New Year Creations

Jsjcreations.com

Two images created on New Years Eve.  Each one stunning, each one poignantly abstract.

I guess I could have named the top image *Infinity* as the pattern goes on and on and on!  There is something intriguing about having your eye drawn into the middle of an image.  It makes you wonder if there is something there that the eye will never see, or maybe the picture stops where it began?  Hmm.....very intriguing and just a little mystifying!

Sometimes it`s fun to steer the viewers` eye and mind in a direction you would like them to follow.  I suppose in retrospect, it could limit the image`s appeal somewhat, but there are some images that give me such a strong sense of what I want them to say and mean to the viewer, I feel they can only be enhanced by adding text to drive home the true intentional meaning of the image.

I see the darkness of the above image symbolising a cave-like dwelling and with the introduction of the deep red colour, something rather sinister.  The way the eye is led into the bottom right corner where the repeated pattern appears to end is in huge contrast to the smaller text.  An enigmatic image, indeed! 

Painting of Peacefulness

Jsjcreations.com

Original picture was created using chalks on paper. 

Photograph

Jsjcreations.com

Life moves on, and this photograph depicts it beautifully.  On the left of the photo my youngest grand-daughter reaches up to touch a photograph of my youngest son in his hospital crib at one day old.  The bigger hand on the right-hand side of the photo is the same son - who is now eleven years old. 

My favourite type of artwork as it shows life as it really is; poignant, emotional and yet genuinely honest.

My Art at Christmas 2010

Jsjcreations.com

This picture sums up Xmas 2010 for me and my family.

A Xmas Card design

Our new puppy Hadley gave a perfect, personal touch to a Christmas card design.

One of my all-time favourite photographs of my beloved grand-daughter Eden sent as a card to my son.

I love this technique using colour splash.



Xmas round the corner!

Christmas round the corner

Money getting tight

Children wait with bated breath

Hopes high for their delight.

Parents counting pennies

Santa`s on his way

apparently with tons of toys

upon his festive sleigh.

Stores crammed full of ideas

tempting all to buy

things that no-one really wants

but we don`t question why.

For it is nearly Christmas

the time of love and joy

Christmas Pud and mistletoe

in abundance to enjoy.

So put away your worries

just paper over cracks

soon we`ll be full of happiness

and mostly on our backs.

Our smiles will reach a million hearts

each and every day

for it`s very nearly Christmas

Our treasured, special day.

With the festive season knocking on our doors, I have been busy designing cards on the wonderful site www.zazzle.co.uk/jsg_creations

Most of the greetings cards are left blank making it possible for buyers to add their own personal message.

As with all my artwork, all designs are  uniquely colourful and striking.  My zazzle page is updated and added to on a regular basis, so if you don`t see something you like first visit, pop back again!

Jsjcreations.com

New Art - 2010

Just love these paintings for their colour and vibrancy.  I painted them using water based-paints on paper.  Wanting the tail of the bird to be as red as red could be, I layered colour upon colour, sometimes leaving the paint to dry for several days to ensure depth and variety.  Perched on her perch, I like to imagine my magnificent bird surrounded by peace and tranquility.

The opulence of the red bed of poppies draws the eye to the centre of the painting.  This image was an experiment in producing a perspective image.  The lines of hedges and different shades of green in the background once again draw the eye to the centre of the painting.

Both paintings can be bought as prints by contacting me at jsgcreations@aol.com

More art can be seen at: http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/jan+steadman-jackson/all

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Jsjcreations.com - Jsgcreations@aol.com

Will I ever look in the mirror

 and like what I see?

not just the person I`ve turned out to be

I can`t see the youthfulness, fun and desire

the passion

the hope

the love

and the fire!

Where has the spark gone that burned deep within?

The trust and the faithfulness,

the striving to win

The need to be greater

triumphant and strong

fearless,

exciting,

Where has it all gone?

Sad eyes ask  questions

but nothing is told

I fear I am past it - just getting old!
With nothing to show

apart from my rhyme

a lifetime

 of weakness

regret,

wasted time!

Work in Progress - Mirror Decoupage

Jsjcreations.com

Summer Project

Update:
Still lots to do, but at last it is taking shape.

A mirror which I am painstakingly decorating with the help of my eleven year old son.

So far we have used various paper, tissue paper, fabric, cotton wool and other embellishments .  I plan to add more fabric to produce and create different textures in the design.

The mirror was originally blue in colour as some of these pictures show. My aim is to cover it completely using various paper and material resources.

After the Sun

Jsjcreations.com

More art can be seen at:  http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/jan+steadman-jackson/all

After the sun
came the rain!

and then everything was perfect!

The rain thankfully stopped long enough for me to capture these stunning close range shots of a few blooms in my treasured garden. My main objective was to picture the raindrops on the leaves and petals of the flowers. 

I hope I have done justice to the beauty of nature by transforming the photographs into mixed media images.  The delicacy of the subject may be jeopordized in the resulting image but the overall picture still remains stunning in my minds` eye.

Colour Variations

Jsjcreations.com

Floral compositions have always been some of my favourites.  I adore flowers and attempting to make them appear even more beautiful than nature intended has become a passion of mine.  The original source of this poster is a photograph of a common plant in my garden.  Nothing particularly stunning or indeed striking about the plant except for its pretty light blue delicate flowers.  Implementing several digital art effects whilst focusing on colour variations, the completed mixed media image has become a firm favourite with me. 

Variation in colour and composition combined can produce a striking effect in the overall vibrancy of the resulting image, as long as there is a common thread running through the collage, which is usually taken from a palette of four or five colours.

http://art-walk.ning.com/profile/JanSteadman

Finding a Focus

Jsjcreations.com

When looking for a focus to work with on a collage, I want something to stimulate me, something to use as a foundation for the image I want to produce.

Sometimes I use a photograph, other times I use my art that I have previously photographed. Each section must have an obvious focal point that will draw the viewers` eye into the picture. This will act as a stimulus and I can then work on creating fluency throughout the composition.

A face is an obvious focal point.

But other subjects can be just as effective when designing collages.

My Photostream on Flickr

Jsjcreations.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsgcreations

To see more of my art please click on the above link.  You are welcome to view my stunning artwork in one place thanks to the ingenious and wonderful showcase site that is Flickr.com. 

If you wish to purchase any prints please contact me jsgcreations@aol.com

Speechless

"Speechless, Speechless - that`s how you make me feel.

When I`m with you I am lost for words

Nothing is for real - Speechless!"

Jsjcreations.com

Water Cat

Jsjcreations.com
More art can be seen at:  http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/jan+steadman-jackson/all

Who said cats don`t like water!!

The Art of Football

2010 is another World Cup Football year - a perfect reason and stimulus to create an art collection to commemorate a wonderful international competition. Colourful strips will be worn by many teams representing their country in the beautiful game.  

Stadiums will be an array of colour, producing a magical spectrum; a spectacular cocophony of activity,  noise and skill.  One cannot imagine a football game without the importance of colour.  Colour is used to depict and demonstrate a supporters` choice of team.  It is also used to distinguish authority on and off the pitch.  Each team of match officials will wear the same choice of one colour so that others can recognise them.  Gone are the days when they all wear black.  Goalies appear in many different colours too, no longer forced to wear one specific colour.  Football kits are as effervescent as the skills the players that wear them  perform in front of  roaring, cheering crowds.

I have always loved the game of football and am delighted my youngest son shares my enjoyment of the game.  I drew a set of pictures for his bedroom walls and decided not to colour them in specific team colours in case he changed his allegience to a different team, as so many youngsters tend to do.

After photographing the pencilled drawings, I had the original prints enlarged and then framed.  They are an attractive alternative to magazine photographs and will last a considerably longer time.

Jsjcreations.com

Colours Collection

Jsjcreations.com

I am fortunate enough to have several pieces by the great artist Kandinsky in my home.  Each time I look at them, I am inspired.  Such simplistic geometrical shapes, yet when you look deeper into the picture there is so much more to see.  I find myself asking why he put that there and what significance it had in that position. 
I love the colour combinations he uses and study the fluidity of the pieces he creates so beautifully.

Kandinsky pieces both intrigue and inspire me.  I find their energy and vitality fascinating and decided to paint something in the artist`s style.

I wonder if he had an idea in his head of the finished picture before painting or whether he drew an initial shape and allowed the image to create itself......

and was there any significance in the shapes themselves - were they synonymous or representational  of anything or just random shapes?

A Kandinsky inspired painting on canvas has provided this colourful print.  I was looking towards using geometric shapes, straight lines and boxes to produce an abstract image.

I then added my trademark leaves which I thought worked well with the overall impression I wanted to achieve.

Lastly I incorporated text to give a modern and diverse dimension to the overall image.