tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68020427017009470422024-02-19T07:18:45.975-06:00 J.N. WARDFINE ARTIST, ILLUSTRATOR, & PAINTERjnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-11831135444192238332022-11-07T10:27:00.002-06:002022-11-07T10:31:27.220-06:00Alexis Iammarino's Glaze of Glory<p>A while back I was honored to have a small drawing included in HOLE HISTORY SHOW III, in Portland, Maine. Hole History is created and curated by <a href="http://alexisiammarino.com/">Alexis Iammarino</a>, an interdisciplinary artist who is community minded. Hole History started in 2014 when Iammarino heard “that the hole-in-the-donut was singularly invented by a 19th-century sea captain, Hanson Crockett Gregory from Rockport, Maine.”* It’s been a jumping off point for artists to think about truth, story, history, and anything and everything that donuts might bring together. </p><p> </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcCN77ih56uHglNHAM_etGOCIfmBIlBNBiYjDn0s4OPfycx5jGmYzDDwwF3s4YMxO30wl3OfvR2cNPXpgibjdLGEiDrjD6eMIUR7jH0DBmVlkB6k1WeGYfuedz1rs6HqlVwHhINB8xhqzxl85fdDSe8j4REkZ13Bw5kp700l_lcP6tqzuGwI2mMn0GA/s4032/HH3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcCN77ih56uHglNHAM_etGOCIfmBIlBNBiYjDn0s4OPfycx5jGmYzDDwwF3s4YMxO30wl3OfvR2cNPXpgibjdLGEiDrjD6eMIUR7jH0DBmVlkB6k1WeGYfuedz1rs6HqlVwHhINB8xhqzxl85fdDSe8j4REkZ13Bw5kp700l_lcP6tqzuGwI2mMn0GA/w480-h640/HH3.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Installation Shot of Hole History III, courtesy of <a href="http://alexisiammarino.com/" target="_blank">Alexis Iammarino.<br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The open call invited a range of submissions: visual art, writing, culinary and family histories, critical perspectives on racial injustice, presentations, models for roadside monuments, and recipes. Looking over the formats accepted was enough to send my head spinning; I had never thought this much about the implications of donuts. It’s sort of silly, but as I thought about donuts in my childhood and adult life, I was surprised to find myself getting emotional. I hadn’t realized what a signifier donuts have been for me throughout the years.</p><p> </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKG56fMXUTx6xhg3gyT_mY069ZH79czmfrs7ySeKtZst7Mm9Pu8dGBeFVJggkGaDu1NmL9M1xUaYffpESxNxzNinQZqT7UehS3VkGn_ciuaNpYIMkaCCnNf84RhzM7wlm0OczbRxVn-eT5vUePiKYDVF5gfpOkUWvu2To_SUjCOO8eG-coED0db7U6w/w640-h640/HH7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Installation Shot of Hole History III, courtesy of <a href="http://alexisiammarino.com/" target="_blank">Alexis Iammarino</a>.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p> </p><p>If I had more time before the submission deadline I would have loved to research the relationship of Vietnamese families to donut stores, to interview my aunt who worked at a donut shop, to interview local owners of donut stores here in town. I’d like to talk to my friends in Oregon about the types of donuts they have available versus the ones here in the South. I’d like to research the origins of the donut, run pseudo-scientific experiments on just why donut holes are the most amazing thing EVER, and I’d like to write about the gentrification of the donut and about fry breads.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyramjB3TWPyWMtgqCiO8KrsBhdUjtgF0onXzhUjz4DmmqVunzmoRpiqO8NNjE78YhE3F6xdnThurtl2hqRHKQ_3_uVbFyJC4QN0pwvZl8xy-kb17X7z2dMWMsZ0lx7jKZhdaHz3YuENsMovh5NllAziXkLE3b-SQ_l__YoDZEnDUC3HMAp9f-b1FQKQ/s3642/Ward_JN_Sunday_School_Featuring_Nondairy_Creamer.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2980" data-original-width="3642" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyramjB3TWPyWMtgqCiO8KrsBhdUjtgF0onXzhUjz4DmmqVunzmoRpiqO8NNjE78YhE3F6xdnThurtl2hqRHKQ_3_uVbFyJC4QN0pwvZl8xy-kb17X7z2dMWMsZ0lx7jKZhdaHz3YuENsMovh5NllAziXkLE3b-SQ_l__YoDZEnDUC3HMAp9f-b1FQKQ/w640-h524/Ward_JN_Sunday_School_Featuring_Nondairy_Creamer.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My contribution to Hole History III:<i> Sunday School, featuring non-dairy creamer</i>. Ink on bristol. 11"x14". 2022<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />It would be easy to take something like this (thinking about a food and it’s cultural implications and history) and make it exclusive to one artist, or to take it to an inaccessible academic level. I think artists taking a common or lowbrow object like food and elevating it to a level of snootiness or smugness is what a lot of people hate about art. When it’s done that way, it’s laughable in its earnestness and because that kind of work is so insulated, it’s like hearing that one drunk guy go on and on about his hot take on donuts. The brilliance of Hole History is that Iammarino keeps her vision
open. It’s about what everyone can bring to the table, a collective
history. Everyone’s had a donut. Serious research and fun accessible
ideas for roadside monuments share the same space.</p><p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvaHNj2KQ05dRjj6K2U-4V5oMK4N_XNxW3dBaksCZRE-dzCoaR28nWE85NeCxG6tpYOSaY5z0I1benjSNzCn4HW-aYXb45c3G3eNEBhQcLErhUP62fPOnzowPW2AVky2oxsgYe77m6PMN1_n3UgXDNsdX4JGkKNs9GQDEToI9zyafAfQBmD0bqMObYw/s1136/Hole%20History%201.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1136" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvaHNj2KQ05dRjj6K2U-4V5oMK4N_XNxW3dBaksCZRE-dzCoaR28nWE85NeCxG6tpYOSaY5z0I1benjSNzCn4HW-aYXb45c3G3eNEBhQcLErhUP62fPOnzowPW2AVky2oxsgYe77m6PMN1_n3UgXDNsdX4JGkKNs9GQDEToI9zyafAfQBmD0bqMObYw/w640-h640/Hole%20History%201.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Press photo outtake for Hole History taken by <a href="http://www.scottasell.com/" target="_blank">Scott Sell</a>. Image taken from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hole_history_show/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /> Years before the first Hole History, amazing artist and illustrator <a href="http://instagram.com/emilymartinkaart" target="_blank">Emily Martinka</a> and her husband created a poetry book for a school’s Donut Day complete with illustrations. My spouse and I have been talking for ages about working together on a donut zine. Sites like <a href="http://www.racistsandwich.com/" target="_blank">Racist Sandwich</a> have been exploring cultural relationships with food for a long time. Food as a creative catalyst is not new, but what is refreshing about Iammarino’s Hole History is that she turns an individual experience around a simple donut into a larger group connection.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y2KJfDG8cIQrAX58HAgcx2AJaeCS1eZKaDJlK-NcYf4TlOkJ6qm7lKHsY0xm50JVGUOhpGa58vFCPJodA6DkS7tgcxnOMBVFbQIpzQVPvklZu7Td3rPjDiBlyEh_cNOAi5ck0K6JP79xxfdxA1125WNgHOx_XKoWhP_HOsLebaHW6ydSCqv4G-9hPA/s704/Emily_Martinka_Donut_Day.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="704" height="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y2KJfDG8cIQrAX58HAgcx2AJaeCS1eZKaDJlK-NcYf4TlOkJ6qm7lKHsY0xm50JVGUOhpGa58vFCPJodA6DkS7tgcxnOMBVFbQIpzQVPvklZu7Td3rPjDiBlyEh_cNOAi5ck0K6JP79xxfdxA1125WNgHOx_XKoWhP_HOsLebaHW6ydSCqv4G-9hPA/w640-h558/Emily_Martinka_Donut_Day.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An excerpt from Donut Day. Illustration by<a href="https://www.instagram.com/emilymartinkaart/" target="_blank"> Emily Martinka</a>. Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/emilymartinkaart/" target="_blank">Emily Martinka</a>.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">*from <a href="http://www.creativeportland.com">Creative Portland</a></span><br /><br /><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-18055905664804137222021-10-12T20:54:00.000-05:002021-10-12T20:54:34.729-05:00Thinking about social practice<p>A few years back now, I met an invaluable friend, the amazing
phenomenal Kim Tomlinson. She is a printmaker and is very
interested in performance art and social practice. All three of those
things are completely different from my usual approach to art.
Printmaking is a technical feat of planning ahead- the goal and the vision
comes first, then the work to make it happen; I paint in a completely
different way with a vague notion of what I want or where I'm going,
each action guiding the next. I love the idea of performance art, but in
person it makes me incredibly uncomfortable because I'm not ready to be
publicly vulnerable. And social practice, what even is that? It's a term I was not familiar with.</p><p> </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRbASJm-eLJ2K4UY511oAQhchHtVkdim5ekkREL_f255sH8WSHBYj2cSUOHqBz5pSLlHGMlad6FyD_1uER-38l-Nc1r0OhLrikfof3whI1Cb9K5bTu44zndh5q_h06rv-ssszAuA0vk_w/s1773/IMG_3715.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1773" data-original-width="1773" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRbASJm-eLJ2K4UY511oAQhchHtVkdim5ekkREL_f255sH8WSHBYj2cSUOHqBz5pSLlHGMlad6FyD_1uER-38l-Nc1r0OhLrikfof3whI1Cb9K5bTu44zndh5q_h06rv-ssszAuA0vk_w/w640-h640/IMG_3715.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kim Tomlinson. <i>Kimfetti</i>. Party poppers, people's sentimental letters, reciepts, etc. cut into various shapes, 2019.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p>As I understand it, social practice is
taking your art and expanding its range- working with a group of people
that aren't acknowledged as an art community, but working in a way that
puts those people and their concerns first, finding out what <i>they</i> say they want
or need. It's a people approach to art, which is counter to how I was
taught about art where art is about the artwork and the artist. If that includes a
community, great, but whatever.</p><p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYysNYFrKidDYDlx28WDEmU6zulmnoiYvCArnvrRQqlaNF8a6Oj2PqOcrkiz8PedO45YNsAyMkm7scOtHdukvjfUgv_87E8MBFHH2DJ9stFdCo8C_mHZCoUY9QeS7SAk_DuhaFc-zU90b/s1502/J.N.-Ward-Sotheby%2527s-Super-Southern-Social-look-at-that-spread%2521.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYysNYFrKidDYDlx28WDEmU6zulmnoiYvCArnvrRQqlaNF8a6Oj2PqOcrkiz8PedO45YNsAyMkm7scOtHdukvjfUgv_87E8MBFHH2DJ9stFdCo8C_mHZCoUY9QeS7SAk_DuhaFc-zU90b/w640-h640/J.N.-Ward-Sotheby%2527s-Super-Southern-Social-look-at-that-spread%2521.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Throwback to my show, <a href="https://www.jnward.com/#/sothebys-super-southern-social/" target="_blank">Soetheby's Super Southern Social</a> (2016). My first inklings of combining art and community started here, complete with bake sale.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>Through Kim I've been introduced
to artists around the area who are doing amazing things through thinking
of art and exhibition space in a much broader way: <a href="http://www.breanne.info" target="_blank">Breanne Trammel</a>, <a href="http://www.juliettewalker.com" target="_blank">Juliette Walker</a> and the<a href="https://www.instagram.com/crustbucketcollective/"> Crust Bucket Collective</a>, and <a href="http://www.shannonfinnegan.com" target="_blank">Shannon Finnegan</a>. In addition to the many, many projects and works that Breanne has had her hand in, she has created a space called <a href="https://breanne.info/Public-Storage" target="_blank">Public Storage</a>.
Part of Public Storage was that each month she featured a different artist's
work with a spot for anyone to take a free flyer/artwork/booklet that the
artist had created.</p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTLu03HpmZyhVVHZ0YfNODfSCw55cIkayGNqPL7EQZoVdkyfR_dPDZvRCNaLGXqRXHO-RAqjxXOMPxpEGmbuW-1pGgHyigLAXky7yF3ZiyU1cmfZ4WhF9BhMky1kiAtWhjCzIJB6i_7pW/s1500/PLAGUE02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTLu03HpmZyhVVHZ0YfNODfSCw55cIkayGNqPL7EQZoVdkyfR_dPDZvRCNaLGXqRXHO-RAqjxXOMPxpEGmbuW-1pGgHyigLAXky7yF3ZiyU1cmfZ4WhF9BhMky1kiAtWhjCzIJB6i_7pW/w640-h640/PLAGUE02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Public Storage. Image taken from<a href="http://www.breanne.infro"> www.breanne.info</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Juliette Walker created a short-term
art/project/exhibition/space called The Cake Stand. She sent out a call
for art to be displayed on a cake stand. I participated in it and LOVED the
space to think differently about what to make as well as getting
to see what others did with that idea. There was a yarn cake, a tea
cake, a scent, a seed cake turned terrarium, and so many others. She is
currently working on something new,<a href="https://www.officeofpossibleprojects.info/" target="_blank"> the Office of Possible Projects</a>. The Crust Bucket Collective did something called Trunk Show, which was a mobile gallery in and on a Honda Fit.
It featured works by ceramic artists and bumper sticker art, and it
toured through different cities.</p><p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVUAHcZ4tWSBkP4pGR46vCLMVUvs236K84hk1jsXPPbO-q1O6vtr1bOmwC27AHuCQ_R39YlJ-La0ecM9rwYq5HmeZkJismEu6U3jQFvUnQFgTkhUaxYfKQDpBCKuA7aMyzMiIdFwNl-gc/s2048/What%252BWould%252BIt%252BLook%252BLike%252BTo%252BCollaborate%252BWith%252Ba%252BPlant.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVUAHcZ4tWSBkP4pGR46vCLMVUvs236K84hk1jsXPPbO-q1O6vtr1bOmwC27AHuCQ_R39YlJ-La0ecM9rwYq5HmeZkJismEu6U3jQFvUnQFgTkhUaxYfKQDpBCKuA7aMyzMiIdFwNl-gc/w640-h426/What%252BWould%252BIt%252BLook%252BLike%252BTo%252BCollaborate%252BWith%252Ba%252BPlant.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juliette Walker. <i>Collaborating with Marigolds</i>. Handmade banner, natural fibers, marigold dye. 2020-<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>A project that immediately
grabbed my attention was Shannon Finnegan's "Do you want us here or
not?" They created blue benches and chairs with different phrases on
them, like "It was hard to get here. Rest here if you agree," or "This
exhibit has asked me to stand for too long. Sit if you agree." Another
project they put together that is amazing is the Anti-Stairs Club Lounge. One event was a gathering of
disabled and non-disabled people to protest ableism and
inaccessibility at the Vessel, while another was a space at the Wasaic Project's exhibition space, made just for visitors who could not or did not wish to go upstairs.<br /></p><p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMD-O_EqSJxS4HEcJ5kXaqTigCDcH4rNHLYRSD0-z2Vyt88Wd3gxcML4-8lgmeD_vBDh6fYaMQnzbecTWAVsta4RAiDE8CV5ri9LCPSugyn8poU-c0TT75iPJ7Umt_ArNjm_zV72TaZBpL/s2000/shannon-finnegan-disarming-language-6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="2000" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMD-O_EqSJxS4HEcJ5kXaqTigCDcH4rNHLYRSD0-z2Vyt88Wd3gxcML4-8lgmeD_vBDh6fYaMQnzbecTWAVsta4RAiDE8CV5ri9LCPSugyn8poU-c0TT75iPJ7Umt_ArNjm_zV72TaZBpL/w640-h402/shannon-finnegan-disarming-language-6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shannon Finnegan, from "Do you want us here or not". Heat transfer print, fabric, foam, ribbon. 2019<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>If these artists and their work around social
practice weren't enough to grab my attention, there has also been an uncanny
synchronicity I've found and experienced with different artists who are
not directly connected to eachother's work or thought processes. I got
to talk to <a href="http://www.camarga.online" target="_blank">Ana Sofia Camerga</a>
recently about some ideas I've got about showing artwork in a
non-traditional way, and it turns out, she was already ahead of me.
Frustrated with the galleries in her area, she chose to have a solo show
in her apartment. She said it was a success in part because "people are
nosy," and that a friend was asking her about doing something similar.
I've also started reading a publication called "<a href="http://www.twoplustwoequalscake.info" target="_blank">2+2 =CAKE</a>" which is a conversation about these same sort of ideas.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRt8c3STLYVG2PeL1mLZxfjOccEw_RlVdMEqcoEPKWBimi_4t9Vg60WorxqVqj9rtcy7zXWbdA17zhKvDAUk7dA8K-FJOJZs3iN30nfBJKbtCS7NkOU_aottAQtgouTlFSqStSxZ2zfA2/s2048/redes6DSC_5266.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="2048" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRt8c3STLYVG2PeL1mLZxfjOccEw_RlVdMEqcoEPKWBimi_4t9Vg60WorxqVqj9rtcy7zXWbdA17zhKvDAUk7dA8K-FJOJZs3iN30nfBJKbtCS7NkOU_aottAQtgouTlFSqStSxZ2zfA2/w640-h429/redes6DSC_5266.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Ana Sofia Carmaga's "He Sentado Cabeza" ("I have settled down"), exhibited in her apartment.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>I've been equating my ideas of what an exhibition space
is with my legitimacy as an artist. Despite having many solo shows and
being a part of several group shows a year, I've been belittling myself
and the work that I put into making these things happen because they
weren't in a space that seemed "legit", or really, when it comes down to
it, art bougie enough. It's like having a goal weight. First of all,
it's only a number. And beyond that, if I'm not at that number (read: art
museum/gallery), then I'm failing. In that sort of headspace, I ignore
all the hard work I'm doing and the whole of my health and how I affect
my family. Here's to moving forward and expanding our ideas of what an art space can be. </p><p></p><p><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzoMzNImgyxWNumJMqj5EuGaCzHUqlv2n79tiyT9T7DhwPnLZAcZ7RTQEvZm4IPxsgvtSr7EKtF1058t96D2g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kim Tomlinson. <i>Crying Restrooom</i>. 2019<br /></div><br />jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-73292344942555449882021-09-22T13:30:00.000-05:002021-09-22T13:30:06.107-05:00Welcome Back<p> It has been a very long time since I last wrote or updated my website. As with most people, my last couple of years have been a wild ride: I've had another kid, survived that, survived the pandemic, survived the previous and new government administrations, and I had to euthanize <a href="https://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2017/03/5-reasons-why-i-know-my-dog-is-my.html" target="_blank">my dearest dogs</a> when they were too old and too sick. I've had to go through some things, and through all of it, I have come back to myself.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMeEK7H5VWAx5_9cUim7Kps_GmjfwMF3ffUemyzfQau6GHjSC7FS67pmTl5nBl90HvXqw800QRr4_kzTpgTP3d7-VIL8i4NhJK7Ai1xDgtE90bH-MleOIPZdsfitYalWeDSTT3_82Cluq/s2048/01FF8090-737E-4E35-818F-CBBC1C3B9888.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1601" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMeEK7H5VWAx5_9cUim7Kps_GmjfwMF3ffUemyzfQau6GHjSC7FS67pmTl5nBl90HvXqw800QRr4_kzTpgTP3d7-VIL8i4NhJK7Ai1xDgtE90bH-MleOIPZdsfitYalWeDSTT3_82Cluq/w500-h640/01FF8090-737E-4E35-818F-CBBC1C3B9888.jpeg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Privacy. Oil on panel, 14" x 11". 2020<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p> </p><p>I have been working. There are plenty of new paintings and prints in my studio, and I am steadily working away every day. Surprise, surprise- it turns out that making art is a big coping skill for me, and boy have I needed to cope. I started out making work about the medical experience of my second pregnancy. Then I made work about my postpartum experiences, and my new identities as a person seen without my kids and the very real day to day of #momlife. Currently this is turing into work about significant markers in my life.</p><p> </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZoO1V_Fhrk4tMfyVblWyisCQnDlY0v7ZrFOcHDKa67WQHRooKjcbtDIwJ0ZP0U1CBAvaXXZVbHpm8SUPdDiYdLnlbvwNq48VDgdE9ga4cX9QmPmqGIFgjE6XxkQUgcXsjPcGvr6SKT-6z/s2048/06AE9251-96E1-47B8-82E1-1276BF789F05.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1514" data-original-width="2048" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZoO1V_Fhrk4tMfyVblWyisCQnDlY0v7ZrFOcHDKa67WQHRooKjcbtDIwJ0ZP0U1CBAvaXXZVbHpm8SUPdDiYdLnlbvwNq48VDgdE9ga4cX9QmPmqGIFgjE6XxkQUgcXsjPcGvr6SKT-6z/w640-h474/06AE9251-96E1-47B8-82E1-1276BF789F05.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Bed. Ink on paper, 9" x 12". 2020<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p>While the world literally burns and autocracy triumphantly takes the stage and daily fresh horrors unfold, I've felt like I should make work directly speaking to the larger things going on around me and to make political or radical work, to somehow try to take action through my medium. However, that kind of work would not be true to me, and I think because of that it would ultimately fall flat. Other folks might decide that it's wrong of me to not use my platform in a way that directly speaks to these things. At the same time, I think that making work from one's individual experience is important; it speaks to people in nuanced ways that I can never predict, and it will eventually be historical, a sign of the times.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZaZF3YysqESGoFezi37nC1VUQGUaTJPlP5xC6zj2_tE_vNW8riQfs-fzS1J8EW_eYMAH_OoMIgf1CB0fKH_f5YydQBMx1Tpkqnya4K-2_N6KqcrQXT8rNMyq7LN_PvErESA4aMH8VeNe/s2048/D5A14192-2342-4908-8DCF-B163361BDC5A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1645" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZaZF3YysqESGoFezi37nC1VUQGUaTJPlP5xC6zj2_tE_vNW8riQfs-fzS1J8EW_eYMAH_OoMIgf1CB0fKH_f5YydQBMx1Tpkqnya4K-2_N6KqcrQXT8rNMyq7LN_PvErESA4aMH8VeNe/w514-h640/D5A14192-2342-4908-8DCF-B163361BDC5A.jpeg" width="514" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last New Year's Eve. Oil on panel, 30" x 24". 2021<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>For once I'm not quite sure where my work is going, and I think that's a good thing. I am working towards finding my place in myself, and finding opportunities through shows, exhibits, and residencies. I've been showing my progress on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/j.n.ward/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. Stick with me, and we'll see where we end up. <br /></p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuSI30tjpi8_4BOAnkMz4wGYL2e7HRl_TPoOvDIfnKOFfZpF3UO2J1a4-6jkbQRcU6fDUGSPbK29dn2dRiB64EtuafFo4jAUQ-Z1c7UVi7s7BbrCJwOt6_wDZojHJZDv181P2Orox2mh4/s3113/4277B382-9909-4E09-B092-058C427D133D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="3113" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuSI30tjpi8_4BOAnkMz4wGYL2e7HRl_TPoOvDIfnKOFfZpF3UO2J1a4-6jkbQRcU6fDUGSPbK29dn2dRiB64EtuafFo4jAUQ-Z1c7UVi7s7BbrCJwOt6_wDZojHJZDv181P2Orox2mh4/w640-h208/4277B382-9909-4E09-B092-058C427D133D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumper sticker for <a href="http://www.juliettewalker.com/crust-bucket-collective-" target="_blank">The Crust Bucket Collective's</a> Trunk Show<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-14787682746301187152018-11-28T15:59:00.002-06:002018-11-28T15:59:50.641-06:00A QUICK UPDATE<div style="text-align: center;">
The first year of momhood has been a lot different than I expected. Mostly, it's been better than I thought it would be, but it has definitely taken a toll on my work. Art work has been slow, but that doesn't mean I've been completely off duty. I finally had my solo show, <i><a href="https://www.jnward.com/#/problematic/" target="_blank">Problematic</a></i>, in November. I was nervous about how the work would all come together, but once it was up, I've got to say, it looked pretty darn good. <i>Problematic</i> had a fair turn out, and it felt good to get the work out there. Listen to my radio interview about it with Katy Henrikson <a href="http://www.kuaf.com/post/kuaf-arts-beat-feminism-problematic-mixed-media-art-show" target="_blank">here</a>!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LifTx_uSepRgZZtJ6bnt_PDErtTnU1WoixxLV1TNQZ_1CltQqQYMHKAsEWIKJoNzr7w__CgLiIjk7BdIRleQ2u2CHHIHCnPJ6EahB5d-jDv42jizybB9WI57RnsCPMEfZVNC3H0q8pdO/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Problematic-Lalaland-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1600" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LifTx_uSepRgZZtJ6bnt_PDErtTnU1WoixxLV1TNQZ_1CltQqQYMHKAsEWIKJoNzr7w__CgLiIjk7BdIRleQ2u2CHHIHCnPJ6EahB5d-jDv42jizybB9WI57RnsCPMEfZVNC3H0q8pdO/s640/J.N.-Ward-Problematic-Lalaland-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A sample of work, <i>The Stages of Ladydom, Acts I-VI</i>, from <i>Problematic</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There are two holiday events I'm participating in this December. The first is a month long show at <a href="https://www.stage18live.com/" target="_blank">Stage 18</a> called <i>Decadent Chemistry: Heroines and Abstracts</i>. It should be a fantastic event, featuring tons of different artists and small, affordable art work. The opening reception for it is Thursday, December 6 from 6:00-9:00.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOgrW6G60cjp2FGLmVeP1-9xos42vAsnsbfZwx6u1gJXhr8do5JUMBE7FROu32tB4a8k9-qI_6JWPjLL4zDUCt19WnGpSD1GTYgY-XM8acdy2QrFxR8wjbRrYvS5dYwk45P36SjvWtrep/s1600/Promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOgrW6G60cjp2FGLmVeP1-9xos42vAsnsbfZwx6u1gJXhr8do5JUMBE7FROu32tB4a8k9-qI_6JWPjLL4zDUCt19WnGpSD1GTYgY-XM8acdy2QrFxR8wjbRrYvS5dYwk45P36SjvWtrep/s640/Promo.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm also participating in the <a href="https://gocattywampus.com/blogs/news/gearing-up-for-a-wampus-wonderland" target="_blank">Wampus Wonderland</a> at the <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hilton+Garden+Inn+Fayetteville/@36.0809494,-94.2034332,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x87c96e5d79d9d333:0xd5822349d37391b1!8m2!3d36.0809451!4d-94.2012392?hl=en" target="_blank">Fayetteville Hilton Garden Inn</a>! Last year was my <a href="https://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-excitement-is-too-much.html" target="_blank">first craft show ever</a>, and it was a great time. I'll have illustrations, prints, postcards, and zines that you might have seen before, in addition to new work from <i>Problematic</i>. All of the work is reasonable and priced to sell! The Wampus Wonderland is a two day event. On December 7, 6:00-9:00 is <a href="https://gocattywampus.com/pages/nerd-prom" target="_blank">Nerd Prom</a>, a costume party and shopping event with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/flavorclown/" target="_blank">Clunk</a> as the DJ! Tickets are $10 each or $20 for 4. The next day, December 8, is a free shopping spectacular from 10:00-4:00. You can find more information about it <a href="https://gocattywampus.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdtVgkKZj1Ws6vwGPh9-22W8_avQdtLs1jMSyNMAQH9yLck0TKmk_pLrCruTcgjW9lLWVKTTLKGrWZUfawfF7VHPcCSNg3yExUqFjmjnR0LK8g_SfV76LBqa3gzmLQjkMsC4lZ_VAD_FI/s1600/See+me+at+the+Wampus+Wonderland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdtVgkKZj1Ws6vwGPh9-22W8_avQdtLs1jMSyNMAQH9yLck0TKmk_pLrCruTcgjW9lLWVKTTLKGrWZUfawfF7VHPcCSNg3yExUqFjmjnR0LK8g_SfV76LBqa3gzmLQjkMsC4lZ_VAD_FI/s640/See+me+at+the+Wampus+Wonderland.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
After the holidays I'm planning on buckling down with my art work. Those big wonderful oil paintings I had in mind from my <a href="https://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2018/09/you-cant-always-get-what-you-want.html" target="_blank">last post</a>? Unfortunately they aren't going to happen soon. However, I'm looking forward to working on a new illustration portfolio and a lot more commission work! Commissions are officially open-- pet portraits, people portraits, house portraits, plant portraits, special recipes, and anything else you can think of! I'm a bit let down about not getting to oil paint like I want to, but working on a new portfolio is exciting stuff. As always, check back here to see what I'm doing, or for daily updates, take a gander at my <a href="http://www.instagram.com/j.n.ward" target="_blank">Instagram</a>!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqYKqTc_kjD_DON_ecZemWXzs4Nr8pIMFiFdCmXcmH-GuGk7oM0Mel6h245YwX4IyV0RSp5j7Tz0p3wF5stWsXtkr-Bmt_z_vfS9IJMubsPiOEHhQLWKg_FMVR2sGg50nPbJivM5uYUzd/s1600/J.N.-Ward-pet-portrait-frank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1275" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqYKqTc_kjD_DON_ecZemWXzs4Nr8pIMFiFdCmXcmH-GuGk7oM0Mel6h245YwX4IyV0RSp5j7Tz0p3wF5stWsXtkr-Bmt_z_vfS9IJMubsPiOEHhQLWKg_FMVR2sGg50nPbJivM5uYUzd/s640/J.N.-Ward-pet-portrait-frank.jpg" width="508" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A recent pet portrait I did.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-32777728314365552712018-09-04T10:58:00.001-05:002018-09-04T10:58:48.694-05:00YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT<div style="text-align: center;">
Growing up I was inundated with the idea of what you need vs. what you want. (Do I want that triple scoop ice cream sunday, or do I need it? Need. Definitely need.) Figuring out what you want instead of what you need is an aspect of living within your means. I've mostly carried that idea with me wherever I go, but the ideas of wants and needs and means never really affected my art life. Until... the baby. Before my Babe was born, I was going to be a stay-at-home, work-at-home mom. I was going to give myself two months of maternity leave and then get back into work.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2nR2YDPSjbqYPfr68fDkONoW5X2mRbYlC55oWlBK4LPeXA_FzcpTNyGESCxeMk-GQeQxBjT3L2W25xvZ44QLiw8jU0nxx-LCwwo2gVzeoWwenkpIbXr4jMZBWTQjmrVvAWsPZ9PxDmoS/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-1st-sketch-of-K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1275" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2nR2YDPSjbqYPfr68fDkONoW5X2mRbYlC55oWlBK4LPeXA_FzcpTNyGESCxeMk-GQeQxBjT3L2W25xvZ44QLiw8jU0nxx-LCwwo2gVzeoWwenkpIbXr4jMZBWTQjmrVvAWsPZ9PxDmoS/s400/J.N.-Ward-sketch-1st-sketch-of-K.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">My very first sketch of Babe.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm pretty good at living within my means and knowing my limitations, but the reality of my personal mom-hood is that I'm coming up short on most things. It started with a rough c-section recovery where I was bed-ridden for a big chunk of time. All I wanted to do was get back to work, but I couldn't. The pain was too intense, and I had a new little someone that <i>needed </i>me. I wanted to work, I needed to express the intense pain and intense love I was experiencing, but my means were limited in the harshest way. What came out of that time were some crayola drawings in the last pages of my old sketchbook.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCAuCbrOstDw9uM_gN16cAmtEUuQHeUozLZRj2d08ZVhD5-2yDkEo-h1E-0ZfCx9sQW7r5hdBQYhi1V7HbL3S8lzs2tU7ztcrFS8XcCEiCJM7L8se71akbwcYp47HKJ8Vr5JDzyBUPnzy/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1283" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCAuCbrOstDw9uM_gN16cAmtEUuQHeUozLZRj2d08ZVhD5-2yDkEo-h1E-0ZfCx9sQW7r5hdBQYhi1V7HbL3S8lzs2tU7ztcrFS8XcCEiCJM7L8se71akbwcYp47HKJ8Vr5JDzyBUPnzy/s400/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-87f_m-HsC5glc8CPfM0693AYKujRTqXQsYR98qMO_m2U6gD0V14KQG1-Rh2yJ9gVQp-YI6xIdBBzuU981xCiZF-0cs8AGmJZshq3U4ktumjsTsSOA-w0Vtj4YlFI1tlt7fO0G76y_Lpy/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1281" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-87f_m-HsC5glc8CPfM0693AYKujRTqXQsYR98qMO_m2U6gD0V14KQG1-Rh2yJ9gVQp-YI6xIdBBzuU981xCiZF-0cs8AGmJZshq3U4ktumjsTsSOA-w0Vtj4YlFI1tlt7fO0G76y_Lpy/s400/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Recovery drawings</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm now grappling with wants, needs, and means in a new way. It's been four months since Babe came into the world. I'm fully recovered. It's well past my two month marker for maternity leave, but working from home and watching Babe all the time is tough. What I want is to start on some large oil paintings--big domestic scenes to work out some of my feelings about myself and being a mom--but that's not going to happen for a while. Babies take up a lot of time and money, and the most I can do is work small on paper with pencils and a little bit of watercolor.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjFG9Lea9yAMkaYlM8uUYKlv56kNzI12CHeuvOdmRIQhkCuhIYNJneecEPi4LSCAtv0moZGcrtc-zsTaO7YbJzo7M2OkDvww2jVwd7u-Kz0v9gPvXzStg88MieVR8LO5jpaFUIY_LZICJ/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1276" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjFG9Lea9yAMkaYlM8uUYKlv56kNzI12CHeuvOdmRIQhkCuhIYNJneecEPi4LSCAtv0moZGcrtc-zsTaO7YbJzo7M2OkDvww2jVwd7u-Kz0v9gPvXzStg88MieVR8LO5jpaFUIY_LZICJ/s400/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-3.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoy5isLegjXNTRi5MGFgDuhtK3wryY4utiOL9lf1-SHvUoOGkB8H6q3TqAmsUBPAmacTIEZV9d6rA1OozSN5pvDdgpTK8t_Ov-4b-dcId7fJ_gRiXbnEVJUDilBNsNpcQyCG3hdodxH5_/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoy5isLegjXNTRi5MGFgDuhtK3wryY4utiOL9lf1-SHvUoOGkB8H6q3TqAmsUBPAmacTIEZV9d6rA1OozSN5pvDdgpTK8t_Ov-4b-dcId7fJ_gRiXbnEVJUDilBNsNpcQyCG3hdodxH5_/s400/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Recovery drawings</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What's a gal to do? It's time to figure out what I need and what my artwork needs instead of what I want for myself. Until I can distinguish those needs from the wants, I'll keep coming up short. It's a new step for me to let my work be dictated by what I need, but, like the drawings that came from my recovery, I think what comes from those needs will be surprisingly good and new. And, like always, I'll keep updates of my art progress here on my blog. Hopefully, you'll be seeing some really cool shit in the coming months, or, you know, at least something that you like.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fILyf9MLJ-YRHGrQXP-aXcgsvj_OJQBgitj6e29llCtUp9iZm_OCtRv8Vto1UIyMH1gunwiuxh0z45kRBrkN7J2TxLKBc9piJz2CS3S9pa3yGd_GQZ-gz5Pa_ks1MjBvbRIBCxJj0B2E/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fILyf9MLJ-YRHGrQXP-aXcgsvj_OJQBgitj6e29llCtUp9iZm_OCtRv8Vto1UIyMH1gunwiuxh0z45kRBrkN7J2TxLKBc9piJz2CS3S9pa3yGd_GQZ-gz5Pa_ks1MjBvbRIBCxJj0B2E/s400/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzj5bugzyZwslJsryet9AAmmZ4ENOK3gpZFxxmO0GPydyvBVIxWEzVje0eW89QtBecQJ_MtREetQ3Pz3Qc6WeS3jVFTr6rMTNGY7MTKP5jj2idU3BAO6_6Q6boZJtNzjTDf2w0Hqv2NMP2/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1600" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzj5bugzyZwslJsryet9AAmmZ4ENOK3gpZFxxmO0GPydyvBVIxWEzVje0eW89QtBecQJ_MtREetQ3Pz3Qc6WeS3jVFTr6rMTNGY7MTKP5jj2idU3BAO6_6Q6boZJtNzjTDf2w0Hqv2NMP2/s400/J.N.-Ward-sketch-c-section-recovery-6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Recovery drawings</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-90858917426029926512018-08-13T14:51:00.001-05:002018-08-13T14:51:14.214-05:00ALL YOUR FAVES ARE PROBLEMATIC<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm not sure when I first noticed the word "problematic." Probably in think pieces about <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/08/news/companies/dove-apology-racist-ad/index.html" target="_blank">Dove's ad</a> campaign gone wrong or articles about the representation of people of color, trans women, latinex, disabled, or otherwise marginalized people in my favorite TV shows. I do know that the word "problematic" solidified in my brain when I heard Aminatou Sow on <a href="https://www.callyourgirlfriend.com/" target="_blank">Call Your Girlfriend</a> say, <a href="https://www.callyourgirlfriend.com/episode-84-ur-fave-is-problematic/" target="_blank">"All your faves are problematic."</a> Now I hear it so much it should be the official buzzword of women in the post-Trump world.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQSmDVXnabBlwt8c2n4NW3jXBUjnFudPSp0Epe31qJt2Um_78sDdsxxY_O7gjtSAvS1IogrtXul0cpeylURaRbYJxtvYggEeV5dTRf9URMeloWxsuOi1IZ8Xa_laYvCxmVy63CNM0OuiG/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Kim-Kardashian-is-Problematic-mixed-media-10-x-8-2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1272" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQSmDVXnabBlwt8c2n4NW3jXBUjnFudPSp0Epe31qJt2Um_78sDdsxxY_O7gjtSAvS1IogrtXul0cpeylURaRbYJxtvYggEeV5dTRf9URMeloWxsuOi1IZ8Xa_laYvCxmVy63CNM0OuiG/s400/J.N.-Ward-Kim-Kardashian-is-Problematic-mixed-media-10-x-8-2018.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Kim Kardashian is Problematic</i>. Mixed media on paper, 10" x 8". 2018</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The trouble with "problematic" is that it's become a gendered catch-all for anything and everything that we consume whether that's in pop culture or in activism. "Problematic" is a qualifying word, like the way women are trained to say "just", "I think", and "maybe". It's a way to try to soften the blow, to make what we're saying smaller (It's just that what you've said maybe came from a good place, but I think, maybe, there might be a problem with it). We use "problematic" to call things out when we're trying to not sound bitchy, or, you know, like angry feminists.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cyxPd3C-Hs8DonGVUQkNDqVDyqxX-RuHF9gEO9jaKlFlxXR-zBogMsXvOn6TRaL1y3GL5o7xst2UQTFrLYsgIUEgk5suKT8abrWLfiQYXz-581gfPJdC8x0RJtUix9dzrHp9CUYj1FtP/s1600/J.N.-Ward-WIP-Your-shirt-is-problematic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1276" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cyxPd3C-Hs8DonGVUQkNDqVDyqxX-RuHF9gEO9jaKlFlxXR-zBogMsXvOn6TRaL1y3GL5o7xst2UQTFrLYsgIUEgk5suKT8abrWLfiQYXz-581gfPJdC8x0RJtUix9dzrHp9CUYj1FtP/s400/J.N.-Ward-WIP-Your-shirt-is-problematic.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A problematic work in progress.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
American feminism is problematic. Everything we do and everything we bring into our lives or create is problematic. There are two big reasons for this. One is because we're human. Unfortunately, we don't often make room for complicated and muddled good parts <i>and</i> bad parts or for mistakes. Another is that the cause feminists champion--equality--doesn't work well with capitalism; everything we consume in America, everything we need to survive, is privatized, marketed, and capitalized. That's become more of a priority than human lives.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMxQOS40rFkabGb-2ukwDADbTzK7wv7flIKUlvLbhc0qjMIgC0Jts6xyEtZnUYHiquhaiqxetHFju4F0tjE4awM6i3LY5cF4v03JBSNOaWSBaM-hauIqW2tecjKx5jlE_qG5Xul1vT3AE/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Jessica-Jones-is-problematic-12-x-9-2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMxQOS40rFkabGb-2ukwDADbTzK7wv7flIKUlvLbhc0qjMIgC0Jts6xyEtZnUYHiquhaiqxetHFju4F0tjE4awM6i3LY5cF4v03JBSNOaWSBaM-hauIqW2tecjKx5jlE_qG5Xul1vT3AE/s400/J.N.-Ward-Jessica-Jones-is-problematic-12-x-9-2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Jessica Jones is Problematic</i>. Mixed media, 12" x 9". 2018</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For the last two years I've been thinking about and making work about the problematic aspects of feminism. If you think about it enough, everything has something off about it; sometimes it's really bad, sometimes not, but it's always problematic. I see a lot of good things about movements on behalf of justice, health, safety, and equality, but I also see that our way of calling things problematic can be a snake eating itself. In my most recent pieces, I want people to look at the gendered nature of what's "problematic" and to think more about the problematic issues within our cause for equality and the sanctity of human life.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvlgYkW0xEQO3eSpQmyD3cS2mzo_kzKJ3meLBhyphenhyphenngGLlupAXANMZsfm6CaaCW3fUQZavKjWiMGksaC5jell22pZduLZAeJXK4blsTerQGdc1Lv3r1ApG-MVXGnIBHNlwU37jJZ05uBURc/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-problematic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvlgYkW0xEQO3eSpQmyD3cS2mzo_kzKJ3meLBhyphenhyphenngGLlupAXANMZsfm6CaaCW3fUQZavKjWiMGksaC5jell22pZduLZAeJXK4blsTerQGdc1Lv3r1ApG-MVXGnIBHNlwU37jJZ05uBURc/s400/J.N.-Ward-sketch-problematic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Brainstorming about "problematic."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-80207305383170026942018-06-26T10:41:00.001-05:002018-06-26T10:41:04.454-05:00KUDOS TO KHARMS<div style="text-align: center;">
At last! I'm able to work a little bit again. Babe and I are healthy and happy, and now that my baby is sleeping and napping more consistently, we're even healthier and happier! For the last two months I haven't been able to work on pieces about <a href="https://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2018/01/angela-davis-in-9-easy-steps.html" target="_blank">U.S. Feminism in the post-Trump world</a>, but I have been able to do some sketching. Sometimes the best drawings come from unexpected places, and lately the most fun ones have been coming from Daniil Kharms.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvAP_iYvMSC3U75liSqv1znwjQVKwWHSmRnSDufr2yj1NodqFrXfd1av81dvUxsrw9Kdvr92UfeD8jv0HkuVETqngcIrcngwsMZleean16D8GxyYRcG_zHWrBIVdgn_VAb5nP2nV2LZP-/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Daniil-Kharms-sketch-Fedya-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1593" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvAP_iYvMSC3U75liSqv1znwjQVKwWHSmRnSDufr2yj1NodqFrXfd1av81dvUxsrw9Kdvr92UfeD8jv0HkuVETqngcIrcngwsMZleean16D8GxyYRcG_zHWrBIVdgn_VAb5nP2nV2LZP-/s400/J.N.-Ward-Daniil-Kharms-sketch-Fedya-4.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">"Fedya Davydovich"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I love reading. Usually I go to the library for a book, but now that I've got a baby, I know that two weeks plus a renewal isn't going to cut it; if I got that route, I'm going to rack up some massive fines. Instead, I've been looking at my bookshelf at home where I've got a smattering of Russian literature, including books from the Soviet era (my favorite era for literature for a lot of reasons). One thing I especially love about writing from that period is that it's absurd in the truest meaning of the word.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq0mEwY2tKqqhbRG6Wm1LIrS16dd4qLujJtYU1bRujrNgHzsMzm7wthcCRn0IvVWwTqjeKWHIJjrJ_jNESvIDcd2wOFW2YvRoZXALbAQDj23w3uVuR9NUc1vQsrWLkLbYV3GSFSN5WDNp/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Daniil-Kharms-sketch-Falling-Out-Old-Women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1593" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq0mEwY2tKqqhbRG6Wm1LIrS16dd4qLujJtYU1bRujrNgHzsMzm7wthcCRn0IvVWwTqjeKWHIJjrJ_jNESvIDcd2wOFW2YvRoZXALbAQDj23w3uVuR9NUc1vQsrWLkLbYV3GSFSN5WDNp/s400/J.N.-Ward-Daniil-Kharms-sketch-Falling-Out-Old-Women.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">"Falling-Out Old Women"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A few weeks ago I spotted <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780810115736" target="_blank"><i>The Man With the Black Coat: Russia's Literature of the Absurd</i> by Daniil Kharms and Alexander Vvendensky</a> on my shelf, a book of short stories which I hadn't finished yet. I've been re-reading it, and this go 'round I've been sketching as I read. Daniil Kharms' stories are perfect for illustration because of his clear imagery. It's fun to draw because the images are unique and extremely weird with great dark humor. I don't know if they'll turn into anything more, but I might have stumbled onto my next big project!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDFKcVoG0wNHz41PxSgEy2GsIDd-M4ws1ZEbghyO4PfARIK6rMhtCi9bfKKagc2h_nHzLi-yEf-ynQG9tbw2YlmMEqDo05VdP7-2yFrvuSCOG6lEvS3jn2X6y21AAkPjo17E0EeXVn-hK/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Daniil-Kharms-sketch-The-Old-Woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1597" data-original-width="1600" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDFKcVoG0wNHz41PxSgEy2GsIDd-M4ws1ZEbghyO4PfARIK6rMhtCi9bfKKagc2h_nHzLi-yEf-ynQG9tbw2YlmMEqDo05VdP7-2yFrvuSCOG6lEvS3jn2X6y21AAkPjo17E0EeXVn-hK/s400/J.N.-Ward-Daniil-Kharms-sketch-The-Old-Woman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">"The Old Woman"</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-92205497138771730942018-04-09T14:17:00.000-05:002018-04-09T14:17:21.626-05:00HEY BABY<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm going to have a baby next week, my first, and boy am I ready/nervous/excited/overwhelmed! The blog will be on hold for a while, but not forever, and the same goes for my work. In the mean time, share our excitement and enjoy this <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/fanington/playlist/1XcWUdsxhj3pD2zWWVsD7r" target="_blank">super rad playlist my partner made for me</a>!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPgUn1Na1im_W6cYx6Rv5qHQkp3fl_lcV840TvvBDwG7WZTap44FWzaopTfUGDeUDPHI2a2YIbfd6eFmZ0tjOHJckRv16hd1QkyOIJEjp3CRbT9yIBQ62FhCNCjLRnLd0nMpBnEj6OGVD/s1600/J.N.-Ward-baby-shower-invite-detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="614" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPgUn1Na1im_W6cYx6Rv5qHQkp3fl_lcV840TvvBDwG7WZTap44FWzaopTfUGDeUDPHI2a2YIbfd6eFmZ0tjOHJckRv16hd1QkyOIJEjp3CRbT9yIBQ62FhCNCjLRnLd0nMpBnEj6OGVD/s400/J.N.-Ward-baby-shower-invite-detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A baby doodle from my shower invite.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-37976410463677234182018-03-28T15:00:00.001-05:002018-03-28T15:00:20.113-05:00BEWARE THE BRANDING!<div style="text-align: center;">
I hate categories, but I crave them, too. "What kind of art do you do?", stumps me every time because the kind of art I do depends on the year and what I'm thinking about. The question that I could really seize on is, "What sort of themes are you working with?" However, categories--not explorations of themes--make things easier for people to digest, at least on the surface. We think that if we have a category for something, we can understand it, but when we rely so much on branding and simple categories we do ourselves a big disservice.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJ4nE-jTUcvi_GQe0EWRFD-Co15T6vNsaasUO8k12OgOWzsVBxQyP1jOt1386Jv6wxVewrwMcYgcUuNJEy5Ees36WepMzKZR5hRGsGs3QxuFQjrFiIIcKCLJCwRsfDboCtmOAgiALBGvS/s1600/download.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="497" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJ4nE-jTUcvi_GQe0EWRFD-Co15T6vNsaasUO8k12OgOWzsVBxQyP1jOt1386Jv6wxVewrwMcYgcUuNJEy5Ees36WepMzKZR5hRGsGs3QxuFQjrFiIIcKCLJCwRsfDboCtmOAgiALBGvS/s400/download.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cattle_branding_(Grabill_1888,_cropped).png" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Being able to fly over complexities, nuance, and context fits in well with the way that our news, social media, and commercial goods come to us. Quick images, sound bites, and the way we shop allows us to curate what we consume in order to bolster our worldview, which is extra bad for art. When you think about great masterworks, you think about intangible ideals and feelings--not how well Michelangelo branded himself or how Goya got paid for his portraits. The need to categorize art flips what it's traditionally been on its head and turns us into dumber artists and distracted patrons.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloTI1B6mpBdA8j3PLBsJFkaYJWKUvTWCi-tyrCTRs7r0c29a4W_rtq-z9EoEpQD8GQ25YWpjN6WOHBrVXLGCz7NTDeVknNin_zHprwWGrbtFoqxe8Kp7nK4Bnmi6PiPz0Jkj6-tme2pfK/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Brushwork-fake-it-till-you-make-it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1235" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloTI1B6mpBdA8j3PLBsJFkaYJWKUvTWCi-tyrCTRs7r0c29a4W_rtq-z9EoEpQD8GQ25YWpjN6WOHBrVXLGCz7NTDeVknNin_zHprwWGrbtFoqxe8Kp7nK4Bnmi6PiPz0Jkj6-tme2pfK/s400/J.N.-Ward-Brushwork-fake-it-till-you-make-it.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
From my comic, <i><a href="https://www.jnward.com/#/brushwork/buy/" target="_blank">Brushwork</a></i>. Buy it <a href="https://www.jnward.com/buy/zine/brushwork" target="_blank">here</a>!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A major function of art is to envelope us as viewers into a piece's own world and context. The art itself informs our senses and causes us to pause and to take in something differently than we do anything else in life. Don't get me wrong--art work is a hustle, no matter what the century (artists have always had to work hard and get paid to continue to do what they do), but our over-simplified categories and the push to brand ourselves cheapens the art we make and the art we consume. Whether you're the viewer or the artist, you deserve better; let go of putting people and work into either/or categories and give yourself more space to understand something new.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gIFwfev3MPw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gIFwfev3MPw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A beautiful segment from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Kurosawa" target="_blank">Kurosawa</a>'s <a href="https://www.criterion.com/films/28700-akira-kurosawa-s-dreams" target="_blank"><i>Dreams</i></a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-2939557230335909212018-03-13T16:30:00.002-05:002018-03-13T16:33:54.724-05:00NOMO FOMO!<div style="text-align: center;">
I've picked probably the worst time to have major changes in my life. Spring is the prime time for all art events and shows around here. I can't participate in any of them, and my FOMO is intense! If you don't know, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_missing_out" target="_blank">FOMO</a> is the fear of missing out. Typically you'll hear "FOMO" used in relation to looking at others' social media, which I've experienced, but now, I've got FOMO in a very real way since life is keeping me from applying as an art vendor or participant in the array of art events this spring.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15Lz2gdQyro1kHazfmS1uAJmDqrfEM_IqoansHkK7dNyga2ZmaYXHKFslM2_Zxf7l-QpeINjJGbievFQ8TfdNadaCsxS-WPpwBF2vBUO8PQQVYHp0ohgAl9lIPQ4KZXkNPLqEVTxORCVi/s1600/J.N.-Ward-%2523100daysproject-comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1003" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15Lz2gdQyro1kHazfmS1uAJmDqrfEM_IqoansHkK7dNyga2ZmaYXHKFslM2_Zxf7l-QpeINjJGbievFQ8TfdNadaCsxS-WPpwBF2vBUO8PQQVYHp0ohgAl9lIPQ4KZXkNPLqEVTxORCVi/s400/J.N.-Ward-%2523100daysproject-comparison.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A sketch from my #mentalselfportraits for the #100daysproject on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/j.n.ward" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Applying to be an art vendor and participating in shows are a gamble. Booth fees and applications often cost a sizable chunk of cash, and the amount of extra work and time it takes to get ready for these events have their own costs. As artists we hope to make our booth fees back from what we sell, then, hopefully, our overall costs, and maybe a profit, too, to carry us through the leaner months.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkBYyNea1HHxR2I1rLb5VTc7K0F6tfe7QDmM7bfRW6CC_dTGfuyKKw-98Qb2kdM2sxaSxaD1K4aSB0usHpjiGcRHpJnPR2w1Iu1RStmcULYopL8InTqOnbKMDCCSzn21IGM05wcRzIoc4/s1600/CattyWampus-kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkBYyNea1HHxR2I1rLb5VTc7K0F6tfe7QDmM7bfRW6CC_dTGfuyKKw-98Qb2kdM2sxaSxaD1K4aSB0usHpjiGcRHpJnPR2w1Iu1RStmcULYopL8InTqOnbKMDCCSzn21IGM05wcRzIoc4/s400/CattyWampus-kids.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Amazing artists, <a href="http://www.touristunknown.com/" target="_blank">Gustav Carlson</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/avvvocado/" target="_blank">Brenna Collins</a>, Elizabeth Sharp, and <a href="http://jnward.com/" target="_blank">myself </a>hawking our wares.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That's a lot of work for something that might not pay off, so what am I so scared of missing out on? For starters, I fear I'm missing out on a lot of opportunities that I might not get for another year--making work connections, broadening my client and fan base, and finding out what artwork of mine works and doesn't work. I worry that the few who know me will forget about me if I'm not there because I want people to think of me first when they have a project in mind. Most of all, I'm scared of missing out on getting paid for all of the merchandise I've created.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkOFLtZ1HLhKzG7dJP3M33O0moAzKEXDXHDiJovDZhSn-Aj3Y60VMOUlS81xhe1rSis19daNaQfnQ_oxga10uaAik6Ey7vgfBK-cDbOAkmFfEQ7g8ctTEEgC7g5bpai7MBNDIXJx3ypIs/s1600/J.N.-Ward-postcards-plant-crowns-labeled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1593" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkOFLtZ1HLhKzG7dJP3M33O0moAzKEXDXHDiJovDZhSn-Aj3Y60VMOUlS81xhe1rSis19daNaQfnQ_oxga10uaAik6Ey7vgfBK-cDbOAkmFfEQ7g8ctTEEgC7g5bpai7MBNDIXJx3ypIs/s400/J.N.-Ward-postcards-plant-crowns-labeled.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Check out my <a href="http://jnward.com/buy" target="_blank">online shop</a> for postcards, prints, and more!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What I'm not thinking about are the things I might miss out on if I wasn't going through upheaval in my life. All of that stuff is unknown, and... this is suspiciously starting to look like I have control issues--the known versus the unknown. Focusing on how I have to spend the next few months missing out on known opportunities belittles any of the unforeseen good things coming up in my life. Hopefully, better artwork comes from the private, more challenging moments in an artist's life, and, well, I'd hate to miss out on that.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hJ7JvknA9L9wowspILY-A_4flis6MKlLeT1bvhQnGZhiQKGmgfiePBb00qAKyUVOqTQu6uHNjY7IXijBybzphi69ehJGg7XsYK7QDR-aAAfZ0N7zYII4u2uI7lX5m6bP0FVNiBxP033i/s1600/FOMO+gif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hJ7JvknA9L9wowspILY-A_4flis6MKlLeT1bvhQnGZhiQKGmgfiePBb00qAKyUVOqTQu6uHNjY7IXijBybzphi69ehJGg7XsYK7QDR-aAAfZ0N7zYII4u2uI7lX5m6bP0FVNiBxP033i/s400/FOMO+gif.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/television-broad-city-ilana-glazer-yrUTpSnpi3Bfy" target="_blank">Giphy</a>.</span></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-28947971034726014852018-02-27T15:34:00.003-06:002018-02-27T19:51:27.668-06:00FINDING SEASONAL WILDERNESS<div style="text-align: center;">
My favorite times of the year are when one season turns into another. As soon as I heard Punxsutawney Phil's 2018 prediction, I knew he was a liar. Maybe there's six more weeks of winter for Pennsylvania, but in Northwest Arkansas, all signs have been pointing to spring for a good while. As the neighbors' cats lounge on my porch again and birdsong in the early morning wakes me up, even being caught in the first thunderstorms of the year, I'm eager to be outside to watch the transition from winter to spring.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIdKUPZBG8JrEa6AjRi30BNin_V_9hk64VF06p9b6pMbUyM47h4KPhDx9M0M7uTuTb1Umjn44SZYXmCig9a2w5SAHOlbKTryry_JwCAuTQ7GoJp52NZ9zWJ_xrRJTeUh18Y_jvDIbDv9f/s1600/J.N.-Ward-watercolor-illustration-Seasons-2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="855" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIdKUPZBG8JrEa6AjRi30BNin_V_9hk64VF06p9b6pMbUyM47h4KPhDx9M0M7uTuTb1Umjn44SZYXmCig9a2w5SAHOlbKTryry_JwCAuTQ7GoJp52NZ9zWJ_xrRJTeUh18Y_jvDIbDv9f/s400/J.N.-Ward-watercolor-illustration-Seasons-2017.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Seasons</i>. Watercolor on paper, 9" x 9". 2017.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">If you'd like a print, <a href="https://www.jnward.com/like-what-you-see/" target="_blank">let me know</a>!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What I enjoy sketching the most are trees and plants outside. Over the last year and a half, however, painting houseplants has inadvertently become my forte because they're <a href="http://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2017/09/whats-up-with-all-plants.html" target="_blank">the main players</a> in my new body of work. During the winter it's normally too cold for me to sit outside in the drizzle for hours drawing so houseplants take up even more space in my sketchbook. The difference between painting a houseplant and creating messier sketches of the neighborhood trees is the difference between predictability and uninhibited growth.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTqGchcewob9VHlDq81KUK8ZBg7N4A1ioyc5_cyyEpixN3_nGrSdukaehvssejEFaYyhU_N6zkAneUDjdRrIu14_hnbFhgpctkz2w4Zk5x_ok2YUoGY2uwKtlYhqJGAV9dYFmUgy7yQJX/s1600/J.N.-Ward-oil-painting-succulent-bowls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1599" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTqGchcewob9VHlDq81KUK8ZBg7N4A1ioyc5_cyyEpixN3_nGrSdukaehvssejEFaYyhU_N6zkAneUDjdRrIu14_hnbFhgpctkz2w4Zk5x_ok2YUoGY2uwKtlYhqJGAV9dYFmUgy7yQJX/s400/J.N.-Ward-oil-painting-succulent-bowls.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A painting for my upcoming show: <i>Succulent Bowls</i>. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". 2017</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The idea of a potted plant next to climbing vines and trees makes me think about the power within and outside of domestication. Several years back I went to a lecture about gardens in ancient Rome and their relationship between civilization and nature. The Romans needed to domesticate and control nature, with water being the most dangerous, uncontrollable, and valuable aspect of that, so when a host had an amazing garden, especially one that made use of streams, fountains, or pools, it asserted his dominant strength. What I learned about balance and tension between the ancient Romans and wilderness and about power and control is something that I think of a lot when I paint or draw plants.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0rOVAt4s_Skzs91HAIriXLDRO1gxfu429xvnwW8BOLDHPTaXGkrZLBVMfk26OVZrHjDAB8IgJlGwhiOoHVv_pAZ9sj7SoB4uHTS2pbxrcZ3DHDQKBxH-65xCSzgHoW4tjaa7BUalt16b/s1600/diana%2526actaeon.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="592" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0rOVAt4s_Skzs91HAIriXLDRO1gxfu429xvnwW8BOLDHPTaXGkrZLBVMfk26OVZrHjDAB8IgJlGwhiOoHVv_pAZ9sj7SoB4uHTS2pbxrcZ3DHDQKBxH-65xCSzgHoW4tjaa7BUalt16b/s400/diana%2526actaeon.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">The goddess Artemis, Lady of Wild Things and Huntsman-in-chief to the gods, is a great figure to consider in the Romans' relationship to nature; of the gods, she shows most vividly the uncertainty between good and evil. </span><span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from </span><a href="http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/diana.htm" target="_blank">The Classics Pages</a><span style="color: #351c75;">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By no means do I live in a wilderness. Instead, I live in a place with parks, city planning, and urban development, which means that the nature that's around me is cultivated. There's not much room for an unbridled nature experience here. Although the seasons themselves are lovely, they're predictable; the transitions between them are where you find the unknown--they're one hundred percent their own thing. The transitions are when we feel growth, and observing those changes through my sketchbook is what I do best. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcME8rtBICdmRbr5pIObc4t4PY1FPe8T8LoR63XDK7RkfyRazNe53m2KrsjE5TY_H8bduK6uJvKxxHKQWMqxAnJKoUEXfwlLG6yJBrUfytxaWtiSct-D3Q-z2KH1daCEGOws7Rw0-YsXv/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-plants-in-my-garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1593" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcME8rtBICdmRbr5pIObc4t4PY1FPe8T8LoR63XDK7RkfyRazNe53m2KrsjE5TY_H8bduK6uJvKxxHKQWMqxAnJKoUEXfwlLG6yJBrUfytxaWtiSct-D3Q-z2KH1daCEGOws7Rw0-YsXv/s400/J.N.-Ward-sketch-plants-in-my-garden.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A sketch of the plants popping up in my garden right now.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-37143670049108301202018-02-13T16:44:00.000-06:002018-02-13T16:44:53.817-06:00FREE TO ROAM THE HEAVENS!<div style="text-align: center;">
I've never been one to fit in. It doesn't come naturally to me, personally or in my art. Fitting in requires consistent categories and some predictability of the way things work. More than the fact that I don't fit in is the fact that those things don't fit <i>me</i>. My work comes from a lot of different places, which means it comes in a lot of different forms, and the newest form it's taken is comics.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZsT9CagQ6oQIVUCj-iwkyug4FZbq4V9IUgMzaa53XPB1gmxGQP1iKtF_h53sn1-X4mdoaWKj8qM0MlLDIZT8JQDfZAFxXSkZ45XprFW7pL_BlfwBYHmbxRIO3QsZXcQJ6KjH81EfbB61/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Brushwork-fake-it-till-you-make-it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1235" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZsT9CagQ6oQIVUCj-iwkyug4FZbq4V9IUgMzaa53XPB1gmxGQP1iKtF_h53sn1-X4mdoaWKj8qM0MlLDIZT8JQDfZAFxXSkZ45XprFW7pL_BlfwBYHmbxRIO3QsZXcQJ6KjH81EfbB61/s400/J.N.-Ward-Brushwork-fake-it-till-you-make-it.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">"Fake It 'Til You Make It," from my comic, <i>Brushwork</i>. Find it <a href="https://www.jnward.com/buy/zine/brushwork" target="_blank">here!</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm not really a comic book, graphic novel, or internet cartoon kind of person, and comic cons are definitely not my thing. I like comics and graphic novels like I like scary movies, which is really not at all unless the timing is perfect and the work is precisely up my alley. I'm working on a graphic novel right now, but I'm no cartoonist, which begs the question: what in the world is it that's moved my work from traditional fine art towards comics? </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5TTUMKYcXGwmd4uPrFALeTrKQ3Uj0_QPvavvCLTrFb7Biq1VuiJr7LHY9RhHwrMCHsDIJSXiDPbugfr-4ftIVNBUi7XuNODpZZsabxanJj2xx-7CrOjd2IxEnGHI-geJRp1_GWmhuJOL/s1600/J.N.-Ward-learning-from-newspaper-comics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1600" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5TTUMKYcXGwmd4uPrFALeTrKQ3Uj0_QPvavvCLTrFb7Biq1VuiJr7LHY9RhHwrMCHsDIJSXiDPbugfr-4ftIVNBUi7XuNODpZZsabxanJj2xx-7CrOjd2IxEnGHI-geJRp1_GWmhuJOL/s400/J.N.-Ward-learning-from-newspaper-comics.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Some of my studies of the greats.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Growing up, my grandfather made a notebook of Calvin and Hobbes comics for my brother. He manually cut, pasted, and photocopied comics from the newspaper and put them together in a three-ring binder. Whenever my brother was out of the house, I'd go into his room to read it, wishing more than anything that we lived somewhere with snow so that I could make sculptures like Calvin's snowmen. When we visited my grandparents, there wasn't a lot of kids' stuff around, but they did have an actual book of Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes that I would pour over whenever I was by myself. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPQt7QQJMykRNy5WWJg3dAT5VRHVKVBDaZoS8UpgC6I7FvNSq3fbxvG4MnYwzvt2o6BcvHC9o7B7cKxCrZ0FnJyOH05O-rBsbJ_ogkFizAa61Sbl7uQN8sWUE_Yoiqt5AeePYGvmPxMdA/s1600/20180213_151023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="1600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPQt7QQJMykRNy5WWJg3dAT5VRHVKVBDaZoS8UpgC6I7FvNSq3fbxvG4MnYwzvt2o6BcvHC9o7B7cKxCrZ0FnJyOH05O-rBsbJ_ogkFizAa61Sbl7uQN8sWUE_Yoiqt5AeePYGvmPxMdA/s640/20180213_151023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Everything about this Calvin and Hobbes is what I love about Watterson's cartoon.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Back then I knew I wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist. I liked art, I was good at it, and I obsessively read the newspaper comics every day, even the ones I hated (although that might have had more to do with my OCD than true passion...). By the time I was old enough to leave high school, the internet was making everyone nervous about the future of print with dire predictions that newspapers would be dead in the next few years. I also had no idea how one becomes a newspaper cartoonist. On top of all of that, Watterson had retired, and the comics that were left were dull and lifeless.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWMqjSzf5apFwaCtfMOeBrmKxa1S7qk0gOKSmlwCw9T35zvO1N2V_5PLmv9im0q0MCKptko99H2yFowGAUv_cwUEcGd_xopZ2vNgzsIHN0bEc-MsFlQSSuHC2twCOFC-e-QapLHKULtfn/s1600/Watterson-Calvin-and-Hobbes-Playing-house-detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWMqjSzf5apFwaCtfMOeBrmKxa1S7qk0gOKSmlwCw9T35zvO1N2V_5PLmv9im0q0MCKptko99H2yFowGAUv_cwUEcGd_xopZ2vNgzsIHN0bEc-MsFlQSSuHC2twCOFC-e-QapLHKULtfn/s320/Watterson-Calvin-and-Hobbes-Playing-house-detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A detail from one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes cartoons.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Calvin and Hobbes is still my favorite by far. It gets better and better with time. I pour over my own collection of Calvin and Hobbes books now, noting Watterson's layouts, visual set-ups, and above all his masterful use of line. Bill Watterson broke literal boxes that structured the newspaper comic, fighting for his art to be seen in the format that he envisioned. Equally influential to me is Watterson's relative silence about his work and his refusal to give a Calvin and Hobbes trademark to anyone; he trusts the quality of his work to speak for itself.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_SuRzlrrMeHqLIviPx3WgUy9ku40wJkg3f__znRwSP4PntbttmWns2S3qdbz4_fy7e3N1SAIXs67pap0vJxTOPQTmOmrBszGGS__AECMZUt7t5Ujq75-pbEBiQMMvAXsUNyZPxdyM7TG/s1600/20180213_150608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="1600" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_SuRzlrrMeHqLIviPx3WgUy9ku40wJkg3f__znRwSP4PntbttmWns2S3qdbz4_fy7e3N1SAIXs67pap0vJxTOPQTmOmrBszGGS__AECMZUt7t5Ujq75-pbEBiQMMvAXsUNyZPxdyM7TG/s640/20180213_150608.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Watterson is an artist who chose comics as his medium and who raised our expectations of what a comic could be by breaking very literal molds. I think that I've turned to comics as a way to explore themes and ideas that aren't appropriate in other media. Having influences who work from a true artist's background and then step out of what's expected of them--artists who turn their medium into something more than it was before--they inspire me and give me validation to break my own boundaries and to see how far I can go. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlh35WcM6xNutJoVJeEwLEgVCXX2k2VId3GaIvz0IZiGDNZwApmqaDQG86_rWT_3xoqiERaQ83_Vz3OxsFkPlfVgNTi6ZqSRdStI6KyCLNNyefJ8dCb17dz_4L_cmRb88CCZVbiYeJadh/s1600/20180213_155408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlh35WcM6xNutJoVJeEwLEgVCXX2k2VId3GaIvz0IZiGDNZwApmqaDQG86_rWT_3xoqiERaQ83_Vz3OxsFkPlfVgNTi6ZqSRdStI6KyCLNNyefJ8dCb17dz_4L_cmRb88CCZVbiYeJadh/s400/20180213_155408.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Spaceman Spiff from Calvin and Hobbes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-29551591256188740732018-01-30T11:53:00.000-06:002018-01-30T11:53:01.274-06:00ANGELA DAVIS IN 9 EASY STEPS<div style="text-align: center;">
A goal of mine for the year is to have an overwhelming, amazing art show that makes people go, "Wow!" If I can't have that, then at least I'm gonna' have an art show. It'll be about American women in the post-Trump world with an excessive emphasis on houseplants. To this end I've been painting, drawing, collaging, and reading.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphNe9X6UBTcCraeudmv6R40kuuYPjnxTVgzQc4tinP5Fg3r7HinJ2CxIrowX5eL_gLUN8vVsLOxBTKR0hPd28ZsFzZihbl-HBKCT0ehnJFDW6-WZcIYm5zgbDPAib-nWMAXhyJAAeB8Ka/s1600/J.N.-Ward-plant-painting-Mystery-Vine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1597" data-original-width="1600" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphNe9X6UBTcCraeudmv6R40kuuYPjnxTVgzQc4tinP5Fg3r7HinJ2CxIrowX5eL_gLUN8vVsLOxBTKR0hPd28ZsFzZihbl-HBKCT0ehnJFDW6-WZcIYm5zgbDPAib-nWMAXhyJAAeB8Ka/s400/J.N.-Ward-plant-painting-Mystery-Vine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A piece for my upcoming show, <i>Mystery Vine</i>. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". 2017</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Most recently I've been making work focusing on women activist icons. As I work I think about iconography in the past and votive offerings. Right now I'm in the middle of a piece featuring Angela Davis. I've made a drawing of her that will be surrounded by houseplant offerings. Surprisingly my drawing of her came about pretty quickly; I've been intimidated to start work on her, thinking it would take ages (some work is just like that, intimidating), but in a day's work the drawing was done! Nine simple steps towards Angela Davis. That's all it takes, right?</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot4-VKa4zxO5N7BGL3FbkI1GfunOz8Zg_XSZ-AimbmihvVuAKYSFEzpIFlpRRmSYXVEvr2ks8gvxukg2p8uoeFBxbYIkfGy4NDuuqN07s0I3wXd3CS6P419MvwhnXAPz0nFUCBS24MT_h/s1600/Women+Icons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjot4-VKa4zxO5N7BGL3FbkI1GfunOz8Zg_XSZ-AimbmihvVuAKYSFEzpIFlpRRmSYXVEvr2ks8gvxukg2p8uoeFBxbYIkfGy4NDuuqN07s0I3wXd3CS6P419MvwhnXAPz0nFUCBS24MT_h/s640/Women+Icons.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Progress shots of my Angela Davis drawing.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The difficulty in approaching my Women Icons isn't just technical. It's that I know little to nothing about the women I'm depicting. This is one of the main things I think about as I draw them - how little I actually know about them. Since last year's Women's March women have seen a lot of cool images and quotations ascribed to iconic women who have done the hard work for us, but if I'm any indication, how many of us actually know what their work and activism is about and what it costs?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvQ_Tl3kH2RNv6N_02SDVaLcX5QCL8E6l_QndHNM8DuLEu0ShkjByD69hXYszMJDUglT5iy8-E5kuI-dfHL1uINRqVbiLvu6xdpd20yg3NDaujs9N8VOSmq2QzF1H8Pj1QPqN7LG_wk4D/s1600/20180129_160354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1600" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvQ_Tl3kH2RNv6N_02SDVaLcX5QCL8E6l_QndHNM8DuLEu0ShkjByD69hXYszMJDUglT5iy8-E5kuI-dfHL1uINRqVbiLvu6xdpd20yg3NDaujs9N8VOSmq2QzF1H8Pj1QPqN7LG_wk4D/s640/20180129_160354.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Work in progress on the Angela Davis piece.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As I draw each figure, I draw them in ignorance. Once the work is complete, I'm going to read and learn all I can about them. This part of creating the art isn't something that you'd know is there just by looking at it, but my ignorance and education is important to the work. I think it figures into the broader issue of the commodification of Feminism and "Girl Power". How does a movement that strives to be free of Capitalism's worst aspects exist in a culture that depends on branding, image, and marketability? I don't know, but I want to ask questions that will get us to think about our identity beyond pussy hats and protest signs.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWX7_2xD2TTdqtKxUUK_zI_BMDPO1NkSWIrRtjAHqRcrNod1ycsMH6I_YdZamLGFV4UgDk7ExnxjPTIYV3vj07EPoRSabB-q5AMkB9aaDmMjhVz_cYH-qi5LyPUacx9BaYgfswaxCQutg/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Reading-List-Abolition-Democracy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1141" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWX7_2xD2TTdqtKxUUK_zI_BMDPO1NkSWIrRtjAHqRcrNod1ycsMH6I_YdZamLGFV4UgDk7ExnxjPTIYV3vj07EPoRSabB-q5AMkB9aaDmMjhVz_cYH-qi5LyPUacx9BaYgfswaxCQutg/s640/J.N.-Ward-Reading-List-Abolition-Democracy.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Angela Davis's book, <i><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781583226957" target="_blank">Abolition Democracy</a></i>, is next on my reading list.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-83155960233544019252018-01-15T15:16:00.001-06:002018-01-30T11:53:17.414-06:00WHAT WE SHOULDN'T BE<div style="text-align: center;">
There are a lot of things that I'm not supposed to be, and there are a lot of things that I'm not supposed to say as a woman. I shouldn't offend anyone, especially my elders, especially when those elders are men. What I should be is "respectable," and what is respectable is decided by older, more conservative, and usually wealthier establishments than myself. If I'm not respectable or respectful, then I shouldn't be taken seriously because I'm not what a young woman ought to be; I'm labelled as angry, hot-headed, naive, idealistic, rude, selfish, and (quaintly) unladylike.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4fAQ9YIev9YiQunmZFCx7SmTysqDUNY1OrogpMdE-jK3-8XZQErQTpZAUKuAOkukhkEqNugUVqUVuUGN7HFHRBCLF-s1Hh8QTjopfoGViR98Pwo2W501AbriBa7rlR2xDNCI7l4CG_Pv/s1600/J-N-Ward-Women%2527s-March-Nasty-Woman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1170" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY4fAQ9YIev9YiQunmZFCx7SmTysqDUNY1OrogpMdE-jK3-8XZQErQTpZAUKuAOkukhkEqNugUVqUVuUGN7HFHRBCLF-s1Hh8QTjopfoGViR98Pwo2W501AbriBa7rlR2xDNCI7l4CG_Pv/s640/J-N-Ward-Women%2527s-March-Nasty-Woman.JPG" width="468" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">One of my sketches from the <a href="http://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2017/01/forward-stronger-together.html" target="_blank">2017 Women's March</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Feminist voices are labelled as those things, too, and worse. Feminist art expresses the Feminist voice, so that art shouldn't be respectable either. Being a serious woman artist wasn't acceptable for a long, long time. In cases where art makes someone upset or uncomfortable, being a serious woman artist is still unacceptable. Making images and statements that explore a woman's body without consideration for a man's gaze goes beyond unacceptable: such art is labelled gross, inappropriate, and obscene.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikms-pXkdX4W7IXqQpV9OduMsJPNDz5tfDV6q6cW7kLMnoZIjwtdFoSkFT0pAcvl3dT04c5c7Y9q4AhdAk1D8tIYOBeOyuDTa9ymAmbOsvlwmLl3EDMB5DQzqfOZYype7b3QCxMaBz5ni_/s1600/Casey-Jenkins-casting-off-my-womb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="450" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikms-pXkdX4W7IXqQpV9OduMsJPNDz5tfDV6q6cW7kLMnoZIjwtdFoSkFT0pAcvl3dT04c5c7Y9q4AhdAk1D8tIYOBeOyuDTa9ymAmbOsvlwmLl3EDMB5DQzqfOZYype7b3QCxMaBz5ni_/s640/Casey-Jenkins-casting-off-my-womb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://casey-jenkins.com/works/" target="_blank">Casey Jenkins </a>during her performance, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/17/vaginal-knitting-artist-defence" target="_blank">Casting Off My Womb</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image source unknown.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Women in art have come a long way, but since last year's Women's March I've seen a delightful uptick in gross, inappropriate, and obscene artwork that shows women:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* not smiling</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* with body hair</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* displaying bawdy behavior</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* acknowledging and loving their sexuality</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* leading</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* being fat</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* as witches</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* supporting women</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Outrageously, those simple eight things are enough to be considered Feminist artwork. Creating and using this artwork amplifies Feminist voices, helping to bring us together and closer to equality. When I draw cellulite as an acceptable feature or show my own cellulite, it's considered Feminist or brave. When I use whatever language is appropriate to a sentiment rather than what's appropriate to conservative sensibilities, it's also considered Feminist. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc4KpsLZ-a9VZQeTWazO8orZpOvCVjEM1hlLT9RybJLvBZQE2l4T9tDTnF3gkdM1RRHLjWvWEe4Nmq0zPZYgdkh3HpQ6nz7qoGhOfpehYv1A6S_eirz8w53bhSYvZa5CLy94P9yoK_w0w/s1600/Tuesday-Bassen-youngangrywomentee_ariel_600x.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc4KpsLZ-a9VZQeTWazO8orZpOvCVjEM1hlLT9RybJLvBZQE2l4T9tDTnF3gkdM1RRHLjWvWEe4Nmq0zPZYgdkh3HpQ6nz7qoGhOfpehYv1A6S_eirz8w53bhSYvZa5CLy94P9yoK_w0w/s640/Tuesday-Bassen-youngangrywomentee_ariel_600x.png" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A piece by one of my faves', <a href="https://www.shoptuesday.com/" target="_blank">Tuesday Bassen</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Lucky for us her Young Angry Women shirt is <a href="https://www.shoptuesday.com/collections/fall-feature/products/mean-tee" target="_blank">on sale</a> right now!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://www.shoptuesday.com/collections/fall-feature/products/mean-tee" target="_blank">Tuesday Bassen</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It doesn't take much to rattle established, patriarchal feelings. Acknowledging, embracing, and using our power as women makes the people who accept a patriarchal system's status quo scared. Who knows what they're so scared of (I'm sure there are a million think pieces and arguments about <i>that </i>one), but American women are less scared of the patriarchy than we've been in a long time, and we're not going back. Here's to 2018 being a year more full of Feminist art and more resonant with Feminist voices than ever before! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMuA_6G5KVZ4Cy8Y9iymvOJxAN5UXJLYHyJUe9us-C2y5QJ3Wm_88RDre36xyQK6RY6EKXVGWTSUhcttgsGDGubMSpRMt4E7iXmoqnjuRsk0hFYogcy1ar2u4dVw9pj1aDucmdUexJhG-/s1600/Metropolis126.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="498" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMuA_6G5KVZ4Cy8Y9iymvOJxAN5UXJLYHyJUe9us-C2y5QJ3Wm_88RDre36xyQK6RY6EKXVGWTSUhcttgsGDGubMSpRMt4E7iXmoqnjuRsk0hFYogcy1ar2u4dVw9pj1aDucmdUexJhG-/s400/Metropolis126.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/" target="_blank">Metropolis</a> gif taken from <a href="http://movieclassics3326.blogspot.com/2011/06/metropolis.html" target="_blank">Movie Classics</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-47327368751910254672018-01-02T16:54:00.000-06:002018-01-02T16:54:14.131-06:00WHAT 2018 NEEDS<div style="text-align: center;">
My best illustrations, or at least my work that I'm most fond of, have all come, initially, from sketches. There are different types of sketching. It can be a deliberate study to help an artist get started on their big painting. Sometimes sketching is part of a shared artists' challenge that's meant to push the artist and share immediately online. Other times it's just absent-minded doodling.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0R15naXhKbWOgJ5P8hBqHtYuvqtOV4vwTNOejJwiAzxx_jq7rgYw_EG2QbcDmklUmIUj2UWYkwHCW4Vzh3WJb28GcY2P3Ie-dSxiNjVcd9K1Xk2IIFKWJmbUb09_pLHVxS0YvNEFj7WE/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-Ezza%2527s-Window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0R15naXhKbWOgJ5P8hBqHtYuvqtOV4vwTNOejJwiAzxx_jq7rgYw_EG2QbcDmklUmIUj2UWYkwHCW4Vzh3WJb28GcY2P3Ie-dSxiNjVcd9K1Xk2IIFKWJmbUb09_pLHVxS0YvNEFj7WE/s640/J.N.-Ward-sketch-Ezza%2527s-Window.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What I'm talking about, though, is different. My kind of sketching is taking paper and pencil or watercolors wherever I go and observing. It's something I used to do casually, but I didn't realize it's value to me until I spent a month away from home: not wanting to share unremarkable photos from my trip, I made sketches in place of snapshots. They turned out to hold more memory for me than snapping a digital picture ever has. Sketching like that can involve patience and determination, but it's also relaxing as it's the best way for me to take in the present.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHu-1eMbrUNE7oT7bxiX2Djh7I_VfJdxGXyj49wB9kvSiVcCBWUoP2k5Y92vzSIMSCQH1q98D9Aq7ittL0YOOGXrywmBRGRoEeEEpKABZUi4djEc08HP4i0uddGv1YRQvXqcwbHvBDFwX/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-dec-the-depot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1145" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHu-1eMbrUNE7oT7bxiX2Djh7I_VfJdxGXyj49wB9kvSiVcCBWUoP2k5Y92vzSIMSCQH1q98D9Aq7ittL0YOOGXrywmBRGRoEeEEpKABZUi4djEc08HP4i0uddGv1YRQvXqcwbHvBDFwX/s640/J.N.-Ward-sketch-dec-the-depot.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Deliberate, observational sketching is something I got away from a lot last year. I was too busy with the new projects and goals I had set for myself to make time for just sitting and drawing a couple of hours. Over the holidays, however, I forced myself to slow down and take some time to rest, which mostly meant reading and sketching. Honestly, I think some of those December sketches are my favorite things that I made in 2017.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6wURD5An_FRXmRrNfjdk123dysomrAEDQ6XId0yDS-wt_NxI9oXMp0xQxLdiTipWcpbgA-fFX_Ci0dasafI-fLdaMYKeF6Re2QP58K8QlV7mGAiZpj8ID5IZeGh3-_S0FjZtGftk7RWv/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-dec-Arasaga%2527s-on-Church-parking-lot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1185" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6wURD5An_FRXmRrNfjdk123dysomrAEDQ6XId0yDS-wt_NxI9oXMp0xQxLdiTipWcpbgA-fFX_Ci0dasafI-fLdaMYKeF6Re2QP58K8QlV7mGAiZpj8ID5IZeGh3-_S0FjZtGftk7RWv/s640/J.N.-Ward-sketch-dec-Arasaga%2527s-on-Church-parking-lot.jpg" width="472" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Now I've got not so much a New Year's resolution as a determination to make time for a key part of my work that was missing. A few weeks back I began writing out some plans and goals for 2018, but I didn't even put sketching on the list! December and January tend to be about taking stock of what's missing from our lives (whether we intend for them to or not). January is here, and I'm seeing that more sketching is just what 2018 needs.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIlS3oypEs_Du0cAKX3QQmqhakem78CYTuNtpMAPj-yfZ3wMxtRLqTz-pqPPmSoATuZfwdp_wf9jYqsSfp05B9XaR6m1zZjJrHDnSF6pEaMfdgZbCX2agIhLrNOeovVSJ35YuxjQz3HYy/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sketch-TRex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1140" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIlS3oypEs_Du0cAKX3QQmqhakem78CYTuNtpMAPj-yfZ3wMxtRLqTz-pqPPmSoATuZfwdp_wf9jYqsSfp05B9XaR6m1zZjJrHDnSF6pEaMfdgZbCX2agIhLrNOeovVSJ35YuxjQz3HYy/s640/J.N.-Ward-sketch-TRex.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-73854830903385245672017-12-04T18:42:00.000-06:002017-12-06T15:38:45.775-06:00ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS... QUITE A LOT, ACTUALLY<div style="text-align: center;">
After all the planning, preparation, blood, sweat, and tears, I did it. I had my very own booth at the <a href="https://gocattywampus.com/">Wampus Wonderland</a>, and it was fun and exhausting. The best part of the Wonderland was getting to see my favorite makers' work in person. <b>HERE ARE 4 OF MY FAVORITE ARTISTS FROM THE SHOW THAT YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT:</b> (I also, ahem, included my personal wishlist so you'll know exactly what to get for me Christmas this year!)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6NuyhRsPUgwQXt7ExNOXkok-T9MGs-zqfSITbDxHIZ5KlBR3JzRVTkG5dYoiRXoZmlDl5JdrJpAww9Q7rFt_L0B9V1NZGBdAVRvG3RcaqLiDcFGHVT42ItMTs6TkMoYR9HTYdrqJxPTQ/s1600/J.N.-Ward-at-the-Wampus-Wonderland-2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6NuyhRsPUgwQXt7ExNOXkok-T9MGs-zqfSITbDxHIZ5KlBR3JzRVTkG5dYoiRXoZmlDl5JdrJpAww9Q7rFt_L0B9V1NZGBdAVRvG3RcaqLiDcFGHVT42ItMTs6TkMoYR9HTYdrqJxPTQ/s400/J.N.-Ward-at-the-Wampus-Wonderland-2017.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Me and my booth at the Wampus Wonderland! Image taken from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcNvL16FCjx/?taken-by=smalli">Smalli</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>MAY WE FLY</b></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Instagram introduced me to <a href="https://www.maywefly.com/shop/">May We Fly</a>. Leana Fisher of May We Fly crafts and designs beautiful watercolors that she turns into prints, cards, and calendars. Not only does Fisher have a great blog to follow if you want some help as a fellow maker or are just plain curious, she hosts workshops, too! <b>On my wishlist: May We Fly's <a href="https://www.maywefly.com/shop/pear-and-fig-market-pad">Pear & Fig Market Pad & Recipe Cards</a>.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfUb6K8T8fRGS2j-8zucUfq-vh4gGVbYENZf-heng7_71tOm3gatWHI6zBFIS8YxDghTclDzBRLi7i0fyA5Vv9b5DymwE1QjTK9tcYR0WkV-qUhXniDqSXYNomfun8pq0Bh7RDAutgEZP/s1600/May-We-Fly-Leana-Fisher-art-holiday-cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfUb6K8T8fRGS2j-8zucUfq-vh4gGVbYENZf-heng7_71tOm3gatWHI6zBFIS8YxDghTclDzBRLi7i0fyA5Vv9b5DymwE1QjTK9tcYR0WkV-qUhXniDqSXYNomfun8pq0Bh7RDAutgEZP/s400/May-We-Fly-Leana-Fisher-art-holiday-cards.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">May We Fly's Snowy Night cards. Image taken from </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mayweflydesign/">May We Fly Design</a><span style="color: #351c75;">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>BRENNA COLLINS</b></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I first came across <a href="https://www.instagram.com/avvvocado/">Brenna Collins'</a> work at a small art market I participated in back in the fall. She prints all of her own work and has a fantastic eye for design. What I love about Collins' work is that she works from the best kind of unexpected imagination. Line quality? Yes, please. <b>On my wishlist: I'll have one of Collins' <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcNYFQ2hE2p/?taken-by=avvvocado">The Future is Femme shirts</a> in a large.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgEhwfS-a3Mdh9qD27OAu616f59fGg02ux9VVYV6KBBceda_2gwggstvMCQtV6lnUGc4Unk9fkjMIvBWP7UaK1MCszH5BW0wqMddxaHLM4BEC3gwy55Y5Fskuyxn-cVfq4ooXbCPkh3kE/s1600/Brenna-Collins-Avvvocado-screenprint-cool-cats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgEhwfS-a3Mdh9qD27OAu616f59fGg02ux9VVYV6KBBceda_2gwggstvMCQtV6lnUGc4Unk9fkjMIvBWP7UaK1MCszH5BW0wqMddxaHLM4BEC3gwy55Y5Fskuyxn-cVfq4ooXbCPkh3kE/s400/Brenna-Collins-Avvvocado-screenprint-cool-cats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Some cool cats by Brenna Collins. Image taken from </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/avvvocado/">Avvvocado</a><span style="color: #351c75;">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>BANG-UP BETTY</b></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Back when I lived in Little Rock I was a little familiar with the artist behind <a href="https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/">Bang-Up Betty</a>. All I can say is that her work has gotten better and better over the years. She makes just about everything, including jewelry, shirts, and tote bags. Her work is <a href="http://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2017/10/sassy-af.html">sassy as fuck</a>, funny, and elegantly designed. <b>On my wishlist: Bang-Up Betty's <a href="https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/cornbreadbootynecklace">"Cornbread Booty" necklace</a>.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbCJ1wmeY83TGYL9lnI6j_jjCnGU0XvsbfwHnodwhnK2wN4Ht-MZTBQ6HsHLV-XnUD9XU_IwsQVIs4hyphenhyphen9SFuhntn4FVcoJJagWuTlfmH2fuduUmoEs2QzjFt1-vpx0denIaKjP_axoaKi/s1600/Bang-Up-Betty-Turn-the-car-around-keychain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbCJ1wmeY83TGYL9lnI6j_jjCnGU0XvsbfwHnodwhnK2wN4Ht-MZTBQ6HsHLV-XnUD9XU_IwsQVIs4hyphenhyphen9SFuhntn4FVcoJJagWuTlfmH2fuduUmoEs2QzjFt1-vpx0denIaKjP_axoaKi/s640/Bang-Up-Betty-Turn-the-car-around-keychain.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Custom stamped key ring by Bang-Up Betty. Image taken from </span><a href="https://www.bangupbetty.com/shop/customstampedkeyring">Bang-Up Betty</a><span style="color: #351c75;">.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>INKSTAND STUDIO</b></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Emily Chase of <a href="https://www.emilychaseart.com/inkstand-studio-illustration-and-design/">Inkstand Studio</a> deftly balances the fine art life with the functional craft life. Chase's jewelry, stickers, and patches are cute and sweet, and her illustrations are endearing. However, what really blows me out of the water is Chase's fine artwork: paper apparel, illuminated works of cut paper, and oil paintings - Too much!!! I am envious of her skill. <b>On my wishlist: Inkstand Studio's <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/560025652/foxes-and-flowers-birchwood-ornament?ref=shop_home_active_1">Foxes & Flowers Birchwood Ornament</a></b>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI914pSmPi0sxo3l4rWfWSEKRjRJG1EpTQSpYDUeGEuhG_VmHRltTbu8nGuIRIFXNTyLonPdJDHbCodWUGxQmMnQLEBaPD7wWdgj2DZs66nSxqHU6dn6wt9k-cyreKGViB3DZsTzBMngQ/s1600/Emily-Chase-art-You-Must-Do-the-Work-With-Your-Own-Hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI914pSmPi0sxo3l4rWfWSEKRjRJG1EpTQSpYDUeGEuhG_VmHRltTbu8nGuIRIFXNTyLonPdJDHbCodWUGxQmMnQLEBaPD7wWdgj2DZs66nSxqHU6dn6wt9k-cyreKGViB3DZsTzBMngQ/s400/Emily-Chase-art-You-Must-Do-the-Work-With-Your-Own-Hands.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Emily Chase. <i>You Must Do the Work With Your Own Hands</i>. Handcut paper and vellum in black walnut box, LEDs, 13" x 13" x 6". 2017</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://www.emilychaseart.com/cutpaperandillumination/314mabuq7707bhodlfxopbk1nr19te">Emily Chase Art</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Over 100 vendors participated in the Wampus Wonderland on Saturday, which means that these four artists are by no means the only extraordinary makers there. If you weren't able to make it to the Wonderland, there will be another one in Eureka Springs, and lots of Christmas time craft shows and art sales will be going strong throughout the season. Support local artists and find out who your faves are this year (besides me, of course)!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqd6S-ZLYlFCoJLZP68cRFY88N2jRWBgQb8sw1AeE7bHAmJMrAeJ01yJZXIFdThBvuDh-t_IuUwZdprnlPb0BXtnJpQCyxl9Tidct0026g0BB3Qcs0q1EwPbOkR_SeLpEUEXEhRbwHSlKt/s1600/J.N.-Ward-buy-under-the-stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqd6S-ZLYlFCoJLZP68cRFY88N2jRWBgQb8sw1AeE7bHAmJMrAeJ01yJZXIFdThBvuDh-t_IuUwZdprnlPb0BXtnJpQCyxl9Tidct0026g0BB3Qcs0q1EwPbOkR_SeLpEUEXEhRbwHSlKt/s400/J.N.-Ward-buy-under-the-stars.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">You can still get my work in time for the holidays! Buy <a href="https://www.jnward.com/buy/">here</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Digital print of my original watercolor, <i>Under the Stars</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-71206092670212049882017-11-27T16:47:00.000-06:002017-11-27T16:47:04.298-06:00THE EXCITEMENT IS TOO MUCH!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
Well it's the week I've been waiting for since July: the week of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/805575156271234/">Cattywampus Wampus Wonderland</a>! It's my first ever craft show to participate in, and boy have I got the goods. Even if there are a few minor details to go over (well, major details, if I'm honest), I think I'm good and ready to go!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqHGf5bncEQOEpl9XsqnPIZQZCLkSoDFMJqEXutOlOBFEtlsOjjCkUsuhjyDFY9T8tsG4v5HV061yjeBxYSunYnsaHnEi52z1dxie8JPYdSFno90DAUAWjWTRfqnsUJlQ6o21WA4youYJ/s1600/Cattywampus+promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqHGf5bncEQOEpl9XsqnPIZQZCLkSoDFMJqEXutOlOBFEtlsOjjCkUsuhjyDFY9T8tsG4v5HV061yjeBxYSunYnsaHnEi52z1dxie8JPYdSFno90DAUAWjWTRfqnsUJlQ6o21WA4youYJ/s400/Cattywampus+promo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've got loads of goodies, and they tend to fall into three different types of awesome stuff that I'll have available for your viewing and purchasing pleasure. The first is fine artwork that would make my art professors proud. I'll have some smooth, colorful oil paintings for sale in addition to my mixed media Southern themed drawings, all of which are high quality artwork for the high falootin' fool who's feelin' fancy.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnT1RlNdGpV_OIm42OAvaLFAa1qdWwlESkFRnWsAMfOORCNSIZf9wdxyRySSd6qjzuVr0uOxtROBNZFqvq7D8bxhb3xrsw3SOlImMAzvLFJdl7ngOdUk23R7MM-Mdd1XfQFMCaiLK1HnAe/s1600/Thinking+about+home..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="1600" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnT1RlNdGpV_OIm42OAvaLFAa1qdWwlESkFRnWsAMfOORCNSIZf9wdxyRySSd6qjzuVr0uOxtROBNZFqvq7D8bxhb3xrsw3SOlImMAzvLFJdl7ngOdUk23R7MM-Mdd1XfQFMCaiLK1HnAe/s400/Thinking+about+home..JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Thinking about home</i>. Oil on canvas, 24" x 36". 2013 </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There will also be plenty of digital prints, too! Don't want to keep all the splendor of my artwork to yourself? Can't say that I blame you. That's why I'll have some stellar postcards and holday cards for sale. Both are available individually and in packs, which is a real inexpensive way to send some mighty fine art to the one you love. Feelin' greedy? Don't worry! The 8" x 10" digital prints of my bright, fun watercolors will be there to fill that hole in your heart.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Jtu4ep68khojo5HU1LvTZ7W5KbaFhFSNvUPI5fU3RewP5emDjgswRW4GaILV9H2Rjkm2-DlxEQf_6rccc45EMddQHeygyPHXp7VgQYsn8lGMJB-Nftbuy3XB3L-JrE7D_9asufvZGrrU/s1600/J.N.-Ward-sleeping-under-the-stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Jtu4ep68khojo5HU1LvTZ7W5KbaFhFSNvUPI5fU3RewP5emDjgswRW4GaILV9H2Rjkm2-DlxEQf_6rccc45EMddQHeygyPHXp7VgQYsn8lGMJB-Nftbuy3XB3L-JrE7D_9asufvZGrrU/s400/J.N.-Ward-sleeping-under-the-stars.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Under the Stars</i>. Watercolor on paper, 6" x 6". 2016</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Last but not least, the zines! These personal pet projects of mine are chock full of whimsy, humor, and historical facts. I'll have booklets of comics, Southern history, and many of my one-off, hair-brained ideas. They're just waiting for you to thumb through them and fall in love. So I'll see you this Saturday, then? December 2nd at the Fayetteville Town Center. Be there, or be square!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaoKkCXeWb2g8_NHv_qusDcjl3QqAfQ7VqqSkDYH98egrcLP8sgOeHFsKloiLHaqAr8VkLW5njqRyWNff_v5-dbzKIruk76iaRVlsKJ21HuWU5oyWPG0YPcLo7yzVoriU5tETDEPCwGJz/s1600/Hist.+of+South+V.+p.+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1238" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaoKkCXeWb2g8_NHv_qusDcjl3QqAfQ7VqqSkDYH98egrcLP8sgOeHFsKloiLHaqAr8VkLW5njqRyWNff_v5-dbzKIruk76iaRVlsKJ21HuWU5oyWPG0YPcLo7yzVoriU5tETDEPCwGJz/s400/Hist.+of+South+V.+p.+8.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>A History of the South, Vol. 3</i>, detail. Zine. 2015</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-24070882792168466612017-11-13T17:20:00.000-06:002017-11-13T17:20:55.856-06:00LIVING THE POTATO PRINT DREAM<div style="text-align: center;">
One of the most fun aspects of getting ready for a craft show is working on the final touches. These are the craftier aspects of art that don't usually figure into the bulk of my work. They are the things I enjoy doing but rarely make the time to do. They are also things that I make for no other reason than the fact that they're really, really cute.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgqoM2ep0wp2LGvecNerDZl8EiSlarbFwXK_iVv5O5BP7MHKqRfZQtJNrkP1nuRS0e9K1S-A28fysxScXLUwdf3g308u4EVydIMWAlUaB5lmxP2VYUU9uggnG26BuUrlJl1r6pAczZ4TE/s1600/J.N.-Ward-craft-show-bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1115" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgqoM2ep0wp2LGvecNerDZl8EiSlarbFwXK_iVv5O5BP7MHKqRfZQtJNrkP1nuRS0e9K1S-A28fysxScXLUwdf3g308u4EVydIMWAlUaB5lmxP2VYUU9uggnG26BuUrlJl1r6pAczZ4TE/s640/J.N.-Ward-craft-show-bags.jpg" width="443" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Printmaking is my big, crafty endeavor these last couple of weeks. I've been printing bags, labels, and a giant tablecloth in preparation for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/805575156271234/">Wampus Wonderland</a>, and it has ink under my fingernails and my arthritis nagging. Could I buy a tablecloth for my booth? Sure, but it wouldn't be me without a bit of extra effort. I like things that you can't find just anywhere, and printing all of these things myself definitely fits the bill.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2-eGi3msPQTbpOdN4BmMQLJi9HJh-ETyUYNL14nisb5zUwn7uoRATctb26m46vxwZg3zDDJgZd_C04MgFGBNqPDDUDc2T6lFERjJKqFhzMPj8yjmhoGULolcIvJ7FSBuAUmw_a0TNEk_/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Potato-Printing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2-eGi3msPQTbpOdN4BmMQLJi9HJh-ETyUYNL14nisb5zUwn7uoRATctb26m46vxwZg3zDDJgZd_C04MgFGBNqPDDUDc2T6lFERjJKqFhzMPj8yjmhoGULolcIvJ7FSBuAUmw_a0TNEk_/s640/J.N.-Ward-Potato-Printing.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Potato printing.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The best part about printing my tablecloth is that it's the absolute, unfanciest thing I've made. I got the idea for the tablecloth from one of my favorite books, <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307586544">Print Workshop: Hand-printing Techniques + Truly Original Projects</a> by <a href="https://yellowowlworkshop.com/pages/history">Christine Schmidt</a>. The technique, though, came from watching Pee-Wee Herman when I was little, or rather from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcbSVJ3yhU4">Frankie and Annette on Pee-Wee's Christmas Special</a>. All you need to make a print is a potato, some paint, and something to print on. It takes some time, but it's so easy!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo7cqYobInFV_qTvO8VtcOMzyE1ORzew9fur7LxnIj40YsCHsjXHDYjatw80ZaDsz55DA48wM8PYHAFssi08G_r7Y_T3o60WFMmy5xy_96Z8ZIk-yC0pSt5T9U0PHlrp0m8-_Qt_6-ehs/s1600/Annette-Funicello-Frankie-Avalon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="640" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo7cqYobInFV_qTvO8VtcOMzyE1ORzew9fur7LxnIj40YsCHsjXHDYjatw80ZaDsz55DA48wM8PYHAFssi08G_r7Y_T3o60WFMmy5xy_96Z8ZIk-yC0pSt5T9U0PHlrp0m8-_Qt_6-ehs/s400/Annette-Funicello-Frankie-Avalon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Frankie and Annette making Christmas cards for Pee-Wee.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="http://peewee.com/2016/12/21/on-this-day-in-1988-my-christmas-special-first-aired-on-tv/">Pee-Wee Herman</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That's the reason I love potato printing: it's easy enough for a 6 year old to do, and it's utilitarian enough that you can use it for just about anything (just the kind of art I'm drawn to!). Potato printing embodies what I wish everyone knew that they can do, which is to make art. It's the reason why I make simple, quick <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoT5ec3atoWPyObpwAKFeSw">YouTube videos</a> about how to draw a little bit better. That's what I'm going for with my booth coming up in a few weeks; when people see it, I hope that they'll see that art is fun, art is accessible, & that they can do their own fun things that they don't make the time to do.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWIPAXci4o0nsRqAY8T_ozSxykHL72w2LjVe4dqa7farov80V5UA5Rue2-8msjxdwscCX1wj6XVkMFHoMeguUqO6Dd03FY_-ocUHRvb1kibKCxVsbyw6sn3owFMnuN0AIcVH2hh0k_Mub/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Tablecloth-potatoe-print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWIPAXci4o0nsRqAY8T_ozSxykHL72w2LjVe4dqa7farov80V5UA5Rue2-8msjxdwscCX1wj6XVkMFHoMeguUqO6Dd03FY_-ocUHRvb1kibKCxVsbyw6sn3owFMnuN0AIcVH2hh0k_Mub/s640/J.N.-Ward-Tablecloth-potatoe-print.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">My tablecloth in process!</span></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-55348915960457206222017-11-07T16:05:00.001-06:002017-11-07T16:05:41.799-06:00FORGET ABOUT IT<div style="text-align: center;">
My favorite movie when I was in high school was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117631/">Shine</a>, which is about the amazing pianist, <a href="https://www.realpianomusic.com/david-helfgott.html">David Helfgott</a>. Young Helfgott's daunting goal, according to the movie, is to perform Rachmoninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. What captivated me the most in the movie was Helfgott's determination, and the extreme effort it took to master such a piece. I haven't seen it since I was a teenager, but the words of Helfgott's (movie) teacher stuck: Forget the notes, but learn them before you forget them!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BXTH0QIC1LE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BXTH0QIC1LE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Another thing I was obsessed with in high school was drawing and with being able to do it really well. Drawing was all I did, and I focused on rendering things as realistically as possible. Every book I could learn from, I did, and every picture in any magazine ended up in my sketchbook either in pencil or in ink. Once I went to college, though, oils became my true love, and drawing was only a base to paint on top of.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nGKR57vr5EJ8BK7V1iW02HjLsDHiMPVX_2YPZT5Ujm9zPiaxJ8dNwLz8Ly8FX9T503Oa9LAJt93RImy0-t91v4W-TqyMy3PjgN-j24gMj30o_Sb1Vu0PWn22UL8C-NOIn6-S7hs2PzR3/s1600/J.N.-Ward-student-figure-drawing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1204" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nGKR57vr5EJ8BK7V1iW02HjLsDHiMPVX_2YPZT5Ujm9zPiaxJ8dNwLz8Ly8FX9T503Oa9LAJt93RImy0-t91v4W-TqyMy3PjgN-j24gMj30o_Sb1Vu0PWn22UL8C-NOIn6-S7hs2PzR3/s400/J.N.-Ward-student-figure-drawing.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">One of my gesture drawings from school.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If you've read my blog in the past, you know that I've got some issues with mental health, especially with OCDPD. Rules are what I latch onto for control; in my artwork I spent an exceptional amount of time reading about artists' materials and trying to learn all of the rules about each one, especially oil paints. Learning all I could about technique and materials, however, didn't include drawing.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQtng8E5Ai4XJaeE2mqIBfuhwGJBKPSpw4mojsuITsTPJMnsDDS_enx7VSezOIILGcOTVTbqkczBIhqjb8Xue7qrGRpNH6SvKhtIBB9zUliaOAH9x1VC_tDMbu2Wuc046f2exZqODeJon/s1600/Ralph-Mayer%2527s-Artist%2527s-Handbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="260" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQtng8E5Ai4XJaeE2mqIBfuhwGJBKPSpw4mojsuITsTPJMnsDDS_enx7VSezOIILGcOTVTbqkczBIhqjb8Xue7qrGRpNH6SvKhtIBB9zUliaOAH9x1VC_tDMbu2Wuc046f2exZqODeJon/s400/Ralph-Mayer%2527s-Artist%2527s-Handbook.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">My go to book for learning about art materials!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780670837014">Indie Bound</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
After 12 years of sticking to oils, I made a change out of practical need. Oils take a lot of time to dry and cure, and besides being costly, paintings take up a lot of space. So I returned to what I know. Making the leap back to drawing was scary after ignoring it for so long. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do it as well as I had or how rusty I would be. What if it wasn't like riding a bike but more like trying to roller skate after growing several feet and several pounds?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6DHsqbcA9MlTn-SWh860yyKM4hsaWYKZ1ze1fC089NuOnzCxzLizQDZ4UqiBc7aWsx9pkmPfN-JDqe7IDVnKlmFx9p2RZRPa-dTk0LtN_CCv1mRe7lW9iNEC95Ii03yBRPiNyxzmTVXo/s1600/Sunday+afternoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1179" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6DHsqbcA9MlTn-SWh860yyKM4hsaWYKZ1ze1fC089NuOnzCxzLizQDZ4UqiBc7aWsx9pkmPfN-JDqe7IDVnKlmFx9p2RZRPa-dTk0LtN_CCv1mRe7lW9iNEC95Ii03yBRPiNyxzmTVXo/s400/Sunday+afternoon.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Sunday afternoon</i>. Oil on canvas, 24" x 20". 2013</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What I found out was unexpected. Returning to drawing showed me that I actually enjoy breaking the rules! The <a href="https://www.jnward.com/#/sothebys-super-southern-social/">work</a> I made didn't line up with what makes a good rendering, nor was it something to impress a viewer with a display of my technical skill. It turned out to be even better. Through the work I made I found out that I have my own, unique drawing style, and working in that new way is something that I'm good at and I enjoy.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgkJloexJQhdGbuywcnLySDF7jQelHpLwBh1wHtX5MgrkrbEmPAaDKKuhIXpvVPrRnSOTkxZnTI5W-OI0TCFqZ5SJpJVkAglRDxYWx3UZktyLdQVxlJSYifFWSFpJsJn3V1SWct0YJU6P/s1600/J.N.-Ward-Come-and-Take-It-bound-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1108" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgkJloexJQhdGbuywcnLySDF7jQelHpLwBh1wHtX5MgrkrbEmPAaDKKuhIXpvVPrRnSOTkxZnTI5W-OI0TCFqZ5SJpJVkAglRDxYWx3UZktyLdQVxlJSYifFWSFpJsJn3V1SWct0YJU6P/s400/J.N.-Ward-Come-and-Take-It-bound-up.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Come and Take It (Bound Up)</i>. Mixed media on paper mounted on gessoed plywood, 40" x 27". 2015</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
After all those years of learning as many rules as I could, while creating plenty of my own, breaking the rules gave me a good bit of confidence back. It helped me to trust my instincts and to like myself by liking the aspects of my work that I don't expect other people to like. Although it's taken a while to learn the notes, I finally seem to have forgotten them - hopefully this means that I'm on my way to creating a real masterpiece, like Helfgott and the Rach 3!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRzPGXjYyTHXdIGC_pV3OQFvhMFra-fWlCQ5Q_RSrKChM9rQl4TqG_tvSyWv7VpvmccOUdazdThBFTkMrETWwyCzRfDjMfsovBJwl5ojqhC_tVUYMDy5_S4leGsB8i3AwsdOqrkc47ilR/s1600/J.N.-Ward-RBG-Progress-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1141" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRzPGXjYyTHXdIGC_pV3OQFvhMFra-fWlCQ5Q_RSrKChM9rQl4TqG_tvSyWv7VpvmccOUdazdThBFTkMrETWwyCzRfDjMfsovBJwl5ojqhC_tVUYMDy5_S4leGsB8i3AwsdOqrkc47ilR/s400/J.N.-Ward-RBG-Progress-7.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A work in progress for <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/whats-in-works-15012702">my next solo show</a>.</span></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-27151444075990998702017-09-26T14:43:00.001-05:002017-09-26T14:43:21.110-05:00WHAT'S UP WITH ALL THE PLANTS?<div style="text-align: center;">
If you haven't noticed, plants come up a lot in my blog posts, which is because they come up a lot in my work. It's a little weird that so much of my work is obsessed with houseplants. Plants are pretty and all, but why paint them so much? I've been asking myself that question a lot in the last few weeks because I've grown sick of painting plants. If I'm so tired of them, then, what's with all the plants?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFETJWfk5ne0w0JDuLneNnYxqA_mN-2B15587sKTjwkyl5T8x1soMYEsezxmnSvCvVhY36oq61QF8XzmibIcjSThXZMY_DOIyCs86ggL3KjRPKtOSQT_ibvqcrbInA6OzHYAGs-_CBXfUY/s1600/J.N.-Ward-wreath-oil-painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFETJWfk5ne0w0JDuLneNnYxqA_mN-2B15587sKTjwkyl5T8x1soMYEsezxmnSvCvVhY36oq61QF8XzmibIcjSThXZMY_DOIyCs86ggL3KjRPKtOSQT_ibvqcrbInA6OzHYAGs-_CBXfUY/s400/J.N.-Ward-wreath-oil-painting.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Wreath</i>. Oil on panel, 24" x 18". 2017</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Attending the Women's March and seeing what it turned into made me realize that I wanted to make art about women and Feminism. I also wanted to place the work in the context of our consumer, Capitalist society. Feminism has been very on trend recently, so much so that businesses pounce on the opportunity to market shampoos and clothing as "feminist" while ignoring and obscuring the fact that Feminism is a political movement. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFT6wa2FsJpQedRelcQIJI0TEJGUrRWWrDFBDSATiRtI3ClnBvbfN6TUPjuQWb_Wyf1sM1u5F1HPn3XPyvqPVDUAjQ8d9aoLaUPq79MjKEjWO1ppqgEhx4HfdCFtey702UEescgxAZWcqD/s1600/J.N.-Ward-postcard-crowns-spiderwort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="426" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFT6wa2FsJpQedRelcQIJI0TEJGUrRWWrDFBDSATiRtI3ClnBvbfN6TUPjuQWb_Wyf1sM1u5F1HPn3XPyvqPVDUAjQ8d9aoLaUPq79MjKEjWO1ppqgEhx4HfdCFtey702UEescgxAZWcqD/s400/J.N.-Ward-postcard-crowns-spiderwort.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Plant Crown Postcard, Spiderwort. Available <a href="https://www.jnward.com/buy/postcard-pack-plant-crowns">here</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I love icons and symbols in artwork, and in books I love metaphor. What better symbol for the complications and problems that Feminism faces than the houseplant? Succulents and houseplants have been having their own trendy moment. The metaphors that can be drawn between plants and women can go on and on: beautiful varieties, poisonous and healing, different origins, invasive species, native species, growth, etc. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRnITXhrr3TRl5mFHychE5YM5k6pqoKnmW4xJ9vnjqAIs434mKdSCvUuUQYBN7xUsFo9aS4bGNvYpH8CBQ0XOM1cdvm-WC0KzBrVRbfc0060PPnc6Ao8PdadnTz3DciV4ESX7RRW6EADE/s1600/J.N.-Ward-plants-watercolor-sketches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1233" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRnITXhrr3TRl5mFHychE5YM5k6pqoKnmW4xJ9vnjqAIs434mKdSCvUuUQYBN7xUsFo9aS4bGNvYpH8CBQ0XOM1cdvm-WC0KzBrVRbfc0060PPnc6Ao8PdadnTz3DciV4ESX7RRW6EADE/s400/J.N.-Ward-plants-watercolor-sketches.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">These sketches will be collaged into a larger piece.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What really sold me on the idea of using house plants in my work is their simultaneous connection and disconnect from nature. They can make us feel connected to the earth, but in a very tame, and, sometimes, superficial way. "Mother Nature," herb lore, and a relationship to plant life are traditionally associated with women, but very few American women have that sort of meaningful connection to the earth. Houseplants sit in their own niche between nature and domestication. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwXrecapclnFTR4IQGKsHtqWVcOWeVsHz_gFdQsvewbq4FmkQIeERC3VNtcjZV589mLo1tyYXvaU9TaL-pSBn-Jf8VV8n877IBiuIOqvOTlhKT7BDIvF2axV319ago2RTtguTNZ9215Rt/s1600/J.N.-Ward-postcard-crowns-houseplant-ivy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="423" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwXrecapclnFTR4IQGKsHtqWVcOWeVsHz_gFdQsvewbq4FmkQIeERC3VNtcjZV589mLo1tyYXvaU9TaL-pSBn-Jf8VV8n877IBiuIOqvOTlhKT7BDIvF2axV319ago2RTtguTNZ9215Rt/s400/J.N.-Ward-postcard-crowns-houseplant-ivy.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Plant Crown Postcard, Pothos. Available <a href="https://www.jnward.com/buy/postcard-pack-plant-crowns">here</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Plants aren't specifically good or bad. They are complicated, on trend, and tied to women and domesticity. Their complexity sums up where we're at as women right now as we demand equal pay, an end to discrimination, and unfettered access to our rights. We are living in the time of 6th-wave Feminism, White Feminism, Inclusive Feminism, and Consumer Feminism, meaning, it's complicated. I am using plants to think about connection, understandings and misunderstandings of our history, and how to own our power.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nEV0gLH_BkLqJxuJLGyvc00K7C1Wz0cjhJrGGwjCVzk78umYwqwZYXD0_35EaL9UIKDWRvoG7SETVBTAxE0jS_TNcPU-kzRyIz1oiu_UHfaGPGdMtqVaSpEqGiothpAwnrp8vU31a_7C/s1600/J.N.-Ward-plant-painting-Mystery-Vine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1597" data-original-width="1600" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nEV0gLH_BkLqJxuJLGyvc00K7C1Wz0cjhJrGGwjCVzk78umYwqwZYXD0_35EaL9UIKDWRvoG7SETVBTAxE0jS_TNcPU-kzRyIz1oiu_UHfaGPGdMtqVaSpEqGiothpAwnrp8vU31a_7C/s400/J.N.-Ward-plant-painting-Mystery-Vine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Grow</i>. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". 2017</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-48031048608619436702017-08-22T12:55:00.000-05:002017-08-22T12:55:10.135-05:00THE SKY IS FALLING!When I say "art history" people usually give me a polite, glazed over look. It's not their fault. No one cares about art history because they don't think it has anything to do with them. There's been a Chicken Little sense of panic lately that seems to be taking hold of a lot of folks, and here's where art history relates: it shows that the sky has always been falling. Generational conflicts and societal upheavals happen ALL. THE. TIME. And we're here, years later. Society goes on in new and beautiful ways (Oh hey! Just like art. Huh...).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrFHnlSfdKJol4MqgPnHaoB-QCCOVKoQhru1M_FyndA6sL5HX8nmzqxvgpxeYIHhe3StulkRqVZCW5MWOKM-UFHagoyt1il5cGajgWisFmZRFlnd1NZGkdxnlQfLwbzRLG4D-QcmBeOgL/s1600/Henny-Penny-%2526-crew-with-Foxy-Loxy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="950" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrFHnlSfdKJol4MqgPnHaoB-QCCOVKoQhru1M_FyndA6sL5HX8nmzqxvgpxeYIHhe3StulkRqVZCW5MWOKM-UFHagoyt1il5cGajgWisFmZRFlnd1NZGkdxnlQfLwbzRLG4D-QcmBeOgL/s400/Henny-Penny-%2526-crew-with-Foxy-Loxy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">An illustration from Paul Galdone's <i>Henny Penny</i>. Image taken from <a href="http://paulgaldone.com/henny-penny/">Paul Galdone</a>.</span></div>
<br />
Bear with me. About a 100 years ago people were breaking rules all over the place about what constituted "art", mainly through their subject matter. They painted things that were <a href="http://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2016/12/sauvie-island-benton-and-sloan.html">vulgar and low</a>. Changes in industry meant changes in class and architecture, which artists painted. Then WWI happened, turning the whole world upside down, making order meaningless. <a href="http://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2017/02/action-and-reaction.html">Dada</a>, reacted to that. Reactions to Freudian ideas and to absurdity led to Surrealism. More war ushered in German Expressionism. Coming out of the war and reacting to that, Abstract Expressionism in America took off. And on and on, one change leading to another.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTiRoJqOD5nLuaOGiiam-KUdod-MJA0LLrfSr3zSqqyagEWf-lAv4YAkD6idBa2w_xTPNx_ok5MKCP-10OXcAiOv0yFssrK0MJPcGtKOfTD-jJB9PnuOTrus71gaNIWVudzAn8jCDUWJC/s1600/Pollock-Autumn-Rhythm-No.-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="541" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTiRoJqOD5nLuaOGiiam-KUdod-MJA0LLrfSr3zSqqyagEWf-lAv4YAkD6idBa2w_xTPNx_ok5MKCP-10OXcAiOv0yFssrK0MJPcGtKOfTD-jJB9PnuOTrus71gaNIWVudzAn8jCDUWJC/s400/Pollock-Autumn-Rhythm-No.-30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Jackson Pollock. <i>Autumn Rhythm, No. 30</i>. Enamel on canvas, 105" x 207". 1950</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/57.92/">The Met</a>.</span></div>
<br />
The same habit of reacting against actions has always been with us. Art from the Middle Ages through the High Renaissance shows us the same things as art from the 1900s: changing perceptions of reality, class upheaval, and shifts in power. It's actions and reactions to events and generational values all over again. Today we have plenty of artistic reactions changing the way we think about reality and values. There's outsider art, street art, and questions about the role of traditional oil painting, but it all continues.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYbxUkbS7w2gOgLlR892T9sGi0GNU5ba5BXp7pjegekayTGb4jmcLUK3_-4k-h72rkJYI4Ll2nDlR5RRXeze595UxKBpJmj5fmEUZwmJ9YJNQXGVPPFyXfZj5EJd1AB6Nt931n72wsQ4T/s1600/Giotto-Madonna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="389" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYbxUkbS7w2gOgLlR892T9sGi0GNU5ba5BXp7pjegekayTGb4jmcLUK3_-4k-h72rkJYI4Ll2nDlR5RRXeze595UxKBpJmj5fmEUZwmJ9YJNQXGVPPFyXfZj5EJd1AB6Nt931n72wsQ4T/s400/Giotto-Madonna.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Giotto. <i>The Ognissanti Madonna</i> altarpiece. Tempera and gold leaf on panel, 128" x 80.25". 1306-10.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from the <a href="http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/the-ognissanti-madonna-by-giotto/">Uffizi Gallery Museum</a>.</span></div>
<br />
My point is, when a major shift happens people are skeptical, competitive, smug, and scared - every time. A lot of recent conversations have touched upon the state of our world and concerns, outrages, and worries for the future. Folks seem to think this is the end of moral values for good, but art history tells me that we've been here before. Scary times, culture shifts, and changes in what counts as valid, none of this is new. Things change all the time, and every time, society progresses. Embrace the change, and while you're at it, count on some amazing insight and beauty coming from the uncertainty<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycb9tnK6D4KLub_hvdjsfFKhd1PYHEuJmJ5zbQX5t_5oc5QycHjHGLK5eTCnoeLsbJlA9wP3X_yxmofY21600Og1cwpExUk33TPAKFMQJY3SRbOvZbclxUCbog0aftTH4zHATO4IYE7Ku/s1600/street-art-karma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycb9tnK6D4KLub_hvdjsfFKhd1PYHEuJmJ5zbQX5t_5oc5QycHjHGLK5eTCnoeLsbJlA9wP3X_yxmofY21600Og1cwpExUk33TPAKFMQJY3SRbOvZbclxUCbog0aftTH4zHATO4IYE7Ku/s400/street-art-karma.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://uebermorgenskizzen.wordpress.com/category/sustainable-street-art/">Skizzen Ueber Morgen</a>.</span></div>
<br />jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-50920632166506786822017-08-15T11:39:00.000-05:002017-08-15T11:39:07.757-05:00SO DAMN INSPIRING<div style="text-align: center;">
I got a kick out of some <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/55306/11-french-travel-tips-visiting-america">French travel tips for visiting America</a> that I read. The funniest thing on the list was tip number eight, Everything is so Damn Inspiring: "<i>'Inspiring' became a word I heard every day: everything must be 'inspiring' and push transcendence. We go to the movies, there is a choice between the biopic Lincoln, the Avengers or Miserables, each so inspiring in their own way. The books are inspiring, everyday people are inspiring (such as all the people with children and a job at the same time, teachers, etc...). I confess that I have a little trouble with this cult of everyday heroes.</i>" <a href="http://www.maathiildee.com/la-positive-attitude-des-americains-deteindrait-elle-sur-moi/#">Mathilde</a>, I'm right there with you.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFigQqGqIfmfbFXMdsTg9PuXF0-uoRpaFrwCTYOaMF_tOLPnRSaWafOt52oTmXXoiqCf4yx1NTfd1Sv4kAfHGXIskYKrAn7ZQV5rI0r5qlnidaWN4tdhm54xKcWunb10o-q5VRnIB3GAB/s1600/ennui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="428" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFigQqGqIfmfbFXMdsTg9PuXF0-uoRpaFrwCTYOaMF_tOLPnRSaWafOt52oTmXXoiqCf4yx1NTfd1Sv4kAfHGXIskYKrAn7ZQV5rI0r5qlnidaWN4tdhm54xKcWunb10o-q5VRnIB3GAB/s400/ennui.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://thoughtcatalog.com/carrie-a-laski/2014/04/your-official-guide-to-having-ennui/">Thought Catalog.</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
People associate inspiration with art a lot. Certain paintings are supposed to be inspiring. We hear about the artist's inspiration, but "inspiration" has become a watered down word. It implies that something is so cute or heart-warming that you need to pin it and share it on all your social media accounts. At it's worst, people might say <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-guilty-feminist-podcast/e/50235792">a disabled person is inspiring</a> when what they mean is, "I'm so glad that didn't happen to me. You can't even walk, so I can definitely make it to the gym today."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYOkY_I15XRb_FsaJ0xuoOw6jzPpmrTI6V2EN_4UnmPEBZLciWw4VCJjbJext8INcKhGEnL8NhRFhAPaAMke0TLD5pEfcVKZCoHyTwybLd2FDSmoGJGk0RowIYGtqos6Q8BodrjTJ12e9/s1600/calvin-and-hobbes-inspiration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="501" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYOkY_I15XRb_FsaJ0xuoOw6jzPpmrTI6V2EN_4UnmPEBZLciWw4VCJjbJext8INcKhGEnL8NhRFhAPaAMke0TLD5pEfcVKZCoHyTwybLd2FDSmoGJGk0RowIYGtqos6Q8BodrjTJ12e9/s400/calvin-and-hobbes-inspiration.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">A Calvin and Hobbes comic by Bill Waterson.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com/cea-comics-corner-the-procrastinators-inspiration/">CEA</a>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
That's why I tend to stay away from the word "inspiration", but the fact is, there are certain things that undeniably inspire me and my work. <a href="https://www.bitchmedia.org/">Bitch Media</a> inspires me to use my voice, especially when it seems like the world of corporate greed is so big that I don't have a voice. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Burchfield">Charles Burchfield</a> is an artist who inspires me to make art that I want to make and not the art that I think it will take to make it into the flashy art world. Gardening inspires me to calm the fuck down and take the time to take care of myself and seek balance. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGrw0gYydEPD2CqNg9vrLnL_l2woS7wkQFZfHQTFaxkUo5rTyDFiA5wF-E-WYl1q1oseMfCNJlh0H2j6GzbK5V-4R4Ps33ErjNu8zbKmRF8xBcV3HRLXRI94pZAXwiPNLB6hj_a_fJkbH/s1600/charles-burchfield-the-sphinx-and-the-milky-way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="551" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGrw0gYydEPD2CqNg9vrLnL_l2woS7wkQFZfHQTFaxkUo5rTyDFiA5wF-E-WYl1q1oseMfCNJlh0H2j6GzbK5V-4R4Ps33ErjNu8zbKmRF8xBcV3HRLXRI94pZAXwiPNLB6hj_a_fJkbH/s400/charles-burchfield-the-sphinx-and-the-milky-way.jpg" width="343" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Charles Burchfield. </span><i style="color: #351c75;">The Sphinx and the Milky Way</i><span style="color: #351c75;">. Watercolor on paper, 52 5/8" x 44 3/4". 1946. </span><span style="color: #351c75;">I love this painting so much that I wrote a whole research paper about it.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/mollydclay/charles-burchfield/">Pintrest</a><span style="color: #351c75;">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Inspiration, really, is a non-art person's muse. The difference between surface level admiration (or back-handed compliments) and true inspiration is action. Does a disabled person inspire you to vocally advocate for their rights and accessibility? Does a heart-warming story inspire you to help the people who warmed your heart or to live more fully? Acknowledge the things in your life that spark some motivation in you to turn intention into action, and it's there that you'll find yourself some inspiration.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cZthPt3yGC_2_mJh7A7LSwFN8zbu6fKyZUx4YXAjZUQBwxFyBTwNUGjy_BE5aLlcxbCtYx7NasDULu6xnJYpFiaA9YaQMmXkVeIk2jhQQRkw-iBTveoJVEoGFkoFpIuzOKdGmKn1QkpM/s1600/J.N.-Ward-SSSS-the-Baptist-Hymnal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1006" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cZthPt3yGC_2_mJh7A7LSwFN8zbu6fKyZUx4YXAjZUQBwxFyBTwNUGjy_BE5aLlcxbCtYx7NasDULu6xnJYpFiaA9YaQMmXkVeIk2jhQQRkw-iBTveoJVEoGFkoFpIuzOKdGmKn1QkpM/s640/J.N.-Ward-SSSS-the-Baptist-Hymnal.jpg" width="401" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">If it weren't for my inspirations, I would never have made the work for an event I'm really proud of, <a href="http://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2017/01/road-blocks.html">Sotheby's Super Southern Social</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>The Baptist Hymnal</i>. Mixed media on paper, mounted on gessoed plywood, 44" x 27". 2015</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://www.jnward.com/#/sothebys-super-southern-social/">my website</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-25750070291907472262017-08-01T11:32:00.000-05:002017-08-01T11:32:40.844-05:00I'M OUT OF CONTROL!<div style="text-align: center;">
When I feel out of control, I go a little nuts. It starts with some light cleaning, like doing the dishes and tidying up, but then it goes on to adjusting the angle of a toss pillow, obsessively measuring what I'm eating, and then to triple-checking the lock on the door. Eventually I'll start tapping and counting because what's more ordered and controlled than counting and tapping? Things are out of my control a lot, especially when my government creates rules that hurt me and the people I care about. Oddly enough, none of my ticks help me with that.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYaDIOEpBzk7szrr9JzEtSlNILgTg-DNPSmMW7ZvYHxUBWTsISpwn6ZsaiaPMeEHvjtaqW8UXw3s8TjUL4Aie8b2l9-JoedbiCKyZMI7t4GnFcTWFGjeJ-_glyLyInz69_9VyBbQEgdgT/s1600/J.N.-Ward-%2523100-day-project-day-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1279" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYaDIOEpBzk7szrr9JzEtSlNILgTg-DNPSmMW7ZvYHxUBWTsISpwn6ZsaiaPMeEHvjtaqW8UXw3s8TjUL4Aie8b2l9-JoedbiCKyZMI7t4GnFcTWFGjeJ-_glyLyInz69_9VyBbQEgdgT/s640/J.N.-Ward-%2523100-day-project-day-25.jpg" width="507" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXLwB__gv4d/?taken-by=j.n.ward">One of my sketches</a> from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/the100dayproject/">#the100dayproject</a> about mental health.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A lot of people are doing that sort of thing lately. Folks who felt a sense order are feeling out of control as our society changes the definition of "family values." Their positions of power are being challenged. Where people stand in our society and how they got there isn't going unquestioned. Even when a sense of control seems only slightly shaken, folks feel the need to reassert their illusion of control, often by trying to control others. Some people go as far as trying to control what another person does with their own body and who has a vote in shaping our society.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaRGXk4KuqpO3PdsfgM8TS6GwU_vhszk_MIvzeuv2uACaIj0plp1cd1cSvpCpWvuPj2nzZDjjAfb3nIX0bt9lZtKsbs50OVILgnXZcjN4FrOdhMkYLNRvFvEoIHcortusxnI63MxxDBjg/s1600/Prof-Umbridge-gif-i-will-have-order.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="500" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaRGXk4KuqpO3PdsfgM8TS6GwU_vhszk_MIvzeuv2uACaIj0plp1cd1cSvpCpWvuPj2nzZDjjAfb3nIX0bt9lZtKsbs50OVILgnXZcjN4FrOdhMkYLNRvFvEoIHcortusxnI63MxxDBjg/s640/Prof-Umbridge-gif-i-will-have-order.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/dolores-umbridge">Professor Umbridge</a>. Gif taken from <a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/republicans-AyYrEutwuZTAQ">GIPHY</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
People of color, LGBQT people, and women are having a real shit time right now because we're the people that folks are trying to negatively control. They're using their means to control our choices and to limit our rights, "equality," and status. We fight back through activism (and it's working!), but in the mean time, our own lives are tangibly limited and out of our control. Instead of moving forward in acknowledgement of the status quo and facing the uncertainties together, too often marginalized communities focus on what we can immediately control: each other.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaXzFxNL-gmwyMqQA_fCE7EnEvwY8LWUzpTd_QvXIiRywo3Ps0RYkQ_GU8NHPEsHupHSNDKaXczeF37vYpzEb9hfPwugYYGn1mIbtsG8ds9CpnR83PhzH0-oiHzszn8qYH6ehetMCnHu6/s1600/J.N.-Ward-womens-march-equal-pay-for-equal-work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1275" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaXzFxNL-gmwyMqQA_fCE7EnEvwY8LWUzpTd_QvXIiRywo3Ps0RYkQ_GU8NHPEsHupHSNDKaXczeF37vYpzEb9hfPwugYYGn1mIbtsG8ds9CpnR83PhzH0-oiHzszn8qYH6ehetMCnHu6/s640/J.N.-Ward-womens-march-equal-pay-for-equal-work.jpg" width="507" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2017/02/fierce-giving.html">Women's March print,</a> "Equal Pay for Equal Work."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As women, we focus on controlling our image and critiquing the image of others, whether it's about physical attractiveness or about the impressions we give to the public at large. This is where phrases like "stay in your lane" come in real handy. Communities without equality frequently need to have conversations about minute details and public perceptions, but how many of our conversations come from necessity and not from desperately wanting to be in control of who we are and what we can do?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYSOIlXQCanQHKnpVD0jS46kwkPj6kYaLUJ4aLa03yIVWGtU9B6AlIRO6ybbTd8U8BCkUlJ1Io8TEZCb3t-dljcnbwmSMKX-INFsRZjV-xUTdy18lPOOVr7AvOD5r5AyFWluu1E-ic6pT/s1600/wonder-woman-smash-the-patriarchy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYSOIlXQCanQHKnpVD0jS46kwkPj6kYaLUJ4aLa03yIVWGtU9B6AlIRO6ybbTd8U8BCkUlJ1Io8TEZCb3t-dljcnbwmSMKX-INFsRZjV-xUTdy18lPOOVr7AvOD5r5AyFWluu1E-ic6pT/s400/wonder-woman-smash-the-patriarchy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://8tracks.com/bearabel/solemnly-swear-to-smash-the-patriarchy">8tracks</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
All of the tedious details, like worrying about appearances and the clever witticisms of our protest signs, when <a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/mission/">the movement</a> literally encompasses <i>millions</i> comes down to this: we're worrying about all of the wrong things for a fake sense of control about the outcome of our efforts. If only it was an annoying, nit-picky thing! What these controlling ticks actually are, however, are a distraction from the bigger picture of what we're fighting for: true equality, unfettered by marketplace feminism and patriarchal standards. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CUR61ALgRzyXPTl0Np9OqK2AAyq8VWn0MZRoZgzdzRVgKpF6oat-iuMYsZ5gWleCgLsqGd83ClHAbf-4lTchVFFRSShsV0sKJ1GvqeXc29af2NYxlDhqBG_1mbbQHGdjHZ67DUTvmxQC/s1600/fight-the-patriarchy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CUR61ALgRzyXPTl0Np9OqK2AAyq8VWn0MZRoZgzdzRVgKpF6oat-iuMYsZ5gWleCgLsqGd83ClHAbf-4lTchVFFRSShsV0sKJ1GvqeXc29af2NYxlDhqBG_1mbbQHGdjHZ67DUTvmxQC/s400/fight-the-patriarchy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://8tracks.com/explore/fight_the_patriarchy">8tracks</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-28759122837015327422017-07-25T12:00:00.001-05:002017-07-25T12:00:56.370-05:00I JUST WANNA HAVE FUN.<div style="text-align: center;">
As a kid I knew one thing: girls don't get to do anything cool. The girliest girls in books, cartoons, and movies didn't do much of anything except maybe whine. They taught me that girls only get to be stupid and boring. The one exception in my life at the time came from a taped recording of NBC's 1960 live production of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054176/?ref_=nv_sr_5">Peter Pan</a>, featuring Mary Martin as Peter Pan and Sandra Lee as the lily white Tiger Lily.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmQDxTOK1OrRnRK7DUoRKh9BvPpeGAR0EgH6rsPqi9mHj9kfoDMHyt6zOD0l2EqlP7VjgooKLK-cftbthTbOZOJkbJbC1KnhBlB7cbBOfVEBoCvnD1AFhIXFy9QAD6rf6uWrMSjoMuHzD/s1600/PrincessToadstoolcartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="432" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmQDxTOK1OrRnRK7DUoRKh9BvPpeGAR0EgH6rsPqi9mHj9kfoDMHyt6zOD0l2EqlP7VjgooKLK-cftbthTbOZOJkbJbC1KnhBlB7cbBOfVEBoCvnD1AFhIXFy9QAD6rf6uWrMSjoMuHzD/s400/PrincessToadstoolcartoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Princess Peach was a dope back then. Image taken from <a href="http://mario.wikia.com/wiki/Princess_Peach">Wikia</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Peter Pan, a girl playing a boy, was cool, but Tiger Lily was absolutely amazing. I adored her. I'd run around the TV chanting "Ogga wogga wig wam!", pretending to be part of Tiger Lily's band of Indians. The whole thing was atrociously racist, but I didn't know that. All I knew was that here was a woman I could be, living in nature, independent, a leader, and making political alignments with the boy-girl, Peter Pan. There were two other girls in the show, Wendy (who was boring) and Tinkerbell (who was bitchy). There was no way I would ever be them.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6LjhFv6ZCjJvYrMP_uK5-CXmGf_FKIQq-UjTUFjeZqDqXEEFJdsJaNBQH564YjVRr0iD8aAdCOLyBanM_mJ9WGb2TiG5EVe8cqNJC4Xbjarj_W8FZUgryplwcYyW18wyGeWfEpdBpVqT/s1600/mary-martin-and-sondra-lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1124" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6LjhFv6ZCjJvYrMP_uK5-CXmGf_FKIQq-UjTUFjeZqDqXEEFJdsJaNBQH564YjVRr0iD8aAdCOLyBanM_mJ9WGb2TiG5EVe8cqNJC4Xbjarj_W8FZUgryplwcYyW18wyGeWfEpdBpVqT/s640/mary-martin-and-sondra-lee.jpg" width="448" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Mary Martin as Peter Pan and Sandra Lee as Tiger Lily.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="https://peterpanhistory.wordpress.com/2015/09/27/1955-and-1956-peter-pan-finally-legit-release/">Peter Pan on Stage and Screen</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In real life, I didn't connect with many girls. The white girls in my school had families with money to spend, so I knew I'd never be as cool as them, but also, they weren't fun. On the playground they just stood around talking or playing house. The black girls, though, they definitely knew how to have fun on a playground. I'd never be as cool as them with their amazing jump rope skills, hand clap games, and the songs and rhymes that went with both, but I loved to watch, sitting alone under the parallel bars eating dirt out of a pudding cup.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TcAKplefJOc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TcAKplefJOc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">The girls at my school could pretty much jump rope like this.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Video taken from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcAKplefJOc">David Hoffman</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lord knows I saw more of myself represented in the media than any of my black or latinex schoolmates. I mean, my Native American idol was a racist white, blonde, blue-eyed caricature. What I knew at that time was that cool girls equal 1) Girls who decide they're boys (like Peter Pan or Joan of Arc), 2) Black girls who jump rope, hand clap, and sing, and 3) Tiger Lily; cool boys, on the other hand, travel through time (Marty McFly) while their dopey girlfriend sleeps through the whole thing, are independent, learn cool skills, triumph over the bad stuff, fight, and are vehicles for justice.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mqvw1NiJRRznUE0sZgerKdorokz8BCe5aNA75JFVAU43Nymo2BLRvo5Kxpfjd3dNuaWNwqpjNzFw0uPmDl6dqch74oRXKeJn2hXAJmkAmuYW_0_4SROy7QiWD3Gq4_U5Vn2jjylH96xO/s1600/J.N.-Ward-bad-mama-jamas-uh-huh+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mqvw1NiJRRznUE0sZgerKdorokz8BCe5aNA75JFVAU43Nymo2BLRvo5Kxpfjd3dNuaWNwqpjNzFw0uPmDl6dqch74oRXKeJn2hXAJmkAmuYW_0_4SROy7QiWD3Gq4_U5Vn2jjylH96xO/s400/J.N.-Ward-bad-mama-jamas-uh-huh+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Uh-Huh. Watercolor and Ink on paper, 6" x 6". 2016</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Buy your copy <a href="https://www.jnward.com/buy/uh-huh">here</a>!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I cried when I saw Rogue One, and I absolutely couldn't believe Mad Max: Fury Road. They had done it. They both broke through the barriers that surrounded me as a child. My nieces might one day see those movies and think, "No big deal." Maybe by the time they're grown, the standards set by Rogue One might even seem limited and old-fashioned. <i>Representation is important</i>, which is why it's important for more of us to make our art, tell our stories, and for us to depict all types of women being the bad mama jamas that we are.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIZ0HRRWFWhcV8ekC4cIfDKNxaKNR6STRDgnQE3xHUJGZbH8vYJUIv9B1u5LI4ZXN7TgVCH6f1XTn937s3sW-ZmUW1YPj-UUA2ZOmlkboCa6FOa02fEicCY8eH_G1-9QpNQzGDdfZTBWv/s1600/J.N.-Ward-postcard-BMJ-natural-do.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="377" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIZ0HRRWFWhcV8ekC4cIfDKNxaKNR6STRDgnQE3xHUJGZbH8vYJUIv9B1u5LI4ZXN7TgVCH6f1XTn937s3sW-ZmUW1YPj-UUA2ZOmlkboCa6FOa02fEicCY8eH_G1-9QpNQzGDdfZTBWv/s640/J.N.-Ward-postcard-BMJ-natural-do.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Bad Mama Jama, Natural 'Do.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Illustrated postcards will be available soon!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802042701700947042.post-50304537087600037932017-07-12T11:53:00.000-05:002017-07-12T11:53:49.958-05:00YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS.<div style="text-align: center;">
Remember those Klutz books for kids? There was no way of knowing at the time, but two of their books had a real, practical impact on me for the rest of my life. One was a kids' cookbook given to me when I was in the 1st or 2nd grade. My family may have been sick of all the rubbery scrambled eggs I made, but I've been <a href="http://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2016/12/illustrated-recipes-and-holiday-cheer.html">cooking ever since</a>. In fact, I still pull out <a href="https://www.alibris.com/Kids-Cooking-A-Very-Slightly-Messy-Manual/book/8718549"><i>Kids Cooking</i></a> when I'm low on ideas for dinner.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynLwdDntbx-yRJrGINyCD0IQJY2_5jeC3jTKIfmNIxudizgUn2uzU9Z2WI9FIWklUERZd4dnxSOk4X0UJLmUUrXAqMOZLrf5flsVkjzT2T1mG_bENw-wR_TSS21BeMV-QQw16IUh5BiZQ/s1600/J.N.-Ward-kids-cooking-adult-with-a-knife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1144" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynLwdDntbx-yRJrGINyCD0IQJY2_5jeC3jTKIfmNIxudizgUn2uzU9Z2WI9FIWklUERZd4dnxSOk4X0UJLmUUrXAqMOZLrf5flsVkjzT2T1mG_bENw-wR_TSS21BeMV-QQw16IUh5BiZQ/s640/J.N.-Ward-kids-cooking-adult-with-a-knife.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">The illustrations from <i>Kids Cooking </i>always crack me up.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The other Klutz book was <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545802642"><i>Nail Art</i></a>. My cousin got it as a gift one year. Through the power of toothpicks and polish, we were stylin' at every family function with chicks on our nails at Easter and trees on them at Christmas. Her book gave me a new, practical way to think about art and design for the rest of my life. Although cooking is more tangibly practical, I can't dismiss nail art.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aJVRrE0Uxvdd3Q5rUlxQhtD4wEY3dUWy2OEGLgBSpZl3xqQX2t-cE-9-G8SNuOOMGg67QXqEbGb6LP68ud-eAepxt9-EDMSZIO7PifIWKTtihEv_IZ-ZDQsALw76ER2tf5MvdN51cVGd/s1600/constellation-nail-art-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aJVRrE0Uxvdd3Q5rUlxQhtD4wEY3dUWy2OEGLgBSpZl3xqQX2t-cE-9-G8SNuOOMGg67QXqEbGb6LP68ud-eAepxt9-EDMSZIO7PifIWKTtihEv_IZ-ZDQsALw76ER2tf5MvdN51cVGd/s400/constellation-nail-art-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Image taken from <a href="http://www.chalkboardnails.com/">Chalkboard Nails</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Consider <a href="http://sharmadeanreid.com/">Sharmadean Reid</a> of <a href="http://www.wah-nails.com/">WAH Nails</a> or <a href="https://soundcloud.com/the-ww-club/summer-school-lesson-5-how-to-spot-and-set-a-trend-with-mp-nails">Madeline Poole</a> of <a href="http://mpnails.com/">M.P. Nails</a>. Not only have they made it to the top of their field through skill and business savvy, but they've changed the whole nail and fashion industry. Poole and Reid have proven that accessible art is a valuable commodity. People want art in their lives when it is inexpensive, for everybody, and when it is made specifically with marginalized outsiders in mind (aka: people who investors, bankers, and the majority of conservative men dismiss as a valid and meaningful force in our society, such as women, LBGQT, POC, and those living in poverty).</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8GZ5_HKxFn8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8GZ5_HKxFn8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">An interview with Sharmadean Reid. Video taken from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfQDD-pbllOCXHYwiXxjJxA">Broadly</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Reid talks about how bankers didn't want to invest in her business because they didn't get it. The business of beauty and creating a space for women to hang out no matter their income didn't make sense to them. They didn't see WAH Nails as a serious business, but a few years down the road, Reid has investors banging down the door to talk to her. Considering the history of <a href="http://www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com/podcasts/the-gendered-chef.htm">gendered professions in the last 100 years</a>, it's not surprising because, historically, women's work is just that, "women's work", until it becomes profitable; then men "professionalize" it and push women out the door.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQr-MxKTqbQVyyoqF_ZYxjfwIeh93ZdEhuPqQ4HKGRmyVeIewctPVfCz5SZP4mMfnv49BTDJrX9HO6MhoUuqSTLvDCFGJ8VjiuN6iR4uecC9Ptmne9SeI7o1JBLkmQbuS1ZSPX5bjVto2/s1600/dolly-parton-9-to-5-billboard-1980-650x430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="650" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQr-MxKTqbQVyyoqF_ZYxjfwIeh93ZdEhuPqQ4HKGRmyVeIewctPVfCz5SZP4mMfnv49BTDJrX9HO6MhoUuqSTLvDCFGJ8VjiuN6iR4uecC9Ptmne9SeI7o1JBLkmQbuS1ZSPX5bjVto2/s640/dolly-parton-9-to-5-billboard-1980-650x430.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Dolly Parton in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080319/">9 to 5</a>. Image taken from <a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/6236398/labor-day-playlist-work-songs">Billboard</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Artwork follows a similar pattern: it's only profitable if it's seen as serious and expensive, where "serious" translates to "exclusive and humorless." <a href="http://www.waynewhiteart.com/">Wayne White</a> is <a href="http://jnward-art.blogspot.com/2017/02/illustrated-imagination.html">an artist who's inspired me</a> to change the way that I make art. Poole, Reid, and White couldn't come from more different backgrounds, but they inspire me because all of them have found their voice and vision outside of the rules of who can make what, how, and for whom. It's what I want to do and to be with my work.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7ixM6LzF_Po/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ixM6LzF_Po?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;">Art is here for folks and is available to you wherever you are!</span></div>
jnwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13652012419163173632noreply@blogger.com0