Monday, November 15, 2010

Trio of commissioned tropical flower paintings


Three 18"x36"" oil paintings on gallery wrapped canvas. Similar paintings can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I wanted to share with you three lovely tropical flower paintings that I will be installing later today. The middle painting is based on my larger 48"x36" oil, Anthurium Jungle. Each painting had to be strong in composition to stand on it's own and each had to have similar colors so that they can all hang peacefully on the same wall together.

To tie all of the paintings together, I kept the same sunlit hues of greens and yellows in the leaves. The actual leaves are all very different in nature as are the shapes of the flowers. All of the flowers have versions of the same pinks and reds and this worked as well in the birds of paradise piece as they can come in so many different colors.

If my collector ever decides to re-arrange these paintings, hang them in different rooms or add a fourth piece, she can!

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Toast to Bill Weber on his accomplished mural for Brentwood's Trilogy At The Vineyards

12"x6" oil on gallery wrapped canvas. Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Before I go into details about Bill Weber's mural for Trilogy At The Vineyard in Brentwood I'd like to apologize for not having the title for the above Mini Master painting. It sold at my last festival and this is one of two paintings for which I have misplaced the title. The location is the South Shore of Kauai as you enter Poi Pu. I just love this red dirt road and I have painted a larger canvas that is similar to this composition and plan to do another painting from this location soon. It's a road into paradise.

And now I would like to raise my coffee cup to Bill Weber, a great muralist and even better friend. This photo shows him standing in front of his newest mural in the opulent Club House for Trilogy At The Vineyards in Brentwood, California. The scene is of Mount Diablo and our surrounding countryside. Bill captured the look of the area beautifully. Oak trees and vineyards surround the gentle rolling hills of our Northern California town, which was once agricultural but is now host to an ever increasing presence of wine enthusiasts.

Barbie Koncher, a well known jewelery and glass artist hosted a lovely lunch to celebrate the official signing of the mural for Bill. In attendance, Ariana (Bill's wife) and budding artist herself, ceramicist Rosie Grejsen, Lily Beatty (the late wife of local artist Ron Beatty) and myself.

If you would like to see more of Bill Weber's work, please visit his websites: billwebermuralist.com and to see his surrealist paintings go to www.elgallosurrealist.com.


To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Beautiful Clear Morning Water, kauai island ocean oil painting

Beautiful Clear Morning Water, 12"x6" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I just loved the colors of this morning ocean scene. I'd say the time was around 10am, when the colors are still crisp and the sea air is warming. The day is fresh. This small island gem sold at my La Jolla Festival of the Arts show to one of my collectors who owns several small works.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Paradise in a home

Suite of Paradise Plantation Cottages, 6"x6" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home in a real estate office... Paintings like these can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

These adorable paintings are a set of commissioned works that are destined for a real estate office in Cupertino, CA. They are for Ken Kabir and I'd like to give his business a mention: www.kenkabir.com. At the moment they are drying in my studio. Soon I will have better images of these little oil paintings and will post those. It's obvious in the few interactions that I've had with Ken that he loves his work in connecting people with homes.

I've found that people easily relate to my plantation cottages and I never tire of painting these small homes. It's a joy to travel the islands in search of new subjects. They remind many of warm, tropical days spent on vacation. Some are reminded of home, growing up in the many islands that dot our seas. No matter where "home" is, people will see paradise in their futures and these paintings will surely bring Aloha to the office.

And as I write this I'm also thinking of all of those who've lost homes in the past few years. Keep up hope. If your dream is to own a home again then you can make it happen.


To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Salt Water Pool on the Shore

Salt Water Pool On The Shore, 6"x6" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Sunrise and sunset atmosphere is a big inspiration to my island paintings. Sunrise brings the start of a new day. Sunset also brings the possibilities of a new day...just a few hours away. For artists, I think I can speak for most of us and say that our inspiration is always leading our life's work. With each new day brings the possibilities of creating new works of art. Each evening renews that purpose as the next day may bear fruit to your best work yet.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Bamboo Shacks, Paint while the inspiration hits

Bamboo Shacks, 6"x6" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Creating art is a great joy in my life and I knew early on that it was essential to the essence of my person. Though most people are creative in certain ways and creativity can be defined broadly it's well known that those we think of as "artists" tend to need to do their art in order to be fulfilled and yet few are able to do so as a profession for various reasons. The process of creating for artistic people (music, dance, theater to broaden the term "artist") is key to happiness for such people and it is why we persist despite the obstacles.

Art is more than just creating beautiful objects. It's about problem solving and creating from nothing. When you do art for a profession you problem solve constantly in order to be innovative. Every working artist has their challenges and, dare I say, demons in life but most are happiest when they are creating and when the creation process is flowing well.

What to do with the rare times where inspiration is lacking? Well, for me, I try to work for a while to see if I can break through to being inspired. On rare occasions (like the past few days) my focus for creating art dims and I must now work myself out of this particular problem or wait it out. Inspiration will flow again and I'm lucky that I'm usually bursting with energy to create. The few days of the year that this is not the case and in which my creative energies wane are hard days of a bland feeling for me and I've learned that it's best to not force the creative process. Painting needs to be done when I'm fully present. It cannot be forced.

And I'm going to say this: artists work for a living. Yes, we love what we do most of the time but it is work nevertheless. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not being honest or doesn't do it as a true profession. I feel that collectors need to understand that love of life and passion go into the works that they purchase but so do blood, sweat and tears.

So much of my soul is connected to my art. It is my esteem as well. My art is who I am in so many ways. There's a saying in the blacksmithing world and that is: strike while the iron is hot, meaning that you need to work that metal efficiently when you've got the most heat. The same is true for making art. When you are inspired, by all means work!

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Friday, June 11, 2010

Choose an artist who's style you like for your commissions...no copying!

Little Island Cottage, 6"x6" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

The subject of copying art is old. Most college art students are encouraged to copy the works of master painters and sculptors and some are even required to do so in order to learn valuable techniques. Some art schools even have access to museums where students can copy directly from the masters original work. Copying art is a good way for artists to learn but not acceptable past school years.

So why do I bring this up? Professional artists must develop very distinct styles in order to stand out and prosper in the art world. There are literally millions of artists all over the globe, many of which are very good.

As a collector, when choosing art you should look for an artist who already has a style that you like. Usually you will not get great results if you ask an artist to paint/sculpt/create something out of the vein in which they work simply because you like their prices and perhaps even their "natural" artistic voice but really desire a specific work of art of a gallery artist (aka very expensive). Sorry if that was a long sentence but I think that you know what I mean.

Artists: it's been my experience that when accepting commissions out of my natural vein vein of work causes me great stress and headache so I really try to avoid this. We work in series for a reason and our voices in art are well thought out and not easy to change. And in the end, you may not be able to please clients who really would rather have a work of art from a different artist who they usually cannot afford. Turn these commissions down. There is a saying in the art world: sometimes you make the most money on the projects that you do not accept.

I am careful now to try to only accept commissions that I feel that I can do well.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

'Poi Pu Paradise' and a bit about how artists price work

Poi Pu Paradise', 6"x6" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

This afternoon I wrote a rather long blog to explain why my reverse painted glass chandeliers are worth my asking price (or why they cost what they cost). If you wish, you can read the entry on my reverse painted chandelier blog here. I thought that it might be good to write something similar on my Mini Master blog to explain why I charge what I charge for my oil and watercolor paintings.

The actual dollar worth for fine art varies depending on the artist and how well known they are, how much time goes into their work, how many works they produce in a year and how expensive their work is to create. Artists who have styles that are very labor intensive to the point where they can only create a few pieces each year tend to charge more for their work than artists who are very prolific and have styles that are quicker. I say 'tend' because there are always exceptions.

Artists also tend to charge more for their work as their career grows. An artist in their prime (who is not one of the super big name people) may charge several thousand dollars for each painting. Also it is mostly true that artists who show in galleries also have higher prices as many of these artists do not do festivals and sell only through galleries or dealers. This is a whole different topic and I won't attempt to answer it here.

There are many reasons why artists charge what they charge and I could probably write a book on this subject but I'd now like to tell you how I personally price my work. My Mini Master paintings here on this blog are collected by people all over the country. They are also my most popular type of painting at my art festivals because they are affordable and because of the high-quality of my work. My small paintings here are inspired by my travels and they are also my study compositions for my larger works. They are quite lovely in person. Many of my smaller mini paintings will indeed become larger paintings at some point. I explained on my reverse painted glass chandelier blog that I've been painting seriously since the age of 15 but that my studies in art began much earlier. And art is what I really did go to college for. It's been my life's path. I am a creative being and I have always been brave enough to follow my dream. My 'dream', as living the artist's life is thought by many, is a reality for me.

So all these years later (I'm not that old but also not that young either) I have built a strong name for myself. I am well known in the San Francisco Bay Area for my island style paintings. Many people in the Bay Area travel to Hawaii and connect with my work for these reasons. My paintings also offer a slice of paradise...a retreat from the daily grind. I am considered a solid mid-career artist at this point. I charge $100 for my Mini Master paintings for the time that they take, the thought that goes into them and for the years of artistry that are behind them...and you will also be able to enjoy them for years and years to come. In many ways, it is a small price to pay for an original work of art. This is actually a steal for art from an artist of my experience.

My medium paintings are anywhere between $350-$850 (again, a steal) and my large paintings tend to be in the $1,200-$2,000 range. Several years ago I decided to sell my works through festivals after being in a Florida gallery that staged it's own robbery for insurance money. That was actually 7 and a half years ago. Last weekend marked my 7 year anniversary in the art festival world. Before that I came out of the gallery world where I did sell my work for several thousand dollars for each painting. It was a different career path and I really was a young artist then (with lots to learn) and my change from galleries to festivals was dramatic but it was for the best at the time. Exhibiting and selling through festivals has also made me a stronger artist and business person. If you are wondering, I sell my works through galleries now at the same prices that I sell them through at my festivals...the consolation to me is that I create paintings with more ease now than I did back then.

Most art festival goers understand that an original is worth more than a print, giclee, reproduction...whatever you want to call prints these days. Most of the work that I exhibit at festivals are original oil and watercolor paintings. My watercolor paintings have a lot of time invested into them. We custom frame each piece and that in itself is very labor intensive. My actual watercolor technique involves a very layered process with masking fluid and I may have a couple dozen layers in any one area. And because of the frame, my watercolors are often more expensive to create.

As I journey further into my career the prices for my works will continue to rise. This is the case for most successful professional artists.

Also collectors, please keep in mind that when you buy a fine work of art that is original that you will have this work for a lifetime to enjoy. It is a small price to pay for something that is truly nice and hopefully the works of art that you purchase from your favorite artists will bring you much joy.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Thursday, May 20, 2010

'Island Gold' and painting the grandeur of the volcanic Hawaiian mountains


Detail of 'Island Gold', 24"x18" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Part of my challenge this year is to depict the beauty of the dramatic mountain ridges of the Hawaiian islands. To portray such grandeur and timelessness on a canvas is no easy feat. This is one of the first of several paintings that I hope to complete this year.

This UPCOMING WEEKEND: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

"Oceanside Dremas" & Thumbs up to Open Studio Organizers

Detail of 'Oceanside Dreams', 24"x18" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I'd like to give a big THUMBS UP to Jack Gaughan and his organizers for doing such an awesome job on this years 2010 East Contra Costa County Artists' Open Studio Tour. I'm certain that this will be the best year ever. Here is a two page article in 110 Degree Magazine...the article is on pages 80-81

For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are willing to drive only a few extra minutes, you can come visit my studio and others and enjoy some wine, chocolates, good art and sunshine. There are 62 artists on the studio this year and if you start at my studio, you can pick up your free 18-page full-color catalog with samples and maps of the other artists' works. The group works very hard on this event!

I will me hosing the fabulous sculptor, Crystal Lockwood, who often uses Hawaiian woods for her beautiful figurative pieces.

When? THIS WEEKEND, Sat & Sun, May 22 & 23, 10am-6pm. Call me at the number on my website if you need directions or have questions.

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Monday, May 17, 2010

Beachside Bliss detail and Twitter nettiquite

Detail of 'Beachside Bliss', 36"x24" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased from: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I must confess, I'm not exactly in love with Twitter...but I do participate on the platform. The reasons for my less than amorous feelings have more to do with how many fellow Twitter people find fans. One behavior that simply drives me crazy is when a person 'follows' you, you then get the email (and I always follow legitimate people back) but then you get a second email saying that they are now following you.

Did you follow that (no pun intended)?!!

What's going on is that after they've initially followed you so that you receive email about them, they then delete you from their list to pump their numbers up. Some decide to re-follow when you've signed up to get their streams...they are counting on the fact that a percentage will follow back but really, how is that a good way to reach people? Do these Twitter crazy people really think that others don't notice this same exact pattern?

What they are trying to accomplish is to show that they are popular and therefore, they must be worth following. It's kind of shallow considering how many people have the same exact businesses on Twitter. I mean, how effective is this obsession for most? Probably not enough to justify the time many can sink to gain followers who don't really connect with their product (like I need a get-rich-quick plan or like I need another protein-power-max-drink).

Thank you for not taking this rant to seriously...now must post on Twitter...

The above image is a section of a new larger painting titled 'Beachside Bliss'.

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Friday, May 14, 2010

Island Shack Getaway and to my collectors who have moved

6"x6" oil painting titled "Island Shack Getaway", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Here is another beautiful Waimea Plantation Cottage oil painting...but what I really want to address today are my hopes that my collectors who have moved over the past year are happy in their new homes, wherever that may be now.

Every spring I send out my Open Studio postcard to most of my mailing list and there have always been postcards that get returned because people move and sometimes they move and the US Post Office can no longer track them. This is the case with several of my well known collectors this year and if you are reading this...then you know that I wish you a very happy future in your new residence! Hope you are still within the San Francisco Bay Area and that I will see you at a show this year. Stay in touch and be well!

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Monday, May 10, 2010

Island Hut


6"x6" oil painting titled "Island Hut", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

What I love about this particular painting is the way that the sunlight filters through the palm and banana leaves. It's been less than two months since I was on Kauai last but I already miss it. That said, I'm lucky to be a full-time working artist who paints from their inspirations. Most of the past month has been devoted to my reverse glass painted chandeliers but I'm thinking that I'll be able to begin painting in oil on canvas early next week and perhaps through much of June...must get ready for the La Jolla Festival of the Arts, which happens at the end of June!

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Friday, May 07, 2010

Green Island Shack and What is an Open Studio Tour?

6"x6" oil painting titled "Green Island Shack", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

It's that time of year again and I'm preparing for my Spring Open Studio. Actually, I'm part of a group of artists who are all part of an Open Studio Tour. If you are like most people, you may be asking 'What is an Open Studio Tour'? If you are an art collector, then you probably know a lot about this sort of thing already...but let me tell you, it's one thing to tell people I'm having an Open Studio event at my studio/gallery but it's another trying to explain what an Artist Open Studio Tour is to people who probably don't spend much time thinking about art.

Some people just don't 'get it' if they aren't interested in art. You probably do, as you are interested in fine art.

Communities that have a strong pool of working artists tend to have what is called an 'Open Studio Tour' at least once a year. It is a highly organized event where anywhere from 10 to over 200 artists get together, produce postcards and a catalog with a sample of each artist's work and a map of all of the various locations and then they distribute the information to their clients and to the community. Often these events are held on one weekend but sometimes they spill over onto two weekends if the area has enough artists. Also, there is usually a gallery that will host a reception with one piece from each artist. This allows the public to preview artwork in person so that they can better decide which studios to visit.

What is the purpose of an Open Studio Tour? There are many benefits to this event. Working artists have an opportunity to show their collectors their studio work space and all of the work that they have on hand. Demonstrating their creative process helps to show collectors how they create their work. The public hopefully understands a bit more about an artist's life and their work from this experience and perhaps a few of these people even walk away with a treasure or two from the event. That is the heart of the Open Studio Event.

When I lived in Santa Cruz, the Open Studios spanned three weekends because the working artist population is that big. Marin County has a two or three weekend Open Studio as well. Again, lots of working creative people live in the scenic hills outside of San Francisco. Generally the San Francisco Bay Area counties are rich hubs for artists and most areas have an organized Artist Open Studio Tour. Hope to see you at mine!

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Your Island Beach and Making Designs Work

SOLD
6"x6" oil painting titled "Your Island Beach", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

This has been a very busy month of commissions for both of my painted glass chandeliers and my oil paintings. One project in particular had brought back memories to my earlier years as a graphic designer. At the time I had been out of college for about 4 years and I was designing for a studio in which the owner was a very talented designer in her own right. She taught me that no matter how many ways you could design something (could be anything like an ad, brochure, logo, etc...) that there was always yet another way.

Basically, I learned to always 'stretch my brain' in terms of design. I take that early lesson for granted as it comes naturally now. There's always a way to make another element fit or to rearrange information even when you've been through several rounds of innovative comps with the client.

These days I use my design skills on a regular basis. I use them in my printed collateral and in the printed collateral that I create for other artists and group art events, I use my design skills in my paintings when imagining a dynamic composition, in my chandeliers to give them that "wow" factor and I use them in commissions. Commissioned paintings can be especially challenging because you have to envision what the client is envisioning or you have the added challenge of taking an image and making it fit into a different shape or shapes (multiple canvases) to fit a wall space.

Looking back, I'm very thankful for my early life as a designer. Knowledge and experience are two things that I know are on my plate. They give me the confidence to know that I can create a commissioned painting with success.

A bit about the above painting: I don't have a side picture but the island house wrapped around the canvas. I sold this a couple weekends ago at a festival and it was an especially nice piece.

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Walmea Plantation Shack, and catching up from April


6"x6" oil painting titled "Waimea Shack", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

April was a whirlwind month. I exhibited in two 3-day festivals, which can be really exhausting...and commissioned paintings that needed to be created/completed/delivered were stacking up. It's completely amazing how quickly the weeks go by, especially once my festival season hits!

The above Mini Master is another lovely Waimea Plantation Cottage painting. Honestly, I could paint these cottages forever if I didn't have such a strong desire to also create large works.

What do I have going on this month? Well, I am finishing four separate commissions, preparing for my Spring Open Studio event and I'm also in the process of creating new works for my next set of shows...speaking of...time to go up to the studio!

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Heading to Queen's Bath, Kauai oil painting

6"x12" oil painting titled "Heading to Queen's Bath", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $185 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Today I'm finally going to be able to work in my studio a bit. My plan is to concept out for my next set of new oil paintings. This will include prepping a new large-scale canvas and also painting a Mini-Master or two. Sometimes being an artist is a lonely job, which is why I enjoy my art festival season but right now I have the company of my hubby...who is doing various projects around the house and also helping me with my art exhibits.

It's hard to believe that my heavy-hitting festival season is just around the corner. Imagine: dark, early mornings where you're not quite awake, cold mornings, crazy set-ups with trucks, vans and trailers (us) jockeying into position. These days you can have some good shows and some bad shows... It's not a life for everyone but it's my life and it's what I signed-up for.

So see you soon!!!

Next Show: Menlo Part 28th Annual Sidewalk Fine Arts Festival, on Santa Cruz Avenue at El Camino Real, April (Fri, Sat, Sun) 16, 17, 18 10am-6pm (Sunday 10am-5pm), 90 professional artists, hope to see you there!

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Island Road, on being "Lucky" in Kauai

6"x12" oil painting titled "Island Road", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $185 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I've just returned from an intense three week hiatus from my studio. For the middle two weeks of March I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Kauai. "Lucky" is really the word that I used most often when counting my blessings, along with "fortunate" and also "hard working". Those words were spoken a lot when I realized that there weren't a lot of other people in the age range my husband and I are in or younger touring the island without their parents checkbooks visibly paying for the trip. What this means is that our generation just isn't enjoying the luxury of Kauai right now due to the times. We also didn't see very many families with children. And though we are not immune from what is going on, we are in fact directly effected as Itwrite, I felt thankful for what we could experience.

While in Kauai we noticed that a few of our favorite dining spots including a 20-year established Thai restaurant and a lovely and elegant lunch place with a breath taking view of Bali Hai had gone out of business or were slated to close. We also noticed that the Guava Kai Plantation closed. As we drove around the island hoping to stop in familiar haunts we soon began to wonder which establishments were also closed. Other businesses that we frequented had moved or consolidated. A favorite breakfast joint (which was closed for lunch) teamed up with a dinner place that was closed for breakfast. Now the two businesses could share the rent more efficiently.

Last year I was "lucky, fortunate, hard-working" enough to be on Oahu a couple times so it's actually been two years since we had visited Kauai. So many stark changes in terms of business but the island will persist in it's beauty and Aloha no matter what. The people will re-build their businesses in new times to come and many will prosper soon if they aren't prosperous right now.

And this isn't to say that the island is in tough times because many still do well, I just couldn't help but be moved by the visible changes that I saw when we hoped to visit restaurants, shops and businesses that we looked forward to. Behind each one of those businesses are working people and that's my main point.

My time in the islands is essential to my life's work. It re-connects me to the subjects that inspire my paintings and I look forward to being a patron of the island as a way of thanks for the inspiration it provides for my work. Traveling to the islands is not a vacation but a journey that takes me to my next body of work as an artist. Now that I am back in California, I am preparing for my spring and summer festivals where I will hear countless professionals in lucrative careers tell me that I am so "lucky and fortunite" to be able to do what I do. Some will also understand that "hard working" is also a factor in my success as an artist.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Path to the Beach


6"x12" oil painting titled "Path to the Beach", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $185 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I am hoping to wake up happily Friday morning to this beach path in Kauai. It leads to one of my favorite beaches. I'm looking forward to a little down time and a bit more exercise as well. A good swim in the ocean would be so refreshing...or perhaps sipping cocktails by the pool on the beach would be nice. A bit of a re-charge before my wave of summer shows and commissions hit.

Right now my day is far from that tranquil moment on the beach but I am getting there. I am preparing for my next show. Always so much to do and so little time. An artist is always creating and our life's work is never finished and that can pose some problems if we let our mind's get wrapped up in the mountain of work that we have set for ourselves. We often think of the next set of paintings before we're even close to finishing what we are currently working on. As a business woman, I am also filled with ideas on how to show my work to art enthusiasts. I'm always excited about my next set of shows as well. Between these two very distinct jobs lies an endless amount of work.

Because packing and prepping for a show is a somewhat slow and laborious job for me, I'm able to reflect on they "why" aspects of my life's work. One thing that I realize is that it's not always possible to always finish every single ambitious project that I lay out. Honestly, over the last few months I've remained focused and have worked steadily towards on my current body of work and for my upcoming spring shows. I am happy to say that this has lead me to accomplish a lot and that is always a good feeling. I have given it my best and my best is what will have to do!

Next show: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, March 24-28, 2010 at the San Mateo Event Center, BOOTH # 649. More info here: http://www.sfgardenshow.com

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Life In Hawaii


6"x12" oil painting titled "Life In Hawaii", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $185 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

This is a "new" size painting, being 6"x12". It allows me to create contemporary shaped scenes on a small scale. Those of you who regularly follow my work know that I enjoy creating paintings in contemporary shapes.

This is a short blog entry today as I'm preparing for my next trip to Kauai...as well as preparing for my next show for when I return.

Next show: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, March 24-28, 2010 at the San Mateo Event Center, BOOTH # 649. More info here: http://www.sfgardenshow.com

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Visit Jenny Floravita in March at the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show

Artist Jenny Floravita working in her studio on a 36" custom commission. Each hand painted glass chandelier includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy.

Floravita's Painted Illuminated-Glass Chandeliers to be at San Francisco Flower & Garden Show
Jenny Floravita loves painting on glass because of the expressive feeling that she is able to infuse into every flower petal, every leaf, bird and accent through her brush strokes. Flowers are an inspiration in her work and Floravita paints both tropical flowers and wildflowers in her glass chandeliers and paintings. Floravita often refers to her chandeliers as her 'illuminated painted glass gardens'. She uses her hand slumped glass as her canvas and the resulting illuminated paintings are like a glimpse into another world.

Born in the Bay Area, Jenny Floravita has been a painter all of her life. Her career in fine art really blossomed after 2000 when she decided to take a leap of faith and switch from graphic design to pursue her fine art. Floravita began her career in fine art as a watercolor painter. Life as an artist is a constant transition and through the years she has gone back and forth between oils and watercolors, painting both flowers and island scenes. She has been creating custom glass painted chandeliers for three years. The chandeliers compliment her exotic flower and island landscape paintings well.

Jenny Floravita's chandeliers and paintings are inspired by exotic gardens from her travels through warm lands. The San Francisco Flower & Garden Show is a perfect fit for her work as it brings flower and garden lovers from around the country to see amazing award winning gardens, prominent speakers and flower vendors.

Jenny Floravita's chandeliers start out as flat, architectural grade glass that is cut, slumped and then etched. Each chandelier is made by hand from the glass, to the irons. She wants people to realize that a tremendous amount of work goes into each chandelier as these are not simply fixtures from hardware stores. They are custom, hand-created works of art. Jenny can create just about any size chandelier as she works both smaller and large and she has shipped chandeliers successfully all over the country and beyond.

Her special painting technique in which flowers and leaves look as if they will pop right out of the glass allows her to paint with the same freedom that she feels when exploring a deserted island beach or a hidden wildflower garden. There is an amazing 3 dimensional effect to her glass paintings that captivates viewers and makes them feel as if they have a blooming flower garden that is contained right in the glass canvas that is ready to burst out at any moment. Floravita wants you to know that, "Every time you look at my illuminated painted glass gardens, you will see something new"!

Jenny Floravita will be an exhibitor at the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show at the San Mateo Event Center, March 24-28 and will be showing booth her custom painted glass chandeliers and her oil paintings. She is also proud to have one of her chandeliers in the main garden display. Look for one of her chandeliers in The Urban Oasis garden exhibit by Arthur Brito and Bryan Gordon. Meet the artist herself in Booth # 649. Preview her work at the below websites.

Chandeliers--> http://www.floravitalights.com

Paintings--> http://www.floravita.com

Facebook--> http://www.facebook.com/Jenny.Floravita.Painted.Chandeliers.andArt

Chandelier blog--> http://floravitalights.blogspot.com

Mini-Masters blog--> http://www.jennyfloravita.blogspot.com
follow on Twitter--> https://twitter.com/jennyfloravita


For more info on the 2010 March San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, visit: http://www.sfgardenshow.com


**********
Next show: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, March 24-28, 2010 at the San Mateo Event Center, BOOTH # 649. More info here: http://www.sfgardenshow.com

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Monday, February 08, 2010

Walk to Queen's Bath on Kauai

6"x6" oil painting titled "Walk to Queen's Bath", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

When you walk down to Queen's Bath on Kauai, you will see this scene once you are at the bottom of the hill and on the impressive lava rock platform. Queen's Bath is further to the left but what really strikes me about this entire area is it's serene beauty in contrast with some incredible ocean crevices where the water rushes in and angrily bubbles like a cauldron. I really need to capture some of those scenes in a large painting.

The lava rock itself is a beauty to behold. It's Hawaii's natural beach! There are little reflective pools of water, left over from the surf that crashes up onto the lava. There is also a beautiful little waterfall that empties into the ocean at this point. I've embellished by adding flowers. I'm looking forward to trekking to Queen's Bath very soon.

Next show: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, March 24-28, 2010 at the San Mateo Event Center, BOOTH # 649. More info here: http://www.sfgardenshow.com

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Hawaiian Pacific Surf

6"x6" oil painting titled "Hawaiian Pacific Surf", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

What I love most about this particular beach on Kauai is the action of the surf. You can always count on endless, dynamic surf that just keeps rolling in and it makes this beach so beautiful any time of day. I love this! And this is what I want to wake up to when I'm spending my few precious days/weeks in the islands each year.

This isn't the big surf of the famed North Shore, it's just good, reliable wave action that is the beautify of the Pacific Ocean. From what I've noticed this part of the island is hardly ever flat.

I'm very much looking forward to my next journey to the islands in the coming weeks. My next trip with provide me with both needed rejuvenation and also new inspirations. But between now and then, there's lots to do for this busy artist...so back to work on Super Bowl Sunday!

Next show: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, March 24-28, 2010 at the San Mateo Event Center, BOOTH # 649. More info here: http://www.sfgardenshow.com

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Monday, January 25, 2010

Paradise Cottage and the Dynamics of Squre Compositions

6"x6" oil painting titled "Paradise Cottage", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Many of my recent paintings are square and I'm inspired to create many of my next wave of large oil paintings in the square format as well. I love the dynamic compositions and the contemporary feeling to the square shape. It is less traditional and can result in a big impact on a wall, if the piece is large in scale. You can even give a 'traditional' subject a very contemporary twist by painting it on a large square canvas, which is what I did today with my ongoing exotic flower series, which I'm preparing for my next two art shows in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Both my tropical flower paintings and island landscape paintings have adapted nicely to this format. I admit that it can be a challenge to make a square composition work but I enjoy challenges and I'm also aware that I employ my years of experience as a graphic designer in the process of selecting the final composition.

Over the past couple years, I've learned to literally see my world cropped within a zillion different dynamic compositions. My coconut palm portraits are likely responsible for my beginnings down this particular path because my goal was to capture the gesture of the palms in tall, skinny compositions. The tall skinny shapes are just as contemporary as the square shape and though much of my natural painting style is highly traditional in terms of technique, I use these interesting shapes to inspire me to go beyond the "traditional".

The painting above is titled Paradise Cottage and I've composed the composition with the plantation house at the very bottom of the canvas, with only a sliver of the grass line. These paintings are all created on what is called "Gallery Wrapped Canvas" and this does give the painting a stronger 3D presence on the wall. The grass and beach lines continue on through the bottom of the canvas so depending on your perspective, the scene looks very complete.

Hope you've enjoyed my little slice of paradise for today!


Next show: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, March 24-28, 2010 at the San Mateo Event Center, BOOTH # 649. More info here: http://www.sfgardenshow.com

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Waimea Living and Thank You to Livermore Art Association & Pleasanton Art Association

6"x6" oil painting titled "Waimea Living", awaiting a new home...
Painting can be purchased for $100 plus $6 s/h: from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I would like to extend a big Thank You to the Livermore Art Association and the Pleasanton Art Association for inviting me to be their guest speaker Monday evening. I truly enjoyed this event and it was really nice to meet all of you in person. And Thank You to everyone who braved our stormy weather to come and stay so late. I hope that my presentation will help some of you to carve your own paths in your fine art endevors.

And a big Thank You to Jeanie, my mother-in-law, for helping me with the presentation. We're lucky to have such smart teachers and we should treat them right! They are very under appreciated by the sate.

And Thank You to Pat Smith for purchasing one of my small Mini Master island cottages...because it reminded her of her holiday stay at Kauai's Waimea Plantation Cottages with friends.

Now, about my Mini Master above: I'm continuing in my delightful plantation cottage painting series because so many of you have memories of staying in cottages just like this one on the islands. This cottage is from the Waimea Plantation Cottages on the Westside of Kauai and I must admit that these cottages do provide endless inspiration for my paintings.

What I particularly love about this painting is the livable feeling that it has. I've composed the composition so that just a sliver of grassy ground can be seen at the bottom and this allows for maximum height for the very tall and magestic coconut palms that help to define this small village of ideal island retreats. The actual painting has high-contrast in colors and the splash of flowers in the foreground completes your island experience.

Stay tuned and you will see many more of these paintings as I have a current stash that are just waiting to be released. I have also created quite a few medium-large exotic flower paintings, in preparation for my solo gallery show at Kumquat in San Francisco, which starts in March.

Next show: San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, March 24-28, 2010 at the San Mateo Event Center, BOOTH # 649. More info here: http://www.sfgardenshow.com

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com