When your muse plays hide & seek

…..I guess that’s being a bit dramatic, huh? My Muse is not lost; sometimes I just get in a funk and cannot find him. As most of you know, about 95% of my art is inspired by Lee DeWyze. Some people can argue that a true artist can work on anything, at any time. If this is true, then I guess I am not a “real” artist. Trust me, I have tried to do subjects that are not lee related. Those turn out ok, but there is nothing there for me; I am not attached to them. I know that is hard for some people to understand, but it is what it is. 

That being said, with my “Muse” being a touring, busy musician; he is busy. I have never been a needy person, but when life gets too busy for me to draw, or I don’t see posts and tweets about Lee creating…I can’t. I need to hear the new music, I need to explore new lyrics that spark new images in my head. 

 

For the last month or so, between my busy life and not being as active on social media, I have felt myself falling into a creative black hole. When this happens, it actually makes me sad. I have done a few sketches in the meantime, including a self-portrait, but I wasn’t feeling them. they didn't take me to that happy place. 

 

This Past weekend I watched the movie “Big Eyes”, the story of Walter & Margaret Keane.

It was about the famous “Big Eye” paintings in the 60's that became famous by an artist named Walter Keane; however it turns out that Walter never painting them. As a matter of fact,he was not an artist at all. His wife, Margaret Keane had been painting them for over 10 years and keeping this inside. I can not imagine how she must have felt! To have work that means something to you and no one knows where is actually came from. There is a scene in the movie where she talks about what her “Big Eyed” children mean to her. I was so moved by her because that is how I feel about my Lee art. They are not just sketches to me, they come from somewhere special. True Inspiration. You may think you have been inspired, but you don’t realize what that actually means until it finally hits you. 

A few of my favorite quotes from the movie that struck a cord with me are: 

Margaret: "People buy art because it touches them. Walter: You’re living in fairy tale land. People buy art because it’s in [the stores and in vogue]. They don’t get to discover it."

Margaret: "Why are you lying? You are taking credit for something you didn’t do. These children are a part of my soul"

"You don’t know what it’s like to put your emotions out"

Watching this movie sort of nudged me a bit to want to get back into the sketchbook. 

 

Last night, my husband went out for a mountain bike ride and I decided that enough was enough. If I could not think of visuals for lyrics, I was going to go straight to the source of my inspiration and do a portrait of Lee himself. We all know I am not the best at drawing faces… I have had some trouble in the past… 

I decided to put on my headphones, listen to Lee 's music and do a portrait. I took it so seriously too! Usually I just sketch with a No. 2 pencil and use my fat fingers to smudge. This time I broke out the sketching pencils and blending sticks I bought once and never used. Boy did that make a difference! 

I have never been one to toot my own horn. Actually, I do not even think my art is THAT good. I often feel that the praise is coming in merely because of the fact that the subject is a song someone likes, or just because they are Lee DeWyze fans,. Etc. Know what I mean? I know they like it, but there is always that doubt in my mind. And faces? Forget about it. My main style has always been no faces... You know, let the gestures set the tone and emotion....

 But Mostly because I am just not good at it. For instance, I recently did a sketch for one of Lee DeWyze’s new songs; “Give me something” For the life of me, I could not do the people’s mouths. So, I just left it as is. I know I’ll never finish it…. 

 

Well this time, I actually drew a face! I decided to draw a picture of Lee that was taken and posted by Vox concert series. 

I was so proud of it! I mean, it actually LOOKS like Lee. I've come a long way from my first portrait where he looks like he was stung by 100 bees. Haha. When Mark came home, I lifted up my sketchbook beaming with pride like a little kid. I was like “look what I did!!!!!!”  I can honestly say that although I have other sketches that are my favorites, this is the one I am the most proud of. I still have lots of room for improvement obviously... But still! 

 

Thank you Lee DeWyze, as always for giving me the inspiration I need simply by just doing your thing. 

Lee DeWyze is currently on tour! Go to his website for a venue near you! Get out there and see for yourself how amazing his man is!!! 

 http://leedewyzeofficial.com

-Jenn 

 

 

Everything is connected ...

Hello! 

I have a little something I’d like to share with you that I typically don’t… 

Many times I try to do a post explaining the feeling I get when creating and how the ideas come to me when I listen to Lee DeWyze’s music. There is always at least one odd coincidence with whatever I come up with…. 

 

First I’d like to start with my creative process: 

1. The ideas flow when I am listening to Lee DeWyze, When he posts new lyrics OR at times they will just come out of nowhere (so basically, ALL the time) 
2. A visual comes to my mind and I usually go out in search of similar “poses” to what I am seeing in my head, so I have a visual guide to help with my proportions, etc. and place it into the world my mind created & make it my own. 

 

 

I know a lot of people do not give any thought to their gut feelings or intuition, but when it comes to my art… I do. I’m going to share with you an example…. 

 

Sometimes when I am scrolling down Pinterest or watching a movie, I’ll see an image that just affects me… like, I know I’ll be able to use it, I can feel it. 

 

I few months ago, I see this on Pinterest…. 

I do not know who the artist is, but I just thought that I should keep it because I was just drawn to it and thought I could use those hands in my own way someday….. 

 

Yesterday Morning I woke up with the urge to sketch. I did not have anything new to draw; I did not have an idea, nothing. I went about my day with this nagging feeling to draw, but had nothing. Well, after a couple hours of cleaning I sat down on the sofa to relax and check my phone. That same picture came up on Pinterest as “something suggested for me”. 

 

About 10 minutes after that, Lee posted new lyrics…

 

You can imagine my excitement when all of a sudden; out of the blue… he posts these beautiful lyrics … 10 min after I was reminded of this picture that just happens to fit perfectly! On a day I had the urge to sketch. A day I was home alone with no outside distractions. All of that… lead to this…. 

 

I love when this happens. This is WHY I love art. This is what happens when you are truly inspired. Unless you create, you might not understand… but you cannot always just sit down and create because you are allotted that time. It has to come with a force… that is when it is exciting and you fall in love with the creative process. That is when it becomes part of you. 

 

It’s funny because right after he posted, Mare texted me “what are you going to sketch???” and I just replied back that I already had an idea. 15 min later, I posted my sketch, then Jaime tweeted me this: 

 

…Funny how the world works. I love that and it only happens when I am bringing music to life…. I absolutely love that!

 

One last thing, I also had just gotten a journal the night before to keep with me to jot down ideas when they do just pop into my head unexpectedly….. 

 

…….SEE?!?!?!...........

You know, something like this happens with every single sketch I do.

 

EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

 

All 523 of them and counting. It fascinates me and I hope whatever this is that responsible for my connection to the music and lyrics and takes me to this creative place never goes away …. 

 

 

-Jenn xoxo

 

INSPIRED by blood, sweat & tears: READ ME

”..And all of the ink that was bled from your hands has painted a picture that she understands…it’s amazing…” 

 

..WAIT…What?? …Those are not Lee DeWyze lyrics? Are they? No, they are not, They are lyrics to a song called “Amazed” by Annie Decatur Danielweksi (aka Poe) 

And why are his hands bleeding? That’s creepy….. 

 

Let me explain: Let’s start with the blood, as it can come across pretty creepy but I promise you it is not. The bleeding fingers represent Lee putting his all into his music. His entire heart and soul, like he always does. The birds, like in his feather tattoo are flying up representing him putting himself out there with his work and me connecting enough to visualize it. You see now? And that brings it back to that Poe lyric; “And all of the ink that was bled from his hands has painted a picture that she understands…it’s amazing” That truly IS amazing in my opinion. 

 

Now, on to your next question…

 

Why would I do a picture of Lee playing his guitar and quote another artist’s lyric? This is another example of how the “circle of inspiration” is growing and how at the strangest times all the things that mean something to me seem to come together and make sense. 

 

You see, It is true, I have never been inspired to create before Lee and his music. No other voice has affected me the way Lee’s has. HOWEVER, when I was in high school I was a huge fan of Poe. Her music was haunting & beautiful yet dark and angry… she “got” me. Not the way Lee’s music did, but still….. 

If I could explain the comparison on how each voice affects me differently it would be this: 

Poe’s voice and lyrics are a lot like my inner voice.. like if I was venting, hoping or just needing to shout out a scream just to feel better….  but Lee’s voice and lyrics are comforting to me, like after screaming out in frustration, his music is kind of like a comforting arm around you telling you it will be ok and taking you home. Make sense?

Although the impact Poe’s music had on me was way different than Lee’s, I have all kinds of stories about certain songs and how they fit into my life or remind me of certain events at that time… but those will stay in my head, not sure you could handle those ….

 

Anyway, I was listening to my iPod at work and “Amazed” came on… I have listened to this song way more than a million times over the years, I know all the lyrics by heart…. But this time, that lyric… it hit me, it made me think of how I feel being inspired by Lee’s music and there is was… a visual! I never had a visual for someone else’s lyrics ever, but when I did… it was OF Lee… weird, huh? 

 

I have sketched a Poe song recently that you will recognize: 

I am the kind of person that then thinks back to the “whys” I mean, it did not make me want to draw back then... but there was something about it I was drawn to… now there is a reason. Know what I mean? I’ve told you numerous times before how exhausting it is to live inside this brain, you are feeling it now, aren’t you? Ha-ha. 

 

I just really wanted to share that with you because as the idea came, my mind was blown and I was soooo excited. Here is a link to hear the song: http://youtu.be/smc18aecLuI 

 

The funny thing is, maybe about 2-3 months ago, I was listening to Poe and wondered what happened to her, was she making new music? I was able to find some stuff she has done under other names besides Poe (this having to do with a major falling out with the record label) Well I found a few songs she had done with a band called ; Conjure One. They all had a slight techno-y feel to them, which isn’t really my style, but there was this one that I am now obsessed with. It is called ‘One word” and I tell you this in all honestly, from the bottom of my heart that if you could put how Lee’s music, lyrics and voice make me feel into a tribute song…. This would be it. I am posting the link to that song below, I will warn you, the opening “music” sounds a little creepy… but keep listening, I know you will love it and you will know EXACLTY what I am talking about. 

Listen to “One word” here: 

 http://youtu.be/nNwP5iOZFUE

 

 

Another cool fact about the song “Amazed” by Poe, it’s on her album called “Haunted’. It you listen to this album, as first you will be like, huh? Because each song is telling a story that doesn’t really make sense to you, with all these voices and talking before and after…. The album is a soundtrack to coincide with a book called “House of Leaves, written by her brother, Mark Danielweksi, who is an amazing writer. I am actually re-reading this book now. If you ever have a chance, purchase this album and the book. I know you will love it. 

 

I’d also like to add, If Lee and Poe ever collaborated, I could die happy (and yes, I have a Poe song for that too)... that would be so amazing and you have no idea how happy that would make me!!!! 

 

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!

 Thank you to everyone that has followed me on this art journey!

Towards the end of the year life has gotten in the way and kept me from drawing or painting, However going forward into 2015, I promise to make more time for creating! I plan on having much more work to show you this year.

 

Thank you Lee DeWyze for creating the one single thing that inspires me. Words can not even begin to describe how excited I am to hear the music you have in store for us for 2015. Your voice is truly my favorite sound in the whole world, thank you for sharing it.

 

 

Speaking of the art and the music that inspires it, I have an awesome story to tell you about the hummingbird tattoo I got in Kentucky back in October. I had a whole post dedicated to it in mind, but then just got so busy!

 

As most of you know, I got a hummingbird with the word "muse" in brail in it on the inside of my right wrist. I wanted something to represent both the art and the music because it was so important to me, and I wanted it on my right side, the hand I create with…..

 

About a month after, I went to a birthday party for one of my son's friends and his mom was looking at my tattoo. She is an Acupuncturist, and was telling me how the placement is such a great spot for me as an artist because it's located on my Pericardium channel, meridian. It Stimulates energy and connects emotion and mind. It's a strong point: 

"The Pericardium has a powerful influence on the patient's mental and emotional states.  Its goal is to "create feelings of joy and/or pleasure for the emperor (Heart)."

Isn't that amazing? I love that stuff! Hopefully that will aid in my goal to create more work in 2015 than I did in 2014. 

I Also promise to post more because I have sooooo many great project ideas swimming in my head already! 

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!! 

-Jenn 

EXCITING NEWS & Making art permanent..

Hello everyone,

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ATTENTION 

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So Remember that time when Lee DeWyze & Andrew Michael Golden wrote, directed and shot the music video for Lee's single "Fight"?!?! Well it won "Best Music Video" at the LA Indie Film Fest 2014!!!!! Congrats! Very exciting! The  crochet dolls of Lee & Jonna were created by Leesasaur, you can see her other work here: http://www.leesasaur.com/p/abouts.html?m=1 

Ok, had to get that out, woke up to that news! Very exciting! Now back to my original post:

Just stopping by to say hello and give you a few updates because I have realized that it’s been forever since my last post. Hopefully you noticed that I have not been posting and it’s more “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” and not “out of sight, out of mind”…. There is always a thin line there... 

Between my son and my husband’s bike stuff, traveling and work, I have had no time to sketch. Hopefully things slow down soon and I start having that time back again. I get into a funk when I feel rushed and can not create. I guess it’s good that I am having a little break now because we all know Lee is busy in the studio making new music and as soon as we can hear it…. My mind will flood with images.  Words can not describe how excited I am to hear what he has been working on.

On instagram he posted a little clip and just that few seconds sounds amazing.

You can see the short video clip here: http://instagram.com/p/uqruG6lQog/

I am loving the vibe that comes with that little sample.

 

As for the updates: I finally got my new tattoo!

 For the last 3 years I have been thinking about the perfect tattoo to get to incorporate my art & Lee’s music into the perfect design. I have 6 other tattoos that are thankfully hidden because in the past I never put too much thought into them. They were  just what I liked at the time, which is why it took me 3 years to decide on this one.

 

Ever since the first time I heard “Hummingbird” (aka Lullaby), I knew I wanted it to be a hummingbird. The problem was, I was not happy with any of my own designs. The other issue was I wanted to incorporate the art & music thing, without having it holding a paintbrush in it's mouth or actual lyrics on it because I like things super simple, especially for something that I’ll have the rest of my life, ya know?

 

I finally got a design that a friend drew up for me (Thank you Liz!),  it was exactly how I pictured it, simple and “sketchy” looking. So now, how do we incorporate the meaning and why it’s so important to me? Braille! It’s very hard to see if you do not know to look for it, but there were “shading” dots on the head when Liz drew it up, so I looked up the word “Muse” on Braille and replaced those random dots with the word “Muse”.  I was pretty excited about this detail and the meaning, because as we all know, Lee DeWyze is definitely my muse. I know for a fact that I could not create without him.

My other plan was to have it in white ink, but there aren’t very many shops that will do a white ink tattoo due to how quickly they fade, etc. So I decided that I wanted just the sketched outline, in a sepia tone. I wanted it to look almost like a scar from being branded.

I found a shop while we were in Kentucky the other week and let me tell you…. Even on the phone talking about my idea, they had the best customer service and attitudes I’ve ever seen in a tattoo shop. I was very impressed and I highly recommend them! It’s Called “Tattoo Charlies” my tattoo was done by Joel.

 

Joel had to mix up a sepia color, in the little cup and it was the perfect shade, but on my wrist it’s more orange. Although it’s not the color I really wanted, I am still happy with it. It’s subtle, meaningful and it's  totally my style.

 

As for art in general, I have started a commissioned piece for a dear friend. It’s only in the beginning stages, but it is coming along nicely I think.

 

I hope to have this completed by next weekend!

 

Also, Before I forget… to everyone seeing Lee in Indiana tonight, Chicago tomorrow or better yet…both…. Have a great time! I wish I was there!

Have a good day everyone!!!!

WHY I think you should listen to Lee DeWyze...

Hello everyone. I have a follow up to the last artist's muse post. The story below this sketch will explain it, I just did this tonight and it's called "synergy"

Have you ever had a creative soul mate? Not as in “you are my soul mate I love you lets get married ” kind of way…. But someone you are in sync with on the creative level ... It exists almost everywhere.... I guess a less dramatic name could be synergy. 

Synergy; an abstract concept, is the combination of multiple ingredients producing a result greater than the simple arithmetic summation of the individual components.
For example; flour, water, yeast, and heat yield bread. Or in this case: a songwriters mind, talent , an artist and the passion to bring that music to life. 
(That at least is what I HOPE describes my art...because that IS the point)  

I want to share something with you... I'm not always "on" when it comes to my art, sometimes I am just blocked and it sucks. Like last night, I wanted to create soooo bad, but I just had no drive, no ideas that had me excited, so I drew a flower. When this happens I kind of get in a funk. I don't expect everyone to understand that, but I just get this heaviness in my chest, and almost sad.... But then, outta nowhere... Lee will post something about going to the studio, and that's all it takes..... Just like today's tweet. Seriously, wish I understood it, but I don't..... But knowing that he is in there, creating music...it fuels creativity on an insane level.....the image of this sketch just popped into my head without warning. When this happens, it makes me so happy. 

I read a quote on Pinterest the other night about soul mates. But I didn't interpret it in a romantic manner.... It was almost quite possibly the most accurate thing I've seen that can describe the feeling I get when I listen to Lee's music and when I visualize what I sketch or paint . 

It's like I have a connection to the combination of the lyrics, music and his voice. I almost feel like I've BEEN there, ya know? Hard to explain... But that's exactly what being inspired feels like... I feel the songs, I feel his voice and I just feel comfortable there.... It's instinctual. That's why it's so important to me to explain it to you over & over again because I've never experienced that kind of creative flow before. It's why I'm so passionate about getting the word out about him and his music... It's not fair that the rest of the world can't feel this when they hear his music.... I mean, that talent needs to be HEARD ....by everyone. This is why I paint, this is why I blog about it. Trust me, I do not like to be in the public eye, I'm not doing this for me..... I'm doing this to bring you closer to this amazing music. One of the greatest songwriters I've ever seen. I really do truly believe that. I believe in Lee DeWyze. ....and you will too! 

Hope this brings you one step closer into why I am so inspired. 

Good Night xoxo 

-Jenn 

Ps: speaking of connections and synergy...I posted a picture for Throwback Thursday of my Frames painting. A week after I finished, my advance copy of Lee's Frames album came out...and the art on the inside sleeve was freaky close to what I had painted.... I posted this, and Jess K commented...it fit this post do well... I'm adding it. Thank you Jess !!! 

An artist's muse...

John Lennon had Yoko Ono…Salvador Dali had Gala Dali…Frida Kahlo had Diego Rivera…..Their Muses……

A muse is someone who has such an influence on another that he, she or it becomes the focus and inspiration for that person's work. Whether one’s muse is spiritual, an animal or a person, an artist should be indebted to their muse. Without the inspiration, encouragement, numerous day dreams they give the artist, there would be no art, no poems, no music…. Can you imagine? My favorite Muse story is Frida Kahlo’s. haha, it was unusual and quite dysfunctional… but fate at it’s finest. She first saw Diego Rivera, who was already an accomplished artist when he was painting a mural called “Creation” in her school’s auditorium. She would hide in the back and watch him for hours and became fascinated by him. Without going into their whole history (because I can…), after an accident that left her bedridden for a long time, she began painting, and eventually started showing her work to Diego. She admired him, wanted him to tell her she was talented, worthy of her talent... He encouraged her and worked with her. They not only ended up getting married, but they inspired each other. It is a fascinating story. Have you ever seen the movie “Frida”? If not, I suggest you do… it’s amazing. Actually, while watching this movie one day, it inspired me to apply my Lee art to her bold and colorful style. Lee's raw soulful voice and style just lends itself to this vibe. I started it two years ago. It has yet to be finished or titled…. Someday I will….the border is the design from one of his guitar straps, that alone took weeks...

So, a Muse should be celebrated and the story should be told. Maybe your muse will inspire others? Maybe your muse is so amazing it needs to be seen and heard by everyone…..so go listen to Lee DeWyze's album "Frames" ... You'll feel it too, I promise . 

It is no secret that Lee is my muse. I could write a post every single day trying to explain it… but trust me… you still won’t get it. I really really wish I could explain it to you, but I just can’t. If I had a super hero powers...I'd want to be able to make you feel what I felt.... You'd be wowed....

One does not need to be a famous artist to have a muse, nor does there need to be a romantic aspect to the artist and muse equation. An artist’s bond and connection to their muse is exactly that… a connection. Take mine for instance…. I connect to the lyrics, how he puts them to music, when he performs them...the sound of his voice...it’s almost like the music is a security blanket, it’s comforting. There’s this invisible pull his music has on me…that’s the best way to describe it. Like, if I hear a song… or even think of a song… it’s almost this overwhelming & heavy sense of relief if that makes sense. It’s comfort, happiness and pride. As a fan, I am so proud to hear his music evolve exactly the way he wants to…. Being someone to also creates….. it’s an amazing feeling … so I get it…It makes not only my heart and ears happy… but I am happy for him as well…. Ya know? I guess I should stop here though because I can probably write an entire book about it and still not describe the feeling that makes Lee my muse…..

I’m no where near as great as all of those famous artists listed above and I never will be…. But it’s legit. It’s original work that is genuinely inspired by an amazing songwriter… no fillers….. just pure awe. I did a sketch a while back that best shows you that comfort and contentment  I was talking about...you know when you see the pictures of artists with their muses? This is my version of that... And my favorite sketch out of all of them with a fitting quote...

To you this might be just two people sitting on a sofa...or a fangirl listening to her favorite singer... But it's supposed to represent a performing artist creating the music that inspires the creation of my art...and hopefully that art inspires others...and so on...and so on.... This sketch represents happiness and contentment ...and a continues circle of inspiration. I hope you can see that... 

Now I'm going to watch Frida now...thank you for reading!  

Have a good night! 

-Jenn 

 

Some things you may not know about me...

Hello Everyone!

I just started my 2^nd sketchbook of 2014 and was thinking I want keep you more in the loop because I plan on doing a lot more with this one.  A lot more Lee inspired ones…..Especially if we start hearing some new music soon.

I decided to make this post about me …Why you ask? Maybe if you get to know “me” better, you’ll have a better insight as to what it takes to inspire me and why I choose the images I do for my paintings and sketches…  Let’s start with some things you DO know:

 

• My husband & son ride bikes. Like, all the time…. So if I am not sketching, I am on the road for races (BMX, Mountain bike & Cyclocross) we basically live the life of rock stars on the road. Busy Busy Busy... But I love them with all my heart and that is what we do. This is why I have not done a painting in a while…it’s easier just to pack my sketch book and take it with. I do miss painting though, so hopefully I get more time for that soon.
• I was raised by my grandmother. (But did you know that I miss her so much that when I hear Miranda Lambert’s “The House that built me” I pretty much retreat to myself in order not to have a total melt down? That song is my life…and Owen’s summer camp is right across the street to that house, so I see it everyday and just wish I could go inside to see what they’ve done to it.
• 99.9% of my art work is inspired by the music & lyrics of Lee DeWyze, I can not stress enough though that before Lee, I have never been INSPIRED to create, didn’t even know what being inspired felt like.  I mean, outside of the occasional warm fuzzy tingles you get while listening to some main character’s inspiring speech in a movie…. Nada…. How crazy is that? I never sit down and TRY to think of what I am going to draw for certain lyrics. They always come into my head at random times. I can be super busy at work listening to music while I’m typing away and an idea will come to me so quick I have to stop what I am doing and write it down. (at any time you will find me with lots of post it notes with descriptions, ideas and doodles on it so I do not forget)  Nothing has ever flowed that naturally for me… like, ever…. I have had a few “almost inspired” moments though… One of my all time favorite visual artists is Francesco Clemente. He is an Italian artist that did all the art work for the movie “Great Expectations”.  In the movie, they want you to think Ethan Hawke did them, lol, I promise you he did not. When you initially look at his work… it looks messy and makes you almost think “well I can do that”… but there is just something about them that I love. For as simple as they are… there is soul in there…. The eyes are not detailed at all… but can SEE into them… I love that. I guess you can say that movie inspired me a little bit because whenever I watch it, I’d get the urge to draw… but I never would follow through because I didn’t know WHAT I wanted to draw. ….

 

 

 

 

• I’m obsessed with scary movies! All kinds! There are very few that can “scare” me. I do have a special place in my heart for Cheesy “B” movies…. The tackier the better in my opinion. However, I do not like Alien movies (with the exception of “Alien”) …

 

 

Now, I’m going to share some things about me that you probably do not know. However I won’t tell you everything…Heck, I myself don’t even know…. I learn something new about myself everyday lately. …

 

10 Jenn-isms…..

 

1. I will not embark on any road trip no matter how short, without a play list made special for that particular trip. Everyone that has been in a car with me knows this. And I ALWAYS randomly throw in a fun/ cheesy song in there to make people laugh.
2. I am deathly afraid of natural disasters. Seriously, I could be chased by a serial killer and not be nearly as afraid as if I was in a tiny earthquake… Any where I am, you can be sure I already thought of where to go if there was an emergency. Lol (for real) …
3. Growing up I was a swimmer and soft ball player. I LOVE the water and I LOVE baseball….
4. My favorite job ever was a lifeguard and pool manager. I loved everything about it… even having to clean the nasty filter baskets.
5. I can accurately recite every single line to every character in all of the SCREAM movies. …
6. I can impersonate  Forrest Gump perfectly
7. My favorite band, before Lee came along was LIVE. (however anyone that knows me at all knew this already)
8. I skipped 5^th grade
9. When I was 6, my mom pretty much traumatized me with a werewolf mask and the movie American werewolf in London (probably while movies do not scare me) Anyway, a week later  my hamster bit me on my pinky and I was convinced it was going to turn me into a werewolf …
10. The ONLY TWO scary movie people  that have EVER successfully scared me are:

• Zelda- The sister from “Pet cemetery”
  

 

• The girl with no mouth in the Twilight zone movie 
  

 .....scary as hell, right?! 

Well, that's all for now...I have a couple more posts coming up as I get back into my groove, so check back soon! 

-Jenn

TONIGHT!!!!

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CORRECTION....

I wrote below that someone would be DANCING to "Open your Eyes", however it was used during the back story of one of the contestants . My apologies :-) but of course it was beautiful and was the perfect soundtrack for such a personal story. 

*************************************************Hello everyone!

Did you know that on tonight’s episode of “So you think you can dance”, Season 11,8:00pm on Fox, someone will be dancing to Lee’s “Open your eyes”?!?!?!

 

Make sure you tune in! I do not normally watch the show, but I will be tonight. (I could go into a rant here on why I do not support anything that involves Nigel Lythgoe; however that is not my style. I will never publically bash something or someone, especially when it can be traced back to me being a Lee fan. We are just as responsible for his public image as he is, so I will not…but you all know what I’m thinking)

That being said, I will be tuned in to hear how another artist interprets his song through their dance. It’s like what I do with my paintings, except they are using their bodies. Exciting!

 

ANYWAY…back to “Open Your Eyes”; the song is hauntingly beautiful & INSANELY relatable. I’ve said this before, but this song would fit perfectly into a movie scene where the main character is reflecting back on things and having a major epiphany. If you have not heard this song before… 1) shame on you… 2) Give it a listen... you’ll understand exactly what I am talking about and you’ll start reflecting on things too….

 

It’s funny that we should hear about this now because I have been working out the details in my head for a special sketch for that song. Freaky, right?  Anyway, back in high school, we did a few projects where we did portraits using motifs to create the shadows and details. It was actually one of my favorites; I loved it so much that I did my big senior portrait in that style. I will have to find that and hopefully post at the end of this post. 

 

My plan for this “Open Your Eyes” piece is to do an eye portrait using nothing but the song lyrics and other tiny music/ art related images. Confused yet? Below is a picture of a portrait of M.C. Escher with a few up close pictures.

 

This one is more designs and shapes, not so much words. My Self portrait was mostly words. The shirt was made up of my friends and their likes.... This give you an idea of where I'm going with "open your eyes".... 

 

Anyway, I do not usually tell you about my ideas before I have them at least sketched out; however I am pretty excited about this one… I hope I remember how to do it! Stay tuned! I have lots of cool stuff coming up. This one, I am turning the skull illusion sketch into a painting... Can't wait! 

 

Oh, and do not forget to watch So you think you can dance tonight on Fox at 8:00pm!!!!!!

 

Until Later……

 

Jenn

 

Art, Music, Inspiration & New Year's Resolutions

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Hello everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday and New Year and most importantly staying warm!

 

On New Year’s Day, I went out to buy a new sketch book. An Actual, good sized sketchbook…meant for sketching. Before I was using a lined writing journal…. I am pretty excited about it….oh, and the most exciting feature? The outside cover is plain white painting canvas…so I can paintit!

 

With the New Year, came all the snow and horrible weather, so I got to break in my book right away! **just to set some of your minds at ease, I have not abandoned the “Stay Away” painting… it’s just that we have yet to get the house totally back to normal from Christmas so all my painting stuff is away. Sketching is quick, easy and can be done anywhere… the paints I have to set up, clean brushes, etc…

 

I was thinking about my art & a conversation I had with a good friend that is an established artist and apparently it takes 10,000 hours to master your craft. I have also been thinking about resolutions and how I have never in my life saw one through; I’m sure most of you can relate to that. This year however, I decided that I am going to try to commit to a sketch a day for the entire year. Trust me; I ALWAYS have stuff on my mind… so this should be easy, right? My first few sketches are actually based on old, pre-Idol Lee Songs…. Just certain lyrics that have always spoke to me or have a special place in my heart. There are visuals that I have had in my mind for paintings in the past that never made it to canvas. 

This sketching resolution is the perfect outlet for those images. So, I’m sure you are wondering, since I have already been asked…”you are going to have 365 sketches of Lee DeWyze lyrics??? No. …. Maybe just 300 or so… haha.  Honestly, a lot of them will be lyrically inspired, I won’t lie... but I am going to include things that I see that may just look interesting to meor things that I hold close to my heart. Have no worries, I have been spending no more than an hour a day on these pages, so I will continue to work on my paintings… I still have several in the works, so 2014 will be a busy year! If you’d like to follow the sketch a day for a year journey, you can do that on instagram under JENNMHARDING also, I am not making any promises, but 365 pages is a lot… so I am making a list of things I can think of now. If you have a specific line or something Lee related you’d like me to do… send it my way and I’ll put it on the list to maybe do in the future!

 

On the status of my paintings for the “Frames” songs, I have a some work left on “Stay Away” … My plan was to go right into “Breathing In”, HOWEVER, I have come up with an idea for Lee’s new song “Again” and will be going right into that because I’m pretty excited about this one. …. Stay tuned! And do not forget to go tohttp://leedewyzeofficial.com/ to check in and see what Lee is working on!