An Art Work A Day

This painting is done after an instruction book by Jean Long and I hope I do no shame to the old tradition in chinese brush painting of learning by copying.This is my first tiger so I felt that the safest but will try to make my own compositions later as I get more experienced in tigers.

SOLD

Lovely visit from my daughter today: take a look at the end of this post and you will see what a fantastic thing she has made for her mum. One gift per day included. Don't I have a lovely daughter?

I had another sale today, An ACEO of 3 dragonflies I made in May. Totally unexpected so even lovelier for that reason.

Sitting for 6 hours at the exhibition today I ended up painting a rabbit ( which I unfortunately can not show you because I gave it away to two children, sister and brother who ended up watching me. ) I was very happy that I brought my brushes and ink because time do stretch out when you sit there and since I quit smoking last year I do not even go outside to smoke. Last year I spent 3 days looking at visitors and mentally trying to get them to look at my displayed paintings. The disappointments when people do not look is hard to take hour after hour even though it is quite normal that some like this and some like that and some isn't interested in fine art at all. This year by painting and demonstrating I avoided that nevrotic attitude towards the visitors LOL. Yepp, I am exaggerating but you get my point, it is like watching milk boil. The best thing is to relax and not fret.

Today I exlored using ink a bit differently and found it pleasing. I'll probably do more in this style.

Landing version 1,
ink on rice paper
23x34cm
$40 p&p worldwide included



Today we put up the tables and shelves and displays for the local Art and Crafts Guild's Christmas exhibition. I will change the one with the bird paintings on. It is so hard when you stand there cramed to get it totally right so there is always a bit of adjustments before the opening the first day. I must admit I am weary though and I do not only think about the next three days with joy sitting there hoping people will look at my work. The worst thing is left though and must be done tonight; making the pricelist. Wish me luck in deciding on the right ones.

Finally getting ready for the exhibition. I even got a very nice surprice today. I have delivered 5 paintings for professional framing and I did not believe that they would be ready for a couple of weeks yet but today I got an sms saying they were ready. I also got info that I get lots of space on the exhibition so I can bring more works along and display them with more air. I'll just decide when I get there. What looks right in my home light does look very differently in a different room.

This one I will display with a mount and a frame on the fair. Whoever asks for it first, visitors there or you people around the globe will get it.

Today I am so tired that getting things done is really hard. I checked out the paintings I planned to bring to the fair and exchanged a few. I find it hard to chose which ones. My eyes hurt and I do not look forward to tomorrow. I have accepted two extra classes tomorrow too because several of our collegues are away. Tonight I really should have graded some ESL tests and papers but I do not want to do that when I am so tired because I want my students to have the advantage of a positive and fairly rested person evaluating them. One of the problems is that most of this work is in classfronter - a learning platform and thus I have to read the students' works on a pc screen which is wearing my eyes down.





Well that was my complaining done. Except from that I have had a lovely afternoon with my daughter and her boyfriend visiting, talking and eating muffins. :-)

Tonight I was not sure which of my paintings I should show you. In the end I decided on these ones. I might mount and frame the bear for the fair. problem is that I am not sure how much space I've got. I'd better check that out tomorrow.

I sure hope you like wildlife because I seem to be making mostly that these days

Grumpy,


ink on japanese rice paper


23x34cm


$ 50 p&p worldwide included









"Possum",
ink on japanese rice paper
23x34cm
$30 p&p worldwide included

Waterfall

ink on shuen paper

23x34 cm

$50 p&p worldwide included.

I am satisfied with it myself because by putting different coloured cardboard inside the plastic sheets I not only stiffen it up which preservs the work better, I also give a fake mounted impression and that might help possible viewers imagine how the work will look mounted and framed.

Even though it was very expensive ($ 35 for the binder and nearly 3 for the sheets and in addition the cardboard), I consider getting one per half year to protect my work and to be portefolios for possible buyers and help myself find the right work when you send your purchase inquiries LOL.

If I continue ot be a daily painter and I plan on doing that, then if I add sketches and studies and such as well I end up with around 500 pieces a year and only a few sell so I need to find good ways to store and protect mywork.

Another thank you to somesai at Flickr for her being kind and allowing me use of her photos as reference.


This one I made a so and so framing with for the guild's fair so that a possible buyer can take it out and mount it in an oriental way if he or she would like that.


This weekend I have spent a lot of my time getting ready for the fair. It is amazing how much time passes just sorting through works and trying to decided which one to put in what frame and which mount etc etc. Since this is to be hung on Thursday, the local mount makers are not too happy about questions about specially made sizes this late, so all in all - same procedure as every time. Too late and stressing like mad. I have no less than 5 paintings at the framer - none will be finished in time. Well, there is other places and other times to show them. I find myself not taking this so serious this time and hopefully that means that I will not focus on sales that much but just enjoy showing off my work and talking to other artists.


Together - Me and My Mum,
ink on japanese rice paper
23x33cm

$100 p&p worldwide included

Tonight I have had a wonderful time practicing painting deer. Sorry I am not able to find better names tonight.

This first one is at resent on its way to Massahusets along with the lizard pair and the panda I posted in October which is in the similar style. I want to thank somesai and her fantastic photos on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/somesay/ again which she kindly allowed me to use for reference when practicing painting pandas.




Sue M posted a lovely carolina chickadee to the group reference photos for artists - http://www.gather.com/viewImage.jsp?fileId=3096224744462530
of course I had to have a go. It did not turn out perfect but nice enough for a sketch.


Finally here are two more of the miniature chicks I did last week.

This one I painted at the same time as the "young and shy". I found it having quite a different personality and posture. :-)

somewhat on the chinese brush painting or sumie as some call it ( sumi = ink in japanese). I feel that I have enough of the traditional style but also enough of my own style in it. I feel that the results begin to show the style I am searching for. A style where I hopefully do not break the traditional rules too much but also where my figures or birds also get some kind of personality so that the result also has some of the characteristics of cartoons. Time will show. Anyway I really hope you will like this one.

By the way, the red seal mark says "Still learning"

Heron - young and shy

ink on rice paper

23x34 cm

$50 p&p worldwide included.

Tonight I wanted to work on something different than the thin paper and the ink of the chinese brush painting. I therefore chose to cover a canvasboard with black and then go for a kind of light effects on this black surface. The effects turned out Ok even though I am not 100 % satisfied with the flower itself.

Heteroptera - True Bugs
The name Heteroptera, derived from the Greek "hetero-" meaning different and "ptera" meaning wings, refers to the fact that the texture of the front wings is different near the base (leathery) than at the apex (membranous).