JEANELLE McCALL

 It's the middle of May and I'm making Christmas cards. Created the back ground using bubble wrap to print several layers on heavy paper. After newly created paper dried, I cut it to size. Cut a stencil out of contact paper and used an embroidery hoop and fabric to use for a silkscreen effect.  DIDN'T WORK. After a few  impressions ink ran under the contact paper. Decided to try again. This time, I carved a Lino  cut using my design. I have one more sheet of prepared background paper to cut for next printing try. Finally, got the consistency  of the ink and pressure just right.  Next step will be continued!!

Second painting ­– FINDING PEACE: HOPE, 8” x 8”, oil & cwm, wood cradle 7 WEEKS till ART WALK LUFKIN in downtown Lufkin on January 28 When I feel isolated, I count on hope. This divine mystery will present a solution if I am open to looking. There I can find peace. Hope is everything.Hope is believing in tomorrow. Hope, is trusting for something good in the future. Hope is trusting in Him. “If we want to hope for something, maybe we could hope in our heart that peace will come in our life.”—Prem Rawat What does HOPE mean to you? More FINDING PEACE series progress reports coming... Thank you for reading. : ) jmcfivespoongallery.com jeanellemccall.blogspot.com jmc_fivespoongallery

A place to feel calm, untroubled, peaceful.  Fresh air, clean water — where my lungs inflate with the onrush of serenity.  After a month of facing new challenges, chaos came storming in. I felt like the unrestrained splashing of water that was dropped into a hot frying pan!  A walk in nature, a moment of silence and a long deep breath was a calming gift. My new paintings remind me to welcome the serene and peaceful offerings found right out my door. "Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything." – Albert Einstein Cool clean breeze blows across the field giving winter birds a place to dance. 20" x 16", oil on birch wood cradle For sale Contact fivespoongallery@gmail.com for more information Toes touching smooth rock under a spring fed creek in the sparkling shade, ahh peace. 16" x 20", oil on birch wood cradle SOLD Contact fivespoongallery@gmail.com for more information Thank you for visit and ay peace be your friend while you are looking

  Part 2 - PEACE series.  Preparing for the Downtown Lufkin Art Walk on January 28 Part 2  The process has begun!  I settled on the size, medium and theme. Now I need to explore what PEACE really means to me before putting paint on wood.   The dictionary has plenty to say! 1. a state of tranquility or quiet  2. a state of security or order within  3. freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions 4. harmony in personal relations 5. to ask for silence or calm After digging deep, I settled on 6 words that mean PEACE to me. CONFIDENCE  HOPE SERENITY CONSTANT  PASSION HARMONY I would love to hear what PEACE  means to you.  More updates as I complete the PEACE SERIES.  Thank you for reading. : ) fivespoongallery.com jeanellemccall.blogspot.com jmc_fivespoongallery

Preparing for the Downtown Lufkin Art Walk on January 28 left me a bit overwhelmed.  It might be cold, it might be windy or it might rain- but why not? Sounds like a fun way to start the new year! So many things to decide to display - note cards, fiber art pieces, clutches, linocut art prints, pastel, acrylic, oil, mixed media, collages, large pieces, small pieces, art from my books, my books! To much. I thought about backing out. When I feel that way, I’ve learned to sit back, be still, listen and wait. As a reward for my practice of patience, calm and peace replaced my  concern.  I know what I can do now.  I know what I want to share. No message could be more clear. My gift to you will be PEACE. I have a plan. Now to make it so. Even though oil paint takes longer to dry, my emotions come to life through the complex layers of paint. The substrate should be a comfortable size, not overwhelming, just a gentle reminder of a peaceful sentiment.   Now, I must get to work.  Prepare the 8

  This quilt is "Who Am I?" (50.5" x 39") by Jeanelle McCall. From the exhibit "Seeing in Color" - on display now! At the Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange, Texas Her poem: WHO AM I? Many curious tales are told of how he tried.  Some say he looked far and wide.  “Who am I? Where do I belong?  If I could only find a place to fit in. I want to belong, perhaps a colorful vision. It might be here in this land of green.  Those are the prettiest colors I’ve ever seen. But look over there, a woven tapestry, so delicate and soft.  But I still don’t fit in, I feel so lost. I see a river of blue and green, dividing the land, our amazing earth.  For what ever it’s worth I looked and looked. I must go on and find my way.  Please let it happen on this day. I see it, all bright and warm. I even see a similar form. There can be no argument or dispute, I see pink and yellow and feathers to boot I’ve seen so many wonderful things,  I can’t tell how happy and what joy this br

What to do with leftover paint? Left over paint is usually placed, smeared and brushed onto my next canvas as an undercoat for my next painting. This layer is the most freeing of all, hidden under the finale painting. But it is a suggestion of where the painting might lead. Next day I was ready to paint. I began with cool colors layering over the warm colors. An image of an old home place began to emerge. I remember driving by this place many time, and regretfully I never took the time to paint it. So all that was left was a vague memory of a place and time I loved. After it had a chance to dry a little, I added a few details on the barn. I believe it is finished or maybe not!

I begin my mornings outside, first just looking and observing what is going on around me, which birds could I hear, what new buds were breaking through,which way was the breeze flowing from. Then sitting in a special place in my garden, I say a prayer of thankfulness. With that, I go to my studio and begin the process.. painting the Stations of the Cross. This past February 12th, a friend told me about a church in Webster, Texas (where a lot of the astronauts attend) announced a “call to artist”. On Good Friday they will have a virtual exhibit featuring artists work that represents The Stations of the Cross. To provide a version of this devotion more closely aligned with the biblical accounts, Pope John Paul II introduced a new form of devotion, called the Scriptural Way of the Cross, on Good Friday 1991 that is more closely aligned with the biblical accounts. This is the version I chose to paint. One painting wasn’t enough for me. I was driven to complete all fourteen and hopefully in

 I  was challenged to cr eate a piece to hang in the sanctuary  illuminating Jam es 5:15.   I made a few practice samples to see  if my idea would work. Excited about the solution, I began with a full size sketch, then drew it onto fabric and began slow free motion  stitching over my drawing.  Three layers, fabric and batting, gave a  wonderful dimensional look.  Then I started the painting, slowly and  carefully.  When completed, I backed it in silk. I am thrilled the  combination of stitching and painting worked out as I had hoped!

Wolf Kahn is a German-American painter known for his vivid and colorful landscapes. I have been inspired by his work since the first time I picked up a pastel. He used a lot of strong horizontal and vertical lines to create his beautiful landscapes. And of course, his vibrant use of color filled me with joy.  I forgot about his inspirational work till the other day when I saw a painting of his on facebook. Influenced by his work, I couldn't wait to start a painting.    I started with a simple wash of acrylic paint. After drying, I painted with oil, wax and other mediums. Moving with the Moon, 20" x 16", oil on paper To create movement in my work, I used my fingers to move the paint around.  I really enjoyed the outcome. It gives me a feeling of falling leaves glistening in the moonlight. I hope you enjoy it too!