finding balance

A recent discussion of late, among my art licensing friends has been about the quest of seeking balance in our efforts to run our businesses. With social networking an absolute must for building our brands, we are all struggling with finding (making) time to actual do what our business is all about- making art. I need to clarify here that making NEW art differs from the necessity of reformatting, updating and building onto OLDER art. Building a licensing portfolio is so much more than getting up each day and sitting down to the process of making art. It's about trend research, targeting specific clients, adapting to an ever changing marketplace by positioning ourselves as this or that. Building a (recognizable) brand requires consistency in style, in viewpoint and in technique. These days, almost any type of art can become  marketable if it meets these brand requirements. There is a lot of junk out there. There, I said it out load - it needed saying.

Finding (or making) the time to stay inspired and fresh while still working withing the framework of a brand does require balance. I opted out of traveling to the licensing show this week in favor of spending quality time with my paints and brushes. I'm glad I did. I'm trusting my agents to get me some juicy deals which are based on my unique perspective. I'm waiting anxiously for a report back from the show!

I normally don't jump right out after completing a new piece and show it on line but am making an exception today in an effort to show the process I use to plan out color.My neighbor gave me a beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas from her garden and I was inspired by the color to create a painting. My goal was to design a vibrant, colorful piece in response to the all too often (IMHO) expected approach to painting pretty blue flowers. The blue is intense and I wanted to celebrate that and expand upon it.  I set up the bouquet in my studio and pulled in some colorful papers and a backdrop. I like the sharp, straight edges of the paper juxtaposed with the soft, round and fluffy flowers. It creates a nice variety and gives this piece a bit of an edge...just what I wanted. Above, I've shown the final piece cropped. I like tight crops on images and I will probably use this for a greeting card design or possibly a gift item...I have some ideas.

Below is the start. I set up the still life to my left and then photographed it. I printed off the photo and set it up beside my painting. I liked having both the real set up and the photo available to glance at.

Here it is, about half finished...I could have stopped here and called it done but chose to add in more detail instead.

And here is the finished painting.   Limited edition, signed and numbered Giclee prints are available for purchase. Please contact me for pricing and sizes.

Have a good week, friends!

If you were inspired, please take a moment and leave me a comment...thanks!

Comments

[fireside sets]

It's really beautiful. Sometimes, we need to stop for a while and look around us. Though, there are many unwanted things we always see, there is still that little chance of seeing great things if you'll just take time.

[Sharyn Sowell]

Brenda, this is really gorgeous. You are so gifted with color and a brush.

[Jen Reed]

Tried commenting yesterday but the site wouldn't stop loading.. strange...

Brenda, you are very inspiring! I hope your agent brought you all kinds of wonderful opportunties back from the show. :)