Category: the business of art

Cranking them out!

One of the best things that ever happens to working artists is receiving a check in the mail for paintings sold, especially when one has forgotten about said paintings! I sent 6 paintings of beachy things to Lady Spencer in Cayucos, California. Gina is an old friend from Exeter, and her store is full of lovely items from various artists. We’ve talked for years of her selling my art, and it took years for us to find the right plan. (Of course, by dragging it out, each time I visit the Central Coast I had an excuse to see Gina and call it a business trip!) She believes that more than just beachy subjects will have a market; I trust Gina’s instinct and experience. Here is what I am sending her next:

Okay, they are just begun in this photo. The flag will be a gift for someone who has gone above and beyond the call of volunteerism on the mural. The large poppy painting is a commission. (K, are you reading this??)

Getting better by the day!

Cayucos California oil paintings

How to be an (professional) artist in Tulare County

That is the title of the talk (“lecture”) that I gave yesterday at the Creative Center in Visalia. The three items are: 1. Love the place; 2. Be flexible and 3. Never quit. The turnout was small, (I think “intimate” is the word used for such things) and I knew all but 3 people. After we introduced, we realized we had known of each other but just hadn’t met yet. The show looks wonderful, thanks to Glen Hill who really placed the pieces artfully. It is surprising how much this matters! Three pieces sold, and the buyers graciously consented to leaving them in place until the show ends.

There was a very bright spotlight in my eyes so I couldn’t see the audience. Now that I see them in this photo, I can see that several who were present aren’t in this scene. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and were all very complimentary. The Creative Center is a great place to show art and to have presentations – thank you Theresa, Glen and Bailey!

The life of a busy artist

Look at what I did yesterday:

painted the mural
took paintings to the Mural Gallery
looked at a mural that will need some repair – climbed onto the scaffolding and took reference photos of it
got home and unloaded the mural stuff from the car, carried things out to the studio and other things to the computer. Still others had to be moved into the workshop – stuff, stuff, stuff!
finished 2 little oils of oranges and began 2 more
put hanging hardware on the backs of 10 canvases
posted an entry to my blog
printed out a price list to mail to a customer
updated the inventory lists of paintings
worked on my “lecture” for the Creative Center Reception tonight!

There were a lot of other non-work related tasks squeezed into the day, but I just thought you might enjoy seeing what the life of a busy artist can look like! This is really really fun, by the way. 😎

Redbud Festival Review

The Arts Alliance of Three Rivers did an outstanding job of organizing, publicizing and managing the Redbud this year! The music was just right, the booth size was generous, the signs leading the public in were visible and consistent in color and design, the vendors had high quality products, the food choices were plentiful, the parking was convenient, and the volunteers were always available and helpful! This was a great show! The hardest part was having too many people visit my booth at the same time so that conversations were abbreviated or I missed opportunities to greet folks who took the time to stop by. Look at all the paintings that sold: There might have been more, or I might have shown you the wrong poppies. . . hard to say because I slept last night. You can see that poppies were the favorite subject. What you might not be able to discern from this posting is that the most popular size was 6×6″. My theory is that people’s walls are full and while their wallets aren’t completely empty, cautious spending is the pattern. This is normal behavior in Tulare County rather than an indication of the entire country’s economic woes.

Redbud Festival

It is today, Saturday, May 8 and tomorrow, Sunday, May 9.
Saturday’s hours are 10-5, Sunday’s hours are 10-4.
Lion’s Roping Arena – up 198 to Three Rivers, cross the North Fork Bridge, go about 2 miles and turn right. Turn at the first left and follow to the arena. Park in the lower parking lot, not above the buildings.
My booth is under the awning.
There will be music.
There will be plants for sale by the Redbud Garden Club.
There will be food.
And, finally, there will be ART!

Commissions in progress

Commissions are a great part of an art business. I get to paint knowing the customer is standing there with open arms and a check! It is wonderful to simply paint what floats my boat; it is just as wonderful to paint knowing someone really wants the piece. Here are some of the current projects:

Big words

People often confuse the word “consignment” with the word “commission”. May I help? Consignment: agreement to pay a supplier of goods after the goods are sold. Commission: to give an order for or authorize the production of a piece of art. I’d like to add a third word here: “conversation”. It means an exchange of words. I learned a long time ago not to count my chickens before they are hatched, although that is still my greatest talent! (also known as “optimism”) For the first several years of my business, I used to get so excited after someone said he’d like me to do a drawing for him. I was counting eggs, chickens and dollars, forgetting that until money exchanges hands and there are photographs on the table, it was simply c o n v e r s a t i o n. However, it never hurts to think about those conversations and tentatively plan. A lady emailed me to say she’d be coming to the studio during Studio Tour and she hoped I had some paintings of Fiesta ware. I don’t, but have been looking for a reason to paint some. I know that she did not commission me and hasn’t committed to buy anything. That’s okay, because I’m eager to do this subject matter. If I do a good job but it doesn’t suit her, someone else will probably want it! Here are the beginnings of three new paintings (probably best viewed from the back of a fast horse, or perhaps without corrective lenses at this point):

Oh, look! There are 2 Mineral King paintings – what a surprise! 😎

commission oil painting fiesta ware mineral king paintings

Exposure

When I participate in various shows, I usually have expectations for great sales. (Optimism is a necessary ingredient for the self-employed.) Sometimes instead of sales, I just have conversations and hand out business cards and meet people. That is called “exposure” in Artland. It is a necessary thing – one needs to be exposed to the public in hopes that they will become the “buying public” someday. However, one can die of exposure, so when one’s career is a bit more established, those exposure events should be limited, in my opinion! Generally speaking I don’t do too many of those types of shows anymore, but Saturday night’s was pleasant despite the low turnout. Met lots of nice people, handed out business cards, sold a handful of paintings. The good news (there is almost always good news) is that I will have plenty of paintings available for The Studio Tour! Here is how my display looked:

Three Rivers Studio Tour

Artist Statement

This is one of the most dreaded, misunderstood and boring aspects of being an artist. We artists, in general, dislike writing about our work. Obviously this doesn’t apply to me! But while I love to write, the artist statement gets me bowed up. I don’t do well with Artspeak, and I hate pretentiousness. This a.m. I read an article in the business/art magazine Art Calendar about writing an artist statement and realized it was time to update mine (yet again!) I’m still not sure if it is supposed to be a personal history, a personal philosophy of art, or an explanation. Regardless, here is my current one:

Art has been my fulltime profession for 17 years. Pencil used to be all I’d consider – it was the best way I knew to get every single detail in excruciating perfection. As my drawing students and customers asked for color, I reluctantly entered the world of colored pencil to record life around me. It didn’t resonate with me the way graphite did (and still does!), so 4 years ago I began to oil paint. As my proficiency increases, I’m able to focus more on light and color, and less on minutia. Although my medium is different, my favorite subjects remain: giant Sequoias, Mineral King, citrus, and Three Rivers. Tulare County is my home and recording its beauty is my goal.

It will probably be rewritten many more times as I learn what this is supposed to be and do. Mostly it is a requirement for gallery entries or group shows. Since I tend to be a maverick (as my college photography teacher told me back in the late ’70s), I can usually avoid this part of an art career. Yea! So, have a look at what is almost finished for the Zonta show (and they invited me WITHOUT asking for an “artist statement”):

artist statement oil paintings Tulare County art Zonta

Recalculating

Ever use a GPS to help you reach a destination? If so, you have experienced what happens each time you choose to go a different route than the Talking Lady instructs. She says “Recalculating, recalculating!” That is exactly what I do with the prioritization of paintings in progress. Have a look at the current list:

Secret unrevealed large and urgent project
6 tangerines for a real estate guy who sells ag property and likes to give art as a thank you to his clients. (This is 6 different paintings, not 1 painting of 6 tangerines!)
14×11″ Sunny Sequoias
2 8×10″ paintings of poppies
4 4×6″ paintings of poppies
8×10″ oranges as still life
Oak Grove Bridge
Clover Creek Bridge
Pumpkin Hollow Bridge

How do I prioritize? If there is a paying customer, it goes high on the list. If there is a deadline, it goes high on the list. If it is tiny and I can work on it at The Art Co-op, it gets painted on Thursdays, in order of priority. The “spec” paintings are arranged in order of the shows coming up and how I am guessing (an educated guess of course!) they will sell at particular places. When one or a group gets finished, you know what I do? I recalculate, of course! 😎

a completed Sunny Sequoias in the ongoing series

a completed poppy for an upcoming show (click on to enlarge)

a completed orange for Mr. Ag Property

a completed commission piece

oil paintings orange painting poppy painting Sequoia painting