Wednesday 28 August 2013

Everything Must Go!

Everything must go! (Or at least a couple of things) I am quickly running out of canvas storage space in my flat and I would quite like to stockpile a few more sizes ready and prepped for painting. Unless I want to start sharing my bed with these blank canvasses, drastic measures are in order.

Did someone say SALE?

A sale is a good way to hopefully clear the decks a little, but I have learnt two things about sales already. Number 1, don't say the sale starts at midnight as then you need to stay up until midnight to set it running. Number 2, don't decide to start the sale after you have been out for dinner and had two large glasses of wine. One painting read 'now £19,440 instead of £194.40'! Now that really is a bargain! A small piece of me is tempted to 'accidentally' leave it and keep my fingers crossed, I probably have more chance of selling a painting for £20,000 than winning the lottery let's face it.

Trying to price a painting is always difficult especially when you have an attitude similar to mine which flows along the lines of 'please, please, just take it if you like it, I don't mind. No, I don't need any money, it is going to a good home' Maybe this selling at 27 pence per square inch is an idea I will keep......

In the meantime if you would like to purchase a painting please get in touch through my blog, facebook or my website or just click here to go straight to my orders page. Either way, thanks for looking.


Sunday 18 August 2013

Bland Companion

Today has been a proper Sunday - I have spent all day in my 'painting' clothes sorting out another picture and drawing on the walls. (Intentionally)

I have become so Canyoned out trying to capture the Grand Canyon that I was starting to wish I had never decided to pick up a paintbrush. There is nothing so infuriating as painting and getting nothing from it other than a feeling of frustration and another image mis-captured. I decided it was time to try something different...

First step - framing one of my sketches to make me like it a little more....


Second step - finally deciding on a pattern and drawing some of it out in the hallway of my flat.
Third step - having a go at painting something that doesn't start with the letters G.C. and rhyme with bland companion.

So step one and two worked well, step three did not. Turns out my latest picture does still look a little grand canyon-esque. I like this one though and painting it felt good, in fact I nailed it.

I am looking forward to blogging about this picture soon......


Tuesday 13 August 2013

Paint in Numbers

I was hoping by now I would have remembered what I was going to write last Friday but I think that thought is now officially lost. Let's just hope it wasn't important!

The weekend just gone was a bit of a mixed bag art-wise, partly because I had to work and partly because I stupidly decided to paint 4 paintings simultaneously. Stupidly because I normally find doing multiple paintings extremely unsatisfying. This time was no exception.

So why did you do four in one go I hear you ask?

It was mostly because they were just quick, small sketches and painting on a small scale is not my forte so I was trying to spice things up a bit.

As much as the four sketches ruined my life on Saturday evening (I should have just gone to the pub instead) as usual I am slowly starting to accept them for what they are. The most interesting thing has to be the response they are getting as it seems as though everyone has a different favourite. For some unknown reason I always prefer the least popular one, and that goes for all my work. I obviously have no taste.


Which one is your favourite?


Friday 9 August 2013

Hello Friday

That moment when you have just signed on to blog about something and then totally forgotten what you were going to talk about.

I think it was about......

No it wasn't............

About doing that............

No it wasn't that either.

I have completely forgotten. Time to resort to some random mumblings.....

mumble, rumble, mum-rumble-umble-um.

It's been a long week.

Hello Friday - Thank god.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

27

If you have been reading these posts regularly you should know that I went to the Lovebox festival the other day and found a new band to listen to called Ms Mr. You should also know, especially if you know me for real, that I am obsessed with the number 27.

And, 27, I mean totally, 27, unutterably obsessed.

27

Well look what I  found:



Introducing Twenty Seven by Ms Mr. Maybe not the cheeriest lyrics but I like it anyway.

Sunday 4 August 2013

Updated, upgraded - upstanding.

So it seems I might have cursed myself slightly having blogged quite frequently and then left it for 10 days. Typical. The ten in-between days have been productive though - two paintings completed, one on the way as we speak (or as I type) one premier gallery competition won and another one entered, one brother's wedding attended and a website updated. I consider the fact that I have just been charged an extra £5 for going over my broadband usage to be proof that I have worked hard over the last few days (and not just watched too many YouTube videos).

I have an artwork tracker that I update so I can keep an eye on what paintings have gone online, where they are, whether I have all file types saved, prices sorted, blah blah blah. It was rather out of date - 7 paintings missing and 39 photos! Ouch. I can't even vaguely pretend that I haven't slipped off the ball a bit. It is up to date now though and the missing items are currently being added onto the sites I have neglected for the last 3 months......

This is becoming disturbing - could I actually be getting everything back together whilst still doing architectural work and managing to sleep and leave the house? My word, this might be it - I might finally be managing to juggle everything and keep all the balls in the air.

At some point over the last few days I must have been upgraded.....