Natures Whimsy

Over the past few years I have started several painting series about my love for nature.  Paintings that are filled with whimsical scenes of wildlife from birds to animals. The paintings depict how I imagine the world.  

Growing up in Michigan we were taught to look closely at nature and to respect it. We were taught to go beyond the glance...really look closer. The color of the ground, rock, bark, flowers always take me by surprise. The detail, texture of each unique item captivates me.

I create details in my paintings that are whimsical and with a humorous flair.  A chipmunk sitting inside his "Chipmunk Condo". Animals gathering to have a conversation..with human personalities.  My imagination goes wild when I am hiking and looking for new inspirations.

Chipmunk Condo..Click on Jennifer Lake Art 

I know it was sparked by the way I was raised and am so grateful for that.

You can find me looking into holes of trees and wondering who lives there. Sitting next to a stream and taking notes and making sketches. I do take the time to study the plant life and the environment.

Observing birds and how they interact with one another.

When I was a little girl there were two children's books that I truly adored. One was called "Tommy's Camping Adventure" (should have been called "Jennifer's Camping Adventures)"by Gladys Saxon. The other called "Take Me Home" by Dare Wright. Fabulous Children's books about life in the great outdoors! The first book is self explanatory. "Take Me Home" is about a doll that gets lost in the wilderness and attempts to find her way back home. She befriends an old crow that takes charge and guides her home.  Fantastic black and white photography of this little doll lost in the wilderness.

So the next time you go on a walk through your local park or a hike into the wilderness, take a little extra time to look inside a hole of a tree, look up, look down. Sit next to a stream and observe what is living inside that tall grass and let your imagination run away with you.

Climb inside an old stump. Look under the log to find lizards and cool bugs with bright green backs....show your kids a whole new world! 

One of the most wonderful games I was taught by my Grandfather George was crab apple baseball. You attached the crab apple to a stick and pitched it as far as you could and then ran to first base. In later years my son and I played pine cone baseball when we would take hikes. We are so blessed in America to have such beautiful places to visit and explore. Have a little fun the next time your hiking and see an entire new "World".

Click on Jennifer Lake Art to see more!

My son Easton learning about Nature!

ME...Exploring for a NEW painting!:)

  

"Robin" Lost in the Wilderness

                                         "Special Gift"

My BLOG is growing each day and I am having a ball building all the stores!  I have followers from all over the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan.  The BLOG is only two weeks old so I am 

VERY EXCITED.

The most popular store this week was the "Jenny Wren Holiday" store! Has the season already started?

 I love the new lace products in the "Jennifer Lake Art Store".

 The fabric samples were supposed to have arrived by now but are on back order.  Once I receive the proofs the shop will be up and running.  Several of you have emailed. I will let you know right away when they arrive. I cannot wait to order my own fabric.  I have several projects planned.

So let's have some fun to CELEBRATE the first two weeks.  For those of you that share my blog with five friends I will send you personally a "Special Gift"!  You can SHARE through this BLOG or on

 FACE BOOK!

For more SHARES you will receive an extra BONUS Gift!

Have a WONDERFUL Week!

And Join MY BLOG!

Thank-you!

Your Artist Friend,

Jennifer Lake

E-mail the Share through Face Book or my BLOG!

                                    Living a Creative Life

Last weekend I was playing with my neighbors granddaughters.  We spent the afternoon creating chalk pictures on the sidewalk.  The girls had just watched the movie "Mary Poppins".  I drew them a beach landscape.  Holding their Dads hands they jumped into the picture just like in the movie. The girls colored for hours and were covered head to toe in chalk! Poor Grandma!

 When I went home it dawned on me....I could not remember the last time I watched kids play with chalk. I thought about my childhood and my sons. My parents were and are so creative that they created a world that taught you to use your imagination and use it always.  Our imaginations blossomed.  All my siblings are all talented and live very creative lives with their children.

Summers were spent creating carnivals, arts, crafts, building forts and exploring nature. The photo is of my sister Melissa and I preparing food for the neighborhood carnival. 

 My brother Mike ran the "Go Fish" booth.

 I thanked my parents many times for opening a world of endless exploration.

        My son and I spent hours creating art, building forts, beach houses, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.  I am sure like my childhood it contributed to his success today as an Executive Chef. What a joy it is to watch him today use his incredible imagination.

I have always loved this statement by Joseph Zinker
 (painter, sculptor and poet).
   "Creativity is a celebration of one's grandeur, one's sense of making anything possible.Creativity is a celebration of life.  It is a bold statement: I am here! I love life! I love me! I can be anything! I can do anything!
If you are wanting to add more creativity to your life I recommend the book titled "The Creative Artist" by Nita Leland. For children the book "Fun at Home" by Dian Thomas is filled with fun ideas for children!

Creativity starts at home....Start with chalk.....your sidewalk is a great canvas!

Go CREATE! Have a wonderful Weekend!

"The Celebration of the Summer Tomato"

I cannot believe that the end of summer is nearing! What a wonderful summer I have had.  The summer was filled with family and friend visits, hiking, boating, and most of all "Great Food"!! The end of summer at my house is all about "Tomatoes". I raise them on my front porch and can never seem to have enough. The next few weeks tomatoes will be on the table daily.

I even made my tablescape reflect the "Tomato Celebration".

My friend Anna had left over "Tomato/Garden" fabric. She gave me what was left so I made this table runner.  I cut out the images and secured the edges, and stitched crazy stitches all over them.  The stripe fabric came from an old apron.  I love to recycle shirts, sweaters, tablecloths into something new.

I picked fresh herbs from my herb garden and placed them in small glasses with bright red geranium blossoms. I filled an antique glass bowl with herbs and filled it with tomatoes! 

Many of you know I have an obsession with miniature toys. I love using them throughout the tablescapes.  Guests love to play with them and always smile when they see them.

I hope your tomatoes are ripening well. Tomato Season always reminds me of my parents large garden.  The kitchen was like a tomato factory the entire month of August.  They put up hundreds of jars of stewed tomatoes, whole tomatoes and soup. 

Garrison Keillor wrote in his book titled "Lake Wobegon Days" a great short story about his experience as a child in the tomato garden.  It is hilarious and is on page 135. I am sure you will get a big chuckle. 

Have a wonderful Tomato Season and Enjoy those Tomatoes!

The Sculpting World Begins

I have known many Artists over my 30 year art career, but few have surprised me more than Artist Gary Cooley.

Gary and Karen Cooley opened their wonderful gallery in Sisters, Oregon this year. Gary was named "Artist of the Year" by "Safari Club International". Cooley presents art work that ranges from realistic to abstract, life-size to tabletop. Just beautiful bronze sculptures and paintings.

I asked Gary one day if he ever teaches classes and he responded that someday he might teach.  So I signed up on this piece of paper I found in the gallery.  Week after week went by and I would ask him when the class was going to be.  I am sure I became a little annoying but I have always wanted to learn. 

One day out of the blue Gary called me and said that I needed to stop by their art gallery. Within a few days I went to the gallery and Gary said he had something for me.

Sitting on his studio table was an armature that he made for ME!! I about died!

He handed me a pile of clay and said OK.."GO SCULPT"! I said "Don't I get a lesson?" Gary responded with a sound "NO". Then he said "You can do it...Go make that "Ms. Elizabeth Chipmunk"! 

I stood in my studio the next day staring at the pile of clay. I am so excited to start a NEW journey in my Art Career. A little nervous but I reminded myself that it is just clay. 

So...I will keep you posted on the progress of "Ms. Elizabeth" my well known chipmunk!

The next time your in Sisters visit Gary and Karen at the "Gary Cooley Collection Gallery" at 353 Hood Street. I also highly recommend their website: www.garycooley.com.

Thank-you Gary for opening a NEW door for ME! 

                                   Heat and Food

     The "HEAT" arrived in Central Oregon the second week of July and simply has not departed!  For someone like me that loves to cook, you long for that one "Thunderstorm" that arrives in the middle of summer and cools everything off. When that happens the next day I just want to be in my kitchen cooking!

I learned to cook from both of my parents. My father taught a 4-H "Bread Baking Class" when I was growing up and my Mother taught us "Food Preparation". 

Flash forward to today....I treat my kitchen just like my art studio. I pay close attention to the combination of colors and the details of the food. I try and select food that interrelates with one another both with color and texture, similar to paint on a canvas. I experiment with a variety of herbs I grow and collect. I follow recipes to a point but quickly  find myself redesigning the recipe. The years with my parents direction taught me to experiment.

I was so thrilled when the "Thunderstorm" finally arrived! I pulled out one of my favorite cookbooks titled "Cooking Under Wraps" by Nicole Routhier. I find the concept of wrapped foods and the history behind them fascinating. Cooking foods wrapped in leaves,phyllo,puff pastry,short-dough, pasta and other vegetable products is one of the most ancient styles of food preparation. 

I chose the category of short-dough recipes.

        The many combinations of foods using short-dough crusts is endless. A short dough is an uncomplicated easily prepared dough that is sturdy enough to stand up to any filling.

   

 I chose the "Chicken Pot Pie with Herbed Crust" recipe. Yes,I have cooked Pot Pies many times,however not with so many   procedures. It takes almost three hours to cook and bake. I was   shocked with the amount of thyme needed for the recipe 4   tablespoons!  I thought it would over power the dish.  I was wrong! The "Pie" turned out to be wonderful and I even learned a few new things. Most of all my wonderful friends came over for dinner and shared my "Pie"!

 A Great Day in the Kitchen, Great Friends and Great Wine.

 What more do you need?

Just possibly....another "Thunderstorm"!

If you are interested in the recipe e-mail me with your address and I will send you a copy. It is three pages long!

                                                                                   

Tis ~ The Season!!

WOW!  Once again it's ORNAMENT SEASON!

Every year I start in August taking orders and painting "Ornaments" for clients. I complete an average of 100 a year.  Some of the same families have ordered year after year. The images of the ornaments vary from Snowmen to the Family Dog.  Each client requests what they would like painted....and they can really use their imagination!
The most frequently ordered are Home Portraits, the Family Dog, Birds, Snowmen, Santa, and a variety ofAnimals.  
The round glass Ornaments measure 5" round and come with the Iron Twig Stand.
Hand Signed $150.00

More Ornaments!!
"Acorn Ornaments" ~ 9" Long ~ Resin ~ Hand Painted and Signed $75.00

"Chickadee ~ Cardinal ~Hummingbird"
                                                                     Hand-Carved by my Father ~ William Lake

                                                                         Hand Painted by ME! $30.00

" Dog Ornaments "
Hand- carved by my Father ~ William Lake
Hand Painted by ME! $30.00

     

      BLOG SPECIAL 20% off!!!

 ORDER by August 10th!

 jenniferlakeart@gmail.com