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Outdoor art shows are risky, especially for me since most of the pieces I have to sell at an art show are the smaller paper flowers I create. The larger art pieces are more difficult to transport and cost more than most customers typically want to spend at an outdoor art show. Today was successful even though it was full of challenges. The first challenge was getting the work to the show in the rain. I use an open bed truck to transport my work and booth set up. The show was postponed yesterday due to rain and today's forecast called for rain in the morning. Getting the work there without it being damaged was priority one. Keeping the display dry was priority number two. Then setting up and keeping the work dry on the display until the rain moved out was priority number three. Prospective buyers often arrive early. Some enjoy beating the crowd or just being a part of the buzz of set up. Regardless of the challenges, all vendors are expected to be ready by the show start time. Despite the challenges, I made it. Most often I am faced with the challenge of high heat temperatures and direct sun. Not today. The temperature kept dropping. You have to keep a smile on your face regardless. The customer is just as cold as you are but they came out to support local artists despite the unfavorable weather and that must be appreciated. Of course, the weather kept most people away and the show being moved to the rain date no doubt impacted the turn out as well. I received several complements but only sold one piece. But is selling the work the only measure of success? No. I met new people, added some to my mailing list, enjoyed getting to know other artists better, helped out a close friend and other than my display getting a little soaked around the bottom, none of my work was damaged. Outdoor art shows are a great deal of work. We're up at the crack of dawn and crash after unloading everything once we get home. We hope to at least make the booth fee back, cover the cost of food and travel just not to be in the red. Of course I'd like to fall into my favorite chair and relax knowing I made more sales than anticipated but that's not always the reality of the life of an artist. #art #mixedmedia #jnicholsart #success #lifeofanartist  The coordinators of the show have made the decision to postpone today's show to tomorrow due to the impending rain. Thank you for your understanding. We will see you tomorrow! #keepitlocal #jnicholsart #art #mixedmedia #raindate  Fingers crossed that tomorrow is not a rainy day. The coordinators of the show will make the final call tomorrow morning at 6:00. At this moment the show is planned for tomorrow. The rain date is Sunday, April 26th. If the coordinators decide we should defer to the rain date I will post it here and on Facebook. #art #keepitlocal #mixedmedia #flowerlovers #jnicholsart #norain   Two of the five flowers I am trying to complete for the show on Saturday are now drying.
#art #mixedmediaart #flowerslovers #jnicholsart Two days away from the show at Leanne's and the weather forecast isn't looking good. (Rain date is Sunday, April 26th) That will not deter me though. Even with my feet hurting so much it's painful to stand for long and exhausted from a longer than normal day at my full time job, I intend to finish the last step for the five flowers I created for this show. I am a determined person. You really have to be to be an artist I believe. It's too easy to say I'm too tired and hope you'll feel up to it tomorrow. If I gave into that way of thinking I'd never produce any work. There was a time I put off creating. And then I started working in the health care field as an Activity Director. I realized one day that I could not wait until I had energy or had more time or retired to create. There are many things that can happen to us (our bodies and our minds) along this journey of life. I already feel the arthritis in my hands and have for several years. When I start to complain about the pain or even how much my feet hurt I think about the people I have served and what they had to over come each day just to eat or go to an activity and I push through it. My life may not be where I thought it would be or how I envisioned it. I am certainly not a famous artist or even known in my own hometown. But I am blessed. #art #owls #flowers #dragonfly #mixedmedia #jnicholsart #lifeofanartist   Check out my mixed media art work now at Silo until April 30th. For event details see the Exhibition page of my website or see events on https://www.facebook.com/JNicholsArt #mixedmediaart, #flowers, #supportlocalartists #jnicholsart  My life has been full of change and emotions for the past year and a half. I have not had the drive to create until recently. It is not uncommon for artists to create in cycles. Some of us are more consistently creative. I am one of those artists that create in cycles. Part of that is the responsibilities of life. I run out of time. I’m exhausted. It’s a struggle for balance. At times it’s a struggle for motivation like this past year and a half. But the chaos of this journey is starting to calm and my desire to create is reviving. It’s a beautiful thing to feel like ones self again. It couldn’t come at a better time. What I mean is that the work I am creating is different than the work I was creating a year and a half ago. I think it’s better. The Krispy Kreme project allowed me to push myself and explore some mixed media elements I had been hesitant to try. After the project I wanted to expand my selection of pieces and incorporate small pieces as well as the large pieces I had been focusing on.The larger pieces don’t move as fast and take longer to create. I want people who can’t afford a $300 or $400 piece to be able to enjoy my art. Let’s face it, all artists need to sell their work. I am no different. I’m running out of wall space and while compliments are welcome, they don’t pay the bills. It costs money to make art. And it costs money to store art. I read the books written by installation artist Judy Chicago when I was younger. She was writing to pay for the storage of her large installation pieces that she could not place permanently in a museum. Now I find I can totally relate. My work is getting older. It’s not meant to be carried from show to show. With every move there is more risk of damage. All I really want is for someone to be enjoying it in their home or office. My art may not be great. It may not appeal to everyone. But with each piece, I grow and the work improves. And to those who have invested in my work, I am grateful you are enjoying it every day.
#art #mixedmedia #lifeofanartist #jnicholsart Those days I can create most of the day make me feel rejuvenated. I wish every day could be like that. But then would it be the same? Probably not. I’m thankful for today.
#art #mixedmediaartist #lifeofanartist #jnicholsart  One week away! I’ve spent my day preparing. Hoping to have five new flowers done in time for the show.
#art #mixedmediaart #flowerslovers #jnicholsart Over the weekend I found myself walking down memory lane talking about how I became a mixed media artist. I went to college for ceramics. I still learned all I could from my father’s wood working experience. I enjoyed being exposed to new materials. My ceramics instructor talked about pottery as sculpture so I took every sculpture class I could. I was too far along to change my concentration when a close friend made the observation that I was not a potter. Oh I could throw a pot and the glazing fascinated me but she was right. Most of my ceramic sculpture did not survive the kiln. Sculpture and pottery often had to be fired together in the large gas kilns. A recipe for disaster. I began to feel confined by the material but was not allowed by my professors to explore materials until later. I learned to weld and cast, work in plaster and even took a painting class to better understand painting. In my final independent study class I moved from working very organically (influenced by my study of Eva Hesse and Louise Bourgeois) to rigid and geometric (influenced by my study of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mondrian). I finally chose to work in wood. From there I created a series of geometric sculptures all from wood with the inclusion of metal. But I was still drawn to the organic forms, despite my love of modern arts simplicity. The work of Louise Nevelson, Ruth Duckworth and of course Eva Hesse called to me. And I realized I had been struggling with once again feeling confined to one material and one style. It was then I knew I had to allow myself to utilize my experience using various materials and combine them. To allow myself to explore the work through what is called mixed media. Sometimes I see an object and visualize what I can create with it and sometimes I choose certain materials to create a work already in my mind. It has opened up my world as an artist.
#art #mixedmediaart #lifeofanartist #jnicholsart |
Welcome!
I'm Jennifer Nichols, a mixed media artist from North Carolina. I enjoy capturing the essence of nature through a variety of materials. I incorporate found objects such as strainers and bottle caps into my work. I am drawn to these items but it is also important to me to do my part to protect our environment by keeping things out of the land fill. Archives
January 2018
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