Art studios,organization,oil paintings,acrylic paintings, studio tips,Tracy Haines art, flowers,floral paintings

Why my studio ( and perhaps yours too) must remain in a state of perpetual organized messy chaos:

Try as I may, I cannot, for the life of me, KEEP my studio neat and clean.  I do actually clean and organize it fairly regularly, but it immediately and always reverts back to something similar to the shot posted above.  I have fought this for years, but- no longer!  I am going to embrace the mess instead.  I'm going to have a mind-set change.
After listening to yet another #Artist Helping Artist podcast on the subject I finally gained some insight into this.
Artists are visual people, through and through.  Out of sight, out of mind.  We need to see it to know that we have it in our possession. The overly organized artist that hasn't yet recognized this, has, you can bet, more frames on hand than she thinks she has, extra tubes of that particular paint color he thought he'd run out of, and so on.

Which leads me to the....

Studio Tip of the Week

Install open shelving in the studio.  Place wire baskets on the shelves and label everything. This "open" storage system is working much better for me than the old "neatly tucked away" system ever did.   

Open shelving and open baskets, installed and ready and waiting to be filled in an organized manner of some sort. ( it's on the To Do list, towards the bottom.....I'm getting there!)

A non-artist friend, a neat-nik,  ( you know who you are, JB) told me open wire baskets, though neat-looking, would look messy on the shelves once I filled them up. She's right, they do look a bit messy once filled with my stuff, but at least I always know what I have on hand and where it is.

So, learn to live with a bit more of a mess than you like-embrace it, and drop the guilt. It's your studio!

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Playing around with a different palette the other day, and with a different style, I produced this piece, which I really ended up liking.  It's currently at a local boutique.  I am interested in hearing some feedback on it!

             Flowers, 20x20x1 1/2 acrylic on wrapped canvas
                                           $ 495.00

This painting and many others are now available as prints ( on paper, canvas, tote bags, pillows,etc).
Here is one example of a painting on a tote bag:

Prints from Fine Art America

Well that is it for now!  Thank you for reading! Until next week:

EnJOY your days, embrace your mess :)

Tracy Haines Original art acrylic paintings oil and pastel affordable works studio tips organization art for sale summer reading recommendations

The Summer Art Market was a success and is so much fun to do , despite the hard work.
It's always interesting to me to watch and listen to find out what art patrons like or don't care for as much.
This painting, which was done last minute- just a couple days before the show- was the most popular.
I would not have predicted this; quite a surprise to me.

The Garden, 30x30 acrylic

I am taking one of Alyson Stanfield's 6 week  marketing webinars.  One of the things I am learning is the importance of developing and maintaining an e-mail list and sending out regular newsletters.  I simply have not focused on this much in the past but finally created and mailed out my first one yesterday!  If you are interested in receiving it ( and it will go out only 4 times a year), please sign up.
Go to  this link to sign up ( and scroll to bottom of the page) :Newsletter Sign Up

To help get my newsletter off and running, I offered a free painting giveaway raffle for those signing up for the newsletter. 
Ann LaForte was the lucky winner of this little bird: ( and the birds were really a hit; they literally flew out of the booth!

It is fun and rewarding to give recipients a nicely packaged piece of art!  It takes so little effort and can make such a difference for someone.  One of my clients mentioned how much she enjoys the quotes that I stick on the back of some paintings or packaging materials.

Would you like a bird?

4x4x1 1/2 oil/canvas, sides painted black 

$ 45.00

Speaking of birds,  looking for a FANTASTIC read for a lazy summer day? I absolutely loved the book, Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien

It is a true and heartwarming story about a girl and her owl.  You'll not only not be able to put the book down, but you will learn a lot about owls. I think it's a must read and it renewed my love and fascination with birds.

Studio Tip of the Week:

Print out a small thumbnail of each painting. Have several copies of each on hand.  Paste one in the upper corner of a page.  On that page document the painting's history (where the paintings have shown , when it sells or is donated, etc.)

Place these sheets in a binder.  I number each painting and file them by number, since names get forgotten or re-used.

The other thumbnails I place on the box in which the painting is stored, on a bullitin board to remind me which paintings are earmarked for upcoming shows or competitions, etc.  This system is really working well for me.  I hope it helps you.

Please consider clicking this link to " like" my facebook business page:

Tracy Haines Fine Art Facebook 

 I will start adding more painting giveaways from the facebook page in order to continue to grow my newsletter sign ups!

My goal this year is to become a better businesswoman.  I appreciate your support and thank you for reading this!

Have a wonderful Joy-filled week!

Abstract acrylic paintings studio tips good books, quotes, art festivals Tracy Haines art

Happy June!

It is summer and that means......... Summer Art Market time!

Be sure to stop by the 2015 SUMMER ART MARKET!!  June 13&14th , 9-5 Saturday and Sunday
2nd and Grant st in Denver, Colorado.  Please stop by booth #6 and say hi!

I am excited to showcase new work in a very different style this year.  I will have many large ( up to 36x48") mixed media and acrylic paintings in a more stylized landscape format and a few purely abstract works like the one below.

Fresh off the easel:

Lazy Summer Day
16x20 acrylic on stretched canvas
$ 395.00

I've a new and huge respect for abstract artists.  I had no idea how difficult the struggle in painting something without reference material as a guide.  This new endeavor has been challenging and very exciting.

Today's studio tip:

Make your workplace as inviting as possible; a place you look forward to spending time. Hours and hours of time ;)

My studio is located in my basement.  For good lighting, and after quite a bit of research, I ordered the natural spectrum fluorescent lights from Verilux Lighting Company.  I can paint any time of night or day with these.   Still, the studio feels basement-like and sometimes a bit dark, despite the lights.  To make it a comfortable place to spend time, it helps to light a candle ( kept a good and safe distance from things volatile, of course!) and put on music while working.  Keeping the studio clean and organized  helps.  I am slowly decluttering and adding small touches here and there to make the studio itself feel like a piece of art.  It's a work in progress and I will keep you updated.

Quote of the Day:

Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a colored pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling. ~G.K. Chesterton

Current books on my bedside dresser:

Acrylic Solutions by Chris Cozen and Julie Prichard- excellent review of materials and techniques in abstract and acrylic art plus great images.

Burn Your Portfolio by Michael Janda-  fun read with tips on succeeding in business and life.

One Nation by Ben Carson, MD-  This presidential candidate gives a clear overview of his ideas for healing the political and many other divisions in our country.  His life story is fascinating.

Coming soon:

You Tube pastel demo

Enjoy your day!