2014

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At a Crossroads

Standing at a crossroads.  It’s not unlike writers block except that I’m hoping I can ask you to help me decide which path to take.  My goal is to take my work forward, kick it up a notch or ten, reach higher, so to speak.  My challenge is that I am not sure which road to take.  I work in multiple media and differing styles.  Really just two styles, but radically different.  What I’ve sold over the years is predominantly what I call “interpreted realism”. In other words, there is no doubt what you’re looking at, but it is exaggerated in some way, such as in value contrasts, color, intensity and boldness.  On the other hand is the highly realistic work, which I tend to do in pastel or watercolor.  Some samples are below.  I’d love to know what you think.  Pursue more detailed realism or focus on how I interpret realism.  The first four are more traditional realism, the last four are more interpreted realism, but you can see, there is a difference.  It’s not that I would never do one or the other again, but that I want to focus on  developing one style or the other. I’d love your feedback, and thank you.

 

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New Work Added

It was a startling discovery.  I had been painting alot since I closed the physical gallery (Angel Fire ArtSpace), but until I made the decision to make this site my “studio” plus Music From Angel Fire, and the occasional estate art sale, I really didn’t realize that I spent all my time updating the pages of every other artist…and not my own!  So, after the monster task of taking off most of what I spent a year putting on, I spent much of today adding in what I’ve been up to, and there is more to go!  It’s funny, I didn’t really realize that I’ve been on a tear with pastel!  I do love doing pastel, there is something that links back to the charcoal stick in my hand when I was 10.  I only posted one pastel, but there will be more..it’s a matter of getting them framed.  It’s very dicey to sell and or ship unframed soft pastel, so I prefer to frame them before I put them here.  As  I look around my studio, I see at least 6 that are awaiting frames!  Egad!  All the more reason to get all the other works in acrylic online now, since they mostly don’t need framing since most of them are on cradled panel with painted edges.  Good to go, hung on the wall or set on a shelf, to brighten your room and and your smile!

Anyhoo…that’s it for today.  Eyes are tired and so am I.  More soon, so check back!

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Tech Savy and Art: An awkward combination?

So, after a year or so, okay, emphasis on the “so”, I moved my old blogspot blog to this site, en toto.  I did the first steps all by my not so big self, though it did require an hour and some minor cursing from my tech guru husband.  At any rate, it’s done! Wahoos are in order for me, as I left the old blog unattended while I was working on this website. So, for those of you who were following the old blog via RSS, the links in RSS will now bring you right here, and you can even look at the old posts and photos contained in them.

Now, with a few more tweaks, I can return to painting.  Yes, being an artist is hard work. While skill and passion is a known requirement, these days, so is discipline and marketing savy.  Ouch.  It’s a work in process.  Of course.

There will be some notable changes coming here.  While the emphasis of being a gallery has lingered, it will be changing soon, to my personal work. However, there may be “popUP” times when I’m promoting someone else.  We’ll just have to see how it goes. I get it, you follow me for me. For who I am and what I do, and from here, I’m beginning again, starting anew. I hope you’ll come along.  And let me know what you’d like to see?  I’d love that!  Thank you!

 

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A New Year, A New Start

Wow, so much happened in 2012, and it whizzed by.  Clearly I was so wrapped up in all of it, I stopped posting by the end of January and poured all my energy in trying to preserve the Angel Fire ArtSpace Gallery.  If you follow me otherwise, you already know that by July, the handwriting was clearly on the wall.  Traffic in the gallery dropped by 90%, year over year.  That was a downturn that was flatly unsustainable.

From there, I chose to develop a new business plan, and transition the gallery from a physical store to a functional online store.  I have to.  I’m absolutely passionate about Art.  It’s more than just the creation of it that compels me.  It’s the conviction that I can provide beauty and food for the soul for the Art buyer, compensation for the artist and also for me.  It’s way more that “making a living”.  It is to me, life itself.

So, I closed the physical gallery on September 13, 2012.  Scantly 3 months before my 9th Anniversary in business.  And I celebrated that on December 16th.  9 years under my belt and heading for 10, just differently.

If you haven’t done so yet, check out the new site.  I still represent myself and others, and am adding new work to it all the time.  It’s fully operational with a built in shopping cart, but if you still prefer to call to order, that works too.  I have a blog there too…and I’m laying out a work schedule so I can manage all the hats I continue to wear and all the marketing efforts I continue to employ.  That said, it is definitely my intention to keep up with all of it.  After all, there’s no more rent to worry about.  And that’s no small thing.  All together the savings mount in the $1000s.  It was the right decision.

And so,  now, here we are at the start of another year.  May 2013 bring us all more peace, harmony and abundance.  Namaste.

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM