i like to torture myself

so in the midst of painting 11 buttons and finishing the painting of my grandmother, I also started this painting. I put another layer of colors on it, but I'm not 100% of the color scheme I want to use. They are 2 kids standing in a non descript field and I am going to treat the edges much like I Will Prevail For You (vintage train ledger papers on the edges). It's a large 20 by 20. Why do I do this to myself....the smaller paintings are so much faster!

Sew in Love, Sew Much to Say, Say it Ain't Sew

I just listed 3 of the 6 inch by 6 inch button paintings! Fresh off the easel...they were a huge hit at the Providence Open Market.
You can find them in my Etsy Shop.

Say it Ain't Sew

Sew Much to Say

Sew in Love

Cotton Candy Sunrise

This item SOLD at the Providence Art festival to a wonderful customer! I didn't even have time to post pics or get anything ready for etsy.

I tried to challenge myself with a color scheme that is out of my normal earth tones/ jewel tones palette. And the one color I shy away from...is PINK. PINK PINK PINK! The one thing that inspired me was this photo from FixItNowSamuri who goes on amazing hikes and then takes equally amazing photos (you can view these here) . This photo has a beautiful subtle color scheme so I thought I'd give it a try.

I am happy with how it came out, but may try it a couple more times to get it more exact. The sky color is actually a complex layering of colors and when lit correctly, the yellow undertones make the subtle top lay of blue look really interesting. The hardest part was getting the shadow on the center tree to look close to believable, and the tint of the pink kept getting too red or too purple...it took a good 4 different tries to get it right!

The ground color on this is also quite interesting...in the photo it looks yellowish...but there are tones of pink in it...which is why I loved the initial photo and it's color scheme...all the colors played together.

my goodness!

I didn't realize I had already taken progress shots of "This Bitter Long Day." So I DO have something to post!

I am playing around with more of the graphic background, like I did with The Fisherman.

I have another session done on it but I thought it would be fun to share each progress shot.

The water is a challenge. I've found photos of water all over the internet that I'm using as a reference...which is helpful, since I can't paint in front of the ocean here during the Rhode Island winters.

As the painting develops, I am still not certain what the color scheme is....which makes it hard to progress. But as each layer goes on, I'll find a color I like for each element and go with it. I've never been one to obsess over the "right" colors...just ones that feel natural to me.

As a reminder, this is the photo I'm working from:

Today, I will be working from home for the first part of the day, then a hair appointment at noon, then off to work.

I will attempt to finish the Valentines Day Challenge painting this morning in roder to have it ready for all sorts of Esty treasuries with my Etsy Group.

I find that my biggest time waster is farting around on the internet!

I'm not really sure why I can't have titles for my blog posts. I'm sure it has something to do with the template I chose...but I honestly don't have time to try and mess with it right now.

Anyways, 2009 has started slow for this artist. 2008 was a great year for me in terms of painting, but mediocre in terms of sales in my Etsy Shop. I felt I got a lot accomplished but even though you're not supposed to rely on sales for validation as an artist, it's quite a challenge not to. 

This year I have decided to really focus on the continuation of producing more work but to also focus my efforts in terms of marketing/promotion/approaching galleries... all this, while working a full time job. 

My painting goals are to:

1. Approach Rhode Island art galleries about carrying some of my work. An accomplished artists I spoke with said that if I have work in galleries I, as well as other people, would take my work more seriously. I did create a nice portfolio book here on Blub.com that I will use when approaching galleries.

2. Attend the Wickford Art Festival and The Foundry Arts show - these are 2 local shows known for their fabulous arts,

3. Donate 3 paintings to local causes and/or auctions - doing good and getting my name out there...a win win for everyone.

So as I write this I should be upstairs painting for my Etsy Group's Valentines Day challenge. I will also attempt to keep up this blog more regularly as a way of keeping tabs on myself and documenting these efforts.