A blog by "Art Witch" Jenelle Leigh Campion - ๐ Wholistic Creatrix; ๐น✨Fey Priestess; ❤️๐จ⚜ Jackson Square artist #Nola; ๐ฅ๐ง๐พ๐ ๐ฎ #Magic #Cosmos #Empthy
Monday, December 1, 2014
Holiday Shopping Haul 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
End of Summer Goals
Signs of shifts towards autumn are staring to creep through the heat haze of southern Louisiana. I haven't been out selling much. Any day over 95 degrees is too hot for me. I've been working for a chair massage company to get me through the summer which has been a blessing. It's just enough bodywork to remind me why I love doing it. But as we settle more into autumn I'm excited to fill my life up with my art again.
Plans for the near future:
- 30 day daily painting series "Dance your <3 out" with one dancing skeleton each day
- finishing the painted panels for my ebook "ABCs of the <3"
- bringing my Daily Blossoms out to sell (it's been too hot!! The sun melts their plastic display bags)
- new rivers :) I've been working hard to make space for them again in my practice. I'm ready to do the Seine, the Hudson River and the Chicago River.
- AND I'm really interested in doing a series of deep sea fish...possibly on black velvet.
- exploring new ways to work glitter paint, beads and gemstones into my work #moresparkle
Friday, June 13, 2014
Painting-a-day: Daily Blossoms
My first offering is a painting of this marigold flower growing in my garden.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Articulation
Crystals, libraries and beginning to learn
Photo by me from Austin, TX |
When I was in middle school I starting building a rock collection. I was in love with the color and texture that came out of the Earth. The unique beauty of each individual mineral was fascinating to me.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Sharing time: Jackson Sq so far
Instagram: @JenelleLeighC |
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Click: Lomography has taken my soul
This year I started looking back over her more recent albums that I hadn't really been paying attention too. In the last 5 years Tori has written a collection of holiday songs, a feminist opus culled from the history of western classical themes, reimagined part of her catalogue with a full scale orchestra, co-written a full scale musical now being shown in London AND most recently put out an album of original music.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
I got my permit to sell art on Jackson Square.
Coming out of grad school in 2012 I had my sights set on selling art in the French Quarter of New Orleans. I was able to get a Pirate Alley Permit and spent the last year setting up paintings on the fence behind St. Louis cathedral and selling to tourists and locals.
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My Pirate's Alley studio. Taken by Nick Campion. |
However, I learned a lot being on Pirates Alley. It took me months to become comfortable selling my work and figuring out the kind of set up I would need and how to get it all down there with a bicycle. This space became my outdoor studio and I was able to invite anyone walking by into my world. People bought my work to display it in the most exclusive places in the world...their homes.
Looking into Jackson Square Instagram @JenelleLeighC |
I became hungry for one of the 200 Jackson Square permits and was ready to jump at the chance at the start of February when any non-renewed permit would become available on a "first come first serve" basis.
A brief explication of what happened as quoted from THIS Nola.com article:
"This year, the permitting process did not go smoothly. The original deadline fell on Monday, Feb. 3, not long after the late January freeze scare that closed City Hall for two days. Because of the unexpected closure, the Bureau of Revenue wasn’t ready to issue permits at the appointed hour of 8 a.m. on that Monday.
With the new date of 2/12/14 seemingly secure I tried to go to work on Pirate's Alley on Sunday 2/9/14 but the rumor soon arrived that 4 artists were already camped out in front of City Hall.
I had planned to go over there on Monday morning and was already dreading spending 2 nights on their stoop but I found myself unable to think of anything but claiming my spot in line ASAP. So I took a deep breath, grabbed my sleeping bag and headed to City Hall for a 3 night camp out and became #9 in line.
Sunday Night. #9 Instagram @JenelleLeighC |
Sunday night into Monday was charming as the weather was warm and dry. The 12 or so artists who had showed up were in high spirits. I felt like I was on a retreat where the only thing I was required to do was not leave the general area for more than an hour. Otherwise we all hung out and talked about life and the art we make.
I'm grateful to have had time to inquire into the people behind the art. When I'm out working it's all too easy for me to stay focused on creating and selling my work. Some of the artists were people I has spent the last year around and some were new to me. It was a great opportunity to feel out my new coworkers and make friends.
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Me. Day 2. Photo by Maria Kramer |
A lot of people took time to show their support and offer solidarity. The owner of Forstall Art Store brought us doughnuts, some current Jackson Square artists brought us a gas heater and food, others brought sandwiches and water and some employees of City Hall even gave us a king cake.
And we waited, drank coffee, wine and whiskey for warmth and smoked way to many cigarettes. I played on my ukulele at night and did yoga during the day to keep my body and voice open and moving during this ordeal.
Blessedly on Tuesday night the security people let us sleep in the lobby because the temperature was dropping below 40 and the rain was steadily coming down. I stayed awake all night as I was too hyped up by my nervous excitement about the impending permit time to rest.
Wednesday morning finally arrived and at 630am we organized ourselves and our belongings into some kind of order, by 730am we were sitting in chairs lined up in the hallway outside the permit office...and by 830am I had my new permit in hand!
I'm so glad it's over and so excited about the expanded opportunities now on the horizon for me and my expanded community of artists.
Instagram @JenelleLeighC My art hanging on Jackson Sq 2/14/14 with St. Louis Cathedral in the background. |