Thursday, September 23, 2010

Art Prize

Grand Rapids Michigan know art is important with Rick DeVos revolutionaryArtPrize competition. There can be no question that the city of Grand Rapids and businesses in the area derive great economic benifit from attracting more than 200,000 people who flood the town to vote on brilliant art work on the display. ArtPrize 2010 has 1713 artist from 44 states and 21 countries.The top three artist win: $250.000,$100,00,$50,000.If you are in the area stop in and vote.Sept 22-Oct 10.


A Painting a Day


I was making Peach jam today when I stopped and looked at the Peaches and thought" I should really paint a few of these before I can them all and only have a pile of peach pits.



Peach Still Life
Peach Still Life, painting by Delilah Smith

About This Painting:
Peach Still Life
5x7
oil painting on canvas mounted on a museum quality panel

Media: oil painting
Size: 7 in X 5 in (17.8 cm X 12.7 cm)
Price: $100 USD

How to Purchase:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $100 USD plus $8 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

"post your opinion in the comments"or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com,,Thank You:Visit my web site Art by Delilah http://www.artbydelilah.com









" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Monday, September 20, 2010

News Letter for Sept-Delilah Smith




As the day grow shorter it seems like I less and less time to get everything done.Here is a link to a few of the projects I have been working on: My News Letter



" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Painting in watercolors while traveling

If you are an artist who is just starting to paint while traveling you might want to look at the website of the artist Michael Kluckner .Michael is an artist and writer who has been traveling and painting since 1992.

Beach fencing is used to prevent erosion and protect the natural sea area vegetation. For me it makes a wonderful sea area painting.

Beach Fence
Beach Fence, painting by Delilah Smith

About This Painting:
Beach Fence
This is a watercolor painting. It is painted on 300lb coldpressed watercolor paper.

Media: watercolor
Size: 12 in X 9 in (30.5 cm X 22.9 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

"post your opinion in the comments"or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com,,Thank You:Visit my web site Art by Delilah http://www.artbydelilah.com


" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Have Brush Will Travel

When I was a kid there was a TV show called " Have Gun -Will Travel" but I have a brush and love to travel so off I go to paint. I love to paint in oils but have started to use watercolors to capture what I see while painting.Painting and drawing while traveling always make the experience more enjoyable. I have decided that from now on I will keep a small Travel painting journal when I travel. I have a small watercolor travel journal that I like because it has a sketchbook page on one side and watercolor paper on the other so I can sketch and make notes then do a small watercolor. If you would like to paint while you travel I suggest:
A travel palette
Travel watercolor brushes
A watercolor sketchbook, I also like watercolor blocks, I prefer Arches 300lb cold pressed paper.
A collapsible watercolor container
A bottles of water
pencils, watercolor pencils, pencil sharpener
Zip lock bags to carry everything in
camera
I also take some paper towels folded up in my bag to wipe excess water from my brush.Living in Michigan all my life I am always surprised at what wonderful things other areas of the United States has to offer.Michigan has is Great Lakes and white sand beaches. I was told that I would be disappointed with the beaches in Texas when I came here.

Galveston Island may not have great stretches of white sandy beaches but when I put my toe into the water it was bath warm . The beach had lines of colorful umbrellas and beach chairs and the children were running in and out of the waves. I could have rented a beach chair and watched the ocean but I wen out on one of the stone storm surge barriers and sat watching the tide come in and the sun set.

Galveston Island
Galveston Island, painting by Delilah Smith

About This Painting:
Galveston Island
This is a watercolor painting done on 300 lb coldpressed watercolor paper.

Media: watercolor
Size: 12 in X 9 in (30.5 cm X 22.9 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

"post your opinion in the comments"or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com,,Thank You:Visit my web site Art by Delilah http://www.artbydelilah.com


"post your opinion in the comments"or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com,,Thank You:Visit my web site Art by Delilah http://www.artbydelilah.com



" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Plien Air Painting in Texas

I have been traveling in Texas. Painting when I can and taking lots of pictures. Today I am in Lufkin Texas and I am going to visit a art show at the local college.I flew into Houston with its awesome skyline. I took a few pictures and hope to paint a skyline painting in oils later. We picked up my nephew and a friend of his and headed for the beach at Galveston Island.
Texas Longhorn
Texas Longhorn, painting by Delilah Smith

About This Painting:
This week I am painting in Lufkin Texas.

Texas Longhorn
9x12 watercolor painting painted on 300 lb coldpressed watercolor paper

Media: watercolor
Size: 12 in X 9 in (30.5 cm X 22.9 cm)
Price: $100 USD




"post your opinion in the comments"or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com,,Thank You:Visit my web site Art by Delilah http://www.artbydelilah.com


" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Friday, September 10, 2010

Painting in Texas

I currently have two gallery shows going one at the Rivers Edge Gallery in Wyandott Mi Sept 3-26 and the other in Adrian Mi for the Art-A-Licious event where Plien air paintings can be seen and purchase Sept17-Oct 31 at the Lenawee County Historic Museum.


I'm packed a ready to go to Texas to paint this week. The check in suit case cost an extra $25.00 that is really an ouch in these slow times but it is just one of the higher cost of doing business. Because of the extra security at the air port I will be painting in water colors. You can get watercolors in nice hard blocks that travel well and are not a problem. In the past I have packed a check in bag with my oils and it has been fine but to be safe it's watercolors this trip.


Elvis the studio kitty is not at all happy about the trip and want to go also. But he must stay home and watch his baby brother Kayak. Now if they both can stay out of trouble for a few days.

Small Red Poppies No.2
Small Red Poppies No.2, painting by Delilah Smith

About This Painting:
Small Red Poppies No.2
oil painting on canvas mounted on a gallery quality panel ready to be framed.

Media: oil painting
Size: 6 in X 8 in (15.2 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $100 USD

How to Purchase:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $100 USD plus $8 USD s/h
Or, send me an email


This weeks acoe's will be available at my ebay store soon.








" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Why Key Words are important

Key words are often overlook by artists when blogging we are so into talking about are art we often forget about how important marketing is. I have artist friends who blog and say, It seems that no one stops by to read it. Their blogs are filled with great artwork but if no one sees it they become discourage with their blog. At the bottom of this post is a helpful video by Scott Fox who's blog I follow and books I've read that give you and me a little help in blog land.

Worth quoting--one of Arthur C. Clarke's lesser known three laws: "When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is probably wrong."

Scott Fox is someone who has so much knowledge on Internet marketing and a great blog.He is a must follow with tons of free advise. A must read is his book Internet Riches which gives hand on advise on websites and blogs.



" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Monday, August 23, 2010

Daily Painters show their art

Today I am showing the works of fifty daily painters:


" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Web Sites for artist

Here are some common elements which most dealers and galleries would agree on for your website design:
1. Keep the site simple and elegant with the focus on the art itself

2. Don't overpower the art with a site that looks too busy

3. Avoid advertising such as banner adds or sidebar adds. If you must have them, put them in a separate resource section of your website.

4. Avoid complex effects like flash movies. In the time it takes to play your exotic entry page, your visitor may have moved on.

5. Include your bio, artist statement, resume, contact information, gallery of your work, contact information, and a price list.

6. A list of Galleries where you work can be seen and note beside you painting if it in a gallery with a link to the galleries web site.



Here are few easy to use web site if you do not currently have one and want to design your own:
Fine Art America
Artid
Artspan
FatCow



Last weeks aceos:







" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Putting images on the internet

I like to share this with you:

It is from:The Right Way to Travel is a FREE newsletter from the American Writers& Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.




Selling your paintings online is a great way to make money.
But with the increased exposure you gain by putting your images
online, you also increase your chance of having your pictures stolen
and used without payment.


By posting your photos on a website without reading their fine print
first (see yesterday’s article about selling your photos after they’ve
been posted on Facebook, here:
http://www.thephotographerslife.com/facebook_safe/).


The good news is that there are a lot of “safe” places on the Internet
where you can store, share, and sell your photos, prints,and have images of your art work.
I’m including a few of them below.



This was written by


Lori Allen Director, AWAI Travel Division
****************


Zenfolio, SmugMug, and Dropbox: Three Safe Places to Store, Share and
Sell Your Photos
1. Zenfolio -- great for storing, sharing, and selling photos. This
site gets extra bonus points for making you look like a professional,
too.
With Zenfolio, you can upload photos to your different galleries and
assign different levels of protection to each gallery.
You can also password protect individual galleries (or all of them)
and create specific lists of people who have access to them.
.
eA top-tier one-year membership fee at Zenfolio of $100 per
year and that gives you the ability to accept credit cards through the
site, print and display photos, and, with the top-tier membership
level,you can also customize the pages the customer sees so that there
are no advertisements and no mention of Zenfolio. Only your wonderful artwork.


2. SmugMug -- great for storing, sharing, and selling photos. This
site might not look as professional as Zenfolio but it’s a lot more
creative and also cheaper.
Zenfolio charges $100 per year for watermarking your photos,
customizing your pages, and setting different price levels .



I use Smugmug myself. It allows me to store photos of my artwork off of my computer giving me more space on my computer and I don't have to worry about crashes and losing images.I store photos of my art work by month and also by kind of painting. What I like is if I need an image I can retrieve it from any computer anywhere. I also can send a link to a gallery of a gallery page I have set up just for that gallery to look at, Which might be 20 watercolors I would like to show them. You can look down each gallery so no one can look at it with out a pass code.


Smugmug doesn’t allow you to remove the SmugMug logo from your pages
so it loses professional points in that regard. But it does let you
watermark your images, take orders online, charge credit cards, print
on demand, and set different price levels for different customers with
their basic membership rate of just $39.
SmugMug also has different page themes to jazz up your display should
you want to get creative. And they allow you to upload videos…create
slideshows…download apps on your iphone…and more.


Both SmugMug and Zenfolio offer free trials if you’re interested in
testing them out before you buy. But the biggest differences are in
creative control of how your photos are displayed and also in price.


3. Dropbox -- great for storing and sharing photos. This site will
not take credit card orders or print on demand. But it’s free and
great for sharing photos with friends and family.
This free online file storage site allows you to upload, store, and
share files with anyone else who has Dropbox.
You can store up to 2 GB of data when you first sign up. And if you
don’t think that’s enough space, you can invite a friend to join. If
they use your affiliate link to sign up, you get an extra 250 MB of
storage space and so do they (up to 8GB max as a free customer).
The best part is, you can install Dropbox on your computer, too, so
you don’t even have to login to their website to view the items in
your Dropbox folder. Anything uploaded to Dropbox will also appear
automatically on your computer.

To view my daily painting stop in at my blog Painting of the day.

This weeks aceos are available at my Ebay store .











" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Useing Digital Camera




At our recent Jackson Civic Artist Meeting out quest speaker was Jayson Welsh who teaches photoshop at one of the local colleges. He gave us some very helpful hints on how to take pictures of our art work and then how to make the digital images look like the finished painting. I realized how much more I need to learn about working with Lightroom and photo shop.
I have Light room 1 and I see they have now come out with Lightroom 3, I guess it is time for me to upgrade and really learn how to use this wonderful product.I have the current photoshop Elments 8 so I am okay there.



I buy most of my camera equipment on line and I like B& H . I have never had a problem with them. They offer quick service and they have experts on line that can help you.



This weeks Aceos are available at my Ebay store:















" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

All those Voices

Staregazer Lilies ,flowers,watercolor
Staregazer Lilies ,flowers,watercolor, painting by Delilah Smith

About This Painting:
Staregazer Lilies (H09-8775) painted in watercolors on 140 lb coldpressed watercolor paper. The painting is 9x12 and matted in a white acid free matt to measure 11x14.

Media: watercolor
Size: 9 in X 11 in (22.9 cm X 27.9 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


Everyone has multiple conversations and priorities going on, competing agendas that come into play every time we make a choice about doing, buying, creating or interacting.

I think these voices (and a few I missed) determine which career we choose, how good a job we do, where we shop and what we watch and how we manage our time.

Here are a few of the voice I hear:


The ego--seeks applause and recognition. ( Oh as artist how are little or large egos seek a little recognition. What is recognition for one artist may not be for the next. How many gallery,how much money,how many sold paintings,what shows you get into or just a little note from a viewer says gee that one is nice.)

The lizard--seeks safety, wants to fit in and not be rejected or criticized. ( a hard voice for use artists, takes the safe route)


The artist--wants to be generous, creative and make positive change with impact. Take it and make it beautiful( yea I hear that voice a lot)

The boxer--wants to poke and be poked, seeks revenge and ultimately victory. ( I have blocked that voice out, it doesn't speak to me any more or I just do not hear it)

The zombie--wants to turn off and be entertained. ( that happens around 11:30 at night when I flip on the TV)

The philanthropist--wants to help, anonymously. ( That's me, and I could spend all day doing it)

The evangelist--wants to spread an idea. ( I try to keep my big mouth shut,unless asked then it's like a runaway wagon going down hill with lots of dust behind it. )

The hunter--wants to successfully track and bring down a target. ( I am always hunting seeking try to track down the perfect gallery the best show, better equipment, stuff. That's me the stuff tracker.

The worst voice of all, THE PROCRASTINATOR:the voice that says not now it can wait. May you can send that portfolio next month.( Oh yea I hear that voice all to often. )

There's a lot of overlap of voices in my head sometime they are all shouting at me. Who's winning? What are you, what do you want to be? When you're being your best self at your job, what are you doing? Which voice are you listening too then?



This weeks aceos can be viewed at my ebay store:


" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Smell the Roses


Traveling in Northen Michigan on much needed break.





Oh, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer!

According to the calendar summer arrived this week.
What are your most delightful celebrations going to be this summer? I hope you enjoy all of them! Picnics, hiking, swimming, don't let the fun get away from you.

Staying motivated and keep up with your artist goals can be harder in the summer, it is often the goal we want simply isn't worth the price of missing out on the all the summer sunshine and fun.

We don't want to push for that extra thing that needs to be done to get to the next step in our artist career. We want that goal but not at the price we might have to pay. Try to find systems to streamline some of your work flow , better time management and your record keeping ,ways to make more time for the fun stuff, Now is a great time to put systems into force and find ways to get things done.

Because there will always be enought time to smell the roses if you take time to look up and breath in the air.


This weeks aceos are available at my ebay store:

Friday, June 18, 2010

Art and Wine at Ella Sharp Museum











It has been a busy few weeks. I have been traveling in Michigan. This past week I did the Art & Wine Festival that was held at the Ella Sharp Museumin early June and is a day of sampling area vintner's wines as well as the opportunity to purchase creative work of regional artists, all on the beautiful grounds of the Museum campus. Anyone interested in participating in the event next year should email Rochelle at mailto:Rochellec@ellasharp.org .


This weeks Aceos can be purchased at my ebay store :





" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Take Charge of Your Art Career Now.

Peonies and Tea Cup
Peonies and Tea Cup, painting by Delilah Smith

About This Painting:
Peonies and Tea Cup
8x10 oil painting on canvas

Media: oil painitng
Size: 10 in X 8 in (25.4 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $150 USD
What is the most important thing on my website or blog? Nothing should upstage your art.

Your art isn’t for everyone as Alyson's Weekly Steps for Taking Charge of Your Art Career notes. Once you understand this, you’ll have an easier time finding the people who appreciate your work. The more people see your art, the more likely you are to hit upon someone who falls in love with it. Likewise, the more you get your art out into the world, the more you’ll be able to direct your marketing message to the people who were meant to see it. Find the six reason why someone elses' art may sell better than yours.

Do you stand out in the crowd?

This weeks Aceos are available at my ebay store.



" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com



Monday, May 24, 2010

Whats in a name

flower garden
oil


"What's in a name"? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell so sweet. Oh, Juliet if it were only true.

When it comes to E commerce domain names are the key to Branding. When choosing your domain name or blog title there are two things to consider:
1. the human concern and
2. the search engine.
The artistic choice and the practical choice.

Your name should be memorable and easy to spell.
The shorter the better and it should be something everyone know how to spell.
The K.I.S.S. principal applies here.
You should always go for a domain name that ends in .com. I don't know how many times I have gone crazy trying to find a website for a show and not been able to locate it because it was .org.
If your artist name is taken which is always a good choice look at combinations of words that make a mental map for the patron and is easy to remember and spell.

For search engines, key words are important. Meta tags that match your domain name just add to higher ranking.

How to find keywords that you might add to your domain name? Google offer 2 free key word ranker's.Google Key Word tool. Google Analytics. There are many more out there that you can pay for but start with the free stuff first. Just remember keep it short and memorable.

Keyword rich domain and blog titles win with search engines.

Sticking with your own name is a great way to brand your self, if it is available,and if it is easy to spell and is memorable. If is not ;then think of a way to shorten it or add a key word.

So Juliet there is a lot more in a name today, but I will keep smelling the roses.


This weeks Aceo's are available at my ebay store.



" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

    Tuesday, May 18, 2010

    Is it Possible

    All you need to know is that it’s possible.

    "Problems are an important part of maturing--meet them straight on. Work them out. It's like the chick in the egg. It has to break through the eggshell on its own. That's how it gains its first strength. If you break the shell for the chick, you end up with a puny little runt." Mark Tobey to Wesley Wehr)

    Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing.

    If you have ideas, but don't act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.


    What's possible. Once you start to think about it don't dismiss it. Somewhere in the world, someone is doing something that you decided couldn't be done. By calling your bluff and by pointing out the possibilities,they are doing the things that will change everything. It raises the bar and eliminates any comfort of hiding in your own fears, you can embrace the challenge and take a chance to stretch your creative muscle.

    Become a dedicated self-starter and persistent worker, get your mind around the problem and know it is possible.

    This weeks Aceos are available at my Ebay store:




    ." POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

    Friday, May 14, 2010

    An Occupation known as Painting.

    "There is an occupation known as painting, which calls for imagination, and skill of hand, in order to discover things not seen, hiding themselves under the shadow of natural objects, and to fix them with the hand, presenting to plain sight what does not actually exist." (Cennino Cennini 1370-1440)

    I love the idea of looking into the sahdows of things to find the hidden nature.


    Nudes with Flutes, abstract music
    Nudes with Flutes, abstract music, painting by Delilah Smith

    About This Painting:
    Nudes with Flutes
    16x12 oil painting on stretched canvas

    Media: oil painting
    Size: 12 in X 16 in (30.5 cm X 40.6 cm)


    How to Purchase:
    click here to bid on this painting

    Or, send me an email


    This week I painted some watercolor aceos:


    These are just fun little works to get the juice going. They are available at my ebay store






    " POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com

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

    Wednesday, May 12, 2010

    How Creative are you

    Creativity is a learned behavior.How you approach things, how you act or react to new circumstances, the way you look at things , your willingness to question, experiment, and take chances. Highly Creative People have many things in common:

    1. Have the COURAGE to try new things and risk failure

    2. Use INTUITION as well as logic to make decisions and produce ideas.

    3 Like to PLAY

    4.Are EXPRESSIVE and willing to share what they feel and think, to be themselves.

    5. Research and critical thinking are key tools for the creative person.

    6.Are MOTIVATED BY A TASK rather than by external rewards

    7.Have a need to FIND SOLUTIONS to challenging problems

    8.Will CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS and ask hard questions to discover what is real.

    9.Can MAKE CONNECTIONS between old ideas to produce new insights.

    10.Will PUSH THE ENVELOPE and Are willing to TEST new ideas and compete with others based on results.

    I remember the first date I went on with my Husband, he ask me if I had ever went sky diving ? I said , No why do yo ask? He looked at me and said, you seem like a risk taker.

    Well, he was right I am a risk taker.
    One particularly common trait of creative people is enthusiasm. The phrases "driving absorption," "high commitment," "passionate interest," and "unwilling to give up" describe most creative people. The high energy also appears in adventurous and thrill-seeking activities.

    Don't some of your most creative colleagues ride motorcycles, fly airplanes, sky dive, climb cliffs, or downhill ski?

    For more information on being a creative blogger visit Copyblogger.

    " POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

    Tuesday, May 11, 2010

    Sterner Stuff to be a painter

    "Ambition is made of sterner stuff." (William Shakespeare)

    I am an ambitious artist. Artist today are afraid to say they are ambitious, that they have aggressive goals, that there ego are are large and need to be feed with rich ideas. Aggressive ambition is okay it makes for long hours of painting and longer hours of marketing, having said that, only the strong will survive to paint another day. You must keep your painting muscle strong and wield that brush with force. Paint on my friend be made of that sterner stuff.


    " POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com