Whip Those Cute Little Paintings Out and Sell, Sell, Sell

At one time I thought if I could paint a bunch of cute little paintings, I could sell them fast and make money!. I found a small stuffed horse and scrunched it up in a blanket and tried to paint it........I couldn't.......It didn't have any meaning for me.  I had no special connection to the horse or blanket.  I never did complete the piece and I'll never forget that learning exercise.

adult student

adult student

I find I need to relate somehow to the subject or it will be unsuccessful. Now, if the toy was one that you'll see in my baby picture and the blanket was a quilt my mother made, THAT'S a different story!
If the mountain landscape is where my siblings and I have experienced hiking, biking or being  snowed in at the family cabin....that's what you paint.  If you notice the gorgeous shades of reds and greens in a lovely shaped pear.....that's what you paint.  The subject you choose should have meaning to you.  Now I know after much practice you may be able to paint or draw almost anything but there will be little emotion radiating from these pieces.  They won't be a part of you and the viewer will notice.

student age 11

teen student

older adult student

When you choose a subject for your next project, pick something with meaning, something you can relate to and you'll find you'll be more successful.

YES!

If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint" then by all means paint and the voice will be silenced.        -Vincent Van Gogh-

Iowa Storms-watercolor-by Julie Fisher

County Road 35-watercolor-by Julie Fisher

Try Something New With Your Art

Are you in a rut? Try something new.  It doesn't have to be a big change, just something different to keep the art flow going.  Is your art all the same size?  What would it be like to experiment with a larger size.  Go smaller.......smaller yet.  Take that challenge to think how to get a composition down in the new space you now have.

Try painting in a different place.  If you paint inside, try painting outside.  Prepare for outside and include a camera in case you don't get a chance to finish.  Paint in a nearby park, at a dog park, where children play, where the shadows are interesting when they hit a house or other buildings. Take a lunch and make a day of it.

Have you every tried abstract work?  Pick some of your favorite colors and experiment.  Maybe put a pile of objects down and just paint shapes, not the objects.  Cut magazine pages out, cut into different shapes and patterns, lay them down in such a way that is pleasing to you.  Now go!

Sometimes it just takes making a change with get the excitement of art going again. Give it  

Try something different and have fun!

 

"One of a Kind" (on Pastelbord) by Julie Fisher

What's Your Art Word For The New Year?

I have never done well with a list of New Year Resolutions. What I have found is that by picking a word or small phrase that can be applied not only to my art, but to everything I do, works great for me!

One year I picked PERSISTENCE.  For example; persist with having a clean house, persist in keeping the gas in the car above 1/4 of a tank.......you get the idea.  One other year I was more specific, I chose the word MARKETING because I really needed to get informed on more than one way to market my artwork.

This year my life has gone many, many directions and I've gotten overwhelmed.  I've decided to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Sooooooo  KEEP MOVING is my phrase for the year 2015.

Storm Chasers  watercolor    J.Fisher

What is your word for 2015?