I have set up this blog and website to accomplish the following goals:
- Keep a Journal of my journey to become a better artist
- Share my experiences with others and give back to the community
- Share my work in order to solicit feedback
- Make paintings available for sale
I hope to follow in the footsteps of some artists I admire who have not been afraid to put their learning process and artistic process out there for everyone to follow and learn from. For me the journey to becoming an artist involves a lot of mistakes and trail and error. If I can help other beginning or struggling artists learn from or avoid the mistakes I make, then all the better.
One of my inspirations for sharing is Brandon Schaefer who you can find online and on YouTube. He may be the biggest reason I managed not to get stuck and frustrated when I began painting again. His encouragement to keep pushing through even when my work felt (to me) like crap and his devotion to sharing his journey and knowledge with others is inspirational.
I have many inspirational artists to share with you and will soon start a series of posts about some of them and why I find them inspirational.
I have learned from many others through on-line lessons, blogs, you-tube channels and websites where artists have shared their technique, approach, mind-set, philosophy as well as materials and other useful information. I hope to return this favor and will be sharing information about my art through this site, a facebook page, and you-tube videos.
I also want to use this site to track my journey and measure my progress over time as an artist. Its too easy to forget where you started and where you went, why you do what you do, and how you get there. This blog will help me keep a history of my work, mistakes, lessons-learned etc.
Third, I want to share my work, good and bad, and get any feedback and comments that others are willing to offer. Like most artists, I am my own worst critic, and we all have blind spots when it comes to our own work, so putting it out there (here) for others to comment on will provide another feedback loop to help me progress.
Notice that last on the list is to sell my work. I really focus on selling my work online as art is usually bought after seeing it in person. But if anyone likes what I paint and wishes to pursue purchasing a painting this can be a starting point. I can send higher resolution images of any of the work that is available for sale, or direct you to where you can see it in person, and we can discuss a piece, or a commission for a piece, via phone.
Welcome and I hope you’ll enjoy the ride. I hope to post something weekly. I’d love to hear from you about my art and about this site.