I am loving the busy artwork of the year

Yeah, I have gotten our bedroom painted and putting back together finally. Now the train noise is softer but the highway noise is loud again, sigh...I think the hallway is a good halfway point for a bed. Two more rooms to paint and we can get everything back in order, it would be easier if Craig would quit thinking of more electrical holes he wants to put into walls after I get them painted.

New cards, framed stock photos and original 4X6 dog portraits are now setup at the shop. We will see how these are responded to. I am hoping that once the sets of pets are worked up there might be a market some of the local pet shops for sales. Pets have such beautiful expressions in their eyes and demeanour. One more dog portrait complete, I could not resist this cute close-up photo, and it was perfect for pen/ink work.

Vince picked up the two portraits done for Jill. I posted Hunter last week, this week the finished piece is her Dad. This was a fun photo to work up, there is so much expression in his face. The scanning doesn't seem to be doing well for lighter pencil shades, so I have had to tweak it a bit in photoshop. There may be a new scanner in my future that can handle all markings, gotta check the market.

Today I am working on a larger workup for Miss Molly and my little Steptoe cuddled to his teddy bear. There is also a pastel piece for Jenny to finish and what I want to have done for the Springwood Show in August to complete over the next few weeks. Only 6 weeks until we head off to the USA for family visits! We are so excited to get away and Craig to experience the new aspects of another country. I also hope to come back with lots of sketches and photos to work up for future shows and sales. It is an ambitious schedule setup, but there should be enough down time for us to figure out the next stage of our life together. Although we love some aspect of the Blue Mountains, the noise of the highway/trains and lack of secure jobs tells us that we have to move on.

Until next time....

Is it May yet?

It has been a tiring week of train noise and busy work shifts, but through the sleeplessness I did get much accomplished. I cannot wait for my vacation in May to get here for the quiet reflections at my parent's homes.

I have mastered making my own cards with the Swift Publisher, no more printer bills yeah! Now to finding a shop that sells card stock in packets and not individual sheets at expanded pricing.

There are two more dog drawings for the series done: Karen's Miss Molly and Dawn's Baby Rocky. (My scanner is having issues this morning with resolutions, please bear with me). They are so cute, I think I've done them justice with their portraits.

There is also a commission piece complete, another one for Jill....he has such beautiful big eyes and pouty lips that was a joy to draw. My favourite model type.

Craig and the boss have bought me frames from yard sales cheaply, I took two of this this week to decoupaged newspaper around them and lightly painted over that for a bit of a retro look. They are to hold two of my stock photos of old film cameras that I play with. The photos were originally taken to  make a calendar selection on the redbubble site that I sell from. I believe the look will be great for a photographer's room or office. 

Now have to complete another commission for Jill, one for Jenny and there are two of my own pieces sitting on the board to be finished. Hopefully it is another resourceful week, but with more sleep please.

It has been a full on couple of weeks with birthdays and work, but I am trying to finish too many projects at once has my head spinning. The bedroom walls still have 2 more to paint, bathroom needs a second coat and cleaned, wardrobe and bed of main bedroom need to be scrubbed of mildew and the cleaning has been put off because I can't be bothered.
Then onto the art stuff.... quilt/sewing machine painting is almost complete, Jenny's fishing boys have been started, a dog series of cards to be made, frames to be decorated, matting cut, got 3 more portrait commissions, girl with horse is still sitting on the drawing table and I just finished a piece for Full Metal Jousting calling for drawings. All this on top of a full time job.... I'm tired, but will get it all done. Craig tells me just take one at a time and they will all come together. He is getting a long weekend and will take over the bedroom and bathroom tasks - Yeah!

Full Metal Jousting is a program on the History channel with full contact (no show lances) contests. I interviewed a lovely couple back when I was doing some travel writing and follow them on Facebook (mostly to see the lovely horses) and if I ever pick up another article to get published. One of them posted a call for writing, pictures or drawings for a contest with subject being the program. I thought it would be fun and started....but I didn't realise there was not much time before it was to be turned in. So I rushed through it a bit, but I think it came together alright. There are not that many reference photos of their armour to go by, so I "invented" some of the details.

I asked my friends and family to send me photos of their dogs for a series of cards. My card rack at the service station is getting a bit low so another printing is to be ordered. I keep cards here with my business name printed on back of art pieces I've done that customers have watched me put together and photographs. It is another marketing showcase, that is not a huge money maker but paid for one of my college courses and keeps me in art materials. I hope to one day be able to do a bigger printing to get other shops to carry the line. (Hopefully be a part of a regular income if I ever go full time artist). Here is the first of this series, "Ginger Doll". She is pen/ink with a drawing nib. 

Well the service station is picking up again (Oh yeah)... so that is all for today. I have to start those commissions this weekend and finish something on the house. So will keep you updated.

Questions, Quarries, Quelines and ?

This week has been a mix of organisation, research and painting. I have been reading "How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist" by Caroll Michels to decide whether to pursue more work in a professional capacity, or just keep doing commissions and sales. There are also questions as to doing more commercial pieces or fine art contemporary...maybe both. Michels states that webpages for professional artists should be set up as either a fine art portfolio for curators and business managers to observe, or they should be marketing pieces for sales of work.
I have no formal training, besides four years of Mrs. Sharon Eck's high school art classes, just a love and passion for art. Where do I want to go with this passion? Am I satisfied with local exhibitions, portrait commissions and experimenting with different mediums? Since career prospects were mentioned in high school life, the counsellors have steered me away from the art field stating that it is not a career. The old starving artist can't make a living, which I am finding is more a conceptual ideal of bohemian artists than reality. The older I get my mind is set only on the figurative ideas of pieces for portrayal, but I find that life's necessity of full-time work keeps me holding that possibility under.

Besides the mind of queries, I did finish a drawing of Dad and Debbie that she asked me for. It is A2 size done in Derwent graphite and watercolour pencils. Now to get it safely to Florida when I go visit and find a place there to frame it.

This is another ongoing experiment in the works. I had a dream of this done all in sepia ink tones with dripping ink. The dream was regarding history becoming faded and forgotten. I did a workup sketch, but wasn't satisfied that it was conveying my idea. After doing some collage work in class, I thought the quilt background in clippings and paint the sewing figure in the foreground. I am now also thinking of adding ribbon stitching between the quilt pieces to mix my love of quilting and painting together. I am not sure how the canvas will react to being punctured with needles though, so still thinking it through. I just started painting the figure today, but have to quit to go to work. Hopefully will get back to it this week, planning on doing it in grey tones now. 

All for now... keep searching for answers.