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: