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Jessica Oden

"Travelers" 2009

The act of creating provides for me an avenue to explore ideas, people, and especially faith in a context that fosters both mystery and also connection to the subjects. I like to focus on moments - making them more beautiful, more heart-breaking, and more emotionally charged while retaining a certain degree of simplicity. My ideas and projects are usually inspired from photographs I find, then begin to form connections with things I find in literature, religion, or even things I wonder about my self. By the end, my paintings are still mysterious to me and continue to make me think about the very things that inspired them.

To learn more about me or for contact information, please visit my profile page.

“onely add
Deeds to thy knowledge answerable, add Faith,
Add vertue, Patience, Temperance, add Love,
By name to come call'd Charitie, the soul
Of all the rest: then wilt thou not be loath
To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess
A Paradise within thee, happier farr” (Paradise Lost Book 12: 581-587)

Current Mood: cheerful

A few months ago, I was interviewed by my friend Christina for the Ascribing Artists blog. I actually had the opportunity to display some of my work at a recent show they did! It was wonderful getting to meet other artists and also see their work. I'm very thankful for the opportunity!

This is my most recent painting - the first thing I have done since school ended over a month ago. I've been working on it over the past few weeks. Actually, I've been letting it dry for the past few weeks. At least that's how it feels. It's actually an older painting that I painted over. I should have thought to take a picture of it before I painted over it, but that can't be helped anymore. Instead of using the same mixing medium that I usually turn to, I used Linseed Stand Oil to try and create a similar transparency found in my other paintings. I think I'm going to try and do more work with the Linseed Oil, because I love the richness!

"One Flesh" 2010

On an unrelated note, it snowed nine inches in Alabama. I shoveled snow for the first time ever this morning and made a snowman. It doesn't look like much will be changing over the next few days, so I may create a snow family!

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” -Neil Gaiman

I love this quote. It was posted on Facebook, and I think it's a beautiful outlook for 2011.

I've been trying to stay involved in my work, even if that means a short sketch every few days. I've only done a couple of drawings, along with beginning a painting. These sketches have taken very little time, but I already feel they are important and will help me develop better technical skills in my artwork. I haven't been too bothered by being super realistic in my work recently; however, I still wish to train my eye to pick up subtle details. These quick sketches have been helpful.

Here is my first sketch of the Little Mermaid statue:

Second sketch:

otium sine litteris mors est.

Recent Entries

otium sine litteris mors est.

ascribing artists: all his colors

"one flesh"

happy new year.

sketches.

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