Have you ever wondered how an artist decides what to paint?
Me too.
What I paint falls into 4 categories:
- Things I know will sell
- Things I want to paint
- Commissions
- Reworking old paintings
Category #1 includes Sequoia scenery, anything Mineral King, citrus, the Kaweah Post Office, the Kaweah River, the Oak Grove bridge and poppies.
Sawtooth Peak, 8×10, sold (Mineral King)
Category #2 can be flowers, fruit, an experiment, something with great light or a color that makes my heart sing, a gift for someone, or something so beautiful that I cannot resist.
Category #3 is anything a customer has requested, usually paid for up front, and sometimes working from his photos.
Sequoia painting in progress, sunflowers because I want to paint them, Buckeye Bridge as a commissioned piece.
Category #4 happens when I look objectively at a painting that’s been hanging around for awhile (literally) and decide that I paint better now.
Lake Kaweah, or perhaps Kaweah Lake, 16×20, $350, repainted, revised, and revisited more times than I can remember. The constant improvement is bound to catch the eye of a customer. Oh – it is called “Lake View VII” on my website!