Jacquelyn Berl ~ Fine Artist

Pointillism Prints

2009-10-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

I’ve placed a new page with my pointillism prints here within a table. I think it clears up previous confusion of what was for sale, and what is sold. Some prints are already matted and framed.

Ascender's Pointillism Prints

Pointillism was first introduced in the 1880's, in the wake of impressionism, by the French artist Georges Pierre Seuret. The pointillism technique is when dots are grouped together to form an image. The closer the dots are together: the darker the tones. The farther apart the dots are: the lighter the tones. When looked at from afar, usually depicts a finely detailed picture making a powerful statement; elegant, clean, and honest.

Remaining Pointillism Prints here.

Jacquelyn L. Berl: Pointillist Pieces
I see these images as engravings of dreams. Pixelated and disintegrating dreams, they morph one into the other and then dissipate, dot by dot, until awakening. The pieces in front of us capture the last most vivid vision. In fact, this brings me to the notion that one possible way to recall dreams forgotten right after the awakening moment could be by dots — a simple and elegant solution! The lack of lines deprives the viewer of a continuous visual reference, hampering focus; as a result the paintings appear to be covered by a gauze (made of the innumerable microscopic white dots), which further enhances the dreamlike quality.
This black and white, stripped version of pointillism is interesting from a purely technical point of view. The style of painting intended to mix colors inside the beholder’s mind rather than on the painted surface, endures the transformation: the portraits in Berl’s artwork display a heightened psychology, the darkest areas being eyes and mouths — the most expressive facial features. The artist makes a point (pun intended) that this painting technique is best suitable for portraiture and, I find it difficult to imagine still life, landscape or other genres benefiting similarly from such experimentation. But “never say never,” they say.
Another notable trait is the unsteadiness of the images. The white here does not originate from the sun but rather from some supernatural source — I’m thinking in the direction of imagination, unless you believe in ghosts. Even the girl, whose arm is visibly placed on a hard surface, probably a table, appears to hover, threatening to near the viewer, out of the frame, or, correspondingly, withdraw into the two dimensional world in a zoom out effect. Perhaps it is not coincidental that some of Ascender’s pointillist pictures feature Indians posing and dancing (in a way, the epitome of unsteadiness) in traditional wear — possibly exorcizing.
Yet still, in a somewhat contradictory turn, the simplicity of black and white provides a degree of robustness to the paintings as a whole. To sum up, in her pointillist works the artist appeals and stimulates the viewers’ fancy as effectively as she does in her collages and “scatterlings (c).” Conceptually, her work contains many parallels to a wonderful film I watched last year, “Pan’s Labyrinth:” there is the reality, often harsh, and the magic, sweet and comforting, but occasionally horrifying. Similarly to that movie, Ascender eschews easy “happy endings” and challenges us with aesthetically complex and inspiring works of art that fulfill on the visual, psychological and imaginative levels.
Critique of Ascender's Poinitillism/Stippling by Elijah at Art and Critique

Scatterling© - available for purchase

2009-09-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Scatterlings© is a collection of self-directed enchantment art which combines actual foliage with watercolor and color pencil mediums. Hidden among the actual and rendered foliage are an enchanted assortment of Scatterlings; mythical animals and fairies. These one-of-a-kind folk art pieces take up to a year to complete as flowers and leaves are collected, pressed, preserved and finally hidden within a vision that evolves continually. (Mixed Media; Pressed Foliage, Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Pen and Ink on Handmade Paper.

With the advent of Giclee (zhee-clay) the art of fine art printing has become even more precise. Because no screens are used, the prints have a higher apparent resolution than lithographs. The dynamic color range is greater than serigraphy. In the Giclee process, a fine stream of ink -- more than four million droplets per second -- is sprayed onto archival art paper or canvas. The effect is similar to an air brush technique but much finer.

Choose from: Stretched/Mounted CANVAS Giclee 24"w x 18"h. Ready to hang. Shipping & Handling Included! or Giclee Enhanced Archival PRINT also available in 24"w x 18"h Suitable for framing. Shipping & Handling included!

Some originals are available.

See thumbs, info and price list here!

Jacquelyn L. Berl (also known under the artistic monicker “Ascender“, see more works on her website and blog) is a versatile and prolific artist with a strong drive towards finding an original signature style. She creates art with a seemingly unlimited assortment of media, fusing various schools and trends into a conglomerate body of work. I would categorize her style as gravitating towards the surreal, often with fabulous qualities; it characterizes in various degrees her mixed media works, collages, ink, watercolor and oil paintings. To my mind Berl achieves best results with the more combinative efforts, and while the more traditional artwork exhibits engaging pristine and figurative qualities, it is in the more complex and “dirty” pieces that her creative potential finds a unique outlet.
Viewing the “Scatterlings (c),” which, according to the artist, “combine actual foliage with watercolor and color pencil mediums” is a rich and magical experience — not surprising considering the “mythical animals and fairies” populating these pieces. In a way it replicates the ritual of reading a fairy tale to a child: each night the infant would ask for another reading of the same story and each time the story would sound different. It is possible to see each scatterling as a meta-illustration of a fairy-tale, existing or not. Perhaps even more radically, each piece is indeed a fairy tale, only of a visual kind. This would make sense considering the arduous process, taking up to a year, of making (”writing”) them.
Technically they may be seen as Pollock’s logical continuation: he painted while putting the canvas on the floor, letting gravity participate in the process, and Jaqueline similarly alludes to gravity, which forces the leaves and the plants she uses down to earth. Thus she may be proposing an idealized artistic view of the physical world around us, everyday objects being the media and the ground they rest upon the surface. But even without this allegory, her artwork bears a purely visual resemblance to abstract expressionism, all the while retaining the concrete form of the inserted magical characters (visit her blog for close ups) — the result is a fascinating surreal mishmash.
Clever use of perspective, compositional rhythm and color toning, combined with actual flora creates a bewitching effect of three-dimensionality. I cannot decide whether the artist panders to the younger audience by incorporating real objects, seeking to emulate depth with actual depth on the paper, but it certainly appeals to the child in me, evoking an inner smile. I also think that it is this kind of works of art that more than usual encourages children to want to become artists — it could be the appeal of using objects found in nature, something every playful kid does as a matter of fact anyway.
Elijah at Art & Critique

See You At The Tiburon Art Festival!

2009-07-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tiburon Art Festival Site • Blog • map • Facebook

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Saturday, August 22, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

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Read more on my main blog: Ascender Rises Above

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I will have the following art available at the festival:

••• All Scatterlings© Originals •••of prints mentioned here.

This is the first time I have made the originals available for purchase. The prints will not be available. Scatterlings© is a collection of self-directed enchantment art which combines actual foliage with watercolor and color pencil mediums. Hidden among the actual and rendered foliage are an enchanted assortment of Scatterlings; mythical animals and fairies. These one-of-a-kind folk art pieces take up to a year to complete as flowers and leaves are collected, pressed, preserved and finally hidden within a vision that evolves continually. (Mixed Media; Pressed Foliage, Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Pen and Ink on Handmade Paper). Scatterlings are constructed in the frame to keep them protected. Humidity levels play an important role in the longevity of your Scatterlings. Behind each are packets of silica to eliminate humidity inside the frames.

Title: Yesterday’s Dream; 28" high x 40 " wide; matted and framed, ready to hang

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••• Scatterlings© - Minis •••

Miniature Scatterlings© on canvas. Small Scatterlings© on canvas; measuring 6" wide x 8" high. Combining actual foliage with watercolor and color pencil mediums. Hidden among the actual and rendered foliage are an enchanted assortment of Scatterlings; mythical animals and fairies.

Title: Running Rampant; 6" wide x 8" high, on stretched canvas

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••• Fresh Perspectives •••

This body of work combines years of experience painting perspective renderings with techniques from other mediums (Acrylics, Watercolor, Colored Pencil). The basis of each painting begin with architectural details and/or renderings which float off into wallpaper details breaking the boundary of the frame; leaving a dream-like feeling.

Title: The Corner of Iris; Acrylics, collage, colored pencil/ 15" x 27" - framed and ready to hang.

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••• Illuminated Tiles •••

Illuminated Tiles are original mixed media collages on tile by Jacquelyn L. Berl. Each tile is altered with acrylic, colored pencil, feathers, ribbon, rapidiograph, assorted textures, sprinkles, sparkles, sheen and shine, and sprinkled with a bit of magic; and in many cases - mystery. Sides are altered as well. Protected with a non-yellowing indoor/outdoor matte sealer; not to be placed outside. 3.5" Squared - a few are slightly larger.

Title: Madonna's Hidden Cherub; Illuminated Tile. 3.5 squared

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••• ACEOs and Two-Sided Tags •••

ACEO stands for “Artist Cards; Edition or Originals”. In the simplest of terms, ACEOs are small format, miniature pieces of art - amazing little canvases. Art cards can be dated back to the 16th century when artists created miniature portraits. Here is a chance to own an original detailed miniature one-of-a-kind piece of art by an award-winning artist and illustrator. Ideal for both beginning and seasoned collectors. Frame them, trade them or hang them in groups; fabulous one-of-a-kind gift! NOT a print; some are two-sided or magnets. 2.5″ x 3.5″ Sealed (many times), Signed, Dated.

Title: Annie Has A Rifle - Escape!; Two-Sided ACEO. 2.5″ x 3.5″Sealed (many times), Signed, Dated.

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AscenderRisesAbove©, retains all copyrights associated with this artwork before and after the sale. This artwork may not be reproduced in any way without the artists explicit written consent.

Flowers In The Windows; Perspective Rendering, Acrylics

2009-06-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

Flowers In The Windows; Perspective Rendering, Watercolor
From the new “Fresh Perspective” collection
30″x 24" - framed and ready to hang.

I Wrote In The Sunroom; Fresh Perspective, Watercolor

2009-05-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

I Wrote In The Sunroom; Perspective Rendering, Watercolor
From the new “Fresh Perspective” collection
13″x 16" - framed and ready to hang.

Whoosh; Perspective Rendering, Acrylics

2009-05-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Whoosh; Perspective Rendering, Acrylics. More details.
From the new “Fresh Perspective” collection
15″x 19″ - framed and ready to hang.

Sun Bath; Perspective Rendering, Acrylics

2009-05-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Sun Bath; Perspective Rendering, Acrylics (see details)
From the new “Fresh Perspective” collection
15″ x 19″ - framed and ready to hang.

The Corner of Iris; Fresh Perspective

2009-04-29T14:03:00.001-07:00

The Corner of Iris; Fresh Perspective (see more)
Medium: Acrylics, Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Pen & Ink
From the new "Fresh Perspective" collection
15" x 27" - framed and ready to hang.

Grandma's Handkerchief; Fresh Perspective

2009-04-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

Title: Grandma's Handkerchief; (see more)
Fresh Perspective; Acrylics, Watercolor
10 1/2″by 12″ - framed and ready to hang.

And In The Backyard, A Garden; Fresh Perspective

2009-04-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Title: And In The Backyard, A Garden; (see more)
Fresh Perspective - Acrylics, Watercolor, Pen & Ink.
10 1/2″by 12" - framed and ready to hang.

Paisley Rainbow; Fresh Perspective

2009-04-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Title: Paisley Rainbow; (see more)
Fresh Perspective; Acrylics, Watercolor, Pen & Ink.
9″by 11″- framed and ready to hang.

Flocked, California Style; Fresh Perspective

2009-04-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

Title: Flocked, California Style; (see more of this item)
Fresh Perspective; Acrylics, Watercolor, Pen & Ink
6 1/4" by 8 1/4″ - framed and ready to hang.

A Round The Corner From Ivy Lane; Fresh Perspective

2009-04-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

Title: A Round The Corner From Ivy Lane; (see more)
Fresh Perspective; Acrylics, Watercolor.
6 3/4" x 7 3/4" - framed and ready to hang.

The Cabin Belongs To The Director Of Public Works; Fresh Perspective

2009-04-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Title: The Cabin Belongs To The Director Of Public Works; (see more of this item)
Medium: Fresh Perspective; Acrylics, Watercolor, Pen & Ink

It Was In July 1981; Fresh Perspective, Acrylic

2009-04-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

Title: It Was In July 1981 (see more of this item)
Medium: Fresh Perspective; Acrylics, Watercolor, Pen & Ink