Some Advice From An Artist Friend

I can’t believe it has been a month since my art show. Where does the time go? Where is this season going?!

(Sigh)

Along with this disbelief of the summer circumstance had come the feeling of emptiness, in the pit of my stomach. A sense of fear was slowly setting in. What’s next? What should I be focusing on, now, as an artist? Looking for some guidance, I decided to reach out to friend and local professional artist, Deborah Leonard.

She was happy to chat and even welcomed me to her West Simsbury studio!

Isn’t it lovely? It’s like a little English cottage just waiting to show it’s treasures within. You really do feel transported into the rolling hills of Yorkshire, while being here. It is a must visit for all you art enthusiasts out there!

I had brought along a painting that I had completed for the show and Deborah had nothing but nice things to say about the piece. She also gave me lots of encouragement to pursue portrait commissions further and what price points to consider. It was really nice to get wonderful advice and hear such positivity from a fellow artist.

Deborah then continued to show me around her studio and gave me so many great tips on framing my canvases like; vendors on where to buy frames from, sizes to think about for my portrait art and what types of frames to look for that would compliment my work. She even mentioned some upcoming art show events that might be a good fit for me to become a part of!

I was like a bright-eyed student walking around Deborah’s studio feverishly taking notes and looking intently at her artwork. It was so inspiring to meet up with a well-known artist and really get some amazing guidance from her. I now have a better pulse on what to do and can’t wait to share with you all my art developments!

Thank you Deborah for this wonderful day :)

My Art Showcase Aftermath

And just like that…the show is over. Queue up the song Closing Time.

I was sad packing up my artwork last week. I must have thanked Sandy, like, a thousand times for having me display my work and, likewise, she said that Almost Famous was happy to do so. This opportunity had first posed some questions in my blogpost “I Got My First Art Showcase To Get Ready For”. I’m happy to report that I can answer them.

What my showcase will consist of:

A three tiered display of the different categories of cartoon, realism and fantasy. My cartoon and fantasy were placed on one side of the room, while my realism and portraits were placed on the other side. This helped the gallery viewer, as well as myself, see what I have to offer, creatively.

What styles I need to really hone in on, with my skillset:

My three categories were narrowed down into two different art style approaches. Cartoon and realism. This art showcase helped place a mirror in front of me. It forced myself to make decisions on how to categorize my art and, in turn, help sell my skillset to the public. I’m so thankful for that. I had created multiple events for my family and friends to attend while my artwork was up on display.

Each time I went to Almost Famous, I got to see various people and answer various questions on my art. Due to these events, I gained the confidence to let someone know what I can offer them, when commissioned.

What will get me recognized as an artist:

Lastly, this question was my biggest hurdle to jump over. I needed to do research on not just me, as the artist, but what other elements that make up my artwork.

Some elements were; the mediums, of both digital and traditional (pencil and painting), and how to display them all successfully, the design and print materials that needed, as well as, framing and pricing of artwork. I took surveys of what people thought and put their feedback in consideration on how to approach things in the future. So many great things were learned from this first art showcase, but I also know that I still have a long way to go. That’s part of being an artist though - it really is about the journey and not the destination.

If you have some feedback for me, please don’t hesitate to let me know!

Thank you for your support!

A very important thing that I learned throughout this experience was my art was only one part of the show. The other part were the people, present. Before the showcase, I felt that I created my art only for me, but that’s not true anymore. When I create a retro inspired piece and someone tells me of their stories as a kid…

…or when a person tells me about their loved one after seeing a portrait I drew - it makes me so happy. I’m happy that my art got someone to think about their own life in a positive way.

My artwork has been taken down off the Almost Famous walls, but that doesn’t mean the showcase is over. Keep your eyes open for more art showings in the future. Also, please feel free to contact me on buying existing artwork as well as commissioning me to create something for you!

I really can’t say it enough, thank you.