Ever heard of a studio yard? In my case, it is the yard area around my studio, a shabby little shed on the property. I suppose the proper and popular term is “garden”, but that feels wrong to me. The place is only partially planted, definitely not professionally landscaped; I’m not growing tomatoes and zucchini around […]
ArtSpeak versus Reality
“Artspeak” is a word I made up for all the stuffy pretentious insider terms used by professional artists. Some of the words are useful, because every profession has its own vocabulary. But for some reason, the way some artists talk just gets up my nose. One of an artist’s more dreaded tasks is writing an […]
Finished Mineral King Oil Paintings For Sale
As promised, here are some finished Mineral King oil paintings from my Phactory Phases. Factory Fases? Too much cuteness for you? I’m sorry. Must be the oil fumes. They are all oil paintings on wrapped canvas, which means the sides are painted so they don’t need frames. The prices don’t include 8% sales tax; if […]
Blog Thoughts
Before I finished working on this blog post, I accidentally hit the Publish button instead of Preview. I immediately took it back down, but those of you who subscribe received the earlier version via email. Oops. Here is the real post. April 15 will be the tenth anniversary of this blog. That is TEN YEARS […]
Mineral King Oil Painting Factory, Phase II
This year I have set the goal of finishing all the Mineral King oil paintings well before the season begins. The Silver City Store has been selling my oil paintings since 2010, and it is good for them, for me, and for the customers. The past 8 years have provided a good idea of what sells […]
What is Art Administration?
I don’t know what “art administration” means. Doesn’t it sound important? Most days, Trail Guy asks me what I plan to do. Often the answer is “paint”; about every two weeks or so I say “administrative tasks”. What this means is tending to the business of an art business. Going to lovely places and painting […]
Mineral King Oil Painting Factory?
I feel like a Mineral King oil painting factory. Where is the variety? Where is the creativity? What’s going on here?? Part of the business of art is understanding what sells, and producing what one’s customers want to buy. This means painting the same things many many times if necessary. (Or I could become a […]
Art and Reality
Art and Reality is referring to the fact that I earn my living with art and have to be realistic about things. The economy has definitely picked up. People are buying larger paintings and more of them. Paintings sold very well for me in December (perhaps I’ll do a blog post showing all the ones that […]
Merchandise and Marketing Sense
Christmas is coming, and if I had any marketing sense, I would have been telling you about merchandise that is available all through the month. I do have sense, and I sense that it would be irritating for me to keep pounding the sales drum. However, if you need a reminder or an easy idea […]
Incremental Studio Improvements
I am a big believer in incremental improvements, little changes adding up over time. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to draw in pencil, paint in oil, or even be a knitter. My Three Rivers studio was just a little storage shed on our property until it got gussied up in December 2001. It […]