Linkies

Gosh, I'm having a dickens of a time posting the links to everyone in the blog hop! I'm not sure why blogspot is being so stubborn. So I'm going to direct you to Brenda Pinnick's blog: http://www.brendapinnick.com/blog/. She has the entire list of participants. This was all wonderful Brenda's idea, and I'm so glad she came up with it! Lots of cool people have posted their inspirations, so make sure you check them out!

Sweet Inspirations

Today's post is about artistic inspiration, so I thought it would be appropriate to feature an image from my Sweet Inspirations line, which is available as wall art from Old World Prints, and as coasters from Highland Graphics. This is part of an inspiration blog-hop, so tomorrow I will try to post links to all the other blogs participating. I have never done a blog hop before, so I hope I do the links right!

I have posted before about how much I like the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady books by Edith Holden. I like both the delicacy and flow of her watercolors, and also the concept of this gentle lady keeping such beautiful sketchbooks of her surroundings. Look at the way the flower tendrils twine around the page. Isn't that pretty?

So I very much wanted to do a sketchbook themed collection. I think my art is not quite as graceful as Edith's, but I like the delicacy and vintage look that I achieved. That is the point of being inspired by another artist; what qualities can I include to make my own work better? What can I learn from a piece I admire? How can I apply those techniques or color palettes to my own vision? As an artist, every day for me is a learning process. I love the visual stimulation of going to shows. There are always artists and work that I admire, and that gives me the impetus to keep growing and developing in my own work. Every day there is something new and exciting to try and discover!

The Importance of Being Social

This morning I am driving down to Denver to do one of my favorite things: joining up with my art peeps for a licensing club meeting. The artist's life is by and large an isolated one. My studio is my favorite place to be in the a whole world. It is a haven, a sanctuary. But I need the interaction with other artists too. One of the managers at Hallmark, where I used to work, had the opinion that when artists left the company to go freelance, their work became stagnant because of the lack of interaction with fellow artists. I made it my goal that it would never happen to me!

My job is kind of weird, I know that, and other artists understand the peculiar struggles that this career entails. I go to the meetings to cheer on my friends' successes, and seek answers for my (many) questions. I get inspiration from seeing their beautiful work, the colors, the compositions. It's all so exciting! I also belong to a couple of online groups for licensing artists. I usually spend a part of each day "chatting" about the issues facing us. Most of these discussions are business oriented: dealing with clients, legalities, making presentations, that sort of thing, although there is also a lot of cheerleading too!

Speaking of getting inspiration from other artists, there has been a lot of discussion in the art community lately about plagiarism and copyright violation. I think for certain parts of the community, it is very easy to get swept up in your admiration of someone else's work. You might think, "I want to do that!" when you see that someone's success. But the thing is, the key to having really appealing artwork is to have it come from your own mind and heart. My agent and I talk about this sometimes. We'll see art that maybe isn't as technically proficient as the piece next to it, but it is so much more beautiful because of the heart that shines through. It's been said before, but the real answer is to just be yourself.

Now I'm off to hit the highway!

It's Time For....

How do you divide up your time? That is a question I have been struggling with. As a self-employed artist, I don't have a boss who sets a schedule for me. It is up to me to try and figure out the most productive use of my time. Time, there's never enough! How do you balance creating paintings that you are pretty sure will sell, and making time to try different, more experimental works? I know it is important to do both. If we all did the same thing year after year, we'd become pretty bored and stagnant. Yet the clients are always asking for the "same thing you did before that sold so well, except give it a fresh twist!" And are you like me, with a head that is just absolutely bursting with ideas that are crying out to be captured on paper? My agent says I should learn to paint with both hands at once!

More Gift Show Chat

Here is a picture of me in Atlanta at the Legacy showroom with my Lodge calendar. This is my favorite show for so many reasons. All the manufacturors that I would like to work with are there, and it is so exciting to meet them, see their products, and find out how I might fit in. So many of my "art buddies" are there too, and so there is always a few minutes for socializing! The show is huge, though, and by the end of the day I am feeling pretty overwhelmed from all the sensory stimulation.

This year the License and Design section was in a new location, right in the middle of the action. Here is a picture of our booth, and my agent, Debby Leggat. For those who are interested, the booths are $25 per square foot, which is much cheaper than Surtex. I think this section will grow and develop. The space we were in was a little cramped (and hot), but the section has only existed for about three years, so there are still growing pains. The manufacturors sure seemed interested though. Of course, it will take several months to see what materializes. The clients can get so excited when they look through your portfolio, but then when they get home they drag their feet!

Here is my Lodge tabletop line in the Highland showroom. This uses the same images as my calendar, and shows the most important aspect of licensing: if you hold on to your copyrights, you can use the same images on multiple products. That means multiple royalty statements! (at least, we hope so!)

Atlanta Gift Show

Just a quick post with a picture of me 'n' my peeps at the Atlanta Show. It is always so great to see my art licensing buddies! It was a really good show, with lots of positive meetings with clients, and I came back so inspired! (and with hints of fun new things to come, too!)

I'm back!

Okay, I didn't actually go anywhere, but I certainly haven't been in the blogo-sphere for a while! I have been preparing for the Atlanta Gift Show, and combined with the holidays haven't had many spare minutes. But now I'm back with something exciting to share: my new fabric line! Ta-da!

These are only a few pieces, just to give you a taste. The line is called Wilderness Park and will be available from Wilmington Prints in the spring. Seeing my art on fabric is such fun!