I haven't written in a really long time. I guess I've been in kind of a slump you could say. I was pretty reserved at the start of this blog, but now I'm just going to be me and say what I want. It's my blog, right? Artist or not, I'll be myself. My latest painting was for some friends that got married in June. I just gave them the painting in October I think. I think I am one of the worst procrastinators I've ever known. This painting was supposed to be their house warming gift two years ago. Now it was their wedding gift and it was still late!!! Need to get better at setting deadlines and sticking to them.
"Hen's Nest" 2010-2012
Oils
This was completely different when I started. That's just my process as an artist though. I have a vision at first, when it doesn't turn out the way I envisioned it... I just change my idea and therefore the painting is completely different. It turned out okay in the end. I could have kept going, but I wanted my friends to have their gift at some point in their married life. If I was to do more on it, it would've been to change the color of the sky a bit, but I'm okay with it. They love it so I guess that's all that should matter in the long run. People tell me I'm too critical of myself, someone's got to be though. Now that I'm no longer in Art School or in an artistic community, it's rare to get honest criticism. My boyfriend is best I have right now. He's honest about things, which is good. I need that.
I am currently working on a photo shoot for some family friends. The mother wanted to recreate an old picture of her son and his dog infront of their fireplace for his Christmas present. Hopefully we finally got a good shot on the second shoot. Need to work on that today as well as another commission I have. That one is a 2' x 3.5' painting for friends for over their kitchen table. I won't say too much about it just incase it changes as much as the one shown above. It'll be in acrylics and having to do with one of my favorite things they do with their kids. It'll be an imaginative painting I hope.
As far as my mindset as an artist trying to sell her wares, I am incredibly frustrated. Etsy is a great site in theory, but holy crap are there a lot of vendors on that site! To be a needle in a haystack kind of sucks! I need to get more business cards printed so that when people comment on my barrettes or my paintings I can wip one out and do a little sales pitch about myself. One thing I pride myself on, eventhough it is what makes me so incredibly angry, is that I don't sell out. I don't usually create things I know people will buy. I still make things that I like and that I think are really cool. Although on that note I have been trying to keep in mind while I'm out taking pictures of what most people would probably want in their homes. So I have sold out quite a bit this year, but I hate every second of it. I hope that eventhough I'm taking pictures of tall ships or a bright beautiful flower that consumers will still be able to see my style in my work. I just wish people would buy my artwork/crafts.
A couple that my boyfriend and I recently befriended have been huge inspirations to me in my own work. They do performance art. One sings and plays piano of his own music and his wife paints an oil painting during the set. They tour all year long all over the country. In their down time they book shows and she does commissions for her artwork. So inspirational that they are making their living doing this. I want to get to the place where my income is from my work. I'm not there yet, but I feel like slowly I'm getting closer. I never wanted to be a painter, but I'm finding that I do well at it. In art school I hated my painting class. My professor was my second favorite professor, but I hated the medium so much. Because I was a procrastinator, I would finish my paintings the night before class. And of course it was oils so the painting was completely wet the next day. I ruined so many clothes and my backpack still has oil paint on it from that class. By the end I was grateful for what I learned and appreciated the medium. My grandfather was a painter: most of his work was in gouache or watercolors. But I like to think I got my skill from him. I hope that if he was still alive today he would've been proud of me.
Enough of my pitty party here, I need to work on my recent commissions today on my day off. Stay positive emerging artists. We'll get there. Keep doing your work and never forget who you are. Even if you die before you get noticed, you were noticed you just didn't know it.
