Friday and Saturday I used to concentrate on a commission I am working on. I will show you after the client sees it. And today was spent working on the video presentation for the Lititz Art Association. I do plan finish the month with one more week of birds, then move on to another theme.
I thought this would be interesting. I read some questions the Huffington Post asked the founder of "A Painting A Day" and thought I would answer the same questions. So, here goes.
1) Can you give me some stats for painting a day? How many years? How many paintings? How many sold?
My blog was launched in December of 2006 and I simply featured 2 larger paintings. My actual miniatures started in January of 2007 with some Holiday paintings. Here is my 1st one.
So 2021 starts my 15th year. I believe the number painted is around 1,553 and all but a few have not sold. The ones that do not sell get framed and put on my show stand at a regular price of between $225 and $400, so eventually they all sell.
2) How has your painting a day practice affected your development... and your other paintings?
I thought I was at the top of my game, by 2007 I was already painting for a living for 28 years. My original plan was to get a little looser, paint one in 1-2 hours. I hated it. It was simply not who I am, so I went back to my style and simply accepted that it will take me hours to complete even a little 4x6" painting. But these allowed me to paint a whole new set of subjects and study pieces without investing time in a large painting. I could spend a week practicing my sky or the moon. After all these years of painting mini's it has made me more dexterous and more intuitive, I do not need to think about every brush stroke. It has made me a faster painter and I am hyper observant to the nuances of a painting and to my surroundings. And that's it, the daily concentrated practice is invaluable. I acquired skills and learned new methods that would not have happened without this practice. Even now, I learn new things.
3) Tell me about the range of your subject matter. Do you have some recurring/favorite subjects? I am a realist, so I paint what I see, wherever we last traveled or historic sight we toured. I always had a broad range of subjects, Linda never lets me get stale. But with the Painting A Day, I get to expand the subjects, at this point nothing is off limits, within the realm of realism. 4) How do people respond to painting a day? How important is it for you, and do you feel that it will continue a long time? I guess a measurement is how they sell. Being able to purchase a painting at a discount is a huge incentive for my clients who follow my blog. I paint for a living so the sale of these little paintings is important! I want my clients to see that I put as much into these as I do my larger paintings. I am not just dashing them out. I plan to continue, as long as I am enjoying the process.
5) What is the social aspect of making so many paintings? There is certainly a school of thought that the less number of your work out there the more valuable when your gone... Personally, I am not looking that far ahead. I have always been prolific. I try to add more to my blog than just selling a painting. What I see it doing is giving my clients a little view into my life, a life of a self employed full-time artist. A bit of a gypsy lifestyle. Sharing in a rather intimate way. Sharing where I travel, how I paint, how I set up at a show, what we are doing on a regular day.
6) Is there a philosophical and/or spiritual side to painting a day? hummm. I am a Christian, therefore spiritual, and I feel I am given a talent and it is my duty to practice it and give it my best. I am not trying for a political statement. I like to paint subjects that are calming, show a time in history, paintings you can sit and get lost in. I am not trying for a philosophical or spiritual side to my painting but I think when you view my work you get an understanding of who I am on a deep level..
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