Jonalyn's Watercolor Blog - Jonalyn Fincher

Jonalyn stands next to one of her collectors with his commissioned watercolor framed on the wall behind him.

Beauty

Commissioning Art is as Easy as 1-2-3

Commissioning art does not have to be arduous, exorbitant or exhausting. All you need is an idea of something you want painted. Maybe it’s a favorite place, or your children or grandchildren. Once you have an idea, commissioning art is easy as 1-2-3. Art is About Favorite Things All art begins with a meaningful idea. I want you to paint the view of the lake where my family reconnected. I want a painting to remember the bed and breakfast my

August 8, 2023

Jonalyn holding 22Powder House Row22 an original watercolor 522 x 1522

Beauty

Remember – Panning for Gold

Did you know local New Englanders have good things to say about the art of remembering. If you attended my “Saving Lives” art gallery you already know the role art plays in helping us remember what is too easy to forget. Memory Block I’ve listened to memories and watched as people look through my paintings and then say, “I just didn’t remember these things. It’s so easy to forget the lockdown years.” Remembering requires we want to dig into the

July 24, 2023

Beauty

Who Would Visit My COVID Art Show?

My show “Saving Lives” has been open for one week now and I’m meeting many people who want to visit my COVID art show. “Saving Lives” tells the untold stories from the years of lockdowns and masking that many of us, frankly, would just like to forget forever. And yet, my show also tells the amazing stories of reunion and beauty, too. The response from guests has confirmed that the timing was perfect. People are ready to start thinking about

July 8, 2023

Beauty

A Sneak Peek into my Covid Art Show

I’ve been framing over 40 paintings for my Covid art show this July. “Saving Lives” will be a gentle and beautiful watercolor journey through the COVID years to honor all we went though, to tell the untold stories, and to process these stories. But it will also include local landscapes paintings from the Seacoast and still life. This show will be appropriate for children of all ages and will conclude with an invitation to respond through writing or drawing. I

June 23, 2023

Beauty

An Art Exhibition on the COVID Years

During the last nine months I been preparing for an art exhibition: listening to stories, sketching ideas, painting rough drafts, scheduling critiques, and then back to the drawing board again. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about COVID, asking for God’s courage to know how to paint these dark times. I have been preparing for an art exhibition, “Saving Lives”. And today, I am pleased to share a taste with you. Why COVID? You might wonder why I’m spending so much energy

May 24, 2023

Beauty

Watercolor Art Auction on Fridays

There’s something amazing about a watercolor art auction, it reveals and condenses. But first let me tell you about trendiness and the way it works in art purchases. I’m surprised at how easy it is for a smooth sales guy or gal to talk someone out of what they like. Quietly, I watch it at art galleries or fashion boutiques. I see it in how people dress or walk; they didn’t feel comfortable with this look until someone argued them

May 3, 2023

Friendship

Messing About in Boats

I live near a brook that sings its way to the Atlantic Ocean. We wade in its murky waters in the summer and watch the tides bring it up and down all year long. In winter, it freezes at multiple heights, making a fun crunchy playground. We watch this water catch the sunrises and sunsets. Living so near the water has been a dream come true. Over the years, Dale and I have realized, we are like Water Rat in

April 19, 2023

Healing

When COVID Hit 👊🏼

Isn’t it incredible to realize that one day, we will have to explain the COVID years to someone who didn’t live through it?! I think this will be particularly difficult for most of us. Processing any difficult event requires we revisit it when things begin to feel more normal. We loop back to think (or journal or talk) through what happened. But, most of us don’t talk about what COVID-19 was like in the horrible days. We don’t revisit how

April 8, 2023

Beauty

Painting in the Caribbean

First a reflective thought on social media, then a beautiful story about painting people in the Caribbean. Happy Saturday! How I See Social I meet with a couple of painters to critique our work via Zoom, and during one of these meetings I realized we are all struggling with how to show up on social in an authentic and meaningful way. There’s a metaphor I’ve created that’s helped me navigate this “social” world. I see social like a Roman well

March 25, 2023

Jonalyn’s Watercolor Blog

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Commissioning Art is as Easy as 1-2-3

Remember – Panning for Gold

A Sneak Peek into my Covid Art Show

An Art Exhibition on the COVID Years

Watercolor Art Auction on Fridays

Messing About in Boats

When COVID Hit 👊🏼

Painting in the Caribbean