"Ramsey" Is Beanie Baby Painting #4

"Ramsey" Beanie Baby Painting #4, oil on board, 6"h x 6"w, ©Jill Banks 2011

The march continues with a painting of a beanie baby ram. During Friday's reception, Sam Woodward (Face #98) was talking to me about how art and psychology were closely linked. It has to be, because paintings aren't just a depiction of a thing or event, but a result of what the artist is thinking at the time. He wasn't so sure about the beanie baby series ... but on second thought...

I've realized (and been thankful that) my art is enriched through keen observational skills and a rich imagination. I can't help it. I see life and imagine it. Things and characters come to life in the studio. Velveteen rabbits are everywhere.

So it is with these guys. The three latest were propped on my easel together when I left last night. Who knows what happened.

"Yellow Watermelon and Tamarillos," 16"h x 20"w, oil, ©Jill Banks 2011

In the News

My piece, "Yellow Watermelon and Tamarillos," is featured in the calendar section of the Great Falls Connection, July 20 edition, page 10 for the "Signs of Summer" exhibit at the Artists' Atelier. You can view it online here, click on the Great Falls edition. If you're coming to the page after July 27, check out the archives section. Okay, admittedly, that's a lot of work.

Coming up:

Sunday, August 7: Painting on the Waterfront with the Art League's Plein Air Painters, behind the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA, in the morning.

August 8 to August 19: Three of my drawings will be on exhibit as part of the Salmagundi Club's Annual Photography and Graphics Non-Members Exhibit in NYC. This prestigious, 140-year-old arts club is located in a beautiful brownstone at 47 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. Through the years, the Salmagundi Club has been the gathering spot of such luminaries as Childe Hassam, William Merrit Chase, N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and many others. It's a pretty incredible spot. So ... if you're in NYC any time soon ...

August 1-31: "100 Faces in 100 Days" Exhibit #2 in the Gallery at the Artists' Atelier
Reception: Friday, August 12, 6-9pm
Ice Cream Social: Saturday, August 13, 2-4pm
RSVP helpful for both events ... but please come anyway if you don't get around to it.

Sunday, August 14: Painting on the Waterfront with the Art League's Plein Air Painters, behind the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA, in the morning.

August 26-August 29: Four-day intensive, still life workshop: "A Painting A Day" offered through the Great Falls School of Art. Space is limited. Details coming soon on my web site: www.JillBanks.com.

To read more about the 100 Faces in 100 Days project on my web site (www.jillbanks.com), go to the 100 Faces Project Pages 1 and 2 where you can see all 100 of my volunteers. Click on the paintings, and go to my blog post for that person's sitting.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project Page 1 (faces 1-54): www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
100 Faces in 100 Days Project Page 2 (faces 55-100): www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project_2.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435