Green apple

At the show over the weekend, a nice lady (with impeccable taste, of course) asked me to paint a little green apple to accompany her pomegranate and orange paintings. (I mean the painting is little – not to be confused with the Roger Miller song!) I was eager to begin, so I went to the local market and bought a Granny Smith. That was the only variety, which eliminated an unnecessary decision. Morning light is better for still life photography at my house, so this a.m. I took the apple outside. As I hunkered down with my camera on the very cold porch, Perkins wanted to know what I was doing.

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!

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.

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Get ‘er done!

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These paintings are finished and just drying. The top one is for an upcoming show at the Creative Center in Visalia; Sawtooth with lupine and the snow scene are commissions. The little square is a view of Timber Gap with flowers in the foreground – this is the 3rd time I’ve painted it (but with little changes) because it sells quickly. The 8×10 of Farewell Gap is a wedding gift – unless the parents of the bride decide to keep it! (just kidding, K & T!)  Wow! 4 of these 5 are of Mineral King!

the painting process

A former drawing student and good friend asked me to paint poppies for her entry-way. Because she is also a weaver and a student of the Fibonacci principle, she had definite (and good) ideas about the design. After much discussion, this is what I drew for her:

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Scary, hunh? Good this you know that I can draw, or you might be doubting my abilities as an artist after seeing this!

N okayed the sketch, so I put it on the canvas.

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Good thing you know I can paint, or you might be really worried at this point! I decided that the 2 flowers on the bottom are too close in size and too evenly placed, so as I applied the second layer of paint, I made slight adjustments.

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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):

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

 

Sisters, continued

This one will be the best painting I’ve ever done, I hope! The background is fully covered, and the girls have the base layer.  Because I am approaching it with the idea that it must be the best painting yet, I am reluctant to declare any part of it “finished” until I am satisfied that I cannot make it any better.  Before I had any skill, I could paint on a canvas forever and after a certain amount of work, no visible improvement would have occurred! That can still happen, but that point is further down the Path Of Looking Good. As a result, I expect this painting to take a great deal of time. The customer is giving me no deadline, so this is an ideal commission! (She also paid in full in advance, which my Dad taught me isn’t always a good thing! Actually, he let me learn that the hard way. . . )

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