 Me viewing "The Two Fridas" at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City. "Los Dos Fridas," oil on canvas, 68.3 in × 68 in, by Frida Kahlo, 1939.  "Les Duex Soeurs " (The Two Sisters), oil on canvas, 71 x 53 inches, Théodore Chassériau, 1843.  "Gabrielle d'Estrées et Une de Ses Soeurs (Gabrielle d'Estrées and One of Her Sisters), oil on wood, 38 by 49 inches, unknown artist, c. 1594. The beginnings of I Believe in Ghosts Portrait 4, title TBD. Study for IBIG4, oil on linen, 12 x 17 inches, 2019.  Work in progress. Graphite drawing on linen to be followed by oil, 50 x 68 inches.
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November has been a focused period of production for me. I am deep into the creation of my newest work, title yet to be revealed, and am very happy with the progress thus far. During my October open studio I shared images, content and research that is informing future works in I Believe in Ghosts, and below you can see two of the studies I made in preparation for this current large piece I am creating. I've also included two in progress detail shots of my new painting (last images). Create something from nothing, or bringing my work to life is a process I will never tire of. Painting is meditative for me and while in this state, I'm essentially intensively studying the work which results in more of the purpose and meaning surfacing. I am challenged by this work, so happy to be making it and extremely excited to share this piece when complete.      ©Jamie L. Luoto, "I Believe in Ghosts," oil on canvas, 60x40 inches, December 2018 If you visited my studio in Autumn 2018, you may recall my larger-than-life-sized self portrait, I Believe in Ghosts. It's a recent addition to my new body of work, Portraits of Self and Society, in which I juxtapose vulnerability with challenging social constructs. This self-portrait examines how the conflicted messages women receive about ourselves, our bodies, and our roles impacts our lives and shapes our experiences, expectations, and choices. I'm eager to share that I recently received word from the National Portrait Gallery in London that I Believe in Ghosts, was selected for the final round of the 2019 BP Portrait Award! Those who know say this is the most prestigious portrait painting competition in the world, representing the very best in contemporary portrait painting. Roughly 200 portraits are selected from thousands of submissions from all around the world for the final round of judging. These 200 portraits are then whittled down to about 50 portraits that will go on to exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in June. Elation from the good news delivered via email in the middle of the night morphed into adrenaline as I realized I had a little over two weeks to coordinate having a frame made, having a shipping crate made compliant with UK customs regulations, correctly filling out paperwork that will make or break my journey through UK customs, and actually shipping my portrait from Healdsburg to London, clearing customs and arriving at the venue before March 1. Easy peasy, right? Frankly a lot of hard work and support by many local treasures went into readying I Believe in Ghosts for departure to London. My piece is currently in transit with FedEx Air Freight and I’ll be holding my breath until it lands in the UK and clears customs! Regardless of the final decision, It's a huge honor to have my work considered for the second year in a row, and very I'm grateful to be included. To be continued...
 The crate is taller than I am! Thank you to Glenn and Charly at Hammerfriar for an absolutely perfect frame made under absurd conditions! Thank you to Chris at John Annesley for a beautifully constructed, lightweight shipping crate. Thank you Skylark Images for the exceptional documentation of my work. Thank you Sally for your endless enthusiasm and support, and help wrapping “IBIG.” and lastly, thank you Byron for around the clock all inclusive love and support. Post Edit:I Believe in Ghosts didn't continue on to exhibit in the 2019 BP Portrait Award show. However, I am really very happy to have had my work selected and considered two consecutive years for the final round of judging by the National Portrait Gallery in London ... not too shabby! Well done to all and a big congratulations to this years exhibitors.
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Jamie L. LuotoHealdsburg, California
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