Featured in Missouri Life Magazine

The December 2008 issue of Missouri Life Magazine (page 90) is featuring five juried artists from Best of Missouri Hands. Painted Photos is the name of the section that features my art.

MU Alumni Association 2009 Calendar

January is the month for my picture on the MU Alumni Association 2009 Calendar. They published the picture upside-down which of course is the appropriate way for it to be published because it looks right-side-up. I don't think there is a way to take a reflection picture without it being upside-down. There are other posts about this picture on August 20 & June 29, 2008.

Christmas Animation

Christmas Greetings! Please view my animated greeting at http://jcoffman.home.mchsi.com/ChristmasCard2008.htm

Colorful Forsythia Bush

My forsythia bush was blooming this fall which was very unusual. Combined with the fall colors, it made a striking view.

I used a new filter on this photograph that I hadn't used before. I showed this picture along some of my other new art photography at the Foundry Art Center in St. Charles, MO, this last weekend.

Visions

Today, I am entering two of my pictures into the Visions Photography Exhibition. Black and white was my choice for my pictures, and they are new photographs that I have never shown before. The clocks were at the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Convention; I call it "Time and Time Again." The old ship was in Michigan and the ship crew was dressed in costume. It is titled, "Sailors Choice."

The Wedding

Our youngest son just got married. With all of the planning and family visiting, I am just now getting back to my blog writing. You can tell what a wonderful experience we all had by my husband's expression.

One Woman Show at Les Bourgeois Bistro

I have just delivered my art photography to Rocheport, MO, for my One Woman Show at Les Bourgeois Bistro. It will be a four month show from September through December 2008. Of course, the staff at the Bistro like the wine label photograph the best, but they like my food pictures, too.

Painting on the computer

I have written before about how I create my art photography: http://jancoffman.blogspot.com/2008/06/process-of-creating-my-art.html

Here is a picture of me painting on my Wacom Tablet that is connected to my computer.

Visions

Yesterday, I delivered my entry form for the Visions Photography Contest during the Fine Arts Festival late in September in Columbia, MO. This may be one of my entries.

Your comments helped me win contest

Jesse Hall Reflected

Do you remember back on June 29th I asked for comments on which of the three pictures I should enter in the Mizzou Alumni Calendar Contest? Guess what! The picture with the most comments from all of you on this blog is the one that won the contest! I had my doubts about it, because it was so different from anything else that I had seen on the calendar. Thank you for your wonderful comments. I am thrilled. This will be the third year in a row to have my photos in the calendar.

Similar pictures – Different techniques

I have just finished two similar pictures using two completely different techniques. They are both pictures of a lighthouse at sunset in St. Joseph, MI. The first is a grayscale and the second technique is a painting of a photograph that was taken later the same evening. I have added a couple of close-ups of the painting.

Wild Columbine

The wild columbine is one of my favorite flowers and was so much fun to paint. The colors are so delicate which makes a perfect match to the beautiful design of this flower. Only God can create such beauty.

I have found the answer to my question at Fort Scott

I have found the answer to my question about the item at Fort Scott. Go to the earlier link to see a picture of the item unfolded!
http://jancoffman.blogspot.com/2008/07/fort-scott-kansas.html

Les Bourgeois Vineyards Wine Label

My photograph is on 2007 Merlot: This early released Merlot made with grapes grown in CA offers bright cherry and boysenberry aromas with roasted peppercorns riding on a long lingering finish. Last fall I entered the wine label contest at Les Bourgeois Vineyards. I was very excited when I was informed that I had won the contest. The photograph that won is A Little Fog which is pictured at the top of my blog. The three artists that won now have their art on the labels of the Collectors Series Wines.

Boy fishing by the lighthouse

I felt lucky that I was able to catch a picture of this boy sitting and fishing, because he didn’t stay in one position for very long. Shortly after I took this picture, he moved over to the other side of the lighthouse to fish with his father. I have included close-ups of two different parts of this picture. There is a man fishing from his boat that I didn’t notice until I put the picture on my computer and zoomed in close. While in Michigan, the sunsets were beautiful. The water reflected it which doubled the color. The sun was still up but the color of the sky had already started changing.

Visiting Southwest Michigan

The last two weeks have been a time to take pictures. We visited family in Indiana; and then after a few hours of driving, we settled into our room on the sixth floor of an inn in St. Joseph, Michigan. Our room looked out over Lake Michigan and the lighthouse. We spent the days exploring the local area and making short trips. I took pictures and read while Jim wrote poetry and read. This picture was taken from the restaurant window of our inn; the lighthouse is a special draw for people to visit the community as well as the lake.

Little House on the Prairie

Last week I took this picture of a cabin which was modeled after the type of cabin that is mentioned in the books, Little House on the Prairie. Near Independence, Kansas, is the historic site of the childhood home of the Ingalls. Besides this log cabin and an old school, there is the original post office; and the undeveloped countryside containing wild flowers that stretch out over the flat view.

Fort Scott, Kansas

What is this item? My sister and I visited Fort Scott in Kansas last week on our “sister trip.” The fort is superbly restored. This item was located in a bedroom. I bought, sold, and restored antique furniture for 20 years; and I have never seen this item before. It looks as though it is made from metal and it is folded up. Does anyone have a clue as to what it was used for? You will be seeing many more pictures from Fort Scott later, but most items I will be able to identify.
__________

I have found the answer to my question. I wrote Fort Scott, and this item is a portable bed that is in its storage configuration. The Museum Technician at Fort Scott National Historic Site told me that I wasn’t the only person that thought it might be a quilt rack.

Fort Scott National Historic Site Museum Object 1008.

2008 MO State Fair - Aug. 16

August 16 will be the day I share Missouri Life Magazine’s booth at the Missouri State Fair. I will donate a framed copy of this picture (valued at $275) to be given away at the State Fair. I will receive recognition and promotion in the hourly Public Address Announcements made by the state fair on that day. Missouri Life will make space in their booth in the Fine Arts Building for me to display other pieces of my work for that day. I won’t be selling my work, but it will be great exposure to a self-selected audience in the Fine Arts building. I will be passing out my cards.

Hadsall House

This last weekend, my sister and I traveled through eastern Kansas on our annual “sister trip.” This house was located off of paved highways--about three miles on gravel roads and turning left at the fork in the road (is this “the fork” or is this just a turn-off?). My sister and I laugh because we always end up on gravel roads as we travel.

What we were looking for (and found) was the Hadsall House that was built by Charles C. Hadsall, a second cousin of our Great Grandfather. We were very pleased to find that it had been restored in 1961. This house is near the site of the Marais des Cygnes Massacre which is considered the last significant act of violence in Bleeding Kansas prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War. It is being maintained by the Kansas State Historical Society. The road on the far right of the picture below is the Kansas and Missouri state border.

Online Artists' Village

I have a new web page that tells about my art work. It is the same information, but this time it has been added to the Columbia Art League's web site. It is called the Online Artists' Village.
http://cal.missouri.org/village/index.html
http://cal.missouri.org/village/coffman/index.html

I joined the Columbia Art League in Columbia, MO, in 2004.

Family Reunions

This weekend, I will be attending two family reunions. We will have a carry-in meal and share stories about our families.

I have been thinking about a picture that I created which has a picture of my grandmother (on my mother’s side of the family). She died a year before I was born. This picture was juried into the Foundry Art Centre’s Photography Show in 2007 in St. Charles, MO. I will be sharing this picture with the family members.

4th of July 2008 pictures

We watched the fireworks this year in Jefferson City with our daughter and son-in-law. I was able to get pictures of the fireworks with the capitol in the foreground.

Winter sunset

I was printing this picture today, and it brought back some memories of a trip to St. Joseph, MO, in January. We were driving home after delivering some pictures to the Albrecht-Kemper Art Museum. I asked Jim to pull over as soon as he could find a good spot so I could grab a few pictures of the sunset. I saw a big flock of geese, so Jim found the perfect place to stop. As soon as my first foot hit the ground, I knew I was in a mess. As I felt the mud oozing up around my shoes, I asked Jim to grab a sack out of the back seat of the car and put it on the floor of the car. I got my sunset pictures plus a clean-up job when I got home.

What do you think of when you look at this picture? All I can think about is that awful feeling as my foot sank into that soft sludge.

Coffee House Show

Tomorrow, I will be putting up new pictures at Rendezvous Coffee House. They are very nice to allow me to keep three or four pieces of art work in there. There are five of us that show our work there. Please stop by sometime when you are in the area and have a cup of coffee or sandwich as you are enjoying the art.

Rendezvous is located in Broadfield Plaza just west of HyVee on Broadway in Columbia, MO. Their web page is: http://www.rendezvouscoffeehouse.com/home.html

The pictures that I will be hanging are Fluttering (the butterfly picture that I have posted earlier on this blog), Spring at the Lake, and Wave Sounds. They are all digital art. Spring at the Lake was taken this spring. I used similar effects on it as I did with Fluttering as I described in my entry called – Process of creating my art.

Wave Sounds is a different method of digital art. This is a collage of four photographs. The ocean and sky are in Florida. I have combined this with some musicians to give the impression that they were performing on a boardwalk near the ocean. After combining the photographs, I painted it. On the layer above the photograph, I painted the picture using oil paints. (Remember that when I say that I am painting, I’m really doing it all on the computer.) The brush is picking up the color from the photograph. I am using different sized brushes with the smallest sizes on the seagull in the sky. I have included close-ups of two portions of the painting so that you can see the detail of the individual strokes of the brush and bristles.

CAL Community Exhibits Program & The Lighthouse

I am a part of the Columbia Art League’s Community Exhibits Program. It provides artwork to all types of public and private business locations. Artists exhibit their artwork at businesses throughout the community. Artists rotate their work every three months among the participating businesses. I enjoy being a part of this program because I am able to reach people that otherwise might not see my work.

Today, I switched my pictures from the Columbia Mall to Waddell & Reed at 4200 East Southampton Drive. This is the first time for them to participate in the program, and they were all very excited to see what I brought. My pictures will be there for three months.

They requested four pictures to be hung, so I brought three of my most popular ones and one newer picture. The newer picture is of Presque Isle Lighthouse in Erie, PA.

Jim and I were traveling along the Great Lakes on our way home from visiting friends in New Hampshire. I had found this lighthouse listed on the map, but once we got there we couldn’t find it. It was a cold windy fall day and the sand along the lake shore was blowing into our eyes and against our skin. (As we walked along, I picked up several flat smooth stones to remember the day and kept sticking them in Jim’s pockets.) We were about to give up on finding it and discovered we were right in front of it. It was over-grown with trees and is now a private home. We had walked by it twice.

MU Alumni Association calendar contest

Right now I am going through my pictures that I have taken this year on the Missouri University campus. This will be my third year in a row to enter the Mizzou Alumni Association calendar contest. The first year, I had one small runner-up picture in the calendar and in the 2008 calendar I have three pictures: April, October, and December. (The columms pictured below is the October picture.) I, also, had two pictures published in Missouri University Alumni Association Sesquicentennial Gala Program, September 2006.

Here are some of the pictures that I’m considering for the 2009 calendar. Which ones should I enter?

Process of creating my art

All of my digital art work is based on my digital photographs; editing and designing are done on the computer.

Using filters, I add artistic edge effects on one (or several) of the layers of my digital art work and arrange them to add movement to the picture. It is like using a pencil to sketch. I then take a second copy of the photo and paint it. When I paint a picture by hand, I usually do it on the computer. I have a Wacom tablet and an electronic pen that are connected to my computer. As I move the pen across the tablet, I am painting on a layer above the photograph. I can paint with oils, watercolor, chalk, pencil, and other tools.

Finally, I blend the painted pixels with the upper and underlying layers. On some of my pictures, I use as many as nine or more layers. Each layer is carefully arranged to the correct position before the art work is finished.

Many of my photographs are not sketched or painted. They are best left just as they were as I snapped the picture. I have marked them as "photograph," while the others are labeled "digital art."

In my digital darkroom, I can adjust the brightness and contrast as well as the saturation of the color just as film photographers do in a darkroom. I use at least two different computer programs with my pictures.

Jan grew up on a wheat farm

I grew up on a wheat farm in Kansas. The first camera I remember using is my mother’s black box camera. As I grew up, cameras were in essence the same--never enough film and days of waiting to see the results.

College (the first time) was interrupted with my dream of marriage and three children. College (the second time) was centered on a special education teaching degree to supply extra income to pay for college expenses for our children. My degree of Master of Education was in Information Science and Educational Technologies. I taught Learning Disabilities for over 25 years as well as teaching technology skills to teachers, parents, and students. Through these years, I was developing my art skills but only for my own enjoyment.

After retirement, my husband and I decided to remain in Missouri where we had lived the last 35 years. We moved to Columbia, Missouri, to be close to our children and grandchildren. Our lives now embrace fine art with Jim’s poetry writing and my photography.

Learning New Skills

I have always had a desire to learn new skills. Each year I make lists of items that I want to know more about and talents that I want to develop. Sometimes I am fascinated by my studies, and other times I just learn that that particular thing isn’t as interesting as I thought. (The summer that I decided to learn to repair antique watches is an example of something that wasn’t for me.)

Some of my favorite studies in the 80’s were the watercolor workshops I attended. Living in an area without a large library, I requested watercolor books through the lending libraries.

For several summers in the 90’s, Jim and I would travel to Denver University where he would take classes and I would sketch the buildings and flowers on the campus.

Developing technology skills is an area in which I have been interested for many years and will always be a major interest. Not only can I communicate, share, and learn with others around the world; but technology allows me to learn in ways that were not available a few years ago.

I used digital photography and web design in the classroom for years to develop activities and lessons. Working with learning disabled students, I felt a need to create new methods to help them learn--or, present old methods in a new way. Digital photography is one tool that was used often.

Fine art photography and technology go hand-in-hand. What a wonderful transition after all of these years of experience with low resolution digital photography and web design. New camera, high resolution pictures, and large format printer-- I am ready to go!

It is time to share...

There is so much that I want to share, and I hope this blog will give you some information about my feelings and my work.