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....