And another year begins. Our art sale / exhibition opened yesterday morning and we had a steady stream of people through - the population of Waihi Beach increases almost ten fold in the summer holiday. This is a photo of the venue, taken from the gate as people enter the yard. It's a marquee and we have a lot of work in there, and around the entrance. I was lucky enough to get the area at the entrance of the marquee. Was rostered on for the morning yesterday, and the paintings that we selling were mainly landscapes of the local seaview. Unfortunately I don't paint those! It's an interesting point of discussion. Some artists I've met have found that repeating something that is popular and sells isn't satisfying, their heart isn't in it. But if you want to earn a living at your art you need to sell. It's something I'm going to have a good think about this year.
New Years Eve started out at the Waitete Orchard Restaurant where Brian Shone was playing the guitar and singing - excellent singer and guitarist. Then went to friends where music was being played. (The boys are playing on the 13th January at the Waihi Summer Festival so I guess it could be regarded as practice...) At midnight we went to visit some friends to wish them a Happy New Year then went back to the music.
Waihi is very busy at this time of year. With a regular population of around 4000, the traffic and people in town increase incredibly for a couple of weeks over the holiday period. There's quite a lot to do and see at this time.
All the best to everyone for 2008.
1 comment:
This is a real dilemma. My current "take" on this is to treat painting the commissions (landscapes, portraits) as a paid day job that supports my art, the work that I make from within me, which does not have a buyer waiting.
I have always said I would work to support my art. The problem is with doing it this way, keeping my prices affordable to keep the commissions coming in, I have little time for my "real art".
So for now, I paint to survive financially but only commissions, not to have a bank of saleable work piling up. Then for a chunk of time I paint from within, for exhibitions or because there is something I want to express.
By defining these as two completely different types of art-making I can live fairly happily with my split creative life. At this point in my life I would rather paint commissions than teach English to earn my daily bread...
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