Practice Makes Perfect!

I was looking through my computer at the images I have taken of my paintings over the past 8 years. It was a little surprising to me to find I had so done so many paintings. Looking through all the old paintings was a good thing to do in that it helped show me that over the past several years, I have improved quite a bit. Though I went to art school, I had a job at a printing company. It required different skills than those needed to create a painting. I was mainly doing page layout and design on a computer. Definitely not as creative as putting your paint brush to canvas. At any rate, when I was looking over the photos in iPhoto on my MacBook I was able to see that I had done quite a lot of paintings. The end result was that the more I painted, the more my work improved. You know what they say, "Practice makes perfect." Well, I'm still practicing. Maybe one day I can look at something I painted and say, "That's perfect!"

Use What You Have and Share What You No Longer Need

Today I've been thinking of a friend of mine who is an artist in Santa Fe. She has been very good at stretching her resources and making do with what little she has. In order to be able to support herself she works in the evenings two days a week. She started out working in pastels. She did absolutely gorgeous cloud paintings in pastel. Then one day she went to a yard sale. An artist was moving out of the area and she was selling canvas and acrylic paints. My friend bought those supplies and changed her medium from pastel to acrylics. One of my last visits back to Santa Fe I noticed that her paintings were getting less colorful. She was painting using lots of browns and oranges and the scenes were more muted. Right before I packed up my things and moved from New Mexico I called my struggling artist friend and gave her all my canvas and acrylics I had there. I had plenty of art supplies in California and did not need these art supplies. She was so excited. I use a lot of bright cheerful colors normally in my paintings. So now my friend can paint away and not have to limit herself to the few remaining paints she had. She has lots of canvas and paint to last her for many, many months. It was a good feeling. My canvas and paint were not wasted. They went to a friend who really works hard and appreciates the gift.

Changing Your Color Palette

Have you ever noticed certain artists using the same basic color palette consistently? I can sometimes pick out an artist whose work I am following just by their color palette. I think that lately with the particular subject matter I was painting that my color palette became very predictable. I was painting a lot of lavender fields so the color palette was various purples and blues and greens with yellow to contrast the purple fields. Now that I have started a new series of paintings I can change my color palette and that makes me extremely happy. I enjoy experimenting with color and seeing what works in each particular situation. For example, my new painting of redwoods will still use some purple, but it will be used in the dark areas of the trees and shadow areas. I am using a very subdued tint of blue for the sky in the background in order for the redwood trees to dramatically stand out. It is fun to see other colors in my color palette. I am no longer being predictable in what colors I choose to use in my paintings. Changing your color palette is a good thing!

My New Series of Paintings

Today I start a new painting, the second in my graphic series of landscapes. Starting a new series has given me a new zeal and I have the next painting in mind before I actually finish my current project. It is like that at times. The ideas just seem to rush at me. Then again at other times I stare at a blank canvas and seem to reach the proverbial "brick wall", no ideas even though I have lots of photos and clippings and magazines. At times like these when the inspiration won't come, it is good to get out of the studio and just take a walk in the park. Visiting a gallery helps as well. It always helps to see what other artists are doing. Of course you do not want to exactly copy what they are doing, but you can examine the technique or get an idea of a different way to express yourself. Thus far the painting I have done in this new series has not turned out exactly as I envisioned, but I am exploring and learning a different way to express myself and that is a wonderful feeling.

An Artist's Prerogative

I have finished the first of several new paintings using a different painting style. I am painting in layers and using more graphic elements in my paintings. The plan is to do a series of about 5 or 6 paintings to try and perfect this technique. It has been fun painting in a different manner, thinking about how to compose and how to build each layer. At the moment, I think my first painting in this series is finished. The reason I say "at the moment" is that I reserve the artist's right to change his work at a later time if I so choose. In other words, I may learn something along this journey and want to go back and apply to this painting. That is an artist's prerogative.

Layer By Layer

My current painting experiment using graphic elements is steadying taking form, layer by layer. I worked on the clouds in the background first, knowing that they would be partially covered by the trees in the foreground. The next layer to be painted was the green trees in the distance. Yesterday I worked on the trees in the foreground. I painted some of the darker leaf areas and today hopefully will finish the painting with the lighter leaf colors, patterns and details. It is a fun experiment. I plan to do a series of paintings exploring this style of painting.

Holiday? Day Off? Vacation From Work?

When you do what you love you seldom ever take any time off. You have no time schedule. You have no time card to punch. You work at the hours that work best for you. You basically work all the time but it doesn't feel like it. Today is a holiday, but to me everyday feels that way. When I am able to sit on my stool behind my easel, I feel like truly alive. It brings me pleasure. It gives me such joy that I don't feel like taking a day off from work. Everyday is a holiday. Everyday is a vacation from work. Painting isn't work, it's my enjoyment. When it turns into a job or becomes restrictive or doesn't satisfy those longings and passions within me, that is the day I will find another passion to explore and enjoy. No more work for me. When I am painting, everyday is a holiday.

Happy Little Clouds

While working on the sky and clouds that are part of the background of my current painting, I noticed that they took on a life of their own. They seemed to have movement and be playful. It is not a starry night type energy like Van Gogh's sky, but rather a playful, happy little sky. The cloud shapes reminded me of Bob Ross and his Joy of Painting series where he talks about "happy little clouds." I am not quite sure my clouds are happy little clouds, but I sure had fun painting them and I am happy with the results so far. While taking my painting in a more graphic direction, it may be evolving into something else. I am enjoying the departure from the usual impressionistic way that I paint. I am not sure if the clouds are happy, but I certainly am!

Time to Think

I woke up early this morning. No, I am not usually an early riser. I think I woke up early because I am excited to be painting something different. I started a new painting yesterday and I am using a more graphic approach, trying to paint in a different manner than the way I usually paint. I am just sitting and looking at the painting and thinking about it. I'm thinking about what to do next and what shapes I am happy with or what might need to change. Probably wouldn't excite anyone else except me. I have only worked on the sky by putting in very graphic shapes for clouds. Thinking about pleasing shapes and the positive and negative space. It is just a beginning but I kinda like it. At least at this point. Who's to say how it will evolve and take shape? Anyway, at this point no one can tell that my reference photo is of beautiful yellow golden trees against a visit blue sky. Here's what it looks like so far.

Changing Directions

When I painted portraits they were done in a realistic style. When I painted flowers I experimented and changed my style a little. Since I've been doing mainly landscapes and cafe scenes for awhile my style and my work has become more impressionistic. Now I am ready to change my painting style once again and experiment. I have been drawn to other artist's work that is mainly graphic and bold in nature. This attraction could be because of my printing and graphics background. At any rate, I have decided to play around and paint in a more deliberately graphic way. I have posted one of the last paintings I did for the shop that displayed my work. It was a more graphic style and I want to explore that more. Who knows? It may turn out to be a better way for me to approach painting. It's not unusual for painters to change their painting styles. Not to directly compare myself to Picasso, but he started out very "realistic" and went through a "blue period" a "rose period" and ended up with "cubism." It is very typical of artists to do something one way for a certain length of time and develop some expertise in that method and then move on to other things. I think an artist is usually not only perfecting his or her skills but tries to push the envelope and do something different. Today is the day that I start doing that something different. I have gotten reverence photos and gone through the mental process of how to go about changing to a more graphic style. I have even read magazine articles written by artists who take a more graphic approach to painting. I have the canvas and paints and will start this experiment today. I don't expect to have a masterpiece with the first attempt but am excited to be taking my art in a new direction. This might have never happened if the shops who sell my art were staying open. The change was for the best. I'm going in a different direction.

Much Ado About Nothing

When I picked up a painting and found the canvas torn I fretted and concerned myself with repairing it. Repair turned out to be easy. The rip was about one inch across and from the middle of the horizontal tear there was another rip vertically that was about an inch and a half. I thought it was going to be noticeable and difficult to repair. I searched around on the internet on how to repair the canvas. I even watched a YouTube video on how to repair. I went to an art supply store and bought a special acid free glue. The repair was so easy. I cut a patch of unpainted canvas, used the side that had no gesso applied, and applied the glue to the backside of the ripped canvas area and to the patch. I waited a few minutes to allow the glue to become tacky and then pressed the patch firmly in place. I allowed 24 hours for the glue to dry completely. The glue which was a special acid free glue actually looked like Elmer's school glue. It was white when applied and dried clear. I flipped the canvas back over to the painted side. I mixed my acrylics and repainted the damaged area only. I have attached a close-up of the repaired area. I cannot find the torn and repaired area at all. Success! It was much ado about nothing.

Same Basic Painting, Various Sizes

I recently did a painting of a lavender field as seen through the trees with mountains in the background. I later did a larger version of the painting and added in tall yellow grasses in the foreground with the tree limbs. I know a lot of artists today make prints or gicleés of their works. I remember that on one particular visit to Paris I went to Rodin's home and museum. I viewed his personal art collection and was surprised to see hanging on a wall a small version of "Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe" (The Picnic) done by Edouard Manet. I had seen the full size version in the Museé d'Orsay. Perhaps the sculptor Rodin requested a smaller version for his personal collection. Anyway, if a certain painting has been well received, you can consider either painting another version of it a different size or have prints made to sell at a reduced cost. Either way, it's not unheard of to paint the same scene twice (or even more than that).
To the right you will see the photo of the painting I did two different sizes. The larger painting did sell. I just placed the smaller one online to try to sell. The only difference between the two paintings is the omission of grasses in the foreground on the smaller painting.

Temporary Home Online

I am busy writing descriptions and placing my art online. Sure, it looks great on my wall, but it would look great on someone else's wall too. During the interim period, until I find a new gallery or shop to place my art, I will list my paintings with the smaller pieces of art that I have on etsy.com. It is a solution that may generate some sales with minimum amount of effort and expense. Happy to have a place to show my art.
The painting I listed today on etsy.com is also shown to my right. It was painted to go into the small French shop downtown that is closing. It never made it into the shop. The painting is of a window and doorway of a house in Provence. It was a fun departure for me in that I mainly painted lavender fields and cafe scenes to sell at that location.

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone - Paint Something Different

When we paint in a certain style or even a certain subject matter, over time our skills improve and it becomes easier and easier to paint that subject. The problem is that we should be pushing ourselves to do something different. Get out of that comfort zone! After painting a lot of similar types of scenes from France, it was refreshing to go back and do some pet portraits. It has been a long time since I've done any pet portraits, but I have done quite a few over the years and actually enjoy it. Going back to painting that subject matter keeps those particular skills alive that are needed for portraiture. It also helps mix things up and keep the creativity flowing. Take a day off from the usual things you paint. Do something different!

Artist's In-Home Gallery

One positive result of recently picking up all my unsold paintings from the shops where they were being sold, is that now I have my art displayed at my home. I have added 15 new paintings to display areas in the condo to create my own personal in-home artist gallery. Perhaps my house could now be included in seasonal art tours. I loved living in New Mexico where so many other artists live. They often opened up their homes and studios for art tours. It was a wonderful experience. And until I am included in an art tour, or until I find another place to display my paintings, I rather like looking at the walls and seeing some of my favorite paintings hanging there!

Two Doors Closing, One Door Staying Open

Today I removed my paintings from a shop in a second location. I removed paintings from one shop last week. Now I have only one physical brick and mortar location that displays and sells my art. As far as I know, it will remain open. I will know for sure by mid-summer when the owners of the shop have to renew their lease. It has been a great relationship with them displaying my art at no charge and the profit being divided evenly between the two of us. They have done a great job displaying and promoting my work. Many, many thanks go to the two of them and the excellent staff who sell my art. I can look at this in a negative way and say "the glass is 2/3's empty" or I can be more positive and say "the glass is 1/3 full". Well, at least with two doors closing I still have one door open.

Life "Sans" Clutter Is Good

I finally got my little corner of the world in order. It is no longer chaos. It is neat, well relatively neat, and I know where everything is. It's a wonderful feeling. My painting area is in order but it is not a sterile environment. I don't think I could be creative if things where too orderly. I need a little bit of photos and ideas for paintings etc. strewn about, but not too messy. I think I have found the balance I needed. I feel like painting again! Let's get to it.

The Painting With A Hole In It

When I picked up a painting recently from a shop that displays my work I noticed a tear in the canvas. I am not assigning blame to the shop. I'm not sure exactly how the tear occurred. It could have been a result of moving the canvases to a different location. It could have happened when I gathered them up to take them from the shop. How it happened really doesn't matter. Repairing it will be my next project. The painting may never sell in that it was damaged, but I like the painting and would not mind keeping it in my personal collection. Some research will need to be done on my part as to how to best repair it. I think I can patch it on the back and then change the painting to a more impasto painting with thicker application of paint in the damaged area. Not sure how to fix it but I know it can be done. Some research on the internet is called for, I think. Perhaps I can have a damaged painting sale and reduce the price and sell it after it is repaired? Not really angry or upset that the painting is damaged. It gives me an opportunity to learn how to make the repairs. C'est la vie!

His Taste Is All In His Mouth!

My old boss of many years at the printing company had a saying, "His taste is all in his mouth!" He of course was referring to clients who were adamant to have the layout of whatever they were having printed done exactly the way they wanted it, in the color they wanted, etc., even though it looked hideous. There is just no accounting for taste. Art is very subjective. Some people can only relate to a piece of art that is very realistic, almost like a photograph. Some people like wild and crazy outsider art. The preferences are personal. Maybe a certain image makes a connection and sparks a memory of times past. You just never know what exactly will attract a person to a piece of art. If you don't particularly care for a painting, someone else may love it. Case in point, I did not care for a painting I did in a different color palette than I usually use. Someone else saw it and wanted it where they could look at it while it was being displayed to sell in a shop. So, though a painting may not be your favorite, someone else may fall in love with it. Experiment around. Change your color palette a little. See if small changes like that make a difference in whether your art sells or is liked by others.

Experiment With Color

I recently went through some old canvases that did not sell. I chose one of the unsold paintings and repainted it and had lots of fun experimenting with color. The original painting was okay, nice but nothing special. Reworking the painting and adding more color added a wow factor to the painting and now I really like the painting. The painting went from nice to really nice. Don't be afraid to add color and rework an old painting that did not sell.

Working Hours

There is a certain amount of freedom to being an artist and not working a regular 9 to 5 job. Just how can you regulate your working hours and be profitable? Too few hours worked can mean no income coming in. Do you treat being an artist like a regular job and work 40 hours a week during the week and take off on weekends? Well, most artists I know work most days, not just five days. It is a business and it's success depends on the time you spend working at it. You not only have to spend time creating works of art but you also have to think about composition and color and work out the layout prior to beginning. Also you need to deal with the marketing end of the business. So, though you have the freedom to work the hours you would like and the times of the day you would like, there is an awful lot of time that goes into your small art business. I sometimes can go days and not be very inspired or productive. I use those days to work at marketing. Then at times I am very productive, having in mind the next project while currently working on a painting. I may have weeks that I am busy at my easel and happily involved in many projects. But, it comes and goes as inspiration comes and goes. Your working hours may vary, but the main thing is to keep plugging away at it and make your art business grow while still keeping the art fresh and enjoyable to do. Yes, it is a job, but it is also a pleasure and a passion and something you must do to express yourself, be it with painting or whatever creative venture with which you are involved.

Are All Artists Messy or Is It Just Me?

I promise you that I start out organized. Everything has its place. My paints, my brushes, canvases, photos, magazines, etc. all have their special place. Somehow over time my neat, well-organized work area turns into an absolute mess where disorder and disarray rule the day. Paints never seem to find their way back to their drawer. Brushes are strewn about everywhere. There are piles and piles of photos and magazine clippings and various odd and out of place items everywhere. Help! I think it is time to stop and get organized. I think I go threw this process at least twice a year. You would think I would learn to put everything back in its proper place. But no, I can't seem to be able to do it. I start out doing it but for some strange reason I think I feel more creative in a bit of clutter. Perhaps not as much clutter as I have now, but a too neat work area can be just as distracting as a too messy area. I spent one afternoon working on organizing my work station. Hopefully one more afternoon will do it and I will be in a better organized work station and be able to find my paints and brushes and other materials without too much effort.
To answer my question about artists, most of my friends who are artists tend to be a bit messy but try to put away brushes and other materials at the end of the day. One artist friend of mine who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico can to be quite messy. She has been know to nail a piece of unstretched canvas to the wall in her studio and throw paint at it. I don't do that. At least I put newspaper around to catch the misguided drips and splatters.

Too Much Inventory

Well, I was mistaken yesterday. The little shop downtown that sells some of my paintings has not closed its doors yet. It was open today. The lease will end at the end of the month so I took the opportunity today to pick up the paintings that I had at that location. I will make trips to the other two shop locations soon and retrieve my art from those shops as well. It has been a very good business relationship for the past three years. In this difficult economy I have seen a lot of shops open only to close a year or two later. I wish the shop owners luck in their new ventures. They are a very nice couple and have been very nice to me and given me the opportunity to show and sell my art. Many thanks and much appreciation go out to them.
Now that I have retrieved some of the paintings, I am realizing that I have an awful lot of inventory! The walls of the condo were already looking like an art gallery. Maybe I could treat this place like a museum and charge admission? Seriously, I need to make a plan to store the paintings properly and place some of them in another location or two. It will happen. I will also start to increase my online sales. For the time being I'll deal with having art everywhere I look. That's not a bad problem to have.

C'est La Vie

C'est la vie. Such is life! I don't want to fill this blog with lots of clichés. But some days seem to be filled with clichés. This is one of those days.
I went down into town and saw the doors locked and a "closed" sign in the window in the middle of the day at one of the shops that sells my paintings. It wasn't a big surprise. I knew the lease would not be renewed and this location would close its doors, but I wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly. Now I need to just start working on finding another place to sell my art. I know of a possibility but am not sure it is the right place to place my art. I am certain that I will find another location that is willing to sell my art on consignment.
To quote another cliché, "when one door closes, another door opens."

Commissioned Art, Consignment Pieces or Both?

It is nice to place one's art in a shop or gallery and let someone else try to sell it for you. You generally only get 50% of the listed price. The other 50% goes to the shop or gallery. Usually the prices on these consignment pieces are higher to be able to afford the split in the money received. Doing commissioned pieces, art requested by the recipient, at an agreed upon price is also a good option. The person buying the art usually provides you with a photo or has you come to their house to do a sitting with the subject. Often the commissioned piece is of a person, or a pet and sometimes of a favorite scene. Sometimes a person has seen a particular piece of art hanging in a gallery and wants a different size or maybe a different color palette, therefore they contact you, the artist, to paint a piece to their particular specifications. So should you do consignment pieces in a gallery or sell a commissioned painting directly to the individual? My answer is both. Don't limit your potential buyers by only doing one or the other, do both!

No Instant Results

Well, my attempt at a little more exposure on etsy.com did not result in any paintings being sold. Nothing, nada, nil, zero, zip! Though there were no sales as a result, there was an increase in hits on my online store. So, though the results were not instant, I am hopeful that the exposure of a showcase of my art was worth the effort and the money. Only time will tell.
In the local shops that sell my paintings people come and look. Sometimes they inquire about the art. Sometimes they make several trips back to look at a particular painting that they like. Then they buy. It is seldom an instant thing. It is more like a process.
No instant results, but not discouraged at all. You have to keep working at the marketing. Things will sell. The right person will come along and see what you are doing and purchase it. It just doesn't happen overnight.

Promote Your Art

Artists are usually only interested in doing their art. The business end of promoting their art and getting it sold is something they seldom enjoy. Unfortunately the art doesn't sell itself.
Today I bought a small promotional slot on etsy.com under the art/painting section. It was inexpensive and a way to get some exposure. It could ultimately lead to a few sales. The items I have placed on the website are small, relatively inexpensive pieces that I have done as studies for larger works. I have sold some larger, more expensive pieces of art on another website, but usually I sell those larger items in a local shop which showcases my work. This is only one way to promote your art.
The painting I listed today is one of 24 paintings in my online store on etsy.com. The promotional showcase spot will link buyers and interested lookers to the page where the item is listed for sale and also to my shop. If no sales, then at least I would have had some lookers. The potential buyer could mark my painting or shop as a favorite and come back later and purchase something.
Try a different promotional idea from time to time. Don't just paint - show your art, get as many viewers as possible and see the sales come in!

Inspiration and Ideas Are Everywhere

I recently took a two day break from painting. I've discovered that even though I am busy doing things with family and friends and celebrating birthdays, etc., I still think about art. Even though I may not have been physically painting, the creative juices were still flowing.
I received photos and ideas of things to paint from friends who recently saw some of my lavender fields that were painted within the past year. When I am in a bookstore I find myself looking at art magazines and buying a few which have articles that help me in areas where I still struggle or that feature artists whose works are particularly appealing to me. If I go into a store and see art on the wall, I find myself studying the technique and seeing what I might learn from what that particular artist has done. I find inspiration from everywhere.
I may not paint every day, but I paint most days. I paint not because I "have to" paint, but because I "want to" paint. The more you paint, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better artist you become.

Thanks

Today is my birthday. It is a time to stop and think about all the people in my life. I am grateful for family and friends who have seen a bit of talent or potential and encouraged me. I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had over the years to learn and to be creative. A big note of gratitude goes out to those who have worked selling my art or bought one of my paintings. It makes me feel very fulfilled to see someone buy my art and like what I have painted. I don't take anything for granted. With a happy and grateful heart I say "thank you" to all of you!

Permission to Fail

Yes, that's correct. You have permission to fail. We sometimes expect everything we paint to be exceptional. I hate to break it to you, but that is not the case. Sometimes we struggle with a particular painting and are never completely satisfied with it. That's fine. If you set it aside for a certain length of time you may see what it is that is not working. You may come across something that another artist has painted that inspires you to take the painting in another direction. So, today I give you and myself permission to fail. In failing we have the opportunity to start over again and who knows where that will lead us? That's a freeing thought, isn't it? Sometimes we get into a rut. Start over. Go in a completely different direction. You will not regret it. It will get the creative juices flowing again. Happy painting!