Thursday, September 26, 2013

Calm and Rough

Why is it waves are so calming even when they surge?
You know what I mean? I find it so.
Anywhoo, thanks for letting me....um, expound on my last post. I guess I just needed to vent. (I did have a few nice conversations as a result of it :) I promise not to be a snivel-bunny any time soon.
In any case, I really enjoyed painting this. From a stock photo by shutterbugmom on deviantarts http://fav.me/d1yy090

Oil on canvas panel board, 14x11" wave landscape (that's funny! wave landscape? lol)
SOLD * Auction bid on dailypaintworks.com (and I didn't realize they took the first most recent post! Whoo boy! People must thinks I rant allll the time!)
Cheers all!
Karen
*Please contact me if you would like to commission a similar painting.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Pottery

I couldn't come up with a more exciting title for this? Pottery .... hm. Oh well. I certainly didn't take a stellar pic of it either.
So, Friday the thirteenth.
I admit I've been a tad blue.
 I have to say Robert Genn's clickback article "Happy times here again?" started me off. http://clicks.robertgenn.com/happy-times.php There was that darn last paragraph:
Selling of "Painting a Day" and such for $200 is okay but it's not a career. EBay and Etsy are still garage sales. Amazon, to its credit, is pioneering the sale of paintings online with the apparent endorsement of what appear to be galleries. 
I really like Robert's Twice-Weekly letters. He just happened to rain on my parade that day. Garage sales?
Then my issue of American Art Review came. Their Fortieth Anniversary Issue. Now, I have a very soft spot in my heart for this magazine. Their associate editor Jill Redmond and I had a random and lovely conversation back in February (she used to live nearby where I live and we shared a few memories of the area.) We talked for about 40 minutes and part of the conversation was about how magazines, especially art magazines, are a not a draw for the younger audience, especially a magazine like American Art Review which is really more has more of a historical slant. I love art history.
So the other thing that sunk my boat? The editor, Thomas Kellaway, summed up the fortieth anniversary issue with a few thoughts and here are two of his:
#1 Most people can, unbelievably, live without art. 
#3 Art is desirable to a significant but small group of people. 

This, in itself, certainly isn't a surprise. Is it? I mean, I wouldn't subscribe to the latest issue of Bus World. I don't care for buses so I would say they are desirable to a significant but small group of people. But ART! Not Art!
But both of these articles ended with upbeat thoughts. Robert's final sentence was: In art galleries and out, my prognosis is that more original art is going to be sold over the next two decades than in the entire history of art. Stick around; there's going to be some grazing. 
And Thomas Kellaway's was "Collectors do buy art that is advertised in magazines." 
So... encouraging.
I know... no, I KNOW I paint for myself. (and I take terrible pics of my work and that certainly doesn't  make them shine.)  But I'll keep plugging along, learning and polishing my rough edges. In fact, I've actually completed three paintings during this time. Now if I could just take some decent photos...
Cheers all. I apologize if you've found my ranting a downer. 
Oil on board 6x6"  Yes, available for sale $25 at.... sigh, .... Etsy. (Snapdragon wanted it but I said no. She steals too much of my work)

God's peace.
Karen


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