5 years in, Juicy buttery paint and loving it!

Today will mark 5 years as an oil painter. My first 3 years was spent developing my art, developing my name and brand, not on marketing to galleries or sales. I only did that after I had a product to sell and I did it through advertizing. I stayed focused long and hard on paint quality. I wanted a  juicy buttery quality to my paint, not just on a small painting but at any scale. I wanted a fresh clean look to my colours. I wanted my paintings to look good closeup, if you will "touchable art", and read at 100 feet. I had an objective and I didn't expect it to happen overnight. I didn't get frustrated and feel it was unattainable and god forbid, ever thought of it as "work".  Even though on the surface it might appear that way, it was not! It was done over the course of painting; a lot of painting, improving each brush stroke as I went.....making sure it was the most beautiful one I could make. I did not want a labored look to my work and rarely gravitate to any that do.  I like a painting to have a flow, a rhythm and shapes that "feel right", not awkward. I don't mind gritty as in Lucian Freud, there is a beauty to his work, especially his handling of paint......"good paint quality" always wins.  Good paint quality establishes  a visual quality to our work; call it craftsmanship, attention to detail.  All these are important, including a quality appropriate frame for your intended market and most important to where you eventually want your work to hang. As for myself,  I want and paint only for the best walls. I have no second position nor do I want one.  I do not want my paintings hung frame to frame in a gallery, although it happens. That's not a "best wall" situation, nor will it attract a quality buyer who is in the market for that special piece. It diminishes the value of the work, artist and the gallery. To get those creamy, dreamy display spots, paint quality is just one requirement amongst many!  I would say unequivocally, "size" is the most important thing there.....a painting has to hold a wall first and foremost....and lastly, if in a gallery, sell!

I painted a variety of smaller sizes during my learning years and found it useful but not marketable in my situation. My intended market would not be interested in small works and neither would I be as a designer.  Most of my work is meant for larger spaces and when smaller paintings are close by, including my own, they are invariably ignored. When large work is presented well with air or by itself, it becomes a statement and if the right buyer walks in, it will leave the room. Galleries know this but also need affordable work to go along with statement paintings. If the statement piece is out of financial range, as it would be for most beginning buyers, the smaller work will stand a better chance of selling those buyers. I'm not talking about the tiny 8x10's our world is swimming in. These are not best wall paintings and could hardly be expected to hold a decent size wall. The walls most are looking to fill.....the proverbial "statement" art, the hardest to find, to fill the most valuable wall space frequently left bare until it is found.

As a daily painter, to keep my routine fresh, I also developed a broad range of painting subjects......not styles, perhaps the most important aspect my art. I have a natural way of working; my taste and personal preferences come into play.  I don't try to be different.  I'm not trying to be the "next new thing" or emulate any other artist; only to produce beautiful paintings for important walls for a chosen market. I have a signature look, in both design and now art because of it.

MY FAVORITE SUBJECTS

THE JAMES

 KOI

VENICE

WILD HORSES

BALLET

LONDON

WATER FIGURES

WATER 

NUDES

PEOPLE YOU KNOW

SUN, LIGHT AND COLOUR

MOST IMPORTANT SIZE!

My motto is simple, "paint big and for the best walls"! 

Awhile back I dropped all my small sizes in favor of one, a 20x20. I use this size for en plein air (a valued learning tool), research and development (R&D), warming up to a larger painting or simply practice paintings....all are one-session paintings. I chose this size because previous sales indicated, a 20x20 with a 4 or 5" gallery frame makes a nice presentation for secondary walls.....not a market I deliberately paint for. But, Galleries can sell them to fill the "affordable" slot my main body of work won't fit into anymore.

VALUABLE TOOLS - SMALL 20X20 WARM UPS

VENICE

Because my paintings, so far, have appreciated and by default are a good investment, I believe only because I protected my brand and did so from the start. I don't have discount sales on my work. I protect my galleries, my prices and therefore protect my collector!

Like a good investment stock, we expect it to increase in value.......if not, we instinctively shed it. The owners of a statement painting won't have that luxury. They won't be happy if a friend got one cheaper at a sale. They won't be back!  Investment might not be the reason it was purchased, however once in their possession it becomes an asset they want to see increase in value, not down!

I don't put inferior or unfinished art out for sale...ever! LOL....I don't burn it either! It goes into deep storage as part of my painting history. I'd rather control it than have it end up in someone's garage sale or dusty attic.

My standard work process is always finish a painting to my best ability and never have multiple paintings in various stages of finish in my studio....it would split my focus.  I want each and every painting to have my undivided attention, and if it does, the rest will fall into place!

Some of the other important things I do to protect my brand is national advertising. I do it to keep my name in the public eye and show new work. I list my galleries in those ads because I only sell through galleries. I do not sell directly! All my sales and prices are qualified gallery sales based on what the market will bare and last sale. I have also effectively used size to break price barriers.

All this said, it still requires a good work ethic and genuine talent.  It can't be successfully done without it. Just like a business, it also has to be managed with discipline; without that no amount of talent will  make it work! And by that I mean........pay the bills and have lots of change left over.

A good artist can make a serious living doing what they do best and to my surprise, with good focus it can be done in less than 5 years.

There are many reasons to be an artist; paint and produce paintings is just one of two reasons I do it! The other, I enjoy doing it!

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  American Art Collector ad March 2014

BEST ADVICE
Know your market: "Paint big and for the best walls"

Later....