My Artwork - March 2018

April 3, 2018 Teressa Jackson

March was a beautiful month here in Tucson. I tried to enjoy the fantastic weather (70's and 80's) as much as possible before the summer heat's impending onslaught. As a matter of fact, we've already crossed over into the 90's a few times.

Having lived here about six months now, I have to say I have no right to complain about the heat when we have had months on end with almost entirely fantastic weather. I don't think a week (and rarely a day) has passed during which I did not have my windows open for at least a little while. Gosh I love fresh air and chirping birdies!

The warmer temps have made the wildlife happy, too. Hummingbirds seem to be literally everywhere, and the sunset hour is now filled with tiny bats fluttering about. The lizards are back in full force, doing pushups in the sun outside my window. Walking through the desert, there is movement everywhere on the periphery as ground squirrels have come out of hibernation. Believe it or not, they've been pretty much holed up since early last fall when I arrived. These cute furry friends remind me of little prairie dogs.

I tried some different approaches with my art this month, employing new subject matter, media, and sizes. My trip to the Grand Canyon with my mother was commemorated in an 8x10" painting from Hermit's Rest. I used my usual gouache and watercolor paint in this piece, but also accentuated it with watercolor pencil. The pencil provided texture that I found to be so fitting to the canyon's layers. I was really happy with the result.

Blooming ocotillo in Tucson Mountain Park

In addition to walking around the neighborhood, I also visited the San Xavier del Bac mission south of Tucson, went on a tour of historic adobe homes in the Old Fort Lowell neighborhood (a former U.S. military outpost), and spent some time in Tucson Mountain Park, my favorite local hiking spot, among the blooming ocotillos. I created a piece featuring one of the historic adobes, and am currently working on another piece showcasing the fiery blooming ocotillo. I also painted a special painting for my dear friend's nursery, which will be revealed in next month's blog, as it is a pending surprise and was finished in April.

I continue to enjoy my weekly drawing class and worked on three drawing pieces this month. I haven't listed any of them for sale, but if you happen to be interested in one, feel free to contact me. I'm sure the pricing would be reasonable. ;-)

I was excited to get my first local commission this month, and will be working on creating a dog portrait of a sweet smiley pooch named Stella. As of this blog posting, a few of my March paintings are still available, so if one catches your eye, head on over and shop now ›

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: 2/22/18, 11:53:26

Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood, Tucson, Arizona: 3/24/18, 11:23:18

Casas Adobes, Arizona: 3/19/18, 18:34:44

Casas Adobes, Arizona: 2/10/18, 18:14:26

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My Artwork - January 2018

February 1, 2018 Teressa Jackson

I started 2018 by changing things up a bit. I produced just three paintings, but all were larger than the typical 5"x5" pieces I've been making over the past year.

The ever-popular saguaro cacti were featured in a special request painting I made, and I felt that their stature deserved to be featured in a format with more height - so 5"x7" it was. These guys met with enthusiastic approval and packed up for their new Kentucky home - I'm just hoping they survive the winter temperatures. ;-)

I've been doing some volunteer work for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSA), and produced two paintings that were inspired by the furry friends they help there. These paintings are both 8"x8", and 20% of their sale price will be donated to HSSA. They both remain available as of the time I hit "publish" on this blog post (shop here!).

This month featured some unique challenges for a family member, and addressing those meant that I wasn't able to create as I would have otherwise. However, my flexible work and life proved to be a really great benefit at a time like this, when I was glad to be able to be where I needed to be and do what I needed to do.

I've returned to Tucson now. I'm starting a drawing class at the nearby Northwest Art Center, run by Pima County Parks & Recreation. It seems like it's going to be a great class, and the instructor has only been teaching it for 45 years (!!). He does some amazing realism work and although that's not exactly my goal, I do look forward to honing my techniques and hopefully learning to enjoy drawing more. Drawing has just never been my favorite thing, but it's also a necessary component to most of the work I produce. It's also the first drawing class I've taken in 20 years, which makes me feel a bit over-the-hill. Oh time, you're just so slippery!

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My Artwork - November 2017

November 30, 2017 Teressa Jackson

I'm settling into my apartment, routine, and new studio space (a.k.a. my dining area) here in Tucson. The apartments where we're living are quiet, have nice scenery, and lots of patio space to enjoy fresh air and sunsets (my favorite!). I've discovered a multi-use path that crosses nearby, and have been enjoying starting my days along the Cañada del Oro Wash, admiring the desert plant and animal life that call it home. The quails, roadrunners, and hummingbirds are some of my personal favorites. I never thought I would be intrigued by birds, but they are so different from those we saw back home in Louisville. Or, maybe I'm just getting old.

Hard at work packaging up those new greeting cards!

Last month, I talked about being excited by the opportunity to make some larger pieces of art, and a commission helped me deliver on that promise already. I was honored to help commemorate one of the most special moments in a friend's life, the day she got engaged on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. I sure hope that her fiancé is wowed by her thoughtful and creative Christmas gift. I certainly stressed enough over it!

I also rolled out a new product - variety packs of blank greeting cards. I have currently two "themes" - my Teressa's Trek cards are landscapes from my adventures over the past year, and my Reverse Mermaid cards feature those whimsical friends I recently began dreaming up. They are all professionally printed on high-quality paper that makes them closely resemble the originals. I'm very pleased with the work that the printing company did on these. I also whipped up a special custom design for a friend to use for her Christmas cards this year. I love it when people come to me with their fun and creative ideas.

I sure hope that all my friends out there had a fantastic Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a peaceful holiday season. It should be pretty low-key for us here, considering we still know pretty much no one in the area. For our Thanksgiving, I was super excited to find an authentic Chinese restaurant serving up piles of dumplings near the University of Arizona (go eat at China Pasta House now), and those were a perfect substitute for turkey in my opinion. Later in the day, I made empañadas. It was a day of stuffing ourselves with stuffed foods. How fitting!

Unfortunately, with the number of gift commissions featured on my art wrap-up this month (7 of the 9), I am a little afraid to share this post very widely and spoil any surprises. I guess I'll hit the "publish" button and hope someone out there in cyber land finds it and reads it. :-)

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"La Familia de los Pescados está Acampando"

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My Artwork - August 2017

August 31, 2017 Teressa Jackson

I spent the first week of August in Belize on the small, laid-back island of Caye Caulker. We then took a water taxi and car to Tulum, Mexico, where we weathered Tropical Storm Franklin. Mid-August, we headed up to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and then to the French half of the island of Saint-Martin.

I diverged a little from my art of the past year to do some whimsical "reverse mermaid" paintings. I enjoyed envisioning these fish men just out of reach of water, and the freedom they gave me to use wild colors and fun patterns. I completed a series of six, and consider myself finished with the concept for now - but of course I reserve the right to imagine more of these guys in the future. :-)

It was a good month with a lot of relocating and eleven paintings completed. It's often difficult to maintain my momentum when I'm having to pack and unpack so much, but I overcame in this instance.

I will return to the U.S. on September 3, visiting Tucson, Arizona. My online shop will reopen for business on September 1. I hope to be shipping a lot of packages out on September 4!

Gran Cenote, Tulum, Mexico: 8/11/17, 14:08:21

My Artwork - July 2017

July 31, 2017 Teressa Jackson

July was my first full month in Belize. Aaron and I started out in Hopkins, then spent two weeks in Placencia, traveled to the country's southernmost civilization (and the end of paved roads) in Punta Gorda, and then flew to San Pedro, a.k.a. La Isla Bonita.

Despite being in four different locations, I managed to be relatively prolific, painting nine pieces. The pace of life in Belize is generally slow, and that helps. My work bounced around a bit, from Belize-inspired to pieces reaching back to my travels in the U.S. I certainly have a large stock of inspiration after 9+ months of being a nomad.

Feel free to e-mail me to be added to a list to be notified when artwork is available again (a.k.a. when I return to the U.S.).

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming: 6/6/17, 18:50:29 — Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming: 6/6/17, 18:50:29

Redwood National Park, California: 5/26/17, 15:05:25

Avenue of the Giants, California: 5/25/17, 16:12:03

Avenue of the Giants, California: 5/24/17, 16:30:59

False Sittee Point, Belize: 6/30/17, 16:01:29

My Artwork - May 2017

June 2, 2017 Teressa Jackson

May was a busy month! I visited Nevada's Great Basin National Park, toured Southern Utah, took in the grandeur of Yosemite National Park, jaunted up Highway 101 in California through the redwoods, saw the blue mirror beauty of Crater Lake National Park, and descended upon my sister's home in Corvallis, Oregon. All that moving and shaking provided a lot of inspiration for future creating, but also put a dent in my productivity. I did manage to create five new paintings, though.

Two of these pieces are still available in my online shop, as are a few others from previous months. I'd love to send one your way if it speaks to your heart!

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Great Basin National Park, Nevada: 4/29/17, 14:11:31 — Great Basin National Park, Nevada: 4/29/17, 14:11:31

Great Basin National Park, Nevada: 4/29/17, 14:42:47 — Great Basin National Park, Nevada: 4/29/17, 14:42:47

Great Basin National Park, Nevada: 5/4/17, 9:27:20 — Great Basin National Park, Nevada: 5/4/17, 9:27:20

Phoenix, Arizona: 4/20/17, 11:03:02 — Phoenix, Arizona: 4/20/17, 11:03:02

Every $30 you buy in art helps keep me rolling on my adventure across the United States for approximately 1-2 days (gas is expensive!). I'm truly grateful to all the people in my life who keep me fueled up, both literally and figuratively!

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My Artwork - April 2017

April 30, 2017 Teressa Jackson

April 2017 led me to the area surrounding Pensacola, Florida, then returning to the west for visits around Las Vegas, Nevada; Phoenix, Arizona; and Baker, Nevada. Most of my paintings reflected the Gulf Coast's scenery this month.

One of the things I've been working on over the past couple of months is "loosening up" my approach to art. While I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to receive artistic training throughout my life, culminating in a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art (Painting emphasis), I feel that instruction hampered my creativity in a lot of ways. I often wonder what my creations would look like had I explored my my creative side independently.

I personally feel that untrained and uninformed art is the purest artistic expression, which is one of the biggest reasons I have spent years collecting folk and outsider art. Most of the paintings I made this month were only loosely sketched with pencil prior to getting out the paintbrushes, and some were not sketched at all. This is a huge change from the meticulous beginnings I usually undertake.

I continued to be pretty productive, creating 9 pieces of art and an additional 2 "sketch" paintings, which I used as promotional giveaways. As always, except for the sketch paintings, my pieces were inspired by my travels and informed by my original photography. Many are already sold (thank you, dear friends - I continue to be humbled by your support!). As of this posting, 5 of these pieces are still available and ready to keep your walls company.

I'm also running a promotion right now. Until the end of the day on Sunday, May 7, you will get 15% off your purchase when you enter the promo code MOMLOVE at checkout.

So go ahead, go get yourself some art!

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Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama: 4/2/17, 13:45:20

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama: 4/2/17, 13:45:22

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida: 3/27/17, 11:32:01

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida: 3/27/17, 11:27:53

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida: 3/27/17, 11:28:45

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama: 4/2/17, 14:32:48

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My Artwork - November 2016

November 28, 2016 Teressa Jackson

On October 22, 2016, I embarked on a year-long adventure of traveling the United States to experience living in different locales and see all the beauty our country has to offer. After a 10-day long trek of over 2,000 miles, I settled in to Las Cruces, New Mexico for November.

One of the main intentions of this journey has always been to have more time and inspiration to fuel my creativity. Staying in a location for an extended period enables me to really experience the many facets of that area, and gives me more than a moment to spread out my tubes of paint and paintbrushes and let the pigment fly.

During November, I created the following paintings inspired by my travels and informed by my original photography. Some are already sold, but I still have a few left that could grace that empty spot on your wall or be presented to someone you love this holiday season!

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White Sands National Monument, New Mexico: 11/2/16, 17:24:58

Cleo Springs, Oklahoma: 10/30/16, 12:39:38

Talimena Trail Scenic Byway, Oklahoma: 10/28/16, 13:36:02

Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas: 10/26/16, 10:01:08

Organ Mountains, Las Cruces, New Mexico: 11/6/16: 01:36:00

East of El Paso, Texas: 11/13/16, 17:57:32

Photo taken on my way back from Guadalupe Mountains National Park - read about it on my blog

Aguirre Springs, Las Cruces, New Mexico: 11/18/16, 17:08:20

Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, Mesilla, New Mexico: 11/7/16, 15:14:07

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, New Mexico: 11/16/16, 12:37:57

Read about my visit to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument on my blog

Every $25 you buy in art helps keep me rolling on my adventure across the United States for approximately 1-2 days (gas is expensive!). I'm truly grateful to all the people in my life who keep me fueled up, both literally and figuratively!

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