Thursday, October 29, 2009

Border Collie WIP 2


Second update on the Border Collie WIP (Work In Progress). Not too much more last night but I did a bit on the eye (still more to do) and background. I am quite satified with this so far and got a nod of delighted approval from his owner when she had a look at the portrait's progress.
I am trying some Golden Open Paints on this and I am not sure I like them. They stay...well..open too long for my liking.  I use M Graham acrylics and they have a fairly long open time which is just enough for the way I work. This painting measures 11 x 14 and is on gallery wrapped canvas.



Drop me an email if you are interested in reserving a spot for a holiday portrait.
  Gift Certificates available in all price ranges!

Deborah O'Sullivan Art
www.deborahosullivan.com
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

A Holiday Portrait WIP




Last night it was back to the acrylics to work on holiday portraits. I can't post a few of them til after the holidays because they are surprises. Can't ruin the surprise..now can we? Today's image is on it's way to be completed. I am thrilled to be doing a portrait of this Border Collie because he comes from the same rescue , Glen Highland Farm, as my beloved Tess. He is in a classic BC pose...waiting for his frisbee to be thrown. This is close to be finished. The eyes are not finished just blocked in at this point. I neglected to take photos earlier but I managed to whip out the iphone and get this. I apologize for the all of that glare! I am coming into the home stretch with this starting to add the fun details and will post the final image. Portraits make such wonderful, treasured gifts. Just a couple of spots left for this year or you can purchase a gift certificate. Contact me if you would like to schedule a portrait or purchase a gift certificate.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Slide Slam & Art Auctions


I want to apologize for being a slacker posting to my blog. We are having more internet fun with Verizon and are having trouble with our internet service. I am blogging in Word! Does the count?

The Slide Slam was a terrific success Friday evening. We had a super thought provoking Q & A at the the end of the program. I find it fascinating learning about what makes an artist tick and how they go about the creative process. My public speaking abilities have improved considerably in doing these presentations and I learn more about myself when I talk about my own art in a public form. Overall, a very interesting evening.
On another note I attended a fundraising art auction on Saturday evening and I am somewhat speechless at the deals that were to be had. Now I see why they say if you want deals on art then attend these types of auctions. Some super, super art from well known artists went for so little that I think the frames were more expensive then the closing bids. I was very troubled by this. What is the solution for it?

I've been painting away on some dog commissions fr the holidays. I will be posting the results as they become available.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Raise Your Prices?

I was going through my mailbox and ran across this article by Clint Watson  of FineArtStudioOnline.com . I have actually had the experience that he writes about and was wondering what others have experienced. My art has been selling very well now that I have raised my prices. Very cool but is it because I raised the prices or all because of all of the hard work I do marketing it? The chicken or egg thing here. I have actually spent so much of my time marketing that I need to make more art! I am running out of originals…. Which leads to my next question and conundrum. How to do I  manage my time between marketing and creating art? I would love to hear how other artists manage this. So feel free to comment below!

Does Expensive Art Just Look Better?
by Clint Watson

"If it Doesn't Sell...Raise Your Prices"

We know a very famous, talented and respected artist whose paintings now sell for upwards of $100,000 apiece.  He once shared his pricing "secret" with us.  It was a simple philosophy.  He told us, "If a painting doesn't sell, I simply raise the price."  He went on to relate the story of showing a painting in New York for $2,000 where it didn't sell.  So he moved to another gallery in New York and raised the price to $4,000.  It still didn't sell.  He moved it to a Santa Fe gallery and raised the price to $6,000.  It still didn't sell.  Finally, he exhibited the painting at a show in Oklahoma and raised the price to $10,000.....and it sold.

How can this be?  We've all heard about the "laws" of supply and demand.....but those laws just don't seem to apply to art.....or indeed other luxury items.


Expensive Wine Just Tastes Better

A few days ago I stumbled across a blog post on Brain Blogger titled Expensive Wine Just Tastes Better, which led me to the initial study reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences dryly titled Marketing actions can modulate neural representations of experienced pleasantness.

If you can look past the dry title, the study surprisingly concludes,  " Our results show that increasing the price of a wine increases subjective reports of flavor pleasantness as well as blood-oxygen-level-dependent activity in medial orbitofrontal cortex, an area that is widely thought to encode for experienced pleasantness during experiential tasks. The paper provides evidence for the ability of marketing actions to modulate neural correlates of experienced pleasantness and for the mechanisms through which the effect operates."

In short, the study concluded that Expensive Wine Tastes Better, or, more correctly, if you charge more money for the same wine.....people will think that it tastes better.


Does Expensive Art Look Better?

It seems to us, that this study, coupled with our anecdotal evidence related in the story of our famous artist above leads us to wonder....if you charge more money for the same painting, will people think it looks better?

The answer seems to be . . . yes.

Sincerely,

Clint Watson
Software Craftsman and Art Fanatic

PS - Raising prices can be a big step.  We still feel that it's best to raise your prices little-by-little, consistently over time.  Remember that in the wine study that the people did seem to enjoy the "expensive" wine more . . . however, they were given the wine.....they did not purchase it.  We have enjoyed a couple of $100 bottles of wine that were given to us as gifts....but we've never actually purchased one.



Editor's Note: While raising prices is a bit counter-intuitive, it is one marketing strategy that certainly can be effective when done right.  For more marketing strategies, consider getting a copy of Alyson Stanfield's book, I'd Rather be in the Studio!  Learn More.

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This article appears courtesy of FineArtViews.com by Clint Watson, a free email newsletter about art, marketing, inspiration and fine living for artists, collectors and galleries (and anyone else who loves art) .

For a complimentary subscription, visit: http://www.fineartviews.com

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Slide Slam

     Busy, busy these days getting my art inventory ready for the holiday rush. I have some new ornaments and Holiday greeting cards on tap. My porcelain ornaments are always a big seller and make great stocking stuffers. My spots  for a dog or horse portrait gift giving are going fast so drop me an email if you are interested in one in time for holiday gift giving.
Friday night at 7pm in the Pawling Library Slide Slam. Our run through went really great the other night with some new artists and some wonderful artwork. So if you are in the area be sure to stop in for a fun evening, some refreshment and chatting with fellow art fans. Pawling Library is located on Broad Street in the village of Pawling.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Holiday Pet Portraits, New Venues & Landscapes...oh my!


It is time to start thinking about the holidays as evidenced by the snow falling outside of my studio window! If you have been thinking of giving a pet portrait for the holidays it is time to place those orders! I have had a flood of requests for dog, horse and even cat portraits for the holidays and I have a few spots left for portraits for holiday gift giving. Contact me for details and options. Gift certificates for portraits are also available. A custom portrait makes wonderful keepsakes of a treasured pet. They are available in all price ranges and sizes starting at 5 x7!
I am happy to announce that I have many pieces of original equine art on exhibit and available for sale  at Heart & Soul Tack Shop in Millbrook, New York. The Grand Opening of this new tack shop was on October 10. It is located right next door to the Agway in Millbrok, New York. So if you are in the area be sure to stop in! I have a large variety of giclee reproductions available as well.





I have been hard at work on my landscape watercolor skills and the above image is a watercolor painting of October"s Wet Canvas challenge. The reference photo is of Gold Hill Shaftesbury in the UK. This is my third effort on this one. Third time's the charm!
I have such a complete fascination with watercolor. I can't stay away from it. The bulk of my portrait work is done in acrylics but I just keep coming back to my watercolors! This painting is 8 x 10 on Arches 140lb Rough Press. Oh and images are clickable for an enlarged view~

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Helping Paws On line Exhibit




The Canine Art Guild's Helping Paws Exhibit has gone live. So it is time for you to go vote! Be sure to view all three pages before voting for your favorite! All of the artwork in the Exhibition will be for sale with each artist pledging a percentage of the sale price to their choice of rescue groups/shelters. In addition, further cash donations will be made to the rescue/shelter group supported by the artists whose artwork is voted as the ‘People’s Choice’ and ‘Honorary Mentions’ at the end of the exhibition. Voting is open to the public on-line once the exhibition goes live. I have 3 paintings (of Border Collies, what else? :)) I have chosen Glen Highland Farm as the rescue that I am supporting and have entered 3 Border Collie images. To vote go to......
People's Choice Award

Thanks so much!




Thursday, October 01, 2009

Fall Is Here


Fall is here in the NorthEast and with it all of the gorgeous foliage, apple & pumpkin picking and new a schedule of exciting studio happenings. The holidays are right around the corner and I am gearing up for the holiday season. This years holiday cards will be ready soon as well as the newest porcelain ornaments with my artwork on them. I have a saved few spots open for portrait gift giving. So if you would like to give the gift of a dog portrait send me an email and I will fire you back all of the details!

Slide Slam
On Friday, October 23, 2009 from 7-9 pm I am a participating artist along with five other artists, in the the Fall Slide Slam in Pawling, NY. Spend an entertaining evening viewing the work of artist and hear what inspired each unique style Enjoy refreshments and conversation with your fellow artist and art enthusiast. Pawling Library, 11 Broad Street, Pawling, NY.

The Canine Art Guilds 6th Annual Helping Paws Exhibit goes live today.
The exhibition has entries from artists from all over the world and will be held from October 1, 2009 until the end of January 2010.
All of the artwork in the Exhibition will be for sale with each artist pledging a percentage of the sale price to their choice of rescue groups/shelters. In addition, further cash donations will be made to the rescue/shelter group supported by the artists whose artwork is voted as the ‘People’s Choice’ and ‘Honorary Mentions’ at the end of the exhibition. Voting is open to the public on-line once the exhibition goes live.
I will post details as soon as the link becomes available. I have chosen Glen Highland Farm as the rescue that I will be supporting and have entered 3 Border Collie images. So be sure to vote for the People's Choice Award and lets raise some money for those Border Collies!
A little bit about Glen Highland Farm....
GHF is a 175 acre nature sanctuary in upstate New York that was created to protect animals from cruel and inhumane situations and to foster and promote the positive principles of nonviolence between children and their environment through the human/animal/nature relationship. Throughout the year, GHF operates a proactive rescue and adoption program for homeless, unwanted & abandoned border collies and border collie mixes. These dogs are frequently victims of neglect and abuse. At GHF, they are evaluated, spayed/neutered, treated medically where necessary, rehabilitated socially and eventually placed into new homes. GHF will save 200 dogs every year.GHF has created a unique summer camp program for inner city children that unites the rescue border collies with the children in an integrated work, study, and play program that teaches the children positive, loving and humane methods of basic animal care and training.

More art news to come with some photos of my latest paintings so check back soon or better yet subscribe to my blog and have the latest news delivered to your mailbox! I am also about ready to send out my Fall Newsletter so be sure to sign up here for the email version or if you prefer a copy by snail mail just send me an email with your contact info...here and I will send one out to you as soon as they become available

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