James B. Janknegts weBlog

Blessed Fra Angelico
Patron Saint of Painters
by Fr. McNichols

My web site : archives of past work

My web site of work for sale

Comments to:
j.janknegt@mail.utexas.edu

BOOKS on my bedside table

Forbidden Image: An Intellectual History of Icoloclasm
Hans Belting

The Divine Comedy
Dante

The Echo Maker
Richard Powers

Godric
Frederik Buechner

The Lightning Theif
Rick Riordan

Face To Face Portraits Of The Divine In Early Christianity
Robin Margaret Jensen

TUNES on itunes

Songs of Greg Brown
Prudence Johnson

One
Beatles

Old Futures Gone
John Gorka

Johnny Cash
American IV

Radiohead
OK Computer

Milk of the Moon:
Greg Brown

Going Driftless
Tribiute to Greg Brown

Blogs of note

Art Blog by Bob

Catholic Dads

Get Religion

Looking Closer Journal

Church of the Masses

The Roving Medievalist
The Lion and the Cardinal

Diary of an Arts Pastor

Danny Schweers

Open Book

Ralph the Sacred River

Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex

Catholic and Enjoying It!

Looking Closer Journal

Get Religion

JimmyAkin.org

The Opinionated Homeschooler

Summa Mamas

WHAT'S UP

Link to One a Day Psalm Schedule

Who am I

James (Jim) Janknegt 52 year old, husband of Lissa, father of Emma (almost 11), visual artist, christian (former episcopalian becoming Catholic), building manager at UT Harry Ransom Center, native Austinite, current elginite, and chainsawweilder.

everything on this web site copyrighted by
James B. Janknegt Blog

Archives

January 2003
February 2003
March 2003
April 2003
May 2003
June 2003
July/August 2003
September/October 2003
November 2003
December 2004
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
April 2007

July2007

Rembrandt and I have something in common, besides being an artist, dutch and having your name end with two consonants one of which is silent. According to Wikipedia Rembrandt and I have the same unusual eye problem:

"In an article published on September 16, 2004 in The New England Journal of Medicine, Margaret S. Livingstone, professor of neurobiology of Harvard Medical School, suggests that Rembrandt, whose eyes failed to align correctly, suffered from stereo blindness. She made this conclusion after studying 36 of Rembrandt's self-portraits. Because he could not form a normal binocular vision, his brain automatically switched to one eye for many visual tasks. This disability could have helped him to flatten images he saw, and then put it onto the two-dimensional canvas. In Livingstone's words, this could have been a gift to a great painter like him, "Art teachers often instruct students to close one eye in order to flatten what they see. Therefore, stereo blindness might not be a handicap — and might even be an asset — for some artists." However, among Rembrandt's greatest talents was an ability to create the illusion of full volume, the perception of which requires healthy stereoptic vision."

I discovered I had this problem of stereo blindness when I was in graduate school by having the most thorough eye exam I ever had at the University teaching hospital. When this goes undiscovered the brain ultimately suppresses the information coming from one eye rather than trying to constantly bring the two images together (which is very tiring physically). I agree that it did help me learn to draw at a very early age exactly for the reason Livingston states that it helps to flatten everything out. It is a silver lining to a problem that seems tragic in some ways for instance if you want to play baseball. The picture at the beginning of this entry is what I see when I am not wearing my glasses. It made it a bit hard to get a hit which is why I quit baseball after peewee league but that's another (painful) story.

June 2007

We normally have our swimming pool up and swimable by Memorial day and heaven knows we tried this year but it just didn't happen. We even started earlier than normal since art camp was starting sooner. But to our dismay we discovered a giant two foot rip in our vinyl pool liner. This means not only do I have to bail out all the old nasty, slimy, water that we let sit over winter without a cover but I am also going to have to replace the liner.

I did some looking on the web and foundsome pretty good step by step instructions. It looked really difficult so I decided to hire someone to replace it. When I found out the guy wanted $600.00 I quickly decided to do it myself (I'm not a dutchman for nothing). So I called up Warehouse Pool Supply and got a price for a beaded pool liner (for those without a pool there are two types of liners beaded and overlap). He said they had one in thier warehouse and he could get in the next day. So I called a couple of other places and checked on the web and decided they had a good price and from good dealings with them in the past decided to order from them. I called back and placed the order for a beaded liner. Now the guy tells me it won't be here tomorrow but the next day. So when I call the next day they tell me it won't be there until Friday. I go by on my way home from work on Friday and pick it up. On Saturday I am getting the old liner torn out after taking off the metal lip and realize I don't have the gaskets to put back on with the new liner. So my wife and I decide to drive in to Austin to get the gaskets. I had one of those mysterious heavenly promptings to check the new liner before we left and sure enough I do not have a beaded liner, they sold me an overlap liner. We pack the liner into the car and drive into Warehouse Pool Supply. Lo and Behold they do NOT have a beaded liner in their warehouse but will have to order it. It will cost twice as much and take two weeks. I declined the offer and got a refund. The weird thing is they never apologized for their mistake. Bad customer service but nothing compared to the next company I dealt with: National Pool Wholesalers.

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE. I searched the web and these folks had a great price and free delivery. I call them up before placing my order and asked how long the liner will take to get to me: 1-1/2 to two weeks. I'm not happy about it but under the circumstances I can't complain. I placed my order. At 1 week I started calling because I had not gotten notice of the liner shipping. The stonewalling begins. All they will tell me is that it hasn't shipped yet. I called and called and called again until 3 weeks had gone by. Really bad customer service. I finally canceled the order.

I called up Atex Family Fun Center who said they had a liner in stock for more than twice the amount of the last two I had ordered but I went ahead and bit the bullet and bought it. I took off Wednesday from work and after putting the liner on three times trying to get all the wrinkles out my wife and I finally got it on correctly. We started filling it up and finally Saturday I got all of the plumbing hooked up and the pool is beautiful, clear and most refreshing. We are open for business, only two weeks later than usual. We now know how to put in a pool liner but by the time I have to do it again I'm surely to have forgotten how.

I have just about finished a commission for Jason Haskins and his bride to be Rebecca Fairweather. Jason, who is an architect and an artist among many other things, designed a house to be for them to build once they are married. The wedding is next month. In the house he designed a chapel wall that is 3 feet wide and 10 feet tall. He asked me to design and paint a triptych for the wall of the Holy Family, St John Evangelist and St. Cecilia. The paintings are also going to be used in their wedding procession and put near the altar.

The arrangement will make a cross shape. I have chosen the theme presented in the Gospel of John that nothing was created without him (Jesus). So the bottom painting shows St. John writing the prologue to his gospel where that scripture is found. Around the candle are represntations of the six days of creation. In the middle picture is the Holy Family where Mary is reading Psalm 30 to Jesus...That all things were created by the word and the heavenly hosts by his breath. Jesus is playing with clay modeling the 4 heavenly creatures mentioned in Revelation (one of which is the eagle also the symbol of St. John the evangelist. The top painting depicts St. Cecilia surrounded by the heavenly host (mentioned in Psalm 30) with their instruments. I have St. Cecilia holding an oboe as Miss Fairweather is a musician and the oboe is her instrument.

I have really enjoyed doing this commission and as always am ready to take on new commisions.

If you don't already know I'm having a big 25 anniversary sale. I realized the other day that I graduated from the University of Iowa with an MFA in 1982. 25 years of painting and around 250 paintings later I decided to celebrate by offering all of my paintings for 50% off. I've already sold four paintings so go on over to www.bcartfarm.com and check it out!

May 2007

It's the time of year we start eating out of the garden. Fresh green beans and potatoes can't be beat! My lovely wife is the primary gardener and I am the helper called on for mowing, tilling and harvesting. We don't use pesticides and make our own mulch.

We are also getting lots of berries good for cobbler, putting in pancakes or just eating on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

Because of all the rain we've had this spring we are also having a bumper crop of wild plums. Lissa makes them into wild plum jam! Yum! Yum!

Besides making tasty jam they are the most beautiful colors. They are a joy just to pick. I've been cultivating our little wild orchard for the past couple of years and we are getting a good harvest. I can't wait for the tomatos to start getting ripe. Bon appetit!

Nativity • oil on canvas • James B. Jankengt
Happy Mother's Day!!

As a new Catholic I would especially like to give thanks for our Blessed Mother whom Jesus gave to us as he hung on the cross. For we believe that the words he spoke to St. John "Son, Behold your Mother." are also meant for the whole Church so the Mother of God also becomes my mother as Jesus is my brother.

Thanks to my mother who has gone on to her reward and also to my beloved wife who is a wonderful mother to my daughter. To all mothers everywhere: God's richest blessings!!

Thanks to the Summa Mamas for showcasing my artwork on their Fine Art Friday web page. They say some very nice things about my work which is always gratifying. Thanks again.

In honor the feast of St. Joseph the worker (a day late).

I painted this painting of the Holy Family, with Joseph in his wood shop teaching Jesus how to build a chair. Jesus is holding the last two legs and happens to be making a cross, a portent of his future sacrifice. Mary is bringing refreshments to her family and crushes a snake on the path, a reference to the protoevangelium in Genesis. Around the border are several carpenter's tools, the flowering staff, the sign of Joseph's providence to be Mary's betrothed and two of Jospeh's dreams, one where the angel tells him it is OK to marry Mary inspite of her pregnancy and the other where the angel tells him to flee into Egypt. St. Josph pray for us that as husbands and fathers we can be faithful providers, examples of love and purity and protectors of all those who have been entrusted to our care.