Posts Tagged ‘painting’

This is drop #04 for 2022. I’m trying to do these every other Wednesday. More on the details of that later, but because of poor planning and being out of town I missed the last one. Hopefully, this one is good enough to make up for the loss. Anyway…

I am very excited to have 10 new wine paintings. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed making them. And now for the details.

These are all hand painted one of a kind original paintings on watercolor paper. They are 18″ x 24″ and are all signed and dated on the back. I also write the title on the back. The paper has been stained with wine and all the black lines were painted using an acrylic ink.
These are $100 each, plus $11 shipping, unframed. Sorry…shipping prices have gotten a little out of control. These will ship rolled up in a tube and will be delivered by USPS. You can also choose “in store pickup” if you’d like to come by my shop to save on shipping and pick yours up in person. If you choose in store pickup, please come during our scheduled business hours, which are Wed-Sat. – 11am-5pm.

Ok, enough talking. Let’s see some art!
If you see one you would like simply click the image to order. And remember, these are one of a kind originals, so once they’re sold they are gone forever.

Belle The Kitty – order here

Burgundy Becca – order here

Irvine The Whale – order here

Loopy Bunny – order here

One Too Many – order here

Rehab Month – order here
There’s a little bonus prize for this one. If you can figure out why I made “Rehab Month” the title for this I will send you some free art goodies. Just send me DM on Instagram with your answer: @jeffclaassen

Rosey Rosé – order here

Spencer – order here

Stella – order here

Valerie Vino – order here

And there you have it. 10 brand new wine paintings! These paintings have been my whole life the past couple of weeks. A lot of late nights listening to music and putting ink down on the paper. Thank you for taking the time to look at these. If you order one it will ship out with 24-48 hours.

Also, I’m using my Viva Paso shop for this drop because it’s a lot easier to keep track of things on there.
Thanks again!
– Jeff

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

This is my latest in the ongoing “Some Bitch Stole My Lunch Money” series. I don’t normally get to art speaky…or maybe I do without realizing it. I try not to because it can be such a bore sometimes, but one thing I’ve learned over the years is that a lot of people enjoy hearing the backstory about how a piece is made. I really try to avoid the REAL art speaky bit of talking about the meaning of a painting and whatnot. That can get a bit lofty and as a creator I quite fancy the idea that the viewer has a responsibility to bring something to the table. The image should invoke some sort of emotion for the viewer and with that the viewer adds the meaning. And look, just like that, I got all art speaky on you without even realizing it. Ughh…somebody slap me! Let’s get back on track…

Ok, so this piece is very interesting to me. It’s impossible to see in a photo, especially a straight on photo and in person it’s even difficult to see unless you are really looking for it, but it’s there. Here’s a close up I’d like you to take a look at.

What I hope you can see in the above photo is the different layers and how some things are floating between layers of resin. I coat almost every single one of my paintings with a thick clear resin. Normally, it’s pretty straight forward. I paint on a wood panel and when I’m done I do the resin pour. With this one I painted the green background and poured the resin over it while the paint was still wet. Then I splattered some white paint on top of the wet resin. As you know, I love drips and splatters. Splatters usually end up looking like a bunch of random polka dots, but these splatters had this interesting reaction with the resin and sort of spread out and splintered giving them more of a snowflake look than a splatter, which I totally embraced. When that layer of resin dried I put the “Some Bitch” girl over the top and then poured another layer of resin over that. If you look close you can see a slight shadow under her as well as some of the snowflakes. And on closer inspection, which is a lot easier in person, you can see that some of the green swirls of paint are floating in the resin above the first layer of green background. Fun stuff. Yeah, I’m art nerding.

And that’s a wrap!

Now, since I have bills to pay, if you’d like to add the “Some Bitch Stole My Lunch Money” (snowflake version) to your collection that would be super awesome. She’s available right here.

Oh, and here’s some bonus photos of two new paintings I’m working on that were done using the same process of pouring resin over wet paint.

As always, thanks for looking!
– Jeff

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Need more of me in your life?
Follow on the IG: @jeffclaassen
Watch on the YT: youtube.com/jeffclaassen

(* Disclaimer: Although the title of this post is “New Painting And Video” the truth is that the painting was made last summer, but it is new to you and to this blog. With that said, let’s continue.)

I don’t talk much in my videos. Or at least I try not to because it makes me cringe when I have to watch/listen to myself when I’m editing video. Anyway, how this painting came to be is very interesting to me and I wanted to share the story. If you’re only here for the video then feel free to scroll down and skip all this gibberish. If you’re a loyal reader/voyeur of this blog you might remember my “Secret To Selling Art” post from last August (I can’t even remember what I ate for dinner last night, so if you remember my blog posts from 11 months ago you should seek professional help.) Well, the story of this painting is even crazier than the story about the painting from that post. In the chance that you don’t know, I am a bit obsessed with stories about synchronicity or, for the layman that’s not referencing Wikipedia while typing their blog trying to appear smarter than they actually are, “meaningful coincidences”. That’s right, coincidences do not exist. Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes we don’t understand the reason, but let’s not get into that here because it’s a rabbit hole best saved for another day. I’m also quite fascinated with the butterfly effect. I think the two theories work hand in hand to some extent. Anyway, enough psychobabble, let’s get on with it already.

Back in 2008-2009 my sister and her husband opened a pizza restaurant. One of their employees, Amy, liked my artwork. Well, let’s be honest, ALL of their employees probably adored my artwork 😜. Fast forward 10 years or so and Amy walks into my shop in Paso Robles. We chit chat about Pizza Fusion and whatnot. I have this canvas print on the wall called “Gone But Not Forgotten” and she tells me it would look great in this black and white themed room in her house.

She wants to buy it, but it’s not quite what she’s looking for. She wants something bigger and vertical and, if possible, with a little gold added for fun because the room she wants to hang it in has some gold accents. Naturally, I said I could paint her one.

And that’s how a commission painting comes about. Some of them take 10 years to happen and others happen in 10 seconds. Here’s a time lapse of making Amy’s painting.

Bored yet? No? Well, shit…let’s just keep this thing going, shall we? So, what does this have to do with synchronicity? Remember, “synchronicity” means “meaningful coincidence”. You would never think that my sister and her husband opening a pizza restaurant would result in me getting a commission job 10 years later. Amy walking into my shop was not just a meaningless coincidence. Synchronicity was at work here. It had been years in the making and I find that incredibly fascinating.

Is there a lesson to be learned here? Probably. As cliché as it sounds, good things can come from anywhere and they can be totally unexpected. I think the lesson here is to continue to put yourself out there. Being an artist can be frustrating and it’s easy to get jaded when things feel like they are not working in your favor. I can’t tell you how often I think of deleting my Instgram account and my YouTube channel while spiraling in a fit of frustration. But, I don’t because I remember stories like this one and remind myself that we just never know when something we do (like meeting somebody 10 years ago) will have a positive impact (getting commissioned to make a painting) on us later.

What are your thoughts or crazy stories about synchronicity? I’d love to hear them.

Thanks for reading!
– Jeff

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Still not bored? Wow…
Then you should follow me on Twitter.
And probably Instagram too. Before I delete it.
And while you’re at it, what the heck, check out some of my videos. Before I delete them too.
Also, please share this with all your artsy friends. Thanks!

I can’t possibly be the first person to think of “Time Lapse Tuesday”, but something tells me it’s not anything that’s really going to catch on. However, that did not stop me from making this video last week. Per usual, I forgot to post about it here and had to wait a full week just for it to be “Tuesday” again. Anyway, enough blabbering. Check out the video!

I hope you enjoyed that. Trust me, I am trying to figure out a way to make art videos a little more exciting and I’m totally stumped. If you have any suggestions hit me up. Anyway…

I painted a bunch of slingshots back in May, which you might have seen on Instagram, but I am pretty sure posting them here was another forgotten task. Until now!

I pretty much gave myself a headache coming up with clever names like, “Billy The Bearded Bombarder”, “Torpedo Tim”, and “Freddie Fling”, which will surely bring joy to all who love the pleasure only a slingshot can provide.

If you’d like one of these hand painted beauties please check them out in my shop. They are $30 each and right now there are still 4 available.

And, our dear “Julien” is patiently awaiting to be adopted by a caring, but charmingly dysfunctional, family. If that sounds like you then click here.

That’s it for now. As always, thanks for reading!

– Jeff

I’ve been a little obsessed this past month with painting these 3″ square canvases and this is the newest batch. All of these are available in my shop. They are all one of a kind originals and the awesome little easel is included.

This is Eli. He likes chillin’, long walks on the beach, and gobbling space cake.

Meet Arturo. This little bun bun is all about those late nights sipping wine on the couch while talking to himself.

Henry The Bunny. This little bun-dle of bunny is quite the sassy whipper snapper, but that only makes him more lovable.

Say hello to Russ. He likes hunting, fishing, and playing Parcheesi.

These are $30 each and make great Valentine’s presents except Valentine’s Day was last week, so it looks like I posted this late. But not too late, because they still make great President’s Day presents except that was on Monday and people don’t give presents for that. You know what though, tomorrow is National Margarita Day and that seems like the perfect excuse to buy a painting.

Cheers!
– Jeff

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If you don’t want this party to end…
check out some of my videos.
and follow the grams.

I posted this photo on Instagram back in September.

After this the mini canvases sat. And sat. Then they sat some more. They sat all the way until mid-January. That’s 4 months of sitting. Obviously, other projects I had in the works took priority over these three inch square art pieces. But why? I could have just set aside one night to finish them. Procrastination and the inability to prioritize efficiently are two traits I’d like to delete from the hard drive of my personality. Just drag them straight into the trash can. Ughh, I’ll do that later. Anyway, I am very happy to have finally finished them.

Thankfully, they sold fast. The only one still available is this dude.

“Willy”
3″ x 3″ – mixed media on canvas.
He’s available to purchase on my site.

Once I finally got the mini paintings finished and on display in my retail shop it got me excited to start a new batch. Here’s the first one.

This little bunny is named Martin. He’s already found a new home, but I am on my way to the art store now to pick up more mini canvases. I want to say I’d like to paint a couple dozen of these, but let’s be honest. If it took me 4 months to paint, essentially, 5 of these who knows how long it could take to paint 24 of them. Time will tell. Don’t hold your breath.

Thanks for looking!
– Jeff

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If you want to keep this party going…
Follow me on the IG: @jeffclaassen
Check out my videos.

Today I have 3 new blockhead paintings to show you. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you’ve probably already seen them. And if not, then you’re seeing them for the first time and that’s cool. There are a lot of things I would love to see for the first time again. For some reason, the movies Matrix and Fight Club come to mind. Or even The Sixth Sense. Anyway…I hope you enjoy these. If you’d like to add any of these to your art collection they are all available in my online shop.

“Simon The Owl”
3.5″ x 7″ – mixed media on wood
Available here.

“Sydney”
3.5″ x 7″ – mixed media on wood
Available here.

“Ritchie”
3.5″ x 5″ – mixed media on wood
Available here.

Thanks for looking!
– Jeff

In case you don’t want this fun to end:
– Check out my time lapse painting videos!
– Visit my shop Viva Paso at 1211 Pine St in Paso Robles, CA – online at www.vivapaso.com
– Listen to our podcast, Live Work Love.

Selling art is weird. Actually, selling art is awesome. Trying to sell it or coming up with ways to sell it is when it gets weird. Let me try that again. I think to put it more accurately, after it sells and you ask yourself how and why it sold is the weird part. The answers could be infinite and if any of the answers made any sense or were consistent we’d all be selling a lot more artwork than we are.

Take this painting for example.

I made it during the Summer of 2016. I happen to be in the very fortunate position to own a shop in the town I live, which means I have a unique opportunity most artists don’t have. I have a venue to display my work in hopes of selling it. This is a pretty amazing thing. It doesn’t take an economist to figure out that the more eyes that see your work the better chances you have of selling it. With that said, every artist should be doing whatever they can to get their work in front of as many people as possible. So, here’s the story of selling this painting and why I think it’s weird.

As soon as I finished making the painting I hung it up in my shop. It was on display from mid summer until October 10th. In that time A LOT of people saw it and yet it remained unsold. I only know I took it off the wall on the 10th of October because I was invited to hang some paintings at a restaurant in a nearby town and I made a dumb video about it. Anyway, it hung on the wall of that restaurant for two months.

Do you have any idea how many people eat at a popular restaurant on a weekend? Hundreds. That’s a lot of eyes. Obviously, people are not there for the art. They are there to eat, but you know some people have to notice the artwork on the walls. After two months and probably a couple thousand people seeing this painting it still had not found a home. After the restaurant gig I hung it back up in my shop. This would have been December, which is the biggest sales month for probably every store in America. Still, it sat. Or rather, hung. Unsold. It hung all the way until April when I removed it from the wall again. This time I was invited to display some paintings at Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe, which is an awesome cafe/coffeeshop in a different nearby town. While hanging at Sally Loo’s somebody, a saint, bought the painting

Obviously, I was thrilled. Like I said, selling artwork is awesome. And then it gets weird. So, consider the logistics of this. If you think about it too much your head could explode. Literally, thousands of people saw this painting in three different venues, each in a different town, spread out over the course of 9 months. That’s A LOT of effort to sell a piece of artwork. I easily drove that painting over 100 miles back and forth from venue to venue. Then consider the time of having to coordinate with the venues and hanging the artwork, promoting the art shows online, etc. It’s kind of mind boggling. And just plain weird. It only takes one person to buy the painting, but in this case it took having to be seen by 1000’s before the right person finally saw it. What if that one person would have walked into my shop in August the day after I hung it on my wall? Would they have bought it then? What if that one person went to a different coffee shop that day? Would somebody else have purchased it while it hung at Sally Loo’s? Maybe the painting would be hanging on the wall in my shop right now?

YOU NEVER KNOW.

That’s the weird. If you came here looking for The Secret To Selling Art there is no surefire guarantee to sell a painting. The best thing I can tell you is that the secret is you have to keep showing it to people. Just keep showing. That’s it. Sometimes a painting sells within the first two minutes of posting it on Instagram and sometimes it takes showing it in three different venues over the course of 9 months. You just never know. Some people buy after seeing the image on their phone and others need to see it in person while they’re eating a bowl of granola and drinking a latte at a coffee shop.

Like Dory says, just keep showing.

See ya!

– Jeff

“Little Franklin”
6″ x 6″ – mixed media on wood

“Big Thomas”
6″ x 6″ – mixed media on wood

Happy to add two more to the “Hunnuh” series. Are they bunnies? Are they dogs? They’re hunnuh’s!

Both of these can by found in my online shop and both would entertain you for years to come. You know what they say, “there’s nothing as lovable as a hunnuh.”

Thanks for looking!
– Jeff

Good Afternoon!

This half off deal is my way of saying thanks to everybody who has supported me throughout the year whether it’s buying artwork, following my shenanigans on Instagram and Facebook or just sending words of encouragement and helping spread the word. I appreciate all of it and it truly means a lot to me.

This is the biggest sale I have the entire year and it’s the only time EVERYTHING in my online shop is 1/2 off. There are currently about 200 items available. TWO FREAKIN’ HUNDRED! Everything from one of a kind originals to handmade wallets, limited edition prints to button packs, keychains and more.

My shop can be found at:
http://jeffclaassen.storenvy.com.

To receive 50% off your entire order use the discount code:
LUCKYME16.

If you have any trouble please don’t hesitate to ask for help. If you have any friends or family that might be interested in this awesome deal please feel free to forward this message or post about it on Instagram and Facebook.

Thank you so much for your continued support!
– Jeff

“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