May 31, 2010 how to price my art..since I am not selling yet!

Today my sons and I went for a drive up Mirror Lake Highway which goes from Kamas Utah to Wyoming. We knew it wasn't open because of snow but went as far as we could and then backtracked to the Yellow Pine trail and hiked a few miles. I took pics of everything..watch their eyes roll! It was so much fun. Then we went to Oakley Utah on our way home and ate at the Island Road Diner. It is a vintage diner built for the 1939 World's Fair and after it was in many places it is now in little ole Oakley, Utah. Great eating, Great hiking, great views and great day.
I am thinking of holding an art yardsale at my studio. I want to generate some interest and have so much art stacking up..so I thought maybe I could decide on a price per inch and sell that way or try some other pricing method. I am always having problems pricing my artwork. Pricing by the sq. inch doesn't work for small pieces which cost as much to make, with the economy, I want to be affordable but my friends in art don't want me to under price my work..at the same time I have not sold anything for so long that I don't know what a good pricing strategy is! Any tips from you who are successfully selling? I just really need to find a job to pay my bills but wouldn't it be nice to defray some of my art costs by seling a few things...How do you price when you haven't been selling? Is it ok to sell older work at at a firesale price to get it out of the studio and into someone's home? I have all sizes of work, oils, watercolors, drawings..many things are framed. Any suggestions would be appreciated

The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony

May 29,2010

so I have been able to relax and let my fingers heal since we can't hang until June 7th!!! So rummaging around I found some pics of work I did at school..

May 29,2010

Wow Red-handed hope your Illustration Teacher was ok..and never did that again!

May 27,2010

The view from my front yard with a full moon. My little digital is fun to use. No art photos but I did get some matboard cut today until I sliced up a finger!

May 26, 2010

Today I managed to get the metal frames from the free frames I picked up in 2008 painted. They were kind of beat up brushed silver metal. I painted them a gloss black. Now I need to make sure they don't chip when I travel them to the studio. Now I get to mat the watercolors. I have to buy 40x60 inch matboard because these frames are around 30 x 44 inches. So I went looking for matboard and it is so expensive! But a friend told me about a wholesale framing supply warehouse..but I needed a tax number to buy there.So I talked to my son who has some businesses and he said he would help but "Mom, just get on line and get your own number".. so I did and now I can buy wholesale. Funny the day I got my number I received a flyer for a plein air competition that I attended last summer and now they require contestants to have a tax number! Have you ever heard of that? I have had to fill out W9s for prize money, and had to have a Dunn and Bradstreet number to apply for grants..don't ask..I don't understand what it is all about! It seems I spend a lot of time online and not enough time painting. Even the local art show in conjunction with a neighboring towns' festival is requiring a cd with images or email the images. Which actually is easier than traveling the paintings to town. Which is funny since the prestigious watercolor contest in Sheridan, Wyoming is accepting only slides! Since I no longer have a camera that takes slides..I am not entering. I may complain about spending time online but it really makes it easier if we can just send a digital pic for entries.
So I complain but I do like the convenience!
I made an announcement for the upcoming show at the bookstore and that was a learning experience. I don't have photoshop so I had to monkey around with the program I have but I think it turned out ok. A little help with the copy center guy and I got it done. I decided to print up 4 per page of white cardstock instead of paying big bucks for postcards. Since we are not having a reception..it is only an announcement as to where and when the art is showing. The color is actually much bluer so I am posting the painting it came from.
Anyway..tomorrow is supposed to be hot..the first time this year..I am happy for that!
Have a nice day

may 24,2010

I did these yesterday and posted them but I think there was a problem with the post...

May 24,2010

It snowed today..2 inches in my yard..oh how I wish for summer knowing that I will wish for cool weather by August!

May 23,2010

Today I did these 2 paintings. I have done the same subjects in oils but wanted to do them in watercolor. I also included a detail of each.

Tom Rush on Mountain Stage03

I really like this version of an old classic by...an old classic!!!

May 22,2010

I did these tiny 6x6 inch watercolors today..fisherman Hubby likes them.

May 20,2010

Today I reworked the weakest of the large watercolors. Funny I drew horses all the time as a child. I was so horse crazy and now that I have 2 models in the backyard I never draw horses anymore!..which I think showed in this painting. I am the same way about German Shepherds. As a very successful breeder shower of German Shepherds I am very picky about how a drawing or painting should look. And I am not so sure I can do as well as I want. Why I decided to do these horses I don't know but I woke up this morning knowing that I had to rework the contrasts. I think it is a bit better but it is not a good painting. I am enjoying the Bluegill painting much more. Still I will mat it and see how I think of it..it might hold together with the others...hmmm.

May 18,2010

Today's painting

May 17,2010

I did this painting today. I love Magpies.

May 15, 2010

Today was beautiful!! We have waited so long for nice weather. I met 3 drawing students at the old Star Mill that is now an antique store to draw today. We drew the old truck and I hope to come back and paint plein air here. It is just down the road from my house. Poor Jen was at her first drawing class ever and I had to apologize for throwing her in the deep end of the pool! But she was a good sport and I think she will be a great sketcher. Greg and Chris are neighbors and friends and they come together. Then we got to see some wagons with mules go past..very cool. Here are the pics too of the new coop that was finally finished today! You have to read my account in the first of the May 14th posts to understand why it is such a relief to be done with the coop! Also are included pics of the rooster that attacks my shins, and the sweet hen Rosie. and the rest of the egglayer society. Then I included a pic of one of my apple trees in bloom and the simply lovely clouds in the sky today...
Now I am watching a baseball game on tv and enjoying just chillin!