On the wall.

As I mentioned in my previous post- this past weekend was full of art making and, well, just art related events.  I spent some time on Saturday taking photos for Art Hive Magazine at two shows in West Palm Beach, then made it back down south in time to catch the last of the Downtown Hollywood ArtWalk with my husband.  

I love my role as a contributor for the magazine.  I feel like it gives me an outlet to inspire others, and also to show my support to other artists and just the art community as a whole.  Many times I feel like a cheerleader of sorts, standing by and rooting others on.

I guess it kind of hit me this weekend- I want to try to do more with my own work.  I literally have hundreds of original pieces on hand right now.  Right now.  Hundreds.  The work is neatly filed away by month (well, except from the last couple of months... I need to organize those...) and I even have most of it formally inventoried.  I make a piece of art everyday that goes with my monthly series...then some days I also make fashion illustrations...and then there are my msc. 'side projects', such as my 'Crazy Cat Ladies'.  I make the work, I document the process, take photos and upload them onto my FB and web site...then file the work away and start thinking about what I am going to make next.  Making art is all that I can think about.  

But what to do with all of this art?  Where will this all lead me?  I get frustrated because I really do love my daily pieces, I love creating these whimsical girls and working within a theme.  But then what?  Could these be put out there for a commercial market?  Maybe.  I have looked into art licensing and truthfully, it can be really frustrating.  You send out inquiries...and then the rejections start coming.  Sometimes it is a flat out 'no'..sometimes it is 'we like the work but that is not our focus/market'...and occasionally someone will stay 'maybe, keep sending us what you are up to'...or 'develop this idea more'...and that is a little better.  

As for representation in galleries, my work doesn't seem to fit.  I do small drawings and paintings of these happy gals, I love jewel tones, there is an occasional sparkle...and for the most part, I work pretty small.  When I was visiting the different venues this weekend I couldn't help but wish I had work hanging up on the walls of some gallery somewhere, and it made me a little sad.  I felt a little unsure of myself, looking at all those large paintings on canvas.  I want that to be me.  

So I talked it over with John.  I think that I need to expand what I create as an artist, maybe explore doing some larger pieces, maybe creating some pieces on stretched canvas.  Take my time a little, allow myself to see what happens in a larger format.  Maybe move past trying to draw and paint small details and get a little looser.

I will still work with the female form and face because that is what I love, and as a woman that is what I know.  I will still work with a saturated color palette because those are part of my aesthetic.  I will still make my daily pieces because I like to work within a structure...but in addition...I am going to paint.  I am going to paint big, I am going to paint what I want to.  And I guess I will see what happens.  

On Sunday I went and bought three large canvases.  I started painting one of them that same day, painting while I had natural light, and stopping before my shoulder started to hurt too much.  Truthfully, I was kind of scared to start, not sure about the first mark to make on that white space.  I put the canvas on the easel and kind of looked at it, walked by it, avoided it for a few hours after I bought it...but I did eventually start to paint, just for a little while. And then I moved on to completing my daily piece...then three more ladies just for fun...and I hope that I can maintain this level of production because it feels like what I was meant to do, even if I just do it for myself.

Well, I have two boxes with art from the past year and a half of so.  Now I am going to add large canvases, maybe some large drawings.  I don't have enough room for these but I am going to make them, and keep making them anyway.  And one day, I hope that I will be able to show my work.  For now, it is tucked neatly onto the site, my gallery without walls.

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Slowly but surely...some progress on this first painting...(left) Sunday...start...(middle) Sunday stopping point...(right) stopping point, Monday night