No new paintings this week. I tried really hard to paint two paintings the previous week because I knew I would be busy, but it just didn’t happen. I was super busy hosting guests (in my new multi purpose studio) and helping with my niece’s wedding. When I did finally have time to paint, I did absolutely nothing and loved every second of it. Busyness doesn’t make me more productive. It makes me shut down the moment I’m no longer busy. I’ll get back to work soon, I just needed a quick breather. Weddings can be so crazy.
Art happened this week though. More of the selling and less of the making, but I really like that too. 🙂
I love my patrons. They make me think I might be an artist after all. They love my work so much, they actually give me money for it. And there isn’t a more flattering way of saying I love your artwork than actually buying it.
My mother-in-law bought several paintings. She bought two completed still lifes and paid for her dog portrait commission that still needs its finishing touches. She then commissioned a still life of chili peppers and called dibs on a future still life I already had planned of an artichoke. She also has a second dog portrait commission that I haven’t started yet. That one has been temporarily put off because I’m having trouble finding good pictures since the dog is deceased. I may have to work some magic on that one.
So get ready for peppers and artichokes and a whole lot more still lifes than I originally planned on! I’ll be interrupting my onions (there are supposed to be 9 in that mini series) to complete the pepper and artichoke still lifes in a more reasonable timeframe. I need to get to the store to pick out some peppers and build some more canvases. In the meantime I have three onions and three portrait paintings in the works and a pressing need to stop procrastinating and get painting.
How do you get so much art done? Is it doing small sizes and do you have set hours to paint each day?
I think it’s the small size and simple subject matter. It takes me longer to complete a more complex subject like a portrait or landscape of the same size. I can get 1-2 finished each week if I’m motivated with a clear schedule. I generally paint 3-5 days a week for 1-4 hours and have multiple paintings going at the same time (at the moment I have 5 in active progress). Another big part of it is practice. Since I started painting more often, I’ve gotten faster and more precise. I spend far less time fixing mistakes and mixing colors than I used to. So I can finish a painting in less than half the time it would take compared to a year ago.
That helps a lot! Painting has always been my passion so I am definitely in it for the long haul. I am finishing up a few larger paintings but will focus on just doing small work? What did you do to photograph your work in order to make prints? I paid two different photographers and the results were extremely disappointing! It took better pictures with my iPhone 😕.
You could work on smaller stuff between the larger works so you can continue painting big too. Just an idea. Sorry you had some bad experience with photographers. I photograph my own paintings. I have a blog post about it in the works that just needs a few more pictures and I’ll get it posted soon. I wrote one a year ago, but I’ve changed my methods and wanted to update it but you can check it out in the meantime. https://www.burntumberarts.com/2016/07/05/how-to-photograph-paintings/
Sooooo helpful! Not only do I love your work but I love that you are so capable and willing to help😊
Thank you! 🙂 I like the idea of artists sticking together so I try to help out.
Congratulations on your sales and commissions! I keep mulling over when I should bite the bullet and put a price tag on my work… perhaps there is no ‘right time’? If people like it, they’ll buy it I suppose. It would be nice to make painting self-funding though 😁
Thank you! I really waffled around putting my work up for sale and was super worried I’d actually sell something. haha! I finally did though and found out people (aka my family) were willing to pay me for it. I feel better about selling now and my next goal is to sell to someone I don’t personally know. Good luck!