Posts Tagged ‘owl’

First post of 2020. I’ve started the year off being as productive as possible. Before 2020 was upon us I told myself I was going to focus on making bigger paintings, but here I am making a series of 3.5″ x 7″ paintings. In my defense, I had some paintings in the works that weren’t quite finished, so I am working on those and then I really would like to make some bigger paintings this year. Anyway…for now I have one new piece to show you.

This is Ginger. She’s 3.5″ x 7″, mixed media on wood with epoxy resin coating. She’s available in my online shop or in person at Viva Paso – 1211 Pine St in downtown Paso Robles.

You know, come to think of it, I have more than one new piece to show you. I finished these next two a few weeks ago, so you might have seen them on Instagram, but if not, here ya go.

“Gilligan”
3.5″ x 7″ – mixed media on wood.
Available in my online shop.

“Mary Ann”
3.5″ x 7″ – mixed media on wood.
Available in my online shop.

Yes, I am using all the characters names from Gilligan’s Island. I have a few more to go, so be on the lookout for Lovey, Thurston, The Skipper, and The Professor.

Enjoy!
– Jeff

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What, that’s not enough for you? Fine…
follow me on the IG: @jeffclaassen.
and on TikTok: @jeffclaassen

“Felix The Owl”
16″ diameter – mixed media on wood.
$200 – available online at jeffclaassen.com or in person at Viva Paso. The address is:
1211 Pine St
Paso Robles CA 93446

I know the title of this post says “New Painting”, which is more like a half truth. To be more accurate, I should really call it newly “finished” painting. As evidenced by the following video, this painting was made back in January.

Why has it taken sooooooooo long to finally be available? Well, if you’re familiar with my work you know about the glossy resin coating I use to cover my paintings. Be warned, I get a little overly-wordy here, but just think of it as a privileged behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in the studio. When I first applied the glossy resin to this I noticed that there was something missing from the painting. This is sort of ridiculous, but I thought it needed a couple of more polka dots, so I scraped off all the wet drippy resin before it got too sticky. If you’ve ever worked with this stuff you can appreciate what a pain in the ass it can be to work with. So, I scraped it off, waited a few days, then painted some more polka dots. Then it was time to resin coat the painting again. After waiting 3 days for the resin to fully harden I noticed a spot on the painting where the resin didn’t quite sit right. Basically, there was a little dimple in the resin. It might have gone unnoticed to some, but it was all I could see when I looked at the painting, so I decided to lay down another coat of resin. But, I waited. Months went by until I finally resin coated the piece for a third time. Now it is ready for the world.

Enjoy!
– Jeff

A few nights ago I started this “blockhead owl” painting and thought, “Let’s record this shit!” So, I did. I’ve painted a lot of these blockhead owls, but this is the biggest one to date.

If the video below isn’t working for some reason try this link: youtu.be/HfTFVaSUuJ8

It’s not as if I went out of my way to watch Jerry Maguire. I mean, who does that? The thing is, Coral found the movie for $1 at the local Goodwill. Personally, I would have saved my dollar, but it was Coral’s dollar and in her mind owning Jerry Maguire was a fantastic idea. About a week after we watched it I had a bunch of new paintings that I needed to title and that’s when I realized the true intoxicating power of Jerry Maguire. The temptation to name my paintings after things from the movie was inescapable. These paintings are all owls, so it should be obvious that the movie in no way inspired the making of the paintings, but I certainly had fun with the titles.

“The Ambassador Of Quan”
4.25″ diameter (not including the routered edge) – mixed media on wood, signed on the back.
$65, plus shipping. Order here.
This title came from Cuba Gooding Jr.’s emotional line at the end of the movie. See for yourself…

“You Complete Me”
4.25″ diameter (not including the routered edge) – mixed media on wood, signed on the back.
$65, plus shipping. Order here.
This line is easily the most quoted and recognized piece of dialogue from the film. What I did not remember was that it’s first appearance in the film wasn’t even spoken. It was said in sign language! There is a couple in an elevator with Jerry and Dorothy and one of them (the deaf people, not Jerry or Dorothy) signs it to the other. Or maybe they sign it to each other. I really have no idea what they are saying with their sign language. It may not even be accurate. For all we non-signing people know, the lady could be telling the dude that she could really go for a cheeseburger after work. Long story short, if I remember correctly, Dorothy tells Jerry what they said, which is why it is so impactful later in the movie. Aww, what a cute tie in. It’s impossible to believe that Jerry actually feels that way about Dorothy, but that’s a whole other blog post I will never write. Seriously, watch the movie again. Their love story is so weak I’m shocked anybody fell for it when the movie first came out. Personally, I find the line way more fitting coming from The Joker in The Dark Knight.

“The Kushman”
6″ diameter (not including the routered edge) – mixed media on wood, signed on the back.
$80, plus shipping. Order here.
Frank Cushman is Jerry O’Connell’s character and he’s some hotshot football player that every sleazy sports agent is trying to get in bed with. Jerry gets close, but loses out to his nemesis, Bob Sugar. I spelled it with a “K” because who doesn’t love a good marijuana reference? Also, a lot of people say my characters look stoned or I get asked, “What were you smoking when you painted this?” What was I smoking…c’mon, it’s like these people don’t even know me. Before I paint I snort crushed up Tylenol PM tablets, DUH!

“Call Me Sugar”
4″ x 6.25″ oval (not including the routered edge) – mixed media on wood, signed on the back.
$65, plus shipping. Order here.
This was named after Jerry’s back stabbing protege, Bob Sugar. But check this out. The other night I watched Reservoir dogs for the first time in I don’t know how long and there is a car scene where Chris Penn references an old TV show called Get Christie Love and they joke about how she would say, “You’re under arrest, Sugar,” so now I think of that when I see the title for this painting. It took some digging, but I found this for your enjoyment. You might want to skip ahead to the 50 second mark. Or just watch the full clip because TV intros from the 70’s are fantastic.

“You Had Me At Hoot”
4″ x 6.25″ oval (not including the routered edge) – mixed media on wood, signed on the back.
$65, plus shipping. Order here.
Of course, this is really the most quoted and remembered line from Jerry Maguire. I don’t know what I was thinking earlier when I said “you complete me” was the most popular line from the movie. Dorothy says “you had me at hello” after Jerry gives his big emotional “come back to me, you complete me, wah wah wah, I’m a big baby” speech. This is an owl and we all know owls say “hoot” instead of “hello”. So, for this painting, we had her at hoot. If somehow you’ve forgotten this scene (you haven’t) here is a reminder for you.

Thanks for looking and reading. Remember, these are all one of kind original paintings. Once they are gone, they are gone forever. Or at least until Sotheby’s has them up for auction. Before that happens you can purchase any of them directly from me through my online shop.

Thanks for all of your support!
– Jeff

I just finished these four paintings a couple of nights ago. They were painted as pairs, but are available individually. All four are 4″ x 4″, mixed media on wood. To purchase any (or all, hint, hint!) of these please visit my shop at jeffclaassen.storenvy.com or click on the individual images for fancy direct links.

Remember these are all one of kind originals. Once they are gone they are gone forever. If you want the whole set or just a pair I will include some extra bonus goodies when I mail them to you.

Here are some sassy sea creatures.

“Samuel”

“Sebastian”

And some woodland creatures.

“Hector”

“Jose”

Keep in mind, I’m totally open to commissions too. If you like these creatures, but want them in different colors let me know and we’ll get something going for you.

Thanks for looking!
– Jeff

It looks like I’m on one of my small painting kicks. I’ve been making a lot of 4″ paintings the past couple of weeks. Some have sold and others are still available. All of the 4″ squares are $50 each. Check them out…

“Blue Octopi”
Order here.

“Early Bird”
Sold

“Yellow Octopi”
Order here.

“Pink Bunny”
Order here.

“Fat Owl”
Sold.

“Blue Bird”
Sold.

“Skinny Owl”
Sold.

“Little Fat Cat”
Sold.

“Mint Green Bunny”
Sold.

Thanks for looking!
– Jeff

I just keep painting owls. They’re fun to paint and as it turns out I’m not the only one obsessed with them. Here’s the latest of the owl paintings I’ve made over the last couple of months.

“Read Me Poetry”
6″ x 6″ – mixed media on wood.
$100, plus shipping. To add this to your collection, purchase online.
I’m pretty sure owls like to have poetry read to them and I think it’s safe to say that Shel Silverstein is probably their favorite poet.

“I Play Piano”
8″ x 8″ – mixed media on wood
$145, plus shipping. To add this to your collection, purchase online.
In addition to loving poetry owls are also very musically inclined. They are known to play violin, harp, and piano. On rare occasion you can find an old school owl busting out eerie love ballads on a harmonium. Owls are huge fans of Penguin Cafe Orchestra.

“Don’t Mess”
6″ x 6″ – mixed media on wood
$100, plus shipping. To add this to your collection, purchase online.
This owl is not one to mess around with. If you cross him he’s sure to strike back.

These next two owls have found loving homes. They have essentially flown the coop and are living very happy lives in their new homes.

Those last two were 4″ squares, which has been a super popular size. I’ve had quite a few commissions for that size and am always accepting more. If there is a particular color scheme you’d like that I don’t have available let me know. The 4″ square owls are $50. If you’d like to commission one send me a message.

Hoot! Hoot!
– Jeff

Sometimes it’s just fun to make small scale stuff. Here is my latest in the world of 4″ squares.

“Fat Bird”
4″ x 4″ – acrylic and ink on wood.
$30 early bird price. Ok, let me explain. I got this idea the other day to offer new originals at a big discount for the first 24 hours that they’re online. The early bird price on this one expires at 8pm tonight (July 11). If it’s still available after 8pm the price will jump up to $50, which is the regular price for paintings I make this size.
Order online.

“The Wise One”
4″ x 4″ – acrylic and ink on wood.
$50, Order online.

“I’m Smarter Than You”
4″ x 4″ – acrylic and ink on wood.
$50, Order online.

Thanks for looking!
And be on the lookout for new “Early Bird Specials”. I end up posting on Instagram before I post here, so if you’re addicted to the IG, like the rest of us, follow me at @jeffclaassen

See ya!
Jeff

Yes, still addicted to owls over here. These three are the latest. All of them are available to purchase from my etsy shop.

“Mr. Rager”
4″ x 4″ – mixed media on wood
$30, plus shipping
To purchase, please order online.

“Sing Me A Sonnet”
4″ x 4″ – mixed media on wood
$30, plus shipping
To purchase, please order online.

“I Eat Mice”
4″ x 4″ – mixed media on wood
$30, plus shipping
To purchase, please order online.

Thanks for looking!
– Jeff

Last night I made two new mini paintings. They are both 4″ squares. I have a lot of these 4″ square pieces so I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of these in the future.

“Lifted”
$30, plus shipping
If you would like to add this little owl to your art collection please order online.

I’ve been painting so many owls lately, that I figured I should do something different. So, I painted this little character.

“Let Me In”
$30, plus shipping
If you would like to add this little odd character to your collection please order online.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking!
– Jeff

I can’t seem to shake this owl obsession. They’re fun to paint. Here are my three newest owls.

A few years ago I started painting on pages torn out of a 1964 cookbook I found in my parents garage. I thought I had used all the pages, but was pretty stoked to find one unpainted a few nights ago.

“Owls Like Biscuits”
6″ x 9″ – mixed media on vintage cookbook page
$30, plus shipping – order online

“Mint Green Owl”
4″ x 4″ – mixed media on wood
SOLD

“Pink Owl”
4″ x 4″ – mixed media on wood
$30, plus shipping – order online

If you’d like to see all the available original work I have at the moment please check out my etsy shop.

Thanks for looking!
– Jeff

I am having a love affair with this white ink! It’s so nice to be able to use black in the background. I painted this little night owl this afternoon. Isn’t the internet awesome? A person can make a painting, photograph it and upload it to the internet for sale all in a matter of minutes. Well, the actual painting part takes more than “minutes”, but once that’s done the rest of it goes pretty fast.

This painting is called “Night Owl” and is 4″ x 4″, acrylic and ink on wood with resin coating. It’s available in my etsy shop for $30.

Hoot hoot!
– Jeff