The Eyes Have It

Today's painting for the 30/30 challenge is a study in composition and shape.  Again, I started out thinking I would do the entire head of my little Cavalier, Charlie.  But when I laid it out on the 3 x 3 inch canvas, I decided it was just another head shot, and wanted to make it more interesting.  I was intrigued by the way his eye seemed to echo one side of his nose, and how the shape of the red-brown fur around his eye was almost the inverse of the white on his nose and face.  I think my recent interest in Zentangles influenced this piece as well. As I painted, I completely forgot about it being my dog's face and immersed myself in the shapes. Imagine folding the piece in half:  the parts would almost fit over one another. This was a fun piece to paint!

After I warmed up with the daily painting, I moved on to one of my commissions.  Still a lot of fine tuning to do on this one, but here's "Hope."

And you know, it's not too early to be thinking about Christmas...so if you'd like to commission a portrait for that special someone, or as a gift to yourself (hey, why not???), just send me a note! I have gift certificates available, too. I also have a couple of special projects in the works. I'll be posting details soon, so be sure to check back!  

The Business of Art? Not So Scary After All!

"Windstalker"
by Stephanie Allison
18 x 24 Oil

I've been spending a LOT of time lately on the Internet, reading all sorts of material on the art of marketing.  Some of it I sort of knew, but chose to ignore because it meant stepping out of my comfort zone and actually communicating with people! Not that I haven't talked to people about my art, I have...but I'm not good at it. At all.  My sales pitch most often goes something like: "Would you be interested in buying one of my paintings?  No?  Okay, thank you for your time." And then I would slink away feeling miserable. Or when someone asked "what do you do?" I would hesitate before saying "I'm an artist," as if I were ashamed.

CHANGE IS GOOD

Some of the changes I'm making are out of necessity (my recent retirement) and some are because I started thinking about the fact that I've been painting for years, selling more often than I realized, and, most importantly, I love it!  So why not focus on doing something I love and maybe actually make money at it? Like so many other artists, I thought art was something to do in my spare time; the real money came from having a real job. And maybe I can do this now because I am an empty nester (although my dogs and cats and husband might have a different opinion on that)--but one thing I'm learning is that you really can make a living from your art if you know how to do it--and you don't have to be famous! The key is finding out what you love to do, do it, and, most importantly, share it with others!

STEPPING OUT INTO THE SOCIAL WORLD

The Internet has made it so easy to connect with people and get your art out there.  It seemed scary, at first, and  overwhelming.  But I found a wonderful site, The Abundant Artist, that has been instrumental in helping me become more business savvy in terms of my art.  What did I learn? It's not that difficult!  Social media seems to be the key:  a website, a blog, and as many other social spots you can find: Facebook, Etsy, Pinterest.  So I've been ramping up my presence on those sites, and surprise! it's working.  No sales yet that I can link directly to my new efforts, but something even better:  I'm finding so many other artists out there who share my interests and some whose work is completely different, but fascinating to look at!  And by connecting with them, my own work is being seen more and I'm making like-minded friends.  That alone is worth the effort!

I'm still wading through a ton of information on art marketing, and I'll be glad to share in future posts.  Meanwhile, I'd love to know what the rest of you are doing to promote your art and whether or not it's working.  Feel free to comment  below!

This Ain't No Hobby!!!

"Bad Hair Day"
8 x 10 Oil on canvas
SOLD

Whew! Being a full time artist is a LOT of work.  I have spent HOURS this past week tending to the business side of art--namely updating my website and, most recently, this blog.  I suppose if I were a computer geek it wouldn't have taken as long as it did, and I wouldn't be suffering with a headache, neckache and blurry eyes. Even with the use of templates, I found that I had to do a lot of searching online for "how to's" on adding things like my own banner, and getting it to look the way I want it to.  And I'm still not satisfied, but my eyes are about to bug out of my head, so this is it for now.

I have to wonder just how successful all this internet/social networking stuff is in terms of promoting art.  I'm sure there are plenty of artists out there who don't even have a website, and manage just fine. The weird thing is, despite the fact that it takes me forever to manage my website, blog, and Facebook page, I still enjoy it.  Just the little successes are satisfying:  like creating the banner you see at the top of this page.  Might seem pretty simple to some of you, but for the barely computer literate like me, it was a major feat.  Almost as satisfying as finishing a painting!

Here's a link to one site that offers some good advice on art marketing: Fine Art Tips with Lori McNee.

And speaking of marketing, there's a great animal support group called Labrador Life Line, and they are holding an online auction to raise funds. There are a lot of wonderful items available, not just for dogs, but humans as well--including a gift certificate for a pet portrait from yours truly. You can see the auction here: Labrador Life Line's Annual Heart Dog Auction.

So.... I don't have any new paintings to post--but let's consider the revamped blog and my new banner as the project-of-the-day. And the painting above, titled "Bad Hair Day" pretty much sums it up, only right now, my hair is in even worse shape!

Somebody Stole My Crown!

First, I woke up this morning convinced that it was Sunday, not Saturday. Once I realized my mistake, I felt relieved, because I wasn't 2 days behind on the daily painting challenge--only one. So after breakfast, I schlepped down to the studio to paint. But I got sidetracked when I realized that my crown--one I got a long time ago from Burger King or some such place--was missing. Now I haven't even thought about that thing for quite awhile, but I am, after all, Queen of my studio--and today I wanted my crown. Hmmph...

Anyway....I gave up searching for my crown and concentrated on painting. I managed to complete two small ones, both 5 x 7, and both in acrylics on clayboard.  The one on the left is of Buddy Sue--a cute little spaniel mix that crossed to the Rainbow Bridge several years ago. She was a goofy little thing but as sweet as could be.

Next, because my word for this year is "explore," I decided to play around with my palette knives.  I still don't quite have the hang of it, but here's the end result: "Maui on My Mind."  I did end up fine-tuning it with a couple of brushes and my fingers. But the goal was to explore, and I think that's exactly what I did.

One thing I struggled with today was a very curious little kitty.  This is Gracie.  She is my studio cat, although she used to be a prison cat until I sprung her from her life of crime. She has decided that she needs a front row seat to everything I do in the studio--and today she was particularly persistent. She jumped right in the middle of my palette--leaving a trail of paw prints across the table and floor. She hopped into my paint box, scattering brushes everywhere.  And then she climbed all over me and my keyboard--making it a real challenge to get anything done.  But I love her--and given her rough beginnings, you know, being born in a prison--hey, wait a minute.... maybe she stole my crown!! 

Ahhh...Retirement: Day 4 of the 30/30 Challenge

 I thought "Ahhh...Retirement" would be a good title for this little painting.  Still hanging in on the 30/30 challenge:  this is #4 for me.  I'm not quite sure about the sun spots on the left of the canvas...seemed like a good idea at first, but now I don't know. What do you think?  Comment below, or email. I'd appreciate it!

30 Paintings in 30 Days--Oh My!

Well, that's the plan anyway. I signed up to participate in a new year's project started by Leslie Saeta.  The goal is to paint one painting a day for thirty days.  I've tried similar projects before and didn't get very far, but now that I'm no longer employed (my choice), I'm going to get back into the studio full time, and this seems like a good way to get started. 

Besides the daily painting, I have started work on a big commission:  2 large panels depicting Michael the archangel slaying the 7-headed dragon from the Book of Revelation.  This is quite a challenge for me--I'm excited about it, but also a little intimidated--it's been quite awhile since I painted LARGE and even longer since I created any dragons!  I'm working on a study of the dragon right now--will post photos when I get a little further along on it.

The other project is for a book, "Pawsome Patriots."  I will be painting images of service men/women and their pets.  I'll post more details later, so check back, especially if you or someone you know would like to be included in the book.

Here's another small painting I completed this week:  it's called "Lucretia's Snake." This little girl's family ran a small zoo near Puerto Vallarta, and I couldn't resist photographing her.  I've had the photograph in my desk for years, knowing I would paint it one day--and I finally did it!  So...that's all for now folks!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Moving Forward....

2012 is coming to an end and it has been a wonderful, productive year for me and I am very grateful. I've had the opportunity to paint some beautiful people and furbabies, and I sincerely appreciate getting to "know" the subjects of those paintings.  I made some folks cry, which I guess means I did a good job of capturing their loved ones on canvas.  And now, a new year is rapidly approaching and I am so excited!  I have decided to quit my part-time job and get back to painting and writing full time. I still have a nearly-finished novel simmering in a desk drawer, and all kinds of idea snippets tucked in various places.  I have one major art project in the works--I'll be posting more info about that as I develop it.  So here are the Christmas commissions I have been working on since before Thanksgiving, and I'm happy to say that I finished them all on time--although a couple of them were still wet when delivered! 
     The one at the top of the page is "Emma" -- a 4 x 5 mini painting.   Next left,  is a group of 4 dogs, I call "The Pack."  Then there's "Harley" on the right here, and "Puppy Mask" below left.  And finally, I did a large portrait I'm calling "Anna's Family." 

I loved painting all of these. Some are in acrylics, some in oil, and a couple are a combination of the two. I worked from several photographs which really helped, as did the little stories my clients provided.  I hope the folks receiving these paintings are not disappointed!

I'm hoping I can update this blog more often, now that I'll be home full time, and maybe share some "in process" photographs as well.  So....

Have a blessed and Happy New Year!

Gearing Up for the Holidays!

I can't believe it's October already!  Where did the summer go?  The cooler temps here have driven home the fact that summer is gone and the holidays are fast approaching.  With that in mind, things have shifted into high gear at Wit's End Studio.  I am working on several commissions simultaneously.  The one on the left is a work in progress, as is the one on the right.  On the right are Prescott and Fallon (love the names!!) and to the left is Kirby.  Still lots of work to do on both of these portraits, but I think it's interesting for other artists and non-artists as well to see how the process goes.  Both of these are just the first pass on the canvas, to block in the shapes and get a little color going and they are both in oils.  I know some artists draw first in charcoal or pencil and get everything laid out before they ever touch the canvas with paint.  I like to be more spontaneous--I just dive right in and adjust as I go along.  I think it gives the work a fresh feel.

 

The piece on the left here is one I started for fun--it began as a pallet knife painting, but I didn't like it so I switched back to brushes, and then I got busy with other things, so it's been sitting for awhile.  I look at it every now and then and each time I see adjustments that need to be made.  The horses need shaping--a couple of them look a little weird, but then they are wild horses!  Once I get the commissions finished, I'll get back to this one....

AND, it's nearly time for Shelbyville's Trims and Whims 2-day event, so I'll be working on some new jewelry pieces in the coming weeks as well, so keep a look-out for those!

 

Finally, my little "I'm Adopted" poster will be available online or at the Shelby Artists on Main Gallery, starting Monday October 8.  Stop by the gallery  or email me if you'd like to purchase one of these. They are signed and numbered and, because October is Adopt a Shelter Dog month, 25% of the purchase price will be donated to one of the 6 Shelbyville animal shelters/rescues of your choice.  Makes a nice Christmas gift and helps our local shelters as well!