"It was a lovely read!"

Those were the words of Debbie Falcone, editor. She has a background in editing and writing for golf through Legendary Publishing and Media Group, Wellington, Florida. I was nervous about sending my manuscript to a real editor, yet I was eager to get her feedback. I needed to know how my vision might be received. I'm an artist. I needed to know if I could communicate via the written word. She said,"I very much enjoyed the way you paired the artist's view with the golfer's view, and I think it's a compelling angle for a book." Her words were a comforting confirmation. But, clearly I must have missed an elementary school class in punctuation! It didn't take Deb long to straighten things out and provide other thoughtful suggestions, some of which I incorporated into the final text, others not. More and more I began to realize that choosing to publish my book myself may have not have been a bad idea after all!

Everyone everywhere was beginning to realize the effects of Co-Vid 19. Our world was shutting down. I contemplated shelving my book at this point. I'd come so far and could begin to see the finish line. I decided to cautiously move forward step-by-step. If I could not publish now at least I would have inched closer. I'd spent a lot of time producing layout concepts on antiquated software. I did two, a coffee table size and a smaller version that would potentially be softcover. I wanted to determine how my visuals and copy would flow and how many pages each version would be required. I really didn't want to have to edit a lot. In the end, I had to add content to fill a few additional pages after adding things, the required title page, for example. I needed to add another painting on the page opposite the Forward.

I was also introduced to Susan Balle by Larry Hasak, Creative Director at Legendary. I was an advertising design major at Syracuse University School of Art. I also owned a small boutique ad agency back in the day. Clearly things had changed from when I designed for publication, by hand, on a drafting table! The current graphics and publishing world could not exist without computer generated everything. The software used now was something I'd never heard of. Sue not only brought my layout vision to reality, but she is masterful in its use, not to mention quick!

Through something called WeTransfer I had layouts back quickly and from the beginning I knew that Sue had a good grasp of how I wanted to present my paintings. Larry had told me she was a master of typography. I let her have at it. I wanted a contemporary graphic look that was also timeless. My creative burden was lifted and left to those who have a contemporary eye and the tools to make it all happen. Under Larry's guidance Sue brought my book to life.

Larry has command of the current creative and printing world and the technical expertise to "talk printing" with those best to produce a high quality product. I remember how amazed I was when the printing quotes arrived. Line by line there were specifications that I'd not even thought of let alone would know enough to ask. In the end, the decision was mine to select the printer.

I selected Friesens, long time craftsmen in Canada. I hated to take business across the border, but I liked what I saw and I got the advantage of the exchange rate too. Very quickly, Friesens began working with Sue to test the files she sent. With minor adjustments to the cover inset, we were ready. Things started happening quickly. I had to select the cover fabric, the color foil for the title imprint, and something called a headband, which hides and finished the bindery glue. Proofs arrived for me to check, some via e-mail and others via FedEx. I could now see my book other than on a computer monitor. This was fun.

My book was now in various stages of production in Canada. Then, a glitch. There was a breakdown of equipment in the bindery. Everything was on hold until it could be repaired. This required parts and labor, both not easy to navigate in a CoVid environment. I had been planning a 4th of July celebration like no other when my books were delivered on July 3rd. This was delayed until July 14. Patience was not easy to find. I'd come so far. After two years I would have to wait another two weeks. What do you mean Santa is not coming!

I read a lot. I always read an author's introduction and other post-book writings first. It gives me a sense for why the book was written, the author's intent, direction, and interesting milestones along the way. I know too that authors are prolific researchers. There is a great deal of outlining and framing the narrative, often according to common book structure. I didn't do any of that. I dove right in.

I wrote the Introduction for my book, Painting Pinehurst No. 2: An Artist's Journey, first and almost immediately after finishing the paintings of each of the 18 golf holes. This helped me to solidify my thoughts and answer my own questions about why this book? It endured many edits up to the last time I read it before going to the printer. I think at that point I changed one word. From then on, my reflections about each hole which would accompany a faithful reproduction of each painting became my book outline and structure.

I'm a strong believer in documentation. I document every painting digitally and through notes. I'm very disciplined and do this very soon after completing a piece. Things are fresh in my mind then. So it was for each painting of Pinehurst No. 2. My accompanying digital photographs, nearly 1,500, also served to jog my memory of a particular predawn morning or evening walk as the sun set.

I met many people along the way. Many I'm still in touch with. They, too, became a part of my initial drafts. I thought it might be interesting to add a little human interest to the story and I initially included our conversations, sometimes verbatim! As the copy to accompany each hole neared completion it became increasingly obvious to me that things were getting a little out of hand. I'd done some bookstore and on line research and quickly realized how much page count impacts cost! Time to edit.

In the end, my three primary goals for the book took precedence. First, this book is all about the paintings. And, as I talked about the concept of my book to others, I began to realize how the other two components would add to its value. I wanted to "key" each painting to Donald Ross's original golf course layout. I also wanted the reader to see how I worked and to show the progress of one painting from blank page to finished piece.

For another 18 months, after a day of painting, I wrote and edited in the evenings. I came to a point where another edit was not going to gain me much. I needed an editor. Enter Deborah Falcone, Legendary Publishing and Media Group, and Susan Balle. You can follow my editing, layout and production journey in Part III. And, in Part IV the books arrive!

          Becoming an author is not anything I ever thought I'd do or even enjoy. Now I am one, I guess. My book, Painting Pinehurst No. 2 - An Artist's Journey, will be out this summer. The editor said, "It was a lovely read." I'll take that as a positive.

          Authorship was born out of my habit of documenting my artistic activities. So, a book seemed a natural extension of my eight-plus months of painting all the holes of Pinehurst No. 2. I had no idea how to publish a book other than through self-publishing web sites. None seemed to match my vision. I knew that I'd have to explore the publishing world and learn how to present my concept.

          The journey started two years ago at my local community college library. I brought home a very outdated tome and began to dissect it cover to cover. One whole chapter explained the submission process itself. I wrote and fine-tuned for days and days. Nothing like good editing! Where to send it?

          Wow! There are a lot of publishers, most in New York City. Chapter after chapter to filter through. Finding the right niche was not enough. Days turned into weeks. I went to websites. Before I could even submit I received mostly "negative replies"! No unsolicited submissions accepted. Only submissions from agents accepted. Not accepting new submission at this time.  But, in the end, with hope, I sent proposals into the black hole of the world of books. Some said in the guidelines to not expect a reply for six months. Others, don't call us, we'll call you. Sometimes a quick courtesy auto-reply. So, from all ... nothing.

          My own bookshelves provided leads. I went to the websites of those who, in the past, had published art or golf-related coffee table books. Some were no longer in business. I went to a bookstore and to Pinehurst Resort to copy down the names of book publishers. I sent more proposals. Alas, a nibble came from a publisher in Chicago! They liked the concept and would discuss it at their editorial meeting. I provided the additional information requested. Not long after, a "no", but a lead directing me to another publisher. From them, "We only publish books of a minimum of 75,000 words". There was no way I could stretch my 10,000-plus words to 7.5 times that!

          A search of the Library of Congress presented a few more, unexplored options. A contributor to the Golf Channel had published several books. On a whim, I went to his web site, sent a message, and from him I had yet another viable lead for a publisher. In fact, it was one that I had found by browsing the bookstores. After more than seven months, hope!

          And now after a few months of working with Legendary Publishing & Media Group, I'm nearing the printing phase and preparing my living room to become a temporary book warehouse! Continue to follow my journey to authorship in the next blog, "From Artist to Author: Part II",  where I'll talk about what it was like writing the book itself. The truck hasn't arrived yet.

          At the Sedona Art Center in Arizona on a classroom white board I saw a sign. Fear No Art it read!

As the decade has just closed and a new one beginning, I thought it time to revisit that thought and incorporate it into my art resolutions. Happy New Year 2020!

Resolution #1: Draw more in my sketchbook!

          I've missed and neglected my sketchbook. I have a few books in my studio. Every one contains a lot of blank pages. I took one with me to Holland and Belgium and have a few nice fine line, felt tip marker sketches to show for it. My favorite, however, is a sketch I did the following year in the Louvre - visitors sitting on a bench admiring Vermeer's The Lacemaker.

          At home I've made some quick sketches of golfers on the driving range at Pinehurst Resort. Then, not far away, spectators, horses and competitors competing in dressage. And, on the porch at The Ryder Cup Lounge, people enjoying the evening entertainment. Things move quickly. No one is posing for me. This is just what is needed to capture in a few gestures the essence of what's happening. It helps to train the eye and not get mired down in detail. The basis of all good art is quality draftsmanship. It starts in the sketchbook. 

Resolution #2: Experiment with substrates and palette.        

          We are all creatures of habit. We like to stick with the known and comfortable. For me that's Mi-Teintes paper made in France by Canson. I know the texture. I know the colors and how they will interact with the pastels I choose. There's no guesswork. When I'm painting a golf hole at the "magic hour" I know to use  the color Tobacco. In the images above I left the comfort zone of my known paper substrate. I painted with pastel on a piece of canvas which had been painted on in acrylic. It was a fun creative experiment. I had to accept what I could not control or change, but work around it. I had to find a way to use the underlying image in the painting I wanted to do in pastel. It added to the more loose quality of the final pieces above. And, I used palettes not normally mine.

Resolution #3: Explore new and different subjects.         

          It was only after I moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina that I entered into the broader realm of golf, not as a long-time golfer honing a game as I thought I would, rather as an artist. I've really enjoyed stretching myself, taking the landscape and seascape genres and painting golf landscapes. I've also added Historic Homes and Architecture to may list of favorite subjects to paint. I don't know yet what new subjects I'll try this year. FEAR NO ART ... in 2020!     

          I don't fish, but years ago I heard an artist refer to a painting he'd done as a "keeper". Another called a particularly good piece a "framer". In informal golf, another drive especially off the first tee after a poor shot, is a "mulligan". I do golf. I sometimes paint golf holes. So, when I'd had a painting that I didn't feel too successful I decided it was time for a painting mulligan!

          The original painting was large. I'd worked on it off and on for about ten years. I never could get it the way I wanted it. Time to be bold. I cut it, leaving the initial image as it was. It's very common for pastelists to do an under painting rather than starting with a plain white or solidly toned sub-straight. My first "mulligan" was going to be a 9" x 12" image for ease of framing. Leaving an inch margin on all sides I taped the first cut out section to my table and searched my photo files for reference material that might complement what was my under painting. This is different from how I normally work. I usually start with a plain surface, so the challenge was fun!

          The first painting came together quickly. As a benefit, I found that some of what I was going to paint over remained pretty much as it had been. My style tends to be realistic, particularly when I paint golf holes. This exercise allowed me to free up a bit, the finished products being more impressionistic.

          I cut out more sections over a few weeks and in the end did a total of six new, smaller pieces. Some are shown in my Portfolio here under the category "Small Works". Enjoy!  

I finished this painting, Pinehurst No. 4 - Hole 10 recently and thought viewers might like to see it after Day 1 and the finished piece. I often take daily photos of paintings as the digital image helps me to see how the piece is progressing day-to-day. It's a way of documentation too. Looking at the image digitally shows me if I'm on track with color, focal point, and composition. For a golf painting the tree line is important. I don't always finish it to this point initially. Here I decided to do that. Note, too, that I've taped the paper to my drawing table using plain painter's masking tape. I didn't used to do this, but found it more helpful to the framer to have a very defined edge.

After painting every day for two weeks, I finished it! Carefully removing the tape and signing my name is always a defining moment. You can see that I used a dark brown sub-straight called Tobacco (Canson Mi-Tientes brand). I use earth toned colors a lot and never use white. I've found that this particular tone consistently gives me a look and feel for a particular time of day. In this case it was late afternoon,

early evening.

     Several visitors to this blog suggested this topic. Since I just finished a painting a few minutes ago (Pinehurst Resort Course No. 4, Hole 10) I'm already thinking about what I'll paint next. Perhaps I can articulate my thoughts as I'm at that point. What to paint? The easy answer is, it depends.

     When I was painting a series, like Pinehurst No. 2, I had set an ambitious goal for myself, and I painted all 18 holes with only one interruption to paint something else. So, the decision was easy. It's also easy when I have a commission, even if the client says, "No hurry." Still, while the subject and client discussion are still fresh in my mind, I like to get started as soon as I can after things begin to jell in my mind. I think of a commission as a new challenge, but I'll save that for another topic.

     So, with a clean slate, I'm free to paint what resonates with me. I have thousands of reference photos as I am a studio artist. I have source material from as long ago as 30 years, pre-digital. Photos are catalogued and stored in albums and shoe boxes. My subjects are landscape, seascape, golf art, and more recently some of the historic homes and cottages of the Village of Pinehurst.

     Paintings I've done more recently tend to guide my instinct towards what I want to paint next. I may have explored a different palette and want to continue doing that. Or, I want to explore a totally different palette. If I've been painting mostly landscapes, I usually want a change of pace. I'll look through my seascape resources. Perhaps I've discovered something in my recent piece and want to try to adapt that technique to another.

     After finishing all 18 holes of Pinehurst No. 2, someone asked me what I was going to paint next. I think my answer was, "Something with very few trees!" I wanted those paintings to be absolutely faithful to the architect's design, so they were all done to scale to within 1/16th of an inch. I wanted the next few paintings to allow me more freedom and the flexibility to take some artistic license.

     Right now, it's time to clean up, put the pastels away where they belong, clean the drafting table so that I'll be ready to begin to paint again tomorrow. I don't know what that will be. Sometimes I just have to go through my digital images and something will speak to me. I'll know then, that's the one! Check back. I'll let you know what I decided.

And, welcome to my new web site. I paint every day, but will try to also keep you current on new paintings, events and things relevant to the day-to-day activities of an artist. I hope they will be of interest to you. So, please check back from time to time. If you have specific questions or topics you'd like to read about here, let me know. I'd like my blog to be meaningful and interactive.

Since moving to Pinehurst, NC in August 2017 I've re-established my studio here after 23 years in Virginia. Visitors are welcome, but since I paint every day, an appointment is requested. I live and work in The Village of Pinehurst, carved from the Sandhills, cradled in golf and steeped in history. You might say I paint history!

I paint representational landscapes and seascapes and more recently, golf. I do play golf, so adding golf holes and other iconic images reflective of Pinehurst's storied history was a natural thing for me to do. Painting Donald Ross's home, Dornoch Cottage, has inspired me to paint some of the other New England-style cottages of this quaint village. Pinehurst No. 2, of course, is well-known worldwide and for me to be able to capture its beauty hole-by-hole was professionally very rewarding. Although the original images are now in private collection, I've made available signed and numbered limited edition prints of each hole. My 8 1/2 month painting journey will also be available in book form. That too is new to me and pretty exciting, really.

Thanks for visiting. Talk to you again soon. Enjoy my portfolio!

Jane