My magical Scotland residency: a new art collection and residency pictures!
At a glance:I have released a new collection of available works called Scottish Storybook: click here to browse! I describe my experience in my Scotland residency and share pictures from the experience.
With the works on paper I created at the Scotland residency
Photo by Arielle of the Woods
Photo among the Abbey ruins by Kelley Smith
“Scottish Stream,” pastel on paper, by Jessica Libor 2023
Creating “Blue Sunset”
At the castle
“Scottish Castle” by Jessica Libor 2023
Dear Friends, I just returned from the breathtaking and mysterious Scotland, where I experienced staying in a manor house from the 1700s on the property of a castle that was built around 1000 AD. This would be the site where the Muses Escape held their residency. The castle has a legend that states that Joan of Arc learned her sword fighting skills there, and with its fair share of ghost tales!
It was a crucible of stretching myself beyond my comfort zone. Being in a foreign land is always challenging, but this time I was traveling far from any civilization in Scotland, three hours from the closest city! First flying into Glasgow, I experienced the beautiful history of the city, which was also extremely old.
I loved the Gothic architecture and the dramatic history of the land. The Glasgow Cathedral was also an incredible highlight, with the stained glass being extremely unique!
On the drive to the residency with another artist, it was nothing but sheep, birds, and mountains for miles to see. Occasionally, we would pass a cottage or a castle. It was like walking into Brigadoon and was truly breathtaking! Once at the residency, I met with 24 other talented female artists from all over the world.
Together, we would create and collaborate and gain inspiration from each other during the course of the week.
Every morning, I would wake up and look out the old window and see the timeless Scottish sea just footsteps from the Manor House. Mountains surrounded the area, and wild flowers had started to bloom everywhere. Scotland has a climate similar to Pennsylvania, so it was chilly but with many signs of spring. The trees caught my eye everywhere I looked. Because the location was so close to the ocean, the trees were gnarled and knotted from the sea winds, and also everything was overgrown by a bright green moss. It truly looked like a illustration from an old fairytale book. I would not be surprised to see fairies and magical creatures that you only read of in books peeking out from the forest. You could really feel the magic!
While there, I created fourteen pieces. These are works on paper inspired directly by the landscape and sometimes the dreams that I had while I was there. I’m calling it my Scottish Storybook collection! You can browse what is available in this collection by clicking here. If you have already purchased one of these pieces, I am packaging it up and it should be mailed to you next week!
I realized that I would not have the time to create lots of finished oil paintings in the short time that I was there, so I focused on really absorbing the enchanting atmosphere, learning as much about the culture as I possibly could, and experiencing a magical week with these other talented women. I also got lots of amazing reference photos and I’ll be creating work based around some of the experiences and places I went to while there! I had some time to read while there as well, and delved heavily into the history of fairy tales and folk tales, which will be reflective in my next body of oil paintings moving forward.
In this post, I am attaching some of the photos that hopefully communicate some of the indescribable experiences I had while there.
Thank you as always for your interest in my art career. There is lots more brewing for the Spring, so I’ll talk to you soon!
I am happy to release this vivid pastel piece just in time for Valentine’s. Whether you are celebrating with a sweetie this year or not, none of us are immune to the rose-red charms of love. In this piece, I have included a rose in a unique vase which reflects the colors below, a parchment letter sealed with a ribbon, and an apple, displayed on luscious red fabric.
The medium is chalk pastel on paper, and the marks are crisp and deliberate, making this a clear and energetic piece.
“Tender Trio” is 14″ x 17″ inches and ships rolled gently and carefully protected in a tube. *Please note the framed image is a mockup and meant to represent how the piece could look if framed by the buyer.*
I am doing an online auction for this ORIGINAL piece! The bidding starts at $250 and ends on February 7th at midnight. If you would like to bid, please click here or scan the Q code below. Once you register, you will be able to make a bid and will be notified if at any point you are out bid, or if you won the piece at the end!
Scan this Q code with your camera app in your phone to register and place your bid!
Any questions, please email jlibor@jessicalibor.com and I will get back to you asap!
Above, Soft Sea, oil on Belgian linen mounted on panel, 8″ x 10″, by Jessica Libor. Purchase here.
Above, The Inn at Cape May, the painting on site in front of the hotel of the same name! Cape May, NJ is known for its Victorian homes.
The Inn at Cape May, oil on panel, 11″ x 14″, by Jessica Libor. Purchase here.
Inside the Inn at Cape May
Visiting the lighthouse in Cape May
Summer is going by swimmingly, and I am soaking up as much time outside as possible! That means lots of plein air painting. I am excited to share two new paintings that are available, Soft Sea and The Inn at Cape May. Soft Sea is part of the new Era Contemporary Gallery group online exhibition, Summer Love! I am thrilled to be exhibiting with such fabulous artists. Soft Sea original is available for purchase on my website here. I am also making hand signed, open edition prints of this piece, available to order here.
The other new piece available is called The Inn at Cape May, and is a portrait of a hotel of the same name. I visited Cape May with another artist friend this month and we explored the coastal town. The Inn is a dramatic, historic presence within the Victorian beach town. In the fall of 1894, William H. Church, a contractor and builder, of West Cape May, began work on a 60-room boarding house at the foot of Ocean Street opposite the Star Villas, one of the most delightful locations on the beachfront. This was the Inn at Cape May. It is full of beauty and eccentricities in its design, both interior and exterior, and captured my imagination. I am sure it has seen many things! It is available for purchase on my website here.
I have also re-opened my shop, new and improved! To celebrate this, please use the code JULY to take 15% off anything you like, code good until midnight, July 22nd.
In this episode, I chat with Philadelphia artist and educator Nancy Bea Miller about using challenges like the Strada Challenge to increase productivity, skill and efficiency within your art practice! Having completed such challenges several times Nancy gives us tips to help complete each challenge you set while using it to further your art practice. Enjoy this fun and relaxing conversation between friends.
Episode 33 of the Inspired Painter with Jessica Libor
Listen to more episodes of the Inspired Painter here.
As another gift to you to start out the new year, here is my free printable calendar for 2021! DOWNLOAD HERE. It highlights twelve of the pieces I made in 2020.
Legend has it that gargoyles and stone chimeras were created to keep the evil spirits away from sacred places. This chimera has been perched a top the Notre Dame Cathedral for hundreds of years, as the city changed below. For those who know me, know I love anything Gothic and historical…decided to do this ink piece on one of the historical gargoyles of Paris (used as a waterspout) or if not used as a waterspout, technically called chimeras. I loved its strong silhouette and its presence.
May you think of this fearsome monster as a symbol of the strength within you, ready to do battle with whatever evil it comes across.
Ink on paper, 9” x 11”, by Jessica Libor 2020
This original piece is available. To order, click here.
Ships flat in a clear plastic sleeve within 5 days of order.
When I get overwhelmed by the amount of masterpieces in the world, from the vast repository of master works made through the centuries, to the incredible dedication and talent of people working today in the arts, it can be tempting to say “What can I do?” and “How can I ever compare?”
When I feel this way, it helps to remember two points.
First of all, the impact of art is not measured by technical perfection alone. As a realist artist, it can be tempting to say “If I just get better with my technique, learn more about color theory, or master light…then my art will be truly impactful”. And while it will certainly IMPROVE the quality of my art to learn new things, art is not about how perfectly you can copy reality.
It is also about the human impulse, the recording of your feelings and sentient thought, the capturing of the energy and imagination of the artist. This can be done sometimes by just a few lines (Think of Matisse’s ink drawings!) So sometimes it’s not about the technical brilliance–it’s about tapping into your heart and your emotions and letting that come out onto your art.
Mattisse Drawing
Second, I like to remind myself that art is a journey and each artist goes through different stages of development. We learn and we grow through each phase of life. And no artist was born knowing how to create a masterpiece. They all studied, practiced, failed, tried again, and again, and by doing more and more and refining their process, eventually they were able to gain the skills and confidence to produce the beautiful works we love today, like the Sistine Chapel. Do you think Michaelangelo could have executed that at 5 years old? No–he had to learn the skills to do this.
So, when you are feeling down on yourself, just remember art is a skill just like anything else that takes practice. It’s up to you to decide how much time, energy and learning you would like to put into it. I promise you the more energy you put in, the more amazing results you’ll get!
How will you further your studies this week?
For those interested, I have a course you can take here!
Dear Friends, In honor of The Queen of the Sea print release, I wanted to share with you a mini history of Aphrodite and Venus, whose legends were some of the inspiration behind my painting.
A mythical goddess of love and born of the ocean, Aphrodite of Greece and later called Venus by the Romans. Depictions of the birth of Aphrodite are among the oldest European mythological paintings of which we have records. Apelles of Kos, one of the most renowned of the great painters of ancient Greece, probably painted Aphrodite Anadyomene (above), in which the goddess Aphrodite rises from the sea.
The Birth of Venus by Botticelli (above) is probably the most famous depiction of Venus. Standing in an over-sized clamshell, Aphrodite has been born as a fully-grown adult, her long tresses blowing in the breeze.
I actually was able to see this painting in person, as it is in the Uffizi museum in Florence, Italy. While I studied painting there at the Florence Academy of Art, I was able to see it in person, and it is quite beautiful! Pictures don’t do it justice.
Blowing Aphrodite to the shore are Zephyros, the west wind, harbinger of Spring, and Aura the personification of lighter breeze. At the right, welcoming Aphrodite to land with clothing is one of the Horai representing the season Spring, and there are Spring flowers blowing across the painting. They are probably on the shore of the island of Cyprus, with a wood inland. There have been countless interpretations of Venus and Aphrodite since then, and it still serves and an inspiration today!
Alexandre Cabanel’s painting The Birth of Venus brought him great success, at the Salon of 1863. An unashamedly romantic-academic interpretation, this painting stole the Salon of 1863, and was bought by Napoleon III for his personal collection.
It is worth mentioning too that Venus is one of our planets within our solar system, and can be seen as a bright star on clear nights! In fact, last winter I did a guided moon walk (where you walk in a park by the light of the moon) and was able to see Venus sparkling high above us!
My own preparatory sketch and then painting, The Queen of the Sea, was inspired by a dream. I awoke one morning with the very clear image of a woman with reddish-blonde curls rising from the waves, covered in the shimmering costume of blue waves and foam, with a spirit of royalty. I painted directly from my imagination after only doing a preparatory sketch in colored pencil first. I was a bit nervous having no reference photos or model for the piece, but decided to go with it and was happy I did, as I think painting directly really captured the emotion of the moment.
Above is the preparatory sketch, still available. Once finished, the large painting measured 30″ x 40″ as an original oil on canvas, and quickly sold. I do, however, have limited edition prints of this piece! The print is an edition of 100, and is hand signed and numbered by me individually. The print is on 11″ x 15″ paper and is acid free, archival and velvety pure color texture. To order a print for yourself or for a gift, click the image below!
I hope this gave you a bit of inspiration, and historical background to the changing names of the original Queen of the Sea!
In other news, I’m developing the holiday line for my art, so stay tuned! I will let you know when everything is ready!
Have a beautiful week, and sending you love, light, and creativity!
In this virtual event, attendees will get a first look at the newest collection of art by Jessica Libor, inspired by the ocean and its stories and fairy tale lore.
This ticket is your reservation to attend the LIVE, VIRTUAL event held over Zoom, and using 3D technology to bring you the experience of actually being in a gallery room with the new artwork! All work will be inspired by the ocean, incorporating both the natural power of the ocean, and also gem-like pieces filled with silver leaf and cool tones evoking the mythical tales of mermaids and sirens.
10% of the sale of all tickets will be donated to Ocean Conservancy, a wonderful nonprofit that works to create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it.
Attendees will receive a hand-signed by the artist postcard of the show image, as well as a generous discount on the artwork featured.
Wear your mermaid or beach inspired outfit and join us for this live interactive event in the arts!
I’m excited to share that two pieces from my recent pastel collection from my show “Enchanted Portals” has been featured on The Art Blog, on their series “Artists in the Time of Coronavirus”.
Several pieces from this collection are still available through my shop here.
The article includes my statements on the work:
Each portrait revealed is a different woman, and these drawings are inspired by the idea of the selfie as a self portrait. The enchanted portal today is technology, and through technology we can curate the way that we are seen, in the same way that artists in other centuries flattered their subjects or imagined a different surrounding for them. I was particularly inspired to do this series because of the impact on millions of quarantined individuals. With nowhere to go socially, how wdo we as individuals still express our creative personalities through our styling? Does it still matter to get dressed up if no one will see you? How does creating a selfie with your cellphone mimic the process of creating a work of art? Many things are the same: choosing the elements, composition, lighting, colors, and subject matter. In many ways, the selfie and the self-portrait are the same thing: the artist’s version of themselves that they want to reveal to the world. Through blending fantasy and reality, they can be perceived as who they aspire to be. How does creating an idealized fantasy world surrounding you create relief psychologically? Is it escapism, or creativity?
It is my belief that the self-portrait of today is the selfie—a way for any individual with a digital device to record their own existence in whatever way feels good to them. It is a way of asserting their presence in the world and reflects the human’s timeless desire to make a mark on society and the world: it is a way to be seen.
“Sacrifice”, a drawing of George Floyd, graphite on paper, by Jessica Libor 2020.