LIFE CHOICES...

I have been giving a lot of thought to what this second post will address, where to start with this whole art as a business concept. It isn’t easy to speak the truth about this as it is different for each individual and certainly different for the various art forms. Being a production potter and making several hundred coffee cups is totally different than painting 15 paintings a year. I am a painter, so I will be speaking from what I know.

This is "Hope". It literally took me years to paint this painting.
I repainted her garment and her face multiple times until
one day she was complete. The Earth that she holds
to her was exactly perfect the very first day!

I make a significant distinction between being an artist, or an artistically talented person, and being in the business of selling one’s art. An artist with no thought towards their work being a business does what they want to do, when they have time to do it, spends money on supplies as they can afford to and generally enjoys creating simply because they love the process. This doesn’t mean that they won’t occasionally sell something they have made; it just means that it isn’t part of their intention when they go into their studios.

My painting table made out of reclaimed kitchen cabinets from a friend's remodel.
Lots of light  both natural and incandescent and lots of drawers for pencils,
scissors, etc. Everything is easily within my reach when I am working.

Being in the business of selling your art is a Life Choice. An artist who is committed to making their living through their creative self-expression must go into their studio and work whether they feel like it or not, they have to spend money on supplies whether they can afford to or not and they have deadlines and commitments that often involve other people and stretch out for months or sometimes years. It is a business like any other business and its health and well-being depends on the artist’s willingness and ability to nurture and grow it. The huge difference is that we artists can’t just go to a trade show and order a selection of merchandise to sell. We make our merchandise ourselves. The other huge difference is that for many of us, the process of creating is our spiritual practice. We don’t just crank out the goods. We lovingly pour ourselves into our creations and this is what gives them their life and their ability to speak to others.

A ready to hang mounted giclee of "Grace".

A selection of greeting cards with
images of my original paintings.

I never, and I mean NEVER, think about whether a certain painting is going to sell when I am painting it. I paint because it gives me joy. I am passionate about process of painting and see it is my daily spiritual practice as well as my life. The business of selling my work is built on this, not the other way around.

Believe it or not, I only sold 5 original paintings last year. I show them, and occasionally I sell one or two, but for the most part I keep them and enjoy them in my own home. So how can I call myself a successful artist? I don’t make my living from selling my original paintings! In fact, sales of original paintings accounted for less than 10% of my income last year. Archival reproductions and greeting cards of my original paintings sold through galleries and my Etsy shop accounted for approximately half of my income. The rest came from other things that I make and sell, namely Fringe Adornments (small hand-crocheted scarf/neck ornaments) and my jewelry. I may be a painter, but I have a few other skills as well.

Earrings made from paper that I design and print.
Sold on Etsy and in galleries locally.

Thinking about all of this and what it means to you will help you put your art and whether you want to make it into a business into perspective.

Personally, there is nothing I would rather do more than be an artist. It is how I think, it is what I do best and it is what gives me indescribable joy. It is not simply what I do, it is truly WHO I AM. Making a living as an artist is my reward for showing up and allowing my creator to work through me and I honor this great blessing by doing everything within my power to make it happen, including working a part-time job for the first 6 years while I established myself as a painter.

Anew piece that I am working on.
Exploring the use of Scribblertoo
to give the fabric texture.

WHO ARE YOU?


To see more of my paintings, prints, cards, and jewelry, please visit my Etsy shop.


I want to apologize in advance for those of you who got multiple notices regarding updates to my blog. It didn't occur to me that this would happen if I edited errors as I found them... live. Sorry. It won't happen again!

LIFE AS A TAPESTRY...

Some people see life as a tapestry, our thoughts and experiences woven day by day into the fabric of our own unique journey. I am one of these people.

"She Walks Between Worlds"  acrylic  24"x30"
One of my very early paintings when I was just starting to
explore the concept of painting in a reductive style.

I started learning about fabric as soon as I could walk and talk. My mother was, and still is, an amazing seamstress and master of all crafts that have anything to do with thread or yarn. She made a lot of our clothes and the most beautiful sweaters and socks in the winter. My personal favorite was the warm flannel nightgowns under the Christmas tree every year. From her I learned how to “read” fabric, not just top/bottom and front/back, but how it moved, where it was yielding and fluid and where it was unyielding and strong. I learned how to choose colors, how to cut into it with respect and intention, and I learned how to fashion it into anything that I could imagine. In essence, my mother taught me how to live my life at choice, weaving the threads of my tapestry with purpose and integrity. She didn't know that this was what I was learning, and I certainly didn't, but fifty years later I can see how these first foundational threads support and inform my life, my choices, and most importantly these days, my art.

"Birth of Dawn"  acrylic  24"x24"
Another one of my earlier paintings, but still one of my favorites.

I have thought a long time about writing a blog but wanted it to be something that would draw me forward as well as have value for those who might join me. It occurred to me a few days ago that the questions I am most often asked by emerging artists (as a mentor and as an working artist) have to do with creating a body of work for a show. From start to finish, how do you make it happen? How do you decide what to do, the theme, the sizes of the paintings, the time it will take, the prices…? The questions are many and the answers not always so straight forward or easy to answer.

"The Dreamer"  acrylic  8"x10"
From the "Ancestors, Promises and Messengers" show
at the Mendocino Art Center, Summer of 2011.

This blog is going to follow the next five months of my life as I prepare for a gallery show in August with another artist, Erika Island. She works in glass and I will be painting. I invite you to join me as I explore images and work through paintings until, in just 5 months, I hang them on the wall in the gallery. I will need between 15 and 20 finished paintings and I am at the very first stages of experimenting with what they will look like. I have been painting for over 8 years so I want to honor my personal style and the color palette that collectors of my work recognize. There are those who own multiple pieces of my work and I would like them to be pleasantly surprised not ambushed by a whole new direction when they come to my show. I also want to explore some new ideas. This is my life after all, and I need to reach creatively to keep it interesting. Hopefully, in the process, you will have some of your questions answered, maybe even get inspired and schedule a show of your own. My first show was in a restaurant and someone got pizza on one of the paintings. Most successful artists start off at the bottom and work their way toward their dreams. I hope some small part of my journey will speak to your journey.

To see more of my paintings, prints, cards, and jewelry, please visit my Etsy shop.