Colour Addict

TAKE A DEEP BREATH!!! YOU DID IT!

Well 2009 proved to be a very successful year for Shannonjex.com.  As most of you blog-followers remember, my site (and blog) launched in January 2009.  Acceptance was immediate and expansion soon followed.  I think a big milestone for me was when I got my first client that was not a friend or a family member. What I mean, is that it was a random hire....not because he knew me...but because he actually liked my artwork. WHOA! It was a young man from Virginia that wanted me to draw something for his wife.  That was this summer and since then I can officially say I do more artwork for clients I have never met than for friends and family.  What a cool feeling.  I never thought I would here someone say "oh, you are Shannon Jex, I love your artwork"....but when it happened it felt better than I ever dreamed it would!!

So let me recap the last part of 2009 with a summation of artwork (since I have been too busy painting to blog).  I wish I had the time to write a story on every single piece but  I will share responses I got to receiving the artwork.  I don't have pictures of all of them but I will share what I did get!

1. 8x10" Barn Drawing for a client in New Orleans, LA.  Medium used: Prisma color on drawing paper with pen and ink for the address at the bottom.
   
2. 8x10" House Drawing for a client in New Orleans, LA.  Medium used: Prisma color on drawing paper with pen and ink for the address at the bottom.
   
   
3. Collage of images and quotes for a wall in my home. Took some of my favorite quotes and played with fonts and formats to create a focal wall in one of the guest bedrooms. (pictures to come)
4. 2- 24x24" canvas drawings with the words "Good Morning" and "Good Night" in 15 languages for a client in Houston, TX.  Medium Used: Acrylic Paint on canvas/cotton fabric.  The client made them into pillow shams for her guest room.
   
5. 8x10" House Drawing for a client in Stillwater, Minnesota.  Medium used: Prisma color on drawing paper with pen and ink for the address at the bottom. (Pictures to come)
6. 20x24" Painting of a baseball player for a client in Oxford, MS. Medium used: Acrylic on canvas. Clients response:  Just wanted to tell you thank you again for Rickeys painting. I will get some pics to you soon and all the details of how we gave it to him, etc.. he CRIED! just had tears in his eyes.. its hanging in the living room of our new precious little house and we LOVE it.
   
7. Painted cooler for a client in Caledonia, MS.  Theme was Ole Miss.  Top was painted with Colonel Reb and client's name and the sides had the Hotty Toddy chant. Medium used: Acrylic paint and a large rolling cooler.
8. Painted cooler for a client in Brandon, MS.  Theme was the clients name drawn in pipes running through large snow-capped mountains.  The client works on the pipeline in Alaska.  Medium used: Acrylic paint and a large rolling cooler.
9. Painted cooler for a client in Jackson, MS.  Theme was Ole Miss.  Top was painted with Colonel Reb and client's name and the sides had the Hotty Toddy chant. Medium used: Acrylic paint and a large rolling cooler.
10. Painting auctioned at a charity event for the WeeDream Foundation in Houston, TX
11. 20x24" Nursery Painting of Noah's Ark for a client in Vicksburg, MS.  Medium was pastel acrylic paint on canvas. (Pictures to come)
12. 12x30" Pet Portrait: Dachshund for a special client in Houston, TX.  Medium was acrylic paint on canvas.
    
13. 24x30" Painting: Campbell's Soup Themed for a special client in Houston, TX.  Medium was acrylic paint on canvas.                                                         
    
14. 24x48" Monochromatic painting of Johnny Cash for a special client in Hubert, North Carolina. Medium was acrylic paint on canvas. (see client response in #15)
    
15. 24x48" Monochromatic painting of Waylon Jennings for a special client in Hubert, North Carolina.  Medium was acrylic paint on canvas.  Client Response:  I have to describe this one myself since it was very special to me.  A special person in my brother's life ordered a painting of Johnny Cash as a Christmas gift for him and I gave him Waylon Jennings.  I was busting at the seams with anticipation as I waited for Christmas Eve Eve to get here when she was giving him the first painting.  Right before we open gifts I told Zach- "i just cannot wait until Christmas to give him mine..I have to do it now!"  So I ran upstairs to my secret painting hiding place and retrieved Waylon.  Cory opened Johnny first.  He just stood there staring.  Does he like it?  Is he happy?  How the heck can you tell what a marine is thinking??  Cory had one hand on his side and his other hand on his head.  He was speechless!! (desired reaction achieved!!) I could see in his eyes he was so happy at that very moment.  But I couldn't let the joy stop there...i signaled to Zach to bring in the other one as I said "hey Cory, Zach is getting something for you to hang that with" (Cory was thinking a screw or frame wire) Then came Waylon.  Same size, same monochromatic style...same reaction, speechless.  As I saw Cory's eyes well up with tears I lost it.  I am the emotional one and he is the marine so you can only imagine what a "top-of-the-world-cloud-nine" moment this was for me.  It ranks right up there with giving PaPa's painting to him last year.  It was the mast amazing response (from the entire family) that I have ever gotten from a piece.  It was a cherry on my already delicious "hot fudge sunday" moment when dad hugged me and say "Shay these are amazing.  You are an amazing artist...I cannot believe you did these".  If that is not the best moment of a daughter's life I am not sure what is! So we spent the rest of the weekend staring that those ginormous painting in the living room.  They were staring hopefully because they were in love and I was staring in total disbelief that I actually finished those in time for Christmas (with a whole day to spare!).
16. Painted Cowboy Boot for a special client in Holly Lake, TX.  Medium was acrylic paint on vintage Cowboy Boot.
    
17. Custom Pet Portrait Painting auctioned at a fundraising event for the Krewe of Phoenix in Natchez, MS
18. 21 Hand Painted glass ornaments for each of our Christmas dinner guests.  Each had our home hand painted on the front on their name on the back with "Christmas 2009, Natchez, MS" as a little memory from our wonderful Christmas. Guests loved them!
    
    
    
19. Painted the backdrops for a Mardi Gras ball in Natchez, MS.  Theme was Hot Vegas Night and I recreated 6 Vegas Hotels: The Bellagio, Paris, New York New York, Circus Circus, Caesar's Palace, and Planet Hollywood.  Mediums: acrylic paint, clue, boat-loads of glitter, and 4'x8' sheets of foam board. (Pictures to come)
20. Address 350 wedding invitations.
21. Apple for our new kitchen. Acrylic on canvas.
    

So I am taking the last half of the month of January off to pat myself on the back and say to myself...YOU DID IT!  I never thought I was going to make it but 11 of those pieces were ordered AND delivered in December.  I have to thank my loving and thoughtful husband who kept pushing me to "keep painting" in December and was so encouraging!  Poor guy spent a lot of time alone while I was up in the studio.  And also thanks to him, I will be partaking in an hour long massage next week.  Thanks babe...do you think it would be odd if I asked her to focus on relaxing the muscles in my right wrist?!? 

So 2009 was a HUGE success.  Now...take a deep breath, Shannon!! You did it!

Now on to 2010 and all the magical creativity it has in store!

Thanks for reading...and reading!

Cheers!

Shannon

A room fit for TWO!

I had the pleasure of meeting a really special person when I worked in the Marketing department. She is one of those people that you can talk with for hours about everything from what haircut to get to how to deal with a death in the family. She is genuinely interested in what you have to say and she was such a breath of fresh air! We had daily "vent" sessions in each other's cubicles and she got me through a lot of ups and down this past year. When I started working on the project teams I met another spectacular individual. He was the Business Analyst on one of my projects and I think it took a whole 5 minutes before we were cracking jokes about anything and everything. He has a great sense of humor and always knows how to lighten the mood when the projects are getting unbearable. So about 7 days after meeting him, I was composing an email and put his name in the "TO:" line. It then dawned on me that....whoa... his last name is Reeves...and so is my good friend in Marketing...hmmmm....I wonder if they are related. Sure enough these 2 were husband and wife. I sure felt like I rode the "short bus" when I realized how long it took me to make the connection. Brian and Dianna have become some of our great friends! Zach and I enjoy every time we get to hang out with them and cannot wait for their next visit to Natchez!

Now that I have introduced you to Bri and Di, I can tell you how excited I am about the upcoming birth of their twin babies Sophia and _________. (The baby boy has yet to be named but I think they still have a few weeks to decide). I just completed a nursery mural for them. It is a tree in-between the cribs. Above the girl crib there is a pink baby bird and above the boy's crib, a blue one. Then "carved" in the tree trunk are Brian & Dianna's names as well as Sophia and a space for the little boy's name when decided on. Before I finished Brian and Dianna had to go to the hospital. She will be in there for a little monitoring hopefully for no more than 24 hours. I cannot wait for them to return home and see the nursery.

Enjoy!

Men are so thoughtful!

I spent my evening in the art studio finishing up a drawing for one of my favorite past bosses.  He had me do an 11"x14" pencil drawing of him and his wife on their wedding day. This is the second one I have done this summer where the husband gives it to his wife as an anniversary gift.  Great idea and such a sentimental gift...major brownie points!  I will post pictures once he gives it to his wife.

I just couldn't turn the lights off in the studio before I made one of my favorite babies something special. I started a tradition back in March when Elle was born, that every time she has a surgery I would make her a little "Shay Creation". So tonight she gets a door hanger for her hospital stay this month when she has her open heart surgery. I hope it will make one of my favorite families smile!! The bottom of the painting reads: "dear God, please heal my heart. Love, Elle" I made the little dress and hair flower from some of my favorite fabric and sewed a heart on the dress. I love how it turned out..I hope the Luphers do too!

Little Miracles!

I think I mentioned this in another blog, but I love anything that has to do with babies!  I am having so much fun during this time in life when so many of my friends are having babies!  I get to do baby shower invitations, nursery murals, crib hangers, nursery paintings, and come up with fun games to play at baby showers!  My best friend, Lisha, just had a baby girl and spent about 55 days in the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.  During that time she got to know a lot of wonderful people that touched her life, including one special nurse.  The nurse is about to have a baby boy named Levi and they recently found out that he will be born with heart issues as well.  Lisha loved the crib hanger I made for Elle's hospital bed so she asked me to do one for Levi.  I hope she loves it and I cannot wait to hear all about it!  Please let me know if you know anyone that is having a baby and I would love to make one for the hospital door, crib, or nursery!

Cheers!

There is nothing I love more than doing a sentimental piece for someone and I love it even more when it is a surprise from them for a loved one.  I was so excited when I was contacted by one of my brother's Marine Corps buddies to do a drawing for his wife.  Colin wanted to surprise her on their one year anniversary with a sketch of one of the wedding pictures.  I love the picture he chose because it is so unique.  My favorite part is that it highlights the uber handsome Marine Corps officer uniform!  I can't wait to get Colin's feedback after he gives it to her!

Can't take the credit...

Can't take the credit for this creation...this was all my hubs, Zach!  These are 6 of his photographs that he took of scenes in Oxford.  I matted and framed them and then we painted an old white table rust red and made it into what we call "our HGTV wall". Enjoy!

Small Inspirations!

I have felt so inspired lately!  One of the areas I have taken particular interest in is baby bed name plates and nursery name hangers.  I think the inspiration is coming from my best friend, Lisha, my sister-in-law, Becky, and my friends Melissa and Dianna.  Lisha is a brand new mom and the others will be pretty soon!  Since many babies have to stay in the hospital for a few days/weeks, I wanted to create something that made the hospital crib cute and charming!  I made Lisha's daughter Elle one as she embarked on her first life adventure...heart surgery at 3 weeks old.  I just think anything personalized is the greatest baby shower or 'new baby in the hospital' gift!  Let me know if you have new babies in your life that need a little artwork in their nursery!

How life can change in just one month!

My apologies for not writing sooner.  I am sure you can relate to those times in life where you get so busy you hope you remember to brush your teeth and shower everyday.  So blogging was stretching it!  I have been working on custom pieces for weddings and personal collections in my spare time but lately I have had little.  We lost Zach's mother, Randa, to a long battle with breast cancer in late January. Zach and I decided to make Natchez our home and move into the home he grew up in. The move was complete February 28 and he started working at the law firm March 2.  We still have a long way to go on the house but we have taken our creativity to the walls and room by room we are repainting, taking down wall paper, and redecorating.  Zach has had overwhelming success with his photography and we are working on a few statement walls in the house either showcasing his photos or my paintings.  I guess you can say our home will be anything but ordinary and the house is an amazing blank canvas! The beautiful home was built in 1889 on the oldest corner in Natchez.  We are with-in walking distance of the restaurants, shops, and even Zach's law firm on Main Street.  We are also a few blocks off the beautiful Mississippi River. So have I convinced you to come visit yet?? We will post " before" and "after" pictures to the blog soon.  Right now it seems like we just have a lot of "before" pictures, but that will change with time!

I am excited that I now have a designated "art studio" since we transformed the sun-room into my creative palace. With 2 large windows overlooking the courtyard that allow an abundance of natural light, God only knows what I will be inspired to paint next!  Stay tuned!

  Above is a set of old iron gates that Zach found behind the house.  We cleaned them up, sanded them, painted them, and hung with in the foyer of our home.  Paired with a trunk and a nice green plant...it almost feels like you are in a garden! :) Enjoy!

Should be sleeping!

Well it is another night were I find myself in the study drawing...energy flowing and the ideas are coming easy.  Then I glance at the clock and realize it is hours past my bedtime and sigh as I put my sketchpad down and step away from the drawing table.  Tomorrow morning will be a doozie, if only I could use my special art eraser on those dark circles underneath my eyes! 

This past weekend was very productive but also whole bunch of fun.  I started a new “Series” and with the help of my amazing husband, got my website updated.  This series is something that I really hope is a hit because I love the idea!  I wanted to do something very personal for a target crowd.  The series is called "The Ole Miss Dream Homes" and it is a collection of colored pen drawings of the sorority houses at Ole Miss.  They have elegant southern architecture, charming decor, and a story for anyone that lived in one.  All nine beautiful southern homes will be available as prints in the coming months.  I have been working on the Phi Mu house and it is almost complete.  This house is dear to me from the years I was at Ole Miss and the time I lived there.  I really love the layout I have chosen and I need to thank Larry Wamble for the inspiration.  He has a series of different cities that I just love.  In fact we have one hanging in our guest bedroom! Oxford, of course!  Much like the attachment people have to certain cities, many girls made lifelong memories within these homes. I am looking forward to see how they all turn out and I am even more excited to see the response we get from Ole Miss students and alumni!

 And…..GOOD NIGHT!

A Special Christmas Delivery

While I was home visiting Papa, I met one of his hospice nurses, Jackie.  She noticed the drawing I did of Papa and was very complimentary.  After I left she asked my mom if I might be able to draw her grandson for her.  He was five and had passed away that year.  Over Thanksgiving break I sat down and started drawing.  It came so easily because his smile just lit up the picture.  He was such a joy to draw.  I found myself smiling as I shaded the contour of his mouth.  I mailed it to her right before Christmas. Although I knew little about this boy, I knew that in his short life he was filled with joy.  You can see it in his eyes and in that big smile!  I was blessed this morning as I got this letter in the mail from Jackie:

 

Dear Shannon,

 

I would first and foremost like to thank you most graciously for the drawing of my wonderful loving grandson.  His name was Ja’ Kaleb Jamal, he was five years old and full of life. Ja’ Kaleb loved sports and loved to play basketball, he was a loving child that would light anyone’s heart. The drawing was so much like him that our family was amazed!  It was an honor to comfort your grandfather in his last days and when I look at this drawing I will always remember your grandfather and your family.  Again I want to thank you, God Bless you and may happiness and peace be with you this coming year.

Sincerely,

Jackie Lewis

 

Through my art, God continues to bless me!