Jen G

A photo of artwork by Jen Gauerke - watercolors in oranges, red, blues, purples, abstract with outlines of teardrop/scale shapes with the words “IMAGINE HOW WE THRIVE SURVIVE” inside a few teardrops.

Imagine how we thrive

Doodling with watercolors, crayons and calligraphy pen.

Mixed media sculpture of a painted skull with a flower growing out from the crown

My Dia de los Muertos sculpture. Mixed media. The skull is made from wild ceramic clay harvested from my backyard fired to Cone 06. Painted designs made with acryllics. The flower is poly clay. The stem and leaves are copper wire.

#ceramics
#pottery
#mixedmedia
#polyclay
#wildclay
#diadelosmuertos

#AugustAdventures #bloom #journey #watercolor #sketch #plants #natureart #painting #BlueSkyArt #botanical #art

Watercolor painting of tomatoes on the vine, dark blue background.

Watercolor painting of tomatoes on the vine, light brown backgnround

Watercolor painting of tomatoes on the vine, in progress, light green vines, tomatoes still white.

Tomatoes
9”x 12”
watercolor

Thinking about the style of Egon Schiele while painting, the textured lanky-ness of his works. Sometimes wrestling with a piece is better than starting over, regardless of the final product. Sketches are for learning, it’s a bonus if the final product is appealing.

He worked at recovery from addiction. They relied on each other and his music reached more people for a long time because of Sharon. Was it unhealthy, codependent, enmeshed? Was it healthy, loving, bonded?

#portraitart #ozzy #BlueSkyArt #ink #art #inksketch #sketchbook

Humans prefer simplistic explanations of people - good or evil. Ozzy reminds me of the quote, “The line between good and evil runs through every human heart.”

He was vulnerable in his music, open hearted to those he loved when he was sober. He also tried to kill his wife, she decided to stay.

A photo of a sketch by Jen Gauerke. A rendering of Ozzy Osbourne in younger years, headphones on, connected to music, with long hair, round glasses and melancholic expression.

A photo of the sketch by Jen Gauerke in progress. The hair and headphones unfinished.

A photo of a sketch in progress by Jen Gauerke. The eyes, glasses, nose, lips, chin are sketched in.

Ozzy RIP
Ink on paper

It’s fascinating to me, who Ozzy was. An artist, an abuser, a loving person, an addict, a survivor. Very rarely are addicts and abusers given the opportunity to show seemingly opposing parts of their personalities to the public.

More info in alt text.
#woman #fertility #connection #ovaries #bodyautonomy #menopause #anatomicalart #art #feminist #feministart #BlueSkyArt #artyear #red #bound

Photo of an artwork by Jen Gauerke. A white background. A draped thin piece of fabric, red, knotted on the left and right side, with fringe and threads hanging down. The is a drape in the center, as if it holding something, or waiting to hold something. This work came to mind when thinking about how I might create art around the life event of choosing infertility. Within 2 weeks of my youngest child going to college. Lots of thoughts about connections, how these small organs - ovaries and fallopian tubes - determine relationships, birth, gender expectations, hormones ->mood, body shape, etc. Also, people with ovaries bond around these experiences. Growing up in Mormonism I was taught my purpose in life was motherhood. Now that I’ve left that dogmatic place, it’s empowering to show that my purpose and value are not in fertility. As beautiful as it was at times, and the amazing humans that came from my fertility I embrace change and renewal.

Connection
9”x12”
Colored pencils on paper
Sketch for a large painting

Yesterday, ironically, on the anniversary of the Iowa six week abortion ban, I had my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. All went well, I’m home and resting. Feeling the privilege of insurance, days off, bodily autonomy.

Awesome! In this particular timeline, IMO lower priced but sturdy. If someone wants a nicer one they can special order. That way you won’t be investing in expensive materials for them to wait around for a buyer. Love your work going to your site now!

Would love a Pompompurrin in this style! My 18 yr old loves him and gets frustrated that there’s so little merch for him.

Congratulations! 😍

A black and white photograph of a mile high thunderstorm cloud, bubbly billows. My husband took it for me while I was driving home from Illinois. I love clouds. It’s fascinating to me how dynamic they are, but still fall into categories of shapes which the human eye becomes expert at recognizing. You cannot just smear white paint on a blue background and call it a cloud, it won’t be believed. It has to hold a classic cloud shape. In 4th grade I wrote my first research paper about clouds.

Iowa thunderhead cloud

The last few weeks have been intensely stormy, with gorgeously huge clouds like this. Thankfully, few tornados, although some flooding and heat advisories.
#midwest #weather #storm #clouds #BlueSky

Sunset hike with trees and tall grass prairie. Text overlay: Al does not build relationship skills.

Sunset hike with trees and tall grass prairie. Text overlay: Al does not improve social skills.

#healing #mentalhealth #AI

Sunset hike with trees and tall grass prairie. Text overlay: Being human is messy not logical

Sunset hike with trees and tall grass prairie. Text overlay: Al won't heal your trauma

Sunset hike with trees and tall grass prairie. Text overlay: If you're drawn to Al to cope with these complexities

Sunset hike with trees and tall grass prairie. Text overlay: It's avoidance, not healing.

Stills of the video I posted earlier because it seems to be invisible.

As an artist and therapist I’m seeing more harm than good coming from artificial intelligence. Even the ways we ask it to help us can corrupt the results we think we’re getting. Find a safe human to get support and wisdom from.

You think about them in a much more respectful way than past colonizers. Which is wonderful!

That’s awesome! Didn’t know there was a division of archaeology for “mortuary”.

It’s lovely and your mark making is wonderful.

Face #sketch #draw #art #Artshare #artonpaper #handdrawn #mixedmedia #portrait #illustrator #illustration

Face #sketch #draw #art #Artshare #artonpaper #handdrawn #mixedmedia #portrait #illustrator #illustration

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) — Capricho #34 (“Sleep overcomes them.”), #35 (“She fleeces him.”), #36 (“A bad night.”), and #37 (“Might not the pupil know more?”) — etchings with aquatint.

Outside the cemetery grounds, beside the road, in the gravel, was a crucifix on a gold chain, pressed into the dirt.

This is a diversion from my regular posting of art, but provides some insight to my visual language. Do you see the connection to my recent WIP?

#AssociationofGravestoneStudies #headstones #pioneercemeteries #cemetery #iowa #garden #art #BlueSkyArt #visuallanguage #inspo

Southeast Iowa pioneer cemetery - in the foreground a field with headstones in rows, farm implements beyond, including a grain auger looming overhead, with storm clouds in the background highlighted by the sun. We pulled up and the farmer drove across the grass to block our car. These places are public and protected by law. He didn’t make it easy to get in, but we did (my partner has great people skills). After 2 gates, with 4 chains/ties, we walked in. This cemetery was called “Cholera Hill” because of an outbreak in 1851.

Walking back to the car in the steamy heat. A gravel path on the left with two people walking away, a fence in front of them, large tree with clouds overhead, sun blazing in the center, a barn and farm buildings in the distance.

A large weathered rectangular headstone reads, “URSULA daughter of J&B CARTER wife of JOHNE CRAWFORD Nov 16, 1849 aged 30 years” Above the text is carved imagery, parted curtains, flowers, an urn.

This was a different cemetery in Illinois, Edwardsville. A large stone with a cross at the top, a praying angel figure, resting atop a double headstone for Stokes and Reynolds. With hands clasped symbol between the stones. Most of the text is illegible, but death dates are 1873 and 1875, respectively. Large green trees and a White House in the background.

Did you know that in some states it’s not uncommon for farmers to remove pioneer headstones? Thankfully, in Iowa pioneer cemeteries are protected. More details in alt text. Cholera Hill in Iowa, St. Mary’s in Illinois.

Yes! It was amazing!! I’ve thought about St Augustine, FL, have you been there?

A vintage magazine ad with pics of vacationing people, center a girl is eating a sandwich with the words “stay alive” as the contents. A stay alive sandwich. Don’t let the bastards grind you down!

Stay Alive
collage & acrylics
on vintage ephemera

These times can be disheartening, and the future isn’t certain. Please stay, we need each other. I want to see how we overcome this together!

#art #mentalhealth #stayalive #stay #Bskyart #collage #acrylics

Me too! History, art, nature, all while confronting existential dread

Lovely advice! 😍

A rural cemetery with a weathered stone obelisk with no legible markings.

A beautiful white headstone, gothic style.

A view of a soybean field with old stone fence posts.

A cemetery in the foreground, a small airplane in the party cloudy sky.

A lovely perspective of Iowa. The news can make it sound horrid, recent politics often are. As we were appreciating this eastern Iowa cemetery, a crop dusting plane flew over, a serendipitous rural moment.
#cemetery #rural #iowa #landscape #scape #photography #art #headstone #airplane

A large scapula bone with colorful bubble-like shapes painted on it. My goal was to capture the iridescence of a dragonfly wing without iridescent paint. To make the bone feel light and magical.

Wing
found object and acrylics
#artyear
#BlueTues #coloraday #TuesdayBlues #blue #Imhorridatrememberinghashtags #ArtistsofBluesky #Nature #foundobject #art #painting

I’ve already got both, we’ll see if she’s interested enough and doesn’t get distracted by all the experiences college offers!

A few weeks ago I was visiting a local bookstore with my step daughter, who is 19. I told her I’d buy her any book she wanted. When she chose Braiding Sweetgrass I was so proud!