chessmen series in progress

Can you think of a good title for a series of chessmen that includes a rook, knoght, bishop, and pawn? I dunno..."Support Staff"? I'm trying to go for a red glass look. I usually work from life, but I can't find red glass chessmen, and I felt compelled. I had to study the way light falls on tinted glass and then imagine my chess-pieces made of that. I'm a few days from completing the set of four. The other three are about as far along as this one. My original purpose for the border was to make it look like the chessmen were in shadow boxes, or that the images were framed. I haven't decided which way to go but keep watching.

Please be sure and email me if you'd like to be entered in the painting giveaway drawing at right.

You may contact me at jandale@jandalefineart.com or call 313-581-1342

Rescued

This is a little deviation from my usual fare, but I really have been wanting to share this for some time. I found this old rocking chair sitting out on the curb on trash day and rescued it. Then I stripped it down through six different colored layers of paint to the bare wood and gave it a new life. Now it sits proudly in my livingroom-studio and seems to be the first place visitors want to sit. Do you get the idea that I like checked patterns?

Now here's a close-up of the flowers I painted on the seat. I love turning trash into treasure!
P.S. Look to your right and enter this month's Giveaway!

"Family Night" Finished

12 x 12" oil on masonite panel

Donated to Mrs. Simoni's 4th Grade class.

Here it is. Now I need to find some chessmen to go with it. Leave a comment or ask a question. I love dialogue.

"Family Night" almost finished detail

oil on masonite panel 12 x 12"

Here's a closer look at the chess pieces as I am modeling them. I can't wait til it is dry enough to play on; about two weeks. Perhaps I'll find some unwitting soul to play chess with on it. Perhaps I'll sell it. If you think you might be interested in having it when it is finished, let me know. Just leave a comment here at the bottom where it says..well..'comment'. Watch tomorrow. I'll unveil the finished chess board sometime in the afternoon.

"Family Night" 12 x 12" oil in progress

Chess is one of those games that a person either really loves or really doesn't. I love Chess. I love watching other people play it. I love the idea of it even though I'm no good at it. My brother George ruined it forever for me when at the age of 10 he beat the ever-living socks off me six times in rapid succession. When I became a foster mom I thought, 'ahah! now I might just have a shot..' But beating a five year old just doesn't quite carry the thrill of victory...especially when you authored their agony of defeat. And even that was short lived. By the time Damean was seven, he had learned the game...which again led to my utter demise.
I decided to make fun of Chess in this Trompe L'Oeil chess board. I only scanned a portion of it because I'm not finished. When it is done and several coats of protective varnish have been applied, it will be an actual functioning chess board.

Notice that there are three figures. The King and Queen are lying down pell-mell and the little pawn is still standing...which is exactly what used to happen by the end of our own family nights. Of course, no game night is complete without coconut macaroons and coffee.

Candle in a Jar 6 X 6" oil

$85

I love thunderstorms! When I was setting up this stillife, a storm began whipping up outside. Short blackouts are common in my neck of the woods so I lit the candle in anticipation. I loved the glow of the candle on the wood table surface. This piece was completed last summer.

I don't know why, but I imagine opening the little box and smelling my Dad's aftershave. When I was 5 years old I used to watch him shave. I hoped secretly that he'd wait til I was grown and marry me. Watching my spouse shave the other day, just between you and me, I'm pretty glad that little girls do not marry their daddies.

Laynie: (almost finished) 8 x 10" oil on hard panel

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a message from Laynie........
"Happy Fathers' Day Dad! The painting is for you."

Ken Brown is my pastor. I cannot count the number of times both he and his wife Kim have helped me gain perspective when I was stressed out. Their daughters Laynie and Anna are delightful young ladies who grow sweeter by the minute. I love this family! Preachers' kids get alot of bad press these days and I'd like to use today, Fathers' Day 2008, to set that record straight. I see a calm and loving interaction between Ken and his children. These two girls are nearly always smiling. We notice things like that.

Happy Fathers' Day Ken!

Memorial Day

oil on canvas 3" x 15"

SOLD
***** I use my scanner to get images my smaller works. At 3x15" this painting was too wide to fit, so I had to scan it twice. If you know how to splice the two images together so that they will upload as one image, I would appreciate your input.

Every year on Memorial Day, the Willow Run Airfield hosts an air show. The flight path runs straight over my neighborhood.
It’s a real treat to watch from the second story balcony as planes from each era in aviation remind us that freedom has a price. My father, my spouse, and five of my ten brothers and sisters have served in the military.

My brother Ira, a veteran of the Vietnam conflict, is an avid storyteller. He held the family mesmerized as he told how he heard the high pitched whistle of a bomb while he was shaving. He ran out of his tent clad only in his undershorts and his watch. When he went back to look, there was a large crater where his tent had been. I guess you could say that was a close shave.

The spires you see at left are from Fordson High School just two blocks away. An historical landmark in itself, Fordson High is a massive and
breathtakingly beautiful structure.

"Peppermint Oil" 2x3" oil miniature

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SOLD
At no time in the 26 year history of my marriage have we ever been without a bottle of peppermint oil. I use it in my coffee, desserts, and sometimes in my homemade lemon/mint salad dressing (when fresh mint leaves are unbearably pricey). If you want the recipe, I'd be happy to share it via email.

This view shows the painting under diffused indoor light.