A Question of Pace

Where to start?  Well, actually painting would be a good place.  It seems to be the root of all my answers.  I can’t grow as an artist without being an artist and I can’t sell without an inventory.  Over the course of the past couple of weeks I’ve produced 2 pieces, which is something of a production line for me.  Admittedly they’re small (12” x 12”), but they have already taught me a lot.  I took my inspiration from a fellow student painting under the relaxed tutelage of Craig Skinner.  Her name is Diane and she has the ability to knock out a vibrant painting in a couple of hours.  In December 2008 I decided to emulate this and to my surprise a painting emerged almost by itself in about two and a half hours.  Up to this point I had been pretty finicky and I really, like really, enjoyed the freedom.    Here’s the piece:

Ruiter Brook Falls

Oil on Canvas 2008

Since then I slipped back into finicky territory and, at one point, worried over a panting for weeks (ironically also a 12” x 12”).  Craig helped me rescue it and now I think I actually like it, even though it carries powerful reminders of some frustrating hours at the easel. 

Then in September of this year I set my self a goal of completing four paintings by year’s end.  No mean feat as I generally only paint once a week at Craig’s.  So I set up an easel in front of the TV and spent my evenings painting.  Here’s lesson #1 for me: if I’m spreading my attention between painting, chatting and Law & Order SVU I don’t really get the desired finished result on canvas….but it does work as a way to get pieces started while not leaving an art widow behind.  Fast forward to early December and I still have two paintings to go to reach my goal.  I realize that I have to repeat my “Ruiter Brook Falls” performance of the previous year.  Deep down I was worried that it was fluke.  A painting in two and a bit hours?  Here goes…

Esther Trail

Oil on Canvas 2009

I think I was a little dazed from the frenetic pace by the end of the evening and I realized I had a ways to go before I could be really comfortable with this method.  To some extent I was still finnicking (is that a word?), only faster.  I had worked and reworked certain areas and didn’t spend enough time detaching myself from the piece to appreciate the overall effect I was creating.  As a learning experience it was hugely valuable. 

A week passes and the easel never gets set up in front of the TV.  It’s Craig’s last lesson of the year and I show up late.  I have less than two hours to produce painting or be left to the mercies of finding time to finish it.  So I attack the canvas like never before, blocking in colour and working feverishly to cover the thing in paint.  That done, I go back over the areas that need definition.  I purposely make colour choices that are simple and bold.  The less time I faff with raw sienna and Payne’s grey, the more time I can spend painting.  All of a sudden it’s an hour and 45 minutes later.  I’ve pretty much ignored my fellow students and I have no concept of any time passing.  I’m almost out of breath from the pace, but I got to spend some quality time in “the zone” and I have a painting.  A painting I like.

Ruiter Valley

Oil on Canvas 2009

Why am I obsessed with speed?  The art I most admire oozes confidence, spontaneity and life.  I’m not a huge fan of ultra-realistic, photographic art (but I do appreciate the technical skills required to create it).  Speed will help me eliminate worrying a piece to death.  It will force me into making better colour choices up front and sketching out my layout to give me a better idea of the end goal.  It will generate more paintings with reduced frustration (hopefully).  The end products will (should) be bolder, more engaging, more recognizable as one of mine.  I won’t be going all-out all the time – from time to time I will want to spend some time over a piece, but the increase in art mileage will better equip me to produce some quality work.

The Art of Marketing Art

As I grow in confidence with my painting skill I become less concerned about putting it out there for the world to see.  The great compliments I get from friends and family have helped that confidence grow, but I'd still like validation that my stuff can "hold its own", so to speak.  So I loaded my pictures up on FineArtAmerica.com and signed up for the ability to sell prints.  So far, so good.  A few months (and a single sale) later I signed up with Google Adwords and threw a "test budget" at a campaign that drew lots of hits, but no bites.  So I think I'm beginning to understand what sells (or, at least, what doesn't).  Here's what I've learned so far...

1. The internet won't sell your art for you.  It's a passive medium that sits and waits for visitors.  My attempts at internet sales so far have felt a little like running a lemonade stand on major highway: "look at all that traffic scooting by!".
2. To sell art you have to 'grab' the viewer - either through the subject matter or the presence of the actual physical art object (i.e. live viewing)
3. For the subject matter to do the grabbing it has to mean something to the viewer.  My only sale was a piece that depicted a well-known view of Mistaya Canyon in Alberta and I sold it to a customer in....you guessed it....Alberta.  It sounds obvious, but took me a while to work this out.  I was confusing the meaning my paintings had for me with the meaning I felt they should have for the random viewer.  This simple fact is why the biggest selling art subject on FineArtAmerica.com seems to be celebrity portraits - they are recognizable.
4. For the physical presence of the art object to do the grabbing the viewer has already made the decision to physically go look at some art (as opposed to deciding to surf the net), so they may be more inclined to be grabbed.  This is where the technique, use of colour, etc will come into play.  This is an avenue I have yet to explore as my potential inventory of paintings is somewhat limited, but it's a natural next step. 

So in the coming months I'll be working on increasing the "grabbiness" of my art, while making zero compromises (I won't be churning out portraits of Tiger Woods or Miles Davis, thank you very much).  I'll be focusing on numerous skills that I think are required (this list will probably change as I learn):

• Choosing subject matter that will appeal to the viewer (and understanding what doesn't).
• Technique - developing a signature style.
• Speed - my time is limited so I gotta paint faster!
• Search engine optimization (SEO) - getting my web site a good listing in Google.
• Getting to know Adwords before I lose my shirt.
• Using other methods of free online and physical advertising.
• Participating in a show.
• Getting my own show (once I have 20+ paintings that I could bear to part with). 

Maybe when I've done all the above I can start to think about approaching galleries or agents (remember this is still supposed to be fun).  Right now I'm still at square one.  Wish me luck.

What's My Style?

I love the outdoors and I love mountains.  I'm a hiker and skier and the natural world really strikes a chord in me.  I try to bring that feeling to my paintings; consequently I mostly paint natural landscapes.  I wouldn't really know how to label my style, except to say that it sways between realism and post-impressionism depending on mood, subject and circumstances.  I paint from photographs, the vast majority of which I have taken.  I feel it's important to have been to the location of the painting to be able to impart that certain something into the finished article.  I do paint from other people's photos from time to time, but in most cases I've been to the subject location.

Here's an example of my work:

Castlerigg

Oil on Canvas 2009

Painting is Serious Fun.

Painting is more than fun.  Painting is serious fun.  Painting is taking over an increasingly large chunk of my life; a life that is already pretty full with family, work and less serious hobbies.  I find that I think about my paintings past and future quite a bit.  What did I enjoy from my last work?  What did I hate?  Is the result a success? What would I have done differently?  What did I learn?  How can I apply that to the next painting?  What can I paint next time?  Is it just a hobby?  What am I going to do with these paintings?

Meanwhile life ticks on.  I have an IT job I mostly enjoy and a family I adore.  Somehow I want to be able to squeeze in enough painting mileage to take it to whatever the next level may be.  Perhaps one day I could make an extra buck or two with my art.  This blog will be way for me to trace this journey.  Maybe there are others in a similar situation.  Perhaps my experiences will help others.  Perhaps there are others who can help me.  We'll see...

I'm going to post about the art itself  (technique development, choice of subject, use of materials & equipment), marketing the art (internet, shows, etc), the logistics it fitting it into a family man's life and anything that crosses my path on the way.  Hope you enjoy it...