We’re going to South Padre Island on February 27,2023. Will anyone join me?
I’m going to sip something with coconut in it while sitting in the ocean, painting and jewelIng leather iPhone watch bands and ducks.
I’ll even paint butterflies for your loved ones as I’m ready to paint on anything other than the eyeballs for the solo show, which will be hung at the Bastrop Public Library. This is a huge undertaking for me; I bet it will take over 250 hours to complete. How exciting!
Speaking of butterflies: Come see me and view the art called HOPE that I made. It’s the first piece of art for our community art installation called Message of Hope.
I’ll be speaking at #LostPinesArtCenter because the city, through the Bastrop Cultural Arts Commission, gave me some money to help cover the costs of preparing the canvas for the butterflies that we’ll make to honor our loved ones. All those butterflies need a beautiful place to live. Thank you #EdenEastFarm, I’m so grateful to all involved!
So, join me February 16, 2023 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m at the Lost Pines Art Center. There will be free food and drinks.
You’ll enjoy loads of great art and booths to tour, and I promise I will not bloviate. Luck you, I’m only allowed 5 minutes to speak amidst this great line up of cool stuff to see and taste!
There will be a sign-up sheet at my table where you can request a one-of-a-kind painted butterfly as a tribute to your loved one. The butterfly will live in our art installation at Eden East Farm, and a majority of proceeds from the sale of the painted butterflies will benefit the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry.
I’m on my knees in gratitude. For years now, my sweet husband has reached into his pocket and covered the bill for his community so that I could do my work that lays heavy on my heart.
I am delighted to get this news as it gives me HOPE that I’ve been on a great path.
I received the tourist tax dollars art grant from Bastrop’s Cultural Art Commission for my Message of Hope Garden location #2. It’s here in Bastrop, Texas and it’s located at #EdenEastFarm.
I have huge news about our first Message of Hope Garden located in Ruidoso, New Mexico coming Sunday, January 27. I’ll be talking about this announcement LIVE on my Facebook page at 4:00 pm. I hope you’ll join me!
But, back to BASTROP!!
Not only did we find a home for our art installation, we found some money to help build the canvas where the butterflies that we paint for our loved ones will lite!
Please come hear me talk about this development February 16, 2023, and then on March 3rd at the First Friday event. Let’s paint butterflies together honoring our loved ones and benefiting the Emergency Food Pantry. Again that will be March 3, 2023 First Friday, Downtown Bastrop, from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm.
The following is from the email I received announcing the grant award:
“Congratulations! Your Mini Grant Application was selected for funding at your full requested amount. The Cultural Arts Commission and the City of Bastrop are so excited to support the arts in Bastrop by providing funding for events and art installations through the Mini Grant Program.
The first step to receive funding will be to complete the attached vendor form and send it back to me. I will also be drafting a contract that you will need to sign and send back as well. I will send that out to you soon.
If you haven’t already been contacted by a Cultural Arts Commission member yet, they will be reaching out soon. We would like all our Mini Grant recipients to give a short presentation at the Cultural Arts Commission’s next gathering event on February 16th at the Lost pines Art Center from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for all you do for our community and congratulations again!”
Yea! Isn’t that the coolest?
(The top photo is of the new art I’m working on for the Bastrop installation, and the lower one is of me at my first installation in Ruidoso, NM. (photo of me by #jalynnWest).
For years I’ve kept myself from jumping down rabbit holes that consume my time, especially when it’s for someone else’s vision. BTW all artists once they find their way, must learn to cut away distractions.
All artists at the beginning of their career, should indeed jump down other artist’s rabbit holes to gain the experience. As they help a master with his work and learn everything he knows, it’s done in hope that one day they, too, will find their own way.
The video features the Disney Wish Cruise Ship, and the beauty of this ship confirmed all of this for me once again as I contemplate taking a ride on her. What a distractions she will be.
If I were to go on the #DisneyWish, I would befriend an 11 to 14 year old kid in hopes that I would be allowed into the immersive experiences that only children get to enjoy on this ship. I know I would be obsessed with all it has to offer, instead of my own interests, because it’s just that fabulous.
The Disney Wish will have to be a one and done thing for me, because it would be 100% about their vision and experiences. I would want to find the flow of their entertainment and do it all. And trust me: there is a flow. She’s just that aesthetically put together and fabulous.
The ships I travel on have “eye candy” experiences that just take minutes to enjoy, not entire days or entire vacations. But on the Disney Wish, as it’s all just too fabulous. Even the most sophisticated eye will miss most of her greatness. And, the truth be told, the majority of her grandeur will escape the casual viewer. Whereas, I would be in tears at every turn.
The color combinations alone are phenomenal; enough to make me cry. I would love to meet her designers in person one day.
I’ll have to cruise her someday as I know it would creatively juice me for years to come, and that alone would be reason enough for me to ride on her.
But then it will be back to my favorite smaller class ships that have an indoor pool so I’ll have my work space, no matter the weather enabling me to focus yet again on my own vision.
So see, it’s always been about me and my art, my content and my footage that GRATEFULLY has led me to new friends and potential art collectors.
How can I delight my viewers while entertaining myself in my own artwork? Is now my only focus.
As many of you know, I’ve spent a lifetime in service and support of the emerging artist, and I’ve learned so much from all of you.
And I will continue to do so, only this time around it will be with the emerging artists who are willing to go to work on my vision, because I have one. I’ve earned one. And it’s an important one. Together we will help grieving mankind by building a giant, hopeful, community-driven art installation for the world to see, and/or build for themselves in their community.
So this is the truth: If you see it or read it from me, simply put, it somehow always relates to my vision and my art.
I’m like a shark who has to keep swimming to stay alive. That’s how art feels for me now, I have no choice but to do it. And I thank God daily for my desire for it, as I love it so much.
Disney Wish for her sheer creative majesty, is now on my bucket list, second place only to Playa de Carmans’ Hotel Xcaret.
First: her creators have taken my breath away in her design that works so perfectly with nature.
Second: classes of living beings, other than the Homo sapien class, interest me greatly.
Third: I hope I can afford it one day? Lol. It’s on my internal vision board. Yes, I have one. It goes everywhere with me, it keeps me on my path.
Therefore, #XcaretHotel is the place for me.
If your wondering how does any of this relate to my art ? Well, we will both know someday. But I assure you, I’ve been placed on this path for great purpose.
Now changing the subject to Bastrop, as many of my beneficiaries before you understand, that anyone who is interested in learning the business of art, are all welcome, as they assist me with my vision, in order to find their own way one day. Learn everything I know to add to what you know, as I’m an open book, and the knowledge I’ve gained over my 60 plus years should NEVER simply find its way to the grave.
Time, plus sweat equity, plus passion = vision.
So attention local Bastrop artists, perhaps even a little money can be had, as you learn and work to bring visual delight to this community because… “good news Y she be a coming.”
Now back to my art, and for tomorrow I’ll be at Lost Pines Art Center as I get to teach a painting class about watercolor and ink, and I cant wait to meet you all!
Shoe design inspired by my last trip on the Ruby Princess. Next up #RoyalCaribbean’s Radiance Of The Sea. She’s the perfect class of ship for me.
“Is that Dinner?” my first egg tempera to start, and the second to complete, is ready for its forever home.
I’m offering a pre-online store deal on this painting as I need to cover my expenses related to my upcoming event in Ruidoso, and I pledge to give the Lincoln County food bank 25% of the net proceeds from the sale.
This beauty is 11″x14″ framed and ready to hang.
Here’s my special offer: I’m asking $400, and I’ll pay the sales tax and the cost of shipping it to you. Next week Jaybird Lynch Digital Marketing Works will put it up on my online store, Hello From Ruidoso for $900.00, so I encourage you get it now
Message me if you’re interested in owning this lovely work!
Let us for once not let Kevin Stepp, my sweet and generous husband, have to bare the cost of my zany lifestyle. Lol.
I look forward to seeing you. Love and peace to all.
(I hope you see the airplane that our eagle friend has spotted … is that what’s for dinner? Na)
God answers my questions. For a direct connection with Him I’ve learned that you gotta jump inside the Grace Pipeline because in there He will answer prayer.
Today while in there I asked a question. As a side note: I should tell you I’m floating on the river again. It’s mine now, the Colorado river.
I asked, “Are the big red winged dragon flies the males, or the smaller blue ones?” Now of course, I could’ve Googled it for an answer but I didn’t have my phone so I asked the question in prayer.
Then a brown dragon fly landed on me, a female. FYI I’VE NEVER noticed a brown one ever. They know they’re safe with me. I love them and I’m convinced I’m an animal whisperer.
So she landed. And then a male (a blue dragon fly) landed on top of her. Soon his legs are on my knee, and she’s about 3/4 his overall size. And FYI in case you’re wondering, her Vaa-Jay-Jay (my made-up word to maintain a PG rating here) is on her shoulder blades…I’m relating it to humans here, sorta.
I think I’ll paint this scene one day.
They stayed about five minutes. He didn’t move, but I’d say she obviously liked it. She kept rubbing her head.
Their eyes are huge, and I will exaggerate that in my painting.
Then they left, and then I cried.
I cried because I realized that God, who is in His Heaven with his incredible sense of humor, heard me immediately. And as a blessing he answered my silly-ass prayer.
Just ask me if you wanna learn how to ride the Grace Pipeline. It’s easy and I’m a pro now. Lol.
This photo I found online later. My pair stayed way straighter while sitting on me.
I’m a bit jelly of the male. Why is it the males in nature are most always so much prettier than the females? I’m so sorry boys, if the world told you guys that you are bad…It is a lie.
You do not have to be in church to be with God. But just like it is with anyone else, you have to learn His mind (His Word) to feel His presence so you can learn to enjoy Him.
New art I painted for Neighbor’s Kitchen and YardBrandy, the best bartender in town! Go meet her!
It’s Thank You day for the employees at Neighbor’s Kitchen and Yard who tolerated my ass over the last four weeks. It’s been so much fun painting here! I can teach anyone to do this, so whatcha’ say we start an interest list? Who would like to learn to express themselves through art?
I started teaching art a few years ago in Ruidoso, NM at Jana’s Art Cave, my working studio. It became a tourist attraction for visitors looking for entertainment aside from skiing, hunting, and fishing. It was so much fun for all ages to enjoy together. If you guys are interested, I would love to do it again in Bastrop. However, I’m going to need a location.
Originals will be available soon on my new website that’s being built. You’re welcome to watch the progress at JanasPaintedArtist.com.
I hand signed the front and added a special note to each employee who assisted me over the last 4 weeks.
My Artists…you won’t believe what we are trying to build for you!
Sarah and Cameron are two really neato kids. They will rise to the top like cream in a butter churn!
The food is so good. Here is a bread-less Italian sub. It’s not on the menu but Neighbor’s Kitchen and Yard aims to please!
I can teach anyone to paint what they see with a twist of fantasy. I’m collecting an interest list NOW, Bastrop Texas. I need a location, but that’s usually not a problem. If you’re looking for exact, take a photo…’cause this class ain’t for you.
Student work from a 4 week paint class full of drink and eats over at Lost Hiker Brewery, Ruidoso NM
I so wish I could just paint on the more light-hearted “A bedroom suite for my favorite Monster High doll,” she’s vintage now, and deserves a place to live in some lucky little girl’s bedroom.
But I must carry on in a dark, but not hopeless place. As so many of you have expressed interest in the piece. Nathanael Chavers gets first right to refuse her. Lol! After that it’s open game. Lol!
So I must complete it.
This part will be hard to paint. This piece that I’m calling “People desperately fleeing the USA,” is from a vision I had over seven years ago.
I feel perhaps it’s important, but ! I’ll let the world decide. For all this is “no longer viable,” but it’s a cautionary tale, if only we can stop looking for relief in all the wrong places.
Oh, some fun news today!
I can teach any of you to paint what you see with a twist of reality. If you want your art to look exactly like your scene, take a photo; this class ain’t for you. Lol. I’m looking for location to offer a class. Any ideas?
The prints of my Nieghbor’s painting are complete, thanks to the help of Bastrop Signs & Banners. Love those guys. Check ’em out local artists!
Anyway, the sun is out and I’m going to go for a run/dance and then deliver to the hard working staff these hand signed prints today. They’re now my new friends over at Neighbor’s.
I had so much fun with you all over the last month painting your scene.
Fun news: Bastrop Opera House, thank you for inviting me to help paint sets. Omg. What a blast!
I started this painting 7 years ago; I had a vision I fear is coming true.
Sitting in front of this painting is daunting. It’s a sad look at the possible decline of my home country.
My skill level back then didn’t allow completion, but I believe I can finish it now. We shall see.
It’s titled “No longer viable” a cautionary tale. We can turn this around if only we would look up. God is in this deal if you want the help.
I accidentally cut myself opening the packaging on my new blade. Believe me, I was not looking forward to cutting myself on purpose. Thank you God. Your timing is always perfect, for today was the day. Lady Liberty needed to be crying tears of blood.
That hurt. So does my heart looking at this painting, but I believe it needs to be said.
This is where I leave it tonight. My own blood all over it. Just as my heart is heavy, this canvas is heavy with plaster.
Shipping it will be spendy. Lol. Just say’n…
Doing this painting hurt my soul. It’s dark, and I’m a light.
Heavy with plaster.
Update: Lady Grace, my dog, tried to clean up the blood spill on the painting.
She’s my little wound care specialist. She tried to extend help to Lady Liberty. We need to take a lesson from her. Lol. But please don’t lick my painting.
Lady and Sissi Grace enjoying the sunshine by the Colorado River
It’s not too late to turn our country around. I pray daily for the USA, that her leaders will make wise, selfless, decisions in her regard, and that God has exposed evil for the world to clearly see.
I’m afraid this is where the world is headed. Totalitarianism. Is this what we want? Total annihilation of individuality and freedom? They are sugar-coating this deal to make our youth think it’s a better plan. It isn’t. And if all you elites think you will benefit from this, you won’t. Only a very few, very evil trillionaire, dictator-type rulers will benefit, and I bet you ain’t one of them. It all looks so pretty and correct to lure you in. Change your mind, all of you amazing, creative individuals. We need you now more than ever. Learn tolerance, grace, forgiveness, and integrity, as all are essential elements of love.
Well, I’ve brought these paintings out of storage to work on, along with Marta Swanner’s Boogie Board®. My goal for completion is March 8th, 2022. Cross your fingers…
I wanna thank my cousin Jay Lynch, all things online genius Guru, for teaching this goofy artist “how to fish online” to make money, instead of simply giving me a fish. He’s now helping me develop my website, blog, and online store, not leaving me alone to flounder…Ha! get it?
If we’re correct about the direction he’s taking us, to all my artists that I love with all my heart, we be onto something big for you guys.
All the while it’s just me, hanging at the “Zen River House,” the new name we’ve given our small space near the river in Bastrop for now. I’m a little nomad at heart.
Hey, Neighbor’s Kitchen and Yard, I had the art that I painted at your joint digitized at Bastrop Signs & Banners. Now I’ll be thinking about what we can do with it! Lol! I fell in love with the Manager, Matt Murphy, over their banners. Check ’em out local artist!
Jay Lynch is teaching this old dog new tricks. Here we go…NFT designs to the MetaVerse and Beyond!
