Trudi Jacobson
Still Life: Lemons
Reference photo by Alain Picard
I am transitioning this site away from serving as an introduction to my professional and academic life and towards a venue for showing my artistic work -- it marks quite a transition to make this change, as I was heavily engaged with information literacy, metaliteracy, and teaching for decades. However, I am now equally passionate about painting, primarily pastels, and creating artist books. Delve into my site to learn more.
I began, during COVID, with creating artist trading cards (ATCs), which I found to be enormously fun, as they could be anything: collage, drawings, monoprints, and more. I also loved the idea that they shouldn't be sold, only traded. I traded with people around the globe, and now have my own miniature art museum of ATCs.
After seeing an exhibit of artist books in Northampton, MA in 2021, I became excited about the possibilities of this genre. Marrying books, a central part of my life, with opportunities to expand what one could do with an ATC (which is only 2 1/2" by 3 1/2") seemed a wonderful next step on my artistic path.
From there, I started to take watercolor classes, and then pastel classes, both local and online. I began one-on-one learning sessions with established artist Eden Compton, and have joined Mastrius, the art mentorship resource, and will soon begin a mentoring experience with Australian artist Tricia Taylor.
A significant step in my starting to identify as an artist is due to becoming a member of a small group of amazing women painters in the Albany, NY area, The Round Table. They are wonderful cheerleaders, challenges, and, upon request, critiquers (which sounds more accurate than "critics"). I have participated in several Round Table shows at local libraries, and have begun to enter judged art shows thanks to their encouragement.
Seascape Drama: Sunset (pastel) by Trudi Jacobson
2nd place winner in the Emerging Artist category in the 2023 Colonie Art League Holiday Show
Photo courtesy of Richard Ruotolo, Ruotolo Design Shack