ARTSAILS1

Amazing Art: Takashi Murakami Interview: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg (a shared video)

2019-04-21T14:17:00.001-04:00

Art is Love

2019-04-21T14:15:00.002-04:00

Art School Surprises

Art is Love

As you can see by my shirt; Art is Love. Photo by Junior Talbot. I am now in my 5th year of art school. This Fall I will start my 6th year and plan to graduate with my BFA in Dec. Obviously, I am a little bit older than most students. There are a few older than me at UofSC but they are in the Graduate school or a PhD program.

As I contemplate the future and attending graduate school, I remain hopelessly optimistic that the art world may eventually be as well-liked and as well funded as football is in my school. (in my community, my state and nation) Granted most artists at least most visual artists (and musicians) are often portrayed as a bit eccentric, odd and somewhat strange. That may be true for some, but there are artists that are simply highly imaginative people. I like to think I am in that category.

It's funny, looking back, I had a big fear about going to art school. I was concerned that I would lose my style. Now I know I haven't lost my style, I have just enhanced it to be more in tune with the Elements of Design and with Albers Color Theory. I wish I could say perspective as well... but I do still have trouble with it as well as foreshortening. (which is like when a person has their tubular arm going straight out and then the arm and hand hanging down, like when someone has their arm being supported by the top of the bench (or chair) then from the elbow have the arm going flat down or to have the arm extended straight out from the elbow. All very difficult.

Now, we have just a few days left in some classes and until May 1st and then two finals on May 3rd in other classes. to turn in all completed projects. I have a lot to get down in the next week or plus completing an in depth paper on Isa Genzken, putting it in a Powerpoint. I also have to have in progress work shots for the powerpoint, slide show or iMovie to present for ARTS519 final class Friday April 26. That is not much time for all I have to do.

Time to get to work... post pics later!!

Establishing Your Own Art Rules as a Professional Artist or as a Grad student

2018-10-04T13:56:00.000-04:00

Hello!!

This week our professor Adrian Rhodes, has challenged each of us to think about doing a series. To make a commitment to it and write it down and print it out. She has suggested to really think about what rules you want to have in each piece of the series and what the common thread will be. She tells us in order to do this we really need to be thinking about our own personal icons or iconography. She mentioned thinking about what we are attracted to at the beginning of the term, back in August (2018). After being here 4 1/2 years, this is my last semester as an undergrad at University of SC Columbia SC. If you have been in your last term ever, you know so I am right there with the reflections...and the serious considerations of where I am at; what I am attracted to, what has meaning for me and where I want to position my art and my life as an artist and possibly as a grad student. That too, requires I stop and look and listen and judge my work and make a stand on where I want to go.

You can check out the photos on this blog to see a vast array of work that I have completed over the past ten years. Granted, I have not posted no where near as much here as I did prior to deciding to go for an art degree. Yes, I know more now and have been exposed to many more artists and art styles than I had known about previously. With this deep thinking, I have realized many of the same things my art said before, it still does. I have had to draw more being in school and know if I take the time I can literally draw anything. I work best without deadlines. It's actually very ironic, how I work... which is still pretty much the same. I am perhaps a tiny bit more disciplined in my work than I had been, but no one has ever noticed, so maybe I'm not really. IDK.

Before my art ed, I did several series, a Love series, a coffee series, a geometric series, a flower series, a mono-type print series, a heart series, graffiti guitar series, painting live painting series, and a silk collage series and so on. These same symbols still hold appeal to me. I have never been able to judge the quality of my own work. Even now, it seems I will have my work to a point where I don't care for it much and someone will tell me they like it. I am grateful, but if I don't feel like I like it myself, than that image they like probably will be gone within the week. Sorry to say. I know, I should listen to others more...maybe? It's hard to say. Last night, I looked at Art Forum magazine, Fiber Arts of Japan book, Printmaking Techniques book, a couple books about horses and my own websites and my many blogs to help me decide. Sometimes I feel like I am all over the place with my interests; yet I know they all have a connection.

So, if I am forced to define what rules I can follow in my next series; what would they be?
What image would I like to work with? I would like to work with images of horses. Do I have at least 6 of the same exact image? Yes, I do. Images often seen in my art have been hearts, faces, flowers, leaves and triangles. I am sure some of them will be in this series as well, but they are not in the rules.

The question this series aims to answer is:

If a horse could be an artist, how would he present his selfie?

New series of Mixed Media Collages with rules that I have set and defined:

1. Main image - at least 1 brown horse
2. Medium - acrylic, inks, relief, collage, gel mediums, papers
3. Ground - canvas, all same size
4. Quantity - at least 6 possibly more
5. Format - Each canvas will have at least 1 found or 1 recycled item.
The horse will be slightly off center in each image, but still be the focal point of each.

Colors... I have thought about color schemes and do not want to limit myself on this, so I am leaving this open. Style will be non-representational with the exception of the horse, which of course will be realistic.

Sounds like fun!! ...Anyone else want to join the challenge... make a comment here and you are in!!

Yours truly,

JeaneeB
artsails
10\3\18

All artwork shown by Jeanee Bourque (yours truly)
All copyrights belong to artist and writer c 2018.

Not sure who took this photo of me and Brandi in 2013.
Also not sure who took the photo of Mark Haygood and his horse.
But thanks to both photographers, just the same. The remaining photographs were either by myself or Keith Bates, photographer.

Just Write and Paint - Let it Flow

2018-07-01T15:20:00.000-04:00

"Blue Secret" Painting copyright 2018 by Jean Bourque (H 16 inch x W 20 inch)
Acrylics, gesso and mediums.... This feels peaceful, to me.

Hello ya'll,

I know it's been a long time since I had blogged on this blog. For a while I was posting on other blogs and then I got really busy with college classes and rarely had any spare time for writing or much else. The past few weeks my brain is saying write...and witty little clumps of words come pouring into my absent minded brain and I say oh yeah... I started this journey in the arts as a writer. Well, that writer is still here and she is demanding I write more. So what's a semi-depraved semi-educated life long learning artist, writer to do... but write. (I ask)

Perhaps it is because I found one of my writing files the other day and time is limited. I can squeeze but a few minutes of each day as my self care slash personal upkeep, is much more time consuming, due to the losses caused by disease. Now I will rise above that. I will get my pace back... it has taken time, but... I am not always the last one... now and that is really good. Of course, I am a long way from being the first one down like I was in high school or in my previous college years (prior to this century).

Don't know what I would write about, but the fingers fastly flow over the keyboard and words do come...Just write, just do It! A strange day, a strange weak, (just noticed the typo and am leaving it as I think this may mean something) a strange month and even a strange year. I'm not sure if it's because I am further off the beaten path or if it's all the illnesses I have had that dragged me away. Now my brain wants to be back in charge. Okay... I say...

I didn't know how I did it, but I had my baby laughing last night. The me that was me intellectually or perhaps just comedian may be back. I don't know after years of chemo brain... its sooo hard to say. At any rate, I'm not promising anything as I have learned, its best not to... when it comes to my writing that I do for fun. If there is a promise, it makes it a job and that is not a good way to write or to stimulate creative thinking. Much more creative when freedom rings.

It's actually my birthday and at one time, I didn't think I would have anymore of them... So now, I find I really do not care about birthdays anymore. I really would like the time to not race past me and then make me play catch up.So please.... Slow down please.... (me telling time to slow down) I know that will not alter time, but perhaps there is something to the idea of thinking time could slow down. If it went slower, I would not have to catch up so much. I think.

So this is my monologue for today a happy birthday girl day. May the year ahead be better and better. May you all feel joy!!

Yours truly.... Jeanee

All artwork by me...this one is a fabric based one with hearts. c 2018.

Art by Jean Bourque Evolves to Enhanced Monotype Prints

2016-05-27T19:36:00.001-04:00

So happy to share photographs of some of my latest work.

Eye See

Monotype Print

Bourque 2016

Half Way

Monotype Print

Bourque 2016

Heart Face

Monotype Print

Bourque 2016

Space Face

Monotype Print

Bourque 2016

Last fall I took a Printing class at USC with Mary Robinson. We did Screen Printing using silkscreens and printers ink. Besides this class Mary also taught those of us that wanted to learn other things, She taught us papermaking and book making and binding.

The final project for this class, I wanted to do something different and Mary told me about using Watercolor Crayons and ScreenPrinting. These were done using watercolor crayons and then enhanced with paint, markers and other mediums to create unique one of a kind monotype prints.

Yours Truly,

Jeanee

USC's Got Talent

2015-09-05T15:52:00.002-04:00

USC's Got Talent.... Applications LIVE!

Wed. Sept. 9 at www.sa.sc.edu/cp

More details: 803-777-3950

Poetry Night at USC

2015-09-05T15:46:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday September 15th,
they will be holding a poetry night,
at Gamecock Park at 8PM at USC

.Follow them: @usccp
Russell House 318 @USC
Email @ sacp@mailbox.sc.edu
Phone 803-777-3950

Acoustic Cafe at USC

2015-09-05T15:43:00.000-04:00

USC Gamecock Park at 8PM Tuesday Evening

Sept. 8th & Sept 22 & Oct. 13th
Will host the Acoustic Cafe.

Follow them: @usccp
Russell House 318 @USC
Email @ sacp@mailbox.sc.edu

Hilma af Klint: Art and Spirituality (a lesson learned)

2015-09-05T14:23:00.005-04:00

I just discovered while looking at Amazon.com a female artist I had never heard of. After reading everything I could find in my internet searches this morning, I realized I am not alone in never hearing of her. Because I was so amazed by what I just learned, I had to share! I wish I had pictures, to show.... but you can google. I do not want to steal anyone's pics and you can easily find them.

Hilma af Klint had been a trained artist and did naturalistic paintings which she showed in her life time. She passed away in 1944 and upon her death it was stipulated her artwork could not be shown for at least 20 years. To me that was partially the hook, she never showed her spiritual paintings during her lifetime. It was as if she knew she was ahead of her time. She was born in 1862 started creating her large spiritual paintings in 1890, at the age of 28. These paintings were what is now known as large abstract paintings ripe with symbolism, geometric and circular patterns in a wide variety of colors. Her works were like NONE seen at that time. This was before Kandinsky!

Part of my fascination is the Abstract and the other part is the Spiritual. They certainly go hand in hand in Hilma af Klint's work and in my own. In fact I recently found a great book at my local city library "The Spiritual in Art; Abstract Painting 1890-1985" put out in collaboration with a variety of writers and artists, by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and published by Abbeville Press Publishers. I have it on loan right now. To my surprise, this artist Hilma af Klint is in this book.
Ten pages written by Ake Fant cover this Swedish artist.

It does amaze me, how everything does prove to be connected. I checked this book out 5 days ago and so far had just looked at the artworks and not really did any reading of what might be new information for me to gather and learn. All I can say is there truly is a destiny to learn certain things at certain times and some one other than me is guiding this learning. That is a spiritual realm. I have noticed several times throughout my life when I first learn of something I often discover something else within that day or week that shows me more information on the subject. And /or I discover this information was available to me earlier in a different format and I did not pay attention to it.

She worked in a variety of artistic mediums although typically the spiritual paintings were done as oils on canvas. Most of her abstract paintings were done while in a trance, meditation and under spiritual direction. In 1914 she started to work in watercolor and in a smaller scale. She kept many notebooks detailing her journey into unconsciousness, recording what was happening as she painted and how she was being led to paint and to enter the astral plane. Many critics say these paintings could be called automatic paintings. While others claim she really painted the first abstracts in the world.

It's a shame this artist didn't get the recognition she deserved in her life time. In some way I could connect because I remember paintings i did in the nineties where people told me I was ahead of my time. I don't think I will write a 20 year hold in my will though. However, I do hope that within a year or two of passing that my loved family and friends will hold retrospects of my life's work. However, no one can really know what will happen once they have left the earth.

If I am painting for myself and not a commission, gallery request or school assignment; I find I feel freer and have less judgement on it. I go with the spirits where ever they want to take me. Sometimes my grandfather, ( C. Talbot an oil painter from MA) will speak with me and say use this color, move your brush this way. Other times a dear friend that I painted with for 15 years; will say Jeanee you need to paint. Get a big canvas out; use big brushes.... and so on. I love the spiritual realm and the spirits that guide me, I do not always know who they are.

May the spirits be with you.
Jeanee

Dream Girls at Trustus in Columbia SC

2015-09-05T14:06:00.001-04:00

Dreamgirls was a wonderful play held at Trustus from June 26 to Aug 1, 2015.
Terrance Henderson did a great job as director and choreographer. Larry Hembree
made several announcements and it was good to see him. He has a five year plan for
Trustus which will lead to much success. Dreamgirls had an amazingly talented staff with singers like Jasmine Ayers, Avery Bateman, Kendrick Marion and Mario McClean. (just to name a few of the very talented singers and dancers)

If they run it again next year.... go, it was a great play. It was better than the movie!

Germany and all my readers Rock!!

2015-05-16T23:55:00.000-04:00

Jagged Edges oil by Jean Bourque

Hi there,

I know in my last post I quoted what my stats were on facebook.
The article was published and then I realized I had not checked
the stats for the blog. After all, this is something I have been doing
for 8 years now. I believe the blog has stood the test of time.

Other than Americans; my readers are in this order with
these countries, which shows a big difference between blog
and facebook.

1. GERMANY Thank you to all my German readers!! I will be studying German next year
thanks to all of you and the people from the galleries in Berlin that have taken the time
to invite me to show in their galleries. I am very excited about this!

2. Russia

3. Ireland

4. Japan

5. Serbia

6. Ukraine

7. China

8. Netherlands

9. France

All of these countries are higher than any other English speaking countries and higher than any Spanish speaking countries, It is here, I find my fans from Japan and China. I thank you all very much. I had a gut level feeling that was telling me to learn German and now, I am convinced this is my best career move.

Yours Truly,
Jeanee

Silk Collage by Jean Bourque

My Guitar and Foreign Languages?

2015-05-16T13:56:00.000-04:00

Hi ya'll,

As you can see I am holding a guitar. It's not mine. It is an electric and I like the look and size of it. My guitar is a Cordoba classical guitar. I love the flamenco sound of my guitar. It does not have a shoulder strap, nor do I plan to get one. I play sitting down and use a foot step to raise my leg for holding the guitar in it's higher up than electric guitar position. I was chatting with my guitar teacher and asked him about foreign languages, I asked my BF about languages too. I made consultation appointments with various USC staff members in the research dept and in fellowships and asked all them, the same question.

"What is the best language for an artist to take?"

At first, I thought I would just go to summer school and take Spanish. I had signed up for both classes. Then I got thinking about it. What countries have requested my art for shows? What countries do I have customers in, already? Where are my non USA followers mostly located? After thinking this through, I realized I didn't really have a "Spanish" following. Of course, I do want to go to Costa Rica and I have been to Mexico, but it is really not necessary to speak much Spanish in either country.

Photo by Julie Cooper, Columbia, SC USA

I remembered my art was requested for a show in San Paulo, Brazil, and they speak Portuguese there. That is a language they teach at USC. Galleries in Berlin, Germany have made several offers to show my work and represent me in their galleries. I have never been there and would like to see these places before I choose who to put my art with for the best selling venue possibilities. I would definitely need to speak the language according to friends that have been there, if I wanted to attend art shows and have an art workshop while there. I hadn't really looked at my stats in a while, last I remembered my biggest followings were in Canada and England with a few German and Italians in the mix. They teach German at USC. Germany is very cultural and I have been considering going to Berlin as my study abroad and to do research on artists and galleries.

Silk Collage by Jean Bourque

My guitar teacher thought German would be good. I do not personally know anyone that can speak German, other than the German professor at USC. I don't actually know her, so I am hoping someone I know does speak German as I am seriously considering signing up for it this fall. It would be great to have someone to practice with besides class. Since the other students are a lot younger even though I reach out, it's rare that any have studied with me or worked on a project.

I did go thru all my profiles and found of course English speaking countries are my highest number of fans, followed by French, Italian and then German. India and Portuguese speaking countries where next, after them there was a big tie with Russian, Uganda, Pakistan and Ukraine. Much to my surprise, I had a few from Egypt, Turkey, Taiwan and S Korea but none from China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand or Japan. I had thought about learning Chinese so I could learn the alphabet and use it in art, but now I have decided besides my English speaking fans in Australia, Bermuda, The Netherlands, England, Ireland and Canada; I need to focus on learning a language that will benefit me in my art career. After all that is why I am back in college. German it is. Do any of you speak German? If you do, please let me know. You may also contact me regarding Private Painting Lessons in the privacy of your home for you or your child(ren). Reasonable rates. See email link below signature. Thank you!

Yours Truly,
Jeanee
. Contact Jeanee via email by clicking here!
Thank you!!

Download To Clear a Cluttered Mind!

2015-05-16T10:44:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, I have so much to say that I don't know where to begin. As I say that, I realize this applies to many things in my life. Somehow life has become very cluttered. Being sick and having multiple surgeries has made for a messy house and a cluttered one at that. Did you ever notice, with every activity one does it all creates it's own clutter. This may sound crazy for an artist to say. Aren't we the creative ones that can find a solution to every little problem? Especially when it comes to being organized and keeping track of things? I was, I really was very organized, everything had it's place.

I guess the secret is to write that statement and let it flow. Just as with painting, I grab the brush and load with a color and let it go. The secret to artistry in my book, is being able to let it flow!! Take a chance, step out with a few words or a few colors
AND GO FOR IT. But to do so means to ignore the piles of clutter everywhere. I was the type that had a really clean car, but when I was sick that all went out the window.

How many different forms of clutter can one person have? It's actually embarrassing to be such a mess. So I am confronting it head on. I have fallen behind at least 2 years in every area. Can you imagine? I hope to at least remedy my car today. My list of things to do and events to go to is so over loaded it's actually insane. The clutter keeps me chained down like a dog with a short rope unable to reach the dog dish for food. But my creative mind does not care, she wants to be free to paint, to sew, to color, to play with clay, to listen to music, to hang out with friends, to play with my dogs and take them for walks, to have a clean house and a clean car even if it is only in my mind, so I can write, so I can paint, so I can research the crap out of every word my doctor's say, so I will know, what it all means. And yet, here I am confessing to the world what a mess I am. Just open my Mondrian door and see into this cluttered mind.

Here is the real dilemma...

Can I ignore the laundry baskets of clean clothes longing to be put away? (yes) Can I ignore the mail, that sits unopened on my table?(yes) Do I often buy cards for people in advance then later can not find them to send? (yes) In fact yesterday, I found a Christmas card all filled out in an addressed envelope that never got mailed. It even had a stamp on it! Can I find a paper my boss sent me last week?(No) Can I find the entry forms to enter any of the competitions or painting shows? The answer is NO. So here I sit lamenting on my clutter. Every weekend I start fresh in my mind of what I hope to get done... and time passes and the week is here again with work and very little accomplished. Maybe, I am just a bit tired, perhaps.

I am going for a sleep study to find the answers to why, I am so tired and fall asleep during the day.

So I take my art stuff out of the house where I can create and not look at any messes. I can give you or your child, private painting lessons, I have my to go trunk of art stuff perfectly organized, because.... that is what I care about the most. Thru it all, thru chemo and everything the one thing I have is my art and with art, I can put my blinders on and escape into art land and not see the destruction all around me. I can be having a very painful day (as I am a chronic pain sufferer) I start doing art, be it painting, playing my guitar, listening to a band, writing in my journal or publicly humiliating myself on my blog.... Here I am.... as I get better in all the disciplines of art, it seems I get worse in all the duties of "life".

I must say I am very thankful to be here and to all the people that helped me thru, I will always be deeply grateful for your help and love!! I have no great big answers to any of these issues, although it does dawn on me, perhaps all I really need is a good domestic goddess. I have everything else I need! I hope I made you laugh or look at life from another angle with my off beat humor.

My dog Toffee delivering me my paint tube that fell on ground. Isn't she sweet?

Yours Truly,
Jeanee
http://artsails1.blogspot.com

The Fun of a Live Art Auction at USC Columbia SC

2015-04-09T08:29:00.000-04:00

Coffee Series II

Jean Bourque

USC held it's first art auction as

The School of Visual Arts and Design

last night at the

McMaster Gallery

Although, it was the first for the newly titled School of Visual Arts and Design, it was the 60th art auction held at USC's McMaster Gallery. Approximately 60 pieces were up for auction and all were sold by 930 pm. There were pieces from renowned artists such as Mana Hewitt, Virginia Scotchie, Mary Robinson, Steven Hewitt and Shannon Lindsey as well as pieces from alumni like Tommie Toner and students like myself and many others. I volunteered for the auction and had a great time. I saw people that I hadn't seen in a while like the wonderful Sylvia Ady Potts, with whom I had been in art shows with in the past.

Three auctioneers took their turn at the microphone and you could feel the excitement in the air. There were many lovely works of pottery, ceramic, lots of paintings and a few wood works.

It was fun seeing how the bidding would go from one person to another and back again, and every now and then some one would suddenly bid out of no where. It kept it very interesting.

I was fortunate enough to meet the buyers of my artwork and they were genuinely pleased with their purchase. That is what it's all about, knowing someone loves your art. Plus, since this was a fundraiser for USC's gallery and for the scholarship fund, it was a fun way to give back to the school that I have been enjoying all year and plan to enjoy for many years to come. It was also very educational as I got to see work by many faculty members and get a feel for what they do.

Robert Lyon submitted Last Vessel at USC #1 and #2 both created in a wood turning process. The titles given reflect that Mr Lyon will be leaving USC after 18 years. He will truly be missed. I was looking forward to having one of his classes. Had I know he would be leaving, I would have taken the class this year!

The highest selling pieces were by Mana Hewitt and another high seller was by Rob Shaw.

Mana's piece was a landscape so smooth and shiny and perfectly presented; it felt real. Rob's piece was an impressionistic landscape of the Gervais St bridge, beautifully rendered, in lively colors and thick impasto style paint.

It was fun. I look forward to volunteering next year and perhaps even making a purchase.

Yours Truly,

Jeanee

USC Art Auction at McMaster Wednesday evening April 8th

2015-04-06T11:59:00.000-04:00

USC PRESENTS .....

Art Auction at McMaster Gallery c/o Pickens and Senate St. Columbia SC. There will be 60 works of art being auctioned off.

Art has been created by students, alumni, and faculty.

There will be a large selections of work which have been juried in for this event. There are paintings, drawings, prints, pottery and sculpture. Get here early and get your bid in for some wonderful art for your home or office.

April 8th, 2015 at McMaster Gallery from 630-930PM

A percentage of the sales goes to the Art departments scholarship fund. Show your support for USC and for the artists and attend our event.

Thank you,

Jeanee

USC CICA Music & Art at Conundrum April 18th, 3-6PM

2015-04-06T11:51:00.000-04:00

CICA PRESENTS….

CICA (Collaborations in Contemporary Art) is a group of USC music students, mostly graduate and PhD candidates, that are seeking to bring music and art communities together in a local live music venue. The place is Conundrum Music Hall on Meeting Street, West Columbia, SC.

The event is Saturday April 18th from 3-6. Try to arrive early in the celebration so you don't miss some of the awesome musical happenings in this diverse and exciting presentation! Spread the word, and invite your friends! Tickets are at the door: $4 for students; $6 general admission.

Opportunity for Sketching Artists:

Use live musicians as inspiration! Talk with musicians throughout the event who are interested in your talents! Artists and musicians networking opportunity, all sketch artists over 18 years old are invited, including students, faculty and local artists.

Any artist interested in sketching, please send your name, address and contact info to Jean Bourque at jbourque@email.sc.edu and plan to be at Conundrum Sat. April 18th. If you are not interested in sketching but would like to attend, please feel free to do so. Deadline to sign up is midnight Wednesday April 15th.

Contact:

jbourque@email.sc.edu

http://artsails1.blogspot.com

There is always a story to tell

2015-03-21T18:41:00.004-04:00

Painting in Progress by Jean Bourque....

I love the way a piece of canvas can go from pure white to an explosion of colors. I love working on canvas.... you can always add to it or remove from it. If you get a tear in the canvas... you can always try out your collage skills or make it the central theme of the painting.

There is always a story to tell. Sometimes the artist doesn't know the story or what the painting is becoming until it has been birthed into being. Being is such a unique word as we are all in the act of being... Being human, being educated and just plane being in a state of being. Philosophers often speak of being. We question being as in the being here or the being:inness" of being.

I am no philosophy scholar, but I think I had threatened all my life to eventually go back to school and get a PhD in philosophy. After making such an ambitious statement, I often felt, that will never happen in this life time. I have a unique perspective caused by living by myself for many years. I think many artists tie the art and philosophy together, because they both are such solo pursuits.

In education acquisition one is exposed to so many ideas and there are so many brilliant minds that came before us. I've loved school all my life and have had a unique thirst for knowledge. As crazy as it seems .... I let a lot of time slip by.... being self taught and learning only from what my eyes could see.

Sometimes painting on canvas feels like a sculpture. I am whittling the painting into images by carving in and laying layers where I think they fit. Many times it's like a puzzle. I kept trying this and that to see where I want to go with it. I have been an experimental artist, writer, poet, and music lover. Every painting, every time it is a journey. When I paint live to the music, the music is my director. The sounds actually are in control and the colors are a result of the sounds, the layers forming thicker areas and the water taking the layers away. Dissecting and disseminating
them an existence of their own.

What is art? For me it is when my spirit guides take the lead and I follow in full faith that everything is as it should be. Sometimes, I just have an overwhelming feeling; I must paint and I must do it now. I have spoke with other artists that agree.... this DOES happen. I've not seen that discussed before and I think it is definitely something people should know. Musicians almost always understand what I am saying immediately, but sometimes I have to explain this to artists.

I pretty much always am working with a series in mind. Not all the pieces may fit initially but when the entire series is done, they fit. There is always a story tell, when it comes to creating art.

Yours Truly,

Jeanee

PS If you like this, please share with your friends.
Subscribe and follow Jean Bourque, artist on Facebook fan page.

The Mystery of 333... and dreams

2015-03-04T01:16:00.002-05:00

333

had always held a mystery meaning for me and for years I did not know why....

I had dreams. The numbers 333 would appear randomly. They were often mixed in with painting dreams. For years I saw beautiful paintings almost every night when I went to sleep! None of the dreams where alike and the numbers weren't alike either but it all was tied up to art, or so I thought. One morning after having the 333 appear in my dream... I decided to write the numbers down and I grabbed my crayons and some drawing paper and I attempted to discover what the numbers meant.

333 could mean a lot of different things and at that point I didn't know what...

3/3/3 could be a date, 3/33 could be a month and a year...
Maybe 3 things would happen when I turned 33, maybe my life would change, maybe I would move, maybe I would die, my mind drifted and my crayons colored the page with possibilities.... Maybe I would have a 3.33 GPA... I really hoped not because I always had a higher GPA, like 3.84.

What was 3/3/3? It was March 3, 2003. That is the day my son left for Iraq for the first time. Within a few weeks all Americans became aware of military presence in Iraq. He has now been deployed 5 times. It's been twelve years since that day and for the first year since then he is finally able to stay in USA. Hurrah!!

After that I never saw 333 in dreams anymore. I do still see art, mostly painterly images... in my dreams. Sweet dreams.

Yours truly

Jeanee

3/4/15

June Tucarella offering Watercolor Classes in March 2015

2015-02-06T09:24:00.003-05:00

Watercolor classes with June will start on March 3rd.

She will offer day classes and night classes.
Each class is limited to 6 students.
The classes will be held in Irmo.

June is an award winning artist and I am
sure if you google her name you will see the
quality work she does.

Contact June for further info at:

803-957-6994

Yours Truly,

Jeanee Bourque

St. Patty's Festival Five Points Columbia SC JeaneePaintsLive to Mix Masterson March 14 2015

2015-01-27T09:46:00.004-05:00

Once again, Five Points in Columbia, SC will host the annual St. Patty's Festival with a day full of music, food, beer and entertainment. I wonder if they will have the fountains filled with green water as they have done in the past? I heard there had been some problems with it last year, so I guess we will have to wait and see.

Sat. March 14, 2015
JeaneePaintsLive
to
Mix Masterson's Music

Hoping for great weather and seeing lots of friends.

Thanks.... Jeanee

Shannon Lindsey wins SC Young Artist of the Year at 701 Whaley St Columbia SC

2015-01-27T09:40:00.002-05:00

Shannon Lindsey, my art professor this term and last term has won the prestigious award as SC Young Artist of the Year. So thrilled to be learning from the best at USC. Last semester we did many drawings and toward the end of the semester we painted. I feel like my art developed a lot more depth and stronger design skills as a result of having had her direction. This semester, I am taking 3d Art with her and I know her art is typically 3D and this is her sweet spot for art direction.

She leads us into our work, helps us develop the idea, but never touches our projects, she lets each person work independently, yet we all work together as a class as well. The class before the project is due the students all show their work and each person critiques the work and helps make us all better artists. You can go to her anytime for help or email her as well. She post lots of info on the electronic blackboard, so you always know what you need to do.

Right now, I am working on a sculpture with baseballs, assorted paper cups, nails and glue. I was going to make it rather small and she encouraged increasing it and making it grow. I tried to find more baseballs at thrift stores but only managed to find five. So that is the inside of the sculpture and each ball is in a clear paper cup allowing you to see them. But then as more cups were added, I decided to add color and now I have red cups at the tips of every arm off of the balls. It's really kind
of otherworldly looking now. I will continue to add more. It is about 2 ft high by 2 ft wide now.

Most of my new classmates in this second class do not know about Shannon's win, so I let them know about it! We are all very lucky to have classes with Shannon Lindsey at USC. In both classes, I felt like I got to know my fellow students which I really appreciate because in none of my other classes except photography, was that the case.

Congratulations go to Shannon Lindsey!!

Artists Wanted for 30th Annual Int'l Exhibit DL 11/21/14

2014-11-09T08:12:00.001-05:00

The University of Texas at Tyler is inviting artists from all over the world to participate in a juried show to be held on January 20th through Feb. 27th 2015. This is the Meadows Gallery 30th Annual International Art Show to be in Tyler TX. The Juror for the show is James R Pace.

Pace is a Professor of Visual Art at The University of Texas at Tyler where he has taught since 1985. He holds an MFA from Arizona State University, and a BFA from the University of Oklahoma. Pace was appointed to the Oge’ Professorship in Visual Art, the White Fellowship for Excellence In Teaching, and received the Chancellor's Council Teaching Award. He was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and multiple University Research Grants. Pace trained in the Tamarind Summer Printmaking Program, and participated in the International Artist Residency Program in Budapest, Hungary. He continues to serve as juror, lecturer, and visiting artist at museums, galleries, art centers, and universities throughout the states as well as in Germany and Japan.

The deadline to enter the show is Nov. 21, 2014. For further information please see the website at
www.uttyler.edu/art.

Yours Truly,
Jean Bourque

CICA and USC Art Students United Creativity

2014-11-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

We recently were part of a paint to music event through USC's Art program. CICA a group of USC's most talented musicians, many with advanced degrees in their chosen profession and continuing their education and work as performing musicians have created a collaborative association in which they want to add other elements of the arts in combination with the music. CICA provided the artists with several MP3 musical choices and each artist chose the music that most inspired them to create a unique work of art.

The Music I selected to paint to was, "In C", a Terry Riley original composition from the 60's. It just so happens that "In C" was the most collaborative piece and the grand finale of the evening with it's unique sound lasting approximately 18 minutes. Because of the steady beat of the music, I was inspired to dot my canvas in an impressionistic style, keeping the beat as I painted. Here is my painting "In C".

Yours Truly,
Jean Bourque

McMaster Art Gallery at USC through Dec. 16

2014-11-09T07:52:00.002-05:00

Dan Smith’s exhibition, “CephalicUS: A head of indecision”, is on view at the University of South Carolina’s McMaster Gallery, now through December 16. Smith earned his MFA degree in Painting from the University of South Carolina in 1991. The McMaster building is just off Gervais St. and on Pickens St. The Gallery is located on the first floor.

The human face has been a favorite subject Smith has examined utilizing a wide variety of styles and subjects during his artistic career. His exhibit at McMaster includes large acrylic paintings incorporating a variety of iconic portraits. Integrated into this exhibition are montage-based labels that integrate Smith’s verse with T.S. Elliot.

Inspiration is Everywhere on Main St. Columbia, SC

2014-09-05T00:16:00.001-04:00

The new school year has kicked off and so has this season's art year!
In downtown Columbia SC on Main St. every First Thursday, is an
event where many stores, restaurants, museums and other businesses
stay open and celebrate the arts. Everything from visual arts to live
music by area musicians, poetry readings, dance, entertainment of
all kinds abounds and every First Thursday is different.

As a visual artist myself, I do try to attend these First Thursday events
when I can. I did go tonight and saw lots of great art, lots of friends
and heard lots of music. I was really thrilled about the show at Tapps
as I am now attending USC and I have an opportunity to attend a
figure section tomorrow and I saw lots of art that inspired me for Friday
afternoon.

So tomorrow I shall grab my sketch pad and charcoal...