Jini James Fine Art

Studio 1807

2011-10-17T10:31:00.000-04:00

Wow! we did it! Found a 1926 Florida Bungalow in town for my new studio. There is so much to do with packing, and discarding supplies and inventory that I don't know where to begin.

Home Page Photo

2011-07-20T22:36:00.000-04:00

I never took the time to tell everyone that the photo on my masthead is a slide...yes a slide I took of a street in French Harbour, Roatan, Honduras. I had been looking through my "possibility for a painting" file that we all keep. The last time I visited was in the year 2000 when the world was scheduled to collapse and I spent it sitting on a beach with party-goers from Italy. They were so loud. I think they were responsible for holding the collapse at bay!

It is my turn to sit the Gallery tomorrow and I'm taking my watercolors. I can produce 3-4 paintings on my shift. The Owl was one of them

Painting at the Artists' Guild

2011-06-06T11:54:00.000-04:00

She was a perfect model for us! An absolutely polished and poised young girl who uses her earnings for ballet lessons. Just how good is that.

East Hampton, L.I.

2011-05-29T20:21:00.001-04:00

I love the sanded pastel paper for it's ease and portability when traveling.......and I love marshland anywhere it exists. I have got to get back into painting marine studies.

Alla Prima Portrait at the Guild

2011-03-08T12:19:00.003-05:00

TGIS....Thank God it's Saturday and I had time to make it to a model session !

Painting is my favorite stress-buster and this one came together in under 3 hours of work. The model has horses and rides Dressage. She also keeps chickens as pets!

So I'm looking forward to some fresh eggs and her return as the "Horse Woman in Black and White"

New commission delivered.....

2011-02-25T19:17:00.005-05:00

A Grandmother who lives in Punta Gorda, FL is very happy today with this portrait!

She gifted her grandaughter with this perfect pony and her son and daughter in law gifted her with a painting by Jini James.........

Yes, the other grandparents were gifted too!

With a totally different pose......

(BTW this photo shows the painting in a near completion state)

Sculpture in Clay

2011-02-23T20:06:00.002-05:00

I love the human face so much that I just can't help myself.
I do these small studies from memory, allowing the clay to take over in my hands and audition for features.

Someday, time permitting, they will be painted and glazed, but for now i enjoy the unfinished touch.

Getting ready for the Dec 4 Studio Tour

2010-11-23T09:58:00.002-05:00

I have completed several shorebird paintings, 6 x 8, that were inspired by my trips to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.

I had to hike off the beaten path to find these white pelicans who took off in flight when I got out the camera!

Yikes! A Close Call at the Guild Today

2010-10-12T17:11:00.003-04:00

So I finally lined up someone to help me re-install the shelving in my studio today (for the third time) and we arrived to find firetrucks and those heroes in yellow fully in charge of everything! Actually the hero of the day is artist Jerry Hopper who had to fight to get the fire extinguisher to release it's position in the wall case, and the villain was a smoker...but not any member of our artists group. They were all out painting at the beach today.

Thank you Jerry, thank you firemen.....and as for the other person....shame on you. Go buy some Chantix.

Greater Melbourne Studio Tour - Dec 4

2010-10-11T19:30:00.004-04:00

Perfect for the collector or super shopper! Small paintings of birds and figures from the beach. I will be exhibiting with Sue Tuttle at Mud Flats Pottery for this one day event. Sue successfully represented my work when her gallery was located in downtown Melbourne. Look for all of us on Facebook.

Watercolor Portrait Project

2010-10-09T19:30:00.003-04:00

It has been a long dry spell since my last post. I was captivated by Facebook, a new Android phone and summer travel but hey, it's almost Halloween!

I have started painting watercolor portraits of local women (this is not one of them however!) They will be rolled out sometime in 2011 with a fun party attached to celebrate these wonderful people and what they do for our community.

Marine Art is a Passion

2010-02-14T22:13:00.004-05:00

It was a lovely summer afternoon. We were on our way back to the house but stopped at the New Bedford Yacht Club to catch up on the good views. This painting has been sold but I have many more marine images in my studio

Still Life Anyone?

2010-01-27T22:56:00.002-05:00

Another piece created on masonite. 16 by 20 in oil. The turnips and onions found their way into soup tonite for tomorrow's lunch.

Workshop with Sandy Johnson

2010-01-27T22:46:00.004-05:00

What a great weekend. I coordinated a workshop at the Artist's Guild of Melbourne and we all worked our little behinds off. Sandy works in a very loose Impressionist style with vivid color. I pushed the limits with this portrait which is quite fetching.

Beach Pairs Continues

2009-10-05T08:25:00.000-04:00

This is the second installment of my second Beach Pairs paintings. I am continuing work on it this week and it has gone through several changes. Stay tuned for more!

Strawbridge Art League Demo

2009-10-01T09:51:00.000-04:00

Still another in the Beach Pairs series this subject and her dog appear to be searching in total harmony. What for? sea glass, shells ? It can be anything the viewer wants it to be.

This is a 36 by 48 canvas which was taken to this point of near completion in under 2 hours after a week of planning and several thumbnail studies.

It will need hours more fine tuning work

Update on Winston and Emma

2009-05-21T09:10:00.000-04:00

I think the pups are ready to go to their new home. No, it's not the White House, but close enough in Georgetown. Could this be the most popular breed in America today?

Burt Silverman Workshop

2009-04-22T21:57:00.000-04:00

This painting started in Easton, Md. My friends talked me into taking a workshop at the Academy of the Arts. The rooms were packed and we had several models. I think this gal was a local art teacher. Anyway, I went off in a corner and started working, finishing before anyone else. Head down, I tried not to call any attention from Mr. Silverman. I had watched his morning demo with total awe. I was discovered and he asked for permission to make s few adjustments. I had all the right colors, all the body parts were in the right place but had failed to make the work less complicated and painterly. He took care of all that with some well-calculated strokes. Notice that the painting is unsigned. It's a personal favorite.

Beach Pairs

2009-04-16T10:12:00.000-04:00

In my search for a new topical theme, I thought of the idea of "Beach Pairs". I am fortunate to live with the beach and ocean in clear view from my patio window. Inspiration is just everywhere I look. This pair is a work in progress and it's big....30 x 40. Check back later for my progress

Animal Art

2009-04-06T20:27:00.000-04:00

Met with my peeps today and we discussed, of all things, blogging. I have been encouraged to keep up not only with my painting schedule but also my Internet presence. So, here it is: wet paint, still on the easel and about 4 hours of work. These are my 'grandchildren', Winston and Emma. Winston just died (and is sadly missed) and Emma just spent several days with us while her Dad did some restoration on our powerboat, a 36 ft Jarvis Newman....a Maine lobster boat that is a pretty classy old girl.

The Week in Charleston

2008-08-05T14:05:00.000-04:00

I didn't think that summer could be quite this hot, but here it is, a scorcher. Our sailboat, Tropic Bird II is being moved north and as luck would have it, the "Bird" sprung leaks, overheated and all sorts of things you could expect from a 40 year old boat. So, she is being repaired in Charleston. I went up to help out, as much as I could, and to visit Galleries. There is some great art there, don't miss the Gibbs Museum.

Here are some pics of a painting in progress, so that you can see how I work.

Jini James Fine Art

2008-07-24T10:21:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my Blog. I have just moved to a new studio with expanded space so that I can start my teaching projects and have room (in Air conditioned comfort) for my friends, the Pieces of 8, to meet each Monday as we paint and swap information about art. It has been a very revealing task, going thru art materials, deciding what to throw away or Yard Sale, but in doing so I found slides of me at 16, the age that my mother knew that my thirst for art was quite real and signed me up for classes with James Shucker. "Jim", as I was allowed to call him when our relationship turned into a life-long one, had retired to our small town in BucksCounty, Pa from New York. He was masterful at classical realism and a task master in his classroom studio. He also ventured into sculpture, and each and every 2-D art medium. I remember an abstract piece he created called ‘Death of a Cowboy’; a frenzied painting of reds, yellows and browns that had to be, by it’s title, a stampede. Funny what you remember. I saw him years later and discovered that my current circle of friends included his agent and publicist from the New York City days. I have had the good fortune to meet and study with many great artists who have all left their mark, but none as strong as Jim Shucker
I had my photographer convert the slides of me at 16 to JPEGS. Notice the pencil in hand and the sailor hat that I was seldom without. The location is Swan’s Island Maine; Seal Cove to be exact. Back then you could only reach it by mailboat. A few years ago we sailed our ketch to Maine and dropped in on the Island. When the fog finally lifted, I could see the spot where I was sitting, the front yard of my Uncle’s home, loaned to us for family vacations. Small world, I never expected to see it again. Who was it that said "be careful for what you wish for" ?

I do paint every day, not a painting a day as some do but I have started to photograph works in progress which t will be posting.