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Happy Birthday to the Amazing Liz Jardine!

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wLizJardine2-2011_02bv“There really is no one else like her”, “She’s a keeper”, “It’s amazing how prolific she is”, “That CAN’T be her too?”, “WOW, does she ever stop painting?”…. just a few of the phrases used by our clients to describe the insane talent that is Liz Jardine. In celebration of her birthday month, (YES, she deserves an ENTIRE month to celebrate!) I wanted to try and convey what an extreme honor and pleasure it is to work with such a talented artist, and genuinely beautiful human being.

liz jardine, floral, contemporary art, seattle art, spring, flowers, still life

“Simple Gifts”

In our industry, ‘freshness’ and being ‘on trend’ is key. Liz brings that to Third & Wall like none other. To say that her style is constantly evolving is an absurd understatement. She doesn’t have ‘a look’…she has, for lack of one single word to describe it…she has pools of endless ideas that she is forever exploring. Sitting with her during creative meetings is one of the highlights of my position. Seeing her in action, ripping pages out of magazines for colors or subjects, watching her face light up when she finds something that strikes her, her looking to us for our thoughts and excitement, her quickly crumbling a page if she thinks we aren’t as excited about something as she might be because she knows by the time we are done, she will have a stack of ‘inspiration’ to pull from and we know that is when the magic will happen.

Jardine4Liz’s studio has a thrilling vibe that hits you the minute you step through the doors. Canvases are on the easels, several at one time that she is working on. Stacks of magazines and books on the table, cut outs of ideas on the fridge, paint and tools at every turn. This is a working studio. I think one of the reasons why Liz is so prolific is because painting and creating is just who she IS. She is in the studio daily. I don’t mean just a few hours here and there…I mean all day….every day. I have a hard time even saying that it’s her “dedication” to her craft which makes her work ethic so profound. It’s so much more than that. If anyone has ever had the pleasure of meeting her, you will know what I mean when I say ‘It is just her’. She oozes creativity and is always striving for the next ‘winner’. That keeps everything so exciting when it comes to her work. You are constantly surprised.

wLizJardine2-2011_04bvAside from being an insanely talented individual Liz is such a beautiful and generous spirit. When you call her she answers the phone ‘It’s a beautiful day in the studio’ or something equally cheerful. You can’t help but smile the minute you hear her voice. She wants to know how YOU are doing, always. That’s her first question. Then how the family is doing or anything else she knows that has been going on. That always comes before anything to do with work. When we are often so consumed with what’s next on our ‘to do’ lists it is so nice to stop for a moment and connect on that personal level with her. Don’t get me wrong, the questions to follow are about what projects we have going on, what she can be working on, what we are hearing from our clients. She always wants to know what she can be working on for us. Give her an idea or concept and next thing you know we are reviewing jpegs of the works in progress for our feedback. It’s amazing really how she can quickly turn a conversation into a tangible piece of art.

lizgoldimageGenerous. That word really doesn’t even come close to describing how giving Liz is as an artist or as a human being. She gives back to her community by donating artwork for various events, she conducts workshops for aspiring artists at her studio, she supports fellow artists by purchasing their artwork, or in my case, by giving me an original of hers that I completely fell in love with one day I visited her in the studio. When it came time for me to leave, she started taking it off the wall and I said ‘what are you doing’ to which she quickly replied ‘art needs to be loved, and I can tell you love this piece, so it is going home with you’. Just like that, there was no discussion about it. It now hangs on the wall in my living room and I think of her every time I pass it.

 

liz jardine, seattle art, transitional coastal, abstract, contemporary art

“Tide Pool”

Liz always thanks those she works with for allowing her the opportunity to do what she loves for a living. That has always struck me for some reason. I know I speak for all of us at Third and Wall when I say that we couldn’t do what we do as a company if it wasn’t for Liz, and we thank her every day for everything she does for us. We all wish her a very, VERY Happy Birthday!

 

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– Melissa Hesse, Third & Wall Account Manager

 

Liz Jardine’s original works, posters, and print-on-demand imagery are available from Third & Wall Art Group.

If you are a member of the trade and would like information on becoming a Third & Wall member and accessing our online collections, please contact us or call us at 1-206-443-8425 or toll-free at 1-877-326-3925. Our fax number is 1-206-441-4299.

If you are not a member of the trade, please email us to find a retailer near you, or visit our showroom at 312 Ninth Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109. Our showroom is open to the public.

All images © Liz Jardine and published/distributed by Third & Wall Art Group.

 

From the Studio of Kelsey Hochstatter

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Unknown-5From graceful abstracts to haunting figuratives, whimsical children’s images to  transitional landscapes, Kelsey Hochstatter’s artwork claims both masculine and feminine appeal, making it ideal for (and very popular in) all interiors, whether corporate, residential, hospitality or healthcare. And her style is always uniquely Kelsey!

What do you first do when you get to the studio in the morning?  Dive right in!

How many paintings do you work on at a time? Sometimes only one, sometimes a few. If I’m doing a series of panels, or small pieces that work as a group, I work on them together bouncing from one to another and progressing from sketching to painting to collage.

Do you have a dream project that you would like to work on? I would love to work on an extremely large-scale mixed-media piece. Something that takes at least a year to complete and requires scaffolding and my climbing gear to reach the top.

OHOC-247If you could paint with anyone, who would it be? Amongst others, I would love to paint with, and glean from, Anselm Kiefer.

What’s your favorite way of generating ideas and inspiration? There are so many ways. One of my favorites is walking through a vintage flea market with my husband, digging through memories, realizing nostalgia in entirely new ways. I gain a lot from this. My neighbor recently gave me piles of vintage ephemera for my studio. Every single piece had meaning. Someone had saved each item for some reason meaningful to them. I love having this stuff at my fingertips. I can give it new life; freeze it in time.UHOC-206

How has your art evolved over time? As a child I sketched often. When I started painting seriously in college I was focusing on painting and printmaking. My paintings were originally strictly paintings. Just paint. I started experimenting with mixed media around ’06. Still, more paint than not. Since then I’ve noticed more and more collage has come into my work. The work I’ve really planted roots in and am most passionate about involves sketching, painting and vintage ephemera collage. When I can exercise various techniques and create a piece that truly ‘works’ while doing so, I’m happy.

What do you like most about your work? The attempt at nostalgia.

UHOC-314What is one word that best describes your style?  Nostalgic.

Is there an idea you would like to explore? I am intrigued by how much texture could be used in order to gain more and more interest and depth while still maintaining 2-dimensionality.

What is your favorite time of day to paint? Late afternoon/ early evening. I’m a night owl who OHOC-222loves to paint until my eyes go blurry, but I find that I am most energized and in a groove during those hours.

Do you ever get “stuck” on a piece? If so, what do you do? Sometimes. When I’m stubborn and try to work through it I usually just prolong finding the answer. Stepping away often helps, but leaving the studio is hard. Asking my 3 year old son what he thinks can also shed some light on the situation. Toddlers have a nice way of seeing the world, and art.

 What is up next on your easel? A new series involving figures, layered numbers, and vintage ephemera.

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Kelsey’s intriguing images can be viewed in the Posters, Print-On-Demand and Originals sections of our website. Some areas of our website are password-protected. If you are a member of the trade but don’t have full access to our website, www.thirdandwall.com, please contact us at customerservice@thirdandwall.com.