To Dance in the Night - SOLD

To Dance in the Night, 30 x 40, oil on canvas

SOLD at Heritage Gallery, Scottsdale

1300 Paintings

With a Cherry on Top, oil on board, 8 x 10

Did I mention that this is painting #1300 since I started keeping track back in 1988?

SOLD!

Time Passes, 12 x 9, oil on canvas

I can't believe it! In my last post I told you about my new blog that will only have available work for sale. Within a few days of putting up the first painting I have a sale! Of course, I also sent an email to all my collectors but I do that anyway in the normal course of things.

I can't tell you how long this piece had been around, on my website, on my blog etc but putting it Out There once again did the trick.

Moral: If you have a good painting and it doesn't sell, don't give up on it. Keep showing it.

Today, I'll be adding my painting Time Passes to My Site

New Family Members

It's been a crazy few months around our house. We've had a carpenter here installing solid hardwood flooring and wainscoting requiring me to move our furniture a dozen times (at least it seems that way). There are several other projects that need to be done but I can't stand the chaos so I'm saying goodbye to the carpenter until a later date.
Our new array of solar panels are up and providing us with electricity. That has been Hubby's project and I'll have more on that later.

On top of it all we had new baby chicks and ducks arrive via the USPS. They are 2 weeks old now and are providing hours of entertainment.

Yes, I've gotten some painting done but it doesn't seem like much. Hopefully I'll get back to my regular schedule soon!

Studio news

Currently my Studio is the spare bedroom in our home. I've been away from the easel for almost a month as a carpenter has been laying a hardwood floor (the real stuff not the thin snap together pieces)

I've got the studio back together enough so that I'm able to paint again. Yippee.

Here are some pics I took just before the final trim pieces were installed around the window and door.

Good News, Bad News

Shaman, 24 x 20, oil on canvas

The Bad News is that I have to box up 13 paintings to go to galleries and art shows. I'd rather be painting.
The Good News is that I have galleries and shows to send my work to. Woo Hoo!!!!

Remember to sign your work - or not

Red Feather, 20 x 30, oil on linen
I've been known to ship a painting to a gallery without a signature. Yep, I've done it more than once. Last week I shipped a painting. The next day, I got The Call. I had forgotten to sign it. I told the gallery "ship it back and I will sign it, or sell it and then ship it back for a signature". Well, they decided to sell it first, which they did yesterday. Hmmm, I wonder if I forget to sign all my paintings they will all sell that fast!

Oklahoma Friendly National Juried Show

Silver City Marshal, oil on canvas

I just got notified that I have work accepted into the National Juried Show, "Oklahoma Friendly 2011". Of the 782 paintings entered, only 20% were selected for the show. I entered 3 pieces and I don't know which painting(s) was accepted. I'll find out soon.

This year's show will be on display at IAO Gallery, 706 W. Sheridan in Oklahoma City. The opening party and celebration will include great Oklahoma music (Buffalofitz), and Oklahoma food (Big Truck Tacos), as well as outstanding National art

The show dates are March 18-April 9, 2011 with an opening reception on March 18th.

More info to follow as it becomes available.

Dreams Await - DOA

Dreams Await, 36 x 36
I got some sad news that my painting Dreams Await, was destroyed by UPS while being returned to me.
In the 30 years of shipping art work I've only had one other painting destroyed (also by UPS)

Making Changes

Scout, before and after

In my last post I told you I was getting switching paintings around at my galleries. One of the things I do when I get a painting back is take a hard look at it and see if it needs to be 'improved'

I actually was happy with this painting, Scout, but decided to add to it anyway. Did I improve it? I don't know.

I'd rather be painting

Apples and Stripes, oil on board, 9 x 12

Boxing up paintings today. Blah! But I'm sending work to my newest gallery -Bucks County Gallery of Fine Art, as well as my tried and true galleries.

But I'd rather be painting!

Re-evaluation: galleries, art work, etc

This is the time of year I look back and see what I can do better.

99.9% of my work is sold through galleries. My goal is to find galleries and stay with them! But sometimes it just doesn't work out. I sent Exit Letters to 2 galleries last week. And I've had a request to send a painting on approval to another gallery that I would like to be in. Wish me luck on that.

I look at what paintings the galleries have and how long they've had them. Ugh! Some have been hanging too long. Time to get old work back and send new. What paintings flew off the wall and why?

How is my communication with my galleries? Needs improvement!

Of course the most important thing is to paint Great work and the rest will take care of itself (That's my theory anyway!)

The Artists Diet

I just sent out an email to my customers, galleries, artist friends, etc. One of my artist friends wrote back "Your newsletter is also a major inspiration, it's something I must do. Hard to find the time while trying to supply galleries/enter shows."

To me that is like saying, "It's hard to find time to brush my teeth because I am so busy eating". I happen to know that this artist friend has several wonderful paintings in each of her galleries. Filling the walls of the gallery is like over eating. You are more attractive if you eat a balanced diet and don't stuff yourself. People find it easier to buy your work if they are not over whelmed by too many choices.
My suggestion is to Go On a Diet. Instead of sending more and more work to the galleries, spend time creating a newsletter and communicating with the world.

I actually quit sending my monthly newsletters because I was getting little, if any, response. Instead, I send out emails when I have news (accepted into shows, won an award) and when I have a new painting. I try to send something out once a week. This brings in lots of response. I also like to keep images on several website and keep up with my blogs.

And how much time does it take? As little or as much time as I have. If I sit down and do this all at once it can take me 2-3 hours. But I usually breakup the task into small bits. I have my email addresses in different folders: customers, friends, galleries, media. The first people who get my email are my customers. I use Mozilla Thunderbird for my email and am able to personalize the emails, click "Send" and I'm off to the easel while the computer is sending all the emails. Later, I come back and send emails to the rest of my contacts.

If you have time to post on Facebook, you have time to send an email.

My blogs and images on websites are done in a similar fashion. I prepare an image with description and put it on my own blog (sharing the info on Facebook and Twitter) Then over the next few days I put the same info on other website where I show my work. It really take very little time each day.

The trick is to get in the habit of doing it. Yes, sometimes you really DO need to stay in the studio and paint and the blogs and emails get neglected. And that's ok. Just get back on your diet as soon you can and stay in touch with the world.

What to paint?

Today's conundrum:
1) Do I work on a painting for a gallery that has sold almost all of the work they have hanging? The work I have started for them is going well, I can have it finished in 2 more days,I'm excited about it and I know it will sell but there are things I would rather be painting.
2) Shall I work on a painting I have promised another gallery? I'm more excited about this painting but it is an elaborate piece, will take longer to finish and the gallery has several paintings on their wall.
3) I'm passionately wanting to start a series of small paintings with toys as the subject matter. But I never get around to it because I keep having to "paint for my galleries" to keep work on their walls. Now, I'm certainly not complaining about that!

Today, practicality will win out and I will paint the work for the gallery (#1). But this Saturday, watch out! I WILL start on one of the small toy pieces.

Catching up - Work in Progress

Strawberry Reflections, oil on linen, 30 x 30
September was a crazy month with lots of deadlines. In fact this whole summer was that way. I have 4 paintings that I have set aside for various reasons and I'm trying to finish them up before I start anything new. The 4th set aside painting is really complicated so it may have to wait a bit longer before I tackle it again.

Sunflowers - Work In Progress

Sunflowers, step 1, 30 x 20

I have several paintings started because I have several juried shows coming up. 

This is how I'm starting this painting. I have the drawing on the canvas and I'm blocking in the colors. This is a simple composition but complicated elements with stems going every which way so blocking in the basic colors really helps me sort things out.

Bosque Art Classic

Cowboy and Indians, oil on canvas, 18 x 24

I have been so busy painting! I'm hoping I can get a few hours at the easel this morning before I have to pack my paintings for the Bosque Art Classic in Clifton, TX. I entered 4 paintings in the show and had all four accepted.

I've got the Blues or My Failure

Well, this painting isn't a failure yet but I'm putting it aside for awhile. Maybe for a long while.

I don't use a lot of blue in my paintings yet I seem to have about 20 tubes of blue paint, various brands and colors. But I just can't get the midtone blues right in this painting. When I try to lighten it up it's either too purple, too green or too gray. Don't know if it's me or if I need to buy yet another tube of blue paint. 

Frustrations in painting and Greeley Stampede Art

High Noon, 24 x 18, oil on canvas, at Greeley Stampede Western Art Show

The past week has been frustrating for me. If I don't get a full day of painting in I get cranky!

First, we've had to have work on the truck. Since a round trip into town is about 2 1/2 hours it took a big chunk out of the day when we had to drop off the truck. And since we drove all that way, we took advantage of the trip and did grocery shopping. The next day we showed up when the truck was suppose to be finished. Of course, it wasn't so we had to wait an additional hour.

Then the next evening, June 9th, I was going through my folder of upcoming shows and found a copy of the invitation to the Greeley Stampede Western Art Show. I had accepted their invitation in December but hadn't heard any more from them. I thought the opening was July 4th weekend. But on a closer look I found that the show started on June 24th and ended July 4th. PANIC!!! Emails were sent, phone calls were made. They hadn't received my acceptance letter! To make a long story short, I spent Thursday, boxing up 5 paintings (fortunately, I had set these paintings aside for the show) made arrangements for the FEDEX to meet me the next day(they don't come to my house) the paintings got shipped and hurray! the paintings arrived by the June 15th deadline!

Whew! I'm sequestered in my studio this week hoping to get some work done. And to top it off, I'm working on 4 (!) complicated paintings so I don't get the satisfaction of finishing a painting anytime soon. Ah, well. It sure beats having a "real" job!

Split Personality

Apples and Stripes, Oil on board, 9 x 12, currently at Atlanta Art Gallery

I've been painting American Indians forever. Maybe longer. I still enjoy painting them but lets face it, painting the same subject matter in the same style day after day can get tedious. And when that happens the paintings start looking tedious.

A few years ago I started painting still lifes which I have always loved. There is a myth in the art world that your customers will abandon you if you venture out beyond your (or their) comfort zone. To that end, I started a new website that just had my still lifes. I even considered painting under a different name. Here is what I learned.

1) I felt schizophrenic painting under two names so that was abandoned pretty quickly.

2) Painting still lifes got me into juried shows that I'd not been able to get into with my American Indians. I won awards.

3) The galleries I'm in only want my American Indians. That makes sense. They took me into the galleries because of my American Indian paintings.

4)Although my second website (http://www.fineartoils.com) has just still lifes, my original site (http://www.khenderson.com) has both subject matters. I also post both subject matters on Facebook and several other websites. It's just easier for me to do.

I have gotten into 2 galleries with my still life. They both know that I also paint western/American Indian. BUT while the western folks don't care that I paint contemporary still lifes I think that the Contemporary folks have a prejudice against western artists.

I'm now in the process of separating my 2 styles: A second  face book identity, new pages on websites where I post etc. I'm still painting under the name K. Henderson, but my New Self in some cases is KHenderson Fine Art.

My goal in doing this is to find Back East galleries for my still lifes, galleries that turn their noses up at western art.

I'd like to hear from those of you that paint in different styles. What has your experience been?

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