EARLYBIRD HOLIDAY MARKET

I'm looking forward to this fun holiday market at my studio; The Arts Centre at Cedar Hill.

Just one day only from 10am  to 3pm, the potters and artists of the studios at Cedar Hill host a holiday market.  

Come see what we've been making. Shop for special gifts and unique one of a kind art pieces produced by local Victorian artists.

TRANSITIONS IN YOUR ART

Transitions in art happen all the time in small increments when painting.  It's all about listening to the inner voice, and following where it leads.  Since moving to BC, I have noticed that I am more and more interested in the abstract process of painting.  In my studio work I have been allowing myself the indulgence of painting for paintings sake, and seeing where it leads me.  It sometimes yields pleasant  surprises... I'm always searching for those.  It also often leads to stoppages where I have to put the painting away and revisit another time.  

Sometimes transitions are the result of what's happening in life, shifts in ways of thinking and new ideas bubbling up.  
Exploring these ideas enrich the art experience.  These transitions don't always have to become significant bodies of work, I think of them more as building blocks to something more interesting down the road.

ART SHOW ENERGY

TD Moss Street Paint In - Saturday July 20th

Woohoo! An amazing day of ART, ART & more ART featuring 191 artists and street activities is happening in Victoria on Saturday July 20th!  
It's the TD Art Gallery PAINT IN on Moss Street. It's our ART GALLERY OF GREATER VICTORIA's premier fundraising event.  

Late Afternoon Light,
McKenzie Beach
oil on canvas
15x45 inch

Last year, my daughter Holly & I attended the event which stretched 10 neighbourhood blocks along Moss street down to the ocean.  So exciting to take in such a thriving art event in our little coastal city.  I'm excited to be included as an artist this year, and that energy is lifting me up with anticipation for a fun day on July 20th, 2019!  I'll be at the corner of Moss & Carnsew street.


This week I've been busy prepping display panels; whitewashing old bi-fold doors. I'll display some small artworks on them.  Lucky there is a fence behind my booth, so it will be a good backdrop for larger works.  Hope we get a stellar day!

BREAKING THROUGH IN THE ART PROCESS

'Celebration' -by Sally Chupick, oil on canvas - 12 x 12

That feeling of excitement when you create a 'break-through' piece of art....you stand back and recognize you've made a leap to more meaningful work.  It's hopeful and more than a little seductive.  As artists we all want to grow.  It's our driving force.  

How do you get over that fence you are sitting on?  Usually it's by experimentation.  Do something you haven't done before, and you're likely to get something new.  Try a new tool, method of application, subject or palette.  Experiment a little; learn something new.  It feels good.

'Rejoice' by Sally Chupick - oil on linen, 12 x 12

PLEIN AIR PAINTING - VARIETY

8x10 oil on panel 'Fickle Fig Farm' plein air painting

Variety.  It's the spice of life, they say... I find it's also the spice of my outdoor 'plein air' painting experience.  It's easy to bumble along with the same old application method, but it's boring, and it gives boring results.

 I like to change up how I apply paint.  Brushes, palette knife, scraping, smudging with my gloved fingers or with a rag, the more variety the better.  Here's this morning's plein air painting from Fickle Fig Farm. with the Alfresco painting group. The Fickle Fig is a farm market / bakery / cafe near Sidney, BC on Mills Road near the airport.

HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED WHILE PAINTING

I feel like all painters have challenges at times with staying motivated. 
One day you're all fired up and in the drivers seat with your painting, but just as easily procrastination kicks in.  When that happens it can be hard to get motivated.  Typically there are 2 process' for me that motivate.

1.)  the subject itself motivates...it interests me; I respond with my 'painting voice'. In this process, I already know what I want to say... I follow it to it's conclusion. This process is linear, and often it's satisfying; I feel kind of thrilled when I get a good result. Who doesn't want to make a successful painting?

2.). other times subjects don't feel all that interesting.  I want to explore things less tangible,  things a little out of reach.  Painting this way is a whole different process.  It's intuitive, and experimental and more than a little addictive.  I don't as often get a successful painting.  As a matter of fact I usually don't get one.  How do I stay motivated here?

For me, the answer is: painting.

To motivate myself I load a palette knife, brush or rag.  If I start, something usually happens.  One stroke leads to something else... questions arise, corresponding decisions are made.  It's definitely non linear.  I can work for long times laying in passages, only to scrape
off or paint over them.  It's elusive.   Occasionally something surprising happens.  That's the best feeling, when something unexpected takes my painting in an exciting direction.   Before I know it I'm motivated.

Cottage Beach Art Etsy shop

Opening - oil on wood - by Sally Chupick - $600

Back in April I listened to a podcast on Savvy Painter which resonated with me.  
The host, Antrese Wood, was interviewing social media wiz Jenni Waldrop.  Jenni's podcast was all about selling on Etsy for artists.
Back in 2012, I had opened an Etsy shop and listed some things for sale, but it never really took off for me and I lost interest, letting it die a slow death.
So I was curious when I listened to Jenni talk about Etsy for artists on the podcast.  Truthfully I was unbelieving... I had not had success with it before.  AND neither had Antrese (the interviewer) as she mentioned in the podcast that she had also given it a whirl but it had never taken off for her either.

Let me just pause here to say that these next few months for me in my personal life are all over the map.  I have packed up my studio and I'm not painting for a couple of months until I'm settled again permanently in our new home in Victoria, BC.  I have time while not painting, to learn new skills.

I'll repeat...there were things that resonated with me as I listened to the podcast.
One of those things was how Etsy can be a platform for a completely other line of work different from your main practice.  My ears perked up!
I felt like I was ahead of the game! I actually have an extensive line of tiny paintings that I create on driftwood and on cedar that is not suitable for showing in galleries or other art exhibits. Being so small that I actually call them mini's, they dont take me long to make but I enjoy them.  I find them sort of like yoga for my art practice, taking me to a place of meditation when I work on them.  So I already have a line of work different from my main practice.
Another thing that Jenni mentioned in the interview is that Etsy's platform brings a wider audience to those artists that wish to sell art prints from their work.  My ears perked up again!
I have always sold art prints of of Kingston, and done really well with them while living here in our hometown.  I realize not everybody can afford an original painting, but many are willing to buy a print of an original, for whatever reason.
So I thought...maybe there are other people who would  buy prints of other paintings?  People who do not know my work yet.  People who live far away.  People who might not come to my website to find my work or go into a gallery.  The thing Etsy has is people.  Customers.  Etsy has a pretty big reach.  It dawned on me that I could use some Etsy help.
Long story short...I signed up with Jenni for an online course about Etsy selling.  There is a ton of stuff I didn't know, that I've already learned, that I had no clue about before.

CottageBeachArt is my new Etsy shop!  The focus is on cottage and beach 'art treasures'.  Everything in the shop has this vibe goin' on!  I sell my art prints and home decor, as well as my line of cedar and driftwood mini original paintings.  Although it is my shop I collaborate with daughter Holly and hubby Jeff.  They make beach jewelry and beach decor.  We all enjoy creating; launching a shop of treasures seems right.   Although the shop has a variety of niche's, I'm hoping they tie together with my theme,  COTTAGE - BEACH...we'll see how it all goes!
It's been fun learning.  And, I'm noticing a little jump in sales.   It's a time sucker for sure, but at the moment I have time,  as I can't paint while moving!  Ugh! Moving house is a pain. It feels like it's been going on forever, as we've moved twice in the past 2 years already!  This move to Victoria is our final destination, and we are really looking forward to completing it, and living there full time!

Mr. Whale

Pacific Pebbles earrings

Morning Garden art print