Kimberly English

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Looking Back on 2017

Sometimes it's hard to remember all the events that have happened within a year but I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the happenings and creations of 2017. I am very fortunate to be able to stay home to raise my children and pursue a career as an artist. I am so grateful for all of the support that I have received this past year from customers, the community, and people who follow me on social media.

Below is a list of my accomplishments from this year and the paintings that I made.

Awards

Voted Best Art Business in Salem County
Second Place in Gallery 50's "Petite Moments" an International Juried Miniature Art Competition with "Daretown Lake"

Collaborations

Raised $700 for the Woodstown FFA Program with the Salem County Farmlands Calendar

Exhibitions

Pitman Gallery & Art Center Member Show - December 2017
Holiday Open House - December 2017
Woodstown Fall Festival - September 2017
Pitman Art Stroll, Pitman Gallery and Art Center - September 2017
Woodstown's Inaugural Fourth Friday Pop Up Art Show - July and August 2017
Petite Moments: an International Juried Exhibition, Gallery 50 - July 2017
Salem County Arts in Bloom Studio Tour, Exhibiting Artist - May 2017

Publications

Printed in Courier Post's "Show Us Your South Jersey" section December 3, 17 & 24
"On The Edge" and landscape photography featured in Salem County Welcome's Amazon HQ2 Campaign
Salem County L.O.V.E. Campaign

Leather Bomber Jacket Addition

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Donation to the Woodstown FFA Program

Taking photographs of the Salem County farmlands is another creative outlet for myself and a way to gather references for my acrylic paintings. I look for beautiful landscapes or close up details that most people wouldn't notice. I love starting my day by enjoying the amazing views we are so fortunate to be surrounded by every day.

When I first thought of composing a calendar with my photographs I did not think that many people would be interested. For that reason, I decided to make the calendars available through preordering. I knew that however many calendars I did sell, I wanted to have some of the proceeds donated to a local cause. I chose to donate $5 of each calendar to the Woodstown Future Farmer's of America Program because I wanted to help local students who are learning to become active members of our agricultural community.

This week I presented the Woodstown Future Farmer's of America Program teacher, Deanna Miller, with a check donation for the calendar sales. In total, 125 calendars were sold and a donation of $700 was made! This included extra money customers donated towards the cause as well as an extra donation from myself.

I am absolutely blown away by the support that the community has shown me! I cannot thank each and every person enough for purchasing my calendar. Whether it was for yourself or as a gift this holiday season. It truly means the world to me that my photography will be hanging in homes across southern New Jersey as well as Texas and Virginia.

It is my hope, through both my paintings and photography, to ignite a sense of pride in where we live and the spectacular landscapes that we live upon. I also want to highlight the hard working farmers that inspire me so much.

Next year I have BIG plans for the calendar to make it even more unique! If you are a farmer in Salem County that would like to be a part of next year's calendar, please contact me at kimberlydenglish@gmail.com

Presenting the check to Woodstown FFA teacher, Deanna Miller

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Give The Gift of Art

Do you have Christmas shopping left to do? Did you know that you can shop my collection of original artwork and prints via my website? All of the items that I offer at my Holiday Open House and during Arts in Bloom can be viewed and purchased from the comfort of your home. Below are brief descriptions of items available.

Archival prints come packaged in protective, sealed, cello bags with foam board backing and the descriptive story about the work of art. Most prints come in standard sizes and can easily be popped into a frame for gift giving.

Framed archival and canvas prints are also available and ready to be wrapped for your gift giving needs. The descriptive story about the work of art is attached to the back of the frame.

14" x 14" pillows featuring my paintings make a unique gift for someone who doesn't have a lot of wall space.

Greeting cards with my original paintings can be used to send well wishes to friends and family during the holiday season, they can be given as a set for recipients to use, or place them in a collage frame to use as a work of art. The possibilities are endless!

A new item available this holiday season are pendant necklaces. They are 1" square pendants on a genuine leather 18" necklace with a lobster clasp closure. They come in an adorable burlap cinch gift bag. Choose from four different collections: paintings, landscapes, farming and vintage trucks.

If you're local, free pick up from my studio is available! If you are ordering and need it shipped to your home, please place your order by December 18th to ensure it will arrive in time for Christmas.

Click here to shop!

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Painting Progression: Potato Harvest in Elmer

A local farmer and friend, Michael Brooks, commissioned me to create this painting. I saw online that he was having an auction of old farm equipment and I contacted him to see if I could go over before the sale to photograph some of the old trucks. He agreed and asked if I would be willing to paint one of the 1977 F600 trucks for his parents. They had bought them brand new and he wanted to preserve the memories they held on their farm.

I created the composition from many photographs of the truck at the auction and fields. Since the truck did not have a potato body on it, I used reference pictures from Ben Wilson's potato equipment, and old photos that Mike provided. I also edited the truck to make it look new again, as per Mike’s request.

This painting was a challenge because I wanted to ensure it was accurately represented to preserve their family’s farming heritage. I wanted the background to depict a typical summer day in South Jersey during a potato harvest with beautiful clear skies. The vines and ground were a lot of fun to paint including the small potatoes that didn't make it into the truck.

Below is the painting, click the image to enlarge, and the painting progression video

Painting Progression Video

Prints are available for purchase. Click here!

Special thanks to Michael Brooks for commissioning this painting, Ben Wilson for allowing me to photograph his farm equipment, Jen and Andy Williams for doing a beautiful job framing this work, and last but not least, my husband and mom for helping with the kids at various times while I worked on the painting.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Holiday Open House

Join me December 2 & 3 from 10AM - 5PM for my first Holiday Open House! A collection of artistic and luxurious, handmade home products, together for a unique shopping experience!

I will have original artwork, prints, framed prints, pillows and greeting cards available. New Christmas ornaments will also be available. I will be revealing my new painting on Saturday, December 2 at 10:15AM. Preordered 2018 Salem County Farmlands Calendars are also ready for pick up.

Janice Chassier will offer her handmade ceramics. Including: mugs, bowls, soap dispensers, serving platters and more!

A Whole New Light will have handmade soy candles and warming oils.

Handmade and painted bowl fillers for your home decoating needs.

Happy Goats Soap Company will have handmade soaps and lip balms

New painting reveal is on Saturday, December 2 at 10:15AM

Preordered 2018 Salem County Farmlands Calendars are also ready for pick up during the Open House

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Why Thanksgiving is My Favorite Holiday

I know a lot of people prefer Christmas for the beautiful trees, lights, and presents but my absolute favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Since I was little girl, I have always looked forward to Thanksgiving over any other holiday throughout the year. It holds so much meaning and special memories.

Growing up, almost every Thanksgiving was spent at my Aunt Ann and Uncle Norman's home on the Timber Creek. My aunt was the epitome of the perfect hostess. Amazing appetizers, delicious entrees, and decadent desserts, all served on beautiful cut crystal platters with real linen napkins. My uncle would serve up some virgin cocktails for the kids, or slip us a real fuzzy navel, while we played shuffle board and darts in their den. As a family we would dine together under their beautiful chandeliers while taper candles lit the table. I am so thankful for those special moments.

Now a days, my husband and I host Thanksgiving at our home. We always look forward to having our families come together to share the holiday with us. It is so important to consciously acknowledge the many blessings that are present in our lives everyday. Thanksgiving provides us the opportunity to reflect, as a family, on all of the things we are so lucky to have. Another aspect that I love about Thanksgiving is that there are no expectations, only being together. I can't think of anything better than getting together, eating an awesome meal, and enjoying each other's company.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year?

Leave me a comment, I would love to hear about them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Writing Every Week for One Year

Today marks the anniversary for writing a blog post every week for one year. <Insert confetti here!> Although that doesn't seem like much to celebrate, I assure you it's a lot more challenging than you might think.

While taking a trip to Barre, Massachusetts to pick up art display equipment, I set a goal to write a blog post every week for one year. I got the idea from artist advising guru, Alyson Stansfield. I have taken many of her webinars and online classes where she advocates for educating art collectors on your artistic process and yourself as an individual. Creating connections is so vital for establishing relationships with clients that will invest in your artwork.

This past year I have written about painting progressions, reviews about events and products, tutorials, and sharing other artists. Through committing to writing a blog every week, I was encouraged too try new things, go to diverse art events, and had the opportunity to reflect and learn about my myself. I found that writing is another creative outlet that has helped me to discover new meaning and purpose for my artwork.

If you have been reading my blogs, I thank you for taking the time to read and comment on them! Your time and insight is greatly appreciated. I'm excited to see what the next year of writing will bring to my art career! Here is a look back at a few of my favorite blogs from this year: How Becoming a Mother Made Me a Better Artist, Why Landscapes?, and Utilizing Artwork for Agvocacy in South Jerseys Farming Industry.