New listing for ETSY on Sunday. It is a bigger painting, at 40” X 44”, than I usually list on ETSY, but we will see what happens. And yes, I know it is Tuesday, I am always behind, its genetic.

The canvas was started several years ago and has been one of those works in progress that can go on forever. I spotted it the other day and thought, I  am happy with that. So with some help, took some snaps and got working to move it up online.

The core colors are Cream White Honey-yellow Black Grey Red-browns. The beautiful brown-reds and honey colors come from different intensities of shellac that I used, sometimes poured straight on to the surface to make energetic fluid lines.

So this is an Abstract Modern style with a high-energy textured surface. But what is it about?

Random Precision II

For this piece, I enlarged swatches of clothing fabric to explore the grid patterns created from the weave, which looked very beautiful and ethereal within themselves. Then on considering the grid as a formal object that can act as such a heavy fence like barrier, with all its intersecting lines and hard edges, I felt I needed to talk about this other reality, this disparity somehow…But I wanted to try to add some more verve and vigor. I created a fabric pull by tugging on a thread hoping to generate a tension on the intersecting strands.

In the making of the image onto canvas I used my art materials and my mark making quite primitively and I worked to unravel break down the heavy formality of the grid, even severing and tearing at it with nervous broken lines so that there is this erratic kind of pressure happening against a backdrop of fragility and vulnerability. I think it is within these disparate types of relationships that poetic sublime moments often occur and it merges here for me as a kind of tension, energy, rupture and release that stirs across the painting surface. I so love that.

I think the result is quite a tense stirring piece in a lively robust style. What do you think?

I had a lot fun making this work, I hope you enjoy it too.

Still licking my wounds and looking back at some of the strategies, I have been implementing in my autocratic aspirations to take over the artistic dominion of the world. Hey why stop there, let us go the universe.

I did set release dates for a few ideas, painting projects, that I did achieve despite some of the things, such as tweeting consistently and getting flickr images together not quite happening as I would have liked. And I am still trying to blog more. Trying to get into a routine of at least twice a week, anymore is a bonus.

Some nice things that have happened out of the blue were my inclusion in some Etsy treasuries that I talked about in an earlier blog.

AND then on a recent visit to Flinders, the small sunny town I grew up in, I came upon a newly opened Gallery Art Space. I got chatting with the owner-manager. And when I mentioned I was an artist, we talked more and more about the gallery, the artist on show, art, artists, the local artist scene, the arts industry and even art online and then some more about art. Eventually I made tracks; my daughter was pulling my arm from its socket, but not without leaving my details and blog address. I left thinking, that was so nice, great way to spend some time, what a lovely person, very nice space, hope the gallery works for her all nice nice stuff like that. I entertained the idea for about a second that she might actually go to my blog for a look, thinking she is busy; she would have thousands of artists she supports why would she want anymore.

How fantastic was it then to receive an email the next day asking ever so politely and respectfully if I would consider showing some of my paintings in her gallery and pointed out some of the ones she was most taken by.

Needless to say, I needed to consider it for all of about 5 seconds and that was just to let the penny drop. Wow, someone really likes my work; no, she wants to show it, she loves my work. how cool is that.

When I met this wonderful lady the thought did cross my mind that she seemed like such a smart savvy person to deal with and I really genuinely wanted her to make a success of her art space and the wonderful thing is now I am going to be a part of that. How sweet is that?

Now all I have to do is recuperate, recover and build up my strength so I can actually get some paintings to her and realign my painting empire. This is one of those moments where I desperately need a Fairy Godmother to wave some magic around here.

Does anyone know of a Good Fairy around here, does not have to be a Fairy Godmother, Pixie even?

What do you dear reader think about all that then?

I am in the company of some wonderfully smart and witty Artisans & Collectors in a new ETSY treasury this week, which feels pretty sweet for me.

Check out the collection it is delightfully wacky but real treasure of interesting things www.etsy.com/treasury/4ddbe26a24688eef8cf17728/writing-a-letter-to-dad

Smashing collection. Beautiful.

Let me know what you think?

Falling Man Archival Print on Artists Paper

This is the drawing, which is now actually a print, of mine the Curator ARTISANIEeurope

choose. It is an old drawing of mine but one of my favs.

So what have I been doing in my work play art creative projects?

What progress has been made if any at all?

Okay I have been playing with the painting, going into a lovely flow trance state and going to some wild artistic places with that. My only complaint, and it is nothing new to me, I perpetually long for more time. So what else have I been doing?

I have a confession, I wish I was in the studio in a wild free painting trance but alas, I did a splendid job of injuring the nerves in my neck. This area of this body is now totally out of action, my neck, shoulder & left arm. What was left of my brain has all but gone due to excruciating pain and ghastly painkillers.  Thus, I am incapacitated and anchored. Instead of being in lovely art flow in my cheery painting studio, I am scheming away (from my sick bed) on my mission to turn my art practice into a powerful world dominating multinational art enterprise. This piece is written in retrospect of last month’s achievements and events.

One of my ‘important things to do’ in my plot to dominate the globe with my art had been to regularly advertise a painting on eBay, consistently 3-4 a week. I actually got my act together and did this for about a month. There were lookers, browsers, some watchers but absolutely no sales. I decided to check out how other artists, the ones I liked & who were actually making sales, were negotiating this strange eBay art thing. What were their strategies?

I noticed that many artists would list a painting for 99cents to start an auction running. 99cents! I really do not dig this kind of thing. It does not sit well with me, this undermining & undervaluing of self worth, buy art because it is a bargain mentality, have a look because it is cheap & could be a masterp…blah blah blah. Perhaps I am just a bit jealous jaded and maybe it was at this point that I should have stopped, but this is what eBay is I guess and I cannot begrudge people’s right to choose and make choices. Is it that different from higher end business operations, a micro-eco-system of trade and arbitrage?

In the end, I really could not knock what I had not ever tried. It was a gamble, it was a chance a risk. Artists Gambling Chance Risk Adventure have all had a rather revered partnership through-out history. So I channeled a bit of Caravaggio’s rogue gambler bravado, got Francis Bacon instead, but I did not mind I just needed bold daring and shameless. Forging ahead, I sacrificed a sweet little painting to a 99-cent auction. The hope being that 1. It could attract an audience to my store to see my other absolutely brilliant genius paintings and 2. That it may actually sell at a good price for me and my ego.

‘Your eBay item sold!

Good on you! Your item sold’. Success, I had struck eBay gold. My painting sold for the totally unremarkable sum of $7.50.

Do not get me wrong, I am really chuffed because there were a few people out there who I had never ever met before, bidding on it. I am truly happy that some people out there actually wanted it enough to do that. In addition, I am delighted that someone has received a beautiful artwork and that it can bring some love and joy into their life (I know the buyer thinks it is beautiful because they told me so in the ever so efficient eBay feedback system). But part of me feels a little tarnished. As an artist, I put so much love, sweat and time into all my art, even the littlies. I do not even want to talk about my overheads (cause artists don’t actually have those do they?). Not to mention the years of learning my skills, making mistakes, editing, developing knowledge, unique style. And then finding my space and place within my own art. To dispatch with a work like that, I kind of felt a bit dirty, disloyal. I do not really know what I was expecting from the experience but there was a comically sweet little echo that tiptoed into my mind on discovering the return for my labors.  In the words and elf like tone of my dear mother-in-law ‘Well that ain’t gonna to buy the twins a new frock now is it’. *

I am going to bother with some cushy optimism. Why, I do not know. Then again, I guess I do need to take a more constructive peek at this situation. It was after all a kind of experiment. A kind of get paid to play project try out. Maybe the first frontier in my coup to turn my art practices into a powerful world dominating multinational art enterprise. I guess in the real world of grown up businesses and slick economics that might be called feasibility study.

And here is what we found. The big pluses to come out of this are that

1. I sold a painting online.

2. I have had an effect; I have moved others with my artwork.

3. I have uplifted another persons living space, and perhaps even life, with my beautiful little painting.

4. There was actually more than one person who wanted it (and they were not friends or relatives of mine who already know and love my work, they were in fact complete strangers).

5. The painting sold to an overseas buyer, which is always a buzz

6. The buyer loves the painting.

7. Someone gave me money for what I do. Not a lot but they did.

What can I say? Those things are all my what’s, my whys, my reasons for undertaking my powerful world dominating multinational art enterprise in the first place. I want to do those things for people with my art. I want to move people, uplift them in some sort of neo-romantic sublime kind of way and in other ways too. I want to make their surroundings unique and beautiful, individual to them, their style. Perhaps it is my trading operations that need tweaking.

I have reassessed this situation.

Outcome: In my quest to create a powerful domineering multinational art enterprise registering more paintings on eBay is not such a cool idea. I am removing artworks ­­and transferring some to Etsy as it does seem to get more art visitors. For the time being, I will keep going with both. The two sites have a very different feel and way of operating so I am curious to see the inner workings of each.

Would love to hear from anyone out there reading this. Anyone had a similar experience?

What do you think of my eBay experience?  An ignorant move and I got what I deserved or better luck next time.

What progress do you think I have made, if any at all?

*clarification: I do not actually have any twins.