My Life & Artwork - July, August, & September 2021

October 6, 2021 Teressa Jackson

Much has happened since my last blog update! I am now reporting to you from Costa Mesa, California. Read on for more about that…

I had artwork in two exhibitions that opened in July - “Xscape” at FOUND:RE Contemporary and “Agua Sagrada,” a virtual exhibition with Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop in Tucson. “Xscape” remains on display until November 14, and I have been fortunate enough to sell the painting that was juried into that show as well as the one I supplied to replace the first piece. There is a third painting on display there now, also available to go home with a lucky arts enthusiast.

I also visited my family in Oregon in July. We had a lovely time together after far too long apart. My sister and her sweet family indulged my love for rockhounding adventure, and my mom and I visited the Oregon coast, including the Neskowin Ghost Forest and Newport. My human niece and nephew have grown so much in two years, and are such lovely young people. I can’t believe they still think I’m kind of cool. I also got to meet my new dog niece, Ulu!

In August, Aaron accepted a job in Orange County, California, and my life turned into full-time home selling and packing. There was time to crank out a couple of paintings amid the chaos, as well as to get in some quality time with my friends Ursula, Kalisha, and Sarah. I am very grateful to all three of those ladies for helping to keep me sane and take care of odds and ends amongst the chaos. Thankfully, the home sale went better than our wildest dreams could have imagined, making the hard work feel worthwhile.

On September 3, Lola dog and I pulled out of Phoenix in the Uhaul and made our way to the Golden State. The trip was made even more exciting when some issues with our planned new residence arose and Aaron literally found a new place for us to live less than 24 hours before we unloaded. There were a few harried phone calls during that drive, that’s for sure!

We had fun taking Lola to meet the ocean for the first time. That desert dog had no idea what to make of the waves, but she did enjoy some good rolling in the sand. Unfortunately, we won’t be visiting the Huntington Dog Beach again anytime in the near future, as it is part of the impacted area from the oil spill that recently occurred. Huntington Beach and Newport Beach are the two closest beaches to our home (a mere 10 minute or so drive), and are closest to the spill. It’s a bummer, but more than anything, it’s truly heartbreaking to think of the wildlife impacted by this disaster.

Another Raices Taller virtual exhibition, “All Things Paper,” went up on September 4, and is on display until October 16. I am grateful to have three paintings in that exhibition, and encourage you to see the diverse array of works the artists have created for the show, all of which are on paper.

Valley Coffee Company opened around the corner from FOUND:RE Contemporary in Phoenix in September, and I am thrilled to be part of a beautiful wall installation of Arizona-inspired artwork in their shop. My painting Prelude to the Pursuit was selected through an opportunity facilitated by Artlink, an arts organization that has been instrumental to my success as an artist in the Phoenix area. I will certainly miss their support.

Most of September revolved around getting settled and learning a new place. Understandably, I’ve not been as productive as I would have liked during these past few months, but I’m happy to say I’m feeling back to the swing of things again, for the most part. The biggest thing we are still trying to figure out now is where we can go have some rockhounding adventures. :-)

In all, I created six paintings during this time, three of which are still available for purchase. Additionally, I designed and opened pre-orders for my 2022 art calendar, which can be ordered through November 15, 2021.

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Ursula and I took a jaunt out to see the Salt River during her visit. It’s bittersweet to bid this landscape farewell.

Little Bird, Big Dreams 16x12”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper Juried into and available for sale via Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop’s “All Things Paper” virtual exhibition, 9/4-10/16/21. — *Little Bird, Big Dreams*
16x12”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
Juried into and available for sale via Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop’s “All Things Paper” virtual exhibition, 9/4-10/16/21.

See Me in the OC 8x6”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper SOLD. — *See Me in the OC*
8x6”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper
SOLD.

Sequilibrium 14x10”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper Juried into and available for sale via Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop’s “All Things Paper” virtual exhibition, 9/4-10/16/21. — *Sequilibrium*
14x10”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper
Juried into and available for sale via Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop’s “All Things Paper” virtual exhibition, 9/4-10/16/21.

Virga Vision 3x2”, Watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Virga Vision*
3x2”, Watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Cloudburst 3x2”, Watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD. — *Cloudburst*
3x2”, Watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD.

Sonoran Slumber 3x2”, Watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD. — *Sonoran Slumber*
3x2”, Watercolor on Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD.

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My Life & Artwork - April 2021

May 5, 2021 Teressa Jackson

Me with Network at the Shemer Art Center exhibition — Me with *Network* at the Shemer Art Center exhibition

April was a great month for opportunities to exhibit!

My painting Network was juried into the Arizona Watercolor Association’s spring exhibition at the Shemer Art Center in Phoenix, which opened on April 13 and runs through May 20. The opening reception on April 15 was very busy, and there are many great water media paintings of all styles included in the show. Definitely worth a visit!

I got out my brushes and returned to the muse of my neighborhood’s Little Free Libraries, this time incorporating some of the equally muse-worthy lovebirds that dart about through the trees on my street. What better name could I choose but Love Story? This piece, along with two others, was juried into Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop’s exhibition Mujeres, Mujeres, Mujeres, which features art by women from around the globe. Raices Taller is located in Tucson, but in keeping with COVID-19 precautions the exhibition is entirely virtual and can be viewed on their website.

My painting Transmission, which I completed in February, was accepted to exhibit at Portland on the Park residences in Phoenix through late-August. This is a very interesting concept in which the residents of the development help select artwork for display and also contribute to a fund that is used to purchase some of the pieces for a permanent collection at the site. You can read more about this program at artlinkphx.org/inresidence.

Me with two of my paintings at Rachel Walters’ shop

I also delivered a few of my pieces to Tucson to hang at Rachel Walters Collection’s amazing new shop. Rachel creates gorgeous, handcrafted fashions that can be purchased at her shop or via her website. I’m so grateful to have met her and to be able to inhabit a part of her beautifully curated space. Her shop features some wonderful treasures by other local creatives as well. It’s fun to have a reason to go to Tucson more frequently; I definitely miss living in the Old Pueblo!

Aside from more weekend fun rockhounding in the desert, the big adventure highlight of the month was the opportunity to visit Bryce Canyon National Park, Horseshoe Bend, and Sedona with my dear friend Jenny and her sister Kat. It was around my fifth visit to Bryce Canyon, a place that is truly jaw-dropping and a definite contender for “best national park” in my book. Lots of good times were had with these two fun and adventurous ladies, and I look forward to the next time we get to explore together.

Finally, I finished the month with a visit to Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona, with my friend Kalisha. It was a fantastic time to visit, with many of the cacti blooming and the temperatures still hospitable. We visited on Kentucky Oaks Day, and even managed to find an equine photo opportunity in the gardens in commemoration of the fillies’ big day back home in Louisville.

I completed two commissioned canine portraits in April. I was hired by a friend’s husband to create these pieces and it was a great deal of fun to bring them to life. He gave them to her as a birthday gift (per her suggestion) and she seemed absolutely thrilled with the end result. I really enjoy creating such meaningful gifts, thinking of how they will be treasured and enjoyed. It’s truly an honor!

I created four total paintings in April. Two of these pieces were the commissioned dog portraits, one was Love Story, and the fourth I titled Palo Verde Parade. Palo Verde Parade is a tribute to Arizona’s state tree which is totally doing its big burst of yellow blooming thing right now. It’s a gorgeous if slightly allergy-inducing sight and I couldn’t resist celebrating them.

Palo Verde Parade is still available for purchase via my website and Love Story is available through Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop. Don’t hesitate to contact me if I can work on a commission for you or if you need help with framing one of the pieces you see available for sale!

Me and Kalisha with the horse (statue) we found!

Gryffin's Gaze 11x14”, Watercolor on Aquabord SOLD (commission). — *Gryffin's Gaze*
11x14”, Watercolor on Aquabord
SOLD (commission).

Super Scout 11x14”, Watercolor on Aquabord SOLD (commission). — *Super Scout*
11x14”, Watercolor on Aquabord
SOLD (commission).

Love Story 11x14”, Gouache on Aquabord For sale via Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop as of this blog post. — *Love Story*
11x14”, Gouache on Aquabord
For sale via Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop as of this blog post.

Palo Verde Parade 8x10”, Gouache on Aqua Coldpress Black Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Palo Verde Parade*
8x10”, Gouache on Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

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My Life & Artwork - February & March 2021

April 18, 2021 Teressa Jackson

My painting among the works displayed at the Phoenix Airport Museum

I started out February with a fun day of celebrating my friend Kalisha’s 40th birthday. We indulged in a truly “wild west” activity of horseback riding in the desert at Saguaro Lake Ranch and then had a little “far east” sushi lunch. The weather was perfect and the company was pretty sweet, too!

I got some great news early in the month, learning I had been selected to exhibit in the 21st Artlink Phoenix Juried Exhibition. The show includes 85 inspired works from over 725 that were submitted for consideration. My painting Quarantine Queen is enjoying her stay at FOUND:RE Contemporary (a dream venue for any artist!). The exhibition opened to the public on February 20 and runs through July 11, 2021.

I finally made it to Sky Harbor Airport on March 20 to see my painting Midcentury Magnate on display at the Phoenix Airport Museum. I was pretty excited to see it in such an incredible venue, but even more excited for the reason that brought me to the place – being able to finally welcome a visit from my mother after fourteen months apart.

Mom and I had a wonderful time around the Phoenix area. We visited Bartlett Lake, Phoenix Mountain Preserve, and Boyce Thompson Arboretum; went to FOUND:RE to see the exhibition; and even did a little rock hounding out in Tonopah. I think we both enjoyed every minute of it!

Aaron and I spent most every Saturday and Sunday of February and March out rockhounding in the desert, knowing that the desert will soon heat up to inhospitable levels for several months. We searched for (and found) fire agates, banded agates, Payson “diamonds” (double-terminated quartz crystals), Apache tears, beautiful colors of jasper and chert, and fossils.

I put many of those finds to good use, embarking upon a rock garden installation in the backyard. I am still working to complete the display, but so far I think it’s a fun way to enjoy our treasures and enhance our abode. I also added a little raised bed garden which has provided us with kale, spinach, arugula, and tomatoes.

I created some larger artworks during February and March, and the overarching theme seemed to be portraits - portraits of cacti, canines, and a couple of winged creatures. I enjoyed indulging my penchant for details in many of these pieces. It seems no matter how much I tell myself I will “keep it simple,” it’s just really hard for me to do so. Regardless, I think I stretched my artistic muscles a bit on these pieces and tried some new approaches. Check them out at the bottom of this blog post!

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Transmission 24x18”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper Juried into Portland on the Park Exhibition through late-August 2021. — *Transmission*
24x18”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper
Juried into Portland on the Park Exhibition through late-August 2021.

Commodity Corridor 24x18”, Watercolor and genuine copper leaf on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Commodity Corridor
24x18”, Watercolor and genuine copper leaf on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

I've Got My Eye on You 10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — I've Got My Eye on You
10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Relativity 10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Relativity
10x8”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Anticipation 12x16”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Anticipation
12x16”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

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My Life & Artwork - January 2021

February 1, 2021 Teressa Jackson

Searching for fire agates high up on Saddle Mountain

Things you see rockhounding - Nothing, Arizona

I hit the ground running in 2021, feeling like I was on a roll with my painting. I’ve really been enjoying bringing animal-related puns to life, inspired by the critters and quirky things I see on walks around the neighborhood with my Lola dog. My first piece of the year, Flighty but Mighty, featured a guineafowl and a western diamondback rattlesnake. I’ve never seen a rattlesnake near my current home, but guineafowl do indeed live in the nearby “poultry neighborhood.”

The beautiful, speedy, and slightly weird guineafowl are actually native to Africa. Reading about them, I learned that they are very good at deterring snakes, usually by making intimidating noises. Sometimes they have been known to attack and even kill these slithery serpents. My painting is meant to convey more than a whimsical match between a wacky bird and a well-known venomous villain, though. It is a display of the unpredictability of nature, and the many ways we are stronger than we may believe that we are… sentiments that most of us likely learned in 2020 (p.s. - happy new year!).

Chickens seem to be some of the punniest creatures and I just kept cranking out poultry pieces, including several of my 2x3” miniature paintings. Almost all have found their forever homes, but as of this blog post, I still have three minis that you could call your own - visit my shop to purchase.

In mid-January, I had a house guest for a few days. I stepped into my living room and my eye was drawn through the window to my front yard where a fuzzy friend was making itself at home. I hopped out the front door to find a large domestic rabbit who was more than happy to meet me. Sure that someone nearby would be looking for this creature since it was very well acclimated to humans, I scooped him up and into the safety of my backyard.

Unfortunately, after much searching, it became apparent that Bunnypants (as I named him) had either been abandoned, strayed very far from home, or his owners weren’t looking all that hard. I was tempted to keep the sweet, fluffy bundle of joy, but my doggie Lola couldn’t seem to think of him as friend rather than food or foe. I’m very grateful to the Arizona Humane Society, who came to my rescue after Bunnypants’ five-day stay at my makeshift Bunny B&B and assured me that they would find him a good home.

Inspired by our happenstance friendship, I created the painting Some Bunny to Love. In addition to the likeness of Bunnypants, the painting features a bunny-ears prickly pear cactus in the background, including a few heart-shaped prickly pear pads that they often tend to grow in real life and one lonely but lovely cactus blossom.

I had the opportunity to show my artwork at Mood Room in Phoenix, and my painting Network will be on display at their Park Central locale through February 6. I am very grateful for the extra effort that Artlink is putting into promoting artists during this difficult time.

On a final art-related note, I have some incredibly exciting news! My painting Midcentury Magnate was selected by the Phoenix Airport Museum to hang in a juried exhibition of works by Arizona Watercolor Association artists. They received 165 entries for this show, and accepted just 26. I am truly so honored to have been chosen for this opportunity. The show will be on display at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Terminal 4, Level 3 from February 26, 2021, through September 24, 2021.

Overall the January weather was lovely and in the 60’s - 70’s, with some much-needed rain, some dramatic clouds, and even two episodes of hail, and weekends were spent on varied rockhounding adventures. We explored defunct mining areas near Wickenburg and Superior, continued our search for the largest Apache tear on record, sought out sparkly fire agates, and definitely scored a few cool finds!

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Flighty but Mighty 10x14”, Gouache on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Flighty but Mighty*
10x14”, Gouache on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Mediterrane-Hen 3x2”, Gouache on Paper SOLD. — *Mediterrane-Hen*
3x2”, Gouache on Paper
SOLD.

Egg-Spresso 3x2”, Gouache on Paper SOLD. — *Egg-Spresso*
3x2”, Gouache on Paper
SOLD.

Hot Chicken 3x2”, Gouache on Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Hot Chicken*
3x2”, Gouache on Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Beach Comb-er 3x2”, Gouache on Paper SOLD. — *Beach Comb-er*
3x2”, Gouache on Paper
SOLD.

Free Range O-Ranges 3x2”, Gouache on Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Free Range O-Ranges*
3x2”, Gouache on Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Egg Plant 3x2”, Gouache on Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Egg Plant*
3x2”, Gouache on Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Meditate-Hen 5x7”, Gouache and Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — Meditate-Hen
5x7”, Gouache and Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Some Bunny to Love 10x8”, Gouache and Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Some Bunny to Love*
10x8”, Gouache and Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

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My Life & Artwork - September to December 2020

December 29, 2020 Teressa Jackson

Well, the last few months of 2020 ROCKED!

You think I’m joking, right? 2020 was terrible, wasn’t it? Well, I’m actually mostly serious. Read on to find out why…

Me with the Tucson Weekly cover featuring Quarantine Queen (P.S. Quarantine Queen is still available for purchase as of this blog posting) — Me with the *Tucson Weekly* cover featuring *Quarantine Queen* (P.S. *Quarantine Queen* is still available for purchase as of this blog posting)

September started out with a pretty amazing professional achievement for me. Some might say that having my painting Quarantine Queen grace the cover of the September 3-9, 2020, Tucson Weekly “rocked” – and I would agree with them! This painting was part of Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop’s virtual “Corazones Unidos” exhibition, and I am grateful to the folks with Raices Taller for sharing the work with the Tucson Weekly. This resulted in the painting being featured on the cover of the weekly and also reviewed in the arts section. This might just be the true highlight of 2020 for me.

In October, Aaron and I started rockhounding. For anyone who doesn’t know, that means we went out searching for interesting and potentially valuable rocks. We had been talking about doing this for a while, and the weather finally cooled down enough that it was possible to enjoy the desert again. We started out with a well-known site called Saddle Mountain, located on public land that is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and located about an hour west of our home. Rockhounds have hit Saddle Mountain in search of fire agate for several decades, and although this means the site is relatively picked over, the vastness of the landscape means there are always treasures to be found. And we have indeed found a few. :-)

With rocks dancing in our heads, in early November we took a little trip to the Arizona/New Mexico border near Safford, Arizona. Fire agate was also the target of this excursion, and we enjoyed hunting and scoring some finds at Black Hills Rockhound Area, Round Mountain Rockhound Area, and along a road outside Clifton, Arizona.

November also brought a visit from my dear friend and former college roommate, Jenny. It was her first time in the Grand Canyon State and I couldn’t resist taking her to the Grand Canyon. The greatly reduced crowds (I have NEVER seen so few people at the Grand Canyon, which I would normally equate to Disneyland), we even scored one of the historic cabins on the rim. It was a lovely few days together and I was sad to see her go.

Jenny and me on the way to the Grand Canyon, overlooking Oak Creek Canyon outside Flagstaff

I also made it down to Tucson to see my second cousin Kim and my good friend Ursula. It was nice to be back in the Old Pueblo and to have a little human interaction. Ursula was such a great host and we cooked some delicious food and did some hiking in a couple of beautiful areas around her home in Vail, Arizona. I also enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful art she has been cooking up - check her out at www.ursulaschneider.art.

November’s rockhounding adventures took us to find Apache tears near Superior, Arizona, and on a wild goose chase looking for mine dumps way up the mountains on a crazy dirt road to Crown King, Arizona. We found a lot of Apache tears, which are round(ish) globs of translucent black volcanic glass that form in perlite. A legend of the Apache tribe explains the name: about 75 Apaches and the US Cavalry fought on a mountain overlooking what is now Superior, in the 1870s. As they faced defeat, the outnumbered Apaches rode their horses off the mountain to their deaths rather than be killed. Their wives and families cried when they heard of the tragedy and their tears are said to have turned into stone upon hitting the ground.

In early December we visited a site near Wickenburg, Arizona. It was a beautiful drive but we didn’t make any good finds. We spent most of the rest of December’s rockhounding adventures in the area around Tonopah, Arizona, looking for fire agates, Fourth of July Butte agates, and brightly colored jasper.

A Few Rockhounding Photos

Our poor pup Lola got very sick in early December. She was lethargic, had no appetite, and was running a fever. The vet ran some tests and she was diagnosed with Valley Fever, a fungal infection that dogs as well as humans sometimes get in the desert if you are unlucky enough to inhale the spores. Thankfully, after a few days of medication, she started doing much better. She still has a cough, but it will go away over time. She has to take medication for an entire year to prevent a relapse!

Around our neighborhood, I located what I named the “Poultry Epicenter,” which turned out to be basically about a block away. Tucked in amongst a few dead-end streets, I had just missed the source of the cock-a-doodle-doing until this time. There is a truly mind-boggling array of fowl in this neighborhood, including peafowl, guinea fowl, and literally hundreds of chickens in all colors and varieties. These are feral birds and they are supposedly protected and grandfathered in from when the area was a chicken and citrus farm many decades ago.

In addition to the Raices Taller show in September, I participated in a virtual exhibition with the Arizona Watercolor Association in November and in “Regalitos,” a second virtual exhibition with Raices Taller in December. I produced a variety of art over these few months which I have included below. Several pieces have sold but there are still a few treasures to be scored if you’re in the mood for art!

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September

The Chapel of the Holy Saguaro 14x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper For sale as of this blog post - purchase from Raices Taller gallery through January 2 or visit my online shop after that date to purchase (if still available… — *The Chapel of the Holy Saguaro*
14x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper
For sale as of this blog post - purchase from Raices Taller gallery through January 2 or visit my online shop after that date to purchase (if still available).

Sowing the Seeds of Solidarity 7x5”, Gouache on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Sowing the Seeds of Solidarity*
7x5”, Gouache on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

October

Information Superhighway 8x8”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD (Commission). — *Information Superhighway*
8x8”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD (Commission).

Magical Mystery Hare 8x8”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD (Commission). — *Magical Mystery Hare*
8x8”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD (Commission).

Sunflower Sunset 8x8”, Watercolor, Graphite, Ink, & Gel Pen on Paper SOLD. — *Sunflower Sunset*
8x8”, Watercolor, Graphite, Ink, & Gel Pen on Paper
SOLD.

November

All You Need Is Love 7x5”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper I created this as a wedding gift for a dear friend. — *All You Need Is Love*
7x5”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper
I created this as a wedding gift for a dear friend.

Superior Secret 3x2”, Watercolor on Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Superior Secret*
3x2”, Watercolor on Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Last Light 3x2”, Watercolor and Gouache on Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Last Light*
3x2”, Watercolor and Gouache on Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Cienega Cottonwoods 3x2”, Watercolor, Gouache, and Ink on Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Cienega Cottonwoods*
3x2”, Watercolor, Gouache, and Ink on Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

December

When Life Hands You Lemons, You Make Lemon Eggs 6x4”, Gouache on 300 lb. Cold Press Watercolor Paper SOLD. — *When Life Hands You Lemons, You Make Lemon Eggs*
6x4”, Gouache on 300 lb. Cold Press Watercolor Paper
SOLD.

A Quail of a Tale 8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper SOLD. — *A Quail of a Tale*
8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
SOLD.

Marma-Laid 6x8”, Gouache on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Marma-Laid*
6x8”, Gouache on 140 lb. Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Did Someone Say Orange Chicken? 6x4”, Gouache on 300 lb. Cold Press Watercolor Paper SOLD. — *Did Someone Say Orange Chicken?*
6x4”, Gouache on 300 lb. Cold Press Watercolor Paper
SOLD.

Midcentury Magnate 24x18”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper Pending submission to upcoming exhibition; contact me for details on purchasing. — *Midcentury Magnate*
24x18”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Hot Pressed Paper
Pending submission to upcoming exhibition; contact me for details on purchasing.

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My Life & Artwork - June 2020

July 2, 2020 Teressa Jackson

June is always a time of celebration for me. It’s my birthday month, and I typically try to celebrate to the fullest… eat lots of good food, take a trip or two, see some friends, and enjoy being on this Earth. Of course, everything looks a little different this year, but I did manage to still do a little celebrating turning the big 4-4.

My wanderlust got the best of me, and I took a little road trip to Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah. Bryce Canyon is located at around 8,000 feet above sea level, so the temperatures there are much cooler than Phoenix. The drive was about seven hours, and you’ll be happy to know that over the course of five days, I didn’t eat at a restaurant once and managed to only use a public restroom three times. I never thought I would be reporting on such things, but such is life in the time of coronavirus.

I enjoyed some wonderful weather (60’s and 70’s) and gorgeous hiking. The park was definitely less crowded than it would typically be, which made it all the more enjoyable for me. I also visited Kodachrome Basin State Park and Escalante Petrified Forest State Park while in the area. Kodachrome was a unique landscape featuring an abundance of rock spires and even a slot canyon cave. Escalante was irresistible to me because I have a slight obsession with petrified wood. The landscape there was very different from Petrified Forest National Park and the Bisti Badlands in New Mexico. I visited Bisti for my 43rd birthday, and it also contains petrified wood.

Ahh, that sweeping northern Arizona landscape, on the way to Bryce

Those creative Bryce hoodoos inspired me to make a little hotel room art, and I created a couple of small paintings while I was there in a brief reprieve from the painting that was my focus for most of June (and part of May), Home Sweet Homestead. This piece was the largest I’ve created in years, measuring 30x18”. I was happy/sad to finish it in time to create one more painting this month, this time on black watercolor paper. The black paper really gives a completely different look and approach, and I’m finding it to be very enjoyable as a change of pace.

The only other excitement I encountered during June was at home. We had new windows and a sliding door installed, a major improvement from 74-year-old casement windows. I also finally got the new studio/office setup I had wanted for months and I absolutely love it. My desk converts from sitting to standing, which really helps the neck strain I experience when painting for long periods of time. I honestly think it makes me want to work more - I call that a big success!

My new workspace - sitting. New window above my desk and new sliding door to the right; note the trim was not finished yet at the time this photo was taken.

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Serpentine Shade 6x4”, Watercolor & Gouache on Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Serpentine Shade*
6x4”, Watercolor & Gouache on Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Steller View 6x4”, Watercolor, Ink, & Gouache on Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Steller View*
6x4”, Watercolor, Ink, & Gouache on Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Home Sweet Homestead 30x18”, Gouache on 300 lb. Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Home Sweet Homestead*
30x18”, Gouache on 300 lb. Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

The Skylark Umpire 8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *The Skylark Umpire*
8x10”, Gouache on 140 lb. Legion Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

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My Life & Artwork - May 2020

June 2, 2020 Teressa Jackson

Blooming Saguaro at McDowell Sonoran Preserve

My art production may appear to be a little slower than usual, but I believe I am working just as much! My latest works have been larger and more time consuming than many of my previous ones. Not included in this blog’s photos, I began an 18x30” piece on May 19, which is still in process. When complete, this will be the largest painting I have created in many years!

I have also been spending more time planning my artwork. I admit to often being lazy about creating preliminary sketches and studies, but some of the new work I have been creating really necessitates this activity.

I began the month of May working on a 16x20” watercolor on Aquabord piece entitled Phoebus Cartel, pictured at the bottom of this blog. I recently learned that an alliance called the Phoebus Cartel (sounds nefarious, right?) was formed in 1925 to reduce the lifespan of… wait for it… lightbulbs. This was reputedly to force people to buy them more often, although some dispute this and say that the shorter lifespan bulbs use less energy. I’m honestly not sure which is correct, but like most things, I am guessing the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. Lightbulbs lasted around 2,500 hours in 1925, but the cartel limited them to 1,000 hours.

Blooming Cholla at McDowell Sonoran Preserve

This got me thinking on the idea of planned obsolescence, and the idea of things becoming obsolete in general. And that got me to… endangered moths! Yes, that’s right. Endangered moths. The two moths featured in this painting are the prairie sphinx moth (left) and the Patagonia eyed silkmoth (right). The prairie sphinx moth or Wiest's primrose sphinx (Euproserpinus wiesti) is a species of moth found in areas of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. It is classified as critically endangered and included on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Patagonia eyed silkmoth exists in just one U.S. location, in an Arizona cemetery comprising less than half an acre. In Sonora, Mexico, it lives on two “sky islands,” which are higher elevation areas that are ecologically different from the lowlands surrounding them.

My dog Lola and I also provided a video “tour” of Phoebus Cartel, and it can be viewed here or on my YouTube page.

The other painting I completed in May, also pictured at bottom, was entitled Mi Pequeño Desierto. My husband and I recently purchased a home in a charming and somewhat historic part of Phoenix, and the front yard was a big selling point for me. I love being able to look out on my own little piece of desert beauty with plants of various shapes, patterns, colors, and configurations. I began this piece with that space as inspiration, but of course I made it even more my own in my mind. This painting measures 8x12” and is painted with gouache paint on watercolor paper.

In this era of quarantining and social distancing, as well as an increasingly hot desert (helloooo summer!), my adventures in May weren’t too adventurous. We planted a lemon and a fig tree in our backyard, hung a hummingbird feeder, installed a new mailbox, and took care of some other odds and ends in the home improvement realm. I also took advantage of a slight dip in temperatures and hit the Whiskey Bottle, Turpentine, Black Mills Trails at McDowell Sonoran Preserve one morning in Scottsdale, Arizona. The blooming chollas, yuccas, and saguaros were truly incredible!

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Phoebus Cartel 16x12”, Watercolor on Aquabord For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Phoebus Cartel*
16x12”, Watercolor on Aquabord
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

Mi Pequeño Desierto 8x12”, Gouache on Paper For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase. — *Mi Pequeño Desierto*
8x12”, Gouache on Paper
For sale as of this blog post - visit my online shop to purchase.

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My Life & Artwork - November 2019

December 3, 2019 Teressa Jackson

November was a fun and beautiful month here in the desert! I kicked it off with a Intuitive Farm-to-Table Plant Based Cooking Class at The Farm at South Mountain. Kalisha attended with me and we crafted some beautiful and tasty dishes with veggies from the farm and around the Phoenix area. The Farm at South Mountain is very near my apartment, and I look forward to returning there to explore more. It seemed a bit like a slightly more upscale “Huber’s” type place (that reference will only make sense to people from the Louisville area).

I enjoyed the amazing weather with hiking at Usery Mountain Regional Park, a visit to Desert Botanical Garden on their monthly “free” day, and a trek up the Hieroglyphics Trail just west of here in Gold Canyon. The Hieroglyphics trail was a special treat, with gorgeous scenery, spectacular clouds, and a plethora of petroglyphs at the trail’s end. I’m always awed by these markings and being able to put myself in the same place as people 1,500 or so years ago. There were some nice pools of water there, which I’m sure were the one of the draws for the ancient peoples.

Aaron and I decided to get out of town for Thanksgiving, and rented a cottage in Oak Creek Canyon just outside of Sedona. It was a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery. Sedona is a bit cooler than Phoenix, so we expected to need to dress more warmly. I had spotted a little snowflake on the weather forecast, but I was not prepared for the amount of snow we were greeted with Friday morning! Several inches covered everything and it was so beautiful. We hung out in the snowy scenery all morning and then made our way back to Phoenix. The trip involved snow, rain, and even some hail, and I later discovered that Highway 89A where we were staying in Oak Creek Canyon closed shortly after we left. It was hard to believe that a couple of hours later when we were staring a palm trees and blue skies.

I created 13 paintings this month. These ranged from some quick sketches and miniature pieces to large detailed work. Six of my miniature paintings headed to two different art exhibitions this month at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop in Tucson and 9 The Gallery in Phoenix. As many galleries do this time of year, the shows focus on small, affordable works for the holiday shopping crowd. The show at 9 The Gallery, entitled “Tiny Works V,” is my first at a gallery in Phoenix, and I look forward to attending the reception on Friday, December 6.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t throw in an extra ask that you please consider supporting your favorite small business local starving artist this holiday season! My website has items from $3.99 on up, and I recently rolled out free shipping on every item in my online shop. Don’t forget you can also get my designs on stuff like t-shirts, pillows, notebooks, journals, mugs, tote bags, clocks, and more on my Redbubble profile. If you don't see an artwork of mine on Redbubble that you would like to purchase in this manner, please let me know and I can easily add it. Thanks for considering supporting me when you shop!

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“La Luz de Viejo” 9x12”, Watercolor on Claybord For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “La Luz de Viejo”
9x12”, Watercolor on Claybord
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“The Smith Building” 3x3”, Watercolor on Paper Currently on exhibit/for sale at The Gallery — “The Smith Building”
3x3”, Watercolor on Paper
Currently on exhibit/for sale at The Gallery

“Low Tide Spectacular” 3x3”, Watercolor on Paper Currently on exhibit/for sale at The Gallery — “Low Tide Spectacular”
3x3”, Watercolor on Paper
Currently on exhibit/for sale at The Gallery

“Fruita del Desierto” 3x3”, Watercolor on Paper Currently on exhibit/for sale at The Gallery — “Fruita del Desierto”
3x3”, Watercolor on Paper
Currently on exhibit/for sale at The Gallery

“Encanto Ebb” 3x2”, Watercolor on Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Encanto Ebb”
3x2”, Watercolor on Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Las Olas” 3x2”, Watercolor on Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Las Olas”
3x2”, Watercolor on Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Conspicuously Hidden” 2x3”, Watercolor on Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Conspicuously Hidden”
2x3”, Watercolor on Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

Original photo (also original photo for “The Middle Way” (below)

“Fibonacci Display” 2x3”, Watercolor on Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Fibonacci Display”
2x3”, Watercolor on Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“The Middle Way” 10x14”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “The Middle Way”
10x14”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Javelina Selfie” 5x7”, Watercolor on Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Javelina Selfie”
5x7”, Watercolor on Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Superstitious Skies” 5x5”, Watercolor on Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Superstitious Skies”
5x5”, Watercolor on Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Gold Canyon Trail” 5x7”, Watercolor on Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Gold Canyon Trail”
5x7”, Watercolor on Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

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My Life & Artwork - September 2019

October 2, 2019 Teressa Jackson

Buckle up kids, this might be a long one!

As I reported last month, Aaron and I kicked off September with a trip to the beach in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico, a 4-hour drive from the Phoenix metro. We stayed in an area we had not visited that was located to the east of the town, and the beach there was the most beautiful one we have encountered in the area. The tides in Puerto Peñasco are some of the most dramatic in the world, and they were especially so with the new moon in the sky. One night, I watched the water retract at sunset faster than water leaving a bathtub, leaving beautiful patterns in the sand. It was incredible!

The area was largely undeveloped (even our condo building was still being built) and there were no neighboring properties. It was a peaceful getaway, but we did awaken in the middle of the night the night before Labor Day to no electricity. It never came back on. Such is Mexico, I guess! We headed for the border and even with a quite early departure, the wait to enter the U.S. was about 2 hours.

I was accepted into the juried “Share Our Walls” exhibition at the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild in Tucson, which opened September 8 and runs until October 6. The reception was toasty with a broken air conditioner in the gallery, but the show was full of cool works of art and I was honored to have my work displayed along with them.

In addition to the SAWG show, the collaborative artwork that my friend Ursula Schneider and I created was accepted into the “Colaboraciones” show at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop in Tucson. I also received an e-mail early in the month from a collaborative workspace called Industrious Tempe that will be opening at the end of October, asking if I would like to display my artwork there. It looks like it will be a beautiful space and I can’t wait to see my work adorn their walls.

Me with “La Corona” at the SAWG reception

Unfortunately, I missed the reception for the Raices Taller show because my friend Kalisha and I took a weekend trip to Flagstaff after I won tickets to the Northern Arizona Food and Wine festival . It was a great excuse to get away to the cooler elevations and have a little “girls trip.” We had a wonderful time and I’m so grateful for the friendship of my fellow Louisville to Arizona transplant.

“Fall” began to arrive here, and high temperatures dipped to the 90’s and even the 80’s. My cabin fever had indeed about exceeded its level of tolerability, and I hit the trails. I visited the always-magical Desert Botanical Garden mid-month, took day trips to Payson and Prescott, and hiked at Usery Mountain Regional Park in Mesa.

The trip to Payson included stops along the Salt River, Saguaro Lake, and finally the Tonto Natural Bridge, the largest travertine natural bridge in the world. I had longed to visit Watson Lake in Prescott for a couple of years, and it did not disappoint. It is a manmade lake that abuts the Granite Dells, composed of gorgeous rock formations. I hiked the entire perimeter of the lake and I’m quite sure I’ll be back to do it again and again.

The always-gorgeous Desert Botanical Garden

At Usery Mountain Regional Park, I spent time really looking at and admiring the many personalities and configurations that saguaros display, and photographed many of them. Four of these characters became my final paintings of the month, a series I’m playing with naming “Cacticatures,” a play on the word caricature.

As I have the past couple of years, I’ve designed a 2020 calendar featuring some of my favorite paintings of 2019 and it’s currently on pre-sale. Sales will be closed after November 3, and I don’t plan to order any extras because I certainly can’t use more than one myself. I anticipate shipping the calendars out to customers on December 1. So, if you’re so inclined, get one while you can.

The 10 paintings I created in September and the photos that inspired them are included following a few photos from this month’s adventures. Where will I find my next inspiration?

And with that, I bid you a happy October! Perhaps I will find some changing leaves up a mountain somewhere. I do miss bright orange and red maples, but the magic of nature lives everywhere in different forms. I’ll appreciate what I have at my doorstep. Cheers!

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Dawn along the Salt River, with Four Peaks on the horizon

September 2019 Artwork

“Sonoran Anemones” 12x12”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper This piece is on hold for upcoming exhibition. — “Sonoran Anemones”
12x12”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper
This piece is on hold for upcoming exhibition.

“Glochidia Generator” 7x7”, Watercolor on Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Glochidia Generator”
7x7”, Watercolor on Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“T View” 20x8”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper This piece is on hold for upcoming exhibition. — “T View”
20x8”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper
This piece is on hold for upcoming exhibition.

“Tierra de Tortolita” 10x4”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Tierra de Tortolita”
10x4”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Cache” 10x4”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper This piece is on hold for upcoming exhibition. — “Cache”
10x4”, Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper
This piece is on hold for upcoming exhibition.

“Adios Amigos” 5x7”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper SOLD — “Adios Amigos”
5x7”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper
SOLD

Tentative series title: “Cacticatures” Each panel measures 3x9”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper This series is on hold for upcoming exhibition. — Tentative series title: “Cacticatures”
Each panel measures 3x9”, Watercolor on 300 lb. Arches cold press watercolor paper
This series is on hold for upcoming exhibition.

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My Life & Artwork - August 2019

September 16, 2019 Teressa Jackson

After returning from my trip to Oregon that I reported on last month, I don’t seem to have done very much of anything exciting in August. I stayed busy with a lot of contract fundraising work, hid from the Arizona heat, and painted. The last day of August, we headed for Puerto Peñasco (a.k.a. Rocky Point), Mexico, for Labor Day weekend. I’ll report out on that trip in my September blog, and spend some extra time with my paintbrushes instead of doing it now.

I undertook an experiment to cure my own olives this month. On my morning walks, I had started noticing the olive trees producing fruit at a vacant office building. I figured they wouldn't mind if I made use of a few. The process involved soaking the olives in a lye water mixture for twelve hours, then soaking them in a water bath for the next five days (changing the water two to four times a day), brining them in salt water for a week, and then putting them in a final brine with spices. They turned out well and I’m enjoying snacking on the fruits of my labor when I’m craving something salty (which is often!).

I didn’t produce a large quantity of artwork in August (five in total), but I did create some paintings that were large in size and rather time consuming. I’m slowly building up inventory for my show in March-April 2019 at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery in Tucson, trying to hold back the larger pieces if I can. Most smaller pieces I am continuing to put in my online shop, as I do need to make a few dollars now, too. :-)

One special piece I created was a collaboration with friend and fellow artist, Ursula Schneider, for the upcoming show at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop. The final piece was titled “Nourishing Community” and featured my watercolor work paired with Ursula’s ink and poetry. I was really pleased with how it turned out, and it was a fun and interesting new approach!

Ursula’s poetry reads:

Nourishing Community
Tall, strong, piercing defenses
Offer shelter for the vulnerable
Ubiquitous needles thread disparate dogmas
The robust can patiently endure the minimal wounds
Inflicted by the fragile
In the hope of humanity’s solidarity

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“Date Night” 20x16” on Fabriano 300 lb. paper This piece is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery in Tucson, AZ, from 3/21/2020 - 4/22/2020. — “Date Night”
20x16” on Fabriano 300 lb. paper
This piece is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery in Tucson, AZ, from 3/21/2020 - 4/22/2020.

“Nourishing Community” by Ursula Schneider & Teressa Jackson 10x14” watercolor on 140 lb. Arches watercolor paper Available for purchase at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop until 10/21/19. — “Nourishing Community”
by Ursula Schneider & Teressa Jackson
10x14” watercolor on 140 lb. Arches watercolor paper
Available for purchase at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop until 10/21/19.

Work in process - this is what the piece looked like after I completed my portion and prior to Ursula’s additions

“Spirit Master” 20x20” on Arches 300 lb. paper This piece is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery in Tucson, AZ, from 3/21/2020 - 4/22/2020. — “Spirit Master”
20x20” on Arches 300 lb. paper
This piece is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery in Tucson, AZ, from 3/21/2020 - 4/22/2020.

“Pollinator Paradise” 6x4” watercolor on 300 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Pollinator Paradise”
6x4” watercolor on 300 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Monstrosus” 5x7” watercolor on Arches 300 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Monstrosus”
5x7” watercolor on Arches 300 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

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My Life & Artwork - July 2019

August 28, 2019 Teressa Jackson

July began with a Fourth of July trip to Page, Arizona, and the beautiful jewel that is Lake Powell. Aaron and I swam at Lone Rock beach, kayaked into Antelope Canyon, and ventured along with the hordes of other tourists to the Horseshoe Bend overlook. It’s a beautiful part of the state and a tiny bit cooler than the Phoenix metro thanks to its elevation. Plus… water!

Monsoon season continued through July, but was largely a bust. There were a couple of minor storms in the evening, but nothing compared to last year’s sky entertainment. I believe they have received a bit more monsoon action in Tucson, but it’s been less eventful there, too. Weather does what it wants.

I worked on two larger paintings this month with exhibitions in mind. I entered “La Corona” in the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild’s Share our Walls juried exhibition and “Return to Goblin Valley” was entered into Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop’s Historias e Identidades (Histories and Identities) juried exhibition. I wrote a separate blog post about “Return to Goblin Valley,” explaining the meaning of this place to my own history and identity. Both pieces were accepted in their respective galleries. The SAWG show will run from 9/5-10/6/19, with an opening reception on 9/8 from 2-4 p.m. and the Raices Taller show runs through September 7.

Overall, I completed eight paintings in July. “Return to Goblin Valley” is currently for sale at Raices Taller and “La Corona” will be available for purchase at SAWG during their exhibition. Both galleries are located in Tucson. Five of the paintings I created, displayed at the bottom of this blog post, are all available for sale on my website as of this blog posting - starting at just $15.

I wrapped up July and began August with a change of scenery, visiting my sister’s family and my mother in Corvallis, Oregon. It was a wonderful time full of love and laughs, green scenery, a short trip to the coastal area around Yachats, and my first experience seeing Wicked the musical in Eugene. It was a good month!

Lightning I caught during an evening monsoon shower

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“La Ventana Natural Arch, El Malpais National Monument, Grants, New Mexico: 6/8/19, 15:01:39” 3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “La Ventana Natural Arch, El Malpais National Monument, Grants, New Mexico: 6/8/19, 15:01:39”
3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico: 6/10/19, 8:22:19” 3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico: 6/10/19, 8:22:19”
3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Superior, Arizona: 5/10/19, 10:30:06” 3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Superior, Arizona: 5/10/19, 10:30:06”
3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona: 6/7/19, 12:44:05” 3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona: 6/7/19, 12:44:05”
3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Mesa, Arizona: 5/12/19, 10:06:30” 3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Mesa, Arizona: 5/12/19, 10:06:30”
3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Mesa, Arizona: 5/12/19, 09:21:08” 3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Mesa, Arizona: 5/12/19, 09:21:08”
3x2” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“La Corona” 20x16” watercolor on 2” cradled Aquabord Available for purchase at Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild from 9/5-10/6/19. — “La Corona”
20x16” watercolor on 2” cradled Aquabord
Available for purchase at Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild from 9/5-10/6/19.

“Return to Goblin Valley” 12x16” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper Available for purchase at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop until 9/7/19. — “Return to Goblin Valley”
12x16” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper
Available for purchase at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop until 9/7/19.

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Return to Goblin Valley

July 28, 2019 Teressa Jackson

I am pleased to announce that my painting “Return to Goblin Valley” has been accepted for exhibition in Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop’s “Historias e Identidades (Histories and Identities)” show. The exhibition will open with a reception on Saturday, August 3, 2019, from 6 - 9 p.m and runs through September 7, 2019. Raices Taller is located at 218 E. 6th Street in Tucson, Arizona. Unfortunately, I will be on a trip to visit family in Oregon during the opening, but I encourage anyone who is able to attend. Their receptions are always a wonderful time full of lively fun!

And now, I share a story about this painting and why a landscape scene from Utah’s Goblin Valley relates to my own personal history and identity.

“The Artist is no other than he who unlearns what he has learned, in order to know himself.”

–E. E. Cummings

Return to Goblin Valley
by Teressa L. Jackson

The photo from which I painted, taken in 2017 when I revisited Goblin Valley with my mother

We pull up to the rim and peer down at the city of bulbous creatures that awaits us. Our imaginations take off like the lawnmower our father had once used to manicure our Midwestern yard. On the dividing line between child and woman, my sister Dee and I both fall back into old familiar territory for a sweet afternoon.

There are passageways and rooms, solitary figures and looming families. “This is my house!” I shout, but I don’t mind if Dee joins me in it. We had spent nearly our entire lives in a standard white post-war Cape Cod house, but in the couple of years leading up to this day, our father’s thin, towering 6’7” frame was no longer a part of that home.

When Dad left southern Indiana in pursuit of that elusive perfect job, Dee and I remained behind, learning to navigate airports a couple times a year. In our tween years, we were young enough for these trips to be frightening and old enough to find them exhilarating. In the late 1980’s, there were no mobile phones and no internet. We were disconnected, roaming free, changing planes through O’Hare’s hurried urban masses and disembarking in his new home, the Rocky Mountain wonderland of Salt Lake City.

The first few years we made this repeated cross-country journey, we enjoyed adventures that must have seemed exotic to our friends back home. We rode snowmobiles in the Rocky Mountains, learned to ski in the powder, breathed in the Grand Canyon, and smelled the sulfur of bubbling cauldrons and steaming geysers at Yellowstone.

Soon we entered the world of high school spectacle and our gravities shifted. We traded shared vistas and road trips for landline telephone custody battles. A year apart in school, Dee’s friends were what I considered “nerdy-popular.” I hung with the skateboarders, feeling a different exhilaration at punk rock shows and along Louisville’s Bardstown Road corridor.

That day at Goblin Valley seemed distant and almost forgotten most times over the decades that followed, but occasionally still surfaced as one of my fondest memories. As age forty loomed, my childhood years spent among desert, mountains, and sweeping views beckoned to me. I needed to return to these places – to rekindle my creativity, reawaken my sense of adventure, and reconnect with my original self.

I’ve spent the last three years becoming reacquainted with that young woman who visited Goblin Valley for the first time. I’ve revisited that wonderland and met new ones across the Southwest and beyond. My father and I haven’t spoken in nearly ten years, and it’s unlikely that we will ever do so again. However, I remain grateful for the foundation he laid through those early adventures and the way those places permanently shaped me.

I am, once again, the girl I left behind in that valley.

Me at Goblin Valley in 2017 (photo credit: Susan Jackson)

My Life & Artwork - June 2019

July 1, 2019 Teressa Jackson

June is my birthday month, and my birthday gift this year was a little solo adventure to northwestern New Mexico. I had read about the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness a few years ago, and had been longing to visit ever since, so I planned a trip to the various sites sprinkled around the region of this destination.

I stayed in Gallup, New Mexico, during my trip. I read a lot of negative things about Gallup before my departure, so I was prepared for whatever might greet me. Personally, while I didn’t spend a lot of time in the town of Gallup itself, I found the time I did spend there to be enjoyable and uneventful. Everyone was friendly and the town was sprinkled with Route 66 charm. It’s interesting how divergent and judgmental people’s perspectives can be.

The route to New Mexico took me through Payson, Arizona. I had never been to this town before. Payson is located on the Mogollon Rim, a geological feature that defines the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau. At about 7,500 feet above sea level, the edge of the rim is a beautiful ponderosa pine forest with sweeping views of the mountain ranges below. I arrived there in about an hour and a half from my home in Tempe, and, as always, it was amazing to watch the saguaro-laden desert morph into junipers and then ponderosa pines, and the temperature to drop accordingly. I spent a little time on a trail near the Mogollon Rim Visitors Center, and then continued on my way.

As I’ve mentioned before, I am a big fan of Petrified Forest National Park, and am especially fond of the Painted Desert section of the park. Shortly after passing Holbrook, Arizona, I found myself at the exit for the park, and it was too much to resist. I spent some time hiking down into the basin of the Painted Desert, where the hills are sprinkled with petrified wood and huge chunks of mica. During this trip, there were also abundant wildflowers, with bits of yellow and purple dotting the landscape.

Back on I-40, the landscape changed to sandstone mesas as I crossed the New Mexico state line, and soon thereafter, I arrived in Gallup. It was late afternoon and I called it an early night.

I started the next day at El Morro National Monument, a place with inscriptions in the sandstone bluffs dating back hundreds of years, including Europeans beginning in the 1600s and much older Native American petroglyphs. It was a stopping point due to the fact that it had the only source of water for many, many miles. At the top of the bluffs, there was a Native American civilization around 900 years ago, part of which has been excavated. I can see why they set up shop there - the views were so beautiful!

View from the top of El Morro, with Native American ruins

Around mid-day, I made my way to El Malpais National Monument. This park is also home to beautiful sandstone bluffs, but its most remarkable features are volcanic in origin - I saw lava tube caves, a caldera, and hiked around a volcano’s cinder cone. Later, I got a great view of the extensive lava flows from atop the sandstone bluffs. I encountered a very nice family at the monument, and especially enjoyed talking to the mom, who was the same age as me. In fact, it turned out that she had grown up in Harrison, Arkansas, a town that my family briefly inhabited when I was a child. It was crazy to think that she would probably have been a schoolmate of mine if we had stayed there.

The following day, I headed out to the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, the place that had been on my "to explore" list for nearly 3 years. I trekked 8 miles through this weird and wonderful desert world of hoodoos, badlands, and petrified wood, and there was still so much more I missed. I didn’t find any dinosaur bones, but this is one of the famous aspects of this place – it is where the Bistahieversor or "Bisti Beast", is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur, was discovered. Surrounded by legions of strange formations, many of which are humanoid in shape, the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is the type of place that definitely makes you question your sanity after a while. I’m not sure that any photos can truly convey what it looks or feels like there.

After a good night’s sleep, I drove around two hours to Chaco Canyon National Historical Park. The park is very remote, and the last 20 miles to reach it are via dirt road. However, it was well worth the effort. The Chacoan civilization that existed in the canyon (and beyond!) 1,200-800 years ago far exceeds anything you would have ever pictured... multi-story buildings – including one would have had around 650 rooms, commerce centers, roads, trade with civilizations hundreds if not thousands of miles away. These people traded to get chocolate and macaws from Mexico and seashells from the Pacific and Gulf of California. I drove away wondering what was under the earth all around me, even after I left the park. There is so much we don't know.

On my last day before driving home, I visited the Pueblo of Acoma (a.k.a. “Sky City”), where the native people built their homes on top of a mesa around 1,000 years ago. I had actually encountered some people from Acoma at the San Xavier del Bac mission in Tucson last year and never forgot their beautiful pottery or their genuine friendliness, so it was a special treat to see where they lived. Some of the tribe members still live up on the mesa, and they do so without running water or electricity. Their people are believed to have descended from those who inhabited Chaco Canyon. I so enjoyed meeting all of the wonderful people on the mesa, and I think Acoma was probably the highlight of my whole trip!

I ended the day with a hike to the top of Pyramid Rock at Gallup's Red Rock Park. It was a gorgeous red sandstone wonderland, and I was so glad that I found time to experience it. Lots of people were out for a Tuesday afternoon hike, and the views from the top of the rock were pretty spectacular.

Back home in Arizona, Aaron and I celebrated the day of my 43rd birthday with a trip to Slide Rock State Park in Sedona. The water was VERY, VERY (did I say VERY?) cold, and part of the day’s fun was watching people’s reactions to it. We laughed and laughed, froze a bit ourselves, and grabbed some food at a little Mexican diner on the way home.

The rest of June was spent painting, working, and thanking my lucky stars for the invention of air conditioning, as temperatures climbed into the mid-100’s and then beyond that to 112 degrees. I just tell myself that summer here equates to winter most places, when I wouldn’t be enjoying much of the outdoors, either. Most days, it is still pleasant if you get out before 9 a.m., too. I created a total of nine paintings, all of which are featured below, and many of which feature scenes from my birthday excursion.

Atop the Cinder Cone at El Malpais National Monument

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“Sky City” 10x8” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Sky City”
10x8” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“The Birthday Party” 20x16” on 2” cradled Aquabord This piece is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery in Tucson, AZ, from 3/21/2020 - 4/22/2020. — “The Birthday Party”
20x16” on 2” cradled Aquabord
This piece is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery in Tucson, AZ, from 3/21/2020 - 4/22/2020.

“Picacho Spring” 8x10” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Picacho Spring”
8x10” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Open Arms” 5x7” watercolor on Aquabord For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Open Arms”
5x7” watercolor on Aquabord
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“The Giants of Marshall Gulch” 2x3” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “The Giants of Marshall Gulch”
2x3” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Mogollon Rim, Payson, Arizona: 6/7/19, 10:28:36” 2x3” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Mogollon Rim, Payson, Arizona: 6/7/19, 10:28:36”
2x3” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona: 6/7/19, 13:50:18” 2x3” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona: 6/7/19, 13:50:18”
2x3” watercolor on Fabriano 300 lb. paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Red Rock Park, Gallup, New Mexico: 6/11/19, 14:59:23” 2x3” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Red Rock Park, Gallup, New Mexico: 6/11/19, 14:59:23”
2x3” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

“Superior, Arizona: 5/10/19, 7:45:43” 2x3” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase. — “Superior, Arizona: 5/10/19, 7:45:43”
2x3” watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper
For sale as of this blog posting - visit my online shop to purchase.

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My Life & Artwork - April 2019

May 3, 2019 Teressa Jackson

The first day of April was moving day! Thank goodness movers did the heavy lifting, and my back was spared the agony. It’s amazing how long it can take to move, even when you don’t feel like you have much “stuff.”

We hadn’t seen our actual apartment in Tempe, and I was a little anxious about it. Our place in Tucson had been such a nice spot to call home. I was pleasantly surprised to arrive to an entirely renovated, brand-new unit. I couldn’t ask for anything nicer. The view isn’t quite what it was in Tucson, but it’s not bad, either. We have a nice view of Bell Butte (which they kindly adorned with a “T” for “Teressa” …. er…. maybe for “Tempe,” which makes for a good sunset backdrop since it’s directly west of us.

Mid-April, I got some fantastic news! I was selected to exhibit my artwork in a solo show at Agua Caliente Park’s Ranch House Gallery in Tucson from March 21 to April 22, 2020. It’s good that I have nearly a year’s notice, since I have 88 LINEAR FEET of gallery space to fill. I had applied for this opportunity last year without success. This year, I was one of just ten artists to be selected to show during the course of the year. It will be my first solo exhibition in over twenty years! I’m very excited, and have already started creating paintings with this space in mind.

Some lovelies from Desert Botanical Garden

It’s cactus flower season, and the desert is popping with the most gorgeous, lush blooms. I’m not sure why cactus flowers seem magical, but they totally are. With that in mind, my friend Ursula and I spent a day at the Desert Botanical Garden, one of my favorite slices of desert paradise. I’m lucky to live just about 15 minutes from it now that I’m in Tempe, and a great place to soak up some artistic inspiration.

I tried out a new painting surface this month. I hadn’t ever used Aquabord before, but it caught my eye at Jerry’s Artarama and I bought a few pieces of it. It’s basically a clay-coated surface for watercolor painting. After sealing the painting, it can be framed without glass. It has definitely been an adjustment to paint on this surface, as it handles the paint in a very different way from paper. I certainly still like paper, but Aquabord will definitely be an ongoing addition to my painting arsenal. I have now created several pieces on the surface (see below!) and I’m in love with the vibrant colors I am able to produce. I think these will be really nice additions to my body of work for the show at Agua Caliente, too.

And just like that, April whooshed out the door and May arrived. I have a feeling that March 21, 2020, will be here faster than I would prefer. Hi ho, hi ho! Have a great May, friends!

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“Pusch Ridge Rainbow” SOLD (Commission) 7x5” on watercolor paper — “Pusch Ridge Rainbow”
SOLD (Commission)
7x5” on watercolor paper

“I Don’t Bite” SOLD 5x7” on watercolor paper — “I Don’t Bite”
SOLD
5x7” on watercolor paper

“Winter Watcher” For sale as of this blog posting 3.5x5” on watercolor paper — “Winter Watcher”
For sale as of this blog posting
3.5x5” on watercolor paper

“Perched Plumage” For sale as of this blog posting 3.5x5” on watercolor paper — “Perched Plumage”
For sale as of this blog posting
3.5x5” on watercolor paper

“Ice Cream Dream” For sale as of this blog posting 5x7” on Aquabord — “Ice Cream Dream”
For sale as of this blog posting
5x7” on Aquabord

“The Ringleader” SOLD 7x5” on Aquabord — “The Ringleader”
SOLD
7x5” on Aquabord

“The Incubator” For sale as of this blog posting 5x7” on Aquabord — “The Incubator”
For sale as of this blog posting
5x7” on Aquabord

“Prelude to the Pursuit” This piece is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery 11x14” on Aquabord — “Prelude to the Pursuit”
This piece is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery
11x14” on Aquabord

I have not yet titled this piece. I’m also not completely sure it’s finished! This painting is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery 12x12” on Aquabord — I have not yet titled this piece. I’m also not completely sure it’s finished!
This painting is on hold for exhibition and sale at my solo show at Agua Caliente Ranch House Gallery
12x12” on Aquabord

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Umm... Happy 2019!? (I'm a bit of a slacker.)

April 9, 2019 Teressa Jackson

Hey there!

Yep, it’s April 9, and I am just now writing my first blog post for 2019. Whoops!

Anyhoo, I’m doing it now. And that’s what counts, right? It’s not like I can go back in time…

One of the big themes for the first part of 2019 was SNOW. Say what?! Yes, that’s right, on rare occasions, even Tucson gets some of that fluffy white stuff. This year, the mountains got dusted, capped, and coated so many times that I lost count, starting on New Year’s Day itself. The highlight, though, was February 22, when even the city of Tucson itself saw white flakes falling from the sky. My friend Ursula and I made sure that this rarity didn’t go to waste, and had a wonderful time playing in the snow at Saguaro National Park East. I even built a snowman!

I continued to exhibit my artwork at Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop. The first show of 2019, “Año Nuevo, Obras Nuevas,” displayed three of my larger landscapes I created in 2018. I sold “Cactus Cartel,” a scene from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, to a collector from Portland, Oregon. I have another set of paintings on display there currently in their “Common Ground” exhibition (a tribute to Cesar Chavez), and have reportedly sold "Tomato,” a piece featuring the architecture of tomato roots (see below in my art round-up for image). I’m very pleased with the response to my work through these opportunities, and so very grateful to this non-profit gallery for all of their hard work.

Aaron and I took a couple of trips these past few months. We stayed in Choya Bay outside of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico, at the end of January, enjoying the sounds and the smells of the sea, as well as some beers and Mexican food at JJ’s Cantina up the road. In March, we visited a different body of water, spending a long weekend at Lake Havasu City, where the Colorado River is dammed to form a beautiful desert oasis.

Mom and me at the Desert Botanical Gardens

February and March both brought some familiar faces to Arizona. In February, we enjoyed a visit from my sweet mom, and I had a great time touring her around Tucson. It was fun to give her a more in-depth experience of the area, visiting several local eateries, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Tubac, San Xavier del Bac, Desert Botanical Garden, Saguaro National Park, and part of the Tucson Gem Show. My dear friend Allison visited for about 48 hours in March, and a whirlwind tour of Mexican eateries, Saguaro National Park, and Ironwood Forest National Monument ensued.

The snow and plentiful rain did their job this year, and wildflowers have abounded this spring. For the past month and a half, swaths of the desert have been covered in yellow, pink, orange, and blue. They popped on the hills around Lake Havasu, ran down the slopes of Picacho Peak, and prettied up the route to Ironwood Forest National Monument. It’s a good thing that digital cameras exist, because I hate to know how many rolls of film I would have devoted to capturing their precious petals.

Ursula and I hiked in the Superstition Mountains mid-March. This trip turned out to be a foreshadowing of things to come, as the Superstitions are located just east of the Phoenix metro area. Two weeks after our beautiful hiking adventure, Aaron and I relocated to Tempe, which is immediately adjacent to the east of the city of Phoenix, so that Aaron could pursue a new career opportunity. I’m adjusting to a slightly faster pace of living, more traffic, abundant Indian restaurants (if you know me, you know this makes me HAPPY!), and slightly less amazing views. I’m excited to have a new place to explore, new opportunities, and a closer proximity to places like the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu, Sedona, and my friend Kalisha! I’ll certainly miss Tucson, but luckily it’s still only an hour-and-a-half drive down I-10.

Last but not least, I cranked out 28 paintings over the past 3 months, including several commissions. I also marked down all paintings created prior to 2019, and sale prices will remain in effect until those pieces find a new home. All of my January, February, and March 2019 creations are featured below, with availability at the time of this blog posting indicated.

I’ll try to do better with next month’s blog post! Cheers to 2019!

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