Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Giraffe ... In Progress

"Long Legs: Giraffe" work in progress, oil, 24"h x 18"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
Can you tell I was having some fun in my studio today?

"Long Legs" is already spoken for ... so bound for her new home once finished.  I love painting in general -- and capturing animals in oils is true joy, minus any intermittent angst. For "Long Legs," the biggest decision was the composition and pose that is dynamic and characterizes the creature. Think this does it.

More to do ... just not today.

It's hard to believe that the New Year is right around the corner.

I wish you and yours (and mine) a Healthy, Joyful, Prosperous New Year!

Oh, and two more things ... I  am hoping that more students enroll in my Tuesday Evening Paint class that starts on January 12. (We need you!)  Second, I am looking for models (clothed) for my Sunday portrait class and the last two sessions of my Evening Paint class this term. Classes are taught at the Great Falls School of Art in Great Falls, VA. Let me know if you or someone you know may be interested. Drop me a line for more info. See below for links to classes.

Thanks for reading!



Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates


Winter classes are up on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January (full with wait list) on
Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm  (Only 1 spot left!) and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm (still room!)through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Elf Time - Ho, Ho Helping

First, I hope you enjoyed a very Merry Christmas.

"Every Which Way," oil, 16"h x 12"w, ©2013 Jill Banks --  gift chosen today!
The List
Now I want to tell you about an interesting twist on taking care of your Christmas list in a wonderful, personal way. Maybe it will come in handy for you next year ... and I'd sure love to act as YOUR Christmas elf.

My Mystery Couple wanted to give the gift of my paintings to quite a few on their list -- and asked me to figure out a way to help the recipients choose. We came up with the plan that the giftees could choose one of four options:
  1. One framed 12"x16" painting OR
  2. Two framed 8"x10" paintings OR
  3. Four framed 6"x6" paintings OR
  4. One framed 8"x10" painting and two 6"x6" paintings
"Queue at the Palace," oil, 12"h x 16"w, ©2015 Jill Banks - gift chosen today!
For each of those options, I selected a group from all the 12" x 16"s available (and the 8" x 10"s and 6"x 6"s) to put together a manageable list of great choices in an email-able catalog. Photos of the 12" x 16"s offered were put into a PDF document along with a photo of one of those paintings, framed. Same with the 8" x 10"s and 6" x 6"s. Then, out went an email explaining "the gift" with those three PDF files attached ... and encouraging the giftees to decide quickly since the choices were one of a kind originals.
"Spanish Garden," oil, 16"h x 12"w, ©2015 Jill Banks - gift chosen today!
That's the very "dry" version of the story.

My Giftgivers felt the pure joy I get each time someone purchases a piece of my art.  They were hearing first hand how THRILLED each recipient was with their choices. They reveled in who chose what ... and then found the choices seemed just right.  They were amazed that each naturally selected a different piece (we didn't send out a list of art no longer available as the choices came in -- so no one knew).

The Gift that Keeps On Giving
Selecting art is not a ho-hum experience. I LOVE it when someone purchases a piece from me because not only are they showing me at the time their making the choice how excited they are ... later they send me photos in their homes, tell me how
"Morning in Telluride," oil, 8"x10", ©2015 Jill Banks -- one of two 8x10s chosen today!
thrilled they are when the painting shines in the afternoon or appears at different times in the day, or how they sat on their couch just staring at it enjoying how it transforms the room. It will ALWAYS be enjoyed ... every day.

On the Sleigh
Today's gift-giving and selections mean twelve of my paintings will be tied up with care and sent/delivered to their new homes as soon as my co-elf -- husband Randy -- recovers from the flu or something-or-other that has him laying on the couch as I type. I know that the recipients will treasure well BOTH the art and the thoughtfulness and generosity of the Gift Givers.

"Sheepish," oil, 6" x 6", ©2015 Jill Banks -- one of 4 6x6s selected as a gift today!
Those twelve paintings were added to six others chosen in December and ten at my Home Studio Open House in November to make me feel well part of the Elf family -- excited for each of the recipients and purchasers and very happy you invited my art into your homes. Many, many, many heartfelt thanks!!!!!

You may deduce, too from this post that I make a good partner in gift giving and all schemes to make you and your loved ones very happy.  That's one of my many joys.

While there are lots of other times I've helped someone pull off an unusual gift, here are two additional examples:

Gift of a Non-Traditional Portrait Commission, realized.
Gifts for Appreciated Board Members: The gift-giver offered a non-traditional portrait-to-be of mine. Many of my paintings capture people in casual, comfortable settings. To explain the gift, I put together a beautiful hand-crafted book with photos of my paintings that would help spark ideas for the recipients in planning their portraits. Then, I worked with them to bring that idea to life.

Gift for the Bride and Groom: The Mother and Father of the bride  commissioned me to come paint on site during the reception with the resulting painting  a special gift for the bride and groom. My presence and the present were a total surprise ... and the bride later told me that she was wondering who was crashing her wedding (when she saw me at my easel).  Guests at the wedding really enjoyed my being there and the couple were thrilled with the final painting. (I finished the painting two months later from that memory and a few photos taken in between brush strokes.)
"The Wedding Party," oil, 18"h x 24"w, ©2013 Jill Banks -- Present for the bride and groom

Read about that adventure on these two blog posts:
"Right After "I Do"" and
"The Wedding Party Gets a Visit"

Cherished presents.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wish you a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Thanks for reading!


Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates


Winter classes are up on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January (full with wait list) on
Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm  (Only 1 spot left!) and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm (still room!)through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.
 







Thursday, December 24, 2015

I Played My Drum for Him

"Serenade," oil, 10"h x 8"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
Well, not exactly.

But I love the sentiment of this Christmas Carol ... the drummer boy bringing this heartfelt and humble gift to celebrate the Christ child's birth.

I worried this year about not "doing" Christmas. There are friends and family who sent cards and presents that weren't reciprocated. It's Christmas Eve and I haven't posted a single card, wrapped a present or sent one. There are some brimming stockings, baked cookies, and plans for Christmas Day and the days that follow -- thanks to a last minute push.

Some gifts don't require wrapping paper ... like the drummer boy's "pa rum pum pum pum." Mine this year -- to brothers, sister-in-laws, nieces and nephew -- is to help however I can deliver the no-wrapping-paper-required gifts of Christmas to my Mom and Dad. Time and energy have been redirected from shopping trips to visits.

Tonight, Randy and I visited Dad at rehab ... while Mom was running some Christmas Eve errands. Dad told us to read the letters and card they
"Bringing Home the Tree," oil, ©2013 Jill Banks. Painting of a birthday gift from Mom to Dad.
received today from my brother Scott, sister-in-law Emily, and niece Annie. As Dad said, if you don't smile and shed a tear when you read this, you're not human. As Randy and I took turns trying to read those words of  Christmas memories and gifts received, we both amply proved we were human.  Geez. 

While Dad's been in rehab or the hospital with Mom constantly by his side since July ... they worry about belated presents, that they haven't been able to "shop" for one another or send out their annual poem and card.  Yet -- as Scott, Emily and Annie and every one around them knows and shows -- their gift to us is them. 

"Elf on a Chandelier" -- decoration by Dad, drawing by me.
Play your best for someone.

I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Thanks for reading (or looking)!

Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates


Winter classes are up on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January (full with wait list) on
Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm  (Only 1 spot left!) and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm (still room!)through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Christmas Snow Globe Painting

"He's Making a List," oil, 14"h x 11"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
He's Making a List.
Checking It Twice.

That's the music I heard repeatedly while painting today.

This snow globe was beckoning me while a pile of other To Do items took priority.

Today, I got to paint it.

I will most probably continue on tomorrow, capturing the snow flickering in the light in yellows, greens and blues. Seems like too much fun to pass up.

There will be more Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas messages to come before the 25th but hope you enjoy this one.


December 1st - 18th, 2015
at the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003. My painting "Irish Pub" won the Leila Gardin Sawyer award in the show. Call the National Arts Club to find out if the exhibit is open for viewing before heading that way.




Winter classes are up on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January (full with wait list) on
Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm  (Only 1 spot left!) and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm (still room!)through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.

Still Looking for Some Special Gifts?
You know I'd love to help! Take a shopping trip around my web site. Check out the selection of 6" x 6" framed paintings in a collection posted there. Not everything is on my web site. A visit to my home studio is also welcome. Just ask!

Thanks for reading (or looking)!


Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates


Thursday, December 10, 2015

Birthday Present

While most of you will be reading this post after my birthday has passed ... I received a great present tonight. Dinner at my parents' condo with my Mom, Dad, brother Scott, daughter Sarah and husband Randy.  Dad's been improving daily all week. Yea!!!!! Enough so, that he was okay to be wheeled over from the rehab center to the condo to celebrate my turning something or other.

That was the best of birthday presents ... by far.

Check out Dad's photo below.

Some sort of miracle starting arriving while we were in Chicago transforming my Dad back into my Dad. A rash caused the doctors to change his IV antibiotics and with the new meds and new determination, he's steadily improving. You probably know what my wish was when blowing out those candles on my cake tonight. Wishes and prayers.

Award at the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club's Annual Open Juried Exhibition
Well, that's a mouthful. Friday, December 11, 5:30 to 8:00pm is the Benefit Reception for the Metropolitan Museum of Art being held at the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New New York, NY. My painting "Irish Pub" was chosen for the Leila Gardin Sawyer Award ... and I'm looking forward to seeing it and the other paintings in the exhibition at the reception.

"Irish Pub," oil, 18"h x 24"w, ©2014 Jill Banks
Get more info on the exhibition on my events page.

Dad at the condo this evening ready to help make this a great birthday!


Winter classes are up on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January (full with wait list) on
Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm  (Only 1 spot left!) and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm (still room!)through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.

Still Looking for Some Special Gifts?
You know I'd love to help! Take a shopping trip around my web site. Check out the selection of 6" x 6" framed paintings in a collection posted there. Not everything is on my web site. A visit to my home studio is also welcome. Just ask!



Thanks for reading (or looking)!

Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Booth #1132 -- One of a Kind Show -- December 3-6

I shied away from being the voice of this ... my first ... video post on the blog but husband Randy's message is the same. Please visit me at the Merchandise Mart at Chicago's One of a Kind Show in booth #1132.


 See higher resolution video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmJn6iq1llE

It must take a whole lot of training to be in front of a camera. If I had to pick a spot relative to the lens, it would be in the back.

Booth #1132,One of a Kind Show in Chicago.
This is an amazing show. Each booth is a gallery or storefront and there are 600+ of them. Please make it to my aisle ... 1000 and I'm just about to the end of that. Randy and I have hung it with care.

This journey to Chicago's been bittersweet. I was born here at the Lying Inn Hospital in Chicago, Illinois and went to grade school in Markham and Homewood ... a long time ago.  All my Chicago memories are tied to my remarkable family. I kidded, not that long ago to one of my artist friends that I'd had a rough childhood. Anything but. With two amazing parents, I had beautiful role models to set the stage and add joy to every stage of my life to follow.

The last four months have been heartbreaking. Four surgeries (three back, one gall badder), four months in hospitals and rehab and an infection of the pseudomonas bacteria from one of those surgeries have left my Dad nothing like his strong, beautiful, inspiring self.  If anybody knows of a way to fight this nightmare, please let me know. 

If you are in Chicago, please come to the One of a Kind Show. Visit me in booth #1132 at the Merchandise Mart, December 3 - 6. Get more info on the events page at my web site.

And, I added a collections page for the 6"x 6" paintings created for this show. See some of them here.

Jill


HERE'S THE SCOOP on the One of a Kind Show

Show hours:
Thursday, December 3: 11am to 8pm
Friday, December 4: 11am to 8pm
Saturday, December 5: 10am to 7pm
Sunday, December 6: 10am to 5pm

Access a map to locate Booth #1132 here to view a PDF online. (You can navigate around the site from there for more info on tickets, directions, etc.

Phone: 703.403.7435

Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL. Visit me in Booth #1132.  Help me spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in coming to the show.  Thank you!!!

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Chicago's One of a Kind Show ... December 3-6 at the Merchandise Mart


One wall of my booth-to-be for the One of a Kind Show, December 3-6. Hope you'll be there to see it in person!

My sleigh's getting ready to fill Booth #1132 at Chicago's One of a Kind Show held in the Merchandise Mart on December 3 to December 6. I sure hope to see you there. Booth #1132 is at the far end of Aisle 1000 on the show floor. Follow links in the map below. If you're planning to attend, please email me for passes to the show at jill@jillbanks.com. 

I hope to see you soon!

Plus, there are lots of art activities in Great Falls, VA on December 5 and 6. Some of my art will be there even while I'm hanging out in Chicago. Find out more here.

Jill


HERE'S THE SCOOP on the One of a Kind Show

Show hours:
Thursday, December 3: 11am to 8pm
Friday, December 4: 11am to 8pm
Saturday, December 5: 10am to 7pm
Sunday, December 6: 10am to 5pm

Access a map to locate Booth #1132 here to view a PDF online. (You can navigate around the site from there for more info on tickets, directions, etc.

In addition to my mid- to large-sized oil paintings, for the One of a Kind Show, I'm bringing many (28)small, beautifully framed -- ready to hang mini original oils of subjects including Beanie Baby stuffed toys, real animals, landscapes and one vehicle (a red truck). With 65,000 anticipated shoppers -- I'm thinking that 28 might not go very far. Be one of the folks that get to give or keep these little gems.

"Platypus" (Beanie Baby Series), 6"h x 6"w (plus frame), oil, ©2015 Jill Banks
"Coq at Giverny", 6"h x 6"w (plus frame), oil, ©2015 Jill Banks

"Cow," 6"h x 6"w (plus frame), oil, ©2015 Jill Banks
Also, my painting "Market Day" was juried into the show' Fine Art Gallery that is situated about in the middle of Merchandise Mart floor. Be sure to take a look there as well.  Can't wait to see it myself.

"Market Day," oil, 36"h x 48"w, ©2014 Jill Banks


Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL. Visit me in Booth #1132.  Help me spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in coming to the show.  Thank you!!!










Friday, November 27, 2015

An Unlikely Trio

Three paintings. Two subjects from the zoo and one human shopping for posies.
"Flower Shopping," oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks

"Real Flamingo," oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
And...
"Rhino," oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
Thus, it was a day of lots of painting and not much typing.

These will be traveling with me to the One Of A Kind Show and Sale in Chicago ... shortly.

Jill



Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL. Visit me in Booth #1132.  Help me spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in coming to the show.  Thank you!!!

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Hope You Had a Wonderful Thanksgiving

Gobble, gobble.

"What a Turkey!," oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks

I'm incredibly thankful for YOU!

Jill


Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL. Visit me in Booth #1132.  Help me spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in coming to the show.  Thank you!!!

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Home Studio Open House ... Continued

"Geraniums," oil, 8"h x 5.5"w, ©2014 Jill Banks. Painted plein air in La Morra, Italy -- as I was "toning" my painting muscles in this beautiful spot before students arrived for my Paint with Me in Italy workshop. "Geraniums" has gone to just the right owner -- someone who appreciated them there in La Morra.

What Was Chosen, Part II

See yesterday's post for photos of four of the paintings off to new homes following Sunday's Home Studio Open House.

"Red, White and Blue Rooster," oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks. New place to roost.
Here's a repeat of the list of paintings purchased by happy new owners:
  1. "Mercato" from Venice, Italy
  2. "Little Miss" painted while spending the weekend  in my parents' condo
  3. "Once Upon a Time" of one of the setups from my Still Life Plus class
  4. "Rocky Shores" from Monterey, California
  5. "Red, White and Blue Rooster" from Kidwell Farm, Herndon, VA
  6. "Top Chicken" from Kidwell Farm,
    "Top Chicken," oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks. New place to roost.
    Herndon, VA
  7. "Caramel-Colored Cow" from Kidwell Farm, Herndon, VA
  8. "Our Lady of St. Patrick's" painted in Mystic, CT
  9. "Pool View" -- my demo painting the first night of my plein air workshop in Treiso, Italy
  10. "Geraniums" -- one of my first paintings created in La Morra, Italy getting ready for the workshop
Today, Randy and I had the pleasure of delivering and hanging "Mercato" -- with the chance to see it in its new abode.  I love that!

My promise of photos of my home hung with artwork is delayed at least until later tonight. (Check back later at jillbanks.blogspot.com -- since I have no way of changing the email once it's been sent.)
"Caramel-Colored Cow," oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks. Private collection

Winter classes are now up on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January on
Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.


Thanks for reading (or looking)!



Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL. Visit me in Booth #1132.  Help me spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in coming to the show.  Thank you!!!


Monday, November 23, 2015

Home Studio Open House ... Some Early Ho, Ho, Ho!

"Red Head" (Rooster), oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks (A Giverny chicken painted today -- post party)
Yesterday ... all day ... Randy and I hosted Collectors and Students for my annual special thank you party for as the folks who help me continue doing what I love -- create art -- through their support. It was fantastic although I did miss many of you whose Thanksgiving or family plans didn't agree with my unusually early date.  For all those who made it or wished/tried to be here, Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

What Was Chosen

"Mercato," (Venice, Italy), oil, 30"h x 24"w, ©2015 Jill Banks. Private collection
Ten paintings went off to or are being delivered to their good new homes.
  1. "Mercato" from Venice, Italy
  2. "Little Miss" painted while spending the weekend  in my parents' condo
  3. "Once Upon a Time" of one of the setups from my Still Life Plus class
  4. "Rocky Shores" from Monterey, California
  5. "Red, White and Blue Rooster" from Kidwell Farm, Herndon, VA
  6. "Top Chicken" from Kidwell Farm, Herndon, VA
  7. "Caramel-Colored Cow" from Kidwell Farm, Herndon, VA
  8. "Our Lady of St. Patrick's" painted in Mystic, CT
  9. "Pool View" -- my demo painting the first night of my plein air workshop in Treiso, Italy
  10. "Geraniums" -- one of my first paintings created in La Morra, Italy getting ready for the workshop
"Little Miss," oil, 10"h x 8"w, ©2015 Jill Banks. Private collection
Guests were greeted happily at the door (by son Sam and daughter-in-law Michelle) to sign in, get a name tag and be handed "the list" -- essentially a map going room by room throughout the three floors of our home, with numbers corresponding to the paintings and drawings hung, propped, positioned all over the house. Plenty of tasty refreshments were there if they needed sustenance. Invitees could come any time, stay as long as they like and invite art buddies of their own (or come alone). Favorites get circled, talked about and many are still being placed on their wish lists.

Part of the fun is seeing the work in a home setting. One of the comments I received -- many times -- is that guests were surprised to see how well the house looked with so much artwork. (It does!) I'm definitely not a one wall, one painting sort of gal.

"Once Upon a Time," oil, 12"h x 12"w, ©2015 Jill Banks. Private collection.
I will add to this post -- or to another tomorrow photos from this great event plus photos of the rest of the art that's now residing in new homes.

I didn't take any pictures while people were here (never even thought about it) but did last night after the last guests headed home.

After so many days of planning and preparing for the party, it was great to spend the whole afternoon painting at my easel. Yea! "Red Head" shown above is just one of several chickens that made it onto and then off my easel.

Consider this post ... TO BE CONTINUED. Visit again!

Winter classes are now up on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January on
"Rocky Shores," oil, 12"h x 16"w, ©2015 Jill Banks. Private collection.
Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.



Thanks for reading (or looking)!


Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
Open House -- post party
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL. Visit me in Booth #1132.  Help me spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in coming to the show.  Thank you!!!

One view of the Open House, this in our dining room -- photo by husband Randy -- one of very few taken with guests.  

More to come -- just not today.






Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Rooster and a Cupcake

I'm running out of time to post. Check back later at jillbanks.blogspot.com for more.

"Red, White and Blue Rooster," oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
Little as this painting of the rooster is, it gave me conniption fits. But now he's done. Phew.
"Red Cupcake," oil, 10"h x 8"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
And, above ... the plan was to paint a cupcake. Then the cupcake needed company. Add some hours.

Yesterday was my Dad's 85th birthday -- and while the venue wasn't ideal (the hospital) -- the celebration was enthusiastic and pretty beautiful.  Lots and lots of well wishes, in person and over the phone ... rather nonstop.

Winter classes are now up on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January on Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.


Thanks for reading (or looking)!

Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL

Friday, November 13, 2015

"The Road to Giverny"

"The Road to Giverny," oil, 6"h x 6"w, ©2015 Jill Banks



This post -- just paintings --  other than a repeat reminder to sign up for Winter classes taught through the Great Falls School of Art.
"Sun and Sea" completed, oil, 16"h x 20"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
Winter classes are now up, too, on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January on Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.


Thanks for reading (or looking)!
Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Dress of Many Colors

"Jewels," oil, 20"h x 18"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
In getting the house ready for my Collectors Open House to be, there are umpteen discoveries.

"Jewels" is a painting done quite awhile ago (vague enough?) when a favorite model for "Nigerian Beauty" posed for me again.









Here's a glimpse, too, of "Nigerian Beauty."

"Nigerian Beauty," oil, 24"h x 18"w, ©2007 Jill Banks. Private collection.


Winter classes are now up, too, on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January on Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.


Thanks for reading (or looking)!
Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

An Overdue Post - Richard Ormond Lecture on John Singer Sargent and More

"Dining Room," oil, 18"h x 24"w, ©2010 Jill Banks. I'd seen (and been inspired by) Sargent's "The Breakfast Table" at the Fogg Museum but was wishing for company peeling an orange.

Lecture on John Singer Sargent at the Art League in Alexandria, VA
Last Thursday night, Randy and I attended a lecture by Richard Ormond, leading expert on John Singer Sargent who also happens to be the grandson of Sargent's sister Violet -- a frequent subject in his paintings. The venue -- the Art League in Alexandria, VA -- a place close to my heart, filled with fellow artists and friends.

There's a natural closeness among artists. It's the norm versus exception. I thought about that as Ormond talked about Sargent's circle -- of authors, actors, opera stars, fellow painters. There's an openness, expansiveness, generosity, spirit in those folks who surrounded him and who filled that hall in Old Town.

If my hearing was a bit better, I'd probably have walked out of the talk full of knowledge of who was who in Sargent's paintings of family members -- as they fit into Richard Ormond's and John Singer Sargent's family tree. Instead I had to look it up.  One of the few paintings I have copied is Sargent's "Repose" -- a favorite that hangs at the National Gallery of Art in DC.  According to the genealogy chart and quick research, the model for "Repose" (John Singer Sargent, 1911) is Richard Ormond's aunt, Rose-Marie Ormond Michel.



John Singer Sargent's "The Breakfast Table" -- Fogg Museum. The subject is Violet, Sargent's youngest sister and Richard Ormond's  grandmother.

Mom and Dad -- Honored Vows
Here is the cause of the "overdue" post part.  The day after Ormond's lecture, my Dad had his fourth surgery in as many months. Except for a short span of days at home before this last round -- Dad has spent four months in a hospital or rehab -- a test for any soul.  After Friday's surgery, one of Dad's doctors noted that the finish line was ahead -- not at the conclusion of the surgery but in the days/weeks of recovery to follow. To Dad's aid in recovery is his admirably strong, genetic stubborn streak (also called perseverance and determination) and positive nature (he passed on both traits to me, thankfully) --  and having the most beautiful, kindest lady on the planet (my Mom) by his side. They truly are there for each other "in sickness and in health." (Dad would be there just as vigilantly by my Mom's side if the table was turned.)

It's been a long, tough struggle and I pray and wish for lots of healing, health and better times for both my Mom and Dad.

"Sun and Sea" work in progress, oil, 16"h x 20"w, ©2015 Jill Banks
Throughout the course of these four months, they've sure made an awful lot of friends among the doctors, techs, nurses at both rehab and the hospital. Even in trying times, they show just how beautiful a pair they are. On each return visit, my Mom and Dad have been warmly welcomed back -- which is great if you've got to be there (in the hospital or rehab) but it would be even greater if all those nice health care folks could come for a casual -- not medical -- visit to my parents comfortably situated in their own special home.


On the Easel
I have been painting and doing but haven't been at home much at blog posting time. "Sun and Sea" is still in progress ... and one of my most recent works. An annual Collectors Open House is ahead and this painting should be hanging somewhere in the house (framed and finished) by then.

Winter classes are now up, too, on my web site. Take a look!  I'll be teaching a Portrait Painting/Drawing class this January on Sunday afternoons, Still Life Plus (Personal Painting Projects on Tuesdays - 10:30am to 1:30pm and Evening Paint on Tuesday nights - 6:30 to 9:30pm through the Arts of Great Falls School in Great Falls, VA. Classes are filling. I hope you'll sign up soon and start the New Year 2016 off right -- with art.

Evening of Art Fundraiser at the Kelly Collection of American Illustration on Friday, November 13, 2015
One of the pieces in the Kelly Collection
Attend a fundraiser at the Kelly Collection of American Illustration on the Potomac in Great Falls, VA. Enjoy food and drinks while viewing the vast collection of original paintings & drawing from th Golden Age of American Illustrators 1890-1925. All are welcome, but space is limited.  Find out more, purchase tickets at: http://www.greatfallsart.org/evening-of-art/.






The Kelly Collection is a treasure -- within the perfect home to showcase the art. I'm looking forward to being inspired again on November 13th. I hope you'll join me. Your support -- through tickets or donations -- helps the School (where I teach) expand offerings to the community and keep functioning throughout the year. 

"Evening of Art" is a fundraiser to support the Arts of Great Falls School and community art events and activities. The Arts of Great Falls is a 501(c)(3) with the mission to expand opportunities in art education, expression and professional development.

 

Thanks for reading (or looking)!
Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435
Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web:
www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
 

See the Events page for more info/updates
December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL