Failure is not an Option

It seems fitting in an ironic sort of way that shortly after I wrote about Success, we (that is the 10 or so artists that I work with) would host an event that truly was an abysmal failure.  No one came.  That was a first.  Live music, wine, cheese,  great art and no one showed up.  So naturally my pondering mind went into hyper drive.

I suppose it could be said that failure is the opposite side of the success coin.  In my musings, however, I have come to believe that failure and success are on opposite ends of a very long continuum.  Being a geometric thinker, I like to see it as two facets to a multifaceted sphere.  So, combining my last post with last week’s post looks something like this:

What if failure was not an option?

What if I gained perspective on one failed painting, event, show and looked at the whole career instead?

What if I learned from this failure and put into place something new and unusual?

What if I allowed this failure to blow the sides off the box I’d placed around myself, my work, or my schedule?

What if I gained enough experience through failure that I could help others emerging on the path behind me?

What if failure at one thing was exactly what propelled me into a new exciting adventure on this road called life?

What if I looked at “failure” not as defeat, but as fine tuning, direction, and motivation?

Then I would have turned the sphere a bit and the facet I’d be looking at would be success.  I’m working on it….

What if?

Saturdays seem to offer great fodder for blog material.  This past Saturday was no exception as I had several visitors in the studio.  The question of the week came from a gentleman who asked “Where do you get your ideas?”  Good question.  Although I have used a photo or two through the years, I generally paint from my own memory, vision, spirit.

Throughout my 25 years of artistic experience one question has been faithful to inspire.  “What if?”  What if I changed that sky from cool to warm?  What if I used that flower, but blew it out of proportion?  What if I took that small slice of that painting and created a large abstract piece from it?  And the list goes on.

Lately the question has led me to a new technique of spraying the wash of a piece, layering medium over it, and then developing what’s on the canvas.  This painting, “Canyon Whispers”  combined several ‘What if?”s…  What if I took that comment from a rejection notice and pursued what it suggested.  What if I used the colors of the southwest in a contemporary, abstract manor?  What if I simply developed what resulted from the spray and drips rather than cover them?  What if I tinted the medium just a touch to add color and textural depth?

The result is a painting that I am most pleased with.  This one was created for a specific space in our home.  Perhaps that is why I allowed myself the freedom to truly explore and push my own boundaries.  I loved the process as much as I love the finished product.   I am already asking myself “What if….”

What is Success?

We are in the dog days of summer.  No doubt about it.  Heat index is well in the “dangerous” zone and people are walking around The Factory looking like zombies in search of rest.  Enthusiasm wanes.  Inspiration sags.   A good time to ponder a bit.

This morning my mind wandered to the idea of success.  What does a successful art business look like?  Is it measured in dollars of art sold?  Numbers of paintings purchased?  A schedule of non stop shows and/or speaking engagements?  Galleries?  Exhibits?  Ribbons?  I have found that success in the art biz has many faces.  I have found that success is a moving target.  I have found that success is a loyal partner and a fickle date all at the same time.

Another artist recently asked me how to make a six figure income in the art biz.  I chuckled and said, to “Ask another artist”.  Six figure income is not my goal or motivation.  Success for me is not wrapped up in how much disposable income I make.

When I stand back from a newly completed painting and say “Well done!”  I am successful.  When I hear a testimony of someone comforted through a life storm by the angel I created, I am successful.  When a customer trusts me to create the perfect painting for their home or office, I am successful.  When I can pay my rent, donate to a mission trip,  buy groceries, I am successful.  When I am making a living by pursuing my passion, I am successful

Being in the business of art, it’s good to be reminded that success is in the eyes and heart of the one defining it.  How do you define success?  Ponder and share.  I’d love to hear from you.

 

Is it oil or acrylic?

Recently I picked up my art from a local exhibit (sponsored by an art organization no less)  where the title blocks of my work listed “Oil Painting” as the medium.  WRONG!  I paint with acrylic paint.  This is a common misunderstanding with my work due to the high relief texture that I am known for.  So, today let’s discuss a few of the differences.  My disclaimer here is that I have studied oil paint and talked with oil painters, but have never actually used them.

When I began to paint I chose acrylic for the same reason I prefer latex paint for my home:  easy clean up.  Therein lies the first point of difference.  Oil paints clean up with mineral spirits;  Acrylic paints clean with water.  That said, acrylic brushes need to be cleaned quickly after use (or during use) because of the quick drying time that acrylics have.  In other words, water clean up does not always equal easy.

Second point of difference:  Oil paints take much longer (days, weeks, months,) to dry;  acrylic paints dry in a matter of minutes or hours.  This is perhaps the most significant reason I continue to use acrylic paint.  My technique is founded upon applications of  layers upon layers, wet (paint) over dry (canvas).  In any given inch or so of a painting I work on, I have gone back to the canvas perhaps 10-12 times to create the overall effect of a given hue.  Upon closer examination the viewer will see that in fact several layers of different colors have combined to form that effect.  Many a student has complained to me that their oil paintings “turn to mud”.  This is because of the longer drying period of oils which cause them to blend rather than layer.

Which leads to the third point of difference:  Oil paints blend under the brush, on the canvas better than acrylic paints.  Actually this difference is a result of the drying time.  Oil paint blends better; acrylic paint layers better.  I often tell students that if they want the perfectly blended flesh toned cheek on a portrait, oil is the paint of choice.

There are questions out there regarding the toxicity of oils vs acrylics.  Personally I think it’s a draw.  Yes, oil paints have the fumes, etc.  However acrylics use titanium, cadmium, iron oxide, etc.  So there is care to be taken with each medium in that regard.

Another debate is longevity.  There are those that insist that oil paints will stand the test of time better than acrylic paint.  I would suggest that we simply don’t know what the future will bring.   Artist quality acrylic paints are a relatively new medium.  Although they have not been time tested we don’t know how they will hold pigment, shape, etc.

Personally,  I paint for today and today’s client.  I am less interested in how many hundreds of years my paintings hold up than I am in creating a piece of art that will enhance today’s homes, offices, and lives.  Therefore I select the medium that works best for my artistic purposes.  For me, I choose acrylic.

Today’s Painting:  Natural Beauty, first in progress and then all layered and finished.  It is 36×24 and is available at the studio for $950.

Treasures of the Heart

Encouragement comes in many shapes, sizes, and faces.  Working in an open studio has brought comments of all kinds over the years.  Not all encouraging to say the least.  I’ve learned to filter the negative (“Susie your work is better than this!”{Susie is a child}), chuckle at the off the wall (“These sure are ‘purty’ pictures.  Are you blind?  I always thought Monet must have been blind.”), and savor the sweetness of a well intended comment in whatever form it comes in.

Saturday was one of those interesting days at the studio.  First thing in the morning, as I chased cyber spooks on the internet,  a little girl walked by the studio, looked at my collection of work  and exclaimed, “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”  Unfortunately I was too preoccupied with the computer to actually hear the comment, but a colleague who was walking by filled me in.  My heart sang.

Minutes later  another child,  a boy of 8-9 began to interact with me while I sat before my easel developing this abstract painting.   He asked what I was painting.  I explained that as I  paint I listen  to hear what the painting wants to be.  Immediately I knew I was speaking to a young boy with an old soul.  He seemed to absorb every word and went on to ask great questions.  When his mom stepped in he explained to her that I painted with a palette knife not a brush,  that I was painting an abstract which could be whatever someone saw in it, and that a good artist paints from the heart.  Wow!  Here was  a boy who opened himself up to the experience of the studio and got it.  A line of harmony was  added to the song in my heart.

Later a conversation, a sale and the following post on Deborah Gall Art on facebook “Wonderful joy meeting you today. I am going to truly enjoy my framed piece. Looking forward to owning many more pieces of your beautiful inspirations.”

I believe that my heart collected more treasures than my bank balance did.  I’m okay with that.  I smiled all the way to a peaceful night’s sleep.

This painting is one of a new series of work I’m creating using multiple layers of medium and paint before I begin to develop the details.  It will be the subject of another blog since it was birthed out of rejection.  Hmmmm maybe I’ll title it Redemption!  It is 36×48 and will retail for $2000.

Color and Impact

It happens wherever I go.  Indoor shows, outdoor shows, or in my studio (which is open to the public), individuals or couples come in with numbers floating around in their heads.  The size of the wall, the size of the piece they are replacing, the size of art they think they need.  I commend those who  take the time to measure before shopping for art.  The size of the space is important.  It is in fact the jumping off point for selecting the perfect piece.

Many things go into finding the perfect piece for the spot;  heart response to a painting being of course the biggie.  However today I want to discuss the impact of color in a room.  A little color theory:  warm colors (think fire and sun:  red, orange, yellow) are the strongest colors in the spectrum.  It takes the least amount of yellow compared to other colors to be seen from a distance.  Cool colors (think cool mountain lake:  blue, green, purple) are the weakest colors in the spectrum.  Purple is the weakest; it takes a bigger spot of violet to be seen across a room.  Want to test this?  Next time you are in a stadium look across to the other side and squint your eyes.  You will see those yellow Cheeseheads before you see the Purple People Eaters.  But I digress.  What that means to you as an art collector is that it takes less red, orange, or yellow to have an impact on a space than blue, green, or purple.

Point is dimensions of the perfect piece can be determined by the impact of the painting.  Color is not the only element that affects the impact of a piece of art.  But for now, let’s leave it at this:   a smaller painting done in a warm palette may be just the ticket, or a larger piece in a cooler palette.  Now you’re on your way to becoming an expert!

Today’s paintings:  Warm: ” East of Eden”,  20×20, $350  Cool:  “From One to Another”, 12×12 $200

Collecting Art: listen to your heart

Are you an art snob?  Several years ago a gallery owner told me that they only represented “collectible” artists that “would be in the books someday”.  Since that day I have observed, pondered, and questioned others in the industry on this idea.  My conclusion?  Art professionals that make such claims are in fact art snobs. The dictionary defines snob as “one who affects an offensive air of superiority, as in matters of taste or intellect”.   This attitude and definition of “collectible art” does more harm than good to artists and collectors alike because it pretends to define for others what is in fact “collectible”.

The point that I want to make is that “collectible” is in the eye of the collector.  What is valuable to me as a collector may not be valuable to the general public or the art industry.  I know of a couple that has an art collection valued in the tens of thousands of dollars.  They own some of the “big names” in the art world.  Yet as you walk in their home, the first “art” you see is a mass produced print of Rembrandt’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son” framed and hung with honor.  Why?  Because that painting, and  Henri Nouwen’s book of the same name hold significant meaning for them.  They value the message behind the painting; we honor what we value.  I would suggest that we should all apply that same heartfelt approach to all art purchases.

What we value we also gather around ourselves in our home and work environments.  Simply put, what you value is “collectible” for you.  The freedom is yours to purchase and treasure what speaks to your life.  I encourage you to listen to your heart whenever you are considering an art purchase.  It is the only “voice” that matters.

Listening to your inner voice will bring peace of mind and will displace any anxiety about needing to “understand art” or “make an investment”.  Whenever you invest in your peace of mind, spend money on something that brings you enjoyment, or purchase art that shares your vision and voice,  you are making a sound investment with years of great returns.

 

The Freedom of Art

Happy Independence Day to my friends in the United States;  Happy Monday to those of you around the world.  Please indulge me in a bit of patriotism.  I woke up this morning thinking about a phrase from yesterday’s sermon:  “It is for freedom that you have been set free” and I began to ponder freedom of speech.

I am one who believes that as an artist my number one job responsibility is to communicate.  Artists use a variety of ways to not only tell their personal story, but other truths they have encountered along the way.  Political statements, social messages, inspirational thoughts have all found their way on to canvas, sculpture, pottery, photography, etc.  My personal artist’s statement speaks of giving truth expression and speaking it clearly and boldly.

That is a freedom I enjoy as a citizen of this country and it is not one I take lightly.  It is for freedom of speech, freedom of artistic expression, freedom of defining my truth in a personal way, and more that I have been set free.  God bless America!  Let freedom ring!

“What’s That You See?” is a 24×24 gallery wrapped canvas that reminds many of fireworks.  Thought that was appropriate for the Fourth of July.  Available at the studio.

Start Small

Recently one of my collectors shared how they got started collecting my work.  He reminded me that they first purchased a small piece, took it home, hung it and began to enjoy.  It was as they realized how the piece took on a life of its own in their home, that they began to consider larger work.  “We saw how much more we liked it than we originally thought; that’s when we knew we wanted more of your work.”

The other day I began a smaller piece as a prototype for a larger commission.  Some artists will sketch smaller versions of paintings to check composition, etc.  I actually paint a smaller piece because my process doesn’t lend itself well to sketches.  In the prototype I will work out the color palette, the placement of design elements, and the overall movement of the piece.  In fact I can pretty much guarantee that if you commission me to paint a large painting, I will first work things out in a smaller format.  In fact it is something I often share with my commission clients so that we are on the same page when it comes to their special order.

My point is that starting small works for both artists and collectors.  My collector is right on the money with a great way to begin purchasing art.  If you have never taken the plunge into the world of original art, a small piece is a great way to begin.  If you like an artist, but can’t yet afford the large masterpiece, a small masterpiece is a great treasure.  Small work can be placed on an easel and used on table tops, book shelves, counters,  as well as hung on the wall.  Another collector’s first purchase was one of my angels, that she looks at every morning as it sits on her bedside table.

My advice? Go ahead and start small.  You may discover like my clients, that you’d like more because of what the piece does for your home, office, and your outlook on life.  Or you may decide that one is enough.  Either way you own an original, have brightened your life, and have helped an artist along the way.  It is a first step in what could be a very exciting journey into the world of art.  Good on ya!

  This little gem is called “Poppy Fields”  It measures 10×8, has painted gallery wrapped edges and    is perfect for that little splash of color in any room of the house.  Available at the studio for $100.  I also offer many pieces under $100 in a variety of sizes and shapes.  You really can own an original for under $100!