m. p i l g r i m (art)

I didn't really get into art for the money.  It was something I needed to, like breathing. After decades of college and raising kids, I finally had the freedom to let loose.  Recently a friend asked me to do a landscape painting of a scene she was particularly fond of.  I was really touched by this painting being something that represented a happy memory and what it meant to her, so I wanted to do a good job.  I started out with an 11x14 linen panel, and drew in the composition with white chalk, as I usually do.  I started with the sky, some quick-dry titanium white, ultramarine blue, and cerulean, mixing more white into the sky as it approarched the "earth".  Initially I did the distant far background hills kinds of greenish. The foreground greenery was sap green and some cad red, and the tree wood was done with a mixture of burnt umber and blue ultramarine, laid in with my palette knife turned sideways.  I started working in the shadows as a blue/gra...

I signed up to be in a holiday art fair locally, and started preparing for it to be an opportunity to sell some art. I didn't expect really to sell any, these fairs are often for gift-giving; people don't show up to buy fine art. However, I wanted the experience to see what it's like to sit in one.  I was stuck with what to put on my banner as a title, other than my name, and finally settled on: I purchased some "grids," which are metal standing panels on wheels where you can hang things. I also purchased a table cloth and a folding print bin. I had cards made of some of my art, and some prints.  I asked my painting teacher how to price my art - it's higher than some of the other artist's artwork; however, it's hard to compare because they aren't doing oil landscapes. Should I drop my prices to be closer to theirs? "No," he said. "Keep the prices the same, but make prints and other low-cost options for people who might like your art....