Making your own natural wood frame for a 3/4" stretched canvas is not difficult, it just takes a few tools and a bit of careful planning. 

The tools that you will need are:

• Hemlock outside corner moulding long enough to surround your piece and allow for a little bit of waste from cutting. (1-1/8" x 1-1/8" approx $5.85/foot)
• Pencil for marking the lengths
• Tape measure
• 1/4" Staples
• Staple gun
• Painters tape
• Wood glue
• A framer's square
• Tung Oil for finishing
• Mitre saw or Mitre box and hand saw for cutting.
• Small screws (#4  5/8" screws)
• Counter sink bit for creating a lovely cup shape for the screw to seat into.

Before we begin, do you see the diagonal arrows at the lower right corner?  If you click on those arrows the video will expand to a larger version.  Roll your cursor over the lower right hand corner and the diagonal arrows will show up.  

This video is available for your use and in addition I am here to help you, should you run into any uncertainty. Message your questions at this email address: studio@cielellis.com

In return if you'd like to make a donation, in the amount of your choice, I encourage you to do so.  I'm happy to share what I know and it comes at a cost to me in time and technology.  Your donation makes a big difference. 

I have a few opinions about why this is important. 
1) Art making is all about making decisions, lots of decisions.  If you aren't organized in your own mind those decisions become slower to make and much more frustrating.  

2) When you are organized you can:

• a) see your numbers and measure your progress
• b) make decisions based on those details. 
• Note: measuring money is not always the most motivating. 

3) It's easy for you to look up the information you need.  When a customer is wanting to know a detail about the painting you have all those details in one place, easy to find.  This really builds trust.  The customer sees that you are organized and you are a real business person. 

The #1 place to start is getting your artwork into a spreadsheet. You can use a sheet of paper, of course, however a spreadsheet can do all sorts of calculations automatically making your numbers much easier to understand. 

The first spreadsheet is an inventory list.  This is a list of everything you have finished, sold, and pieces in the works.  

Here is a little video walking you through the set up of your first spreadsheet. 

Before we begin, do you see the diagonal arrows in the image below?  If you click on the them they will expand the videos below so they are easier to read.  You can find the arrows by rolling over the bottom right hand corner of the video. 

At different times I want to have different information so I create several spreadsheets to track different things. 

One of those things I track are my materials. Namely canvases.  What sizes and how many blank canvases do I have in inventory.  Maybe you have none, then this is something unnecessary for you to track.  For me, I may have an addiction to purchasing canvases... seriously.  I think I have 70, that's 7+0, canvases waiting in the wings for new paintings.  Sheesh.  

In order to keep the inventory of available canvases in order, I created a new spreadsheet to track them. 

You will see I've added a donate button below.  Why?  Helping you comes at a cost to me for my time and the fees to run the technology necessary.  If you are able, and you found value, please make a donation in an amount that you decide.  I will say thank you in advance.  I'm grateful to be in this relationship with you.  Please let me know if you run into any questions of need help.  Message me at: studio@cielellis.com

This is a dream of many artists and unfortunately it can seem like a daunting task because honestly there are so many decisions to make.  Decisions that are necessary, sometimes scary, and you don't know if you are doing it 'right.'

As I've built my career, I've learned a lot, made some mistakes, and found a rhythm that works for me and my clients are more importantly my customers are confident to purchase from me.

From a talk that I gave at the Langley location of Opus, I wanted to share the topics that I touched on.   

• Pricing
• Prints
• What to paint
• How do you find your market
• Pricing
• Shipping
• Multiple styles of artwork
• Do I need a website
• Confidence
• Getting organized
• How do I organize my time in order to meet the submission/commission deadlines.
• What to measure to know if I'm even making progress
• What are you capable of from a spiritual, physical, creative aspect
• Steps necessary for getting your business together
• How do I change the style of my art without losing my followers?
• What if I’m not tech savvy
• Reading list of inspiring books
• Does my art matter
• “It’s so scary putting yourself out there” 

In the coming weeks I will be writing to answer these questions and providing pdf downloads where possible to support you in the growth of your business. 

Let me know if there is a topic that you would like me to cover if you don't see it here simply by leaving a comment below.  

Depending whose viewpoint you are taking. Just think about this for a moment. Who's doing the criticizing?  Likely someone who works in a conventional job.  

If you work as an insurance broker, or a doctor, or windshield installer for the automotive industry, then you work regular hours, for an expected wage, with structures for safe practices and regulations around what you can and can't do. You also likely have industry standards for education.  If you fulfill x,y,z, training and earn your certificate then you can perform that job.

The structures and expectation when you have a regular job are easily understood and most people can work within them just fine. 

Artists on the other hand, often work irregular hours, and perform many things that are not directly measurable, and are easily judged by those who work differently. Plus there is no x,y,z program of training that guarantees anything for an artist.  You can go to university or some other post secondary training and still have the same challenges of marketing and creating a body of work that is marketable as those who did not go the university route. 

Then there are the things that artists do that don't correlate to an hourly wage structure. What about the hours and hours an artist spends conceptualizing new ideas, trying things out, practicing with new materials, pricing the materials they would like to use - only to realize the cost is too high, then spend a whole lot of extra time trying to find a new solution?  How does all this get factored in? 

Conventional jobs = doing a job + get paid for that job. 
Artists = try a bunch of things, spend a whole lot of non-billable hours to produce something, and hope it sells.  You get paid for the one item that someone gave you money for, not the hours and hours it took to produce that one item. 

In reality, business of any sort is very simple.  You make a product that someone wants to buy and then you assist that person in buying it. 

Simple.  
For artists, being that there is no inherent business structure, they have to decide, on every level how they are going to structure their business. I think this is where it gets a bit overwhelming.  

When are they the most effective at their work? Is it midnight to 4 am? 
Where are the people that want to purchase what they have produced?
Which shows/exhibits do they want to be a part of?
What are the commissions/costs to be a part of those shows?
How are you going to display your art so it can be seen in the best possible light?  Can you schlepp all that to the venue yourself or do you need someone to help? 

How do you price your work?  
Do you sell it framed or unframed? 
How do you talk about your art so the possible collector is intrigued enough to enquire about purchasing it? 

Then comes all the shipping and packaging questions. Oh and the website.  Which platform, how do I take payment, how do I keep an inventory of finished work?  Where did the blue abstract piece go, anyway? 

It's a lot.  From an outside observer artists may be judged because what they do does not fit into a neat, regular system.  

The freedom to decide how to be an artist, is part of the appeal and attraction.  The freedom to design, tweak, sell and promote their work however feels right, to whomever it feels right, is really a blessing.  

If you are an artist, don't worry about the criticism, you get to do you.  Make the decisions you need to make, get some help if you need it.  Keep records of your work.  Pay your taxes.

Another thing about being an artist that's super cool.  Anyone with the right training can sell insurance or install a windshield, or style that new haircut.
Artists create something from nothing,  Something wonderful and new that can only be created by them. There is no recipe.  The product comes from their unique inspiration and their skill with their medium.  The possibilities are endless and never the same twice.  

Yeah to all the artists out there cutting their own path through the amazing opportunities, doing it their own way. 

We want to feel that we are doing something meaningful.  That we are appreciated.  That we matter. That we are connected to people that matter to us. 

Maybe one day you wake up and wondered what is the point?  Why does any of this really matter?  I've certainly asked these questions over the years.  Finding my own way to these answers had been about listening, journalling, meditating, and following my own inspiration.  I noticed over time  that I had answered my own question. 

I think this is the only meaningful way to come to our answers - to do it ourselves.  Can YOU value what you do? 

For a lot of years I didn't feel that valuable.  Yes, I had roles that I fulfilled, mother, sister, daughter, friend, wife, lover, creative.  As my parents and many of siblings have died, the family ties, rituals and routines have fallen away.  Without the obligatory Thanksgiving/Christmas get togethers, what is the nature of connection?  I can't say those get togethers were fulfilling.  They were often strained and didn't result in any meaningful connections.  

You know how it is... the turkey needs to get cooked, the salads prepared, the table set, the beverages chilled. Then the guests arrive and it's about making sure everyone has what they need.  Then it's the cleaning up and everyone goes home.  I drove 12 hours on winter roads for this ?  

I was wanting something more.  A chance to connect.  A moment where someone turned to me and asked "how are you doing?  What's going on in your life?" and really listened to what I had to say. This is partly a co-dependent questions.  "If only they​ would pay attention to me."  Neediness, for sure. I understand now that this energy of needing something from someone else is also pretty heavy.  The expectation on others that they would fulfill something that I needed.  They probably had no idea what I needed but could sense a brooding or moodiness that was not appealing.  

In some ways the falling away of the obligations has been wonderfully liberating.  A peeling back to the essential of what has me feel valuable in my own life.  

Through my art, the best learning arena I've found, I have grown.  I think we search for the sublime.  Art is beautiful and healing, but also it is a manifestation of love, or divinity, or whatever we want to call it.  (Excerpt from Bittersweet by Susan Cain.

In reality I don't really 'need' others to come to me and spend that quality conversation.  It's nice when it happens, but the neediness has fallen away.  Thank goodness.  I feel that connections can now come in a more transparent, honest, mutual way, than the way I was seeking them.  

Through my art, I'm learning to listen, be still and create from within.  I know that sounds kind of whoo whoo.  I'm sure you have heard of the concept of the flow state, where you lose track of time and feel immersed in the process of what you are doing.  That's what I'm referring to when I say create from within.  

Before that flow state can happen the environment and tools need to be arranged in such a way that you can be in the moment of creating.  

I read a term this morning... the mediocrity of excellence.  Often people who excel are not the most brilliant, the fastest, smartest, funniest, rather they are the ones who show up day in day out doing the small things.  Practicing, keeping to the routine of things.  

Artists historically have gotten a bad rap for how they live their life.  Judgement abounds.  Judgement about our business skills, the quality of the work we produce, the subject matter that we represent.  I learned a valuable lesson this past year, I was still seeking approval from strangers.  There were holes in the way I was holding the efficacy of my work, so the criticism was able to find its way in.  Great lesson to learn. 

Collecting evidence has become a habit of mine. 
I collect things like:

• my daily time at the canvas/business,
• how many square inches I've painted in the last month/year,
• what have my sales been over time,
• at this price and time to produce am I making a profit.  

​When I can look at my numbers and see that 1) I am making money, 2) I'm showing up and putting in the time 3) I'm painting more = more likely to reach my goals, then I can feel a sense of personal satisfaction and pleasure.  I can allow myself to feel good.  

With these sets of goals + I can keep to the schedule + I'm making great progress = I feel good about what I'm doing. 

This doesn't even take into affect how my art is improving from my time and attention.  It's quite amazing.  

As I see these images here, tears come to my eyes.  To see how far I've come.  To feel the energy of my paintings now, moved me to tears, literally. 

This feels f*cking amazing.  I can honestly say I feel good.  I feel valuable.  I feel like what I'm contributing is important. 

I wish this for you too.  I wish for the awareness and time for you to find your way to this self satisfying place, where deep connections can happen, naturally.  Where you feel that are so valuable.  Bless you on this journey.  Please keep going.  Your art matters.  

I’m not good with criticism. It’s often cruel and unnecessary. I'm talking about the unsolicited opinions that come from, who knows, family/friends, or random strangers.  It doesn't really matter.  What does matter is the effect. 

For me, I get triggered. I’m human. I react. I feel hurt. I feel frustrated. I feel pissed off. All of it takes me away from my beautiful heart centred creativity.

It is very important that whatever the motivation for the unsolicited critique of your work, let it bounce off you.  There is no need to take it personally, or justify yourself, or somehow appease the person.  

What you do, or how you do it, may be rejected by some viewers.  That is not the point.  Your work is important. I keep trying to stress this in my writing.  Why?  Your unique view on your life and the world you live opens a window for the rest of us to consider and experience what you are.  What you create could not exist without you.  Your unique inspirations and just that unique.  Even if you see a gazillion people painting landscapes, or flowers, or portraits, the way you do it is unique simply because you see things differently.  You also use your materials differently than other people.  Celebrate that uniqueness.  Comparison is the killer of your creativity and completely unnecessary. It's a waste of time.... period. 

In my case, I've had thousands of people - and I'm not exaggerating, react to one of my paintings.  All positive, "Oh wow!", "Lovely work", "I really enjoy what you are doing, you are so talented," etc.  Then there is the one that says some pretty unrealistic things.  And you know the truth neither comment really matters that much.  I mean, yes, the good comments are great to hear, but if that is why you are making art, then you are really susceptible to that feedback.  What if the comments dry up?  Do you stop making your art? Don't let yourself become dependent on other people telling you what you are doing is worthwhile.

Your finished piece of artwork is a testiment to the journey you have been on to create it.  It's personal.  You tackled the difficult stuff, of self doubt, uncertainty, lack of motivation, whatever, and created the piece anyway. Your art and your tenacity if really important.  If you are compelled to create, then keep creating and don't let anyone dissuade you from it. 

I appreciate every single day that I get the privilege of creating what I’m inspired to create. The freedom to do it my way. The responsibility to share my joy and exuberance. When many people are falling apart in despair and worry from the challenges we are facing, I get to infuse the world with a bit of peace, a bit of beauty, and a whole lot of love.

That’s what’s important.

Here is one of my recent pieces titled "Yowza"  Yowza is right.  I hope you enjoy it.  

Flowers being my main passion in my art and I'm always curious to learn, I've been in search of historical motivations as well as psychological benefits of flower art in particular. 

Scientist David Deutsch, believes that blooms have an abject beauty that draws people in with their harmonizing hues, smooth curves, and symmetrical patterns.  Harmonizing hues.... has me think of energy regulation.  Of calming the nerves of those who have had a busy day filled with traffic and distractions.  Symmetrical patterns makes reference to balance and order.  

There is another aspect of creating art that I have been exploring and that is the golden ratio or fibonacci numbers.  Do you know what those are?  Let me explain.  The golden ratio is a mathematical relationship between two lengths the ideal being 1.618.  This is the probably the most studied ratio since the beginning of time.  

The ancient Greeks recognized this “dividing” or “sectioning” property, a phrase that was ultimately shortened to simply “the section.” It was more than 2,000 years later that both “ratio” and “section” were designated as “golden” by German mathematician Martin Ohm in 1835. The Greeks also had observed that the golden ratio provided the most aesthetically pleasing proportion of sides of a rectangle, a notion that was enhanced during the Renaissance by, for example, the work of the Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci and the publication of De divina proportione (1509; Divine Proportion), written by the Italian mathematician Luca Pacioli and illustrated by Leonardo.  Taken from https://www.britannica.com/science/golden-ratio

So what does this mean for art?  If the greeks were using the golden ratio to design the most pleasing relationship of the lines and proportions that created their monuments and Leonardo used his understanding of the ratio in his historic work, then it leads me to believe that it may still be relevant today.  (hint of sarcasm.)

How does the golden ratio relate to me and my work? As an artist I have the challenge of creating a window to the world, as I see it, with the hopes of drawing the attention of a viewer and perhaps a collector for my work.  I have  two dimensional surface to work on and what I choose to place in that frame, where I place it, how I depict it, the skill I'm able to create it with all determine the success of the piece.  

I could willy nilly place things in the frame and hope for the best, but considering some of paintings take 75-100 hours to create I'd rather not take the chance.  I'm not really much of a gambler when it comes to my work.  

What I do instead is I compose my subjects in a way that honours the golden ratio, captures light in an interesting way, and hopefully pulls the view in.  

Here is a peony that I photographed.  At this point I'm not sure if it will be an interesting painting.  As it is in this image, I would not paint this because I don't want all the grass/dirt and extraneous information that really is not that interesting.  The challenge now becomes whether I can compose this image in a pleasing way to make it an exquisite painting.  

This combination is okay.  But let's see if I can refine this even a bit more. 

Now we've got something.  Let me explain.  Maybe you aren't seeing what I'm seeing.  I've placed the golden ratio, the lines dividing the shape into the 1.618 ratio.  I've placed one cross section on the stamen of the flower and the other points on petals of interest.  This creates a framing for the focal point.  The stamen being what I really want to draw you in with.  I feel a sense of tension here, like you can feel the energy of the bloom pushing out from the frame of the canvas.  I find this really interesting.  

I want to generate a feeling with my work.  Yes, it is a pretty picture, but what I can do with that image to have you feel something?  That's the big question.  It begins with me, what do I feel? It's my hope that the feeling will transfer to you the viewer. 

I'd like to think that I create paintings that will enhance your life, provide a calm centering energy in your home.  Using the tools at my disposal, from ancient mathematical understanding, to the conventions of modern oil paint, I hope I'm successful.  It is my passion and intend to keep practicing and finding a way to connect with you in a meaningful way. 

To see my collection of finished pieced, you can view them here. 
www.cielellis.com/flower-paintings.html

Is collecting art really a luxury? 
Maybe it's not as essential as food, mortgage, car expenses, clothing etc.,  the things we buy without thinking about.  However, art does something more for us. 

1) It is an emotional investment and means of self expression reflecting the nuances of your personality.  I guarantee you there is an artist creating art that appeals to your values, your perspective, your reverence for the things that matter.  And here's the flip side, those same artists need you in order to continue to produce their art and support themselves. 
2) Art makes your space original.  It's your way to customize your space beyond the builder boring beige.  
3) By selecting art that appeals, you create a legacy for your life.  It's like putting your stamp on the experience of your life.  "I choose this!!!"
4) When you collect an artists work you are growing with them.  You are directly contributing to the growth and development of that artist.  Very cool.  
5) You might even learn something new.  Such as the history, culture, motivation that the artist had.  In learning about the artist you might even recognize some of the same insights in yourself.  Perhaps that's why you were attracted to the work in the first place.  
6) Ultimately we all want to feel like we are okay.  That we matter.  That the way we see the world is supported in some small way.  Art can help you do that.  It is a mirror for you to see your tastes, perspectives and life experience. 

Just look at the difference this gorgeous piece of art made in the room above.  This is a piece that I painted of a Gaye Paree Peony.  The original has long sold, however, I now have prints available.  

This one is 24 x 24" and is a Giclee Print.  What's a giclee?  It is a print on canvas using archival inks.  It comes as close to the original in texture and vibrancy that a print can come.  This one is available for $447 CDN unframed.  It lights up any room you decide to place it in.  

I'll leave the link below for you to see the details.  

https://www.cielellis.com/store/p102/raspberry-dazzle.html

Let me know if you have any questions.  This particular piece is ready to ship and I even have the black matte frame in stock if you'd like that too.  

{What really is the point of all this....}
​Have you ever asked yourself this question? Perhaps you work in isolation and wonder what's the point? Maybe you keep reaching the same roadblock in your art and career. Maybe you even get caught in the vortex of "Well, if I can't make a living from my art, then what's the point."

I met with a group of artists locally this morning and the sentiment was largely the same, we benefit from relationships with other artists. Receiving encouragement and support from others who are tackling the same big questions is reassuring.

David Bayles and Ted Orland in their book Art & Fear point out "The only work really worth doing - the only work you can do convincingly - is the work that focuses on the things you care about." pg 116.

They go on to say that "Art work is ordinary work, but it takes courage to embrace that work, and wisdom to mediate the interplay of art & fear." pg 117 Also "What veteran artists share in common is that they have learned how to get on with their work. Simply put, artists learn how to proceed, or they don't. The individual recipe any artist finds for proceeding belongs to that artist alone - it's non-transferable and of little use to others."

Pg 118. "Artists become veteran artists only by making peace not just with themselves, but with a huge range of issues.....In the end, it all comes down to this: you have a choice between giving your work your best shot and risking that it will not make you happy, or not giving it your best shot - and thereby guaranteeing that it will not make you happy. It becomes a choice between certainty and uncertainty. And curiously enough, uncertainty is the comforting choice."

Pg 9. "Basically, those who continue to make art are those who have learned how to continue - or more precisely, have learned how to not quit."

So why I am sharing all this today? Because I feel strongly that you matter and your art matters. Do you have any idea how many people are dreaming of a life where they can and do make art? So many. And here we are with these creative gifts, letting uncertainty stop us in our tracks.

An example from my career. One of my paintings received 7500 reactions, likes, comments, and shares on social media. 7500!!! To have someone pause for a moment and gain some pleasure from my work is such a humbling gift, to me, to them, and to the people, they interact with. This is the legacy that I want to be a part of.

What we/I create matters. People benefit from the things we create. You matter and your work matters.

Yes, fears come up. The bills keep rolling in. You wonder what's the point.

Tip your focus over to what is it going to take for me to keep going? What do I need to do to trust myself and continue anyway?

You will figure out the bills, you always do. Please don't throw your art on the funeral pyre for the sake of a bill, or the sake of self-doubt, or criticism, or whatever.

It's totally okay if this is really not what you want to do with your life. Make a new decision and go do something else. It's totally okay.

And if you find art is the best way for you to make a statement about the things that you care about, then please keep going. It matters what you create.

​With love and respect, onward, my fellow artists. ​

If you think about it, it has to be.  Art is only created when the artist takes time to explore what they selfishly are interested in.  For me it's flowers, for others it's political statements, or justice issues, or pastoral landscapes, or abstract compositions.  Why do any of us make anything?  Because it is interesting.  It fulfills some desire within our curiosity. It's something worth spending time with.  Which actually means that we are worth spending time with.  After all the art that we make is a reflection of the person who created it.

Have you paid attention to the evolution of an artists work?  Can you see a difference between current pieces and older works? Yes? That is the evolution of the artist captured in physical form.  What you are witnessing is the artist making different decisions than they made in their earlier work.  It holds true that the more work an artist does the easier the artistic decisions will become.  Not that the work becomes easier to produce because likely the work gets more complex in time, but that the actual deciding becomes easier.  Less distraction from the uncertainty of what to do next.  

For the beginning artists all the decisions often lead to almost complete paralysis.  Standing in front of that first blank canvas with all the expectations and desires to make 'great' art are standing there with them.  Crossing those initial boundaries of what should I create, how should I create it, will it be any good, are challenging hurdles for sure.  

For the more practiced artist the blank canvas no longer creates the same paralysis, however, the doubt and expectation are still present.  What if they never quite go away?  How does an accomplished artist deal with these two aspects?  They get on with it.  They simply do their work.  They pay less attention to these distractions of the mind than they once did.  

After all, the barriers to creating art are all made up within the artists own mind.  The paint doesn't care about your expectation.  The canvas has no input into what you put on it.  Neither material cares if you create something great.  Only the artist cares. What is actually created comes down to what the artist imagines is possible.  Unfortunately what is possible is limited by what the artist thinks about their ability.  It's a chicken and the egg situation. Does great art come by accident, or does the artist believe they can make great art, therefore they can.   

Which brings me right back to the title of this blog post.  Making art is a selfish pursuit.  When an artist stands in front of the blank canvas they are really exploring the relationship they have with themselves, with their ability to make decisions.  They are confronted with the challenge of managing their mind, while their creative curiosity just wants to get going. 

On the flipside, if the artist doesn't really think they can do anything significant, then guess what they create?  Pretty mediocre art that they are not really that happy with.  

Let's peel this back a little bit further.  Painting is very simply, in my mind.  You mix some paint and you put it on the canvas.  Simple.  If you create a painting that you are not happy with, frustrated that it didn't work out, then you have a couple of problems.  You have either used the wrong colour or you've put it in the wrong place.  That's it.  

Now I'm really simplifying things here.  Clearly the great artists, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Titian, Sargent, etc. have some skills to create wonderful paintings.  They practiced and were able to make decisions with their paint choices, and how/where they placed that paint unlike most other artists.  But the theory remains.  With practice artists get better at making creative decisions and their work, it stand to reason, will also improve from those decisions.  

I think there is also a self-improvement that goes on because as artists make more decisions at the canvas, they also challenge the doubt and uncertainty within themselves. I have often said that painting is the greatest self-help that I've ever embarked on.  Simply because there is nothing standing in the way of my creative successes on and off the canvas other than my own ideas about my success.  If I can manage my mind in a successful way, then there really is nothing I can't achieve.  

I'm not suggesting that doubt and uncertainty go away with good mindset management or that they should even be squelched.  After all they are just as valid a feeling as anything an artist might experience.  What I am suggesting is that rather than have the feeling state of experiences dictate what, if anything, will be produce, that we learn to work with the seeming obstacles. 

If I can believe most artists that I've spoken to about their process, each and every one has moments of doubt and the thought 'oh no! I've messed this up.'  It's part of the process.  Some call it the messy middle.  This is where things get hard, the decisions don't come as easily, the judgments rush in, and you basically don't know where to go from here.  I would expect that even the great artists of old also had these same processes wreak havoc on their artistic production. 

Let's agree that being an artist and creating art is a selfish pursuit and one that bring the artist into a greater relationship with themselves each and every time they create something. 

Here comes the dichotomy. If art is a selfish pursuit then how does an artist connect to a collector to purchase that art?  How can this self pursuit have any meaning to the end collector?  Now in the case of the old masters they were often commissioned by the clergy or wealthy patrons to create their art so a transaction to purchase was established to secure the completion of the piece of art.  That is not the case in modern times.  Patronage is something rarely seen in the modern art work.  

Somehow, an artist has to describe/present their art, their self expression in such a way a collector can connect to it and wants to exchange money for that piece of art.  Is it as simply as "Ooh, it matches my couch"?  I don't think so.  It can be that a piece fits into the decor of a room, and you may conclude that is the sole reason for purchasing the art.  But I just don't buy it.  There are any number of things you could hang above the couch that would work.  What is it that actually has a collector purchase a particular piece?  

I have a theory.  One I haven't definitely proven in any scientific way, however, a theory it is. Let's go back to the ideas of art being a selfish pursuit.  If the artist is successful in capturing what their imagination is guiding them to create, and their art is a mirror of the mindset and intentions they held while they created it, then those same characteristics are steeped into that piece of art.  Could it not also be true that the viewer senses and reads the piece of art for the intention that it was created with?  

This theory also helps support the idea that there is a collector for every style of art that has been created.  Just take a look at social media, for example.  I paint flowers, and on any given day I can scroll through my feed and see 15, maybe 20 different styles of flower paintings.  Some are really great, in my mind.  Some not so much.  What I prefer in a flower painting, I guarantee, is not what everyone prefers.  

Any artist new to creating art and thinking of selling their art has thought "This isn't good enough.  Who's going to want to buy this?"  There is a buyer for all types and styles of art.  Please don't let that mind trick stop you from believing there is a market for your style of art.  Does this mean that every piece of art is saleable - heck no.  Bad art is bad art, and who decides on bad art?  The jury is still out on that one.  It may sound like I'm contradicting myself here.  Bear with me.  It's a tricky idea I'm trying to get across. Being skilled at creating art that is pleasing to look at, takes time, and effort.  There are some conventions that assist you in creating a great image.  Conventions such as composition, atmospheric perspective, convergent and divergent lines, perspective, proportion, shading, the relationship between lights and darks within the image and so on.  These take time to learn and even longer to practice.  If for instance you create an image with one object stuck smack in the middle of the canvas with very little attention to the surround area, it's likely not going to be very interesting.  

I think where artists get frustrated is that they have missed learning about the tools that will help them create interesting images.  Rather they keep trying to create something of interest using the same skills and ideas that they have always used and wonder why their work isn't improving.  Wasn't it Einstein who said the definition of crazy making is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.  

In conclusion, yes, I do get long winded sometimes, I will wrap this up.  Art making is selfish, for sure.  When an artist is able to be with their process and their mindset while creating, they can create a piece of art that is steeped in that intention.  Collectors feel it, and connect to the authenticity of the piece and may even want to purchase it.  The key to this transaction is: Does the artist believe they can produce an interesting image?  Do they believe someone will like it enough to buy it?  Are they willing to do the work and practice making their art so they can move from uninteresting images to ones that hold the viewer's attention?  Keep in mind painting is an illusion.  It's creating something tangible on a two dimensional plane in such a way that it evokes a reaction in the viewer.  In my case, I paint realistic flowers on a two dimensional surface.  If the flower is flat, it might look like a flower but it's not going to be very interesting.  If I can create that same flower in such a way that the viewer can smell the dew laden air and see the water drops scattered across the flower in the morning light.... now that's getting more interesting.  

I hope you have enjoyed this little trip into my analytic brain.  If you'd like to see the original paintings that I have available to purchase, I'll be publishing them in my magazine Direct From The Studio on the 28th of October.  To grab your e-copy simply leave me your email address below. Feel free to leave me a comment in the comment box also.