Antique Store Finds

I love collecting little knick-knacks.

Arizona Trip

The husband and I went of a short weekend trip to Arizona.

Here we are in Jerome, one of our favorite little art towns. 

 Sedona takes my breath away.

I love the red rocks.

Doesn't get much prettier than this, folks.

Art Diretory

Looky! I'm in my first art directory! I feel so legit.

Present Tense

It's been awhile since I've painted a couple. I titled it Present Tense because being newly in love is one of those times that is so magical, it forces you to be in the moment. A lot of us fear for the future, or assume tomorrow brings all the answers. A lot of us are stuck in the past--we romanticize it or we have regrets. But true happiness lies in the present moment.

Gold Eyed Cat

I'm having a lot of fun taking a break from painting women and trying my hand at animals. I'm really pleased with the colors in this one.

Metal Prints Now Available!

Exciting news! Metal prints of my work are now available! Check it out here: http://displate.com/juliettecaron  And you can still purchase traditional giclee prints, canvas prints, greeting cards, tote bags, clocks, throw pillows, etc here: http://society6.com/juliettecaron

Green Eyed Cat

I love cats. But I'm allergic to them. Maybe someday I'll buy a hairless one.

Yellow Lab

I love painting people. It's what I've been doing for the past seventeen years--it's what I'm passionate about. But I'm mixing it up a bit more now because if I didn't I would be so freaking bored. Hence the dog painting.

Clara

I thought it was time to paint another redhead. 

Finding Calm in the Chaos

This painting was inspired by recent personal experiences. I am trying to find calm in the chaos of life. I've been sharing my art for awhile now (and I still feel vulnerable!) but releasing my first book has been a hundred times scarier and it's been an emotional rickety carnival ride--the kind that makes you wanna throw up, the kind that makes you sure you're going to DIE. And then there's the other stuff: Opening old wounds in therapy so I can clean out the puss and finally heal. And the world in general, with all the violence and hatred and clashing religious and political views. If you want to lose your faith in humanity, read the comments on YouTube or on a news article. People can be horrible.

Despite all that, life is beautiful. There's beauty to be found everywhere. Sometimes the best thing in the world is to collapse on a blanket thrown on a patch of grass and watch big puffy clouds crawl like turtles across the perfect blue sky. Let the sun soak in. Feel the gentle spring breeze touch your skin. Inhale the scent of earth and blossoms and lilac trees.

Painting this was therapeutic. The hair and the lightening bolt of skin coming out of the model's cheek were fun to do. Trying news things usually pays off. If I didn't experiment, I'd be bored bored bored.

Meet My Novel

I've wanted to write a novel since I was twelve. I would start writing something, usually three to five handwritten pages, and then think, "This sucks!" and give up. Months later I would try again. I think my record was twenty pages. And then one day, while I was attending college, I read a famous quote by Ernest Hemingway that changed everything: "The first draft of anything is sh*t." I thought, "Wow, really?" It gave me a big dose of courage. It gave me permission to write a WHOLE crappy book--and then I could polish it and shine it and make it pretty later.

About six years ago I wrote my first novel. A whole, 200+ pages of novel. A few months later I wrote a second one. About a year later I wrote a third one. I am now working on a fourth. Reading that quote was a turning point for me.

But it took some time to have the courage to share my books with friends, with family, with literary agents. It took some time before I was ready to release one of my babies to the world. And now I finally have. And I am scared. Really, really scared. But I am also excited. I've wanted this for more than half of my life, after all.

Pictures of You is my first published novel, but the second one I wrote. I know it's not perfect--I'm no Virginia Woolf--but I love it. Writing it was so fun, so therapeutic. I laughed, I cried. I feel like September, Adrien, Chris, Abby and Mary are some of my closest friends. I hope you will like it, too.

Here is the synopsis:

In a moment, September Jones’s life is changed forever. Shortly after high school graduation her best friend, Abby, is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Devastated, September struggles to face each day. She turns to junk food, bad TV and journaling to cope. When September meets handsome, mysterious Adrien, who’s given himself two weeks to write the perfect suicide note, and nice guy Chris, her new coworker who has some troubles of his own, she realizes she’s not the only one dealing with personal demons. Pictures of You reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, forgiveness and hope.

Buy your copy HERE

My First Ever Digital Painting

Yesterday I thought I'd try digital painting. I did self portrait. Although I won't be giving up my acrylics anytime soon (probably never, actually) it was enjoyable trying something new.

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Three Trees

This is my third landscape. I'm having fun exploring a new subject matter. It's definitely a bit more challenging for me than figurative painting because I'm so new to this. There was lots of trial and error. Thank goodness acrylic paints are forgiving.

My First Landscapes

Besides a couple of class assignments in junior high, these are the first landscapes I've ever done. I've been flirting with the idea of trying one for a few years now. I LOVE painting people, but it was nice to try something new, after all, don't they say variety is the spice of life?

I did two different versions of the same scene--an abstract version and an impressionistic version. Although I like them both, the bottom one is more my style. Which one do you prefer?

I'm so excited to try some more! I love painting...

You Might Be An Artist If...

Jade

I love symbolism. You'll find symbolism in most of my pieces and even blogs about what certain symbols mean to me. In this painting, I added some warrior paint to the model's cheek. Lately I've been going through a doozy of a trial and sometimes just getting up in the morning and facing another day takes a great deal of courage. On the other cheek I allowed paint to drip, making it almost appear like a tear. I feel much like a warrior, going to battle, on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel strong and fierce and determined, other times I feel too fragile and break down and cry. In this painting I feel I captured both strength and vulnerability, a combination I find beautiful and intriguing in a person. 

Introducing: An ABC Book for the Despairing, Disheartened and Depressed

I've been wanting to write and illustrate a children's book since I was a child myself. Actually, I did do just that when I was nine or ten, but needless to say nothing ever came of it. Sooooo, my brother and I, who both love dark humor, were in a somber mood one day and started thinking of funny and depressing alliterations to cheer ourselves up. We ended up with a big old ugly list and then thought, "Hey! Let's turn this into a book!" And so we did. It's not technically a children's book--adults will probably appreciate it more. In fact, it might give smaller kids bad dreams.

An ABC Book for the Despairing, Disheartened and Depressed is a darkly humorous book about some of the crappy things in life that happen to perfectly nice people. From the severe (Atrocious atomic annihilation) to the trivial (Zealous zits), this children's book for adults is full of witty alliterations, and somber and silly illustrations. The authors' goal is to bring some cheer to those who are down in the dumps. They believe it is, in part, through humor they have been able to survive some pretty bleak times of their own.

Buy your copy HERE

Milla

Although it was not intentional, this painting reminds me a little of one of my favorite painter's work, Francoise Nielly. It's interesting to see little bits and pieces of my favorite artist's works in my own work. If you look carefully, you can see Charles Dwyer, Klimt, Van Gogh, Michael Shapcott and Francoise Nielly (among others) have been major influences for me as an artist. The music I listen to also influences my mood and therefore my paintings. I listened to Bat For Lashes as I worked on this piece.

NYC Trip

 I had the pleasure of hanging out with my brother in NYC. Being only fourteen months apart in age, we've been besties since we were in diapers.

 We had a blast exploring the city.

 I saw all sorts of cool murals and street art.

 I really like this one.

 It was uber cold, but my cute hat kept me warm.

 I love the buildings there. So pretty.

 We checked out various art galleries in Chelsea. This piece is by Yoko Ono!

 Another awesome mural. (My brother took most of these shots.)

 I love Times Square!

 One of my all-time favorite pieces of art at the MoMA. I could spend days staring at the art there.

No trip to NYC is complete without a visit at Madame Tussauds to see all your favorite celebs. I've had a crush on Johnny Depp since I was thirteen. Someday I will meet the real Johnny Depp, just you wait and see.

Always

I love symbolism. I often include it in my paintings. In this painting you will find four symbols of eternal life. Take a moment to guess what they are.........Give up? Okay, the peacock (which is a hat) is the first one. Surprised? I was, too. The circles, the spirals and the primitive looking palm leaf (by the model's arm) are the others. This painting was inspired by ancient Egyptian art. Although it doesn't show up in the photo, I added metallic gold pen to parts of the peacock, to one of the circles and to the model's cheek.

It's About Time You Buy a Clock

You can now buy Juliette Caron art clocks! How exciting is that? I'm kind of tempted to buy one for myself. Check them out here: http://society6.com/JulietteCaron/wall-clocks

How to be an Artist

Furniture CAN be Affordable

I love funky, artsy, modern furniture. But I love AFFORDABLE funky, artsy, modern furniture even more. 

I recently bought this amazing couch--I found it in the classifieds for $280. It was in like-new condition and the previous owner paid $1,000 for it. I'd been wanting a red couch like that for years.

Yesterday I found this beauty for a mere $75. I can't believe I got such a steal!

And here is the finished look. A $1,500+ look for under $400. I couldn't be more pleased.