Rain Check

It looks like I might have a bit of free time for the rest of this week as for once, I have no architecture work to do. This makes me quite excited for all the art stuff I could possibly do. I say possibly because it feels like the first time this year in which I have nothing specific to do. We all know that with such power comes reading, sunbathing, ice creams and generally being incredibly unproductive.

Let's hope it is raining tomorrow. Maybe. (It is actually predicted to...)

In the meantime, blog hits are back to normal, I have sold a couple of prints on Fine Art America and a few bits on Society 6. This is all sounding better. Now to sell some paintings, or at least paint some and then I might feel human again. Painting is giving me no satisfaction at the moment. I think this is mostly because I need a challenge and possibly because all the art stuff recently has been marketing or organising related, i.e. not inspiring.

Insert suitable "You need to prep the soil for the seeds to grow" saying here....

 

The Liver Building

Oops, I let my posting slip a little there... time to do an emergency piece! I am hoping that posting a bit more often will get my viewing levels back to what they were before my posts died down a little (a lot!). I find them quite therapeutic to write so I don't suppose it matters either way.

Not much art stuff is happening this week, although I sold another print on Fine Art America and I have put myself forward for a few commissions so fingers crossed.

The print I sold was of the Liver Building, and, as that is on my Birth Certificate to-do list I think I will do that one now!

The Liver Building:

The Reason

It was mentioned by a lovely lady who bought one of my paintings that she might like a painting of the Liver Building. I put the suggestion into my painting filing cabinet in the back of my head.

The Setting

I looked at some images of the Liver Building when the possible commission was mentioned. I have no idea why, but almost a year later, it starting knocking around in my head and I thought, yes, I need to paint you now.

The Inspiration

Various pictures of the Liver Building, the docks, my thoughts of what Liverpool is like. The word Liver-pool, the weather. Strength, a strong building at the end of a long journey, lit up in a stormy sky. Warmth, stoic, solid. I love this painting, actually, now that I have mentioned it, I would quite like a print of it. I made a book a while ago collecting all my work together. I have done quite a lot of new pieces since then. Maybe I need to think about doing part 2....

 

Stat!

I have been thinking about blog statistics and social media today. I think I am missing a trick by not using Twitter and Instagram either to their full capacity or full stop. I have also been looking at various websites/apps that offer the facility to tweet, or post a picture once and then they repost it across the board on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and wherever else. This obviously saves a lot of time although I kind of like tailoring each thing to whichever audience is receiving it - needs must though. At least I have been a bit better about posting on this blog for a while; Maybe not quite once a day, but I have left it no longer than 3 or 4 days at a time recently, rather than months on end which is a massive improvement. My blog fortunately floats at a relative amount of page views a day on its own, but blogging regularly does make a difference. I seem to have perfected the art of the regular peak and trough of views depending on whether I am being up to date or not.... My favourite moment is still the massive hike in views from when I first redesigned my blog to look like it does now. That was definitely effort well spent.

  Art and getting noticed is frustrating at times. It seems like you need to have a degree in marketing as well as being in the right place at the right time, and actually being good at what you do. It is just as well I have a friend in Marketing and I have a few ideas up my sleeve still. The worst thing will be when I don't know what to do next. I also have a good selection of friends and family that like name dropping me at every possible opportunity and throwing my work around at everyone they know. I am sure between all of us I can get the ball rolling a bit faster, and a bit bigger.....

Chasing Cars

I have misplaced my mojo today. I think I lost it at some point between bedtime last night and waking up this morning. I have probably been as productive as normal, but I don't feel like I have been productive at all.

Nobody likes days like these! Never mind, I am sure tomorrow will be better.

On the plus side, I had the first commission through on Commission an Artist that I thought I might like to actually do. It would be a challenge as it involves drawing cars which is something I haven't done before. As I have to put a bid forward to do the work and I have no examples in my portfolio I am not feeling very lucky. You have to try though otherwise you won't get anywhere, and who knows, maybe they are looking for something a little bit different, in which case I would be perfect!

Sometimes you have to admire the risk taker.....

Stonehenge

I am enjoying the randomness of my blog at the moment. Yesterday, I had 12 page views. Today I have 190! I have no idea what has made the difference there....

But anyway, I think another 'Birth Certificate' is needed as I painted a new picture yesterday, and as I previously mentioned I am already 15 or so paintings behind. So without further ado....

Stonehenge....

The Reason

I realised the other day, that these sub headings are not helpful as they are kind of all the same. I need to rethink them I think! But let's go with it for the moment. Stonehenge was on my mind, my 'bestie' visited there at Christmas, it was in the centre of the English Heritage Monopoly board that I spent all Christmas playing....

The Setting

Sat around the Monopoly Board - Stonehenge in the middle. Playing a flag game where you try and identify the Countries the flags belong to. A few stripy colourful flags and an image of Stonehenge starting to blur...

The Inspiration

Colours, sunset, flags, stripes, Stonehenge itself, a sense of the unfathomable, mystery, memories of when I visited it, time, acres and acres of time.

It is cliché to say, I expect, but this painting really did come to me in a vision. I was playing Monopoly and this idea of Stonehenge with a sun burst in the background burnt itself into my mind. Not the colours necessarily, they came later as I was working, but the image was safely stored in my mind until I needed it. When an image arrives like that, it is guaranteed to be painted, it is just a matter of when....

A Levels

I am currently waiting for a background on a new painting to dry so I can attempt to put on the next layer and rectify a few mistakes I have already made. It is never good when your first few brush strokes come out incorrectly, but then that is what paint is all about, and nothing is really ever wrong.

Whilst I was waiting I thought I would multi task and write a blog post or two, especially as I missed writing one on Thursday and Friday. After mistakenly looking at my blog 'to-do' list I now have no idea what to start with. Generic post or Birth Certificate? I need to write lots of both.

Now, after procrastinating on the internet, my painting is dry and I have no idea what I have been talking about. Damn you internet *shakes fist.*

Let's just go with generic.

I remember one of my 'fans' joking that she could imagine my work being taught at school, I appreciated the sentiment but thought it was pretty unlikely. I am a step closer now(ish) as in February (yes, I know, out of date news!!!) one of my paintings got published in an A Level Textbook. Admittedly that Textbook is an English Literature and Language book rather than an art one but still, it is a start.

I also enjoyed my first print being bought and sent to Australia last week. The link is tenuous, but the print they bought was a drawing I did for my A level portfolio when I was about 17 or 18. It may have taken over ten years, but I greatly enjoy the eventual remuneration for a drawing I did for a piece of paper with an A on it and a little bit love.

Maison du Roi

So I disappointed myself yesterday as I somehow completely forgot to write a blog post. I shall blame the hot weather and being British. I was probably too busy moaning about how hot it was that I momentarily forgot my priorities. Speaking of hot, my flat is stuck at 31.5 degrees Celsius, outside at 36. This is going to make for an interesting zumba session in an unconditioned sports hall. You can win a prize if you guess the exact colour of puce I am going to turn. I would like it to be something cryptic like Elephant Red, maybe Blood Orange, as long as it isn't Leaf Green I will be ok.

But anyway, before I get completely off topic I am massively overdue in writing a few 'birth certificates' for my paintings. I am in fact 15 paintings behind (!!) So let me start with the oldest one of the bunch and then do them in order from there.

The Reason

I had returned from a recent trip to Brussels to visit one of the Christmas Markets and I was thinking about what to paint.....

The Setting

Late one night, in the main square of Brussels, watching a light and sound show play out on all the surrounding Gothic buildings and falling a little bit in love with it all. the spectacle, the colours, the architecture, the atmosphere.... 

The Inspiration

The inspiration was simply the Maison du Roi, one of the more beautiful buildings that makes up the Town Square. The ground is inspired by the Flower Carpet festival that is held in Brussels, that I, as yet, have not had the pleasure of witnessing but would love to catch one day. The arch is a piece of lace, one of the things Belgium is famous for. The colours obviously hark back to the light show that was playing as we wandered by one evening. So, black night, lace arch, flower carpet, brightly lit building. These are a few of the ideas that capture a Belgium Christmas for me, and were still buzzing around my head when I decided to sit down and paint. I think the lace arch is definitely my favourite bit.....