Category: the business of art

Fear and Drawing a Book of Cabins

Fear is a great obstacle to creativity. This post lists common info about fear and a list of my personal worries (an easier word to stomach than fear, as if I’m not a Big Chicken).

Here is a list of random thoughts about fear:

1. The greatest fear that is most common to people is public speaking.

2. Fear of the unknown is another biggie.

3. “The only thing to fear is fear itself” has always struck me as mysterious, weird and hard to understand.

4. Fear of failure is another common thread running through life.

5. I’ve had friends say to me, “I only knit scarves; aren’t you afraid to knit a sweater?”

6. Seth Godin says that fear is what holds people back from making art – fears of vulnerability, being discovered to be a fraud, or not connecting honestly with people.

Drawing an entire book, The Cabins of Wilsonia, completely self-publishing (not assisted self-publishing like Lulu or CreateSpace), designing using a difficult program (InDesign is NOT intuitive and NOT anything like the Apple stuff I’m used to), marketing – all on a subject with which I am familiar in general but not specifically . . . that is PILE of unknowns.

Check out this list of worries:

1. While I spend a year on nothing but pencil drawings of cabins (reaching for a total of 230 with the start # of 86 on January 1, 2013), how will I earn a living?

2. What if the books don’t sell?

3. What if the originals don’t sell?

4. What if I don’t find a good printer?

5. What if no one comes to the book signings?

6. What if the economy tanks further and people can’t afford a luxury picture book?

What if, what if, what if?

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.

Shut up, negative voices. I have drawing to do!

Loosiosity, Revisited

“Loosiosity” is a word coined by my customer/student/friend Sara. Because it is one of those self-defining words, I’m guessing that you can figure it out.

fruit bowl oil painting — This painting style is the polar opposite of “loosiosity”.

Sara commissioned me to paint a scene for her based on a piece of art she had seen and loved. I had a little photo of that art, but didn’t want to copy it. I changed several things, and painted it in my style, but following Sara’s request for loosiosity.

I THOUGHT I was painting loosely because it was definitely looser than my normal style.

After living with the piece for a few months, Sara told me it wasn’t as she had envisioned. She is very polite, and we are quite honest and straight-forward with one another. It is the sort of relationship I have with all my drawing students.

The way this California artist conducts business is until a commissioning customer is happy with the work, I don’t consider the piece to be finished.

Sara brought it to my studio, and together with our friend Lou, we reworked it. This time we studied the tiny photo and evaluated with differences. We discussed ways to mess it up, add color, soften edges, add texture, and in general, match the piece she had first seen.

Are you wondering why she didn’t just buy that piece she loved? (Great question, glad you asked. ) Because it was SOLD to someone else, of course!

Here is the before, when I originally thought I was finished:

Here it is after Sara and I and our friend Lou finished reworking it:

WOW! The differences barely show in these photos!

We messed up the horizon line, added brighter colors, changed textures and added longer lines (“sticks”?).

Lighting is different everywhere, and IT MATTERS. While we were working in the painting studio on an overcast day, it was tricky to see the correct colors. I finally opened up the doors so we could see it in daylight. Now, she will see it in her home.

I’m curious about what you, The Blog Reader, thinks about all this! I haven’t asked for comments for awhile, but I’d really love to hear your opinions about the process, my way of doing commissioned work, the before and after versions of “Sara’s Redtails”.

commission oil painting oil paintings

What is Motivation?

Last time I tackled the word “inspiration”. Today I am addressing motivation.

Motivation: the desire and willingness to do something

If I am mentally stimulated to do something creative, why don’t I Nike? (just do it) I might have the mental stimulation, or the idea, but inertia is a problem. Too many other things to do is a problem. An inability to prioritize is a problem.

What causes me to overcome these problems? What motivates me to “git ‘er dun”?

I love to finish things, to see how they turn out, to enjoy the process of seeing something develop into tangible evidence of a mental stimulus.

Plus, businesses have customers, customers buy stuff, and businesses need stuff to sell to customers.

Want to buy a painting?

Sunny Sequoia XXIII, 8×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $75

Sequoia painting

New Plan for a New Year

2013 brings a new focus to my professional life as a California artist, a “regionalist from Quaintsville”.

This is a commissioned pencil drawing of a Wilsonia cabin.

I’ve told you about the book I am drawing, writing and publishing – The Cabins of Wilsonia.

You’ve seen drawings as they are completed and read my groanings as I wonder how I will ever finish the project.

Now, I have a plan.

I will spend 2013 focusing solely on the book. No painting, no shows, no painting for future shows.

(Okay, that’s not entirely true. I will paint for the 2 places that sell my work and I will paint commissions.)

I will also accept pencil commissions and teach drawing lessons. (This artist has no intention of starving!)

What does this mean for you, oh Gentle and Faithful Blog Reader?

It means that I will post to this blog 2-3 times a week instead of 5 days.

And, I will post to my new blog 2-3 times a week!

Yeppers, you can follow the progress on my book at dubya-dubya-dubya-dot-the-cabins-of-wilsonia-dot-com.

I’ve separated out this project from my regular blog for several business reasons, most of which you might find boring. And I NEVER want my blog to be b o r i n g.

So, here we go – a complete year of drawing! Can’t wait. Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE to draw? 😎

California Artist commission oil painting commission pencil work drawing lessons Wilsonia

2013 Calendars, Again

Dear Blog Reader,

Why in the olden days were readers referred to as “gentle”? Did it have something to do with the word “gentlemen”?

Why am I writing about the calendars again?

Glad you asked – great question! (This is what all interviewees say when asked any question – have you noticed, or is it just me who picks up on these repetitious speech patterns?) The answers to your question are as follows:

1. I ordered more calendars.

2. The Buy Now Button works. It looks weird and off center, but it works if you have a Paypal account.

3. If you sent me a check, let me know. I’ll mail your calendar(s) to you now, even if the check (or if I) hasn’t (haven’t) made it to the Three Rivers Post Office yet.

That was a weird sentence.

Here is the front cover of the calendar, because every blog post needs a picture.

Here is the link to the post that shows all the months: 2013 Calendar

Here is the Buy Now Button to order your calendar:

And here is your appreciation from me for getting to the end of this post:

A

You earned it, oh Gentle Reader.

2013 calendar

More about studio artists

Last week I wrote about studio artists in this blog post.

Working from photos isn’t the only choice for a studio artist. Sometimes they set up still life things (Still lifes? Still lives? “Things” works for me.) Sometimes they work from sketches they made outside. Sometimes they paint people who sit still and try not to fidget. Sometimes they finish paintings they began outside.

Sometimes they just make stuff up.

If I tried to paint this scene while sitting here, I might get hit by a car.

I’d fall off the bank if I was standing at my easel here and a car came by. There is no shoulder on this road right here.

Painting from photos is often considered “cheating”, not “real art”, and cheesy by many in the ArtWorld.

Ask me if I care. . . never been very affected by others’ opinions. (“Do you care?” – “Why do you ask?”)

Am I a fake artist? A cheater?

Nope. Don’t think so. Hate that snobbery, so there.

But, I know I could learn if I tried those other things. If I get bored with my current style of painting, or when someone comes along and says “Hey, want to learn how to paint differently? I’ll show you!” and I can fit it into my life, I might say yes. Until then?

I’ll just keep working from my photos.

If I stood on the bridge to paint this scene, I’d flinch and grit my teeth every time a car drove over the seam on the bridge because it makes a loud rattle.

I’m glad we had this little chat. Thanks for listening. Always nice to visit with you all!

Three Rivers

2013 Calendars Now Available

The first 2 orders of 2013 calendars were all spoken for. Now I have the calendars available for order, right here on my bl0g!

The price including tax and shipping is $21. The earlier price was less because that’s just the way things roll. . . sigh. (Worm, anyone?) If you reserved one by email earlier, I will let you know when the calendars arrive and you can mail me a check.

To see the pictures of each month, here is the link to the blog post that showed each painting.

California Artist Mineral King oil paintings orange painting regionalist from quaintsville Sequoia painting Three rivers oil paintings yokohl valley

Holiday Bazaar

This used to be called the “Senior League Bazaar”. . . I was walking past the Three Rivers Memorial Building and on the marquee it said 17 HOLIDAY BAZAAR. This means it is happening on Saturday, November 17. The hours are 9-4. You are invited! There is no entry fee. This is a pleasant gathering of crafters, artists, artisans, handy creative folks with neat-o stuff to sell.

I will be there with paintings, cards, 2013 calendars ($15 while they last – just 8 left!) and blank journals with my paintings on the cover ($14 inc. tax). Such a deal! And what a way to combine art with usefulness. . . I amaze myself with own brilliance at times. 😎

You can shop inside and outside. It is a great chance to visit with various artists, learn a bit about their processes, and some years a booth has fudge for sale with little tastes.

three rivers memorial building — Even if you don’t feel like shopping, you might just enjoy being in Three Rivers, especially with the Chinese Pistache trees in full glorious fall color.

Chinese Pistache Tree at Three Rivers Memorial Building – will the leaves still be there on November 17? I guess you’ll just have to come see for yourself.

Interview with Mariya

A very old friend of mine is hosting an exchange student from Russia.

Oops. My friend is younger than I am. We’ve been friends since I was in 3rd grade and she was in 1st grade. . . that’s what I mean by very old friend, not that she is ancient!

Mariya would like to be an artist. I met her during that very bad show, and she is sweet and sincere. She has to interview someone in the profession she hopes to someday join, and so she chose me. I decided to share the interview with you, Oh Fine Blog Readers!

Inside Jana Botkin's studio — Sometimes my studio is orderly and I am hoping it is in good shape when Mariya comes to visit so she doesn’t think making art is the result of a chaotic mind.

Why did you decide to be an artist?

I chose to be an artist because every thing else I tried just felt like a job. Drawing was the most challenging and fun way to spend time, and getting paid for it was a dream come true.

Did you always dream of doing this work when you were young?

When I was a child, the only profession that interested me was art. I thought it was unrealistic, so I kept trying on other ideas in my head but none felt like a good fit.

What do you like most about your work?

The variety involved with working as an artist is one of the best things. Always looking for subjects, learning photography, interacting with customers, drawing, painting, learning to paint murals, improving my skills, teaching people to draw, finding places to sell, writing a blog, meeting people at shows – there is always something different to be working on!

What do you like best, and what do you dislike about your job?

Whatever I am doing at the time is my favorite thing – if I am painting a mural, I’m just sure that I could spend my life doing only that. When I am drawing, I know it is why I was created. When I am teaching people how to draw, I wish I had 100 students! If I give a presentation to a group, it feels as if I was born to do public speaking. While I am writing, I am certain that I could write forever and never run out of words. When I am planning a new piece of work, it is great fun to take multiple photos from different angles at different times of the day, looking for the best light. I love working with my photographs, cropping, planning, designing and dreaming about how it will look in oil, pencil or as a mural.

On the other side, bookkeeping, record keeping, paying bills, collecting from people who don’t want to pay, and paying taxes are all tasks I’d rather avoid. I also find it more difficult each year to participate in shows – the physical labor of packing and unpacking and the uncertainty of sales while having to stay energetic and positive is just flat hard.

Can you give me any advice?

Find what you love, learn it to the best of your ability, never stop practicing or learning. The hardest part of being an artist is marketing, so it might be wise to be a business or marketing major in college and an art minor. And, it seems that art schools focus too much on being different and creative and not enough on skills, marketing, and learning how to make art for real people instead of for gallery owners.

orange paintings in the studio — Mariya has not yet visited my studio where I paint orange after orange after orange.

Daily Paintworks

What means this?? (That’s how my niece asked for more information when she was three, and I thought it was so cute that I’ve been saying for 20 years since.)

Daily Paintworks is a wonderful online gallery featuring new paintings from its members every single day. I’ve followed it for a few years, and learned about some fantastic painters.

Recently, my friend and fellow artist Nadi Spencer joined Daily Paintworks. I don’t jump into new things very quickly (still successfully resisting Facebook, Twitter, Kindle and an iPhone), but I trust Nadi. We listen to many of the same podcasts, subscribe to many of the same blogs and often share information about upcoming shows and places to sell our work.

After thinking it over, I finally decided to join Daily Paintworks. It is hard for me to admit this, as a Regionalist from Quaintsville, a Central California artist, a loyal Tulare County artist, but here goes: The art buying public here where I live just isn’t big enough. It is time to reach out for a larger audience.

I began last week with this painting:

Orange #115, oil on wrapped canvas, 6×6″, SOLD

oil paintings orange painting Tulare County artist