pm and will be up for a month until april 17th. if you get a chance please stop by to see them in person! 

will post photos of the newest paintings soon! 

love you all! thanks for the patience.

jenna

I'm making progress on my Even Me Project and I have great news! I have my first Even Me showing booked! It will be in Ponte Vedra at the Cultural Center April 2015! Since their space is limited, I will be showing 12 paintings. 

If you're ever in St. Augustine, come by my studio and see the paintings in real life! Thank you to all my friends and family who continually give me love and support!

Maurin's painting is finished!

i love this studio.

My 77 san marco studio is fabulous. Really. Not only is it a great space to paint in, but the people who walk through the doors are so encouraging and motivating about my Even Me project! All types of people come in, some artists who recommend great spaces to show the collection, others lovers of art who are intrigued by the style of my work and actually stand and watch me paint, and then there are the aspiring artists who ask lots of questions. Interacting with others about my project has reignited my passion and motivation! 

Currently I'm working on a girl named Maurin. I would say she was one of my favorite students, but when I think about it, they all were. Maurin has a quiet, inquisitive personality. Although, when you get to know her she opens up. I love the expression on her face because it demonstrates her contentedness about life. Here's my progress on Maurin:

I'm still here, I promise!

Some of you may have seen some recent posts on Facebook or Instagram about exciting Even Me news. I've found the time to sit down and finally tell you the EXCITING news. 

For those of you who recently met me or don't know much about me, let me fill you in (I'll be brief). I spent a year in Moshi, Tanzania teaching 24 orphans. During that time, those 24 children greatly impacted my life. In turn, I decided to start a project that would hopefully impact them. I raised funds to create 24 4 x 4' oil paintings of their faces. My goal is to finish the paintings, show the paintings, sell the paintings (interested?), and use that money towards each child's college fund or vocational path.

Those of you have been following this project are probably thinking, "where the heck have you been?" I know, I know, life gets in the way (I won't go into it) and working in a 8 x 8' shoe box studio is not the most motivating of spaces. So, here's the exciting news...

I am currently moving into a co-op studio space to finish my Even Me project! Not only is the space in a great location (with great lighting, too), but the artist I'm sharing it with is quite talented and easy going (Laurel Baker jeweler/designer). I'm also using the space to promote my photography. The studio is in St. Augustine, Florida, where I recently moved to be with my husband! I love being here so far, and I would love if you came to visit me at the studio - you're always welcome.

So, with that being said, as soon as the shop is set up - painting is on. I'm not going to make any promises about when Even Me will be finished, but know that I'm putting 100% of my heart into it for those 24 beautiful souls. 

Even Me at Cafe Davinci - DeLand, FL

Beatrice

How can you not want to paint this face?

Tanzania 2013

I got to see my precious babies. They're growing!!!

...because my boss is awesome.

She lets her assistant/underling bring in a 4x4 foot oil painting into the office to paint on during lunch break (well, the lunch breaks that we don't go to the gas station Subway). Truly, since I work in the middle of nowhere, aka Eustis, I have nowhere to go for my hour lunch break. Alas, I paint. It's wonderful. Here's the makeshift studio:

 Miss Mary.

Window shelf.

 Yes, that's an Okra Pickles jar (delectable little guys)!

Awesome boss (left) and awesome officemate (right)

 That's me excited to paint in the office!

Yep!

I blame salmonella in the bloodstream for not finishing 12 paintings by 2012. 

However, I have 12 paintings in progress (that's half of the project!!!!) - 6 of which are nearly finished! Now that I'm 100% healthy Jenna again, I'm going hard. Working mornings, lunch breaks, nights, and weekends is quite effective - and I'm thoroughly enjoying it!

The ambition comes from a new year, an installation this spring (at Cafe Davinci—come see it!), and, of course, the children. I get to see those 24 faces in 2 months when I travel to Tanzania for work! Stoked is an understatement. They'll all be asking, "Mees Jana, whuh is my painting?"

This is what I've been up to the past month:

My studio during Christmas break!

Addy picks four of her favorite pieces for framing.

We "work" the frame as Brandy builds more!

Then we get in trouble and get back to real work, kind of.

And voila, the semi-finished Aneth is hammered onto the orange fabric frame!

Isaka's bright turquoise frame looks stunning against his orange complexion! 

Oh, and here's my custom-made Even Me easel that folds up small enough for my car!

Four paintings packed for the roadtrip home! Thanks Gma and Gpa for the jeep!
Two paintings were left behind, but will soon be back in my studio!

Painting with my cat Leo

Tell me how it is...

was not my initial reaction to my friend saying, "Jenna, time is money. You have GOT to figure out how to speed up your painting process. Wasn't your original goal to finish 12 paintings this year?"

At the time, it was not the best dinner conversation I've had, but, in retrospect, it was a helpful and motivating. It was as though Carl Gombert, my art professor, was speaking through my friend.

Thanks for the kick in the butt. I started 5 paintings this week: Aneth, Mary, Isaka, Rebecca, and Irene. 

10 paintings are in progress.

I will finish 12 paintings by 12/12. Watch.

Beatrice and Maurin

Thanks Mom, Brandy, Melissa, and Za!

Guess What?

2 Even Me paintings are finished
5 Even Me panels are framed with African fabric.
5 Even Me panels are primed and ready for paint.
A total of 10 Even Me paintings are in progress, which is almost HALF of the project!
Stay tuned for a short video!

Beatrice

Frank Even Me Painting Finished!

Wahoo!

Frank's painting is done-skies! I'm thrilled. And, I love having two completed (minus the flat background coat and wooden-fabric frame) Even Me paintings filling up my apartment.

You're not the first person to see this photograph. One very important person has seen it already — and he's all the way in Africa! Yep, Frank's seen it!

Thanks to my friend Sara in Tanzania, who I've mentioned a gazillion times, (ergo familiarize yourself with Sara with no H) asked Frank to sit down with her during playtime because she had something to show him. Of course he agreed, especially since she had her laptop! 

Most of the kids get pretty shy when they're being recorded, but here is his reaction to seeing his 'picture':

Thank you, Sara Nickels!