Yesterday I told you of some good ideas that came to me while I was organizing my storage shelves. Today I will tell you of two that aren’t complete. They are good ideas in terms of how to spend my time and energy with my art business, but will take more thinking on how to […]
Good Ideas
Lately I have preferred to work in silence instead of listening to podcasts, music, or the radio. I seem to need lots of quiet in order to think. I don’t have an agenda; instead, I just let the thoughts roam freely, and sometimes good ideas show up. When I photograph my paintings on the easel […]
Thoughts on Plein Air Painting
A friend wanted to hear my thoughts on plein air painting, so I wrote to her about it. Several other friends said they hadn’t known what the words meant until I started my detour down that road. (Or maybe it will become my main road. More will be revealed in the fullness of time.) Plein […]
Fixin’ To Go
Happy Birthday, Mamacita! Leaving for a trip involves lots of preparations. Whether or not there are specific deadlines, there is a need to finish things. This is mostly due to not knowing what else will be stacked up when I return. Besides, if I am learning to paint plein air, maybe I’d better finish all […]
Determined, Persistent, Responsible
“Determination gives you the resolve to keep going, in spite of the roadblocks that are before you.”—Denis Waitley “I will persist until I succeed.”—Og Mandino “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”—President Abraham Lincoln Listening to podcasts pulls me through painting days that feel as if I will NEVER finish ANYTHING. […]
32 At Once
The beginning stages of 32 paintings at the same time is a rather lengthy undertaking. Why would anyone begin 32 paintings at the same time?? This Central California artist chooses to do it this way for multiple reasons, none of which are very interesting. It is more fun to see the process than to read […]
Painting Poultry
Let’s look at the steps involved in painting a rooster. This is a little 4×6″ canvas, sized and priced for quick sale. This is an art business, so these things must be considered. I hope it doesn’t cause offense to folks who think artists just get inspired, create something, and voila! the money follows. (don’t […]
How to Subscribe to this Blog
This might be a boring subject. Please forgive me, and come back on Monday when I might have something more interesting to share. Sometimes people say “I don’t know how to get your blog”. They don’t mean “get” as in “understand” ; they do mean how to receive email notifications. (Anyone can read the blog […]
Boring Beginnings
The beginning of painting a new series is a very boring factory-type assembly line of assigning inventory numbers, choosing titles, and attaching hanging hardware. Then all the canvases have to be primed, or “toned” in Art Speak. I just use whatever blend of colors I find in the bottom of my turpentine jar for this […]
Working & Wondering
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day has always felt like a freebie to me. I don’t work much, but spend time thinking about the previous year (did I actually do anything noteworthy?) and about the upcoming year (do I look as if I have a plan?). Last week I thought about blogging, marketing, […]