Hello Friends!

Over the last few years, so many of you have admired my hand painted rain barrels so I wanted to offer you the chance to own one for a super hot price!!!  Read on if you’d like an awesome deal on these one of a kind barrels.

Although my rain barrels have been extremely popular these last few seasons – earning me some great press and admiration in addition to being a hot seller – I have decided to discontinue this product.  There are various factors leading to my decision and I’ll be brief in my explanation so as not to bore you with the details.  With gas price continuing to rise, it costs me more and more each year to obtain these barrels.  The type of barrel that is perfect  for shipping is difficult to get in the quantity I want.  I simply don’t have the space at my home studio to store these barrels in large quantities.  The barrels I can get locally are more expensive and way too heavy for me to ship to customers at a reasonable rate.  And finally, the type of polyurethane that I use to protect these from the elements is no longer available in the state of Maryland.  All the signs are leading me to believe that it is time to focus more on my other products.

But not without first selling off my inventory!  I have three barrels in stock that are beautiful and ready to go.  The photos here are the ctual barrels that I have now.  They are way to heavy to ship but are available for pickup.  I will even deliver these, within reason.  And the amazing price??? 

Only $125 (regularly $210)

So if you haven’t bought your mom a gift yet and she loves gardening or “being green” this could be just what you’re looking for.  Or maybe your children or significant other haven’t bought a gift for you yet and you can drop a real obvious hint.

I have three left – this price is good until the barrels are gone.

Happy Mother’s Day, I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Jodi

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Several years ago, my husband gifted me a book called “101 Things to do Before you Die”.  I’m not really sure why he bought me this book, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.  It probably had something to do with me whining about wanting greater meaning in my life or more adventure or something of that nature.

I read the whole book.  And I don’t recall most of it.  The one the stuck with was ….”Clean another person’s toilet”.  C’mon, REALLY????  I’m certain that many a person before me have led a completely fulfilling and happy lives without ever checking this one off their list.  I mean, why on earth?  What can you possibly gain from this?  Well, I’ll tell you.  Humility.  That was what the author hoped that someone would gain from cleaning another’s toilet.  Weird, right?  Surely there’s a better way.

Well I wasn’t thinking too much about the book when I took a Pastel Portrait class at Maryland Hall, but I was reminded of it.  The fact is, I haven’t touched my oil pastels in about 20 years.  And I have never taken a portrait class at all, nor have I ever attempted to draw or paint someone’s likeness.  I do have a few figure drawing classes under my belt, but portraiture was something new.  Well, of course that’s the point, right?  – to learn something new!

But it’s hard!  Putting yourself out there to learn something totally new, something you feel inept at, and in a public setting?  If you’ve done it, you know it can be a humbling experience.  And if you’ve never taken an art class, you might not realize how much “putting yourself out there” is actually involved. Your easel is set up in the middle of the room for everyone to see.  Every tentative, experimental stroke is visible before you’ve decided if it’s good enough.  And if that’s not bad enough, there are the periodic  in-progress critiques.  Your unfinished work is held up for review, open to comparison, critique and judgement – by yourself and others.  Of course the models are there too, looking at your work and being insulted (this is how I imagine it) if you didn’t create a flattering likeness.

I had forgotten how intimidating it could be.  And I thought “This is something everyone should do before they die”.   What a great experience to be that vulnerable.  With that comes learning and growth and I’m so grateful for that class.  If I were going to write a book called “101 Things To Do Before You Die”  – not only would I be sued for copyright infringement because that title has clearly been taken – ,  I would include “Take an art class”.

Here you go, I am holding up my portraits for your judgement and critique. Go easy on me – keep in mind I had to miss 2 of the 6 sessions – that’s why one girl has no eyes, I missed the day where we learned how to do the eyes.  I think my first attempts at portraiture were not too bad and I hope take lots more classes!

Bye for now!

Jodi

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