3/6/2024
Art 4 Food, stuck in a rut?
I've found that I need to vamp Art 4 Food. What? Vamp? Yes, it can't be revamped if it was never vamped in the first place. Kidding aside, just using Facebook as the only marketplace is just not cutting it. Selling art is always difficult, this is especially true in tough economic times. Most my friends and acquaintances are not rich patrons of the arts. I put my finished paintings on the Facebook and once in while someone bites. I mostly get a bunch of really nice comments and "likes" - and believe me, I do truly appreciate the kind words. It does my heart good, right? I love to paint pictures, but I really don't want to stack up finished paintings in the attic.
Just recently posted these two paintings, and again nice comments and quite a few likes, but no nibbles yet. Check out "Sunset Harbor" and "Mustang Love".
It's obvious that I have to find a way to expand my views. I'm listed on a few free art websites and have been for years and nothing has come from it - ever. I've never been a salesman and I'm not much of a hustler, I never enjoyed pushing people, selling things. Unfortunately, that's not how the world works. Selling things is like going through a job interview every day. Oooh fun.
I don't really know where to go/what to do from here. One thing I do know is that I have the time, I am not that busy. So, time to do a little research.
2/23/2024
To Be Fair...
I often complain about the cold weather here in the upper midwest. Well to be fair, this has been the greatest winter ever!!!!! We've had almost no snow, and no subzero weather - and - February is almost over.
Yea Global Warming!!
12/26/2023
Hockey Falls
I had a very specific request for this latest painting that I've recently finished. It was going to be a Christmas present for a young hockey star here in the Twin Cities. She's playing against the girls and the boys, and I'm told she scores at will against either. She wanted the painting to have mountains and waterfalls. Here the waterfalls would flood a hockey rink where our star, in pink, wears number eight. As you can imagine there were no reference photos on the Internet that were going to help me, so I had to punt. This is what I came up with... Check it out.
Note: This painting was included in the Art 4 Food project and the payment was donated to one of our local food shelves. Thus far we've sold 16 paintings since the project launched in June 2020. Thanks everyone!!
"Hockey Falls"
22 x 28 acrylic
by Craig Willms
2023
12/3/2023
The Deer Wagon
I delivered a new painting to a friend today. She had shown me some photos of whitetail deer feeding from a little red wagon in her backyard. I just loved her pictures and asked her to send them to me. I kind of combined all her images into one scene. It seems to me that the deer in the center looking at the camera is the dominant buck and the five deer in the foreground are his harem. The others are young bucks forced to hang back until the does are done. This was a very satisfying project and she loved it! Check it out... 24x36 on stretched canvas.
So, as I have now done 3 deer paintings, I created a new sub-page off the "Galleries" page. I hope you enjoy!!
10/24/2023
Art 4 Food Sales
We sold 3 paintings recently. I'm getting ready to send off checks to both the food shelves we support.
All three paintings featured some airbrush work. I've really tried to up my game with the airbrush. I think my progress is due to finding a new type of paint. There are new paints on the market that cater to the pourers and spinners. They are liquid based acrylics that people who have popularized pouring art are using. They don't require thinning per se. For the airbrush I still use a flow medium known as a reducer, but these paints are designed to be thinned quite easily. This curtailed the frustration I had with the thick bodied paints that required significant thinning - and caused innumerable clogs and spatter. I just love this high-flow pourable paint.
The untitled birch forest painting features a sunrise where I used the airbrush to achieve the penetration of the yellow light through the trees as well as flooding the background.
The Milky Way featured a vast star field where the airbrush laid down the background. I painted the close-up forest with a paint brush. We had lots of inquiries about that one.
For Lilies of the Light airbrush was used to lay out the background colors as well as the points of light dancing on the water.
See all three---------------->
8/15/2023
The Rainbow
I had a commission from a friend to paint a really nifty photo his son had taken. I was glad to do it because it gave me a chance to use the airbrush for almost the entire painting. For the rainbow and a few foreground objects I used brushes. I'm getting a lot of really nice comments from the public and my client/friend is happy with it. I used a pretty large canvas so the airbrush work would have some impact. So here it is: "The Rainbow" 36x30 acrylic.
5/19/2023
The Woman with the Umbrella ~series~
The 2nd and 3rd paintings in the series were posted up on Facebook for auction. A week or two has gone by and there's been nothing. I'll leave it "open" for another week and then end it. They will go into the pile of unsold inventory. I wasn't sure what action I expected but crickets wasn't one of them. I wonder about the Facebook algorithm and how many 'friends' actually see my posts. I doubt I'm in FBs bad graces. People just aren't into buying art these days, money has priorities. Anyway, here they are: Winter in Paris and Snowfall Over London
3/15/2023
The Woman with the Umbrella
The painting pictured below "London Snow" received the most attention of any painting in Art 4 Food's short history. It was kind of exciting. Needless to say, it has sold. I had already decided even before I finished that painting, I was going to do a series of the woman with the umbrella. I already had a source photo sitting in the queue - the Eiffel Tower in the winter. It's on a large 2' by 3' canvas in vertical orientation. I was super pleased by how it turned out (I'll post pics soon). Then I found another source photo of a European street scene in a snowfall. I've finished that as well. Both have a woman with an umbrella. Is it the same woman? That's up to you... I'll be prepping the coming out of these masterworks soon!!
1/26/2023
London Snow
There is one place I need to visit before I go and that's London. I've always been fascinated by the British. In this painting I found a cool scene of a post snowfall snap of Big Ben from across the River Thames. I put this up on the Art 4 Food auction page. We'll see if anyone else finds the scene as interesting as I did.
**ART 4 Food News** The painting Je t'aime has sold (see pic below). I shipped it out to California a few days ago. I am so pleased to write a check to one of our local food shelves!
12/5/2022
Je t'aime
I did another wild horse painting on a whim. In truth I have nothing to paint right now. No one has commissioned anything, I have no one on the gift list right now. Anyway, this was a whim that will end up on the auction page. The last one I did on this subject went quickly. Here, the mare accepts his advance, je t'aime.
10/12/2022
Trucks
I've added a new sub-page to the gallery called Trucks. If I have three or more paintings on a single subject I usually add a subpage. I recently did a painting of my neighbors classic Chevy truck. He has an old '56 Chevy and a 2020 Chevy and one day he parked the old Chevy in the driveway with the new Chevy which I had never seen before. So, I snapped a pic. The new truck absolutely dwarfs the '56. Yeah, the new trucks just keep getting bigger and bigger. I gave the painting to him, so he'd have a keepsake in the event he sells the classic truck one day. Someone is bound to make an offer he can't refuse. "Old Chevy, New Chevy"
9/22/2022
The waning days of summer
I've never been to Florida, got as close as Atlanta 30 years ago, but have never experienced the sunshine state. My friend Tom's son lives there, and he and his wife Cindy spend considerable time there in the winter, and who could blame them. Tom had this picture on his phone, and he asked one day if I could paint it. Well yes, by golly I'd be delighted to (I'm always on the hunt for subject matter). Here it is- "That Perfect Day in Florida"
I used airbrush for the sky and water. I painted it on a masonite hard board which is very smooth. It lends a nice even finish for the sky, and I just loved how it came out. This one was shipped out to Florida where it hangs on the wall in a house near the beach.
7/22/2022
The deer days of summer
I love summer.
So anyway, I have recently delivered a couple of paintings and was treated to tears. It was all good, no worries. I had painted my dear friends a large painting after realizing I've painted pictures for everyone important in my life - except them. For this one I needed to pick a subject both of them would resonate with. Since these are the friends that introduced us to the Caribbean vacation, the tropics had to be the subject. One of the features of the Caribbean vacation is snorkeling in the aqua blue waters of the coral reef. See pic below... For this one I used the airbrush on the sky and the water. They loved it!
"Jamaican Time"
I also delivered a painting for my niece and her husband. Jake had contacted me with a couple of pics and from there I took his ideas and ran with it. We showed up at the house unannounced (Jake knew we were coming) and completely surprised Lauren with the following painting. She really loved it! "Distracted".
Here the doe and her fawn emerge into the meadow from the deep woods, she is on high alert. The fawn, however, has spotted the cardinals and has become distracted. If the painting works you'll find your eyes drawn back and forth when you see that the fawn is looking at something specific.
5/29/2022
FINALLY!!!
Over the years I've noticed that I mention the weather a lot. Well, we finally have summer weather. It took until late May this year. We are still seeing cold overnights, but at least you feel warm when you step outside, instead of walking around in a refrigerator or freezer.
I painted and sold a really nice painting for the Art 4 Food project a few weeks back, I understand it will be auctioned off at local native American tribal festival. That's pretty cool if you ask me... It's called "Mated" See pic below
I also painted a new "masterpiece" that is intended as a gift for a friend - I'll show that after I deliver it. I've got a few ideas in planning now, but I am taking a little break to do some painting... Wait, what? The living room, the dining room...
"Mated"
4/11/2022
Reconsidered...
When I contemplated the previous post where I was dismayed by the reaction or lack thereof as it were to my "masterpiece", I failed to consider that the world is currently in an economic malaise. People don't have money for charity or art. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be buying art at this time. I shouldn't be so butt hurt that no one jumped all over this really marvelous painting.
4/9/2022
Hmm, missed that one
As I finished the painting I called "A Cautionary Tail" I was excited to learn what other people thought of my masterpiece. Well, not much as it turns out. I really thought this painting was good. As mentioned, I had this professionally photographed in anticipation of having prints made. That's not going to happen. I put it out on the Facebook page and had one bid that was a insultingly low - perhaps my buddy was just trying to move the auction along (that's what I tell myself). Perhaps it's not a masterpiece??
See for yourself - you be the judge. Obviously, I'm no judge...
I pulled it off the Art 4 Food page and have decided to give it to my brother if he wants it.
3/23/2022
Prelude
So, it's been about 3 months since I retired, and I have little to report. Since we've been in hard winter for the last 3 months I'm feeling essentially trapped inside the house. Going out to put gas in car and buy food is the highlight of my week. We've had a particularly cold winter, not much snow, just thoroughly unpleasant. Therefore, I can't really judge how retirement will be as I have not found my footing - or my routine. I've done a few paintings that were not part of any project. Alas, I did finish a large painting that will go up on the Art 4 Food site for bid. I really hope to garner some interest. I'll be posting pics soon.
This is the first painting I've ever had professionally photographed. iPhones take decent selfies and vacation shots, but they are terrible for pro proofs. My digital camera is old and has a fraction of the mega pixels my iPhone has; it also has the same parallax issues that make photographing square canvases impossible.
Stay tuned... Until then check out this painting I recently delivered.
"620 East 25th Street"
12/16/2021
New Chapter
New Chapter
Today I start a new chapter of my life. I have retired. I took down my work desk, removed it from my office completely and replaced it with my easel. I'm going to paint and listen to music and take long lunches!!! I'm still wrapping my mind around it. Everyone I've talked to that had retired is happier than they've ever been. Right now, it's still weird, even the thought of it. Let's see how it goes...
8/5/2021
Blank Canvases
Blank Canvases
Just putting the word out that I have some blank canvases on hand. I've decided (at this time) not to just paint whatever my heart fancies, but rather take ideas, your photos or commissions. I have recently received just such a photo and will be planning that project in the near future. I really like to have a few in the hopper. Contact me at willrocc@msn.com
6/12/2021
Art 4 Food update
Art 4 Food update
Big day, we've sold another painting and this one is special. This is the painting that spawned the whole Art 4 Food concept. I was just getting into still life painting at the time and thought this is the closest I've ever got to a masterwork. Someone would buy this, right? Well, yes! Yes, they would. I received a generous offer and I'm calling this and Art 4 Food a win!!!!!!!
Jug And Bowl
5/26/2021
Have a see....
"A Really Big Show" is a historic moment in time when the Beatles played on the Ed Sullivan show back in the early 1960's.
"Late Winter Birch" will hang in a fine house up on the North Shore of the mighty Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.
Have a see....
Here are the two paintings I recently delivered. I was really thrilled by the reaction to them. One was an unexpected gift from me and the other was sort of commissioned (based on seeing one of my birch forest paintings).
"A Really Big Show" is a historic moment in time when the Beatles played on the Ed Sullivan show back in the early 1960's.
"Late Winter Birch" will hang in a fine house up on the North Shore of the mighty Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.
I'm planning 2 paintings for the easel - one is commissioned and the other will be for sale on the Art 4 Food page when I finish.
4/12/2021
All Caught Up
All Caught Up
I've got a couple of paintings on the shelf waiting to be delivered. Otherwise I'm all caught up, nothing in the queue. This is rare, I usually have something waiting in the wings. I do have a painting to do, but it requires airbrush work and I'm waiting for warm weather because it requires I work in my detached garage. I have some inventory to be sold, but so far not a lot of interest.
So right now I'm staring at blank canvas. Please let me know if I can do something for you.
3/11/2021
Looking Forward
Looking Forward
If ever there was a year that I longed for spring more than I do right now I can't remember it. Not even as a kid cooped up in a three bedroom house with 9 people and two dogs was I more eager than I am now to have winter over. Strangely it wasn't a bad winter as winter goes up here in the northern tundra. We had only one cold snap and two or three large dumps of snow. Besides not once did we spend hours stuck in snarled traffic, snapping the wipers against the windshield. That alone may have been the only silver lining in the year lost to Covid 19. I told my wife today that I haven't seen my boss or my co-workers for over a year now. Seems impossible. Not sure what to think about that.
Anyhow, I look forward to painting more than ever now. Let's put the ridiculousness behind us and look forward.
2/3/2021
Picking up where I left off...
No, not really. Before taking some time to work on a home improvement project I was working on a semi-successful attempt to sell art for charity. You can read all about it in previous posts if you want . Selling the product of your art - be it paintings, recorded music, writings etc is hard. This has been historically true since the beginning of time. Those who persevere have something special inside them and a pile of luck. Fortunately I do have a couple of commissions lined up, so I have something to do.
Picking up where I left off...
No, not really. Before taking some time to work on a home improvement project I was working on a semi-successful attempt to sell art for charity. You can read all about it in previous posts if you want . Selling the product of your art - be it paintings, recorded music, writings etc is hard. This has been historically true since the beginning of time. Those who persevere have something special inside them and a pile of luck. Fortunately I do have a couple of commissions lined up, so I have something to do.
Let me be the first to welcome me back!
9/25/2020
Time off
I realized long ago this blog is just me whispering in the wind. So in the off chance someone beside me is reading this I just want to let you know I'm taking a break from painting for a while. No crisis. I have a project around the house that will consume my time starting today. That's all.
Time off
I realized long ago this blog is just me whispering in the wind. So in the off chance someone beside me is reading this I just want to let you know I'm taking a break from painting for a while. No crisis. I have a project around the house that will consume my time starting today. That's all.
We'll see you soon...
9/17/2020
Calling all artists
As of today we have 6 paintings sold for the Art 4 Food project and have donated all the money - plus my match - to two local food shelves. I'm pretty happy with that. So I thought why should I have all the fun? I'd really like to include other artists and expand the reach beyond my tiny little Facebook world.
Calling all artists
As of today we have 6 paintings sold for the Art 4 Food project and have donated all the money - plus my match - to two local food shelves. I'm pretty happy with that. So I thought why should I have all the fun? I'd really like to include other artists and expand the reach beyond my tiny little Facebook world.
Help me recruit artists and you too can be filled with joy!!!!!
8/12/2020
Initial Sales Report
Art 4 Food has four sales and one pending sale. So, that's pretty good. I'm OK with that. I will however have to figure out a way to get this in front of more people. Facebook is limited unless I want to spend money. This is a charitable endeavor and spending money will be painful unless there is some expectation that more would come in than goes out. Selling art does not instill confidence.
Initial Sales Report
Art 4 Food has four sales and one pending sale. So, that's pretty good. I'm OK with that. I will however have to figure out a way to get this in front of more people. Facebook is limited unless I want to spend money. This is a charitable endeavor and spending money will be painful unless there is some expectation that more would come in than goes out. Selling art does not instill confidence.
I have mailed checks to the food shelves with a match from my wallet and I am genuinely happy about that.
One thing that has surprised me is that the paintings that sold quickly were not at all what I expected except for the maybe the horses... And the two that I think are exceptional (if I do say so myself) haven't garnered one wit of interest.
7/18/2020
Nibbles
So far Art 4 Food received quite a few likes and 'followers' and that's great! However only nibbles as far as actually buying paintings... Going to need more than just Facebook, right?
I was going to make a post to put out there again, but I want to keep it down so people don't get sick of me...
6/26/2020
Art 4 Food is launched
I'm happy to say that I've launched the Facebook page today. I wanted to wait 'til after the 4th of July holiday. I had already sold 2 of the 11 paintings and mailed the checks to the food shelves, so I'm already calling it a success!
I'll report back here how it goes in the first week.
6/26/2020
Milestone
I have finished the initial run of uncommissioned paintings for my Art 4 Food Project. Also, I can announce the first sale! The check went out this week to Merrick Community Services/Woodland Hills food shelf.
The final painting is a bit of a stylized piece depicting a striking orange flower against a frosted foliage background. I used the airbrush to create a soft frosted look. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I still struggle with controlling the airbrush primarily because I'm too cautious. Time to let go and allow myself to make mistakes.
Next I'm going create a Facebook page and introduce the public to the work via friends and "shares". My hope would be to eventually invite other artists and make a thing of it. Stay tuned!
Here's a peek at "Orange Frosty"
6/9/2020
Here we go... Again
It's been such a weird time that I struggle to stay on task and actually make plans as it relates to the business of art. In all reality art seems so unimportant where the rubber hits the road. It doesn't solve problems, it isn't an essential element that provides basic staples we need to survive as living creatures. Am I right?
No, wrong. Beauty, being swept away, experiencing awe are essential to being human creatures. Art, in all it's forms does that. It is, as they say, just that which separates us from the rest of the animals we share the earth with. Even in these odd, surreal times we live in, good people turn to art to express themselves. You'd have to be living in a cave not to have seen the murals and graffiti demonstrating the grief and anger over the spark that lit off the social unrest we've been experiencing. These 'art sites' have become gathering grounds and shrines. It tells us art is important.
Before all this craziness I was in the process of trying to conjure a plan to sell art for food. I know, I know, wow, selling something to buy food, how original. Well as past posts on this blog detail I was hoping to raise funds for local food shelves.
Now, as we know very few artists (painters) make any money from their art during their lifetimes. I don't expect to buck that trend, but I would like to make a contribution, how ever small, to help those in need. My focus and energy toward this end has been de-railed. I will be re-grouping.
That leads me to announce that today I'll start the final painting for the project. That's a milestone in and of itself. The easy part is coming to an end. Painting these 10 or 11 paintings has been pure pleasure.
5/10/2020
Another masterpiece
This is another superb painting by my brother Tom. The detail is just marvelous, and the airbrushed mist is a master touch. Enjoy!!!
"Home Sweet Home"
by TJ Willms
2020
5/10/2020
I Can't Help Myself
This blog is supposed to be about my paintings. Lately, due to circumstances beyond my control I have veered off. For that I apologize. The very real culture war in my time during the late 20th and early 21st centuries is screaming for comment, but there is a time and place for that and this blog is not it!
So as spring finally approaches in this part of the world I'm eager to get out in the garage again to resume my attempt to learn airbrushing. I'm currently doing a painting of a crane (bird) with outstretched wings in a very stark, minimal background. I want to soften the image as if it's a misty morning using the airbrush. I suppose there's a chance I ruin the whole thing, I've done it before. Nothing ventured nothing gained, right?
I also have two more paintings that require the treatment only the airbrush can achieve.
Here are the reference photos...
4/16/2020
Staying home, and you'd think I'd like it -
So in all this craziness as the Wuhan virus spans the globe - thanks to the Chinese Communist dictators - I'm stuck, by law, in my house. Well, I have been painting and enjoying it, and under normal circumstances I'd be a happy camper. But no, I'm pissed off. The Chinese communist party aside I think the response to this has been over the top and the damage is nearly incalculable. Enough on that...
I'm closing in on my goal of having 10 paintings completed for the project. Eight are completed! I still haven't formulated an exact strategy for getting them sold. This is not surprising since it's the default condition for artists. They don't call them starving artists for nothing.
Art is something that is essential for the human condition and in a perfect world we'd do nothing but enjoy art for art's sake. But honestly enjoying a painting is a fleeting thing, the experience is over in seconds, sometimes less. Even the great masters catch someone's eye in normal circumstances for a minute or less, they just get a lot more eyes than the rest of us starving artists. And you know what, they were probably starving artists too in their own time.
We paint and create because we love it. If it serves as a witness in years to come that I lived then that's all I ask.
2/21/2020
Back to work...
So I'm busily painting a 'batch' of paintings that I want to sell. (see the Art 4 Food page) The goal is to donate the proceeds to the food shelf as described in earlier posts on this page. I've been casually looking into what it takes to sell art, and let me tell you it isn't encouraging.
For one my medium, acrylic paints, is the ugly red headed step-child of paint. It's just barely above tempura paints. Street artists who deface public places with paint from a spray can are far more respected than those of us who choose acrylic paint. Second, in the art world in order to be taken seriously you need an agent or an art dealer in your corner. Good luck with that, remember you paint with acrylic.
Next, if you think signing up with the big art fairs is the way to go you better bring your checkbook. Booth costs (small ones) are $500 or better. Are you, an acrylic paint artist going to sell $500 worth of paintings?
There are a number of websites including Etsy and even Ebay that you can employ, but it seems from blogs I've read success is not assured and most are not free (not that we should expect that) but keeping costs down in a charitable endeavor is a must. Shipping if not local is going to be challenge. Paintings on canvas are fragile and need special packaging which has costs associated with it.
All in all it is a bit depressing. My choices at this point are Facebook and the church art club. I'll continue to research as I paint. We'll see...
10/26/2019
Art 4 Food
I've added a new sub-page to the Static Art Galleries page. My Art 4 Food project is getting started. For now just this page, no fan fare. Over the next year I'll be busy painting a whole series of still life paintings. When I feel I have a good sample I'll take it to the next level.
10/19/2019
Meet the Beatles
A new entry for the Guitar Icon series... It wasn't intended for this series as it was a commissioned piece, but it seemed like the place to post it. As always I struggle with human faces, and eventually I give up and accept what I've put to canvas. Here we have famous faces and I at least got in the ball park, hopefully.
10/3/2019
In the meantime...
Been working on some commissions lately. When I say commissions it's not in the sense that anyone is paying me for work rendered. I take in photos or in the case of the Beatles painting I'm working on now - I took a suggestion.
I finished a colorful beach scene my brother Duane submitted (he's a real art lover, all kinds of art, but he has really encouraged me and my younger brother over the years). The scene is from a photo he took in Cuba.
Marina Santiago de Cuba
When I finish the Beatles painting I won't be taking any more commissions for the foreseeable future. I intend to devote my painting time to my still life project described in a previous post. I'd like to say it's my biggest gamble ever and I could fall flat on my face, but really... What's at stake? I do a handful of still life paintings nobody wants. Ho boy risky.
10/3/2019
This is a stunner!
My brother Tom is a first rate artist who takes his craft seriously. He studies technique and composition in a way I never have. It shows. Here is perhaps his finest work. I just have to share it with you. He was strongly encouraged to have prints made and he did. I have one hanging on my wall.
7/25/2019
Been a slow summer...
...as far as painting goes. Not for lack of trying I tell you. I've been doing a commissioned work for my sister. She wanted a picture of her son doing what he loves best, fishing. She showed me a painting of an old man fishing and in the reflection on the water was his younger self. OK, I can do that, or so I thought. The thing is I normally don't do people's faces - people that I know that is. It's super hard to make people look like themselves. In this case the face was about the size of a silver dollar. So even harder. I got the basic painting done rather quickly and I was happy with it. The face, well, I painted it over with white three times. The final time did not look much different than try #3 so I gave up and called it good. Thank goodness my sister was happy with it - and if she wasn't she never say so, because she is literally the nicest person I know! Here it is "It's A Bayass"
1/24/2019
On the topic of still life
As previously stated I am really digging still life these days. I've added a Still Life Gallery on the galleries page. Still Life Series
Earlier I was on a kick of painting guitar heroes with the idea I could garner interest because everyone loves rock stars, right? Well that kinda fizzled. I may come back to it. In the meantime I discovered still life painting and have now devised a plan to paint a series of still life (masterpieces) and sell them for money to donate to a local food shelf. The first one is done and posted in the new Still Life Series gallery.
I want to have 7 to 10 paintings in the can before I launch. Now, as for the strategy to get them out in front of the public in order to sell them is still up in the air. The possibilities right off the cuff:
Facebook sub-page devoted to the cause -
pros
fair chance of working, simple, free
cons
my limited reach, not taken seriously, payment & shipping if not local,
Devoted web page
pros
complete solution w/ payment sub-system
cons
advertising, my limited reach, shipping if not local, out of pocket cost, large chance of flopping
Gallery showing
pros
no payment or shipping costs, taken seriously, fair chance of working
cons
finding a sponsor/gallery, up front costs
Festival booth
pros
no payment or shipping costs, taken seriously, fair chance of working
cons
finding the right type of festival, up front costs
Church showing
pros
no payment or shipping costs, taken seriously, fair chance of working
cons
finding a church
Since I want to be able to donate the entire profit to the food shelf the options with heavy upfront costs will come out of my pocket. Therefore my inclination is to try a Facebook sub page first and go from there.
12/9/2018
More still life
I never gave still life painting or photography a second thought. It just wasn't on my radar at all. Then I did one unintentionally (see 11/16/2018 post). Now I'm just obsessed. It is unbelievably satisfying. I will be doing more. I want to avoid straight up cornucopia fruits and vegetables and the usual still life fare. However, there needs to be a table or surface and a distinct directional light source as a base line.
This one that I just finished has a specific meaning and message, a literal communion rite, so it's not just a set of dishes on a table to me. I was extremely happy with how it turned out. I called it "Our Daily Bread".
11/16/2018
Life is just a bowl of grapes
So I tried a still life. It's not your classical still life treatment, but I liked the way it turned out - it's called "Studio Still Life". It depicts one little corner of the recording studio I work at, featuring some of the important tools of the trade. UPDATE: So after a number of people commented on this painting as it hangs in Real to Reel Studios control room I've been asked why I didn't paint sliced limes instead of grapes?? Darn, (slapping head) that's right, but not being a drinker these nuances slip right by me.
9/29/2018
Well, super long time, this time
I find I don't think about this place very often. In reality not many people do, obviously. So what it has become is a journal of sorts - for myself. When I read back through the last few posts I get a glimpse of where my head was at as it relates to my art and my output.
I really don't want to paint for myself anymore despite the fact I have a large file folder of photos that scream to be made into works of art. That said, I really, really enjoy painting for others. My 2018 output has not been chronicled here and I should rectify that.
While this first entry was actually finished in 2017 it wasn't delivered until 2018. "We're Not in Chicago Anymore" is my take on the birch forest with the proverbial 'something hidden' aspect. The clue is in the title... The painting was a gift for friends who are undertaking a remodeling job on a lake home/cabin. This painting will likely find a home in northern Wisconsin.
I then did another birch forest painting that was more straight up, more or less a take on the reference photo from the first. This one I called "The Stand". It hangs on the wall of a good friend up north of the cities along Interstate 35.
The birch forest paintings were a lot of fun. There was a lot of repetition and not a ton of challenge but watching them take shape was really enjoyable. In the first one I had taken to making fun little shapes at random in the scars of the trees. Some are easier to spot than others.
I did paint one for myself this year. That was mainly because I had taken the photograph myself and the circumstances were slightly interesting... Consider, I snapped the shot from my front porch in the middle of the capitol city of Minnesota - not somewhere deep in the woods. I called it "The Great Owl".
The next painting was a commissioned work by our friends who live down by Battle Creek park in St Paul's southeast corner. It is of an unnamed covered bridge located in Oregon somewhere along the coast. My hope and goal was to convey the background so it really looked distant (primarily the far left side). The structured flower garden was added since the original photo just had a dirt patch. I named it "Covered Bridge".
I also painted my first ever still life. It was not commissioned, but will be a gift for a good friend who is recovering from surgery. It needs to be said it is like no still life you've seen. It has not been presented yet - so no pictures.
2/2/2018
It's the dead of winter...
...therefore I'm busy painting. It seems the theme this year is birch trees (see Newest Gallery Addition) Having finished a large sofa backdrop sized painting featuring a birch forest I'm currently doing painting another for a friend who saw the first one. I'm glad to do it - they are captivating scenes in the end.
Now however I am getting ready for a trip to the tropics for a winter break and I hope to have some fine photos for fodder... Stay tuned.
12/29/2017
Merry New Year!!!
I doubt I'll have anything to say before the year ends. I do have a painting that is nearly finished, I have yet to schedule a date with the recipients - therefore I can't post anything since I don't want them seeing it in a web browser on a phone.
11/23/2017
More on the airbrush
I tried my hand again at laying down an airbrushed background. Man is the airbrush frustrating. I'm sure my struggles are due to the fact that I suck at it. Perseverance is the key, I guess. So on 'The Boys of Summer' I literally re-painted three times, with one canvas reaching the trash can - it was irredeemable! I started this painting in August and was finished with it in November - mainly due to my dissatisfaction with the airbrushing. I eventually persevered and made a nice painting of it. It was commissioned by my friend Jason L, a frequent BWCA traveler, as a companion piece to a painting I did for him years ago... See...
6/30/2017
Finished the Jimmy Page painting
Well it doesn't look like Jimmy, but it doesn't not look like Jimmy. The demon standing behind Jimmy is of course Robert Plant . So, now I'm on the fence... I'm just not that good at painting faces - or should I say - specific faces. I can paint nice looking faces all day long, but they'll look like random faces in a crowd. Not sure whether I should go forward with my plan (detailed below) or scrap it and go back to nice, pretty landscapes. Pondering.
10/3/2019
This is a stunner!
My brother Tom is a first rate artist who takes his craft seriously. He studies technique and composition in a way I never have. It shows. Here is perhaps his finest work. I just have to share it with you. He was strongly encouraged to have prints made and he did. I have one hanging on my wall.
"Livin' on the Edge"
by TJ Willms
2019
Been a slow summer...
...as far as painting goes. Not for lack of trying I tell you. I've been doing a commissioned work for my sister. She wanted a picture of her son doing what he loves best, fishing. She showed me a painting of an old man fishing and in the reflection on the water was his younger self. OK, I can do that, or so I thought. The thing is I normally don't do people's faces - people that I know that is. It's super hard to make people look like themselves. In this case the face was about the size of a silver dollar. So even harder. I got the basic painting done rather quickly and I was happy with it. The face, well, I painted it over with white three times. The final time did not look much different than try #3 so I gave up and called it good. Thank goodness my sister was happy with it - and if she wasn't she never say so, because she is literally the nicest person I know! Here it is "It's A Bayass"
1/24/2019
On the topic of still life
As previously stated I am really digging still life these days. I've added a Still Life Gallery on the galleries page. Still Life Series
Earlier I was on a kick of painting guitar heroes with the idea I could garner interest because everyone loves rock stars, right? Well that kinda fizzled. I may come back to it. In the meantime I discovered still life painting and have now devised a plan to paint a series of still life (masterpieces) and sell them for money to donate to a local food shelf. The first one is done and posted in the new Still Life Series gallery.
I want to have 7 to 10 paintings in the can before I launch. Now, as for the strategy to get them out in front of the public in order to sell them is still up in the air. The possibilities right off the cuff:
Facebook sub-page devoted to the cause -
pros
fair chance of working, simple, free
cons
my limited reach, not taken seriously, payment & shipping if not local,
Devoted web page
pros
complete solution w/ payment sub-system
cons
advertising, my limited reach, shipping if not local, out of pocket cost, large chance of flopping
Gallery showing
pros
no payment or shipping costs, taken seriously, fair chance of working
cons
finding a sponsor/gallery, up front costs
Festival booth
pros
no payment or shipping costs, taken seriously, fair chance of working
cons
finding the right type of festival, up front costs
Church showing
pros
no payment or shipping costs, taken seriously, fair chance of working
cons
finding a church
Since I want to be able to donate the entire profit to the food shelf the options with heavy upfront costs will come out of my pocket. Therefore my inclination is to try a Facebook sub page first and go from there.
12/9/2018
More still life
I never gave still life painting or photography a second thought. It just wasn't on my radar at all. Then I did one unintentionally (see 11/16/2018 post). Now I'm just obsessed. It is unbelievably satisfying. I will be doing more. I want to avoid straight up cornucopia fruits and vegetables and the usual still life fare. However, there needs to be a table or surface and a distinct directional light source as a base line.
This one that I just finished has a specific meaning and message, a literal communion rite, so it's not just a set of dishes on a table to me. I was extremely happy with how it turned out. I called it "Our Daily Bread".
11/16/2018
Life is just a bowl of grapes
So I tried a still life. It's not your classical still life treatment, but I liked the way it turned out - it's called "Studio Still Life". It depicts one little corner of the recording studio I work at, featuring some of the important tools of the trade. UPDATE: So after a number of people commented on this painting as it hangs in Real to Reel Studios control room I've been asked why I didn't paint sliced limes instead of grapes?? Darn, (slapping head) that's right, but not being a drinker these nuances slip right by me.
9/29/2018
Well, super long time, this time
I find I don't think about this place very often. In reality not many people do, obviously. So what it has become is a journal of sorts - for myself. When I read back through the last few posts I get a glimpse of where my head was at as it relates to my art and my output.
I really don't want to paint for myself anymore despite the fact I have a large file folder of photos that scream to be made into works of art. That said, I really, really enjoy painting for others. My 2018 output has not been chronicled here and I should rectify that.
While this first entry was actually finished in 2017 it wasn't delivered until 2018. "We're Not in Chicago Anymore" is my take on the birch forest with the proverbial 'something hidden' aspect. The clue is in the title... The painting was a gift for friends who are undertaking a remodeling job on a lake home/cabin. This painting will likely find a home in northern Wisconsin.
I then did another birch forest painting that was more straight up, more or less a take on the reference photo from the first. This one I called "The Stand". It hangs on the wall of a good friend up north of the cities along Interstate 35.
The birch forest paintings were a lot of fun. There was a lot of repetition and not a ton of challenge but watching them take shape was really enjoyable. In the first one I had taken to making fun little shapes at random in the scars of the trees. Some are easier to spot than others.
I did paint one for myself this year. That was mainly because I had taken the photograph myself and the circumstances were slightly interesting... Consider, I snapped the shot from my front porch in the middle of the capitol city of Minnesota - not somewhere deep in the woods. I called it "The Great Owl".
The next painting was a commissioned work by our friends who live down by Battle Creek park in St Paul's southeast corner. It is of an unnamed covered bridge located in Oregon somewhere along the coast. My hope and goal was to convey the background so it really looked distant (primarily the far left side). The structured flower garden was added since the original photo just had a dirt patch. I named it "Covered Bridge".
2/2/2018
It's the dead of winter...
...therefore I'm busy painting. It seems the theme this year is birch trees (see Newest Gallery Addition) Having finished a large sofa backdrop sized painting featuring a birch forest I'm currently doing painting another for a friend who saw the first one. I'm glad to do it - they are captivating scenes in the end.
Now however I am getting ready for a trip to the tropics for a winter break and I hope to have some fine photos for fodder... Stay tuned.
12/29/2017
Merry New Year!!!
I doubt I'll have anything to say before the year ends. I do have a painting that is nearly finished, I have yet to schedule a date with the recipients - therefore I can't post anything since I don't want them seeing it in a web browser on a phone.
11/23/2017
More on the airbrush
I tried my hand again at laying down an airbrushed background. Man is the airbrush frustrating. I'm sure my struggles are due to the fact that I suck at it. Perseverance is the key, I guess. So on 'The Boys of Summer' I literally re-painted three times, with one canvas reaching the trash can - it was irredeemable! I started this painting in August and was finished with it in November - mainly due to my dissatisfaction with the airbrushing. I eventually persevered and made a nice painting of it. It was commissioned by my friend Jason L, a frequent BWCA traveler, as a companion piece to a painting I did for him years ago... See...
6/30/2017
Finished the Jimmy Page painting
Well it doesn't look like Jimmy, but it doesn't not look like Jimmy. The demon standing behind Jimmy is of course Robert Plant . So, now I'm on the fence... I'm just not that good at painting faces - or should I say - specific faces. I can paint nice looking faces all day long, but they'll look like random faces in a crowd. Not sure whether I should go forward with my plan (detailed below) or scrap it and go back to nice, pretty landscapes. Pondering.
"Jimmy Page"
4/30/2017
Well, hey there, long time...
I haven't been here for a while. I am painting sporadically. I'm waiting for warmer weather now so I can take my easel out to garage and do some airbrush work. I am going to do a series on rock guitarists. After the Bonamassa painting I feel that it's a direction I can go that should interest people so that I can actually sell them. My intention is to give the proceeds to the local food shelf as I did with the Bonamassa painting. First up is Jimmy Page. Thinking about Eric Clapton, Hendrix, David Gilmore, Tommy Shaw, Duane Allman, Santana and maybe even Prince. Wow, you say, no contemporary artists other than Bonamassa? Well, yeah, I can't think of very many contemporary rock guitarists who are recognizable and phenomenal. Outside of country music not much of modern music is featuring lead guitar soloing anymore.
1/2/2017
Venice painting done
For my brother Gary and his wife Roxanne.
12/25/2016
Merry Christmas!!!
11/24/2016
Starting a new painting, this time something Italian...
Seriously, a painting of a ubiquitous Italian scene - Venice.
My brother was a frequent traveler to Europe during his working career and he has an extensive photo collection of his trips. He sent me a few he liked and I chose a Venice scene right out of postcard to paint. See original photo here. So far I've only drawn it on the canvas and started working the sky and water.
10/1/2016
Reflections of Monet
Done:
I toned down the streaming sunlight an allowed a bit more of the blue sky through than the original photo, I think conveys the impression nicely while being a bit more artistic.
9/17/2016
I really like Monet
Monet is the classic impressionist, like Picasso who is synonymous with abstract art, Monet is impressionism. I myself have never been able to do impressionism. So, when a friend commissioned a water reflection painting we both thought it looked like a Monet painting. When I finish I think it will look like a Monet painting as viewed through corrective lenses. We'll see.
9/17/2016
The Italy painting
I forgot all about the painting of an Italian street scene my wife commissioned. Well, here it is. When I was finishing it I decided to pull a little trick on my wife. When painting the parked cars along the road I slipped in our cars among them. Mine is a Cadillac CTS and she has a Kia Sportage. She never picked up on it until I showed her. Oh well...
4/29/2016
Hello, it's me...
I have been busy, yeah. We had been excited for spring in this part of the country as we have very prolonged cold and miserable winters. So, there were a couple days in March that seemed quite promising, like temperatures in the 70's and sunny skies. Then April arrived. The 70's returned maybe once, otherwise it's been cold, miserable and raining. This means I have been holed up in my tiny office painting.
I'm doing an Italian street scene (you can see the reference photo by going to the "On the Easel" page). I'm working a large 3' x 4' canvas on a picture with lots of straight lines and detail. In other words I don't anticipate finishing any time soon. I think this one will turn out very nice. I'll take a snap with my phone and post it here one of these days. Stay tuned.
1/3/2016
Bonamassa!
On this painting my brother Tom did the airbrush background as mentioned in an earlier post. I did the guitar body with his airbrush gear. (below is my Les Paul Classic with a similar paint job...) I like how the airbrush background makes the subject pop. I'm pretty happy with the way this came out.
12/23/2015
Airbrushing...
Well, I tried my hand at airbrushing last night. While it is really cool in the results category it certainly is frustrating. Mixing colors and managing the paint flow coming from the airbrush device is tricky. I'm using acrylic paint as usual and due to the gloppy consistency you have to add an airbrush medium to thin the paint. So I tried mixing the paint on the palate and then scooping into a squeeze bottle so I could add the medium. It soon became apparent that doing that way would find me going bonkers before the first color was even dry. The color you see on the palate is altered as it is atomized and you find yourself eventually squeezing the paint directly into the squeeze bottle adding medium and test spraying until what I saw coming out of the spray nozzle was what I wanted.
Finally I settled on method of operation and was 'generally' pleased with the results. Clearly the airbrush device I am using is not intended for fine detail, but it was adequate for the job. There is a ton to learn about this form of art, and a lot of expense upfront if you want to dive in deep.
12/7/2015
Malaise
So, as is quite obvious by now I haven't had the oomph to paint lately. I am however gearing up for winter once again. My wife has asked for a painting highlighting a particular part of Italy. I am actually excited about the photo she's picked. That means of course that the canvas sitting on the easel since my last post in August will have to be finished. It's a portrait of Joe Bonamassa the blues guitarist. My brother came over and airbrushed in the background. It looks awesome. He left his old airbrush gear with me and I am going to airbrush the guitar itself. It's all prepped, I'm ready go...
8/20/2015
Finished painting -at last!!!
Finally finished this painting. I had been procrastinating all summer and have not been in the mood to paint whatsoever. I started this in the dead of winter and it was more or less progressing nicely, but when the weather finally turned nice I was loath to sit inside in my office and paint. Besides, I spent the summer building a new office. It's done and now so too is the painting. It's called 'Cyrus'. It was commissioned by my friend Cheryl Dayton and will be a gift I assume to the folks who own Cyrus. I hope they like it!
7/19/2015
Update on the 'dog' painting
I have finally come back to this painting. I have not felt too inspired lately and I don't want to short shrift a commissioned work because I'm feeling blah. I have been blown away by my brothers latest paintings (see here) and feel the need to step up my game. See his web site (here). Impressive!
The original photo I am working from has very heavy shadowing on the dog (see here). My first attempt to recreate this was totally unsatisfactory. I whitewashed it and started over. I now feel there's a nice base to start detailing...
3/28/2015
Background complete
Luckily I have been getting some time to continue working on the dog painting - a title I do not have yet - so it's the dog painting for now. I finished most of the background work. I now turn to the chair and the dog. I have found mixing for a specific brown, or honey brown in the case of the chair is difficult. When adding white, yellows and reds to lighten a base brown I often end up with a very dull maze or ocher that does not convey the richness of oak wood at all. So I'll end up doing layer upon layer until I get something satisfactory. This is the limitation of cheap acrylic paints.
3/16/2015
Starting the 'dog' painting
A little update here. In my last post I described a little about my process. I dove in and started painting in some of the background. I simply start filling the canvas with an underlay of color and patterns in blocks. From there I start - in this case - in upper left corner and work my way out from there adding detail. As I progress the painting starts to come into focus.
2/24/2015
New painting...
So I started my next painting. The air temp outside was -11 and it was windy as hell. It was 68 in the house... Enough of that.
I started by penciling in the dog and the furniture and the walls. From there I'll paint everything except the dog and the arm of the chair. I paint things differently depending on the subject, for instance on a landscape painting I usually paint base color over the entire surface of the canvas. For this one that has a definite focal point/subject I like to do it last.
I think this will be enjoyable. The walls are wallpapered and the chair cushions and drapes have busy, colorful patterns. It will not be dull.
2/21/2015
Welcome!
Winter in Minnesota can be very tiring. In other parts of the country that suffer the plight of winter (well, not Boston this year) there are periodic breaks where milder temperatures boost the mood with the promise of warmer weather to come. Not here. It's just cold all the time, we might as well be part of Canada.
It is, however, a great time to paint - that is if you can muster the energy and pull yourself out of the doldrums. I will be starting on a painting of a dog for a friend. I like painting dogs as they will never be offended if it doesn't look like them. Face it dogs are awesome.
You know what's not awesome? Winter...
You know what's not awesome? Winter...
Stay warm my friends,
Craig
Craig
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