fans of starving artists

Yesterday I was exhibiting in Versailles
Versailles is famous for its Royal castle and park. A beautiful town built in the second part of the XVII th century and where live old families of the gentry.

The art show was outside on the huge square market place, free entrance. Each artist, painter or sculptor, had the same 8 m sqare shedding. The weather was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, nice sun and north fresh little wind. From 10 am to 7 pm, my shedding was full of fans. 99% of them were discovering my paintings. They came first admiring each painting, their nose against the frame to look at each details.. and then coming to me to know my story or ask about my technique.
Then, they went to visit the other artists (we were about 100) before to come back and say. "You are the only artist, here" or "you are the last one who know how to draw here" or .... my stand was crowded of real fans all the time.

... but I did not sell a single print.

So this morning, I have the choice between hanging myself in a barn ...
Happy me, there is no barn around
or trying to find a new job. Writing ? teaching ? building websites ?


If you love a singer, buy his record
If you love a painter, if you cannot afford to buy an original, buy a print
don't let your favourite artists starve

the painting is breathtaking Cyrille..i'm sorry you didn't sell prints..hundreds of them. and i can empathize a thousand percent..that is why i am stuck doing these dang rocks while my canvases sit half finished stacked against the walls. The one above should be in a museum. Tell me how much is a print of the above? i am in love...

Cyrille, stop and take stock of what you can do and how those abilities can be used to put food on the table.

It may be that you must spend some time doing some work that has nothing at all to do with anything for a time to take care of the mundane.

Or it may be that you can find your way to illustrating or selling some of your smaller work for things like greeting cards.

I'm very glad there is no barn nearby

When I sell some writing I want one of your works and one of Smkie's canvasses. In the meantime, we can all share some lovely imaginary dinners together in the Cafe of the Starving Arts

when i asked my illustration teacher at the tute what i should work on...he said paint every surface, metal, cloth, everything..practice it until you get it right. I keep coming back and admiring the tweed, the silver and gold and brass, the horn and antler..and especially the leather..that is saving the best for last..that lovely lovely ear. You have deffinately mastered it all..i am so in awe. What about a book of prints? Surely an editor would take you to heart...just an idea
Have you ever seen blue dog? i just don't get it..and never will.

I just want to say how much I love the painting you did. It's so natural and the expression in the dog's eyes says it all.

I would buy a print for sure!! In fact I would like to buy a print!! Please can you tell me how much etc! It should be easy enough as I live in France in La Creuse, a price in Euros will be fine! My Dad has an English Springer and I know that he would be thrilled to have a picture like yours hanging on the wall!

Your work really is absolutely amazing. Hang in there, Renee had good advice about temporarily doing another type of job to get you on your feet and help you to finance your passion. Hang in there, you obviously have an incredible amount of talent, it can take a while to 'break out' and become successful, but don't get discouraged!

Yeah !
a Virtual dinner at starving artist's

Long ago ... there was a story of this naked lonesome man alone in his poor bathroom on saturday night, a playboy magazine open on the lavabo, his desire in one hand and a glass of water with effervescent aspirin in the other hand...
looking at the shadows under his tired eyes, speaking to himself, with a satieted smile :

"Ahhhh !!! women and champagne !"


I did n't create prints of this springer
but I have this print which is great




I sell them 59 US$ on this page
http://www.the-dog-museum.com/dog-prints.html
it seems to me that paypal does n't work very well... if it is the case, just tell me
Il existe la même page en français.. le prix en euro a beaucoup baissé pour ne pas léser les acheteurs américains et leur $ qui ne vaut plus rien.

http://www.the-dog-museum.com/reproductions.html
45 euros

shipment included
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No I don't know what a blue dog is ? Tell me
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Thanks each one of you...
I took my brushes again.. I spent my day enhancing a new painting that could be one of my best. It was horrible yesterday morning. I just had painted a small part of it in 2 days. A window against the light. Yesterday, I spent hours, just painting the grain of the wood of the window...
and it became something that look like one of my paintings.

tell me if there is a problem with paypal, please

Vous m'avez fait le rire!

Oui c'est vrai, les dollars n'ont aucune valeur, mais il est bon pour nous, nous pouvons acheter des choses d'Amérique beaucoup moins cher!

That anecdote is wonderful, Cyrille And you told it so well - you are raconteur as well as artiste

Hi!

I am affraid you are right about starving artists. Some have tons of work and they draw 3 oil paintings at once some are good and can't sell a single painting.

I just started after couple years brake from pet art and so far I have found it will be hard. Marketing now a days is most importaint and if you don't have friends who will put you in magazines and help you spread across internet you will more or less sell couple a year if lucky.

I spent some money on banners and result was quite surprising.. in a month I don't know if there will maybe be 200 visits from it.. and price for one month banner costed as much as my oil painting.

I tryed to study it all a little and found that maybe from 1000 unique visits on a pet site less than 5% could actualy become orders.

Another point is prices.. some are cheap some are expensive.. people sometimes don't understand how much work one painting is.. I used to make websites (well still do but not as much) and would profit from making them more than on oil paintings but as internet grows each year there is milions of people offering webdesign and there is less and less work.. same with pet artists.

So what ever you will pick whether webdesign or painting it is not easy.. whish I could turn time back for arround 10 years and start again..

Good luck in sales.. we all need it..

Bye, Katja