Posts Tagged ‘Jessica Byrd Buchanan’

Snap!  Crackle!  Stretching those kinks out of my typing digits.

Finally, back from my two week “vacation” up “north” to see the family in good old NC.  I am jonesing to unleash myself into my studio and create something… anything!  But first, I wanted to share some things I’ve been up to, things my lovely Artist du Jour interviewees have been up to…and of course,to share the finished product from when my daughter and I had our “Mommy and Me Paint Day”.

So, without further ado…  and then the phone rings, my alma mater begging me for money…doesn’t it say on my transcript I went to ART school…that should explain that I have NO money! Jeez.  Anyhoo, like I was saying, without further ado, I present you with the fruits of our “Mommy and Me Paint Day” labors…

Ok, so we cheated a bit.  We didn’t start with seeds, but in the next few months we’ll be grubbing on some Sweet Vidalia Onions, pimentos, heirloom tomatoes, zukes and yellow squash, sweet peas, and whatever else the Hubs planted while we were in North Carolina.  Don’t worry folks, they’re not all in the one container box!

In other news, even more joyous then Glenn Beck’s show being canceled on the mind numbing Fox News channel, I’ve been painting more stone tiles.  From coasters and trivets to decorative tiles… here are a few I have listed for your buying pleasure on Etsy and a set of custom coral reef inspired coasters I painted for a dear customer…

 

How does she do this, you ask.  Simple.  Sort of.  First, I lightly sketch my drawing out onto the stone tile.  I try to choose smoother tiles, though not totally smooth.  I enjoy the look of the “imperfections” of the stone, it really gives each piece character.  Though you don’t want too much “character”, or you’ll have one heck of a time with sketching out your image and painting it.

After I’ve sketched my image onto the stone to my liking (by the way, I find that a plain old No.2 pencil is much more forgiving then graphite pencils, though it may give you nightmares of filling in all those bubble sheets in back in grade school), it’s on to the process of painting the stone.  The tumbled stone is a very thirsty object, therefore watercolors are discouraged.  I use acrylic paints, and you can even get away with doing some heavy acrylic washes on these stones to give your image a hint of tint.  Just don’t sop it on, because it will roll right off the smoother spots of the stones.  But obviously, the thicker the paint, the more vibrant the look.  I also use India Ink to do some outlining on the stones, and I’ve found that it holds up nicely, though is a bit less forgiving then the acrylic paints.

When I’m done with adding color to the stone (and after giving it time to try), I seal the work with a spray resin varnish, which can be found at your local art store.  When doing coasters or trivets, I add either felt or cork circles to the backside of each stone so that it will not scratch surfaces.

And last, but certainly not least, I promised you some updates on some past Artist du Jour interviewees…

Who Ever Said Green Couldn’t be Stylish…. and Illustrated???

Everyone needs to go and check out Andrea Peterson’s awesome new eco totes, featuring her lovely artwork Oooh La La, in her Etsy shop.  I just broke my in at the grocery store today, and I love it!!!  It’s way more stylish (as my 2 1/2 going on 25 year old says) then the grass green Publix totes I’ve been lugging around.  I can’t wait for her to do more so I can start a collection…and rid myself of the Publix collection.

Not to mention, Artist Andrea has some other new awesome goodies in her new website shop, including sleep masks… and some super sweet postcards opn Etsy!

Artist du Jour Alumni Updates, April 2011

Also, be sure to check out past Artist du Jour interviewee, Kristy Lynn’s new shops on Studio6: Cloud Drop Paintings Shop and Lover.  I am so in love with her painting, Bird Lovers (which was featured in her interview), and hope to get my hands on a print very soon!

Jessica Byrd Buchanan, past interviewee, has a new line of lovely bookmarks, magnets and jewelry featuring her photography now available on Etsy.

Also, to all you art school folks, current Artist du Jour and fellow SCAD alumni, Brienna Pruce, has just started up a new Etsy team for all those that have or are attending school to study art: the Art School Grad Team.  I love that Brienna is doing this, providing a great opportunity for all artists to network, collaborate, and reach more people.

Ok, now I really need to hit the studio… though now I’m not so sure I want to drag out all my paints, brushes, pens, paper, etc. at 10 o’clock at night.

Artist du Jour: Mini Interviews with the Creative Kind featuring the photoholic painter of murals and drawer of drawings, the lovely, Jessica Byrd Buchanan.  You down with TTV… yeah, you know me!

Who are you and what do you do?
I am a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a golf cart business owner/office manager, and from time to time I am also an artist!

 

What is a typical creative day in the life of Jessica Buchanan like?
Thus far this week I have booked a couple of family photo shoots! I also designed a kids menu/ activity page for a local restaurant and spent the majority of today working on a mural painting for a church youth building.

Three words that best describe your work…
I tried to think of ways to describe based on how certain pieces make me feel…casual, vintage, pleasant.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be, and why?
I would be a super genius! I could use my awesome power and invent a machine to turn water into food like Flint Lockwood in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Then, I would use the machine to make enough food to end world hunger. Because everyone deserves an ice cream play day!!

 

 

 

How do you find balance between a job, a family, and your creative endeavors?

Luckily, my husband and I own our golf cart company in a tourist area, so business is seasonal. (Not that I’m not using my creative-ness while working there because I enjoy designing our website and also designing golf carts for customers.) But, from October to February business slows down just enough to give me artistic freedom to get creative! And, since we own the business, I make my own hours, which makes it possible to balance work, family and my creative endeavors.

 

 

What one artist has been most influential/inspirational to your own work?

Normal Rockwell and his amazing real-life illustrations.

 

Where can we find you?
http://www.jessicabyrdbuchanan.com/
http://www.jessicabyrdbuchanan.etsy.com/

 

Post interview, I had to ask Jessica about…dun dun dun…”The Contraption”.  I knew it was used for her lovely, vintage looking  photography, but I wanted to know more…

Me: What the heck is that thing, The Contraption?

Jessica: Aaahhh yes, the contraption! Well, it is ttv photography, which means through the viewfinder. I use my camera with a macro lens attached and take pics through the top of a kodak duaflex camera (1950′s) to get the vintage look. I made the contraption attached to my kodak using black frame mat and black tape to block the light.

Me: What do you prefer… TTV or traditional photography (which I guess is now digital…man, I remember my days in the dark room in high school during graphic design…not sure what that photography had to do with GD, but it was fun!)?

Jessica: Honestly, I like taking the traditional pictures, but I like the look of the TTV better…so I guess I’m kinda sorta on the fence.

Be sure to check out the lovlies in Jessica’s etsy shop, and upon checkout enter this code ADJ31811 for a lovely 10% off of your order!  Expires on April 18th, 2011.