This was a new experience in several ways:
1. Green apples are a brand new subject.
2. Instead of having a photo on paper, I worked from the photograph on my computer screen.
3. The real apple was present so I could check the accuracy of the color.
Little Green Apples
Kind of weird how that shadow made a slash through the beginning painting – yeah, I know it is ugly at this stage, but a slash??
If the nice lady with impeccable taste wants a green apple painting, perhaps others of similarly impeccable taste might want a green apple painting. Besides, if I’m going to paint one little green apple, might as well paint three. (and a grape cluster)
Thinking and planning and learning
In a perfect world, an artist would make art with her favorite medium of her favorite subjects when she felt like it. When it was almost finished, people would be clamoring to buy it, and she would rejoice in a sure sale. Dream on, Toots! In reality, if an artist wants to earn a living, she has to make art with the medium that sells best, choose subjects that people love, and be in touch with those people. In addition to making art, an artist has to be able to do a zillion other things. Want cards? Better learn what the best sizes are, where to have them printed, how many to order in quantities that might sell, how to package and where to find the materials, and how to price both resale and retail. Want to teach? Better be able to find, connect with and keep students. (Plus have a place, materials, a plan, and the flexibility of a pre-teen gymnast!) Need more than some paintings, cards and a few students? Better research the world of art and retail to find out what people are buying, gather seeds of information to create something new, practice like crazy, actually make art, and at the same time, learn how to market it. Need places to sell your work? Better get out there and discover shows, shops, galleries and other venues for promoting your work. Want commissions? Better meet people, listen to their wishes, have a price list, know how long it might take and have some samples to show.
Have a look at a recent commissioned piece:
This was fun to paint – new subject, new colors to mix, neat-o square shape, and a happy customer awaits!
Sawtooth. . .
. . . is finished!
Roy’s Cabin. . .
. . . is finished!
Don’s Yard. . .
. . . is finished!
Love to Draw!
All summer I have been in conversation and planning for a drawing of a cabin. It has grown from a simple drawing to a collage, and the very trusting and polite customers have given me freedom to do it anyway I want. Often, the customers like to participate in the planning and be given a few choices and have a little input. These folks have taken a different approach, and it is a tad bit nervous-making, and quite a bit of fun! Here is what is completed as of today:
It just takes me back to my roots of pencil, commissioned work, and, well, cabinart!
A Pair of Minutes
I’m trying to be in the studio/workshop for a pair of minutes instead of always being in Mineral King or at the computer. There is work to be finished, lots of work to be started, and people are waiting eagerly (and politely, thank goodness!) Just a pair of minutes ought to do it, figuratively speaking. . .
The customer brought me a 16×20 photo that he took a number of years ago. We agreed that it would look nice in the panorama format, so I “cropped” it using kraft paper. The sky color of photos is grayish in many cases; one of the benefits of being in the mountains is having an incredibly blue blue blue sky; that is how I’ve chosen to represent this scene of Sawtooth and Mineral Peaks. Have a closer look:
After it dries a bit, I’ll tighten up a few details, paint the edges, sign, and photograph it more accurately.
Annie’s Things
That is the title of a commissioned painting just completed. A thoughtful supervisor wanted a going-away gift for a seasonal employee. The employee played a role by the name of Annie, and these are the props she used. Actually, she had a different lantern, but it got taken away for a glass replacement. Boy was I ever excited to find one in my cabin that looked very similar. The hard part was that I photographed the items with a different lantern and then had to substitute the new one from reality. Merging pieces from different places is very difficult because determining the appropriate proportions and scale is sort of a guessing game.
A large drawing in progress
This is the picture that has required 3 photo sessions so far. Yesterday I returned around noon, the time I initially photographed the scene. However, I forgot to take into account the changing season and new location of the sun. So, I now have the new photos with more visual information but the shadows are in the wrong places! That’s a workable problem – the other photos are showing me how to handle the light. I just may finish this next week after all!