Exciting News:

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 11, 2013 FROM 9AM TO 4PM

The Art Cottage is having it's first workshop just in time for a warm up before the Stems Paint out.  Our instructor and workshop leader will be Ken Chapin.  He is a wonderful plein aire painter and an even more exciting teacher!

Cost of the workshop is $50.00 per student and class size is limited to the first 10 students.

Objectives:
In the morning session, we will cover the basics of showing realistic, deep space in a landscape, atomospheric perspective, etc.  A demonstation will be followed by student practice.

In the afternoon session, we will explore more challenging impressionist style color techniques(with broken brushwork, analogous and complementary enrichment stokes, etc. ) A second demostration will be followed by student practice.

Supply List:
Oils or Acrylics
Required colors"
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow Light
Alizarin Crimson(oil) or Napthol Crimson(acrylic)
Ultramarine Blue

Optional colors include:
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Red Light
Pthalo Blue

Painting Mediums and Thinners:
For Oil: Gamsol or Turpenoid Natural(not odorless paint thinner, turpentin, or other toxic materials as we will be working in an enclosed space).

For Acrylic:
Matte Medium or Gloss Medium, Three water cups

Burshes:
These 4 brushes are required:
two softer, synthetic brushes--one smaller(such as #3) & one larger(such as #6)
two bristle brushes--one smaller (such as #3) and one larger (such as #6
Bring more brushes, if you have them.  Oil painters use more brushes than acrylic painters.

Paper towels and/or paint rags and a small trash bag for taking your trash with you.

Canvass boards(or stretched canvases, gessoed panels, etc. )
Bring at least 4.
size options include 8x10, 9x12,11x14.

The workshop will be from 9am to 4pm on May 11, 2013.  Please bring a sack lunch and a drink.  there is a frig at the cottage for students to store food or drink that may need refrigerate.

To sign up or for any questions, please call Jennylynne Gragg at 816-898-6646.
The Art Cottage, 1100 NE Delta School Rd., Lee's Summit, Mo. 64064

We are humming along again on the The Art Cottage.  Hubby knee injury is feeling better so we are going to try and lay the new carpet on the stairs this weekend.  We are also going to decide on the hallway trim-whether to do new or keep part of the existing and just add new where needed. ARGH-I hate all these design decisions-like the doing better.  We may also get to the flooring in the hall but not setting the pressure to high for now.

We got all our paperwork back from the State of Missouri and are halfway to getting the City of Lee's Summit on board.  Still a little work to do in that department, but hopefully will get there soon.  In the meantime, my studio is open by appointment only. Just give me a call and I'll give you the five cent tour:)

I have started a new portrait and am very excited about it so I'll be posting the progress pics from time to time.  It is hard to juggle care giving duties, gallery remodel and my art work but somehow it is all getting done.  I am learning patience and that the world will not stop if something doesn't get done right away.

I have been working on the garden design for the front of the cottage and it is almost complete-on paper at least.  I love designing gardens and this one is so fun because it is a themed garden.  We are going to have lots of perennials and roses.  I have designed a new porch idea and can't wait to get that put together and up along with the new railing system that will line the sidewalk.

Hope you have a great day,
Happy Painting,
Jennylynne

Great and wonderfully exciting things happening at the new gallery space.  Have finished the studio space and the gallery space and are almost done with the kitchen space.  Just need to paint the bottom 1/4 round and then we are headed up the stairs.

Next stop, carpeting the stairs and laying laminate in the hall and main bathroom.  Hall is painted, still need to do some door trim and paint that.

Had a great time tearing out the last of the wall separating the two rooms that will be the classroom space.  Hubby says the two things he will have to be careful to say are 1. It's not a load bearing wall and 2. where the sledge hammer is. :)

We are still debating about taking the existing tub out and replacing with just a shower.  More on that later.

The name has been chosen and registered so I can now let you all know what we named it.

The new gallery is The Art Cottage.  We are still on track for the opening on March 1, 2013.  My studio space and gallery is open now by appointment, so if you want a tour, just give me a call.

Happy Painting,
Jennylynne

It has been so much fun, designing, painting and planning the new gallery/studio space.  This two pics are of the front door and the new window trim outside.  I can't wait to add the black shutters to the windows and get started on the replacement of siding in the porch area.

 

The color in the room where I'm painting the new door is the new studio color.  Today, I am going to paint the trim, and put a second coat on the walls and then we will be ready for the flooring.

 

Once the flooring is in, the moving can begin.  It is an exciting time and I'm sure it will be worth all the work going into it.

 

Stay tuned, peeps,

Happy Painting,

Jennylynne

This is the start of the gallery space makeover.  This is one of the rooms we will be using for classes.  This room is next to the other classroom which is currently divided by a wall.  The wall will be coming down soon.(photos to follow)

 

I will be looking for artists interested in teaching in these spaces, so if you are interested just email me to get in on the "ground floor" so to speak.

I'll be posting the progress as we get more done, so stay tuned,

Happy Painitng,

Jennylynne

Well, I am starting a new venture soon and excitement is running high for me.  I have negotiated a new space for a gallery.  My studio will also be housed there.  I am just in the planning stages.  There is sooooo much to do and get done.

The first step was negotiating the lease and terms.  That was a fairly easy task but a little tricky since my hubby owns the building that I want to lease.  But having gotten through that hurdle, I have been making lists of the required remodeling that will need to be done to turn the space into an art gallery.  It is actually the part I like best.  We have walls to move, paint, trim and flooring to install, signs to be made, a walker system and lighting to be installed.  The list gets bigger and bigger.  There is also outside work to be done. Some sprucing up of the facade and some new plantings.

There is also the name of the gallery to consider.  This has to be researched to ensure one does not currently exist with that name.  City licensing and state have to be dealt with in addition to all the other stuff.

Plans for the gallery exhibits, classes, openings, artists, etc. have to be laid out and formalized.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.  I take possession of the new space on November 1, 2012.  The first thing that needs to be done is the cleaning and remodeling.  In the front gallery space, we are taking a dividing wall half way down to open up the room and let in more light thru the space.  This half wall will also divide the gallery space from my studio space.  We have to lay new flooring and tie it in with the existing flooring and of course, paint all the walls and trim.  I also need to have a store front door storm door installed on the entrance door.

This is just the first in a series of posts about the new gallery.  Stay tuned-
Busy and happy working away on new gallery plans,
Jennylynne Gragg

the new gallery space will be at 1100 NE Delta School Rd., Lee's Summit, Mo. 64064

Studios-Which is better-in home or away

Currently, my studio is in my home.  However, started in November 2012, I will have a new off site location.  It is exciting to have a new gallery/studio space but also a little daunting.  It is nice too be able to come down in the middle of the night(when sleep does not come) in your pj's and work in your studio.  However, open studios and classes can present challenges when working from home.

My studio space in home is small and cramped and my storage must compete with the household storage needs and available space.  While there is no additional costs for an in home studio, the distractions can be overwhelming.

A space away from home can be a god-send.  I am looking forward to having such a space again in November and will be posting about it's set up, location and planning as we go along thru the process.  It will also be exciting to have a gallery space, not only for my art, but for artists who I can feature as well.  The space will be much more conducive to classes than the livingroom of my home and I will be able to expand on additional ideas for sharing with other artists and clients.

So heads up and I'll post more soon,
Jennylynne

Happy painting!