Finally, Some New Work...

Rough Winter...

It really was a tough winter. ( and last couple of years...) It started last summer where fatigue had taken over my life. I was supposed to start at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University In Boston in the Fall. (That's a long damn name for a college! How are they going to fit that on a sticker for the back window of your car?) I had some huge shows planned and thought that I'd come up with what little money that I hadn't received in grants and scholarships without a problem. I had had some fatigue issues as well as some joint and muscle pain over the course of the last few years, but had been brushing them off as a distracting annoyance. Doctors hadn't found anything, and they were running out of tests. Through a series of mishaps my big shows were falling through one by one. By the time August came around the heat induced fatigue that I was feeling had pretty much shut my ability to work down. Feeding myself and showering were about as much as I could handle and any slight act quickly became too exerting and ended up in a much needed nap time.

A couple of weeks into August I started dropping my paint brush... A lot. I could barely hold onto it. And, when I did hold it it felt like my wrist was broken. The Doctor scheduled an MRI and the SMFA ( that fits on a sticker!) deferred my enrollment. In September I started classes again at the local community college so that I wouldn't have to start paying back my fafsa loans. One class was a lecture series that I thought would be an easy A. We sat and looked at slides of Art and discussed them for three hours a week. Trying to look at that screen and take notes in a dimly lit classroom made me realize that I couldn't see. No, really, like, at all! I hadn't read much since finals. Over the course of the summer, my vision had not just faded, but had become lousy, and the light from the projector and the glare from the screen made it worse. It was October before I got in for that MRI. The conclusion; MS. The diagnosis left me reeling for a bit. How can you be an artist when you can't hold a paintbrush, or see what the hell you're doing? 

When you start believing that everything is going to go wrong, it does. A couple weeks later, my dog died, then I lost my health insurance a week before I was supposed to meet with the Neurologist, then something else, and something else... ( things too personal to tell to strangers reading my blog, but if you want to buy me a beer I'd be happy to sit and talk about it for a while. ) 

Ironically, during my series of interviews with the Museum School, I had a discussion with one of the admissions counselors about how I was an Artist with a lack of angst. I told them that my life was good and that my work, unlike some artists, was not an emotional release, but a haven, my safe place, a dream. I think  that there may be some angst now.

I have never told this to anyone, but when I can't paint, I end up in a dark place, a very dark and scary place. I start to think of ways to get out of that place. When I go to bed at night in this very dark and scary place, and know that I'm going to wake up in the same very dark and scary place, I start to wish that I just won't wake up, that not waking up is my way out. I don't necessarily contemplate killing myself, but wouldn't hesitate to welcome death should it knock on my door. This is a place that I've been to many times before; standing on the edge, looking out over the darkness. It is this place, my fear of it, and contempt for it, that gave me the courage to say,"Fuck it!", and ignore others disapproval of my choice to live as an Artist, to ignore their telling me to grow up and get a real job, to ignore the fear of possible homelessness and self-imposed poverty, and embark on a path towards my dream. This time, to deal with all the shit, the heartache, the worry, and uncertainty, the fear of losing it,  I stepped back from the edge and painted.

I can't see a pencil line, so there are no sketches. The color in my left eye has faded to near grays. My hand throbs as I hold a brush, my knees and feet ache as I stand on the concrete floor of my studio. Yet, I stand there, with a patch over my left eye, a cane in my left hand, and my paintbrush duct taped to my right, and I fucking paint. My whole life I have dreamt of being an Artist. When someone asks me what I do for a living, "I am an Artist,"is what I tell them. Until that moment where the pain didn't matter, that moment when you're willing to lie on a cold concrete floor and paint with your canvas lying next to you because you are no longer able to stand, the moment where you have to lift your legs out of bed and place your burning, tingling feet gently on the floor, wait for them to be able to hold your weight, and walk down stairs slowly, one step at a time, back to that cold hard floor to do it again, and again, and again, to finish your work. Until that moment saying that I was an Artist was all lip service. Until that moment I was never truly an Artist. But now, I know I've never been anything but. 

If you look back over my blog, you'll see that my painting has never been perfect. It wasn't about the finished product as much as it was about the learning process. Looking at the pictures of my work on here myself, I cringe at some, still like others, and learned a bit from each of them. Betty Carroll Fuller, my painting instructor for two semesters always told me to loosen up. It was hard to do then, but now, I have no choice. My paintings are a far cry from the idilic little Cape Cod scenes that I painted to sell to tourists. There is an underlying darkness. They are abstract. They are bolder than anything that I have tried before. They are of a process that is still evolving. I'm not sure if they are even good yet. But, they are real. They come from somewhere inside and I will face anything that comes my way to get them out. 

Here are some of my recent experiments. They are a far cry from old attempts, yet I can see a logical progression. They don't come as quickly and easily as they used to, while I once painted hundreds and hundreds of paintings a year, they now trickle out slowly and randomly, one or two a month, even on my best months.  Please take a look and tell me what you think of them in the comments section.

Untitled

12" x 12" x 2"

acrylic on mahogany panel

Untitled Tryptic 

36" x 10" x 2"

acrylic on mahogany panel

Untitled

24" x 24" x 2"

acrylic on mahogany panel

Untitled

36" x 30" x 2"

acrylic on mahogany panel

Untitled

36" x 24" x 2"

acrylic on mahogany panel

(painting at the top:

untitled

12" x 12' x 2"

acrylic on mahogany panel)

Thanks for reading!

Let me know what you think.

IF YOU LIKED THIS CONTENT, I NOW HAVE A VLOG ON YOUTUBE. YOU CAN FIND IT HERE:

https://youtu.be/KVTa2_lv4OU

OOOPS! I Did It Again!!!

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now.

The fine folks at Not Your Average Joe's caught me again. We had been talking about doing another show sometime in July. I went in for a quick lunch one day. The Bartender that does the event planning said,"Oh good, I'm glad you're here..." ( I hate when people say that. It's usually followed by heavy lifting or a donation to a cause that I've never heard of before... Some sort of pain and sufffering, emotional, physical, or financial... )

"We've decided that we are too busy in July and August to have events. I gets too crowded. (Yadda, yadda, yadda...) Could we move your show up to June? How about the 22nd?"

I am in no position to say no to anything at this point in my life. I am an artist. That is how I make my living. A one man show is a great way to promote myself. It is great experience and an opportunity to make money! So even though the 22nd was only TWO WEEKS AWAY I, of course, said,"Yes."

I had already started some paintings because I knew that we were planning a show for July. (The end of July!) but I had nothing finished. And, even though, I don't have a job other than art, I do have an art business that needs my daily attention. I painted and worked and occasionally ate for two weeks straight. As usual it came right down to the wire. But, I did it! I pulled it off once again. I think I even may have done a decent job. We went with Seascapes and Sailboats this time. What do you think?

And while I was there I painted live...

It ended up looking like this:

It was very dark in there, and even with a light on my easel it was hard  to see what I was doing. 

I did sell three paintings though!

The above painting, and many more are available at both of my online stores or click on the image itself:

CapeNative.Com

(Click them they're links)

Thank You For reading this far!

I will live paint at your function, contact me for more information!

IF YOU LIKED THIS INFO, I NOW HAVE A VLOG ON YOUTUBE. YOU CAN FIND IT HERE:

https://youtu.be/KVTa2_lv4OU

Diving Back in!

I Seriously Just Quit My Job!!!

Why!?!? Because life is short, and I have a dream. For years now, I have wanted to be able to make a living as an artist. ( In art school they never told us that this may be an issue...) Since 2006 I have been committed to the pursuit of this dream. I have had some wonderful experiences and successes during that time.  I have owned an amazing art gallery...
( The economic downturn, however, was too much to keep it going.)

Sold my work at artist shanties...

And last summer made enough money to survive by selling hand painted souvenir-type things to tourists on Cape Cod...

I called my little venture "CAPE NATIVE"

( I am a Native Cape Codder.)

I painted Nautical Signal Flags on small canvasses. People could spell their kids names, their last names, their monograms... Or whatever. I had one Irish gentleman that decided to decorate his house in swear words, and loved these because he thought no one would know. ( Don't tell him that I told you...)

I made more money doing the latter than I did at my real job! Unfortunately, I was still  just barely surviving. If I had had more time to create, I would have been able to sell more. I was pretty much SOLD OUT of product by noon each day that I was able to go out and sell. If I had been able to create and or sell more on the days that I had been "working" I could have prospered. This past winter I took my spare time and created more product. The whole act of creating actually leads to more  Ideas. Apparently, creativity creates creativity.
( Kind of like rabbits...)

I came up with an idea for a product that I can create very quickly, and has a very high profit margin. The only drawback is that in doing this there is also this scary, awful thing called overhead. I would need capital to acquire the proper tools to be able to make this a profitable business. If I can get thus business up and running in time for summer. I will have a product that will both make me a decent yearly income, and allow me time to paint  ARTWORK through out the off-season rather than crafts.( Below is one of my paintings. you could get a hand-signed and numbered print if you choose to help!)

Why $5000.00 ?

I need to purchase a stock of canvas bags in several size and color choices. I need to purchase the embroidered signal flag patches in large enough quantity to be ready for any order at all times so that I can produce them on demand  right there in front of the customer. ( I may get 15 people or more with the same letters in there monograms in  any given day.) I also need some basic equipment to produce and sell the bags; the obligatory 10' x 10' white tent (many sales require this, and it gives my the ability to sell in any weather), a butane powered iron ( to be able to work from locations without a power supply), two heavy duty sowing awls   (strong enough to sew through canvas and patches ) One other expense are the fees that  the shows charge to be a part of them. These fees are due before the selling season starts.

If you have taken the time to read this far, I really appreciate it! Here is a photo of the product. Its is a beach bag or pocket book, depending on size, with a signal flag monogram.

This one says "ACL" that's my Mom!

You can read about my progress at:

                             

MakingaLivingasanArtist.blogger.com

This is actually my campaign on 

"Gofundme.com"

At least check it out...

Maybe, if you'd like, you could

share it with your friends.

That'd be cool!

Or you could just go buy something from:
CapeNative.com

Outside My Comfort Zone

Painting For A Show

Generally speaking, an artist will paint first, when he has enough to form a show, then he would look into galleries or venues in which to show it. The artist finds a voice, works on it, practices, figures out where its going to lead him  and then grooms that mix of talent and vision into a cohesive body of work. For a few months now I've been painting, creating but mostly grooming ideas. Between getting my inventory ready for next summers busy season, working, and dealing with life in general (which just seems to take up so damn much of my time...) I hadn't really just played with the paint and let loose on a canvas. It's that opportunity to explore and create which is what I really enjoy about art and is why I want to be an artist in the first place. Sometimes, when we get caught up in the ebb and flow of life, our focus leans toward one or even a few aspects, and we lose sight of what we are doing or why we are doing it. Whether its those little fires we seem to keep having to put out, or our own temporary loss of our vision or our chosen path, there is an unseen force that always has a way of nudging us back to center. 

In my life it is important to have a certain amount of quiet time, a few minutes away from the studio, the job, the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. For me this is usually an afternoon escape to the local pub. If there is any chance for that aforementioned "unseen force" to find me, it will be on a comfy barstool in a usual spot. Since I'm not in England or Ireland and there aren't many year round options in town, I have found a little place called Not Your Average Joe's. It's a chain founded locally, It's comfortable, has good food and a great staff. One day while sitting on my favorite stool in my usual spot, that force actually did find me. The bar tender mentioned that they were going to have an Art Show. The place had been newly renovated and they had big blank walls everywhere. I told her that I thought that was a great idea and that these big freshly painted walls would be perfect. "Good!" she said,"I'm glad you feel that way because your the only artist we know! So will you do it?"

I actually hesitated. I had nothing finished. I had no cohesive body of work. There was fear inside me that had me questioning wether or not I could pull this off. How am I going to come up with enough work? What kind of work will I show? Where am I going to get the money for supplies? Can I paint enough paintings in time? All kinds of questions. All kinds of doubts. How could I possibly say,"yes."

Then she said it... She knew my work. She owned one. It is very "Cape Coddy". My painting of The Red Sailboat. "We were thinking of something a little more on the Modern end of things though... would you ever?"

"Yes!!!"was the next thing out of my mouth. It literally leapt forth, out of my mouth, off the tongue, through the teeth. No time to bite on the word. No thinking first. Somehow through all those doubts that were welling up inside, through all that muddled negative thought, from somewhere deep down inside, in a spot that I didn't realize was even there came not only a "yes", but pretty much an "Oh Hell Yes!!!" Excitement. Fear. An "Oh my God what have I just done?"kind of moment.

As we talked about it our vision for the show was very similar. and that kind of put me a little more at ease. I had two months to just paint. To paint the way I've really always wanted to. To let loose on canvas, and to let whatever happens happen. To experiment. It was winter on Cape Cod. (what would become a record breaking, cold, snowy winter...) What else was I going to do? So I painted. I experimented. I threw paint at canvas. I made mistakes. I made discoveries. I made way more paintings than I really needed. I became an artist again. I had always wanted to be able to do that. Just paint! And I did. I'm not sure if its any good. Abstracts are harder to do than they look.  I put together a one man show. It was hard to get moving on it, but once I did it was even harder to stop.

The night of the show finally came, and with it so did eight inches of snow. I hadn't had an opening since I owned my own gallery. This was different. It was not only an opening.. It was my opening, my work. Despite the snow people came! The restaurant had very few customers except for those there to see me. It felt good. The restaurant made their numbers which they wouldn't have done with out those that came out to see me, and they appreciated it. As did I. And I've been invited back to do another!

Here are some pictures of the show:

I think the place looked pretty good! I sold a couple works, but that really wasn't what it was about for me. It was the first time that I'd taken an idea from conception to fruition as an artist, strictly as an artist, for the sole purpose of art, not as a gallery owner or a curator. Although I didn't make enough that night to "Make a living as An Artist", it did help in making me an artist again. It helped to remind me why I'm doing this. Every once in a while it's good to have that. My juices are once agin flowing. My ambition rekindled! 

I only sold a couple works so if you'd like to see individual pictures of them you can check them out at my new online store here:

(Click it... it's a link to my site)

Or Visit:

CapeNative.com

It's Been A Long Time Coming...

Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is...

As usual it has been way too long since my last post. Another long winter is winding down here on Cape Cod and I am looking forward to another great selling season. I haven't really kept you all in the loop as to how I am doing with my quest to finally make a living as an artist, so let me fill you in...

When I last left you, I was tending bar at a great little restaurant on the Cape, It gave me the flexibility and time that I needed to work on my art while making money bar tending to pay the bills. I was able to paint some commission works and sell some prints on the side. It wasn't the perfect situation, but it wasn't too bad. All good things, however, must come to an end so they say, and the great little bar is no longer there. I was sad that it had happened, but thought I may get a chance to paint all winter. Although it made me nervous, I was also kind of excited to be able to do it. It ended up that I was only unemployed for about a week. The fear of unemployment and the inability to pay my bills was always lurking beneath the surface. A job offer came in at one of the busiest places in town and I accepted it. Once again, this job quickly pushed my artwork aside. My hours suddenly crept up and the fatigue of overwork and the irregular hours of bar tending took over. The desire was there, the time and energy to do it was not. After a few months I quit... well tried to anyway. The management and I reached a compromise, I became the part-time day bar tender. My schedule was mid week; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday days. Not quite bankers hours, but hours I could work with. Because of the amount of business in this place I could pay my bills with only three shifts! This not only gave me four days to focus on my art, but FOUR DAYS IN A ROW. 

Paying my bills was one thing. But, paying for the little things in life was "a whole-nother thing". I needed to find a way to add to my income, using my art to do it was the most logical choice. For a while I had been painting American flags on shipping palettes. I would sell them here and there via Facebook and through word of mouth. I had an almost unlimited supply of palettes and I was using some cans of house paint that I had lying around to paint them, so there was virtually no over head. I looked around for a venue to sell them through and found, of all places, a flea market. There was almost no cost to me for the product and the flea market only charged $25 a day. I loaded up the truck and headed out to sell. They were a hit. My first day of selling them I made more than a week of bar tending. But, I needed to make more to sell next week. Two days of selling and I was almost out of product. Now my week consisted of two days of painting, two days of selling, and three days of bar tending. It was a lot of work, but worth it.

 The flags sold well until the 4th of July. Two things happened. First; July 4th. Apparently flag season ends on the Fourth. Everyone bought them to hang on their house or in their gardens as decoration for the fourth of July. Once the Fourth was over however, so was their patriotism. The other factor was that the tourist season was in full swing. Apparently you can't fit a flag painted on a palette in your suitcase. Flag sales tapered off and I needed another product to sell. I spent one day sitting at the flea market in the sun with people smiling and looking at my product, saying wonderful things about them, but not a soul bought one. It was a beautiful day and I got a great tan, but didn't make a dime. In fact I was out the $25 for a day at the flea market, the cost of gas and my lunch. As I sat there thinking about it all I noticed a vintage clothing booth across the aisle from me. Hanging from the end of one of the racks of clothes was an old belt with nautical shipping flags. I'm not sure how I knew them, but I could read that it was just the alphabet A-Z embroidered on the belt. I noticed it, thought nothing of it, and moved on with what was now just an afternoon of tanning myself.

A few minutes later, a family walked by. They smiled and chatted about my palette flags. The youngest child in the group loved them and asked if they could buy one, his father said," No son. It won't fit in the car when we pack to go home at the end of the week." and they moved to the next booth... the vintage clothing booth with the shipping flag belt hanging on the end of the rack. The youngest saw the belt, loved it, and asked what the symbols were. The Dad knew, but didn't know what each letter was. the kid loved it and they bought the belt for him. I was just an uninvolved bystander watching it happen, not even really thinking about it...  And then the child said," I wonder what it says. .. Wouldn't it be cool to have one that says my name?"

That's when the idea came to me!

I took four inch canvasses and started painting nautical signal flags on them. I sold them for $5 a piece. Most people would spell their kids name or their last name. Brides who were planning nautical themed weddings, bought the names of their entire wedding parties. I would paint for ten or twelve hours a day on each of my painting days and I still couldn't paint enough. I had to bring my paints and canvasses with me so that I could paint more as I ran out of letters. In the two days that I would sell, I'd make more than twice what I made in my three days of tending bar. My problem was that I couldn't keep up with demand, because of my bar tending job, but I couldn't quit my bar tending job because the selling season was going to end come Labor Day. Now I am making the bulk of my income from my art. Instead of being a bar tender who paints on the side, I'm a painter who tends bar on the side.

I'll keep you posted!

CapeNative.com

Why My Posts Have Taken So Long Between....

 What Defines A Monopoly?

                       Sometimes after writing my blog. They sit for days waiting for a fast enough internet speed to upload them to the internet. The more pictures that I add, the longer they take to upload. I really don't know why. I pay for the highest speed internet available in my area. There is only one choice, and unfortunately it is Comcast. I'm working with an older computer, so I thought that that may have been my problem. I recently had it checked out and cleaned up a bit at the local Mac dealer. I had two choices for that incidentally: iCapeSolutions and The Mac Express. iCape Solutions wanted $125 and to keep it for at least 24 hours. The Mac Express did it while I waited and only charged $29... Who do you think I went with? This post is not about where to get your Mac serviced however...

                       With my iMac functioning better than ever, I now was forced to find the real cause of my problems. After checking back in with The Mac Express, on their recommendation, I did a speed test on my internet service provider; Comcast. The results explained it all. Now I'm not a really technical person. So my tech-speak may be a little off, but my math is pretty good. Upon looking at my bill, I can tell two things. I pay just about seventy dollars a month for 20 mbps of internet service. I don't get anywhere near that. Upon talking with the fine folks at Comcast they still wanted to blame My equipment. "How old is your computer?" was a recurring question... "Not nearly as old as yours...", I said pointing over the counter at hers, "do you have fast internet?"After going back and forth for sometime, I was finally able to get her to dig through my account. She thought maybe I should replace their modem. So I went home, got the modem, brought it back to the Comcast office, where they did, finally, give me a new one. I took it home set up my network and... Wait for it... Wait for it....

NOTHING HAD CHANGED!!!

                          So you can see how slow my TOP DOLLAR INTERNET SERVICE really is, I have included some screen shots of my internet speed tests. To be fair, I tested the speed on all of my devices. (Maybe it is an equiptment problem on my end) Also I tested it several times. So what you will see are the mid range readings that I found. I used my Desk top, my iPhone, and would have used my iPad, but the internet speed was so slow that I was unable to download the App. Here are the results:

 This is a somewhat fuzzy but readable screenshot of my iMac.

This is a screen shot from my iPhone.

                           Does Comcast not like Mac users?

Does Comcast not like me because I don't own a television and get my programming from the Internet?

Does Comcast just provide an inferior service at a premium price?

Is there a way to get fast internet service on the Cape, and any level of customer service?

I would really like to know.

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

In the meantime buy art and support a working artist!

CapeNative.com

Walking the Walk...

                 

                  Yesterday, I finally got out and painted. It's about time! The weather has been awful, but finally we had a nice enough day to take my well stocked "ArtCart" out for a spin. I put on my QR code T-shirt. Got the dog ready, and started to push my cart the five or so blocks to the waterfront. It's funny what you miss even with all the planning you put into things. I had to train my dog to walk next to me as I pushed the cart. He's pretty smart so that was the easiest part. Pushing my cart the first two blocks I realized that I'm no engineer! The axel that I used is threaded and although I didn't know that you could do this... I put it on backwards! As I walked the bolts were actually tightening on the wheels and it go harder and harder to push. I was tempted to turn around and call it a day. It became so hard to push that I couldn't even get it home. I eventually had to turn it around and pull it. The bolts loosened up almost instantly, and thanks to the lock nuts I had put on, they would only loosen so far... So now my pushcart is a pull cart. But it works. I got some odd looks pulling my cart across town. I'll justify it in my own mind as "visibility". At one point, I saw one of our local whack-jobs riding a bicycle with all kind of boxes and flags strapped to it and thought to myself, "what a loon." Then I realized that  people were probably thinking the same thing about me as I tried to pull my cart and walk my dog across Main St.

                     We finally got to a spot where I felt there was a perfect combination of subject matter and visibility. I set up my easels, tied up my dog and started to paint. You can see from the photos above and below that I'm only about ten to fifteen feet from the harbors edge and in the picture below you can see one of the ferries coming back from Nantucket. So the visibility is great. At one point, as I was starting to paint,  the Harbor Duck-tour was going by and I could hear a little kid exclaim,"Mommy, look at that man painting!" So, I'm pretty sure I was seen.

                     
                      There were a couple of minor glitches that I did encounter. One being that I took off my shoes to paint. Well, apparently this beautiful little park that sits right next to the Steamship Authority's Main terminal is where al those poor dogs who are either about to get on, or have just gotten off a two hour ferry ride relieve themselves (apparently, the wealthy don't scoop)... Enough said. Which leads to; Next time I should bring more rags. (and I'll leave my shoes on!)

                      Some less graphic things that I had to deal with we'll chalk up to learning experiences. I'll bring more water next time, a trash bag, and I've got to figure out a way to keep my paintings from blowing over in the wind. On that note does anyone know how to get blue paint out of Golden Retriever Fur?!?

                      One of the paintings below ... or at least from that series, I will be auctioning on Facebook starting on Monday, June 24th (2013). Friend me by clicking HERE so you can be a part of it!

                      

     
                     All in all it was a pretty decent experience. I did draw some onlookers. Some were impressed. One BITCH came walking over looked at my paintings and said,"Oh, you're just an amateur, I thought you were trying to make a living at this..."(irony is wonderful) And to her I say,"#@!!$ You, M'am!"

                    The paintings above are not finished yet so don't judge me by them, once I finish this post, I'm of to finish them and start a few more.

Support a working artist!

CapeNative.com

Applying Technology to Your Marketing Plan

QR CODES!!!

                  In my last post I mentioned a few things that as an artist trying to make a living you should have... One big one that I didn't mention is access to QR Codes. If you're not familiar with them, Google it! This is the bar code of the future.. Oh Wait, no they're already here! In an age where almost everyone has a "smart" phone, you need to make yourself accessible to them. I work as a bartender and when I look around the bar at any given point, unless the Bruins are on, about 50% of the patrons are on their smart phones. No one gets up and walks over to someone they know at the other end of the bar anymore, they just shoot them a text. On that note, most smart phone users have a scanner app. Smart phone users who have this application know when they see these codes all they have to do is scan it with their phone and they'll have instant access to information about the business, product, or person who's code they just scanned. My QR code shown above is linked directly to this blog. So when a person sees it and is curious enough to click on it, their phone will instantly open it's web browser and go to my blog. This makes it easy for people to understand just what it is that I do. I keep cards with me that have the code on them so I can show them. Those who are familiar with the codes get it and almost reflexively scan it (sometimes with a little coaxing...). Those who don't are amazed when they find out what it is and how it works.

                  To get a QR Code you can either Google; QR code generator, and do your home work, or Visit; http://www.qrstuff.com/ I just download the free one and link it to whatever address I need. You can pay a monthly fee and get all kinds of services along with it. they can track all kinds of information about who's scanning your code, where they scanned it from, yadda, yadda, yadda. If you feel you need this go ahead, but if your forwarding to sites like  blogger.com, or Fine Art America for example, they are already tracking these things for you. Why pay anything for redundant information. Use your own discretion on this. You know what you need from your QR code better than I do.

How do I use my QR Code?

                    Once you get your QR code, what can you do with it? Anything you want! I have mine on T-Shirts (and I'm getting large signs for my "Art Cart" made) so that when I'm out plein air painting people can scan it and go straight to my web site. This is great because I paint in scenic places on Cape Cod in the Summer!!! 1000's of people pass by everyday. one of the spots that I paint in is right by the docks for both of the Ferries to Nantucket. That means tons of people pass by me every day about to embark on a two hour voyage with not a heck of a lot to do... Why not give them my website or my blog to read on their trip?  I currently have it linked to this site, but am working on an online store and shopping cart and once they're up and running  I'll link one directly to that. Think about it thousands of people everyday passing my QR code... some may see it, some may not, but it puts it out there. It puts ME out there! Will everyone scan it? Of course not. Will some? Yes. Will they all look at my site and buy? Probably not. Will I get a few sales from it? I already have. Will it pay for the time and effort that I put into it? Exponentially!

                 

                  

                         If you hang a painting anywhere that it can be seen, place a QR code by it. Link it to your bio, your website, or your online store. It's going to lead to sales. It's going to lead to YOU, Making A Living As an Artist!

Prints of my latest work are available by clicking on this link!

Or you can go here:

CapeNative.com

"Buy art from a living artist... the dead ones don't need the money!"

-Max Powers

Back At It?

                  Well, it has been a while since I've written anything here at all... I've spent almost two years just bartending and not really doing much else. Not that there's really anything wrong with being a bartender. I just have no outlet. I'm getting frustrated and bored with it. I'm supposed to be an artist. As I may have mentioned before, I have a problem holding a job and creating at the same time. Unfortunately the "responsible" part of me seems to take over and I make it to work and loose that inspiration to create. I end up in a self imposed anxious state that really just sucks...

                  I've been getting some work done however. I recently stumbled across an old series of e-mails between myself and an artist trying to get their work out there. I was pleasantly surprised by how good my suggestions were and had forgotten how much I actually know about these kinds of things. (Click Here To Read It!) So, I've started to write a book on how to make money as an artist. Yes, I really do know how. I've just forgotten the "how to be an artist" part.

                  To get my juices flowing, I've purchased some canvasses and will attempt (once again) to paint at least one painting a week, not in my usual huge 4'x 3' format, but in a smaller size that will be somewhat easier to finish in a timely manner. From there I will market myself as an artist and track it for my book. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may have noticed that a lot of my links to my own websites and stores have since expired. Mac has stopped hosting websites. So I no longer actually have one. I will be renewing or finding a new online site through which to sell both my one-of-a-kind artworks as well as signed and numbered prints. but I will both be posting links to them here, as well as documenting how I go about this for my book. So, if you care to follow along, I'd love some feedback, support, critiques, and suggestions along the way...

Below is a new artwork that I created to help get my artistic juices flowing again. Its looking more like I'll be signing this one Max Powers. 

(Buy it HERE...)

Buy Art from a living artist! The dead ones don't need the money...

CapeNative.Com

The problem with jobs...

Here I am, back to writing again. I stepped back out of the Art World for a while after the Artist Shanty experience left me strapped for cash. It cost me far more to put on that show than I actually made. So, I got a job. A novel idea I know. But, this is what happens when I get a job. I started with a few shifts a week. Which was perfect! I could generate a little income and continue to work on my Art. (so I thought...) My second week into it, suddenly, I  had no days off and two 'doubles' every week. I went from bar tending a couple shifts to bar tending, waiting tables, running the 'to go' window, hosting and pretty much anything else that needed to be done... And really not making any money at it.  It got to the point that when the owner realized that I could do all these things there was no need to pay someone else to do them. The problem was It was saving the owner money, but not making me any. I was making just enough to get by. Wait. Wasn't that what I was doing as an artist? There is a bit more certainty to the having a regular job, but it really hasn't gotten me any closer to my goal. In fact it set me back three months. (I may have to write a book or at least a blog about the mismanaged nightmare that the staff refers to as 'The Darkside') So, in the meantime, I'm trying to find the balance? Summer is nearing an end. I quit the 'full time' employment at The Dockside and have taken on a part time bar tending job at a new restaurant in town that is run so (So So So!) much better. Hopefully, I can find that balance. Ultimately, I'd like to get back to painting in my free time. I have had enough time this week to start my blogging again, so maybe some painting is in the not too distant future. Cross your fingers for me.

Talk to you soon.

(This picture is from the good new job... 

not the one I was complaining about.

Come see me there on Tuesdays...)

McGrath's

(that's a link, click on it...)

Oh, and check out this cool article in the Barnstable-Hyannis Patch!

(Yes, That whole sentence is a link too.)

(support a starving artist... Click HERE ! )

HyArts Artist Shanties... Those Aren't Fishing Shacks on the Dock

This weekend was really my first public exhibition since owning my Gallery. For those of you just joining us: I showed at the HyArts Artist Shanties on the waterfront in Hyannis, MA. I worked long and hard getting a large enough body of to artwork to show and feel good about. I really wanted to  "WOW". The Universe works in funny ways. Two days before the show started (Wednesday),  I received an e-mail re-directed from my online store. A woman had seen my work online, liked it and wanted to know how many  originals I had available. I told her what I had and she bought them all sight unseen and had me run them down to Fed Ex and send them out immediately. I did so, photographing them first. It took two trips on my Bicycle to get them all to the Fed Ex office. She was the mother of the bride and wanted them as gifts for the entire wedding party. I was really excited. Ten paintings in one day! I gave her a deal since she bought so many. Friday morning I received an e-mail from her saying that she loved them all and thanking me for my quick response. The wedding was on Saturday. Nothing like last minute... I can't really fault her for her last minute action. First of all, I, myself, had just finished them... For a show that was starting in two days mind you. Secondly, She bought them from me!

Okay , so now it's Wednesday afternoon, I have a show starting in two days, and I'm down the ten paintings that I was going to showcase. What the (heck) do I do now. Prints! I grabbed my camera, with the pictures that I just sold still on the card, and attached the USB to my computer and down loaded the pics. My camera and computer are set to erase the card after down loading.... Some how the USB cable disconnected during the download. The pictures didn't make it onto my hard drive but the camera thought that they had and erased them from the card. Two weeks of work down the drain! I don't charge too much for my work, mostly because the real money is not in the originals, but in the prints. For artists reading this, remember, the odds of finding a buyer for a $500 painting are not really that great.  How many people actually get to see that painting? 100? Maybe 200? Now put that picture online and up that number to 1000... If your lucky... Out of those, how many like it enough to own it? Then, how many of those that like it enough to own it, actually have the $500.00??? Now lets make some prints. It is easier to sell a matted print for $10 dollars than it is to sell the painting for $500. You can find a printer that will charge about $1per print, and your still making $9/ print. Sign and number them and you can charge more, lets say $25. find ten people to buy them and you've made $240... and you still own the original which is potentially worth more the more prints of it that are sold.  With todays technology you can buy a decent printer and print them yourself for even less, and providing that you find the right outlet, a cash cow could be born. Some artists may think I'm selling out here, but remember, my goal is to make a living doing what I love doing! Picasso said,"Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, A dichotomy in which you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your spare time. Look for a situation in which your work will give you as much happiness as your spare time." I once sold a painting for $30.00 that has made me hundreds in sales of its prints. (Click here to see and own it!) Now, all that being said, I ended up selling my artwork for way too little, and can't reap the benefits of repeat sales through prints. But, live and learn. There are now ten more people out there that know I'm an artist and own my work so it wasn't in vane.

That was a bit of a tangent... So the weather This weekend was probably too nice on Friday and Saturday and too cold on Sunday to get any real traffic through. But hey, this is Cape Cod, so what did I expect? Right? And... Given the weather we've been having it's amazing that it wasn't raining. I managed to sell a few works originals and prints alike. So I'm happy about that.

All-in-all I think my Shanty looked pretty full I scraped together some of my not-so-Capey stuff, which actually received a pretty warm response from the tourist crowd which I thought would be more into my  landscapes, seascapes, and skyscapes. I also managed to find a printer in Hyannis that really stepped up to the plate and dropped everything to help me out of my dilemma. So thank you to the folks over at Minute Man Press on Barnstable Rd. (tell them Greg from CapeNative sent you.) for putting in a little overtime and knowing what the heck they were talking about. (I will no longer even think about getting anything done at Staples... They were so easy to deal with and came out considerably cheaper...)Also, If your interested in selling prints of your work, you're going to need to mount them, mat them, and wrap them. So you may want to check-out Documounts, they have some really affordable starter packages.

 (Documounts is gone  and I haven't found a decent replacement yet...  let me know if you have in the comments please...)

I learned a lot about doing these kind of shows this weekend and I'll be back next weekend with a slightly tweaked business plan and some new artwork.  So, if you find yourself in Hyannis between 11AM and 5 PM, Friday through Monday, Memorial Day weekend, stop by and check it out!

Where's my "Painting a Day" ?...

Okay... So I put it out there. I said that I would do a painting a day for a month, and post them on the Internet. Both, here on my blog, as well as on my website, and my online store.  The fact is I have actually been painting a painting (or more) a day since I posted that. So why haven't you seen them?

The first painting I finished for this project, I was so excited, I took a photo while it was still wet and put it on the Internet. It SOLD! It sold in about three hours! Great, right? Well here's the thing... It sold before it was even dry. When I got the news  my main priority was to get the product to the customer. It had been hanging in my window for a day when I took it down to varnish it so that it would last a lifetime. I use Aquacrylic polyurethane  to seal my acrylic work. There is usually never a problem. Acrylic paint dries quickly and the two mediums are very compatible. The style paintings that I have been doing lately require layer upon layer of washes. Washes are basically transparent layers of watered down pigments. Unfortunately, when I went to brush on the  acrylic clear coat, it streaked the pigment across the painting ruining a SOLD work! After my initial shock, the throwing of some brushes, a few well chosen swears, and the coaxing of my dog out from behind the couch where he ran to seek refuge from my outburst, I was able to, for the most part, save the painting.  I re-painted what needed to be re-done and let the painting cure. This spring has been extremely wet, and with the added moisture in my paint this process took so much longer than I had anticipated. It eventually dried to my satisfaction and was ready to be sealed.

Having been bitten once by brushing on the polyurethane, this time I sprayed. Clean nozzles, light coats, I still had trouble with the poly. It would get little "poly-balls" beading up every few inches all over the surface. Is this from the moisture?  If I tried to remove them it would take the paint with it. I tried wet sanding lightly, steel wool,  I just couldn't get them out without affecting the surface of the painting somehow. I have never had this problem before. If anyone reading this has any suggestions please tell me in the comment section below. The end product turned out satisfactory for myself and the new owner of the work, but with a show coming up and dozens of paintings to seal I really need an easier/quicker way.

On top of these technical issues there were other headaches that ensued... You can read about those in my other blog "The Starving Artists Rant".(click here)

Eventually, I was able to finish it and get it to the buyer.

Here's what the new owner of the work had to say:

Greg,

I received the painting yesterday, as promised.  I wanted to "sleep on it" for a night to be able to give you my most honest opinion.  Well, I must say I am very pleased with it!  The colors are so much richer, more vibrant than the photo online indicated. 

Thanks again for everything - I love my painting!

Sincerely,

Ray ________

So, It all worked out in the end... But I'm not going to add anymore paintings online until they are ready to hang!

Keep me painting. Buy Art!

CapeNative.com

Am I Helping?... Or Just a Pain in the Butt?

How to Market Yourself as an Artist

Recently, I was perusing Craigslist. I like to check out the Artists section and see what else is going on in the Art World. I found an ad from an artist trying to make a living:

Buy My Art  (Providence, RI)

To those interested int he arts I am a commission artist. I do sell paintings of all kinds, and clay work, if interested in buying any of my pieces or if you have an idea that you want me to work on let me know, I charge $50 and up for all work to be done. Thank you
If you want to see any of my work email me with the email address above 

So, I responded with this message:

You've got to link it to a site somewhere. People are 'instant coffee' they're not gonna wait for you to reply...

Read this:

http://makingalivingasanartist.blogspot.com/ 

( it's called a"link", go ahead click on it, it'll bring you right there...[sorry...sarcasm...can't help it.])

Yah, a little mean I know... But, you know how I can get sometimes.

They responded with this:

I just posted this on craiglist on the artist section this is my first time and to be honest I answer to every email

(From here on out I'm just going to list the exchanges...)

Me:

I think you missed the point. Even if you answer every e-mail, there aren't going to be many e-mails to answer. Please don't be offended by this. In this day and age where people are zipping through life on their iPads and iPhones they wan't you to be able to show them who you are and what you do with one tap on their screen. If you can't do that, they move on to the next person that will. The average surfer won't take the time to type an e-mail...  They want to see it now! At least add a watermarked image so they may have their curiosity peaked. Get yourself a free artist site somewhere to host your images. If you want to be an artist and make a living at it you need to really market yourself. Picasso or Van Gogh? Van Gogh spent his life inside his artist brain never sold one work...(alright, he sold one...to his brother...)He died alone in misery. Picasso sold tons... but none at his first show. He learned how to effectively market and network, and did it everyday until he died... in the lap of luxury. You can take offense to this advice and say that you're a true "artist" and above having to listen to it, get a job as a barista at Starbucks and hope to be discovered. Or... market yourself. I spent years in art school learning to BE an artist, but they never offered one class on how to make any money at it.

Them:

well how do I begin?

Me:

1.) Do you have your own Computer?(or access to one you can use freely and regularly)

2.) Do you have a digital camera?(or access to one... Or digital images of your work in small image files?)

3.) Can you spend 30 minutes to one hour each day marketing your self?

Them:

I say yes to number one and number two as for three, I try to market myself everywhere I have contacted galleries to see if they would take my art, I got rejected by some and others no, I also have a show coming up at CCRI warwick next month Me: Good! Congratulations on the show! Have you done any others? Make sure that you keep a list of them. Also, make sure that during your show you have a guest book! Try and get everyones name AND e-mail address. If there is a space for them to leave a comment that would be great too. I use a blank artists sketch book and make my own sections. Store bought guest books usually have people leaving information that you don't really need. Also, Have you sold any works? You need to start a spread sheet with your buyers and what they've purchased, what they paid, and their contact information. You may not need all that now, but down the road a bit it will be incredibly important. For your show coming up, you need to write a press release. If you're not the greatest writer find a friend who's an english major buy them a beer and ask for help. Give them a sketch or offer a service you can provide. I once painted a living room in exchange for a good press release. Once you have on send it out to every little paper you can find... and don't be too modest to send it to the big ones. ( in that case try and get the info for the arts editor and send it straight to them.) A lot of these little papers love to do stories on local artists and events so be sure to have a well written artists bio ready and, as much as I think they are stupid a good artists statement. Don't be take yourself too seriously in writing one, but don't be silly either. be warm, genuine and quick. I once read one at an art show/wine tasting where all the artist did was compare the smell of oil paints to the bouquet of fine wine, and the feeling he got from painting to a good wine buzz. Everyone in the room artists and wine lovers could completely relate. When you say that you approach galleries make sure your work is compatible with their vision. Also make sure that they are good to their artists. I know a lot of artists who have had work go missing or never been paid by galleries. Also don't ever just walk in and start to sell yourself. Have tact, grace, and ask questions. "How do you find your artists?", will usually start a conversation that will help you find out: -Their Artist Selection Process -Who the decision maker is -How you should submit your work These sound basic and silly, but as a former gallery owner five artists a day, every day, would barge into my gallery wanting to show their work, less than half were the right kind of work for my gallery, and out of those only a small fraction actually had enough work that was consistent enough and professional enough to show. Leave with the decision makers information don't just dump your work on them. Always try and make an appointment with the decision maker for that gallery but do it through consistent and professional follow up. Start with an e-mail saying I was in the other day and got your card.... I really liked the feel of your gallery... I'm sending you some information.... Then send them a professional looking package  in the actual mail with images of your work, your bio , artist statement, a list of shows you've done, Fine art education (if any... if not just a brief explanation of where and how you work.)  and your contact info. Follow up within ten days. Make sure you've given it enough time to arrive through snail mail, and enough time for them to look at it. Don't ask what they thought yet. Honestly, it is probably still unopened at this time... Just check-in and ask if they've received it, and for an appointment to talk. I'm long winded. If you have questions feel free to ask. I never told you how to establish an online presence . If you're interested, let me know... if I'm not boring you. Them: You're not boring me at all, your quite fascinating, but here's the thing, I'm enrolled In a fine Art seminar class, and as a class of four student we have to have a gallery show which will be next month, and yes I have sold  about seven to 10 paintings, and yes help me somehow, I don't want to work at Starbucks or any of that , I am already a babysitter, But I love art I have other passions but this one is first, would you like to see samples of my work, tell me your opinions? So, they sent me some images of their work, which are pretty good: Good stuff.... I really appreciate people who can work in abstract. Whenever I try, it seems trite and juvenile. Is the size about 18" x 72"? Have you set up an online site yet? That was the point of me asking about the camera and computer access. Try putting a bio and some work on Fine Art America so you can direct people there through your ads... you can just make it one click away... that way you don't get annoying e-mails from pretentious know-it-alls like myself. You can join for free. If you want to use it as your online store there is a fee, but it does help to have one. Also, if you do go with an online store, don't dump all your work on there at once. Add one piece a day! It keeps you on the front page everyday in the new work section. Keep up the good work. If you ever have a question, just ask. Let me know about any upcoming shows. Good Luck! I still haven't received any show invitations. I hope I was helpful. It makes me wonder what is out there as far as info to help artists get a foot in the door. I used to always give free advice to artists when I had my gallery. Should I write a book? Do I even know what I'm talking about? Thank you for reading this far! That was a long one. Support a starving artist: CapeNative.com