L'Etoile De La Matin

    Like all of us, I have layers. What is at first seen is me, and what is seen after time and upclose is me too. Glances at people reveal instant impressions, yet when savored.....looked at through eyes who have experienced the person, what is revealed can often be the beauty of time. Scars, wrinkles, marks of life show life lived, sometimes hard and sometimes peacefully.
   I hope today I can see beyond first impressions, beyond the stories of life's lines, through the glisten of an eye and into the universe of the soul. Therein, lives beauty all else merely tries to reflect.
   For today, I wish you a timeless moment, where you may catch your glance or get caught in the eternity of another's being, and see the most beautiful of things. You.

"L'Etoile De La Matin"

(Morning Star)

Self Portait

18x24

Acrylic on canvas

For a step by step photo montage of this painting, please visit my youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFIlA1vrq0k

tina jones

p.s. Title given by an anonymous soul who has loved me beyond comprehension.

   

Art and Your Sofa: Rant to an Anonymous Socialite

Art and Your Sofa

A Guide for Non-artists, Socialites and Other "Poor Misunderstood" People to Art and Artists

Art is never created to match your sofa*

*Sofa, for the purposes of this document shall refer to your sofa, any and all of your belongings from your wall paper to your welcome mat, and from your tie collection to your dentures, from your other art works to your life in general, and from your tastes to your opinions. It was not created to amuse you, to aid in your social activities or for you to understand, incorporate into your being or speak of in any way. Doing so incidentally may result in your coming across as a pseudo-intellectual bore to artists in general, but an ill-informed, pompous prick to those whom you may aim to impress. Art, by the way was not meant to impress or to help you impress.  This is not limited to the list so far stated, and the artist reserves the right to amend at will.  

   With utmost respect to your sofa,* art was created for some reasons that have nothing to do with you. ( No, really. It was.)

    Art was created for the pleasure of the artist, be it to express, to have fun, to indulge in senses or to let off some steam, be it to practice, to hone, to learn, creation is a selfish process, and it is quite likely that the artist did not think of you in the least when it was created. Occasionally, much like masturbation, the artist may think of another person, still the act is entirely self pleasuring.

     What you can do: You may ask the artist questions about the art like where to hang it. Do not ask if you don't want to know. Having received their thoughts, it’s best to lay the conversation to rest, reserving debate for others who know as little as you do. The artist has given their knowledge and opinion. You are in their area of expertise; you are conversing with (albeit, often overworked) alchemists, and not in a place where you stand a chance. Save face. Take the high road, and let it go. You may of course, hang where you like. (Double entendre intended.) While most artists are more than willing to toss pearls before swine, they are not likely to defend their point of view, in effect, doing it twice. Pushing this, will likely result in the phenomenon known as “the artistic temperament.”  You’ll have better luck checking with your mailman, house keeper, pedicurist or pet shampooer for debate. Art by the way, was not created for debate. If we wanted to yak endlessly about it, we wouldn't bother painting it.

      What you need to know about art:

You need to know if you like it and if you don’t. Take your time with that one.

      What you don’t need to know about art:

Everything else. You can study the best of the best of writers, and use large art words, but God created buckshot for just this purpose. Please do not annoy the artist with any gathered information. We know, and while it’s heart warming that you’ve read a book, we could basically care less. We’d rather be making art. Guests, who you’d hope to dazzle with artistic word savvy, would likely rather be eating the main course. You also don't need to know about our "deep inner angst." Most of us don't have any, and I personally am not going to make any up to please you. We don't have time for angst. We're working.

       What artists are: We are people who like to create and do so.

       What artists are not: We are not your pets. We are not to be put on display at social gatherings as a new addition to your collection. We don't need to be "discovered" by you. We already know we're here. We will not dress to match your sofa,* and we are not decorative accessories. Most of us do not enjoy being poked, petted or otherwise molested by strangers, be it in the name of showing our art or for the purpose of raising your social status. That's the stuff of personal adds, not art. However, should you fancy posing, I'll be happy to paint you poised for recognition on and of your sofa*. It'll make your interior decorator go all a-flutter, I'm sure.

       We appreciate you:

 It’s nice that you like art, as many of our galleries are full and we could use the storage space. We appreciate it. We are not, however hanging art at your place in infantile ideas that it will get us anywhere socially or financially. Social and financial issues are for socialites and accountants. Again, we are artists. Hanging our art out of our site is always a risk, and one that is not taken lightly. Hours, months and years have sometimes gone into the making, and we do not relish the idea of uninvited fingering of our creations. As all museums know, acid of the hand will in the long run damage art, besides someone might sneeze on it.

     Why Artists take the risk: There is a good reason that we hang our art in other places.  In all likelihood, we are hanging our art at your place, because we like you. Most of us have no need to be shown, so that argument is mute. One artist (myself), has been creating art for 35 years, painting for 24 years,  is known worldwide and has sold hundreds of works to many more countries than I can presently count. Basically, the favor you present is being done for you.

     Any and all opinions, yeah buts, whys or other noises will be respectfully heard and promptly dismissed, unless I tire, then they’ll be dismissed before hearing, and you’ll be asked to refer to your dog shampooer.

At Your Service,

Tina Jones

(Who at times, "shares the love" while toting a cat of nine tails.)

"Don't Look Back"
16x20
Acrylic on Canvas
(sold with attendant rant which they tell at social gatherings, including their audacity to rename the work. My title, which stands, wasn't provocative enough to make for chit chat, so the painting is also known as *Electric Nude.* Sighs...so the story grows....so I nap.)

Passion

"Nude 10"
11x14 Acrylic on Canvas



Passion

“Hot” he says so innocently without notion.                            

Careful where you stand. Guard the seething cauldron.

Flames lick, and stretch, caressing in soothing stings

“Feels good” he says warming by embers that softly sing

With ferocity temporarily tame kinetic tombs.

“I love you” he says. Don’t let it consume

Unless you want it, Lest your tempted to open the gate,

Be forwarned. You tread the territory of fate.

Then there’s no return to cavernous space.

 Watch your heart and guard your face,

Yet I can tell you, it will not harm in it’s throes                     

It protects, feeds on its own and grows,

And you are the flames as much as I.

Dive if you’re brave. I rise dripping, meet heart to eye.

Flames lick wet whips in unquenchable screams.

Tongues in heat froth erotic creams.

Breath burns on skin, sweet acidic warm

Touches dissolve towers built from harm.

And walls fall like so much silk

In a gentle kiss, one another’s milk

Be us both lost or found by the liquid sun in me

Who only asks for all, whose All is all of me.

All of me, and all of you melted, to one that began two.

Unchain, reveal me. I beg, unleash me to you.

I am more than a storm of raining fire

I am more than me, reborn of simple desire.

A third is made, an Us created that is more powerful

Than any singular beginning or awakening hour, full

And mercilessly loving. The monster gloriously untethered

 Viciously entangled and ferociously surrendered.

I don’t know that I can survive this, and I cannot find a spark of care.

Stay with me close, Let me become this. Come with me trembling there.

Let me be more than what you see

And only who I am when I am free.

Sweet insanity, this longing without mistake,

No cold threatens, no isolation and no ache.

Arms hurt for now to hold. Sweet kindness cools and soothes

Through bitter nails and hungry bites with will-weakening  moves.

Sweet hunger starved for satiation,

Primal mind, writhing contemplation

Of single kisses and madly thrashing waves

Of willing partners, each others drenched slaves

It wakes, and cries, walls torn apart,

Dare you look, the cost... is but your heart,

For this passion no eyes yet see,

The win is love, and the prize is me.

Still I understand eyes that in fear cannot bear, .

I’ve seen the hidden places that souls cannot share,

I know fear, and I have compassion

For existence long since in silenced passion.

 I know the heat within, and I know the door.

I know how to close it, and I know that I want more.

The sadness of it is, I know how much I have to share

and crux remains, How much can you bear

Of love?

Tina Jones

"Iris" Transformation of a Painting (nude)

It was an ok painting that did of some "Irises" years ago, hence the title.  At the time, there were a few television artists showing how to paint blended strokes. Usually, this is done by double loading a flat brush. One corner is dipped into one color of paint, and the other corner is dipped in another color. The brush is taken to the palette, and brushed back and forth until it leaves a mark transitioning smoothly from one color to the next. The brush is then taken to canvas to make the same kind of mark.

 

Inspired by a photograph of a model I took a handful of years back, and the interest in Van Gogh's "Irises" paintings, and the love of skeletal and muscle structure,  I set out to recreate what I'd created. I was fascinated by the foreground leg, so that's where I began.

 The original completely covered, I began sculpting the form. I added a bench for her to sit on. To remain true to my original painting and the idea of Irises, I put scumbles loosely in the back ground, and tightened up some forms to resemble the flower vaguely. A sheer drapery was added over the bench to reflect the flower petal's shape in hopes that the figure would become part of the flower. The thought led me to look up paintings by Georgia O'keefe for inspiration.

With the form set solidly, I began focus on light and shadow then added color. This is Yellow Ocre over Ivory Black and Titanium White. In the end, more white and black were added to enhance tonality and shift small muscles and bone within the form to make it come forward or recede, reach to light or fade to darkness. The sheer drapery was trimmed leaving only the remaining petal shapes on the bench. These were highlighted and shaded as well, becoming a carving there.

Though there are many Irises in the final work, I felt the focus should be only one.... her, the timeless lady iris, who sits, supple stone in remembrance of a simple work done long ago.

"Iris"

24x30"

Acrylic on Canvas

Is she finished? I don't know. Perhaps she will call again one day. smiles

tina jones

P.S. Read Critique Comments on this work at About.com Painting: http://tinyurl.com/49yb6s5

5/25/2011: "Iris" Has now been featured in Psychology Today magazine!
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/aspergirls/201105/aspergers-bullying-and-self-advocacy