♦Knowing Vincent

Since my last post I have been developing an Arts business plan. In line with this plan I accepted a commission from poet, Marian Spires, to make a 600 x 900mm collage of Vincent van Gogh, using pieces of his 36 self-portraits, and incorporating both iconic and lesser known paintings in the background.

A photograph of the completed collage was used as the cover art on Marian's novel, Knowing Vincent, to be launched at 2.30pm this Saturday in Federation Square at the Melbourne Writers' Festival. This is one of the festival's many free events and no booking is required, so come to the launch for a wonderful hour of entertainment.

Knowing Vincent

Marian Spires (Picaro Press, 2010)

Cover art by Jenni L. Ivins

You are invited to the Melbourne Writers Festival launch of Marian Spires’ verse novel, Knowing Vincent (Picaro Press). Please join Lia Hills, poet and writer, in conversation with Marian discussing the creation of her verse novel.

DATE: Saturday 28 August at 2.30pm

PLACE: Melbourne Writers Festival

Feddish@Fed Square (café/bar/restaurant)

2 Swanston Street Walk
Melbourne VIC 3000. (03) 9654 5855

Free event

In 2009, Marian won the MWF Poetry Idol and used her prize money to travel to Europe to view the original canvases and walk the landscapes where Vincent van Gogh painted. In Knowing Vincent, Marian gives voice to the women brushed out of the story of the painter’s life, and re-imagines him from their viewpoint.

Why I started a blog

I have reached a point in my life where I need to make my Arts pay the bills – as a minimum return. The blog is one tool I shall employ to make this happen.

Its uses are manyfold:

* Communication with other Artists and those interested in the Arts;

• Giving back to the generous Arts community by sharing my experiences and knowledge.
• Demonstrating how I have deliberated, made decisions and progressed on my path to fame.
• Sharing my approach to making it in the Arts (yes, I do realise that is ambiguous and I mean both definitions).

* Communication with the outside world, where my clients are located;

• To let people know there is an Artist named Jenni Ivins.
• To demonstrate the genres in which I work.
• To show and market my skills.
• So people know who to approach should they have a query or project for which they’d like to use my abilities.
• To promote and sell my work, as appropriate.

In brief, my talents include a fine aptitude in:-

Writing; Illustration; Photography; Singing; Performance; Drafting; Desktop publishing; Motivation; Marketing; Remedial reading; other...

Thanks for visiting again.

cheers,

Jenni

Collage, Before the Fire, by Jenni L Ivins

Yes! Success. I used a different search engine and it worked. {Thanks Russell.}

This is the collage, Before the Fire, that I sold at the Yakkerboo Art Show.

Artist's Statement:

When we think of the casualties of bushfire most people consider the loss of human lives and their homes, as well as larger, furry or cute animals, but how many think about the effect on the less seen, smaller occupants of our land? Many of these are not even known about - which is why I have created some fanciful creatures to be found within the collage.

One of the things I like about the picture is that there is more to discover the longer one looks at it. I hope you enjoy it, too.

cheers,
Jenni

Experiment 2

Hello again,


I have yet to work out realistic intervals between my blogs. Once a week seemed like a practical time - not getting hooked nor letting the blogging intervene in a very full schedule, but it has already been more than a week without a blog. This will have to change. Perhaps I shall have to choose a particular day of the week, but which one?


In case you are wondering if I have a purpose for setting up this blog, the answer is yes; however I shall tell you more next time. I have a pressing task that must take priority for a few days. A deadline looms at the end of the week. Again I'll tell more later, but to make this post a little more interesting I shall add a photograph of a collage that I recently sold at the Yakkerboo Art Show.


I still have to learn how to secure my photos so they can't be copied, therefore I shall attach a photo that is not as sharp as I'd like it to be, but certainly good enough for you to see what the artwork looks like. Another goal on my to-do list is to join Red Bubble and upload some of my photos and artwork there. Those pictures will have to be the best representations of my skills so people can buy copies in the form of cards and pictures as well as other options.


Well, I tried to add the photo to this blog, but to no avail. There is an error on page it says at the bottom of the page when I click on the add photo icon. It worked on the library's computer, but I'm posting this blog at home. The problem may be a compatability issue. I'll try again another time.

Thanks for looking in. Have a great week,
Jenni

Initial Post

This may be a small step for blogging in general, but it is a huge leap for me. As I am learning about blogging at CCLC as I create this post, the content may not be of interest to many, but it serves a purpose on my path.

I have chosen Veranda because I forgot to bring the glasses I use for computer work and this font is easy on the eyes - probably not a bad thing for those who will read my blog. I want it to be reader friendly.

I can change the characteristics of the font eg bolding and italics. I have learnt about adding a picture - and keeping it legal - I respect the copyright of other creators. Likewise I hope others will respect my copyright. If you see something on my site that you would like to use, please ask for my permission and give details of what you have in mind. Chances are that I shall agree.

Now I shall add a link. hmm... What shall link to? I know! I shall link to the 3CR radio station site. This Thursday (15th of April) at 9 am I shall be reading my poetry and in conversation with Rhonda Jankovic on the Spoken Word program. The link is: 3CR streaming

I hope you enjoy it if you tune in at the time. I also hope you have enjoyed my first blog. The lesson has passed very quickly, but I have found it easy to use - and fun! Thanks for joining me.
TTFN
Jenni