Jess Boctor

Category: Uncategorized

  • Why artists should Blog…

    The “this week” heading in my dashboard keeps giving me a guilt trip. The I read this article on Why Artists Should Blog and the trip just got longer. So now I have new inspirations and reminders for what I should be doing with my time.What should you be doing with your time?-Jessica

  • Spirited Dreamer: Painting in Progress 4

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    Spirited DreamerOriginally uploaded by marchenstudiosShe is coming along. I am calling the painting “Spirited Dreamer”. It is based on the idea that sometimes dreams and reality seem to blend together and that we can dream with as much of our spirit and passion as we live with. I think she still needs some work but I am going to leave her for a little while. I’ll come back to her when I feel ready.By the way, sorry about the lack of creative confession this week. I know many of you are very distressed about it 🙂 Its getting to be crunch time for our art party/sale/workshop/other stuff and so we really truly just ran out of time and didn’t want to make another confession about how we are tired and don’t have any time. But keep an eye out for us next week when we’ll be back.-Jessica

  • Painting in Progress 3

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    Painting in Progress 3
    Originally uploaded by marchenstudios

    So this is my painting after my third session. I gave her some warmer skin tones and more detail in the face. FYI I hate painting lips. I just have a hard time with it, and these were especially difficult because of the angle her face is laying at. I think I have one session left and then she’s done. I don’t know what to do afterwards. I like her alot, maybe I’ll try and sell her on Etsy, or I’ll just keep her for myself. Any interested buyers?

    -Jessica

  • Painting in Progress 2

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    Painting in Progress 2Originally uploaded by marchenstudiosThis is what my painting looks like after sitting down for a second session of painting. This session was really kind of short, no more then thirty minutes. I found that I needed to get up and leave it be for the night. I have a really hard time with figure painting, I haven’t studied it much beyond a 7th grade art class and so it is easy for me to get frustrated when it doesn’t look right. I get so tied up in small details that I lose sight of the whole picture and so last night I just decided to be done for a little while. I got most of the main shadowing done and was really pleased. The last thing I did was give her a light coat of metallic silver. I really want her to have layers and texture and an ethereal feeling.So how did you do facing your fears?-Jessica

  • Painting in Progress 1

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    Painting in Progress 1
    Originally uploaded by marchenstudios

    I have a fear of painting.

    I love it, but at the same time my repitoire is very limited. Once I get past a simplistic landscape or a beautiful blending of colors, I’m just not very good.

    I have really great ideas though. In my minds eye I see the painting before it is ever created, my problem is getting my hands and my visions to match up. So most of the time I just say forget it and give up.

    Well, I decided not to give up this time. I am going to try really hard to make this painting the vision I hope it to be. I am going to give myself the freedom to leave it and come back, to not rush, to not have deadlines. It may take me ten years, but I’m going to do it. I will face my fears. So this is phase one.

    What are you scared of? I dare you (yes, all three of my readers) to try it.

    -Jessica

  • Evolution and Darwinism in Art.

    Today was a really good creative day. I am exhausted but it was a good day. Definitely an evolution day. What I mean is that every idea I had, every original concept changed into something completely different then the original vision. Most days I would get frustrated and yell at my stamps, paints, canvas and snippets of paper that float around my workspace. Not today though. Today , I just let it flow. If it wasn’t working I let it go and moved on to the next idea. It was a day of Darwinism in Art. Survival of the fittest, the best, the strongest. Those were the ideas that won today. It was a good day.Anyone else experience artistic Darwinism?

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  • Growing into cool.

    My entire life I’ve wanted to be cool.

    Most of it I haven’t been. However, I think that cool is something like puberty…or maturity…different people hit it at different times. Some people have been cool since infancy, not me. As a kid i was always out of place somehow. My hair was tangled, my clothes were mix-matched and for an entire five years my nose had outgrown my face.

    I think I am catching up though. Not because I meet any sort of external standard of cool, but I am learning about me and what my strengths are and how to best use them. I am finally starting to get a little more comfortable in my own skin.

    I think that’s cool.

    Even though I still over analyze the artistic and social value of popular music.

    How long have you been cool?