There's always a tension in an artist's life between making art and working on the business side of being an artist.
Galleries sell, I make
So far, I've spent far more time making landscape art than on selling it. It's why I've always favoured galleries.
I don't mind their fees because they spend time selling while I concentrate on sketching, painting, and inking lino blocks. It's the ideal arrangement in my view.
Art in the wilderness
Repeated lockdowns (and the rest) have left private galleries struggling in a bleak environment – more than they already were. There's a knock‑on impact on the artists who sell with them.
After a hard look at my finances during the first part of this year, I came to a conclusion. I have to spend time on the business of being a landscape artist this year (2021).
You've seen evidence of some of the work I've done (above). I assessed 57 variations of paper size (!) to select eight for sale – tedious but necessary 'business' time.
There's more work on this front completed, though it's not visible yet.
I'm determined to continue pushing forward with making it easy to buy my art from this website now. Of course, the siren song gets stronger all the while.
The UK Landscape calls
I doubt I'm the only one counting down to the release of 'stay local'.
It's hard being a scenic artist when travelling into the wilds is not allowed. Making landscape art without any landscape is difficult!
Just to be serious for a moment, the truth is: I've not been entirely unhappy walled up in my artist's garret (studio). I've finished paintings already on the easel, ready to take my Yorkshire Wolds paintings project forward.
As hardships go, it's nothing. I've been fortunate during these trying times.
I can't wait, though, to be out in the hills with my sketchbook again. Heck, hills, vales, beaches (ah, beaches), cliffs, woods, marshes – I don't care what kind of terrain it is, I want to be in it!
Though I live in a city now, I grew up in the countryside. The natural open spaces are still inside me somehow, heeding to the calls of wild places.
A love of the British landscape
So my love of the UK countryside will inevitably draw me away from the business side of things when lockdown releases. If only I could afford to pay someone to do 'business' things for me.
As I said, there's always a tension between making landscape art and 'making' the business. After the year we've had though, I'm going to be relaxed about it and enjoy the freedom.
All this means I am progressing things on this website, though much of it is not visible yet. There will be new scenery art too!
