It's now mid February and yet again it's been quite a while since I visited my blog . I tell myself off about this every time and really must make more of an effort !
Winter's been dreary , wet and sadly very uninspiring so there's been no walking. The paths are boggy and the rain is relentless !
I've been reflecting on things in my art world recently. So much has changed over the past 5 years . I see galleries closing and artists like myself struggling to make sales. Once I was selling 1-2 paintings a month which kept me nicely ticking over . Now it's one every 3-4 months which makes it very hard and I wonder how long I can continue.
It seems to be all about algorithms and AI .
It's getting harder and harder to get your art seen . AI only seems to pick up new posts and information , in no time at all you're yesterday's news . It's fine for those that are constantly attatched to social media but I'd rather spend my time out in the tranquility of countryside when I'm not painting.
The online galleries have always been a good sales platform for me but I think that they too are no longer getting the views that they used to . As a result some are now having to raise their fees, commission rates etc . On average an artist only gets around 50-60% of the selling price of a painting and that has to cover materials , overheads and gallery subscription fees etc. Being an artist is NOT an easy life !
Many artists supplement their income by teaching which keeps them afloat. It's something that just wouldn't work for me though , I'm just not a teacher .
I'm really not sure what the future holds .
I love painting, it's what I do . 💗
With that in mind I have been "escaping" the dreary weather by forward thinking to the brighter days of Spring .
Firstly a small acrylic painting (35cms x 25cms) of the Cow Parsley and fields at the bottom of Ditchling beacon , lots of lovely lush Spring greens!
"Spring Pastures"
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Original acrylic painting of the Spring pastures and fields at the base of Ditchling beacon |
Next I thought I would paint the beautiful Bluebells ,such wonderful scented memories from a forest walk last Spring at Warninglid.
A little bit of serene forest bathing in the middle of a hetic world .
I have composed a short poem to accompany it , I hope you like it .
"Let's escape this dreary day and walk along the forest path, .
where Bluebells flower ,
Painting of the Bluebells along the forest path. Acrylic on canvas
If you wish to purchase this painting or see more of my available works please visit my
Arts2Arts page . Paula Oakley Original Art
