Busy, Busy, Busy!

Wow! This week has flown by and I have been busy every single day. I started the week off with an art marketing class, taught by Paula Cundiff.  With the economy the way it is, I feel like I need all the help I can get in terms of marketing my art. And I am not a good sales person, so this class is just the thing I need to get me motivated to do whatever I can to get my artwork out there and, hopefully, sell one or two...or three....  Paula has already given me some ideas in terms of revamping my approach to marketing my work, and you all will probably see some little changes here as I learn these new skills. 

I have been working on several paintings this week, too--going back and forth between acrylics and oil.  The portrait of Charlie is coming along--still lots of detail to add, but I'm beginning to like the colors and the "feel" of the painting. Since I did use a flash when taking the photograph--the photo was for a class I took in pet photography--I'm trying to soften the shadows so they don't have the harsh, border-like look caused by the flash.  I'm liking the color of Charlie's fur and I've added a little more detail in his eyes. They're still not where I want them yet.

I finished the acrylics painting I started several weeks ago. This is a scene from my trip to Ireland. The paint around the window was chipping and yellowed, and that is what I tried to portray in my painting. I don't think I'll frame this one because the darker color around the window, I think serves as a frame for the whole piece. 

And finally, here is what's on the easel now--a small piece, in acrylics, that I'm doing for fun. This is my daughter's dog, Mollie--who fell asleep on our end table. She seemed to fit right in with the other junk on the table, so I'm calling it "Knick Knack Mollie."  Here, I'm trying to portray the way the light from the lamp has changed the color of her fur--from a warm, yellowish white on her body, to a bluish-purple on her face.  Not finished yet, of course.  

Tomorrow is the Shelby County No Kill Mission seminar with Nathan Winograd.  I will be setting up a display of some of my pet portraits before the lecture. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a commission or two for pet portraits. Sheesh! No wonder I'm tired!