Just in time … here’s my painting for day 17. (I photographed it again in the morning in natural light, this is a more accurate photo than the one I included with the post last night).
I was running late today for several reasons … so I did not start this painting till after dinner tonight. I hope to get back on track tomorrow.
I chose a subject I’m quite familiar with … I’ve painted many a hibiscus before, but they’re all different. There are so many varieties left to do … this is a subject I come back to often. If you take a look at my Available & Portfolio pages you’ll see some of the ones I’ve done already. Most of them were photographed on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, but they’re quite common here in Burlington too as houseplants, or outdoors in the summer.
Today I sent out my first newsletter with Mailchimp. There are a lot of things I’d like to change before next month’s newsletter, but I’ve been promising to do this for a long time, and it was one of my January goals, so yay me!
Also I had a lovely visit with a friend who I haven’t seen in years, but recently connected with on Facebook, when she came to pick up a painting – “Fast food”. It was perfect timing, the studio and surrounds really needed cleaning & I’ve been so focused on this challenge and juggling everything else in my life that I’d been putting it off for too long. I’ve always found that visitors are the best incentive for doing housework. Now I can probably make it through the second half of the challenge!
It’s an incredible feeling to get an e-mail from a gallery to say they’ve sold a painting WHILE you’re at the easel working on a new painting. I’ve been lucky enough to have that happen several times. However, the down side is that you don’t know who has bought the painting … though sometimes they’ll tell me which country it’s going to, or if it’s a couple, or a corporate gift etc. It feels good to know a little something, I’m not hugely sentimental, – as long as I have documentation of the work, I’m thrilled for someone else to take it home and pay for my supplies to work on the next painting – but it does give a little closure.
However, my point was … I love it when I get to meet the collectors myself, it’s usually such a positive experience. And I love studio visits from collectors, other artists, dealers, journalists … ok, ANYONE who will let me talk about my art. I suppose that’s because it’s my passion, but on the other hand, I’m not exactly anti-social. And usually I’m equally as interested in finding out more about the other person. I would not do well as a hermit. That’s why my studio is completely open to my family, steps away from the kitchen or front door. If I need to concentrate, I put on headphones, but they always know where to find me.
