Meet The Artist Behind Ascender Rises Above & Enter To Win Some Great Art

Detail from Unraveling Yellow acrylic on canvas by Ascender Rises Above

Last spring I stumbled onto the wonderful artwork of Jacquelyn Berl (aka Ascender Rises Above). First I was smitten by the vibrant colors in her acrylics on canvas.  Rhapsody in Plume brought to mind the energetic nature paintings of Charles Burchfield, one of my favorite artists.

 Rhapsody In Plume; acrylic on canvas by Ascender Rises Above

Exploring Jacquelyn's website AscenderRisesAbove.com I was tickled by the fantastic textures and details of Scatterlings © series. The originals include bits of plants & flowers in addition to inks and watercolors. They also contain hidden, ehem, models.

Here is a detail from one of the Scatterlings© pieces. You can read more about this charming series here. With so much going on in each picture, it is easy to see why this series is popular with kids too.

Jacquelyn's website also features her bold collages

Annie by Ascender Rises Above

And graphic pointillism drawings

A Passion For The Past by Ascender Rises Above

As well as works done in pastels, on tiles, and variety of other mediums.  

If you like what you see, when you've finished here be sure to pop over to Jacquelyn's website and have good look around. Also, click here if you'd like to take a photo tour of her Studio; she stopped by my blog last Saturday to give us a tour.  

Lucky for us,  this wonderful artist has also dropped by today for a visit ..... and to sponsor the new Thursday Giveaway. Giveaway details can be found further down this post in red. Now let's find out a little more about Jacquelyn Berl, the creative force behind Ascender©.

JB: While working for my Associates of Fine Arts degree in interior design, I was vice president of the student American Society of Interior Designers. I spent ten years doing contract and residential perspective renderings/interior design.

 perspective rendering by Ascender - click here for more interiors

JB: I then expanded my horizons into that of a graphic and fine artist. I have done a great deal of community work, including contributions of graphic work for several non profits. A particular favorite non profit project was the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Wyoming in the the Children's Discovery center, in addition to aiding in graphic needs on newsletters and special promotions on the marketing committee.

JB: I began selling my fine artwork privately, donating some proceeds to non-profit organizations. I've held several exhibits of my work which have combined my artistic vision with a variety of artistic media and form: pointillism, dry pastels, mixed media watercolor and Scatterlings© (a collection of self-directed enchantment art.

JB: I'm presently working on an upcoming illustrated novel. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to be alerted on the book publication date.

Thanks for stopping by today, Jacquelyn, to talk about yourself and your work. To find out more about why Jacquelyn became an artist and how her work has evolved over the years, check out this great interview.

Now as a special treat, Jacquelyn has generously donated 2 limited edition prints to the new Thursday Giveaway. On 7/29 two winners will each take home 1 print of their choosing. 

To enter the random drawing, simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on 7/29.  For a second entry,  click here to visit Ascender Rises Above & leave a comment there too. 1 winner will be randomly selected from each site. This drawing is open to USA residents only and the print ships for free with in the United States. Each print measures 11" x 17". (And if you have the time,please check out this wonderful selection of prints & let us know the title of your favorite.)

I know I'm a little long winded today, but before we finish I wanted to mention a special offer that Jacquelyn is running right now. For the next 2 weeks, she is holding a sale of her 11" x 17" limited edition prints. Each piece is printed to the border, signed and dated on the back. They are printed on 80 lb Dull cover paper with HP Indigo inks on an Indigo 5000 press ( a commercial printer, not a home printer).

Until 7/29 these prints are either "Buy one, get one half-off" or "Buy 2 prints get a third for free". Customers gets to choose which sale they want to apply. Click here for all the details & be sure to notify Jacques which sale you are choosing.

Thanks, Everyone, for popping by today. I really enjoy pulling together these artist features & random drawings. And it is your interest that keeps them coming. Please remember to leave a comment to enter Ascender's fantastic giveaway.

Some more places where you can find Jacquelyn and her art online:
Ascender Rises Above Site
Ascender on Linked In
Ascender's Squidoo
Ascender on Art Bistro
Ascender on Facebook
Ascender Facebook Fan Page
Ascender on Twitter
Check out What's On My Desk