Last-minute gifts: one of a kind and personalized
Celebrate in style: the best way to get into Christmas mood
Robins, cardinals, fun and Christmas mood
Christmas mood must be intentionally created. Original art has a special attraction, energy and flare to it, therefore, it really helps. I don’t think there can be too much art on any walls. I have usually some 200 works of art on display in my studio gallery, and it does not feel overwhelming or crowded. I rotate my art depending on demand and season. It feels very appropriate to have snow scenes and winter villages on display when Christmas is around the corner, and it is very obvious that spring flowers blossom around the gallery in spring.
Fantastic small bird paintings
I have a special love to small birds. I preferred them to any other creatures already as a kid. I assume that one should only paint what they know. I watch these birds during any season, and I have hundreds of sketches which I can turn into artworks later. I painted this particular painting “Robins, winter” last year. I painted 6 bird paintings. As it frequently happens, I felt I wanted to improve the color balance. So, I added a few more layers of paint to this painting. I believe it became better and birds are more bird-like, as well. The entire scene is lovely and welcoming and speaks for itself – it works very well for Christmas mood.
Robins, winter, 16 x 20 in (41 cm x 51 cm) acrylic painting on canvas, sold
Festive gift painting workshop
I invite everybody to participate in a festive workshop at the beginning of December to try out how nice of an adventure it is to create something heart-warming and cheerful. We can choose the image, and some people usually prefer winter scenes, some illustration or wall decoration type of art, as well as some might go for birds. We also paint poinsettias almost every winter. I must admit, that is a subject which always works well on canvas and paper and looks great.
Create the mood, create the gift
The best way to get into Christmas mood is to create art that suits the season. Let us celebrate in style with original art this year! Please let me know if you like “Robins, winter” painting and whether you’d love me to ship it to you!
Art prints and other artistic products are available from Fine Art America., just click on image.
My favorite from all products with this particular painting is the spiral notebook. It looks unbelievably good! Mugs also look impressive, so do actually lots of my art products and art prints.
Here is how you get to purchase many fantastic prints and similar artsy things at very attractive prices: Art collections by Inese Poga
Celebrate in style and have a wonderful Christmas mood!
Who benefits from art and artists
Artists work hard
When you look at art for sale, it can seem sometimes artists are out of touch with reality and ask an unreasonably high price for their art. It seems so. I once asked a lady who had stopped by at my studio: do you know anybody who would work for about a month, every day, 6-8 hours a day and then get for all this work 200 bucks minus cost of materials? It wasn’t that I tried to make her pay more, it is how long it takes me in average to paint something. She was a nice lady, and she honestly said she didn’t know anybody who would work on such terms. I could add to this that I don’t know either, except fellow artists who for different reasons undersell their art.
Who benefits from art and artists
A brief list of these who benefit not only from full-time artists, but anybody who creates art and tries to sell their art, are companies which:
make pencils, papers, tracing papers, graphite papers, drawing sketching, watercolor and all kinds of art papers,
make canvas, canvas panels, canvas boards, stretcher bars and canvas fabric,
make paints, pigments, mediums for paints, solvents, varnishes, and all kinds of chemicals that are necessary for putting paint on canvas or paper at different stages or for preserving art,
make easels, supports, frame and framing supply manufacturers, including mats, matting paper, glass, Plexiglas and similar materials.
Let’s add website and blog
Every artists needs a website or blog, as well as social media presentation, so there are numerous platforms and hosting businesses which sell everything from security certificates to software for managing website, hosting, themes, plugins and many tools in order the website stayed functional.
We should add companies which manufacture computers, tablets, laptops, cameras, video cameras and phones since we need to get the art image captured and transferred to online space.
Virtual and real space-related cost
Space-related cost involves quite many aspects: any landlord who leases studio or showroom space;
any utility provider who sells power, gas and water to the studio;
any show, gallery, exhibition, fair, including juried shows, online competitions and online shows which charge a fee for putting the artwork out there;
any online art sales or art print sales provider which charges membership fee and commission;
money collecting and payment processing companies, banks, etc. also benefit from artists and their work.
More expenses
That is not the entire list, mind you, and to some extent it is similar to expenses that are inevitable for any freelance or self-employed person. The creation of art is definitely at the higher end of expenses in regard to costs of materials and time consumption.
Artists obviously pay for paints, paper, canvasses, frames and framing, fees for shows and gallery representation and any utilities, as well as monthly payments for studio regardless of whether there is going to be some profit or not. Even when art ends up in the wastebasket, it still involves cost.
Product and demand
I know, anybody, who creates a product, must create it first and there is never a guarantee of selling it. However, most products which are 100% unique, handmade and original sell for much more than the materials and labor that goes into them. So, we have arrived at the most important question: who enables the artist to earn living? Who makes it possible for the artist to profit from their talent, work and efforts? That is, you, dear friend who loves art. These are people who collect art.
How does an artist earn income?
The artist can only profit from his or her clients, who purchase the work whether as a product with art image on or in it, or as an original painting and drawing. Therefore, all artists are looking out for people, who love and appreciate art. People, who have enough money and are willing to spend it not on food, not on outfit, not on make-up or furniture, but art. Art is not a medication and it won’t cover you as a blanket, but it can feel that way, too. I know people, who can stand for half an hour at some of my paintings, and they feel exactly that: warmth and energy, and healing power.
Think about it
I hope when you go to an art show next time and when you look at some painting, you will be aware that along with artist’s efforts, talent, time and soul, a lot of other expenses are included. That constitutes the invisible part of a painting which is quite frequently not covered at all.
Freelancing
Being a freelance writer and artist is not easy by any means. There is huge insecurity. I never know when a new work request arrives, I cannot guess with certainty when a painting will sell. I obviously cannot work when I’m not well, and that causes other problems. The domino effect.
Why to do this? At the present moment, this is the only option I have, and I just love creating art more than anything else.
A few watercolor paintings in fresh colors
I am presenting for reference a few large watercolor paintings which come as a result of many hours of work.
I am not sure if I will post something else before I fly to Latvia next Monday. I unintentionally have chosen the full solar eclipse day, but who cares. I am happy to go on this trip and see my family.
Thanks for reading!
Where would we be without the beauty?
Beauty is the most universal, self-expressing phenomenon that does not require words or language knowledge. It is present in all walks of life, but it becomes something extremely perceivable due to art.
As we rush our daily schedules and spend most of the time running, we might not notice the moment when a bud opens. The magic moment when the fragile petals unfold and when the sun and rain pour life into it. It becomes a mediator of beauty. Every smallest vein and line, every nuance of color is so unique. Beauty which breathes and is alive.
The biggest advantage of being able to create, draw and paint is the feeling of being a creator. We can do anything with the sheet of white paper in front of us. It’s our choice what goes on it. I choose the never-ending, personality enriching and mood uplifting divine features of the nature. It is a cheerful activity on its own. It is more than meditation, it is much more than immersion in oneself, it is the imperative life-continuing reveal of the underlying essence of life, and the essence of life is beauty.
Enjoy! Happy Mother’s Day! I know my mom will love these paintings.
The best way to start painting with watercolors
How to start painting with watercolor
The best way to start painting with watercolor is using pen and watercolor wash. We all want our art to be great and impressive. However, if you are new to some medium or absolutely new to drawing and painting, you have to bear in mind: nothing happens right away and with the first brushstroke. I have had absolute beginners who were somewhat disappointed that their first piece of art wasn’t exhibition quality. Well, that is normal.
Patience
Every skill takes time, efforts and work. Creation of drawing or painting involves lots and lots of information. Some people are courageous by nature and love to experiment, and that is very beneficial. Some people are perfectionists and they believe everything they do must be either perfect or they are ready to give it up: don’t use this approach.
Focus on potential
My personal attitude towards something new in painting: different subject, medium, tools or technique never focuses on perfection. I focus on potential. Something might work out and something might not. There will be easy parts and probably difficult parts. That way. I call this attitude: let us see what happens. Progress is usually gradual. That is why we start with simple things and move to more complicated things.
Pen and watercolor
Pen and watercolor wash is a great technique for beginning watercolor artists. Some like it so much that they stick to this technique and turn it into their personal style. If you are insecure about drawing lines with pen, sketch them using pencil. You can draw over with pen and delete everything else. We have now clean drawing in black ink, and the white paper is not damaged.
Any subject will do
Anything can serve as a subject: from your morning coffee cup to flowers in a vase or at the fence, from a bird at your window to sprouting vegetables in a garden. Any scene with some object is good, but flowers look extremely nice when done in pen and watercolor.
Everybody can draw
When somebody says they cannot draw, I don’t believe that. Most often that means they tried 1 or 2 drawings and these drawings were not splendid. So, they conclude that they cannot draw. Talk to me after 100 drawings. That is a decent start. It is also much easier to point out what else one should do in order to create better art when they have engaged in more than just a few attempts.
Pen and watercolor flowers and spring scenes
Pen and watercolor wash is easy
Why to start with pen and watercolor? It is forgiving, it is easy and fast, and it allows learning watercolor application more effortlessly. The pen lines provide additional support. It is a flattering technique since practically any painting or drawing looks good regardless of how sufficient one is with watercolor. I have done numerous pen and watercolor paintings over years, just because it is fun, it is easy and looks fantastic.
Copyright notice: Copyright of displayed paintings, drawings, images of work in progress and images of finished paintings belong to artist Inese Poga. The use of painting and drawing images is prohibited if I have not given a written permission. That includes no pinning on Pinterest.