Studio Ready

Over this past week or so I've been busy working on cleaning my studio. It's been an absolute mess lately (mostly on the spare bed and the floor). And just a little while ago I finished cleaning it up! The next couple weeks I have some show deadlines and I'm wanting to work on new paintings for them. 

Ah, my studio is functional again. :-)

Marker Sketches

Something I wanted to work on was actually making little sketches in my new set of  Faber-Castell artist pens (markers). I want to work in value studies which will down the road become maps to full blown watercolor paintings. This week I've just been picking out photos from my archives and doing little sketches in an old empty sketchbook I found (while cleaning last week). 

Enjoy!

Here is a study/sketch of a large painting I want to work on in the next couple weeks. Hopefully I can finish it on time to enter a big art show!

Here's a detail of the horses in black and white.

And while I was doing my watercolor study, I realized that the two horses on the left were unnecessary, so I didn't paint them in.

Next I'll need to cut put my paper, draw out the imagery and composition, and then PAINT! Thanks for following along!

Three Years Ago ...

Three years ago I said, "I do." Before that we talked about future (near and far) and the one thing my husband insisted on was that we find an affordable, decent sized two bedroom apartment. I guess I married a smart one because he just knew that my art needed its own room.

Yes, I have a studio in our "second bedroom" and yet my art still spills out onto the dining room table and along the hallway floor lean framed paintings.

This week I've been cleaning ... cleaning is so deceiving because things ALWAYS get messier before it gets anywhere near clean. I've installed some new shelves, took down posters and hung up small framed originals (now they aren't all on the ground leaning against the twin sized bed) and I've been purging: keep, give away, sell, and toss.

I've rediscovered some nice little canvases (uh, oh, gotta do some acrylic paintings), linoleum squares (hey, I should carve up some stuff to print on future paper bags, that means I need to design a logo or something), lots of colored/toned paper (oooh, I should cut them down to the same size and make a sketch book) ... So much spinning in my head, but I. must. stay. on. task.

I need to downsize my obsessive collection of cardboard; it's kinda has a life of its own right now. I have a stack of WIP (works in progress) paintings that I should go through and rework. I have A LOT of stuff from years ago I need to list on EBay. I'll let you know when I cross that bridge ;-)

In a weeks time this WILL be a great, functioning studio ...

Art Goals for 2015!

A GIANT THANK YOU to everyone who have supported my art this past year! When you buy and original, giclée, or card, the money goes directly back into my art. This is how I pay for supplies, membership dues, show entry fees, and printing giclée prints and cards.

And this year I was so successful (because of YOU!) that I started my own LLC as Western Rose Studios. The skies the limit ... selling art at events, commissioned pieces, art shows, and some day down the road I could branch into having a studio gallery, teach classes, professional photography ... Stay tuned and follow along with the adventure!

Part 1

Please enjoy looking at all the paintings my collectors have bought or commissioned this past year:

Part 2

A year ago I made some goals for my art … let's see how I did.

1.) Get my art out there: contact western art gallery managers for representation/shows. I organized a group show at Caswell Gallery which is the closest (geographically) gallery to western art.

2.) Enter more shows and win awards, such as "Honorable Mention," "Best in Show," "People's Choice," etc. Entered and were submitted to both WSO shows! It's like an award in itself. Plus, Best of Show in Watercolor at the St. Paul Rodeo.

3.) Have my art in local shows (I'm actually having one in February at a community college down the street!) Yes!

4.) Have my art in a booth at the St. Paul Rodeo Art Show. Yes! And I'll be applying this year, too.

5.) Start advertising my Christmas ornaments (available for commissions) earlier in the year, such as early October, so that I don't have to turn people down due to being overbooked. They were a hit this year!

6.) Double the "likes" on my Facebook Artist Page which is currently at 213. Currently sitting at 320 people who follow my art on Facebook.

7.) Do plein air paintings/drawings with horses. I completed a couple little plein air paintings (and sold one) at the St. Paul Rodeo,

8.) For one month of the year do a "painting a day" project. I did that in March and it was freeing to have so many people support my art!

9.) Make more artsy friends. Yup!

10.) Continue accepting commissions in watercolor and pencil. Always!

Part 3

My art goals for 2015 ...

1.) Post all my new paintings and in progress photos on my blog. Facebook is just the easy way to do it, but I want to make things more interesting. I'll continue to share my posts on Facebook and Twitter.

2.) Continue to enter more art shows, near and far.

3.) Have a solo art show.

4.) Have a booth at the St. Paul Rodeo Art Show

5.) Attend an additional show (western/horse related) to sell my art.

6.) Explore more into photography.

7.) Do a Kickstarter for my own booth set up.

8.) Develop a looser style in the studio.

9.) Paint. Draw. Create.

10.) Develop and expand Western Rose Studios.

Happy New Year, Everyone! May 2015 be bright and bring you cheer all year long!