I'm regressing | How About Orange

June 23, 2008

I'm regressing

My mom sent photos she took of old artwork hanging in her house. I did these in high school.

Here's one from college. And these days I draw like this: I've reverted back to elementary school! So funny!

47 comments:

artwords said...

no, no. not regressing. refining.

when i was in art school, it was drilled into me that you had to learn the realistic before you could do nonobjective Well. you had to understand line and form before you could begin to manipulate it.

so see? you're PROgressing.

Grandma G said...

And you didn't even have a computer to help you with those! ;-)

Wow... all the hours and hours that went into those! And worth every second of them! And they're going to STAY on OUR walls. :-)

Love you,
Mum

P.S. Are you going to show the rest? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Those are amazing! Admittedly, I've been reading your blog for about a year now, and had no idea of the extent of your talent. I love your modern graphics, but to see your past artwork has stunned me. Please post the rest!

Anonymous said...

wow! i thought at first that the the windmill and the deer were photographs!

Michelle Engel Bencsko said...

This is a pretty amazing start to a brilliant career! Thanks for sharing your beginnings. It's amazing the twists and turns creative people can make.

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I am from Singapore and I really fell in love with your blogs esp on the tutorials. I recently became an aunt to a 3 mth old niece and I intend to make her the birdie mobile. I can't use a sewing machine so will have to sew by hand. I was already amazed by yr talent but am now blown away by your early works. Exactly like what the others said, I thought the windmill and deer were photographs.! thks for sharing your talent with us.

janine de waal said...

Wow these are all so nice - but my favourite is the wind mill! beautiful!

Anonymous said...

I love seeing bloggers art work. More please. Great blog!

Sew Create It - Jane said...

WOW - those are amazing...you are one talented lady :o)

TranquilityKnots said...

You are so talented. I really thought the windmill and the dear are photographs. Love your modern works, didn't know you have such solid foundation! Great job! It makes me want to pick up my old brushes again. Thanks for sharing them with us. And could you please post the rest of them?

UK lass in US said...

That windmill is beautiful.

I was just thinking the other day about how I used to draw all the time, but these days I usually just do line drawings. I want to draw my kids, but I'm wondering if I still have the ability!

Trish said...

Pablo Picaso said it took him a lifetime to learn how to draw like a child... so I you've reached enlightenment in the art world. I like your work and how you write and the things you share. Thanks!

Hanna Otero said...

I think they are all impressive and absolutely lovely. It takes talent to make design seem so "simple."

Jan said...

I love the windmill, too bad your Mom won't part with it. We all change, and change is good, but it's good to remember where we've been and how we got there. Great post.

courtney said...

agreed w/ the general consensus! I've enjoyed your work for a while, and I love seeing another style of yours. it almost seems like another talent all together... does that make sense?
anyhoo, great job!

Janet said...

soooo talented, now let's see the rest. :)

Kim U said...

Is that bottom drawing Matsumoto-jo? Great drawings!

debbiec said...

wow! you are really talented! i thought they were photos at first!

Kathi D said...

Wow, good stuff!

That's the difference between "just doodling" art and Real Art that looks like "just doodling." The solid background.

Me? Just a doodler who admires real artists.

l.m. glam said...

Wow. I completely thought those first 2 were photographs.

Anonymous said...

Wow - I thought that picture of the Windmill and Deer were "real". You are very, very good.

Pintoo said...

I thought the first two were photos. So real. I would say you have grown to next level in your drawing skills..

Anonymous said...

your pagoda art reminds me of Amy Rice,
who is fantastic:

http://www.amyrice.com/

Liz in Kansas said...

Wow! You did great work. You still do, of course, it's just different. Besides, you get paid for it now - does that sound like regression?

Marla Taviano said...

Okay, wow.

Jessica Jones said...

Hmm, I will say that getting a little money is better than getting no money. You're right. :)

Kim U, you're right, too!

Mum, I think that's all I'll post. It was just a little peek into the past. Moving on!

Marcie said...

Wow, the painting of the windmill is fantastic! Coming from an art teacher... good work!
I agree with the comment Holly made. Just like Pollock and Picasso, they could draw very well before they were so well known for their abstracted paintings!

Judy said...

Hi J.

Something fun out here is The Friday Archives with Loobylu. It's where we show our past creations - you know - and you could join. It's free. Encouraged others too. We all have a past, and that's good!

alice said...

i just stumbled upon your blog and i love the fabrics and colors and prints and patterns. you're so talented too! great artwork then, and now.

zobars said...

WOW Jess , you are quite the artiste...I am very happy to see these and actually thought that they were photos. Can't wait to see more.

Anonymous said...

Holy cow, are you talented! I also started out in painting/drawing, but I haven't been able to break away into a more loose or even graphic style-- I believe it's a mark of true talent, to make something seemingly "simple" look good. It's not as easy as most people think. But you don't need me to tell you that :)

Missie Krissie said...

Gee, they are fantastic drawings! I also thought they were photos! If I were you, I'd think about getting prints done of them to sell, I would certainly buy the windmill, that is brilliant. We have no deer in Australia, but we have plenty of windmills!

tula said...

just proves you can do it all!!

Alfred T. Mahan said...

Oh, no you don't! Your public demands more of your "old" artwork! If Rembrandt and Monet and *shudders in ill-concealed horror* that Picasso person can have their older works sell for large sums of money, I see no reason why your near-photographic quality works cannot do the same.

We're jonesing for Joneses!

:]

FancyPants-design said...

WOW!! I thought they were photographs until I looked really closely!! Great work!! Not regressing though .. you have just developed a different style.. and progressing.. think about how Picasso started HA..

all over the map said...

Those are awesome. Curious, what mediums did you use in the first two? That deer does have a very real photo quality to it.
It is interesting to see a different side of your artistic abilities.
I think it's great your mum has them hanging in her home. Special.

Anonymous said...

wow! such talent- i adore the soft shading method you used the the deer. It lends itself to appearing soft and furry, which is great for an animal portrait as opposed to.. um, hard and spiky?

p.s.- i adore your curtains in the picture in the upper right corner of your blog. They let so much light in!

Anonymous said...

i used to be more of a fine artist in high school too, now i love graphic design and it's refreshing to hear someone with my philosophy. my skimpy sketchbook is filled with short notes and very rough sketches just to capture the idea- like you said.
it is kind of funny how this has evolved in my life, but now i refine things on the computer, so i guess it's just a different medium than pencil and ink :]

Anonymous said...

These photos of your high school and college artwork are stunning! They are priceless, original, and just plain beautiful. I see you in a whole different light now -- a real artist, vs. someone who just learned how to do computer graphics (really well, of course!). Ann in IL

Rachael Hutchings said...

The last is my favorite since I just visited that very castle a week and a half ago! (http://lafujimama.blogspot.com/2008/06/cram-time.html)

Jessica Jones said...

The windmill is a watercolor, the deer is done with pastels, and the castle is ink and watercolor.

It's fun to hear from other people who used to draw very detailed, realistic artwork and now just do simple sketches. Or none at all. I've always felt slightly guilty about this, actually. Like I'm doing it wrong now and going against what they tell you in design school: sketch, sketch, sketch!

Elle R. said...

*delurking*
Hehe, that's so sweet. It did make me giggle to click through to the page with your leaf drawing. Seriously though, how rare is it these days to find a person with design sense *and* technical skills? You're something else. :)

Melody said...

All I can say is wow! I love your old art work. I also thought the first two were photos. Your work different now but still good. I think with practice you could revive your old style if that's what you want.

hungry little bird said...

These are incredible. Do you think you'll ever go back to doing this type of artwork in the future? I hope you show more in a future post.

Jessica Jones said...

Hmm, I don't think I'll go back to doing that. I've moved on. And lost interest. But who knows?

Pedro A. BrĂȘtas said...

OH....Very cool...
Funny! I draw the same Japanese castle! Take a look! =)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sHDeiLAHJHs/SLM_71ZezOI/AAAAAAAAABc/M2MJSplO6Aw/s1600-h/desenho.jpg

Jessica Jones said...

Wow, Pedro, nicely done! Thanks for sharing!