More Paintings to Sell

I fixed the two river paintings and then worked on another sequoia painting. It is good to have backup inventory for the places that sell to folks on their way to Sequoia. It is good to have backup inventory for all the places that sell my work, currently four, but Silver City will be closing soon for the season.

I have learned that the best sellers have light on the edges of the trees along with a burn scar. It doesn’t matter which trees I paint, or if I can tell you where they are in Sequoia National Park or even if they happen to be in Kings Canyon or Balch Park. Just big trees, sunlight, scar.

As usual, I’ll scan this when it is dry to show you. It is called “Too Big”, a 6×12″ oil painting on wrapped canvas for $150.

Welcome to the World, New and Improved Oil Painting

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When paintings are slow to sell, it is a good art business practice to analyze them. This is best done with the help of someone who knows the customers. 

Recently I took a hard look at this painting, one that I had always liked, because I love seeing dogwood in bloom around redwood trees. But what if I am the only one who feels that way? I am here to earn a living, not to paint for myself. (Well, sometimes I do allow a painting to live in my house for awhile, but that isn’t the main point of all the easel time.)

I asked the proprietor of Kaweah Arts why she thought this hadn’t sold yet. She and I have been friends for many years, always honest with one another. I told her that I figured most of her customers don’t even know what dogwood is, because the bulk of them visit Sequoia National Park in the summer when the dogwood isn’t in bloom.

She very diplomatically replied that her customers are interested in the big trees alone. Of course they buy other items, but sequoia trees are what Sequoia National Park was formed around.

Together we evaluated the painting, and then I told her to remove it from the inventory list, because I was taking it back to the easels.

This is how it went.

Welcome to the world, new and improved

“Redwood, Dogwood”, oil on wrapped canvas, 12×16″, $325.

Inching Along the Big One

How does one keep coming up with appealing titles for the same topic?

One doesn’t.

This painting is too tall to reach the top when the easel is on the table, so I set it up on the platform of the painting workshop with the doors open.
Trail Guy helped me find and retrieve my big painting easel, which he had stored out of sight and out of reach. It is a simple streamlined design and doesn’t take up much space.
This is S L O W.
Now it is at the “Best-Viewed-From-The-Back-of-a-Fast-Horse” stage.
I bet the oil painting of a Giant Sequoia on the easel has already taken longer than this mural in acrylics took. Of course, using a 1-1/2″ brush instead of a 3/8″ makes a difference, but I can’t figure out how to use a fatter brush and get results that aren’t cringe-worthy in oils.

When I begin to put the details in, I’ll stop moaning about the pace. It helps to listen to a book on CD, and I’ve got a good one going right now. One of Us by Tawni O’Dell is still good on CD #2. Time will tell (that’s what my Dad used to say instead of “more will be revealed”).