Hello 2013

So New Year's Eve, you are here again and you have brought your friends gale force wind and torrential rain with you. I am hoping this means we can see out 2012 and the weather in one big party (or at least in a few glasses of wine).

This is probably not a very celebratory song for this time of year but it would be good if 2013 could live up to just a little bit of it. It seems more appropriate than ever at the moment as everything seems to be going a little bit pear-shaped but at the end of the day none of it really matters. Tonight is about patting yourself on the back, looking at your achievements, looking at the world's achievements and the best bits of 2012. Give your friends a hug and have a glass of wine on me. HAPPY 2013! It really is going to be a good one, I am sure of it.

The Secret of Kells

So I hope everyone has had a good Christmas and is looking forward to 2013. That is assuming that a) you are not ten feet under water and b) you have not eaten so much that you can no longer move. I am worried I might have overdone the Christmas food as I had to buy a jumper 6 sizes larger than normal (I only over-ate for 2 days!) It is ok though, it was a sale item and a baggy fashion statement - at least that is what I am telling myself.........

What with the eating and the raining and the ho ho ho it is pretty obvious I haven't really done anything constructive in the last few days. I did get a new watch for my clock collection but that will get it's own individual post later, I think my family are fed up with me saying 'Have you seen my watch' (such an obsessive).

ANYWAY....this post is to promote a fabulous animated film I watched a couple of days ago. The story is a little bizarre but the animation is truly beautiful. It is about the Book of Kells (currently housed in Dublin, and yes, I have seen it in real life). The book is a marvel for it's time, full of colour, patterns and nature, as is the film, which might be why I like it. More importantly it has a cat in it called Panger Ban, now on my Christmas list for next year. If you are a fan of animated films you simply must check out The Secret of Kells.

I guess I should

Home. Winter. Snow. Frost. Food. Crackers. Cranberry Sauce. Walks. Mulled wine. Crackling fire.

These are a few of my favourite things.

I have nothing else to say on the matter other than to wish you all Happy Holidays/ Seasons Greetings / Merry Christmas and an absolutely, show stopping, wondrous, fantastic, ridiculously thrilling start to 2013!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Holidays/ Seasons Greetings / Merry Christmas if you like penguins:

Happy Holidays/ Seasons Greetings / Merry Christmas if you like Polar Bears:

Rumour has it it is going to be a year to remember! (Rumour has it.....at least that is what Adele told me)

Rough Set

I am being slightly excessive this morning and writing all my posts before I head home for Christmas - the question is will I be patient and space them out or will I just look like I have nothing else to do and publish three in one day. If only I wasn't one of those written, posted, forget about it....TICK people. I don't like things hanging over me.

Well I will try and behave.

I think the painting below will be my last of 2012 and have I ended on a high? Not emotionally no, the last few paintings have not been satisfactory experiences as they all fly close to the bin. I tend to like them the next day but not at the time. I don't know where I have misplaced my judgement or my 'joie de vivre' but I won't worry for the moment. When 2013 comes and I am still frustrated, well then I might get an SLR and pretend I never painted in the first place.

I also realised I am rather fickle having proclaimed that Swept was so exciting I was going to keep it for myself! 3 days later and it is up for sale (let's hope I never have children!).

The process of creating a new painting is quite draining and there is the distraction of mulled wine at present so I am sure I just need a break. I am sure good food, family, friends, crackers and some bad TV will more than make me realise I want to be on my own again and get the paint box out!

Is that an elephant?

I am breathing a sigh of relief this morning because yesterday I managed to complete my website updates in time for the end of the world. I don't know about you but I couldn't face exploding and leaving the remnants of a incomplete website to float around in the ether, my conscious, I am sure, would leave me in purgatory. But it seems this morning that the world hasn't ended which is slightly disappointing, it means I might actually have to get on and tackle the rest of my to do list. Damn.....

Updating my website, this time, was interesting as I decided to make a fact sheet for each of my paintings that are up for sale (oh hooray, even more work to do each time I upload a new painting!) As I tend to make things up as I go along it was quite good to have to sit and re-evaluate each image analytically and try to think of something to say other than 'found paint, spilt on floor, mushed around, pretty, pretty!'

I think my favourite description was:

"A graphic interpretation of a beautiful heart-stopping sunset over Laguna Beach in California.  Sunlight ripples on the sand, silhouetted rocks in the sea, watery sunset in the background, burnished streaky clouds in the sky. I am in love". 

Tell it like it is. I am not into the school of thinking that makes art inaccessible 'the elephant is obviously a retrograde expression of the condition of human credibility in the modern era due to a mistrust of sociably accepted idioms, the purge of life as existential realism and philosophy on an otherwise base soul of the lowest degree.'

Hmm, ok....

Are you sure it isn't just an elephant?  

Fog filled and frost crisped.

Today is a relaxing, lazy lounge wear day but I have to wear skinny jeans, my favourite jeans are not so much holy as holey, in fact at the moment it feels like my life is full of holes. I need to buy a new pair but the January sales are round the corner and my architecture freelance clients are being slow to pay. At least when it all comes together it will look like a Christmas bonus and I can treat myself to some clothes. 2013. You ARE going to be a good year. In the meantime, with my gaffer taped shower, my clothes with holes, my empty fridge (I am away for Christmas and running down my food) I feel like a proper artist. My next stop is to fall hopelessly in unrequited love and post my ear as a token of devotion. I did wonder about doing this as a marketing ploy 'Dear Saatchi, here are some examples of work from my portfolio and my right ear lobe. Enjoy'.

On days when everything is getting a little bit frustrating you need nature to pull out all of the stops and show you something beautiful. England did this on Wednesday as I woke up to a fog filled, frost crisped, cold dusky morning. Thank you Fuji for sending me back my camera from the repair hospital the day before, I think I would have cried without a camera to snap away at this spectacle.

Let's play snap.

Having just refused to fall into writing a blog post everyday it seems slightly controversial to go ahead and do two posts at once. I actually have another post I could write as well but maybe I will save that for tomorrow otherwise the world really will end!

Sometimes I paint a picture. A picture that starts off well, goes through a raggedy stage, then with a burst of inspiration I pull it out of the bag. Sometimes, I paint a picture and it is a sedate affair, not much happens, end product is not too bad, and I feel relatively relaxed. Sometimes..... SOMETIMES I paint a picture.... starts well, goes through a raggedy stage, a slightly dodgy patch, a this isn't working, breathe, oh god, undo, undo, I AM SO ANGRY, look at this...... this THING, where is my Stanley knife, a match, some lighter fluid? WHERE IS THE BIN? I. AM. BE. YOND. FURIOUS. RIGHT. NOW!

Usually this painting is saved by a select friend, or my Mum getting a preview and telling me it is fine, what are you on about? It looks like all the others? Don't touch it and see how you feel in the morning. Above is one such painting. It is bizarrely (on deviantArt at least), one of my most popular images. One other painting that had the same effect and narrowly escaped being snapped in half is up on my wall in my bedroom and is mine for life. I love it now:

It looks like I may well be my own worst critic!

To blog or not to blog?

I have been looking at what makes a successful blog and I have come up with no useful conclusions. The more successful ones seem to blog everyday......... um, no. I don't think anyone is that interested except maybe my Mother (Hi Mum!) and I have time now - because architecture work is slow - but that won't last (I hope!). I did think, as the world is going to end that I could just blog everyday for the next 8 days, but surely I can find something better to do with my last days on Earth like eat my body weight in chocolate.

Regardless, redesigning my blog has made it ten times more popular than it was, now if I could just make it ten times, ten times, ten times more popular then we might be getting somewhere.

Oh well, maybe the world will end and then I can relax.  

Seraphin De Senlis

There is nothing quite like realising your broadband is down but you are technically savvy enough to get your computer online through your mobile phone. It is a bit like realising after millions of yogalates sessions that you can finally sit in the lotus position (unsitting in the lotus position is more difficult by the way!).

Anyway, I am online, and it had to be today; I watched a film over the weekend (yes another one) about the fabulous artist Seraphin Louis also known as Seraphin De Senlis. It is quite an inspiring and slightly sad story but I love that woman's drive, passion and vision. I also have a few things in common with her - feeling better when I take a walk with nature, painting without anything on my feet, painting with singing and/or music with my canvas on the floor in the middle of the night. I hope my neighbours below me don't have to suffer as much as hers! Although I can identify with some aspects I am not going to draw too many comparisons as I don't have her pure talent, her instructions from God(!) and I certainly do not want to travel down her final road. I am pretty sure with my support network and my strong lack of religious fervour I am more than safe, my line is far wider than hers.

Seraphine De Senlis died today in 1942, so here is my memorial post. I am making it my mission to see some of her work in real life - apparently there is some on display in the Musee Maillol in Paris. No one ever needs an excuse to go to Paris........dear Eurostar........

A Fan-tastic Mr Fox

On Friday in the court case of painting versus website updates versus film -painting won and Swept was created. Yesterday, film won, as did a very tasty toffee crunch chocolate orange -actually that may have lost as it no longer exists. I am hoping today that website updates will triumph, as I really need to knuckle down and do them but it is Sunday and I can feel a painting bubbling in my shoulders..... The joy of something or other.

Anyway, the film of note was Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox, partly for the animation and partly for the way Mr Anderson adapted the storyline. I love this film, but then I like Wes (we are on first name terms now), Life Aquatic is one of my top ten films and I am well aware it is not to everyone's taste having recommended it to 5 not overly enamoured people. For me, the mix of documentary, real life, imagination, and heartfelt deadpan emotions gets me every time. J'adore.

Fantastic Mr Fox is - a bizarre mix of animals, human lifestyles, children's story book, dead pan humour and beautifully animated. I want to be fantastic, but maybe not a fox. I wouldn't mind some chicken though.

Tree-mendous

This......... is my kind of post. On the 30th of November I mentioned about the fact that I had 23 paintings to sell, by the end of the day it was back down to 19. I like having stock but I like selling paintings more. I have  boosted the number back up to 20 after an ill advised 'I want to paint a picture NOW' at 10.30pm yesterday resulting in a 4am bedtime. The danger of becoming nocturnal is very real (and I am rather tired).

This painting is based on a photograph I took after climbing the heady heights of Chino Canyon (Trouser Canyon!?!) on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, California.  A hike ensued, as well as the spotting of many trees. This tree is my favourite, with bells on. I also liked this painting straight off which makes a first, the last 6 or so paintings have been slow burners. You know what? I think I might still only have 19 paintings to sell.

This one.

Is mine.

Donnie Darko

I was in one of those moods last night where the only thing for it is to watch a slightly confusing dark film. My film of choice was Donnie Darko as I hadn't seen it since it came out in the cinema in 2001(!!! That long ago? Ouch). It also seemed appropriate as the film leads with Jack Gyllenhaal also of The Day After Tomorrow (Don't worry I am not going to turn this into a gushing about Jake Gyllenhaal blog (or am I? Mwahahaha)

Anyway, I am normally not allowed to watch time travel films as they make my brain burst, but I do love this film, it is full of rare gems....(plus it had a little bit of drawing in it, which makes watching it count as research)

Oh yes.

The day after tomorrow...

The worst thing about deciding to make changes with something is the amount of knock on effects it produces. 'Oh I will just change this, oh and that, oh dear now that doesn't work, nor that, where has that gone, what? Where has...? WHY DID I START DOING THIS!?'

I can't deny the fact that the blog looks a lot better and works a lot better and hopefully harder. I can't say I anticipated how much work altering it would involve so please bear with me through the glitches, the blank pages and the 'coming soons.'

I am sure I will get there in the end - maybe I'll finish the day after tomorrow....

Buy one get one Tree

So I think I have only had to play the Laura song twice in the last few days as a pick me up. On the plus side I got some slightly frustrating news in the week which did make me annoyed enough to get the paint box out. (The only time when irritating news is a good thing)

At the moment it is working that "ooh I am happy" lets paint a picture

"Ooh I had an inspiring holiday" lets paint a picture

"Ooh I am fed up" lets paint a picture. This at leasts explains why I currently have 23 paintings up for sale. I am either a very happy person, had a very good holiday or am frequently bored. No comment.

One of my new paintings did its usual 'paint me, paint me....mwahahaha.... I look completely different to what you were expecting. Hate me, hate me.'

Everyone else seemed to like it.

Then, after a few days of looking at it, deciding it was not that bad. Thinking hmmm you would look good on my wall. I WANT TO KEEP YOU, where does that leave me? That is the problem with not having a studio - all my paintings invariably get hung up so they are out of the way and safe. The problem with this is that then I either want to keep them or burn them (and I can't remember the colour of my walls).

I don't think this is good sales practice. Maybe I need to offer a half price sale on selected items only soon. Maybe. Fingers crossed I have someone coming over later today who might buy one. Let's see if I can charm them into getting one of the ones I don't like :-)

Milly Molly Motivated

Milly Molly Meltdown turned into Milly Molly Motivated as I found time to squeeze out two new paintings in 3 days, and watch the last Twilight film (for shame) but more about that later (maybe).

I don't know if anyone remembers reading about an experiment I started a while ago? No? Me neither, anyway it is on here somewhere....near the beginning. As a synopsis - I signed up to sell my stuff through three different types of websites with varying sales techniques, commissions etc. with a view to seeing which one worked best. (For a long time none of them, BUT....)

I had a little bit of a result selling a few cards through Fine Art America last week! Woo! Premier Gallery also runs a monthly competition with a small cash prize which I have won both times I have entered. At this rate, with the prize wins and the card sales I will be able to buy a boat in 5365 years. Get in.

It is a start though, and not a bad one. I was also introduced to a new motivational song for when I get flat, and I mean pancake flat as a pick me up. It was written about me right? Here's to pretending. (Pretending about the words by the way, not the video. The video I do not get!?).

Milly Molly Meltdown

I haven't felt the need to paint for a while which is strange. I think it is one of the first painters blocks I have had since I started all of this up. The best thing is, that that block has broken today! Today when I have so much stuff to do I am in danger of becoming Milly Molly Meltdown. So now that I don't possibly have any time to paint, the weather is atrocious so there is no chance of a photographic expulsion what am I supposed to do? (Milly Molly Meltdown, tra la la laaaaaa!)

I am also conscious that I haven't really facebooked or blogged recently and Christmas is coming. There is a bandwagon to jump on here BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME! I say this and probably once I hit next week I will have too much time on my hands, but that doesn't really help me now though. Oh dear, I feel a few sleepless nights coming on until I get that next picture out.

Frustrating.

Who'd be creative? Torturous.

Anyone else hear that roar?

Well, my next picture, at least for the moment, is still nature based. I went for a few hikes whilst I was in America, specifically one on my own through the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Once I got over the warning signs at the park entrance - you will die of: snake bites, cold, dehydration, exposure, mountain lion attacks, and stopped worrying about the fact I had left my phone at home, hadn't told anyone where I was going, have the direction skills of a bent compass and a lot of lion tasty pastrami in my backpack for lunch I was fine. Well, fine once I caught my breath after the 'steep' section. Steep!? Steep?! My heart almost burst and I am no shabby walker. It was a beautiful hike though, one of those, stop,

listen

...absolutely nothing.....perfect moments.

(except there is no one around to hear me scream, and those birds, that keep circling...).

But that is fine, I felt quite serene and calm whilst I was up there, which is how this painting feels. I hope.

Laguna Matata

So I haven't blogged for a while because I have been on holiday. One of those holidays that makes you feel like you have changed beyond repair when really you are probably just dealing with the age old; holiday good, real life bad. I was pleased to see that whilst I was away all of my art stuff died. I keep tabs on the page views of my website, deviant Art, facebook, this blog, a few random sales pages and they all came to a bit of a standstill. This does at least show that the effort I normally put in is not a waste of time, everything has picked up since I got back. I am going to take this revelation as a good thing (and try a bit harder).

Having said the above, I think the holiday may have altered me a little, not least because now when I go underwater I don't panic and breathe in, and long flights? EASY. But painting wise (I am an artaholic afterall) the painting to the left is not my usual style, and bizarrely unexpected. I sat down to paint a Mormon Cathedral I saw in San Diego.

This is not it.

This is a Laguna sunset.

A beautiful drool worthy Laguna sunset I can still feel.

I have never seen anything like it, and whether I wanted it to or not, it obviously needed to be painted. I am intrigued now, my holiday was very much nature orientated and I normally paint buildings. I wonder what this means for my next picture....

The Gaffer Tapes

Everything seems to be a bit up and down at the moment, on the plus side I received an email earlier in the month to sell my work on a website that also sells limited edition prints by Picasso, Chagall, Dali and good old Rolf Harris. (Yes I am printing this email out on A1 for motivational and uplifting purposes). On the downside I am now getting closer to the requisite look of a struggling artist as my shower is now held together with a little bit of love and a lot of gaffer tape.

Well I guess I have a cliché to uphold.

So I have had an unexpected bit of time off over the last few days and decided to make use of it by making some handmade cards (and going for a walk to try out my new camera and hopefully painting a new picture, but more about that later). Anyway, 10 bits of printed photo paper, 60 cut out cards, 4 Stanley knife blades, 3 tubes of Pritt stick and 8 paper cuts later, who said this was a good idea!?

10,000 hits, a miss and some disco lights.

I had intended, when my website hit 10,000 hits, to make a big hoohar (yes that is a technical term) but I seem to have missed the boat slightly as now I am on 11,520. Oh well....HOOHAR.

I am getting slightly frustrated at the moment as one of my potential art sales websites lets me know each time one of my paintings gets added to someone's shopping basket. It seems there are some indecisive people out there....picture in,

picture out,

in,

out,

in

and yes you guessed it.....out.

I am also even more frustrated as my camera was stolen recently whilst I was on holiday in Barcelona. I had been to Carcassonne beforehand and there were some photographic gems on my SD card. They were probably worth at least a billion pound publishing contract (yes, I can say that as no one will ever see the photos to rate them). Next time I am gluing my handbag to my body, maybe with super-glue as I have a bad reputation on that front. Gutted.

Anyway as a bit of therapy I went for a walk today to my local disco - au natrel. The disco was au natrel by the way not me, actually that sounds worse. Just watch the video: 'Nature's Disco.'

It's like we're going Cuckoo

It looks like I have a spare day today so bring on some painting - assuming I can prevent myself from being distracted by the Olympics. I tend to paint in the lounge by the television anyway so I am sure there is no harm in actually having the TV on is there? (Cue horrendous painting).

Eternity

Stairway to Heaven 

I have been preoccupied with creating a few new photo prints recently and it looks like I may be starting to get obsessed with symmetry, it will be interesting to see if this will affect my painting.....(let's hope not, I like my freedom when it comes to splashing paint around (the entire room, especially on the sofa))



Speaking of obsessions, I have frequently been told I am obsessed with clocks. I thought, tick, tock, I would just quickly take pictures of each of my clocks to prove this wasn't tick, tock, true. It may have backfired a little - I have 5 rooms in my flat and 20 clocks. Oh, tick, dear, tock.

 It's like we're going Cuckoo............

Film Time

So I have found that I quite enjoy picking weird films to see if they move me. This time I picked Captain America, yes Chris Evans (not the ginger one) you moved me, oh no wait, I was supposed to be talking about the other film I watched, not the one with the hero in it wearing a tight t-shirt........

*Cough* moving on. The film I want to mention is Another Earth by Mark Cahill; Two compelling characters, a horrible accident, a slightly bizarre story line and an unlikely coming together make it quite an absorbing watch. I can't find a compelling enough clip to express the film - this music video from the soundtrack does a better job. Here is the link to the trailer though. Watch. It. The whole film. Skip the trailer, it spoils all the best bits.

Variety is the spice of Life

Considering I hate routine, I have quite a ritual when I sit down to paint. Shower curtain out (to protect the carpet) Tools at the ready; paints by my left side, cup of tea to the right, cup of water and kitchen towel by my paintbrushes/tippex/marker pen. Before you ask, yes I do frequently put my dirty brush in my cup of tea or try and take a swig of paint filled water - pofjfiksjidjfsi fhsafheu ewwwwwww.

The Taj Mahal
Album: East of Eden by Taken by Trees

Part of setting up to paint involves choosing a CD to accompany me for the journey. I will listen to this CD album on repeat until my painting has been finished (maybe this explains why I can paint so quickly!? Stop it please!).

Gothic Light
Album: Strength in Numbers by The Music

I have always wondered whether my choice of music affects what I paint; I am thinking no, but maybe you can see something I can't? 

Seascape
Only one song on repeat!!!
The Only Exception by Paramore

Remains to be Seen

So I am still suffering from impatience but distracting myself instead of wallowing. It came to my attention the other week that my website loads rather slowly so I have been resizing and re-uploading all of my images. (Known as 'Such Fun').

This should make my website experience less infuriating. Once all the updates are completed and my prints section reordered I am going to give away a print of On the Old Town in celebration. Watch this space.

 I painted a shiny new picture for a friend the other week called 'Midnight in Paris' It got the best reception any of my paintings has ever received - the most favourites and likes on both facebook and DeviantArt. I don't understand why this one was so popular but the moral of the story is 'don't complain.' It was really exciting at the time, messages popping up all over the place, but has bizarrely stressed me out for the unveiling of my next painting. This has not been helped by the fact that the new picture has stumped even me. Anyone know where it came from? What it is? What I should call it? No? Nor me. 

It is a grower though and IT IS BIG. Midnight in Paris is one of my smallest and this one is one of my biggest. The reception so far is luke warm but maybe that will change. Quite often the ones I like best are the least popular anyway. Looks like I have no taste, although I am sure being the artist makes me always right (that is my mantra anyway).



 I think I might name this 'Remains to be Seen.'

Nailed it, in all respects.

A Shade too far...

The experiments seem to be progressing nicely and so far there are no results. Having only really put everything up in the last week or so I think the word I am suffering from is impatient.

Keep calm and carry on.

I have, however, been requested to do another commission and managed to sell Twilight to a friend so my flat now has slightly lighter walls. It's been a long, relatively successful, mostly tiring, (irritatingly disappointing England football team? Pah!) week.

I did manage to take some rather fabulous photographs on Sunday night of a rather unexpected subject. The images look computer generated but they are 100% real, although the hue has been tweaked.

Any idea what they are of?

Ready for the bombshell?

They are pictures of a lamp shade! 

Quality designers (B&Q.....really?) I salute you! 

Experiment numero uno

It has been a busy weekend....I finally managed to give away some cards for a marketing promotion I have had lined up for weeks and I joined a few more online art websites. The cards did their job as they got me a sale and a new facebook fan and are winging their way to their new homes as we speak. It was quite exciting watching the requests pop in for a freebie so facebook freebies are something I will be doing again.

Right, down to the experiment; I have signed up to 3 different types of art sales websites which each work slightly differently. Speaking of art I made and ate a work of art earlier, avocado, honey and mustard chicken, crispy slice of bacon and salad, all in a freshly baked crusty roll..................................................       ............................................................................................................Ok what was I talking about? Ah yes the experiment.

So website 1:
Premier Gallery is basically a shop window for my art, they get no money out of any sales just a subscription fee to put up my work (£12.95 for a year (on special offer - go me))

Website 2:
Artgallery.co.uk require £30 to put more than 3 paintings up for sale and take a 35% cut of all profits. On the plus side they will actively promote and market my work. I scratch their back, they scratch mine - left a bit, lower, lower, perfect....

Website 3:
Fine Art America (FAA) need $30 dollars if you put up more than 25 pieces of work, as I put up 85 pieces earlier I have already paid (I wasn't joking when I said I had been busy, the benefit of having friends who are either attached or have moved to another country, grrr :-P) Anyway, FAA are the printers, you choose a print/canvas/framed print or card and they print, package and post it. I say how much I want per piece and they add on the material costs to make the final asking price.

So the experiment is to see which one works best, whether that is generating the most cash, making the most sales or decorating my name in big neon lights. I am already getting a lot of traffic directed through from Premier Gallery......a good start.......can anyone else hear a lucky break? (Please, please, please!)

Two in a row

Two posts in one day? *shudder* What is wrong with me? No, it is ok, it is called having a bit of spare time for the first time in a century. I have been so busy recently I have hardly had time to do any painting let alone promoting which is why I had to stay up until 2am to paint this 'beauty.' I say 'beauty' as this painting did everything but float my boat once I had completed it, truth was I was a bit disappointed but I am my biggest critic. I think maybe I just wasn't expecting it to look like this - the downside of making things up as you go along. Everyone else seemed pretty enthused though, so maybe I am not the best judge. 

I don't think my choice of title helped as I called it Twilight - anyone else get stuck with a vision of Robert Pattinson at the mention of that word!? Give me a werewolf any day.

Anyway, you decide (on whether my painting is good or not, not on whether you would rather have Pattinson or a werewolf).

Feature of the Day

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to join Premier Gallery as they help showcase my artwork for free (the important word here being free, it gets better the more times you say it, free, free, FREE, FREEEEE!) Moving swiftly on, I got a bit of a boost the other day as they chose one of my images to be featured image of the day! Thank you Premier Gallery, it is always good to be a little bit appreciated

It was a good move on their behalf as now I have a disorder, checking the site everyday to see if I am up again, fortunately my OCD's normally only last a week or two...

Tree of Life

I watched another film that deserves a little bit of shouting about. Below is an excerpt from the Tree of Life by Terrence Malick. Watch it on the biggest screen you can find, in a dark room with the volume turned up full blast. It loses a little out of context from the film but it is a beautiful sequence of cinematography. Goosebumps guaranteed.

 

A (com)Mission

So....art, what is that again? I think I use to do some once upon a time, in a land before I became so busy with architecture work any spare moment is pre booked up for sleep. Moan, moan, moan, but soft! What light through yonder window breaks!? Is it a, is it, yes it is a painting...woooo!

So I was commissioned to paint a seascape, in orange, loosely based on an existing scene, 91cm square. Big, sea, and orange, three things I don't normally do but I will try anything once. The good news is the client seems to love it, I just need to work out how to get it couriered over to them now....I really must learn to drive, oh and buy a car.....stuff it - Royal Mail......

Cue shameless plug:

If you would like to commission your own exciting piece of artwork please click here. Alternatively if you would like to help me make some space in my flat so I can stop doing an obstacle run every morning, why not buy a painting I have already done....

Premier Gallery

So carrying on the theme of self promotion I got another email through from an online gallery. This one is more promising and more importantly cheaper. It looks like they act as a platform to display my work for a yearly fee and there is a special offer on at the moment so how can I refuse? If it works I may sell a few things, if it doesn't I only offer up £15 for the drain. I will keep you posted, trust me, I will post to the whole world if it takes off.

So thank you Premier Gallery.....step 1 of 459 complete.

I also got an email from an exclusive travel company offering to swap links. So how does that work? I would like an exclusive holiday to barbados, oh and to buy a yacht, a ferrari and maybe some art please. Might give that one a miss.

Self Promotion

So I have been trying to come up with some different ways of promoting myself....

1. Join an online gallery
2. Get my work into a shop
3. Loiter around street corners ready to pounce on passers by to tell them about my work. 
4. Write a blog. 
5. Create a facebook promotion where people can get some Laura Hol Art cards for free.
6. Do a craft fair or two.

So far I have done none of these things. 

Oh wait, I have started a blog although as I haven't actually mentioned that I have my own website I don't think the promoting myself aspect of it is going well......here is the link

I almost had success with idea 1 by joining New Blood Art unfortunately my work was rejected as you need to be able to spell BSc in Architectural Studies as A.R.T.  D.E.G.R.E.E. The rejection note was very complimentary, hinting that I was talented and if I got an art degree to get back in touch. So good, but not really.   

Idea 3 seems to be more trouble than it is worth as I seem to be attracting the wrong type of attention - stillettos were a bad idea. I did think I could go the whole hog and become infamous by wearing the dress on the left (thank you Stevie Famulari) .......all publicity is good publicity after all!

So anyway, my Struggling Artist to do list is getting very long, especially as I have a 90cm x 90cm commission in the pipeline..... (and I never seem to tick anything off of it!). 

Persepolis

So after the rather bad attempt at visiting a gallery the other day I settled for the next best way to view some art - a film. Either an arty film or a film about art would have been fine - I chose the former as it is normally more entertaining. My film of choice was the 2008 well received Persepolis, based on the graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. It was hilarious and definitely on my recommend list. It is slightly dry to start but you soon warm to it, so go on, give it a watch.

Incidentally Persepolis has the best description of puberty ever created which I thought I would include below for your enjoyment. It is hilarious!

Struggling Artist to do list....

Visit a gallery....

Well it is pretty obvious I am never going to get anywhere unless I can get my artwork into a gallery somewhere. I decided that this meant I needed to scout out the competition.....being on the Isle of Wight this week for an extended stay meant my gallery of choice was the Quay Arts Centre in Newport. 

It is normally a pretty safe bet for some unusual and good items - probably around the level I am aiming at. Not this week though -

'Closed, new exhibition opening the 5th of May.'

So a semi warm latte later, two shopping bags full of new clothes and oh dear, what did I come out for? Good job. Not.

So anyway, I had some good fortune on the gallery front as Agora Galleries, New York (!) contacted me asking if I would like to employ their services to help me sell my work. WOW oh WOW! Gallery website looks real enough....I get a 70% cut of the sale of all work? Well that is not so bad, I have been offered worse.....services start at......I knew there was a catch....anyone got a spare 4000 dollars they can lend me? (Dammit).

Struggling Artist to do list...

Make a video like Andy Warhol.

This is the most tenuous link ever and I apologise, I just wanted to shout out about the fact that today, I am the proud owner of DOUBLE GLAZING!!!!! Goodbye rickety windows, stiff handles, cold air, loud noises, easy to burgle openings, things that go bump in the night (that might not actually be the windows...). I do not miss you, well, maybe a little.

I caught myself admiring the view, the glazing, the clean openings....rain pattering on the glass, Lanterns on the Lake playing in the background, feeling relaxed and tired. Four years later and I've just been sat there, zoned out, now I know where my days go. It was better than watching paint dry I guess (and I should know I do it often enough) so in the Style of 'Sleep' 5 hours and 20 minutes of a random man sleeping by Andy Warhol here is 'Poohsticks with Raindrops' to be watched with a chilled out CD (and it is only 3 minutes)

'Poohsticks with Raindrops' because everyone when they were a child, sat with a friend and chose a raindrop each, first one to reach the window frame wins.

Hello, and welcome to.......a mistake

I can hardly start a blog without first introducing myself now can I? It would be rather rude not to but lets face it no one wants to read my life story. As a happy medium (or just to make me look odd) I found this when I was cleaning up my computer yesterday - I think I wrote it when I was trying to get a job in marketing - one of those describe yourself in 300 words 'tasks'. My favourite. Not. Probably regretfully; here it is...

I was born with Doc Martins on, my mother said it was a hard pregnancy. My dad thought a professional footballer was on the way, but netball was my thing. I remember the day my boots saved me, when my brother's car reversed over my feet, a lesser shoe would have caved, but not my DM's.

There you go then, now you know exactly where I am coming from....(!) Hopefully it will become clearer when I have figured out what I am doing, and what all these buttons do... (where is the abort button when you need it?) Needless to say I am a struggling artist - struggling to get underway, struggling to write a blog, generally struggling is the key word......