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

Okay, so it's been a while.....

(This is me painting...)

For anyone who was following... I'm sorry. For those of you who just read to be polite, well, thanks... I guess. Sorry to say,"I'm back!"

I have been working through quite an artist block. I've had one painting on my easel for over a month now. I like it, but I think I'm scared to ruin it, so I procrastinate. But... I'm not really sure if I'm procrastinating or it's something else. My dyslexia/ADD is working overtime lately. I really am having some trouble doing stupid things. The other day I was trying to buy a bottle of wine in a store that I hadn't been in before and I couldn't find anything, like literally couldn't find anything. all I could see were thousands of bottles of wine, but I couldn't see any single one of them. I couldn't pick out which were Cab, or Merlot, or Zin, and I couldn't even find a label I recognized. (That's how I buy wine sometimes: "Not Sure how it's gonna Taste, But it sure has a pretty label!") It's not that I can't see the forest through the trees, It's finding one God damn tree in the forest. I had the same trouble last week trying to pick out a birthday card for my sister. Again, could see thousands of cards but couldn't focus on any single one long enough to see what it said. So I ended up with a nice Bat Mitzvah card and that was that. So is this related to my painter's block? Who knows? But it's given me something to write about again.

Friends have heard about my dilemma and stop to check in, motivate, encourage. They've brought dinner and wine.(100 Grove St. BTWs.. don't forget to lock your car.) They've pushed without pushing too far. The help is appreciated as is the company. Some days it's tough just sitting and staring at this painting. I can see in my mind what it will look like. I can see on the easel how it looks now. I don't know why I have trouble bridging that gap. So, I've been trudging forward slowly and surely. A little progress made here and there... But I need a motivator... So I'm donating it to a good cause! There is a nursery school on cape that needs some playground equipment that just isn't in the budget. They are going to have an auction to raise the money and I'm putting my painting in their auction!!!  I'll fill you in with all the details as I get them. The auction is on March 11th.(I think!) I now need to finish the painting. The imaginations of lots of tiny tots are riding on it. HAH! Instant motivation! I'm also thinking of making it into prints and offering half the proceeds to schools playground program,but don't have the money to get the prints made. First things first, though. Lets finish the painting.

On that note. When you make your living by being a painter and you have painters block, you really don't have much of an income. The Christmas season was pretty good to me and I made money in line with what I was making actually "working" for a living. But, it really drained my inventory. I haven't replaced what I've sold ... I may have to get a job... Or sell some paintings.

Until next time... I've got to walk the dog... In the rain :(

You can buy a painting here:

https://squareup.com/store/capenative

(that a link...click it!)

This is what that painting ended up looking like:

If you'd like an online store like mine, click here:

Thanks for reading!

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quick "Good Morning" and "Happy Thanksgiving" to everyone. Thanks for checking in today! It is a holiday and any excuse for me to take a day off will always be well used. I'm headed out to watch a football game and eat with family and friends. Remember, just the fact that you're alive to read this is plenty to give thanks for. Hopefully though, there is more on your list.

Until next time... have a great day.

How To Sell My Art... ? (A.K.A.: Will Paint for Food!)

(Disclaimer: These works are UNFINISHED.)

I didn't blog yesterday, mostly, because my day was the exact same as the day before. Therefore, my post would have been pretty much the same. The last thing that I want is to bore my readers. So, today, rather than bore people with my hum-drum life as an artist;"Today I went in the studio, picked up a brush and... yadda, yadda, yadda...", I'm going to fill you in on what went through my mind after deciding NOT to lull you into a virtual coma with my musings on painting.

Okay, I'm painting again. I can paint somewhat prolifically. I already have a pile of art work collecting dust. So now, what do I do with them? :

 "GETTING MY WORK INTO A GALLERY":
(As a blogger I've learned to put certain things in bold type that will catch the eye of search engines... bare with me.)

It's the middle of November, this is Cape Cod... There are only a small percentage of galleries still open. Actually getting my work in just one is a long process. It takes time to find the right one, make the connections and then have them just hang it on a wall and sit at a desk and play on the computer while potential buyers walk around being ignored and made to feel like inferior beings that probably can't afford art anyway.

I'll do the gallery thing, but just not yet. First, I have to build a homogeneous body of works that are of flawless caliber, that are sale-able, and... Yawn.

Okay, right now I'm pretty much broke and can't wait for that. So last night I lied awake in bed thinking about what to do, "HOW CAN YOU MAKE A LIVING AS AN ARTIST?", I thought. (Again, the search engine thing...) Here are some of the ideas that I came up with. I would love you to comment, good or bad, on what you think about these ideas. I would also love it if you would leave a comment with some new ideas for me (and my readers) to potentially use.

BEGGING: Not actually begging and asking for a handout. But perhaps standing on the street with some art work and asking people to buy it. Hear me out! I don't want to devalue my work and SELL it for less than I should, but rather USE my art work to keep me living in the lifestyle to which I've become accustomed. Anyone living in Hyannis has seen the guy standing at the Sam Diego's intersection for the last year. He must be doing alright on that spot.
        A.) Because he hasn't found a new one in at least a year. If something is not working out, you    change it. Right?
        B.) His clothes. Not over the top. He doesn't stand out there in a Tux or anything, but he has appropriate clothing for the weather. The right jacket, good footwear, he's never out there freezing his ass off.
So, the way I see it, it must be a pretty good spot.

What if I stood there? Not to beg, but with some paintings and a sign that says, "Buy me lunch at the bar at Sam Diego's and I'll give you this painting!" Would you do it? Would anyone. (there's a comment section down below, please answer...)

Sam Diego's is not my only vice though... I love to cook. I also love to accompany that meal with a nice bottle of a complimentary wine. So... What if I took my paintings and stood out in front of Trader Joe's?
Not to sell the work, but more to trade or barter. Instead of prices on the back. Suggestions for a trade. For example: $ Two well marbled Fillet Mignon (together totaling at least one lb.) and a nice left bank Bordeaux. I'm not panhandling. In fact, I'd be generating extra business for both Trader Joe's and The Wine List, quite a bit with the way I eat! $ A duck liver pate with shaved black truffles, a hunk of blue cheese, some seedless red grapes, and a Cotes du Rhone.(how do you type that with an american keyboard?) Seriously, that's like twenty, maybe twenty-five bucks. You get to walk away, knowing that you fed a hungry person, the businesses behind me are making money, I get to eat. There are so many wins to this, I can't see how it would be bad. Are there laws against this?

So while we are on this whole barter thing, just so you know, I will paint for food. I also would really like a nice stainless steel crock-pot. I don't have a gallery on line yet, but if in my posts you see a picture that you'd like, let me know. My prices (if you could really call them that) are reasonable. I also still accept cash and gold bullion.

Until you pass me on a curb somewhere... Have a great day

Painted All Day...

I made my coffee and had my usual breakfast, then I found my way downstairs to the studio. I had spent some time digging through old photo files last night, so I pretty much knew what it was I wanted to paint. The question was ,"what would  I FEEL like painting this morning?" Once I got settled in, got the computer files opened., arranged my canvasses, I was pretty much decided that the images that I had chosen last night were the right ones. After a minute or two of procrastinating and trying to find something else to do I just started painting. I squeezed a couple of colors onto the pallet, picked up a brush, and painted. Pictured here are a few of the chosen images...  

As I sit and look at the paintings laid out in my studio, I'm okay with the finished product. They are not what I usually paint. I do an occasional sea/landscape, but never wanted to be that cliched "Cape Cod" painter. In fact I used to make fun of those "little old ladies" who painted cottages and hydrangeas, and seem to fill up every painting class on the Cape, as well as every artist association along it's shores. I still don't want to paint cottages and hydrangeas. But... To "make a living as an artist" need to paint things that I could potentially sell. These are the kind of scenes that, presumably, someone could buy as a reminder of their vacation. When you look at the galleries scattered about the Cape. This is the type of painting that you see on their walls. I don't have an actual count of the galleries on the Cape, but there are a lot! Each of those galleries must (and this is an assumption on my part) sell multiple works every year. Perhaps multiple works every month, maybe per week. That is a lot of paintings. If I'm trying to make money, I suppose that I should focus on what actually sells, take it, and make it my own. Tailor  my style to the subject matter. Am I wrong about this?

There are artists out there that may say that I am selling out, that I'm compromising. Maybe to a certain extent, I am. The thing is that as a former gallery owner and curator, you really need to provide a product. (... and yes even though it sounds like I'm lowering "Art" by calling it "product", that's what it is. Art, when put in a gallery, or even when just painted with the intent of eventually selling it, is a PRODUCT.) Simple economics would say that the more potential buyers that your product appeals to the better your chance of selling it. So, and PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong, it would make more sense for me to spend my time painting a more marketable product. Right? But... Can't I, just sometimes, do this?

Enjoy the rest of your night!

P.S. Does anyone have any suggestions on photographing my work? These photos suck.

I'm Painting...

Okay! Here we go... I finally found some pictures that I could use. Some were actually my own. Found a spot in the studio where I could get comfortable and just paint. I stopped fiddling with the lights, stopped looking for the right brush, trying to find the right colors , and just got down to painting. and it actually felt pretty good. I sat and painted. and didn't stop until I was done. Not overly impressed with the results so far but, for those of you who aren't familiar with painting, it's a lot like your golf game:

Your favorite club is like your favorite brush. Your studio is your favorite course, the one where you know each and every hole by heart, which club to use, where to put each shot. If you play like me, how to get out of each and every bunker. The thing is, I haven't played in a while, not just that November through April thing. I mean a while. Like I used to play in High School and now that I'm retired I'm picking up the sport again. The secret to getting good is to get out on that course each and every day and practice. Even if you shoot triple digits, it was still a day out on the links.

Today I spent some quality time in my studio. I haven't played this course in a while, but I still remember where to place some of my shots. All in all it felt pretty good. I'm still a little stiff, but I've got some game left in me.

If anyone's looking for me I'll be at the nineteenth hole.

Until tomorrow....

(I won't be at the nineteenth hole until tomorrow.  I'll just be there for a little while. I'll be back here writing tomorrow. For those of you in Hyannis, I don't literally mean that I'll be at the "Nineteenth Hole" on Barnstable Rd., I meant it figuratively, as in.... Oh, never mind.)

Still Digging...

Sorry I'm so late, but hey, it's a Sunday and I'm working.

It is amazing how much absolute CRAP you can accumulate through the course of your life. I'm talking the literal stuff not the emotional... well, not 'literal ' 'crap', but actual 'stuff '. I couldn't tell you how many times I've moved over the last 10 years. (actually I could, and if you count two ships, It's 13) Each time, I weed out the superfluous, yet I still have enough to fill an entire 12' x 21' room. (and that is just the art supplies...)

Todays job is to continue organizing and setting up my studio. I was kind of hoping that I'd be done by now. I've found enough small canvasses that I have decided that next week, which starts tomorrow, I will paint five (Yes 5!) paintings a day (M-F). It sounds like an incredibly daunting task. It sounds impossible. But, even if I only reach half that goal, I'll still have a dozen paintings. I'm going to stick with smaller sizes (8' x 10", 10" x 12"--ish) and fairly simple seascape/landscape subject matter. So come friday at about 2:30 PM we'll know where I stand on my self-test. In the mean time if anyone has any nice marshy-beachy scenes that they can send me I'm going to need some. Most of the pics I've taken are stuck on my computer in Florida.

So, I know that this has been a fairly short entry, especially considering how much I can generally go on.  (and on... and on...) But, I'll be back tomorrow, maybe, with some pics of my studio in a pseudo-state of completion and some comments on how well (or not...) my challenge is going. I'll keep you informed all week, bounce some ideas off you, maybe I'll ask some technical questions in case there are any working artists out there secretly following. In the mean time everyone take care and enjoy another gorgeous day on Cape Cod, or wherever you maybe.

Getting Down to Business

I guess being a working artist is like being in a twelve step program. The first step is admitting your an artist. I've done that.  However, there is no local support group that I've found yet. So I guess it's up to me to figure the rest out.

I would say up to this point I've been a poser. I say I'm an Artist, but what have I done lately? Step two then must be the creation process. Easier said than done. Where do I create? With what? On what? Not to mention, what the hell should I paint?

Let me address the first part : Where. Every good artist needs his space, his lair, his "fortress of solitude". So todays mission is to create a studio space where I can work. I have claimed a room in the basement. Unfortunately, there is no natural light but I'll deal with that for now. I've emptied it and swept it out. Now it is time to make it a working studio. As I carry box upon box of supplies and older artwork into the now empty space I'm realizing just how much I've accumulated over the last 20 or so years. Here is a brief inventory:

Paints:
- 54  2oz. Acrylic paint tubes
- 14  4.64 oz. Acrylic paint tubes
- 36  1/2 oz. Acrylic paint tubes
- 7  1 pint tubs of heavy body acrylic paint
- 5  7.6 oz. tubes of extra heavy body acrylic paints
- 62  bottles of liquid acrylics
- 13 1.25 oz. tubes of oil paint
- 20  oil sticks
- 8  quarts of latex house paints
- 12 gallons of latex house paint
- 12  cans of spray paint
- 3  cans of primer
- 4  cans of polyurethane
- 7  jars of various matte mediums
- 8  spray-cans of sealers
- 37  black sharpies
- 2  purple sharpies
- 1  green sharpie

Tools:
- 108  paint brushes (all shapes and sizes)
- 2  T-squares (one "F"-ing huge)
- 6  mat knives/exacto knives
- 1  mat cutter
- 2 pencil sharpeners (1 20+ years old)
- 1 set of french curves
- 3  pair of scissors
- 4  lights
- 5  easels
- 2 print racks
- 5 pallets
- 11 pencil sets
- 1  tripod
- 1  mono-pod
- 2  digital cameras
- 1  Pentax K-1000 camera
-     crates of Art/ Art History books
- 7  journals
-     Support building materials (clamps, glue, nails, sanders, hammer, pliers, mitre-saw, etc.)
-     Various rolls of masking tapes
Supports:
- 26 pieces of unstretched canvas
- 8  sheets of foam core
- 4  rolls of paper
- 10  pads of paper
- 10  sheets of black Cansen paper
- 25 pieces of panel to paint on
Artwork:
- 30+/-  unfinished paintings
- 50+/-  finished artworks
- 6  sketch books full of ideas

Please tell me that you didn't read all of that!

Today I am organizing all of that and trying to set up a nice workable area where I can start to paint. There is, apparently, no lack of supplies. So, once my space is ready, I should be able to start on my new adventure.

I think that I would like to put a small "thinking area" in there as well, with my desk and computer, and a spot to just sit and get focussed.  I will check back in tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be able to add some pictures, but currently I'm working with an 8 year old computer and it just doesn't want to "upload".

Thanks for reading!

In the beginning...

Welcome to my very first Blog experience. I guess my first task is to explain what the hell I'm doing here, how I got here, and how and why this blog has come to be.

First off... I was pretty much BORN an artist. One of my very first memories is of me "creating". My mother hates this story,  perhaps, because like any story, I tell it the way that I remember it. What you are about to read is my perception of the way it happened and in my world perception is reality. So...thus being said. At three or four years old, or three or four feet tall, I'm sure it was one of those... I created my first masterpiece. My parents were teachers and because of this there were always school supplies around; paper, pens, glue, paste, all kinds of your typical school needs. My chosen medium for the day was ball-point pen on blue lined paper. One other interesting supply that I had at my disposal were little brass binder/fastener "thingies" that I found absolutely fascinating at the time. Hey, you use what you've got around you. Michelangelo would never have been a sculptor if there hadn't been marble readily available to him. So, I set out with my blue ball-point, my blue-lined paper, and my brass fasteners and proceeded to create life-sized, (to me anyway, I was three feet tall.) posable, action figures of Adam and Eve. The fasteners made the perfect tool for me to make their joints move. Did I mention that they were anatomically correct? Somewhat anyway... Her breasts became spinning pinwheels with the brass fasteners for nipples, and he had certain parts that could sway in the breeze. This was not only an artistic accomplishment but through the wonders of those little brass fasteners it was also an engineering marvel. I was truly the DiVinci of Mrs. Manning's morning kindergarden class. Excited by my successful completion of the task I ran to show my mother.

Upon entering the room her chin dropped. The sheer look of awe on her face as she took in the sight of her youngest, most innocent child's construction made me proud. I knew she must be impressed. In fact she was speechless. I was sure that a devout Catholic woman such as herself would have been impressed by her young son's rendering of such an important biblical tale. However, her focus seemed to linger on their anatomical correctness.

The rest of that afternoon is fuzzy to me. I believe there may have been a small fire in the back yard and perhaps a rosary or two was said on my behalf. I do know that since that date, on humid days, I still get the faint taste of soap in my mouth. My masterpiece was never seen again.

I made several more efforts to duplicate my brilliance. My next work was an installation piece. A tasteful hybrid of interior design and modern art.  I found among the families collection of school supplies, a wonderful bottle of glue. What a fun bottle. It had a clear liquid glue, not like that messy Elmer's that you'd find in Mrs. Manning's art bin. The top was a pink rubber applicator that could be directed with amazing precision. I pondered what medium would be the most complimentary and would best demonstrate the accuracy of the adhesive. I then remembered my mother's beautiful collection of silk scarves which she kept tucked away in a dresser drawer. What a waste of that delicate beauty. Such a collection should be prominently displayed. So I promptly took each and every one of them and arranged them on the dreary walls of my room. Family, friends, and neighbors gathered to see my accomplishment. It moved my mother to tears. I believe that if you look back at old retail records you will see a spike in Coco Channels sales around that very date, no doubt from a number of copycat artists. After that, art and craft supplies were harder to find around the house.

So those are two of my earliest memories regarding my creative endeavors. I will be back to tell you where I went next with my art, and to keep you up to date with my latest attempts at making a living as an artist. Until then, have a wonderful day.