4 x 4 inch acrylic on canvas
I have been such a lazy blogger lately. Mostly because I am prepping for my last art show of the season and also because of end-of-the-school-year craziness. Oy!
I have 4 more little paintings, plus an 8×10, that I hope to photograph tomorrow and share.
See you soon!
Whale Rider, Stargazer
11 x 14 Acrylic on flat wood panel
mounted in a floater frame
(currently available at Art House Centro)
For a while, but especially at my last art show, I was asked by a lot of people, why I don’t paint men. I’m not really sure, and don’t have a great answer except that men feel too specific.
For example, when I paint a woman or girl, it could be any woman or girl. Someone’s daughter, mother, wife, girlfriend, etc. Also, woman are beautiful and easy for me to do without too much inspiration from a photo. Where painting a man feels like I have to paint someone specific, probably because it’s out of my comfort zone. I’m not really sure.
Well anyway, I thought I’d take up the challenge and paint this guy. He is actually inspired by Jimmy, the beard guy. He looked like he would be fun to paint, but with my own twist; he had to be a sailor who rides whales and spends a lot of time stargazing, thinking about love and life.
He was really fun to paint and I think a might paint a few more dudes in the near future.
Better Things Ahead Butterfly
8 X 8 acrylic on canvas
(sold ~ Thank you!)
Remember this painting? Well, I wasn’t completely happy with just the flowers, so I reworked it a bit and came up with the above painting. A combination of three of my favorite things; inspiring words, flowers and a butterfly. 🙂
Fiery Sunset
20 x 24 acrylic on canvas with wood trim
My very first abstract that didn’t turn into a painting of a girl or flowers, or something else. It’s actually a painting, over a painting, over a painting. I painted a girl (with papers, collage, stamps), maybe 6 years ago, didn’t like it and immediately painted over it with another girl that I didn’t like. I put it in the closet, where 5 years later, it was recently rediscovered. I was going to toss it because it had a lot of paint and paper textures — too much for another girl painting. Instead, I thought it would make a great experimental surface for an abstract painting.
Doesn’t it look great on my orange wall?!
Abstracts are so hard for me. I usually want to keep going until it becomes something else. I am very happy with this one though. Something different, but with all my colors.
I also trimmed it with stained wood strips. I find painting the sides to be very tedious, but also, the wood makes it feel all professional and substantial-like.
Now, I think I feel like sewing. Go figure. This strange desire to sew only happens a couple times a year. I’m thinking another new bag or apron or smock.
I’ve spent the last several days doing a big photo shoot so I could add new items to my Etsy shop. Lots of stuff like pocket mirrors, art blocks, small original art, art cards and new prints. I’ve been wanting to get it all in there for so long.
I have a lot of issues with Etsy, but over the years it has served me well. It was there for me when I was just starting out, unsure of myself and my art. It gave me a safe and inexpensive way to figure it all out.
Because Etsy has grown so much over the years, I think people shy away from it or become easily frustrated by the lack of sales. After all, it’s not Etsy’s job to bring people to your shop, that’s your job. A bit of time, patience and a lot of passion is needed to get those sales to start coming. In the meanwhile, let Etsy serve you in other ways.
Before you get started, make sure you have the basics covered. Etsy makes it easy to figure out payment methods and even shipping. All you have to do it take great pictures (in focus and natural light only, please!) and figure out your pricing.
The reasons below are for those just starting out, dipping into the arena of selling. You may have a website/blog, or not. Maybe you are just on social media and share your work there. Or maybe you are pounding the pavement to your local shops and markets. Whatever the case, take a look and see how Etsy can better serve you and your efforts to sell your art!
1. Your own personal online art gallery. Etsy can serve as a great way to display the art work you have done. Their clean, simple layout allows your images and logo to be the shining stars. People can see at a glance all you have to offer. Make sure to take advantage of the About Page. People want to know about you and what you do.
2. Easy, low cost. Etsy is constantly changing their format, but it is still really easy to make a listing and have an image displayed. For only 20 cents, you won’t be breaking the bank. If you were to list just 10 items, over one year it would cost you less than ten dollars. Plus, they take only 3.5% of your sale. That is really a good deal.
3. Gives your art an online home. If you are telling the world that you are an artist, you’ll be asked if you have a website or online shop. If you are not ready for your own personal website shop, Etsy is the next best thing. Most people will not want to skim through your blog, instagram or Facebook page to find your art. Having a gallery-like place to share is a really great idea. Plus, showing prices and giving the option to purchase will help them decide if they want to buy something – which is the ultimate goal, right? Even if you have an online shop or website, it doesn’t hurt to throw a few items into Etsy too (see no. 4).
4. It gives you a way to be found. With so many people on Etsy, you might feel like you will get lost in the sea of online makers. But here is the gold nugget — someone out there is looking for your very special item. They can find you using the Etsy search engine and your item will even show up in a Google search. Even better, the big guys (as in people looking to license art or order big custom items) are searching on Etsy too. Possibly for your special item. I was found by a company looking for Frida Kahlo art and got a great licensing gig from it. Remember to use all 13 tags as best as you can! This helps the right people to find you.
5. It shows that you are serious about your art. When you take the big step to create an online shop, people really start to take you seriously. It shows that you believe in yourself, in your art, in what you are doing. “Believe you can and you’re half way there.” Thank you Theodore Roosevelt for your very wise words.
Just make sure to commit to having your shop for at least one year. One of the biggest mistakes I see, is people giving up after only a few months because of no sales. In the beginning I would go months without a sale, but I was gathering likes and views. My shop has never been empty since I started in December of 2008.
Remember you need time, patience, passion and a way to bring people to your shop. Blogging is a great way to bring people to your shop and so are social media sites. My favorites are instagram and my Facebook page. Share updates, new items and special offers, but also share what you love, what inspires you and what your process is. Over time, you will gain a following.
Lastly, signing up for a small art shows/markets is another really great way to share your art. It’s a lot of work, but it is how I make 75% of my income. People don’t always have the money on hand or have a hard time making a decision on what to buy. By having an online shop to share, they may want to order something from you later.
Even if you would rather not deal with online sales, you really should consider having some way to visually share your beautiful artwork online. Nowadays, it’s almost expected and it is so very much appreciated.
I had a wonderful weekend at the art show despite the crazy heat and intense sun. I am fortunate to be in a spot under the trees, even though there is a window of time where I am in direct sun. I was okay though, I could just visit my fun neighbors in their shady spots.
Because of the heat, it was a little slower than I remember last year. Also, there was a college basketball game that kept people at home in the luxury of their AC. I was so happy and thankful for those who did brave the heat. I met so many wonderful people and even sold a few originals and a ton of cards, mirrors, prints and art blocks.
I wanted to share my new floater frames that my husband and I made. I am so in love with them! Lately, I have really been enjoying painting on hard panels or wood. I love this surface for smaller, more detailed paintings and for faces too. It is smoother and just really lovely to paint on.
The problem is, that when a painting is done, it feels unfinished as just a panel. Some people may like this because they easily fit in a frame, but for me, a shiny frames doesn’t feel like the right finish for my paintings. So, after a ton of research, I finally found a video demonstrating how to frame panels. Perfect!! I showed the hubby and said, “Get ready to rumba, baby!” and he groaned.
You can see the video here: A simple way to frame panels
We went to a lumber yard, found the wood and had them cut the giant 60 x 60 inch piece into manageable strips, with a specific measurement, so we could fit them into the car. Then my hubby cut them to the sizes I needed at home with his table saw. My job was to cut the trim with a miter box and hand saw, then sand, stain and attach the trim.
I actually really enjoyed the process because the end result was so satisfying and great!
You can use this process to frame panels, or just paint directly on the wood, which I might do. Now, I have to promise and use up all the extra wood and trim I have. 😉
It is amazing how much stuff I can get done the week before an art show. Can you say procrastination? Yep, that is me.
Worked on these over the weekend. Spring goddesses to celebrate spring.
Now, I have to do the not so fun stuff to get ready. The price tags, organizing, printing and such. Oh, and I am making floater frames for my art panels. Very excited about that. Will share soon!
White Gardenia
Acrylic on 6×6 inch cradles wood panel
(sold)
I’ve been feeling like painting flowers, with the weather warming up. Actually, we had a little 15 degrees dip today with some chilly rain, but I am sure we will be back up to 80 degree weather by the weekend.
Flower Garden
acrylic on 8×8 inch canvas
This last one might still be in the works. It’s not feeling done to me. I’ll just have to set it aside and think on it.
p.s. These little beauties are on sale in my shop. Half off! Go take a looksee!
My little guy loves to do origami projects. He has very agile little fingers and does it quite well, although he lost interest after about four diamonds. Who can blame him! It was kind of a pain to get the two half diamonds together, but I persevered.
We were inspired by a similar black and white mobile that I saw on pinterest. You can see the blog post –>HERE<–
I have been wanting to make one for a long time, so we got to it on one of our sick days at home last week. The blog post above is in German, so I searched and found a video on how to make origami diamonds. Perfect!
Of course, mine needed to be a bit more colorful. Luckily, I found a bunch of origami paper in the kid’s room during our big clean up. I just fashioned my own mobile with some wire and presto, a fun and colorful mobile for the living room.
(all sold)
We spent all of last week as one very icky and sick family. The kids stayed home from school eventually getting the hubby and I sick too. Fun, fun, fun.
I finally started feeling better on Saturday morning and hid away in my art studio for two glorious days painting and watching the entire 5th season of Downton Abbey.
These are all little 5x5x1 inch cradled wood panels. Fun, small, happy.
I have another art show in 2 weeks, spurring my need to paint! I will gladly take the much needed motivation.
