DEVELOPING MY STYLE- OLD DUSTY PROSPECTOR TO MARILYN MONROE

I have recently had the great pleasure of going through a free e-course offered by Jason Horejs, owner of Xanadu Gallery and author of the book “Starving to Success”.  I know the information I am learning in this series of emails, reading his book and joining the free webinars is going to be key to me reaching my long-term goals as an artist.  

One of the take away points that I wrote down this week in my notes is:  "The most important thing you can do for your art career is develop a consistent style."  At first when I read this I thought that referred mostly to subject matter. For example when I think of successful artist Nancy Medina, I can't help but think of flowers.  She paints flowers of every shape and color with consistency and passion from her studio in Flower Mound, Texas.  Her work seems to sell before the paint even dries or her brushes are washed.  On occasion I see her paint a garden scene, a chicken or even her latest romantic dress series but her colorful and loose style is still present.  Check out her work and you will see exactly what I mean.   I have her website link listed below under my favorite artist links.

Another artist that I admire his work greatly and give all the credit to for my return to painting is landscape Tim Gagnon.  His basic landscape painting course was amazing and lit the fire in me to pick up my brushes and get to work.  He is a master at painting landscapes that contain amazing trees and clouds.  I can instantly pick out his pieces amongst a page of landscape images.  His method of painting dictates his style and even if he paints a portrait I can still see Tim Gagnon all over it.  His website link is also found below.

  

I have for a number of months now been sketching portraits when I wasn't able to paint.  I have a stack of what I think are pretty nice sketches and so you shouldn't be surprised that a number of my paintings this past year have included human subjects.  Granted they are usually old dusty prospectors, but human never the less.  They have also been getting larger and with more detail until lately they subject has become the portrait and not just a human form added to a landscape. 

Portraits are challenging indeed, but I find myself excited about the challenge. This week I had the amazing experience of painting a piece in a few hours that was wildly received on my social media network.  It actually sold within 10 minutes of me posting the picture.  That is a definite first for me and something I hope to repeat.  

So here she is.... 11x14 Acrylic called "Marilyn-A Vision in Pink".  I used my Alizarin Crimson for her skin tone, Pthalo Blue for her hair and even highlighted her hair with Iridescent Gold.  She really pops on the black background.  For fun I also painted Audrey Hepburn in Blue just before my attempt at Marilyn and while many commented how much they liked her and how ARTSY she was,  I couldn't help but think she looked like a smurf...A cute smurf but a smurf none the less.  So am I still going to be painting Nevada landscapes and dusty prospectors?  YES....but this week I gave into my desire to loosen up and get wild with color and I'm having a blast!

"Marilyn-A Vision in Pink"  11x14 Acrylic

Passionately Blogging About My Passion To Blog

When I first considered the possibility that painting might actually be something that I could become successful with, I knew that I would have to become proficient in self marketing.  I started by networking with artists that I found on Facebook that appeared to be successful and that inspired me.  Tim Gagnon and Nancy Medina were artists on the top of my list.  After all, it was Tim Gagnon and his online 12 week painting lessons that I give credit to for allowing me to regain my confidence, lost after so many years of idle brushes.  His style is unique and no one can paint a tree or a cloud like he does.  Check his website out at Tim Gagnon Studio .  I would recommend his lessons if you are wanting to learn painting and not be intimidated by having an instructor looking over your shoulder.  With today's technology Tim allows you the ability to replay, rewind, pause and fast forward your way to a beautiful painting created by your own two hands.

From nearly the beginning of getting on Facebook, I found an adorable artist that can paint flowers like none other and let me tell you she sells paintings before she even has time to clean her brushes.  Nancy Medina from (If you can believe this coincidence) Flower Mound, Texas must keep her local florist very happy because she is a proficient daily painter that produces beautiful still lifes that are shipped around the world.  Right away I fell in love with both her website and blog.  Take a minute to be impressed at Nancy Medina and her online presence.

So viewing the success of these two artists I realized that both had  (1) a professional looking website and (2) kept a consistent blog presence.  Nancy has also set herself apart with her constant references to her two little pug dogs that are her studio companions.  This makes her seem real and personal and that is very important as an artist.  People not only purchase art because they like the way it looks but also because in many cases they feel a connection to the artist. 

In my short experience, I find that I spend as much time talking to the public about all the places I have visited in this very interesting state of Nevada as I do about the painting itself.  Because I paint so many desert or Nevada scenes, I have referred to myself as a "Nevada Artist".  I live in the hottest (I'm not talking about temperature even though it often applies) tourist destination in the country so why not associate myself with that fact.  If anything they might remember that I'm that artist from Las Vegas.  So find something that sets you apart from the rest and really work it!

So my advise to you if you are seriously considering following your passion is:
     1. start a blog using either Blogger or WordPress.  Both are free and in the beginning FREE is GOOD!  Blog at least once a week.  Even if you think no one is reading, KEEP with it.  Also check out as many blogs as you can and make notes of things you like about these blogs.  I also read a couple of books on the subject too.   
     2. Build a website to showcase your passion. I found Weebly to be a perfect fit for my zero website design abilities and again Weebly is FREE!  I really only update my website if I have a new painting to add or if I'm showing at a new location. So once you have found the template you like and have built each page the time spent maintaining the website can be minimal.  I do like to check out my statistics each day to see how many unique visitors I have had.  In this past month I have had 265 visitors and on Jan 23, 2013 I had a record 36 visits.  For some reason on that day it was like having a mob visit my little world!
     3.  Take advantage of finding Facebook friends that have your same passion and let their energy keep you inspired and focused.  Each morning when I log onto my Facebook account it is as if I am being treated to a personal tour at the finest art gallery on the planet.  The talent and work being done by these amazing artists keep me running to my little studio.  Now they don't buy your work but you can certainly learn a great deal from just listening, watching and imitating them.  I love Facebook for that reason so I have created my own page so that my personal world and my professional world can have a separate face.

Obviously, you have found my blog or you wouldn't be reading this, but I encourage you to check out my website at Julie Townsend Studio.com and take a peek around.  I'll leave the "OPEN" sign in the window just for you.