My favorite collection of 2022
My state of mind while painting The Up Close Collection – and how it shaped the meaning behind each detailed, colorful piece.
Shhhh! Don’t tell the others…
As each collection of new paintings develops and unfolds, the story behind the collection reveals itself – and the Up Close Collection is no different. The Up Close Collection hit the scene at the end of November 2022, and I’m excited to share a more in-depth look at the inspiration and process that helped shape the pieces.
PAINTING THE SCENE
I spent much of September, October sketching, painting and refining the pieces – when the sun was still bright, and the outdoors (here in Syracuse) was still inviting. I set my mind to soaking up that radiant fall sunlight with my spouse and kids, doing my best to minimize distractions and really engage with my family, observing my kids as they played and explored. I’d also put my annual professional development set-aside funds (a must for solopreneurs!) into a time management and productivity course called Time Genius, which helped me get to the root of planning joyfully productive days. The course presented some super-helpful strategies on how to squeeze the most of what really matters to me (time with my family and time to create art!) out of my days, and even leave some time for rest and gathering new inspiration.
THE MESSAGE
As we find ourselves at the beginning of another year, I think it’s important to acknowledge that no matter what hopes and desires we have for our new year, a year is a relatively long time – and a mixed bag! The optimism we feel about our shiny new goals is exciting and empowering, but that focus on achievement doesn’t speak to every aspect of the year. 2022 was one of my best years yet, as I’ve finally gotten to where I’ve wanted to be for a long time – an artist with plenty to work on, and nobody but me calling the shots! But 2022 also brought loss, grief, and closed chapters. There were bittersweet reminders that time – to spend with our loved ones and soak in the joys of the present – is by far our greatest gift. And that’s really what The Up Close Collection is about: capturing the beauty, in all its rich detail, of the present moment.
“Ethereal”, 40” x 30”
With that thought in mind, I applied it to the landscape, focusing “up close” on the details that are easy to overlook – the way sunlight is filtered through fall leaves, or the way a tree trunk presents a rainbow of colors with the help of highlights and shadows. And as is true with any piece of art, each painting in the Up Close Collection represents a snapshot in time. The leaves will fall, the sun will go down, the season will change – but we know that life keeps moving. And that even if it looks a little different next time around, the warmth, light and beauty will be back.
Enjoyment, 30” x 40”
WHERE TO FIND
I invite you to view the Up Close Collection here on my website! The pieces are all for sale via my online shop, and I welcome any questions at jenna@jennapaulsen.com. Also, be sure to sign up for monthly studio updates email so you can stay looped in to my new works in real time, plus early access to the pieces, and of course the occasional freebie!
A fresh start
A brief intro to how my career as an artist came to fruition – and the slow, steady steps that made it happen.
Hello!
Welcome to my brand-new-for-the-new-year blog! Reflecting back on my past year (or so), I’ve done plenty of writing for social media and my email list, but I’ve lacked a permanent home to thread those thoughts together. And so without further ado, the blog is born!
If we’re not already acquainted, I’m so glad to “meet” you! And if we know each other, HI! I’m happy you’re here. My name is Jenna (Landsom) Paulsen, and I’m an artist, wife and mom based in Northfield, Minnesota (formerly Syracuse, New York). I create modern, impressionistic landscape paintings with a focus on striking color relationships and visual textures. My work is inspired by the landscapes of central New York and the upper Midwestern US – rural Minnesota in particular (as that’s where I grew up). I haven’t always called myself an artist, though I’ve been practicing art throughout my life! It took me more than a decade out in the “working world” to gradually embrace the idea that my passion for creating art could become my career.
I think everyone is born with a natural gift – a “special sauce”, if you will – that makes them uniquely suited for a particular path. I’ve known for awhile that creating art is my “special sauce” – something that lights me up, brings joy, and grows into something bigger and better when I feed the flame. When I was coming up in the ranks of art school, the scene for artists looked very different from what we see today, and the possibilities for becoming a full-time artist straight out of undergrad (with zero money to speak of) looked pretty bleak at best. I focused on landscape painting in college, and continued to paint over the years whenever I found the time amidst full-time work, grad school, and a couple of big relocations. As social media became more widespread, I observed other artists grow their online presences (and businesses) without necessarily having the out-of-home studio space, gallery representation, storefront, or teaching positions that I thought were required of “real” artists.
When I had my first kid in 2017, my maternity leave was the first time I could remember having some real time and space to think. I noticed the ways in which these new (adorable, exhausting) demands on my time and energy actually sparked my creativity — because I needed to get more done in less time, and think on my feet in any given moment based on the ever-changing needs of this new little human. My time was no longer “my” time, so I learned to use small pockets of time each day for something that was only for me – even if it meant I’d have to pivot to something else with no notice! I laid out my watercolors and paper next to my nursing chair, and began quietly painting with one arm while my baby slept in the other. I worked on larger pieces at the dining room table while my baby slept in my kangaroo-style front carrier. I shared with friends and started to accept commissions again, and made it my mission to keep up my painting practice – even as we welcomed a second kid, and endured an all-parents-on-deck pandemic (which was NOT welcome, but came anyway 😂).
One of my first paintings post-baby – a re-ignited spark of creativity!
I launched my new online storefront and art Instagram account in 2021, and made the break from my day job in HR to pursue art full-time in 2022 – a milestone I thought might never come! 🥳 I create and release 4 quarterly collections of paintings each year, along with an ever-rotating cast of prints and gift items.
I’m working on some new things for 2023, so stay tuned! I’m beyond grateful to my teachers, friends, and family who encouraged me to continue creating and sharing my work, and most of all to my spouse for being my greatest source of support. I’m eager to share my artwork in this new blog format, as well as thoughts on all sorts of topics near and dear to me!
Thanks for joining along!
