Spring Day

My Meadow 2 - Watercolor and oil pastel
Now available on eBay.com

It is a beautiful day today - sun shining, warm air - just makes you feel so good inside and out. I've been cleaning house today chipping away at my stock pile of artwork through the years, listing them on eBay. I figure they won't sell themselves sitting in a storage unit. Get it all out there!

Here are some pictures of Spring in my neck of the woods.

A little strawberry plant pops up next to the ground cover I planted last year on the side of the studio. Back in 2000 while living in Dover NH I bought these wild strawberry plants from a farm stand up in the White Mountains region of NH. They came home with me to Dover and flourished in a planter on the porch of our apartment. They came with me to Connecticut when I moved in 2001 and I put them by the bushes in front of the house. The first fall there, my father was helping me rake and he tossed out the contents of the planter out back. He didn't realize they were my strawberry plants in hiding. Anyway, those powerful plants had taken root through the planter and that summer came up strong as ever in front of the house. I transplanted a few to this studio woodsy garden and to be expected, they weathered the winter just fine. I love those plants. Small animals usually get to the tiny red berries, but they remind me of where I've come from and take me back to my days of wandering around beautiful, natural New Hampshire. (Don't get me wrong, this is my home. I love it here, especially right now).

Here is the forcythia ready to burst into brilliant yellow any day now. If you look up in the sky you can see the moon.

In my roadside garden, these mini daffodils are ready to bloom.

Irises thrive here. Their spring shoots tower over the demure daffodils.

My favorite spring bulb! Hyacinth - it's gorgeous purple bloom and the smell is heavenly sweet.

Memory Maze

Memory Maze - Acrylic on 11 x 14 canvas, 2009

Click here to bid on this original painting at a starting bid discounted to 50% off the regular price

"Work With What You've Got" goes on...

Tough Guy - Acrylic and charcoal on cardboard

As you may already know, "Work with what you've got" has been my 2009 motto. Today I attacked an overflowing large tupperware bin of art. This was my "art to save" bin because I can never throw anything out. Unfinished paintings, random sketches and pieces I could never sell because of personal connection. I went through and took out a few to put on eBay (for crazy low starting bids HERE ), created a pile of surfaces ready to be added to or painted over, and cut up little sketches and funky (but not really WOW) paintings for thank you notes. I like recycling art for thank you notes instead of buying pre made cards or even printing cards.

Here's an example of one of my to-be thank you notes. I think I'll take this little sketch and glue it to a funky piece of paper.

My "art to save" bin has been cut down to 50% and I have a bunch of surfaces to work on tomorrow. Work with what ya got is workin' for me!

Take my quiz to win this original work of art!

BLINK by Jessica Torrant
Original ink drawing over an archival art print of my painting Orange Sun. Hand signed and titled. Image measures 5" x 7" on 8.5" x 11" matte finish paper.

Enter to win this original work of art simply by leaving a comment! Contest ends December 29th at which point I will take all of your names/emails and put them in a basket and select one at random to be the winner. I will contact the winner via email or a comment on their blog. So anyone can vote - just leave some way for me to contact you. Good luck!

THE QUIZ

1. Have you ever purchased original art online? Y/N
   
   
2. Have you ever purchased art prints (reproductions) online? Y/N
   
   
3. If you answered no to questions 1 or 2, have you ever purchased either in a shop or gallery in person? Y/N
   
   
4. When you are considering purchasing art what sizes do you usually look for?
   a. Miniature, ACEO
   b. Small 5" x 7" - 9" x 12"
   c. Medium 8" x 10" - 16" x 20"
   d. Large 20" x 24" - 36" x 40"
   e. Extra Large 40" and higher
   f. All of the above or your own alternate answer
   
   
5. When you are considering purchasing art what subject matters interest you?
   a. Abstract
   b. Figurative
   c. Landscape
   d. Still Lives
   e. All of the above or your own alternate answer
   
   
6. When you are considering purchasing art what mediums do you usually look for?
   a. Ink or pencil
   b. Oil paint
   c. Acrylic paint
   d. Watercolor paint
   e. Collage
   f. Digital media
   g. All of the above or your own alternate answer
   
   
7. On a scale of one to ten, how much or little are you interested in the following art forms or styles?
   Abstract Art
   Traditional Realism
   Contemporary Realism
   Dark Art
   Fantasy Art
   Graffiti Art
   Kitch/Vintage Influenced Art
   Folk Art
   Surreal Art
   Children's Art (made by children)
   Art for Children
   Outsider Art
   (Please feel free to add any other styles in your answer that interest you)
   
   
8. When you are considering purchasing art, what are you looking for when it comes to the surface? Please rate each on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most desirable.
   Paper (any kind)
   Watercolor paper
   Wood
   Standard canvas with staples in the sides
   Gallery wrapped canvas
   Gallery wrapped canvas with 1.5" deep sides
   Custom framed art with mat and glass
   Custom framed canvas (no mat or glass)
   Recycled materials
   Other
   
   
9. How important is a Certificate of Authenticity?
   a. Very important
   b. Don't care either way
   c. It's a waste of paper
   d. What's a Certificate of Authenticity?
   
   
10. If you were to purchase original art online, where might you go looking to buy? Please answer Yes, No or never heard of it (which you could mark with a ?) to each of the sites below.
    a. Etsy
    b. eBay
    c. Dawanda
    d. ArtFire
    e. Boundless Gallery
    f. Yessy
    g. MySpace
    f. Other (please include any other sites you would consider)
    
    
11. Would you consider purchasing art directly from an artist's website or blog?
    a. Yes, I prefer that to purchasing it on another site (like Etsy).
    b. Yes, but I prefer buying through other sites (like Etsy).
    c. No
    
    
12. Would you ever consider asking an artist to create a commission (custom work of art) for you?
    a. Yes and I have!
    b. Yes and I will at some point.
    c. Yes but I don't think I will because I'm concerned about ______. (fill in the blank)
    d. No
    e. No and artists that offer that service turn me off as a collector
    
    
13. On a scale of one to ten, how important are these factors when considering purchasing from an artist online?
    Professional experience
    Educational experience
    Longevity of career
    A history of showing in physical galleries
    Word of mouth/buzz
    Professionalism in presentation
    Silliness/light hearted approach to presentation/writing
    Good photography skills
    Good writing skills
    Extensive descriptions of art
    Personal anecdotes, poems, or artist's thoughts about individual pieces
    Large amount of previous sales
    High feedback rating
    Seeing a photograph of the artist
    A return policy
    First class shipping
    Priority mail shipping
    Insurance on shipping
    Delivery Confirmation on shipping
    Age
    Gender
    
    
14. Which answer sounds the most like you?
    a. I like to buy art from as many different artists as I can.
    b. I like to buy art from a very select few of my favorite artists.
    c. There isn't much rhyme or reason to how I buy art or from whom. I just fall in love with something and have to have it!
    d. I like to buy art from people I know.
    e. I don't buy art.
    f. Other
    
    
15. If you purchased art, what would be the biggest turn offs to you as a buyer? You can pick just one or rate these from one to ten - ten being the biggest turnoff.
    Poorly wrapped/packaged and arrived damaged.
    Long shipping time.
    No communication.
    Pet hairs.
    Smells of smoke.
    Smells of perfume or incense.
    Colors don't look the same way they did on the computer.
    Unsigned art.
    No personalized thank you note.
    No extra gifts.
    Promotional materials from other Etsy sellers (not the one you purchased from).
    Religious materials included.
    Candy or food products included in non food purchase.
    Scented extra gifts (like soap or candle) in a scent free purchase (such as a tshirt).
    Poorly crafted product.
    
    
    

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions! To make commenting/answering easier, just copy and paste the quiz into your comment.

Big eBay Sale!

Today I listed 51 paintings (possibly more later tonight) on eBay with auctions ending in 3, 5 and 7 days. The starting bids are all greatly discounted from my usual prices.



Original acrylic paintings on paper - $9.99 and up starting bid/no reserve
Original acrylic paintings on canvas board - $19.99 starting bid/no reserve
Original acrylic paintings on stretched canvas - $39.99 starting bid/no reserve

I'm offering these at such a discount because I only want to work on gallery wrapped canvases from now on. You can see all of my current auctions here http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZlivefunky

In an Instant

Original acrylic painting on 8" x 10" stretched canvas. Created in 8/2008.

Since I am trying to keep my Etsy shop filled with only the best of the best, I decided to list this painting on eBay instead because the canvas has stapled sides. I bought staple sided canvases for years at a discount store in the area because, well, they were inexpensive and readily available. But I've found that spending a bit more on a staple free canvas is so worth it because so many contemporary art collectors don't want to worry about a frame.

I like the interesting palette in this piece - a soft pink contrasted against darks and a bold yellow. I'm starting the bidding at a much lower price than what I'd usually charge so if you're looking to invest in my art, but you want an affordable option, you should CHECK OUT THIS AUCTION!

some things are just not meant to be

After all that build up for a second Etsy shop, I've decided to close it for now. I've removed all of my inventory, and I'm going to keep it in case I get the urge to make something different that fits that description. The paintings that I made are all going to eBay to find new homes.

Although I got a lot of hearts and views from PureDecor, there wasn't a single bite. And I understand why. LiveFunky as a name has a history and reputation on the site. PureDecor was just a baby in a sea of tons of talented newborns. I've seen the success of some artists that find a sort of system of production for contemporary decorative art and I wanted to try my hand at it. I am happy I did and I gave the idea a real go, because otherwise, I'd continue thinking "I could do that". It may be true, but it doesn't mean I can do it really well, and it doesn't mean that it will be a really popular product. I'm good at what I do and that's creating intuitive, one of a kind, abstract art. Why screw with what you know works?

Part of me is blushing thinking of all of my steps back and forth on this journey documented in this blog. The tangents of big plans and then a few weeks later the "oops, actually THIS is what's going to happen" update. But hey, it's the truth. Each change of plan offers lessons to learn along the way and unforseen opportunities. In the case of PureDecor, the Etsy shop of originals didn't work out, but my PureDecor Zazzle shop was a success. You just never know!

You can see all of my eBay auctions here http://myworld.ebay.com/artjct