HUGE Overstock Sale of Original Art Blow Out Sale

Constipation and the Big Purge

I paint prolifically.
When I start to accumulate too many new works and do not have an associated increase in the number of sales, two things happen to me.

First, I begin to dislike some of my paintings simply because they have not sold.  I forget that maybe a given painting has only ever been seen in one or two shows, so I really have not given it a fair chance.  If I'm not smart and don't put it away and out of site for a while, I often destroy, throw away or paint over the image.  Often, I regret this since I photograph everything. Countless times I have reviewed an image and thought, "That really was a very nice piece! Why did I destroy it?"  Countless other times a piece that I started to dislike but did not have a chance to destroy, has subsequently sold.
(Some pieces, of course, are bad and should be destroyed, but I am not talking about those right now.)

Second,  I lose the impetus to paint.  I become "constipated" of further creative output.
When this happens, collectors are in luck because the only way out for me seems to be a big, fat purge. I give paintings away to special collectors and very close friends, or greatly lower the prices and auction them off on eBay.

Now is another one of those seasons and this time, I am doing a purge of a magnitude I haven't done before.  But I am in serious tidying up mode, having just re-read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

If you are interested, here is a link to the Big Purge.  ( Click, " Blow-Out Sale" )
 All works, big and small, are $200.00 until Saturday, from this portfolio:

Blow- out Sale!

Whatever does not sell from the website will be on sale at the Affordable Arts Festival at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, CO for $ 100.00. One day only: Sunday, August 27, 9-3

Plein Air Adventures,plein air, Oil paintings,fall aspen ,aspen trees

Plein Air Painting Adventures ( or misadventures)  Story follows paintings below. 

Indian Mountain, 9x12 plein air oil painting

View from Cabin Deck, 9x12 plein air oil painting

Near Basalt, 6x8 plein air oil painting

Plein Air Painting Misadventures

(At least one pretty rough start)

Every fall I take about a week and head into the mountains to paint the gorgeous scenery.

My first painting site on this particular adventure was Kenosha Pass. It was a late afternoon weekday.  Slightly rainy, very foggy, and a little on the cool side. There was nobody up at Kenosha and I drove far into the forest. I hopped out of my trusty ol’ 4 door yellow jeep and began taking photographs. It was lovely. A foggy autumn kind of lovely.

 After about 30 minutes it started to rain more heavily and I began to get pretty wet and cold. I headed back to the jeep but .....my keys were gone! And I'd walked all over the place, including off the trail and into some deep grassy areas. I was locked out of the jeep, cold and wet and had no cell phone coverage. I searched for about an hour and was beginning to panic.  I even started to cry.  There wasn't a soul in sight and I hated the idea of hitching a ride on 285! 

 Shortly after sending up a desperate prayer for help and through divine intervention I am sure, I finally found the keys in a grassy area well off the beaten path.  I made it to the cabin in Indian Mountain and made myself a nice, warm cozy fire in the wood stove. I took off my wet wool socks and set them on the wood stove's mantle to dry.

On the second day of my solo plein air painting trip I hopped on my little enduro motorcycle and tooled around Indian Mountain taking photographs with the brand-new expensive Canon camera that my husband had just bought me for my birthday. I returned to the cabin and set the camera on the motorcycle seat and did a quick plein air painting of some fallen trees outside of my cabin. The painting turned out well and I decided to reward that small success with another quick mo-mo ride.

I love to ride my motorcycle on the dirt roads of Indian Mountain in the fall!  The crisp, cool air, shimmering golden -yellow aspen and the wafting scent of scattered campfires is intoxicating.  How in the world I overlooked this next part I've no clue. But I hopped on the motorcycle and started down the worn dirt driveway when suddenly I heard a grinding, gnashing, awful, crunching sound. I'd sat on the strap of the camera, and the camera swung over into the back tire and was being desecrated by the churning spokes.  Bye- bye, nice, new, expensive camera lens. (Thank goodness the body of the camera was intact, although I was sure at the time it, too, was ruined.)

  Feeling beat up and defeated by my own stupidity I took refuge back inside the cabin only to find my wool socks burnt to a crisp on the fire mantel from the previous night. I could've burnt the place down. 

As far as I recall there were no other major gaffes on that particular trip,  but when I have that many misadventures in a row I tend to get fed up and reign it in. I can really focus and concentrate when I need to, although I do tend to reside most often on the comfortable, breezy, artistic right side of my brain, which can get me into big trouble. Ah, the joys and struggles of the artistic life!

Next time:  Looking on the Bright Side of Things

(when tightly wrapped, frozen beef defrosts then explodes inside of your Plein Air Paintmobile (AKA yellow jeep) on a very hot summer day.)

Benefits of painting daily, oil paintings, #30paintingsin30days, Ken Caryl Valley, Colorado,

I'm halfway through the #30paintingsin30days challenge.  It's not easy; it's a bit harder than I expected.  However,  I've learned a lot in doing this and thought I'd share some of what's helped.

Top 8 benefits of painting every day

1) It gets the juices flowing. 
  Every artist gets in the occasional, miserable rut.  Burn out strikes and the last thing you want to do is get into the studio. I've found that the mere act of laying out the paints, dragging the brush across the canvas,  laying down a base coat of color , is often all it takes to get the inspiration and excitement back.  Ideas flow and pretty soon you can't wait to get to the next painting.  You're out of the rut.

2) Drawing skills improve
It's amazing how much easier it is to lay in a quick and accurate sketch  after several consecutive days of work.  I've found that if a week or so goes by, that initial process is much more arduous, stressful and un-fun.

3) Organizational skills improve
Knowing the time needed to complete, photograph and load up ( to eBay, blog, facebook, instagram and the 30 in 30 site) a piece of art,  one needs to organize not just  the studio and office space, but also  the day and week in general.  Life does not stop when one takes on a daily painting challenge.

4) Self discipline kicks in
No more excuses. No more laziness.  You committed to the project; you just need to get it done.

5) Joy and happiness escalate
Every artist will relate to this.  The artist MUST paint.  She's miserable if she doesn't. He's grouchy if too much time away from the studio passes.    It's interesting.  I find that if I do a lousy painting I'm in a lousy mood.  When I do a piece that works out well, I'm on a near high.  However,  if I put off painting for any length of time, for any reason at all , I'm in a much worse frame of mind than when I paint and have a lousy result. In this way, joy and happiness really do escalate!

6) Business improves
You are not going to sell what you do not paint.

7) One learns new techniques
Particularly when doing daily paintings of smaller works, it's easier to try out new techniques, new subjects, a different palette or perhaps a different support.  Because the piece is small, there is less of a risk of wasting paint or other supplies. When you stretch yourself, you grow, and it's much easier to do this when painting small and often.


8) Overall artistic growth happens
Try it and see. Log your first painting and check it against the 30th.

A Valley Day, 5x7 oil on canvas panel.  Bidding in progress now on eBay!
bid here

50% of proceeds from the month of September go to Extended Hands of Hope Colorado!

Thanks for your support!

daily paintings, #30paintingsin30days, Tracy Haines,original art,Colorado landscapes,Ken Caryl,rocks

Ken Caryl Outcropping
8x10 oil/board
Bid on eBay:
eBay

This painting is # 5 in my #30paintingsin30days challenge.  More work goes into this than I thought.  I will describe the steps in the process below.

First,  this challenge is also a fundraiser.  Half of the money I receive from these paintings is earmarked for an emergency center for young girls rescued from sex trafficking.  Read more about this non-profit shelter at ExtendedHandsofhope.org

Daily Painting Process for the 30 in 30 challenge

The process from start to finish takes several hours every day.  First, I do thumbnail sketches of the idea I have for a painting.  Then, I lay out the paints and begin a value underpainting. When I am satisfied with that, I lay in the color.  The painting process takes me anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours for an 8x10.
Next,  I take the painting outside and photograph it.  After uploading to the computer I crop the work, title and number it, then save it in different sizes for uploading to facebook, eBay,etc.

Since these paintings are going on eBay for bidding, the process of uploading and describing the piece on eBay takes another 10-15 minutes.
Otherwise, I go into paypal and make a price-specific "buy now" button which goes up on both my blog and website.

Once on eBay, I copy and paste the bidding link for uploading onto my website , blog and facebook.  The blog itself takes time to prepare- anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes.

Finally, I upload to the 30paintingsin30days blog, my website, then facebook.

The order in which all of this is done matters, because links back to my own website and blog matter in order for my art to be seen by as many people as possible.  This is absolutely key to running a successful art business.

Well, thanks for taking the time to look over this blog, and please consider helping in the fund raiser by bidding on eBay!

fundraiser sex trafficking oil paintings for sale daily paintings landscapes Colorado

Deer Creek Road 8x10 oil/panel

Price determined my you!

Click here to bid:  eBay bidding

Day #4 of the 30 paintings in 30 Days Challenge!  This piece is from a scene I often pass as I drive to Deer Creek Park to hike or run.  The views along this lovely winding road are spectacular all year long, but particularly in the fall and spring.  And the winter! (Summer too) 
 Well, all year long.

Since I will be painting and posting daily this month, I have decided to place these paintings on eBay. In addition,  I thought it would be nice to put this month to good use and try a fund raiser.  50% of sales from the 30 in 30 paintings will go to help support a budding new operation: Extended Hands of Hope.  This local ( Colorado) non-profit organiziation seeks to help underage girls who have experienced extreme trauma through the horrors or sex trafficking. 

You may read more about this organization here:  Extended Hands of Help

Thanks for your support!

oil paintings landscapes,trees,Colorado landscapes original art daily paintings 30 paintings in 30 days

Day # 3 of 30 paintings in 30 days!

Coyote Trail by Tracy Haines
16x20 oil on wrapped canvas
$400.00, unframed

local pick up or shipping

Shipping within USA $430.00 USD local pick up $400.00 USD

I am very much enjoying this challenge.  A theme is developing too:  paintings in and around my home in Ken Caryl.
If you are interested in painting the Colorado mountains in the fall, take a look at the information from the August 31 st post on this blog and sign up!

Thank you for taking the time to view my art!

pastel paintings daily paintings #30paintingsin30days Colorado landscapes

Reflections on a Pond ll,  7x7 pastel on watercolor paper by Tracy Haines, $ 55.00, unframed

Day # 2 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge!

This is a 7x7 study in pastel on H20 Color paper.
It is sold unframed and must be mounted behind glass when framed.

This piece is available for purchase via paypal on my website:

http://tracyhaines.fineartstudioonline.com

Daily paintings pastel paintings 30 paintings in 30 days art for sale Tracy Haines Colorado Landscapes

Reflections on a Pond

8x10 pastel, unframed

Tracy Haines

$ 95.00

This month, September, 2015,  I have joined Lesli Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.  I had heard about this in the past and was looking forward to trying it myself.
The goal is to paint a completed work every day and post the pieces on her sight.  

If you are interested in joining me for the Ladies Plein Air Painting Retreat, see the post on August 31 st for details.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog!

Encaustic painting by landscape artist Tracy Haines

Pin painting

This is a 6x6 encaustic painting.  From time to time I like to try out new media.  It keeps my work fresh and helps me avoid artists block.

More of this kind of work is available from my Etsy store.

My Etsy store

Encaustics are paintings done using melted beeswax with or without a medium called damar resin. Damar resin helps harden the wax, making it more durable and transparent. The finished painting has a wonderful mild honey scent.  One can paint with colored wax alone, as in this example, or use a mixed media approach , incorporating collage and other media. It's a versatile medium, lots of fun, and is gaining in popularit

Garden of the Gods oil landscape painting by Colorado artist Tracy Haines

Garden of the Gods l
16x20 oil

I had posted the "start" underpainting of this on the 20th.  I'm adding much more color these days- pushing the limits with oil.  I am trying to move in a more abstract direction, but, wow, it's not as easy a transition as I thought.

Great Tip!!  I just happened upon a podcast for artists called,
" Artists Helping Artists".  It's terrific; and good to listen to while painting in the studio. I highly recommend checking it out.

Why is original art so expensive by Tracy Haines

Spring Towards Rampart 8x10 oil/birch  Available for purchase

I am occasionally asked why original art is so expensive. Before becoming an artist, I wondered the same thing.

I would like to share a little bit of what I have learned.

In today's post, I will cover the cost of some essential materials used in a painting. In subsequent posts, we will look at the costs associated with learning to paint, setting up a studio, producing a single painting for sale, start to finish, then what is involved in trying to sell a painting.

The average oil painter uses a palette of a minimum of 6 colors plus white. This bare minimum usually consists of a warm and cool version of each of the primaries. 

A small 37ml tube of professional quality paint averages a price between $8.00 ( alizarin, a cool red) and $19.00 (Cobalt blue)

So, on average, most painters have spent $ 100.00 on paint alone. ( my current working palette has 15 colors plus white)

Decent quality canvases vary in price, but , to do 12 small, 9x12 paintings on an average quality cotton canvas, you can add another $ 80.00. Oil paints and canvases need to be purchased continually. 

To purchase 5 quality oil bristle brushes in different sizes ( again, a bare bones set up) , an investment of perhaps around $50 can be expected. This cost can be stretched out over a longer time, but brushes need to be replaced not infrequently. 

The painter also needs mineral spirits, paint medium and varnish. 

Then there is the initial cost of setting up a dedicated studio area including an easel. This will be covered in another post.

Haines pastel painting plein air impressionism wall art Colorado trees

Trees Convene
11x14 Pastel

I was attracted to the interplay between the tree trunks and yellow lit field.  The trees seemed to be in conversation.  The calligraphic quality of the foliage was interesting, too.

Tracy Haines Art,fine art,paintings, landscapes, Colorado, winter ,acrylics,original,modern contemporary art,

Dog and I traveled this icy,slippery path around Lair of the Bear.  I had a small box of pastels in hand and a few small pastel panels.  By the time I left later that morning, my rear end was snow and mud-covered , clothes were paint-stained and muddy too.  But what a great and fun morning adventure.
This piece was an acrylic done from the pastel study.

Tracy Haines Art,fine art,paintings,landscapes,mountains,snow,trees,Colorado,tonal painting ,original,modern contemporary art,

I really like this tonal scene from the mountains.  How on an overcast,snowy day all the values of the landscape close in and bundle up together, as we do, to stay warm.  Or perhaps  just to present a lovely , quiet scene for the landscape lovers pure, unadulterated enjoyment. But I am starting to wax poorly poetic again, so will stop writing and start painting.

Tracy Haines affordable original art acrylic paintings modern contemporary small art miniature art colorado skye blue

The drive back to Colorado from Nebraska is relaxing and actually very pretty in places. I had to pull over for this scene.  The light hit just right, and the water reflected the sky color in such a paintable way.
This is acrylic on watercolor paper. A 5x7 image with a margin of white paper for framing.

Painting en plein air at Lair of the Bear with several artists from PAAC, we were all challenged by changing light conditions.  This scene proved to be gorgeous in a variety of lighting.  It's very interesting how the major shapes drastically change depending on the light. Two other paintings of this same scene  but with overcast lighting will be posted soon.
This painting is currently up for bid on eBay.

Tracy haines Original fine art for sale affordable pastel oil acrylic paintings on canvas wall art impressionism expressionism colorful colorado trees flowers floral red green blue purple mountains streams skies sunsets plein air

I screeched my little ole jeep to a slipping, sliding halt as I drove up this pass from Como, Colorado towards Breckenridge.  Just loved the colors of those distant mountains!!  This 9x12 oil on panel was painted en plein air while I was precariously perched on the side of a road.  One false step backwards off the cliff  and bye-bye Tracy.  The average artist will indeed risk life and limb for a painting!

Bid for this on eBay, if you are so inclined, on 3/4/14. Search Hoosier Pass EB46

Tracy haines Original fine art for sale affordable pastel oil acrylic paintings on canvas wall art impressionism expressionism colorful colorado trees flowers floral red green blue purple mountains streams skies sunsets

You may recognize this scene if you have driven through Leadville, CO.   I love this conglomeration of structures.  This little sketch is a cropped and abstracted acrylic and pencil done from one of my larger paintings that is currently hanging at Leomyka Gallery in Leadville.

Thanks for stopping in to take a look at my blog!

Bid on eBay here

When sky meets Ground:Colorful Coloradolandscape paintings in oil and Pastel Tracy Haines

When skies meet ground through trunks of trees, the colors meld ,puts heart at ease.

Ugh. Oh well.....thought I'd try my hand at a bit of poetry. Poetry?

Mini 4 x 4 oil on canvas

$45