On April 14 and 15 this year the Third Annual Simsbury Open Studios weekend was held.  Artists opened up their homes and personal studios to the public, a rare and wonderful opportunity that I was very happy to be able to attend.  There were a huge number of artists and so I will be devoting a couple of blog posts to their work, this week to Julie Parker-Post and Jacie Jakubowski.

Julie Parker-Post was my first stop on the Simsbury Open Studios Tour this weekend.  As I approached her home the loveliness of her gardens struck me, as did the sheer volume of beautiful paintings as I stepped through her front door.  This was clearly a woman devoted to her craft, work could be seen displayed on every available wall and surface.  My breath was taken away as I turned a corner and saw an entire wall covered by hanging plants (see photo below).  After seeing her gardens and the vast amount of plant life in her home, it was obvious where Parker-Post draws most of her inspiration.

Her colorful work features mainly flowers and nature in bright watercolors and some dark splashes of ink.  A smattering of wood cut prints could be seen as well, made from old pieces of abandoned wood the artist had found.  Her work has expressive and impulsive qualities that brings it to life.  You can see images of her work and the artist in her home below.

My second stop on the tour brought me to the charming home of Jacie Jakubowski.  The artist was hard at work on a new painting, using what she described as her latest favorite technique.  Jakubowski has been using only her palette knife in her most recent work and it has added a more expressive style of painting to her expansive collection.

The artist uses oils with this technique, allowing her to effectively blend a multitude of color into one piece.  This style, mixed with her classic painting subjects creates a unique imagery that can be appreciated by many.  You can see the results of her new technique and the artist hard at work below.

Next week I will be devoting a post to two more artists from the tour, Catherine Elliott and Mandy Adendorf.