Getting into Galleries

If you are like me and have lots of artist friends, you know that most of them secretly want to be in galleries. Not just the run of the mill gallery but major galleries.

Being in a top gallery can be your ticket to success. It will drive new collectors to you. Your art work will increase in price, which means your income will go up. I know you are not in it for the money, get real money is an indicator. It tells you that you are making it in the art world.

So focus,do the best art work you can do and keep trying to move into more galleries and get a collector base that will drive you to create even better art work.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

There are no Short Cuts

I am always at odds when I paint.Do I paint what I see or what I feel? As I paint my work becomes very expressionistic with lots of brush work and color.

I currently have a solo exhibit at Baker College in Jackson Michigan that will run through June 30 2009. The painting at the left, along with 16 other painting that I have done in oil can be viewed at the college by going in the main entrance.

"There are no shortcuts when you want to achieve great things. Put everything in place that will allow you to succeed." - Alyson Stanfieldat 4/22/2009 3:39:00 PM


Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

The Sketch Book Project

I am part of the Sketchbook Project, If you are close to the Art Source Gallery stop in and look at the exhibit.It will be there until the 20th of July.

Friday 8, May 2009
The Sketchbook Project at Chicago Art Source Gallery Tonight
Friday, May 8th (tonight!)6:00-9:00pmChicago Art Source Gallery1871 N. Clybourn AveChicago, IL 60614
Tonight is the final exhibition for The Sketchbook Project Volume 3. It is hosted at Chicago Art Source Gallery in Chicago, IL. The opening is from 6:00-9:00pm. The exhibition will be on display through June 20th.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Five Pears

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Swain Park

Swain Park

About This Painting: Swain Park is located in Brooklyn Mi. I painted with the Jackson Civic Artist in the park on Tuesday. There was a grandmother near by who was watching her grandchild and let her get too close to the river that runs through the park and while trying to get the child back from the edge of the river feel in herself.The water was only knee deep but I'm sure it was chilly. Grandma learned a lesson and no one was hurt just a little embarrassed by it all.This was much more exciting then the usual squirle that runs around while I am painting out.

Swain Park
8x10
oil
on canvas mounted on hardpanel
This painting was done in in plein air (EPA)

Media: oil
Size: 10 in X 8 in (25.4 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $150 USD

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $150 USD plus $10 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

For the Quilters

I have a friend Robin Koehler who turns her doodles into wonderful works of art done in fabric. To see more of her art and a recent interview done by the
Publication:The Jacksonville Daily News;
Date:May 4, 2009;
Section:Business;
Page Number:5B

The article done on Robin and her art in the Article" Not-So Basic" you will get to know more about how and why an artist like Robin takes her art to the next level Robin's Art

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Achievement

"Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." -- Conrad Hilton

Six Poppies oil on paper

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Spring Cleaning

I am truly getting into Spring.I love this time of year.

I am cleaning my studio getting ready to start the Spring season fresh.

I am in the process of building a new studio and will be moving things hopefully at the end of summer to my new space. I am very green, I recycle everything so this is a hard process for me to go through and actually through things away. Throwing out the old frees the mind and add energy to your space. I highly recommend spring cleaning to get the creative juices going.

1. Clean out your studio. Throw out dried-up paints and other unusable materials that take up space; catalogue and organize your artwork; dust the shelves; and mop the floors. Give yourself a deadline to organize any material you have been collecting that has piled up without a specific home.

2. Clean out your "ideas."I collect all kind of ideas, which are actually tangible things like magazine articles or newspaper clippings. You think you may get to them one day, but somehow they keep winding up at the bottom of piles. Getting rid of them will provide mental and physical space for fresher ideas. For the paperless ideas that keep haunting you, journal about them so that they're not lost or forgotten.I journal every morning and I carry a notebook with me at all times.

3. Clean out your schedule. Get rid of items you don't have to do in order to make room for what you really want in your life.

4. Clean off your desk. Make your office a place where you want to do business, where you want to spend the 50% of your time that you should be devoting to marketing yourself and your work. Create systems so that your workspace never gets out of control again.

5. Clean out your paper files. We all have files that have become unruly and ones we know deep down that we no longer have to keep. Get rid of the stuff.

6. Clean out your files in your computer as well. Consolidate and make computer folders with headings similar to your hard-copy folders so that they are easy to find.

7. Clean out your opportunities. There are so many things waiting to take up your time and energy. You can't do it all. You can't say Yes to everything.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

working on a starfish painting

I have been playing with the idea of sea shells.

I like the ones you pick up and as my father told me,” If you hold them up to your ear you can hear the sea.” The one I am working on for the painting is a starfish he is quite, he makes no sounds, the secrets of the sea are kept by my lonely little starfish.

I love hearing the sound of waves . I love hearing the sea outside my studio door but I will be going back to Michigan soon.

Elvis ( AKA cat from hell) the studio cat lake watching. Sometimes in the afternoon the dolphins come swimming up to the dock just outside the studio door.

He knock my starfish on the floor today but I was lucky it didn't break, he is very curious about anything new in the studio.

Its 45 in Michigan today and 80 here :gee whiz, make you want to stay just a little longer.

Back to my painting, I can’t decide if I should make it into a large grouping or just one large one painting?

This is a small study I did for my daily painting. I am still working on getting that video camera going and making my first video.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Creating Habits

"If you're respectful by habit, constantly honoring the worthy, four things increase -- long life, beauty, happiness, strength.." --- Buddha

I am working on creating new work habits and looking for ways to reinforce them so I stick to them.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Top of the Mornin to Ya! Luck of the Irish

Luck of the Irish
I am half Irish and felt so lucky to go to Ireland this summer. It rained every day but one in the weeks we were there. I understand that is the way the weather has been for last few years.
So with good measure of Irish Blood I felt right at home in the mist. My Grand mother used to remind me we came from sturdy Irish Peasants and to be proud of it.


Irish mist covers the country side. The rain is really a soft mist, not the hard pounding kind you get in Michigan. It makes a hazy look to the greens of the country side.


A vine cover castle from around 600 AD. It is so strange to see things so old.

One of the many rings of stones found in Ireland.
I kept my rain coat and hat on and had no problem seeing all the sights.

Yes these Palm trees are from the south of Ireland. Ireland is full of flowers and green but the palm trees were a surprise to me. Ireland is further north then Michigan but they do not get snow.

The Irish Flag waves High
Of course no trip to Ireland is complete with out a taste of Guiness!

Here is a smiling Irish eyes to you. Happy St Patricks Day!

Beware of the Ides of March

"Beware the Ides of March!"

I've loved that line since reading Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

The term ides was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October.

In Roman times, the Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held. In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated, in 44 BC, the story of which was famously dramatized in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.This warning was given to Caesar before his "friends" assassinate him has always seemed like a such cool line, and I only get to use it once a year. So, on the Ides of March, "beware!"

Or more importantly, have some fun with a great quote from Shakespeare, then get on to other, more interesting things.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Have a TEAM

The poet wrote that "no man is an island' and that is certainly true for artist.

By definition, business flourishes in the "market-place," with vendors and suppliers, staff and customers all swirling around! It's how business gets done. Artist need to remember they are in a business.

Artist often forget they are running a small business. They too often feel alone. They don't get the help they need, the help that could push them to the next level.

An artist is a micro-businesses, one person quite literally the owner, the manager, the staff,the computer expert, the janitor and the bookkeeper. That can be lonely and inefficient. Working from home, or from a one-person studio can be distracting and (at times) depressing. If you can afford it try to get some help. It could move you to your next level by freeing more time to work on what you love, your art.

Even if you work with other people, however, too often the feeling or sense is still that we are "all alone," especially if you are in a position of leadership, you have a passion for what you are doing and sales are down, you are struggling to push your art to the next level.

One of the most valuable resources any artist can have is a Master Mind team of trusted colleagues who will listen and advise you.

Having a TEAM of people who will be honest with you, who understand your challenges and will share their wisdom can be a HUGE advantage!If you don't have a "kitchen cabinet" or unofficial "board of directors," get one! I have sweet little team of 3 other artist who share their daily goals and personal challenges with me. One who's blog I am sure you would enjoy reading is Lisa Call a textile artist.

Get a support team. In today's challenging market a good support team, not a whining wooh -boo-hoo team is a great advantage. Get advisers you trust, people who know and understand your situation, people who do not compete with you and who will not play games. Meet with them once a week if you can or like I do daily on the Internet my TEAM is from across the US and we take care of business, and help each other to be the very BEST artist that we can be.


Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Vista or an Apple

I recently installed an update to my vista computer and of course it required a restart to complete it, so I restarted the computer but while it was starting up and putting the final touches on its update(where it says please do not shut down computer) it blue screened and had to restart(the blue screen happens every once in awhile when i start my computer normally...)now whenever i try to start my computer it starts trying to do the update thing but it does nothing and then it shuts itself down. I have tried to go back to the last system recovery point, maybe that will work, if not i could really use some help. It seem that Vista is sending really bad updates for it system. I have been reading that many people are having the same issues.

None of my hardware works with this system. If I have to buy all new, maybe it's time to give apple a try.

Having a bad day in the art studio not getting any painting done

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Sketchbook Project Tour

I am part of the Sketch Book Project that will be on tour through out the US. Please try to see it
Maxwell.

Full dates for the Sketchbook Project Tour
Art House Gallery - Atlanta, GA
February 27, 2009
7:00 - 10:00pm
309 Peters St
Atlanta, GA 30313

Museum of Contemporary Art DC - Washington, DC
March 3, 2009
7:00 - 10:00pm
1054 31st St NW #9
Washington, DC 20007

Chris' Jazz Cafe, Philadelphia, PA
March 4, 2009
5:00 - 7:00pm
1421 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Laconia Gallery - Boston, MA
March 6, 2009
5:30 - TBD
433 Harrison Ave
Boston, MA 2118

Antena Gallery - Chicago, IL
March 8, 2009
1:00pm - TBD
1765 S. Laflin
Chicago, IL 60608

Soulard Art Market - St. Louis, MO
March 11, 2009
6:30 - 10:00pm
2028 S. 12th Street
St. Louis, MO 63104

3rd Ward - Brooklyn, NY
March 13, 2009
7:00 - 10:00pm
195 Morgan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11237

Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) - Atlanta, GA
April 2, 2009
285 Peachtree Center Ave
Atlanta, GA 30303
mid May - Mid June

Chicago Art Source Gallery - Chicago, IL
mid May - mid June
1871 N. Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL 60614

back to top

Homw Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

The Virtual Paint Out

The purpose...
To gather in one area of the world, virtually, once a month with other artists.To paint or draw a scene and composition of your choosing, within a predetermined area.You may put as many hours into the painting as you wish. You've got a month!

This is just too much fun. I am starting my painting to day. To learn more about the paint out

http://virtualpaintout.blogspot.com/2009/02/baltimore-virtual-paintout-1.html

It was started by artist Bill Guffey who has been painting for about a year now and does some wonderful Plien Air landscapes.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Pink

Cotton Candy and Little Girls: Pink is a softer, less violent red. Pink is the sweet side of red. It's cotton candy and bubble gum and babies, especially little girls.

Nature of Pink: While red stirs up passion and action, studies have shown that large amounts of pink can create physical weakness in people.

Perhaps there is a tie-in between this physical reaction and the color's association with the so-called weaker sex!

The Meaning of the color Pink:

The color and material used in Elizabethan Clothing was extremely important. People who could wear the color Pink was dictated by English Law!

These were called the Sumptuary Laws. The colors of Elizabethan clothes, including the color Pink, provided information about the status of the man or woman wearing them. This was not just dictated by the wealth of the person, it also reflected their social standing. The meaning of colors during the Elizabethan era represented many aspects of their life - the social, religious, biblical and Christian symbolism was reflected in the color Pink!

The Symbolic and Religious Meaning of the color PinkSome interesting facts and information about the symbolic, religious, Christian and Biblical meaning of the color Pink
The symbolic meaning of the color pink was joy and happiness

Pink also has a Religious meaning and is the Christian color for the third Sunday of Advent
Cheap dyes, made from the madder root, were used to produce the color pink
The Madder root produced the whole spectrum of red based colors including pink, coral, light red, dark red, russet and brown

The color pink has always been closely associated with ladies and young girls
However, the color pink was a favorite color for the hose worn by Medieval men
People who were allowed to wear the color pink during the Elizabethan era, as decreed by the English Sumptuary Laws, were lower and upper classes

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Jacko

Now this is a fun little painting, very clever. Take a peek:
A Peek Inside Michael Jackson's Cabinet of CuriositiesE! Online - USAThe painting, which is expected to fetch somewhere in the vicinity of $600, is one of 2000 items from the financially strapped singer's personal collection ...See all stories on this topic




Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Mangroves at R.E.Olds Park

A view of the Tampa Bay.

I have started plien air painting again after taking some time off from it. Today I painted at R E Olds Park in Oldsmar Fl.

I set up my little cigar box plien air painting easle on a picnic table in the park and started painting.

Mangrove

About This Painting:
Mangrove
8x10
oil on canvas mounted on hardboard (RayMar Panel)

Media: oil
Size: 8 in X 10 in (20.3 cm X 25.4 cm)
Price: $100 USD

How to Purchase:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $100 USD plus $10 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

>

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com