No photos today... I have posted on Instagram and Facebook, which is my daily routine - along with updating my website.
Today I thought I would write about where I am as an artist... I am faced with a life change - a bit of a crisis for me - a sudden retirement from the seasonal retail industry. While the change from retail to becoming a full time artist is putting a smile on my face - it is scary at the same time. My retail outlet had a small gallery attached which allowed me to showcase and sell my original art, along with limited edition prints and art cards. I was dabbling at the online side of the art business and now it is time to pay the piper. Another reality is that I am not tech savvy.
I am a believer that doors will open at the time when you are ready for them - but the online business is frustrating. At every turn someone is promising to make you an online success simply by following their strategies. I have looked into a few of them only to be bombarded - and I mean bombarded - through emails, facebook ads, and instagram posts... It is mind boggling.
I will keep searching and working at it... Does anyone out there have any insight?
A few days ago I rejoined Daily Paintworks so that I can share my works of art. While I do not paint every single day - but most days - I do spend every day involved in art. Being an artist involves many steps outside of the studio. Putting paint to canvas is the easy part. There's the initial planning stages for the artwork, painting the edges once the piece is complete, the photographing/cataloguing, attaching the hardware, naming and writing artist information behind the painting, stamp of authenticity, and signing the front... And then you start on the next one.
Being an artist is a continuous process - one step always leads to another if you want to grow. You can't simply produce art and leave it at that - whatever would you do with all of your paintings... For me being an artist is wanting to share my art with collectors - for a few reasons. Realistically you do need to support yourself and your craft... secondly there is a feeling of achievement at having your art displayed on people's walls, where they see it every day... because they have been touched by your creation... the feeling that you have as an artist whenever you create a painting is passed on to the collector and gets to live on - to me that is why I am an artist - a growing artist.
Collectors often wonder what a painting would look like on a wall... I will post from time to time some of my paintings in settings to show the viewers what it could look like in their homes. This one is of a beautiful acrylic moose painting measuring 38x30 inches, comes unframed and is ready to hang as it, or can be framed by the collector. I like to paint on regular style canvasses because of the simplicity of my works... I strive in simplicity and would like the viewer to feel freedom of mind, the same as I do when I work in my studio surrounded by my paints, canvasses and ideas for paintings... Let me know what you think. Surround yourself with beautiful art.
Why become an artist? I recall when I was a child and I received a paint by number gift set for Christmas. It was the best gift ever. I still recall it to this day. The flow of the paints. The vibrancy. The sheer pleasure of watching it come to life. Mind you it wasn't very imaginative, but it impressed me enough to stay with me for a lifetime. Life took over and painting was put on the back burner for many years. I did not take up panting again until my early forties. My appetite to be an artist was reignited by a series of courses taken while I was living as an expat overseas. I took up calligraphy, bookmaking, and marbling. Returning to Canada offered me the opportunity to stay in one place and focus on what it was that I wanted to do, and become, as opposed to my main goal being to support my husband in his career. I quickly chose to become and artist - a landscape artist. Mind you I still had responsibilities, like raising children, and putting food on the table, but now I could focus a bit more on what it is that I wanted to become as a person. Have a great day.
This is a recent acrylic painting created on wrapped canvas... The grey wolf is a delight to paint... It is a native to the large canine family - reminds me of a German Sheppard... Love it to pieces.
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| 569 - The Lone Pine 82-16 14"x18" - Acrylic on Canvas $260.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 570 - Red Squirrel River 68-16 20"x16" - Acrylic on Canvas $340.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 571 - Obabika Z Bridge 66-16 14"x18" - Acrylic on Canvas $260.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 573 - Killbear 52-60-16 30"x20" - Acrylic on Canvas $470.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 591 - Dogtooth Lake, Ontario 108-16 18"x14" - Acrylic on Canvas $260.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 604 - Screencaps Hwy 11 70-16 36"x24" - Acrylic on Canvas $520.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 605 - Dancing with the Wind 84-16 16"x20" - Acrylic on Canvas $340.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 606 - Come Home to Serenity 108-16 18"x14" - Acrylic on Canvas $260.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 607 - Georgian Bay Canoe 101-16 16"x20" - Acrylic on Canvas $340.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 613 - Northern Lights 78-16 20"x16" - Acrylic on Canvas $340.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 659 - Talks with the Forest 16 18" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas $390.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
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| 660 - The Lone Canoe 16 11"x14" - Acrylic on Canvas $200.00CDN + shipping available in 8"x10" print, 5"x7" print, art card src@eastlink.ca |
