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Greetings!
During my daughter's first year, I have continued a series of charcoal drawings invoking the tiny miracles and milestones of a new life. Watching her grow and discover the world has been an amazing inspiration for me. For her every moment is a miracle, every detail holds meaning.
Murray Perahia wrote that pianist Vladimir Horowitz considered classical music to be a pursuit "where every note matters, every note has meaning." And so it is with fine art. Every stroke matters; every stroke has meaning.
Although I am still on maternity leave, I have had work juried into eleven exhibitions in the first half of 2011. Since the birth of my daughter, I have exhibited in eighteen juried exhibitions, four of them national, and won two national awards.
Please join me for the Opening Receptions on June 18 and July 16 for "Portrait Society of Atlanta Summer 2011 Juried Exhibition" and "Metro Montage XI Exhibition" at the Mable House Arts Center and Marietta / Cobb Museum of Art, respectively.
Happy Summer!
As always, I welcome your feedback about the newsletter.
Your feedback is critical to my success.
-Jenny
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Jenny Wins Top National Awards
Two of my charcoal drawings won top awards in the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution's American Heritage Art Contest 2011. "Self Portrait with Eight Week Old Daughter" won 2nd Place and
"Hold Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand" won 3rd place.
 | | Self Portrait with Eight Week Old Daughter, 20" x 16," 2010 |
A letter to my new daughter:
Dear Sophia,
You are the thirteenth generation of our family to live in these United States. You come from a long line of intrepid immigrants who came to this country in search of promise, freedom, and opportunity. You were recently baptized in your great, great, great grandmother's christening gown, made intricately with love by her own mother, in the church in Atlanta in which your father and I met. The pastor who married your father and me baptized you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
And here is my prayer for you: may you have the steadfastness, the perseverance, and the faith of all of your ancestors. May be you the best of us all. May you be a good person, of good character. May you have a special talent all your own that you pursue with all your heart, whether you are an inventor like your great, great grandfather, an engineer like your father, a businessman like your grandfathers, a musician like your grandmother, or an artist like your mother. May you pursue knowledge for both the love of learning and for what you can do to improve your own small circle of the world. May you feed your mind and follow your heart. Whatever you do, may you do it with love and with compassion for others. May you, in the words of your great, great aunt who has mentored me all my life, learn the blessing in giving only what you can give freely and with joy. You are a blessing, full of joy. Already in your first year, you have inspired us all with your new eyes, for every moment and every experience is a miracle to you. We thank you, for you have opened our eyes to these tiny, daily miracles. Your new life gives us new life. You continue to share with us your name: Sophia, wisdom.
I hold you in my arms and whisper this prayer for you.
With deepest love,
Your Mother
 | | Hold Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand, 5" x 5," 2010 |
In the past few months, I have been drawing on the interplay between art and poetry. This work reflects that ekphrastic dialogue, what Horace called "ut pictura poesis," meaning, as in painting, so in poetry. The title, Hold Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand, refers to a stanza of English Romantic printer and poet William Blake's Auguries of Innocence. It depicts my new daughter's hand cupped in both of mine. Pursuing this dialogue between the arts is a family tradition, and so is working with our hands. We are a family of engineers, artists, teachers, musicians, and academics. We are also a family of cooks, inventors, gardeners, farmers, and mechanics. Our ancestors came to America from England filled with hope for their lives and their children. Our first hands arrived on these shores, filled with promise, in the sixteen-thirties. They came to create and to enjoy creation. Sophia is the thirteenth generation of our family to explore the world with her hands in these United States of America. |
New Work: Watch Me Grow!
Having a child has expanded my life and enriched my art. During our first year, life has grown from a Casio Keyboard to an Imperial Bosendorfer: art and life expanded to a full nine octaves.
At nine months, my parents gave Sophie her first piano: a bright red, three-octave Kawai. She immediately performed her first concert and practices every day. She gives impromptu concerts at whim.
 | | Little Waltz (Mi Teresita), 14" x 14," 2011 |
Sophie's tiny, growing feet continue to remind me of dancers'.
Here is a a Ballet Suite in three movements.
 | | Suite du Ballet Bébé, No. 1, 5.25" x 5.25," 2011 |
 | | Suite du Ballet Bébé, No. 2, 5.25" x 5.25," 2011 |
 | | Suite du Ballet Bébé, No. 3, 5.25" x 5.25," 2011 |
Sophie's first bath in the regular tub inspired a Bather series. Endlessly curious, she played for a full hour after the water drained. Seeing her in her bath reminded me of Ingres' Valpinçon Bather, Degas' Le Tub, Seurat's Bathers at Asniéres, and Cassatt's The Bath, and I had to pick up my pencil and draw.
 | | Bather, No. 1, 10.75" x 8," 2011 |
 | | Bather, No. 2, 10.75" x 8," 2011 |
 | | Bather, No. 3, 9.63" x 8," 2011 |
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Current Exhibitions Featuring Jenny's Work
 | | Infant Impromptu, 5.5" x 5.5," 2011 |
Infant Impromptu is included in
"Sound Off! Art Inspired by Music.
Summer Juried Exhibition."
June 9 - August 13, 2011
Opening Reception 5:30 - 7 PM
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Quinlan Visual Arts Center
514 Green Street, NE
Lindsay, Luisa, and
Self Portrait with Eight
Week Old Daughter
are included in
"The Portrait Society of Atlanta Summer 2011 Juried Exhibition."
June 9 - July 9, 2011 Opening Reception Saturday, June 18, 5 - 7 PM
Mable House Arts Center
5239 Floyd Road
Mableton, GA 30126
The Mable House Arts Center Website |
| | Winter: Largo, 12" x 14," 2011 |
Winter: Largo and Little Waltzare included in "Figuratively Speaking." June 8 - July 9, 2011 Atlanta Artists Center 2979 Grandview Ave. Atlanta, GA 30305 Atlanta Artists Center Website|
| | Hold Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand |
Hold Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand
is included in "Metro Montage XI." July 16 - September 11, 2011 Opening Reception Saturday, July 16, 6 - 8 PM Marietta / Cobb Museum of Art 30 Atlanta Street Marietta, GA 30060 Marietta / Cobb Museum of Art WebsiteKeep Track of Upcoming Opening Receptions and Exhibitions |
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Recent Exhibitions Featuring Jenny's Work
 | | Joy (22 Weeks), 18.5" x 14.5," 2011 |
Joy (22 Weeks) was included in "Art of Our Mothers 2011" at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center April 14 - June 4. Evolution of a Smile, Part II was included in "World of Art 2011" at the Mable House Arts Center Gallery April 19 - May 27.
Libby's T-Straps and My Father's Shoes were included in the "Lawrence House Art and Jewelry Gallery" sponsored by Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art May 6 - May 22.
Suite du Ballet Bébé, No. 1 was part of The Jay Shapiro Foundation Gala on
May 12th at Mason-Murer Gallery.
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In Memoriam
 | | John, oil on linen, 20" x 16," 2007 |
John 1918 - 2011
With all my love and gratitude.
- Jenny
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As always, I hope you enjoy this newsletter, and I look forward to working with you in the future. For more information and tips on commissioning a portrait or buying a painting, contact me at 404 - 380 - 1091 or Visit My Website to Learn More.
Happy Summer!
In Joy,
Jenny
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Jenny Lyon
Jenny Lyon Studios
404 380 1091
Jenny@JennyLyonStudios.com
Visit Jenny's Website |
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