Promises, promises

 Its been a random lead up to the Christmas period. I have been very busy so not really managed to paint. Sales have also picked up in comparison to the rest of the year but been a bit lower than usual. That said I did have some random purchases and all my calendars sold out. 

Ironically I quite often sell more in January, at least original painting wise, but I won't be here this time as I am preparing to go on holiday for the first half of the month. Preparations are well underway and I am looking forward to having some sun and collecting some inspiration. 

So not much to report really, other than wishing you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! I feel like 2024 is going to be a good one. I feel like my motivation might be coming back, I am not unwell like this time last year, and I have a ton of resolutions ready to implement when I get back. 

It sounds promising, and that is the note I would like leave 2023 on.....

Post Number 3

So it has become rather apparent that I need to write myself a schedule. I am not sure if I can become one of those people with a tick sheet - get up, make bed, eat breakfast, write a blog post, post on Instagram, check sales, do some yoga, go for a walk, start a painting.....

But it feels like maybe I should try and start. 

I have a lot of time, but it seems like it is not always used very wisely. I could be a lot more productive than I am. But I am making progress. I started with painting, as I have managed 5 in the last 7 weeks, which is monumental considering I have only previously managed 7 in the last 8 months. So this seems like good progress. I have also already prepped my calendars and put them up for pre-order - please see below and click here to buy. Usually this happens in a dash on the last week of November. Next up is sorting out this years Christmas cards, which will be interesting as there isn't much to choose from in 2023, but at least the back catalogue is vast. 

I need to try and be good now, and maintain the momentum, but the next tranche of work is coming in which always makes it more difficult. But who knows, hopefully I can book in a painting for this weekend and go from there.

It feels like I am slowly waking up a bit. This is where my heart is after all, and I need to look after it. 

Traditional or Family?

  

Post Number 2...

This seems like progress to already be writing another post. 

The trip to Sweden was intense, but impressive, all weathers and all types of scenery so a few paintings should shortly emerge. The first one has already been created and I have just put it up for sale everywhere, except Facebook, as I haven't technically 'released' it yet.

In other news, I finally put all my missing paintings up onto Artgallery.co.uk as they moved website late last year and I hadn't got round to reuploading all my previous work. The good news was that doing it in one large burst meant the owner of the website took notice and made me 'Artist of the Week'! That was a boost I have needed recently as all seems quiet on the art front at the moment. Sales are slow, even on Etsy, I guess the summer is always slow as people are busy and preoccupied with holidays, but still. 

Never mind. I shall take it as a chance to try and get on top of everything. Work is generally slow at the moment so I hoping to start putting my massive stock of prints together over the next few days. But obviously, because I have said this some urgent work will come in as that is always how these things seem to go......

2020.... what?

 Gosh, well this is horrendous. I didn't realise I hadn't written a blog post at all in 2023! Is it too late to wish you all a Happy New Year? That would be a yes. 

Well 2023 is a mixed bag so far, an amazing, inspiration filled trip to Barbados, at the beginning of the year and a trip to Sweden coming up next week. But also an overload of architecture work, and a horrible cold, once, twice, three times and bam, pretty much in bed for a month dosed up on a cocktail of antibiotics and nose drops and still not convinced I am back to full health 3 months later....

But, I have managed to paint slightly more consistently in the last few weeks, and finally updated all my sites and website to show the 5 whole paintings of this year. I sincerely hope the latter half of 2023 is rather more kind and more prolific. This is the first time since I have started this journey that I have really struggled to stay on track, have wondered and forgotten what I was doing and why. 

But I am hoping it is just a blip, it seems I can still paint, and I still need to as I have felt better for doing the most recent ones. I just need some time and to stop putting it on the back burner.....  

Widbrook Common

 Writing a blog post is on my to-do list and, as I have just had some work come in, it seems best to do it now. I have been having a clearing my mind day before I am trapped at my desk for a while. Working is always easier to do with a clearer head. 

This has mostly just meant posting a reel on Instagram, checking to see what I need to do to visit Cuba in a few months (yes, I am going to Cuba!) and putting a new painting up for sale. 

I am not entirely sure the new painting is completely finished. It seems like it might need an extra focus, either in the form of a sun or some birds, either in the sky or on the fence (the birds that is, not the sun!). I thought I may as well share it as is for the moment, and go from there. After all, if someone wants to buy it as is, that has to be a good thing. I have also just had another commission request approved, this time of Yosemite, so I am looking forward to seeing what view they want me to paint. It should be a good one! 

In the meantime, here is the new, possibly finished, possibly not painting: 

It is of Widbrook Common, which is a twenty minute walk from my house and a view I see often! 

Empire State of Mind

 So I have been busy. 

I have completed a few card and mug orders, painted the Empire State Building and more importantly finally finished my art website! All links are present and correct, the mobile website is working and I have successfully taken some orders so all systems are definitely go! 

Next stop is to try and work out how I can get some more traffic to my site and tidy up some of the settings and how it is registered on Wix if I can work out how to. 

It seems like there is always still something to tweak. Including my prices, postage costs seem to be a bit crazy at the moment, so after completing some orders at the beginning of the week I have had a minor adjustment to a few things. But hopefully that is all done and I can concentrate on painting and generating some orders! 

Speaking of painting, as mentioned at the beginning of this post, I have recently completed a commission of the Empire State Building. It was from a specific photo from the client, so whilst it is just about in my usual style it isn't necessarily a usual composition for me - I tend to avoid putting the main piece quite so central, but it seems to work. So here it is..... entitled Empire State of Mind. 

Times Square

 I thought I would be shocking and make shortly today! I just put the New York painting up for sale across all my sites, the last place being here, so without further ado, here it is!

I have painted this scene before, but over ten years ago, so it was interesting to revisit it. I had an enquiry a couple of months previously about whether I had any paintings of New York still available, by someone who already owns two pieces of my work. I didn't at the time, but thought it was an idea worth pursuing on the off chance that seeing the piece would encourage them to buy it. They haven't seen it yet so who knows. They are clients I know via an online external gallery so unfortunately they aren't the easiest for me to contact.  Either way it seems like you can't really go wrong with a painting of New York and Times Square in particular. Next stop, the Empire State Building. Coming soon(ish).