Tuesday 28 October 2008

London here I come

Right, my blogging's been quiet recently because I've not had chance to do it along with everything else on my plate at the moment! Not that things are going to lessen in the near future either.........

After a lot of consideration regarding the Fantasy Fanny "Queynte" paintings, and the best place to hang them, I've decided to by-pass a "proper" gallery, for the moment anyway, as most of them won't be interested because of the content of the subject matter, plus they will want at least half my takings in gallery commission, so if I can do it without them, I'll try! Its always a difficult decision whether to use a gallery, or try without one. So, to this end, I needed to find a venue that had people who like art and people who like erotica, and people who are likely to want to buy it. MMm........ Ah, yes, I can think of a place that fits that description exactly! So I rang up last week to speak to the organisers to find that there wasn't any "art gallery space" left. "Ok, then, I'll forget that idea, hey but hang on a minute, is there anywhere else within the venue that I can exhibit my art?" And lo and behold - there is!!!!!! YAY!!!! So - the venue is EROTICA 2008 at Olympia in London on Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd November, and the rest of the information you should need regarding what else is happening at EROTICA, will be on the EROTICA website. My stand is a small one, upstairs, away from the main art gallery, but still exhibiting at Erotica. And as far as I'm concerned, its the ideal place for me to take my fannies. I think they will be different to the other erotic artwork there, and hopefully I'll sell some commissions to anyone who wants one, but also, the bloggers who already have had theirs done, will have the opportunity to come a view theirs too, if they so wish. And to meet me too, if they want to.

This is all big stuff for me, but from the reaction I've had from people so far, I think the Fantasy Fanny collection has touched a chord somewhere for women, so this venue is the place where I find out if my thoughts are correct........

Oh, and the latest fanny is complete and here it is......Queynte 8.
Right, now I'm busy on to the next ones......

Wednesday 22 October 2008

Like a swan

I'm like a swan at the moment as far as blogging is concerned - it all looks very serene at the moment on the surface but there is terrific and frantic paddling underneath!!!


I have many many things on the go at the moment - sorting out the new venue for the erotic artwork, which I will tell you about very soon, I promise! Frantically painting Fantasy Fanny/Queynte paintings, updating my website, and being involved with the Guild of Erotic Artists and everything they are doing at the moment!



One of the things they are "doing" is their latest book - of which I am featured in!!!! A whole chapter! YAYYYYY!!!! I wrote my chapter for it back in April, and sent the artwork to be edited, and the other contributors have been doing their chapters over the last few months, but now its published and it looks really good! I picked my copies up on Sunday at the Guild Event day, and have some to sell if anyone is interested? It's a beautiful high quality soft-back "coffee table" book featuring the work of 32 artists/photographers/sculptors and would make an ideal Christmas or birthday present for anyone who likes erotic art. Each person featured has six pages about them, with lots of their artwork. It's approximately 11 x 8 inches, has 200 pages in full colour (although some of the erotic photos are black and white, if that makes sense!) It is for sale at £22.99 plus postage and packing. If anyone is interested in buying any copies from me, please contact me for more details. I've featured the photos of it here, although they aren't good photos as the pages are shiny and the flash has shown up on some of them - but it gives a good idea of my pages, so you can see what I'm talking about. The white blob on the torso on the front cover is the flash and not actually part of the image on the cover. All my images featured in my chapter of the book are on my website and a couple of them were done for bloggers......... if you recognise them! :)

Friday 17 October 2008

The right place

Well, guess what! After a very busy few days making phone calls, and talking to various people - I think I've found the IDEAL place to exhibit my Queynte paintings. Not only is it the ideal venue, it is also has the right timing, in that it will be SOON................

I can't tell you any more until I have confirmation - but I'll let you know as soon as I've had it!!!! :)

Monday 13 October 2008

Fannying around

Well, the Fantasy Fanny project is certainly taking off - and I've got the Queyntes featured properly on my website now too - in their own gallery, because they shine like jewels there and I didn't want them to be rubbing up against (so to speak!!!) other paintings as I think they should be viewed alone as a collection, and the way things are going, the collection is certainly growing on a global level!

The next batch (what is the collective term for a group of fannies? - A "snatch" maybe???!!) of photos are coming in now, and to my delight some of them feature piercings. How exciting! And something that I want to incorporate if the owner of the piercing is happy for me to do so. I think that it all adds to the project in that most piercings aren't normally seen, and a lot of people wonder "where exactly?" the piercings ARE, so the paintings with the piercings will explain that, certainly! Plus, I love to see how the jewellery adds to the beauty of the area they are enhancing, and I can show that in the paintings themselves. It will also personalise the area, which is no doubt one of the reasons the owner has it done in the first place.

And the feedback for the paintings has been interesting in "real life" too - I had the chance to talk to a woman doctor last week, and told her about my new project, which interested her greatly. She said that she'd seen enough fannies to last her a life-time! (which amused me greatly!!!) but it wasn't a part of the body she found particularly attractive, and yet after she'd viewed my paintings she said how lovely the paintings were, and how wonderful the colours, and she felt it was the best art of mine she had seen, which compared to the lack of her interest in the subject matter was doubly astonishing, she felt!!!! Wow!

I also saw some friends over the weekend and was interested in showing them the paintings, as she is a psychologist and he an architect, so the feedback from them was going to be of great interest to me as it would relate to people and art. And interestingly enough, she *loved* them, and he *liked them alot* but found the colours a bit too vibrant for his tastes. They were both very interested in the art for women aspect of them, and both very very positive about them. The psychologist said that a lot of women who she sees have "dark feelings" about their vaginas, so she particularly loved the "energy" within my bright paintings.

And I'm also finding it interesting who is "not interested" in this subject too - whether its because of personal choice such as the "Thank you Jackie, but we don't feel your artwork is appropriate for what we do" type of comments. Or the, "Well I think the art is wonderful but I don't think the school where I work is the right place to exhibit it!" type of comments! Its showing me that I have a "niche market" - I just have to find the right niche to exhibit it in!!!! :)

I think that I'm starting to find the pattern of this collection of paintings too -that women "love" them, and men are left feeling a little bemused, I think.

And thankyou to the bloggers who have linked to me because of their support in this project, I really appreciate it, especially as they've all been done because you've wanted to do it, not because I've asked you to, that makes it even more special!

Tuesday 7 October 2008

The art speaks for itself

It's stuck me recently the huge effect these "Fantasy Fannies" have had on people - especially women. And the difference between them and anything else I've painted EVER before. I've painted loads of things in my life - and hope I continue to do so - and I've had some wonderfully positive reactions to things I've painted - tears of happiness, tears of recognition, acknowledgement of emotions or past happy memories, wonder at techniques for painting eyes and capturing the soul of an animal, wonder at the likeness of a favourite pet, excitement at secrets hidden within a painting, joy of erotic experiences captured in my artwork. All positive, and personal. And to a point, I know that its because the person who has seen the painting I've painted for them, knows me a bit as a person too. Even the bloggers who have bought artwork from me, know a bit about me from my blog, or website. They may not know me as a person, or would even recognise me if we were to meet face to face, but they know me a little as a character.

And then I unveiled the fantasy fanny "Queyntes" on my blog. And sat back, and waited quietly for the comments...... And boy, was I surprised at them - at the fact that complete unknown bloggers came to look at them, through other bloggers pointing the way through their own sites - "There's Jackies artwork- go and have a look at it!" and they came, in their droves to look. And see. And comment. And email me. And............. to ask me to paint theirs too. Wow! What interest!What a response! What HAVE I done I wondered? What HAS my artwork done? And you know what - its done exactly what artwork should do


............................... it's spoken to you.........................



Its touched a nerve, its made you think, its spoken to something deep inside you, its made you happy, its made you want to join in. Its touched you............

And that is what art should do. And its MY art that's done it. And most of you don't know ME as such, so my personality is of no concern, its my ART that has done it, standing up, on its OWN. And I find that AWESOME.



Truely awesome.



And the fact I was voted in the top 3 for Sugasm too, for the first time, just adds to the Wow factor.......

Friday 3 October 2008

What a reaction

I met a young woman last night through an acquaintance. It was the first time we'd met, and neither of us knew the other existed before we laid eyes on each other. We were introduced, and the conversation turned to generalities, as it does. I said a jokey throw away comment about male models, and then the conversation turned to art, and I explained that I was an erotic artist. The young woman thought that was wonderful, her fella was totally taken aback (since he knows me for another reason and has no idea I'm an artist of any kind, let alone erotic art!!!!). I chatted then with the woman, who was fascinated in the subject, and I went on to tell her about my latest project with the "Fantasy fannies" which delighted her on all levels! I then went to get the paintings to show them to her properly, and she loved them. Really really loved them! Her fella wasn't so sure, and before I showed them to him he said "You're scaring me now!" - I know he has a dry sense of humour, that greatly amuses me, but I wasn't sure whether he was serious or not..... Maybe he was......

Is it scary for men?

Is it only women who "get" this idea?

He said after he's seen the paintings, that he liked them - he'd seen a landscape painting whilst on holiday that had appealed greatly to him, and it was painted in the same bright vibrant way. I said I could do him a landscape in that way if he wanted one, of the place of his choice. He was interested in my proposition.... but equally I think his woman was interested in the Fantasy fanny idea too......... and she says she has other girl friends who would be very interested in them too.

I have the idea they went home, with him saying "Bloody hell, I never knew Jackie did paintings like that!" and she saying "Mmmmm..... yes and I can just picture mine hanging above the fire in the living room" !!!!

..........

And another thing I've been considering this week - is this.... I know I've had a wonderfully positive response from everyone who's seen the Fantasy fannies - but would any one buy one that is not theirs? Would a woman want another womans fanny hanging on her wall (if she was heterosexual, I mean, if she was bi or lesbian, I know I'd get a different answer to that question!). I think men might give me a different answer - but would they only want their girlfriends or wifes fanny hanging on the wall ? Or would they buy any of the ones they fancy? I'm wondering if only the owners of the "queyntes" would want to buy them? Have a created a total "niche" market? .....................And I know there's a pun in there, if you look closely enough.........

What do you think? Can you see any of the fannies hanging on your wall? Or only your own?