A Slow Start

I haven't been as productive as I needed to be. Today I took a break. I did put the sketch of the lighthouse on canvas, but that's about all that has been done in the last couple days. Tomorrow is another day. I will do better. And yes, I forgive myself for being a little lazy. We all go through times like that. Thank goodness we make up for it by working extra hard at other times. See the photo below used for reference and inspiration. Also the sketch on canvas. I'm ready to work.

After the Rain

We had a nice rain yesterday which is unusual for this part of the country during this time of year. Everything looks so green and refreshed today. I am less tired and more refreshed also. I have roughed in a new painting and can hardly wait to begin. I have been thinking color, unexpected color and also thinking about large graphic shapes. I showed a friend my latest few paintings. She had sold my previous lavender field and French cafe paintings which were in an impressionist style. She liked my new graphic painting style. Positive feedback - makes an artist feel good.

My Paintings Are Home Again!

When the three different shops that were selling my paintings closed, I was able to go to two of the three locations and retrieve my paintings which had not sold. The shop that was located an hour away closed before I could make it there to pick up my paintings. My friend who worked at that location took the paintings home with her and I met her this morning to pick up the four unsold paintings. It was good to have the paintings returned to me, but it was also nice to sit and have coffee with my friend and find out where she is working now and how she is doing. She is working at two different locations in Carmel Valley, one of which is a gallery of local Carmel artists. Things are working well for her and she seems happy.
Now that my paintings are "home", I need to temporarily place them in my etsy.com shop until they sell or I find another shop to sell them. So, I will be busy, busy listing and keeping up with them on the website. Also I will start making high resolution digital files of some of my paintings to print. I have my next graphic lighthouse painting lined up to do. Busy, busy, busy. Happy, happy, happy.

A Wide Appeal

Yesterday my promo on etsy.com netted a total of "zero" sales. So now I have to stand back and analyze this. I have gotten plenty of exposure on this one website. Lots of people have marked my items and my shop as favorites. My paintings are being included in lots of treasury lists. So what is the problem? It could be that my paintings were mainly done for a certain market. I painted lots of French landscape and cafe scenes for a shop which displayed and sold them. That market no longer exists. I need to find items to paint that will appeal to a much larger group of people. I need to paint things that people would want to put up in their living rooms. Not everyone likes or wants to purchase a lavender field painting, no matter how lovely it looks. Perhaps this items should be put in digital format and made into greeting cards? They eventually will sell, just have to find the right place to sell them. Now, to figure out what appeals to the masses.

Great Expectations!

Is your glass half empty or half full? I choose to think that mine is half full. Today I have a promo slot at the top of the art/painting page on etsy.com to help draw people into my etsy shop and promote sales of my paintings. Sales may or may not happen, but promoting your work, getting your art out in front of the people can never hurt. It can sometimes be hard to stay positive when sales are slow. Today, with the extra exposure my shop is receiving, I choose to stay positive. I have great expectations!

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Friends are important in every aspect of our life. Friends who support and help us in our artistic journey are invaluable. I have been very fortunate lately to have made friends with other etsy.com shop owners who are marking my paintings as favorites and also featuring some of my paintings in their treasury lists. That may not sound like such a big deal, but viewing treasury lists that others have created is one way to shop on etsy. My circle of friends is growing. The exposure my paintings are getting is growing as well. Tomorrow I will have a featured promo slot in the painting section at the top of the page. It is another way to showcase my shop and get more exposure and more sales. I'm doing whatever I can to get my art out there. It feels good to have such a wonderful support group. Now, let's bring on the sales!

Finally Finished!

After a week of interruptions and real crazy things to deal with, I had a relatively calm afternoon yesterday and was able to spend enough time on my painting to finish it. I am pleased. This is the second lighthouse painting in my graphic lighthouse series. I plan to offer prints of the finished series. Below is the photo of the finished painting. Now, to plan and start the next painting in the series. The process never stops. Plan, paint, finish, start again, with a little marketing and promotion in there as well.