If it makes you sing

I've got a couple of exhibitons coming up in the next couple of months. I've already got some artwork ready for them, but like to have something new done as well if I can.

One of the venues is Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire, with a local art group. I'll be able to hang one or maybe two paintings there. But the people who are running the event have stipulated that some of the paintings should depict Sudbury Hall or some other similar property. That's fair enough, it means it raises their profile a bit more and means the artwork relates to them.

So, to that end, I started looking at pictures of Sudbury Hall this week. Its a really lovely old hall, but basically a flatish frontage oblong shape. The lawns at front and back aren't awfully inspiring. So, basically, its a box on the grass. Mmm..... I COULD paint it, but it won't inspire me much to do it! Nope. No matter how much I look at it, I'm not inspired to do a lot with it at the moment.

Ok, then. Rethink!

Ah, I know! ANOTHER old property. Now, where is there, that I like, and will inspire me to paint something I'm interested in.............

Ah, yes! I Knoooooooooooooooooowwwww!!!

Somewhere special. Somewhere different. Somewhere where I can put my own brand of magic and excitement into the dramatic image. Lots of colour, and hidden depths. A place of mystery. And excitement!

There's only one place that has all of that for me.........

Stonehenge!!!!

Its Erotica time......

I'm always hyped up before an art exhibition. The thrill of knowing that now is the time to show the art that I've been working on since the last one. To take the stuff that has meant me working late into the night, and missing weekend fun, to continue working on. The confidence in knowing that the art is the best I can take, that there is something for every price range, that there is a good diverse selection on offer. The joy of looking fowards to seeing my artist friends again. Knowing that I'm going to have some interesting chats with different people I've not met yet. Meeting new viewers. Some will look quietly at my work and walk quietly away. Some will look with lots more interest, poke around for ages in the browser and then will walk off (whilst I've been holding my breath thinking they are DEFINITELY going to buy SOMETHING!). Some will look with more interest, find something they like, and buy it. And some will RAVE over what I do, will tell me that its fabulous art, that I'm a clever girl, and will be REALLY excited about all of it and place large orders for commissions from me.

 But there will also be conversations that I am not expecting. There will be offers for things that I hadn't considered before. Some will take me my surprise. And you can never really be ready for those, because you never know what they're going to be....

Last year I was offered cheap advertising that turned out not to be what it first appeared, and caused me a lot of aggro having to sort it out afterwards. I was offered the chance to hang my fantasy fanny paintings in a selection of international night clubs, and that didn't take off either. I was told I would be painting a picture for a sheik, and that didn't happen either (well, not yet, anyway!). But also I had a long and most interesting conversation about erotic art with a lovely man in a dress. And the best bit was when I met the bloggers who had come along. The ones who had their "fantasy fanny" on the wall. The ones who quietly said "I'm -------" and looked with great interest at the bright and beautiful artwork that was their fanny. They knew. And I knew. That it was theirs. But no one else did. Whether there will be any others who come along this year, I don't know yet. But if you do..............come along and say hi..............

Even when you're bunged up, things flow

I've realised its been a while since I last did a blog post. And its been at the back of my mind for the last couple of days to do one. I hadn't realised that it has been a week since I last wrote. And in that week I've had a cold. I wouldn't normally mention it, as I've had colds before and they are usually an annoyance rather than anything else. A cold is a cold......your nose is full of snot and your head doesn't work properly.

But when I think back over this week, and remember that I kept thinking I've got "nothing to write about", I remember that I've been working hard on the "living flame" erotic couple painting which is almost finished, I've attended a meeting for one of the art groups I'm in, looking at the years exhibitions and poor sales (due to the recession) and have looked at ways to find exciting new venues, and have other artists on the waiting list wanting to join the group and hopefully will benefit from any future associations with them. I've had some lovely chats with some of my artist friends, and have benefited hugely from a couple in particular, I have exhibited at two local exhibitions, one a weekend one, and the other a month one, and although I didn't sell anything other than a small print - IT IS A SALE, and proof that someone likes my art enough to want it hanging on their wall. Ok, I may not be feeding on caviar for the next month from the sale, but it is a positive step forward and one that I appreciate and am grateful for.

And I have also been on a shopping spree. One that I thoroughly enjoyed. One where I bought some exciting blank canvas's (when I think of the wonderful paintings I'm going to paint on them!), some mounts, and a large amount of industrial velcro......................

...........................now, why would she want velcro, and not just that, but INDUSTRIAL velcro, in large quantities...........?

HMMmmmmm..............................

Well..................I'll let you ponder that one for a while, and maybe I'll tell you, if you can't guess.

And I shall be very very interested to know if you can................ :)

Queynte 17

After the success of Nitebyrds rainbow Queynte, I thought I'd go straight onto the next one but try something a little bit different this time with the colours. And keep them to as few tones as possible within the basic colour scheme. The original idea was to try it with three tones - cream, pale gold and mid gold. But I quite quickly found that it needed more depth unless it was to look completely abstract, so had to add some deeper darks and the brighter yellow to add extra interest. I also had to incorporate more texture in the painting, but I certainly think it works as a concept and the Queynte is as interesting as the more brighter coloured ones. I also think it might work well as a black and white image which might be a good idea for another one at a later date....

I've spent the weekend at art exhibitions that I've exhibited at. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and loved seeing my artist friends, loved seeing their artwork and was pleased with the standard of my paintings against the others there. But I didn't sell any. Its sometimes the way it is. Its frustrating. Its a shame, and a pity. I've put a lot of hard work into creating the artwork, into taking it to be hung, in the hope that someone might want to buy it. But they haven't. So, the paintings are returned to the cupboard. Until the next time. On the off chance that someone might want to actually buy them. One day.

And this is the reason that I much prefer commissions. Tell me what you want me to paint, and we'll discuss it. We'll agree a price, and I'll paint it for you. You'll be happy because you'll get exactly what you want, and I'll be happy because I'll be selling paintings!

So, does anyone want their Queynte (Fantasy Fanny) painted? :) In the single colour style seen here, or a brightly coloured one? If you do....................let me know...............

There's a pattern here

Well, as expected, I sold no paintings at the exhibition at the weekend. And don't think I'm being depressingly negative, and I'm certainly not defeatist, and never a pessimist..... You see, the majority of the paintings sold were at the lower end of the market, price wise, since it was a "village hall" exhibition. And I know my paintings aren't cheap, but they are quality, and I rarely sell at that exhibition. Its the way it is! I've had endless conversations over the years as to the whys and wherefores of why people don't buy a lot at little exhibitions, and there is no set reason for it. But there is a pattern, in a way. People who go to those sort of exhibitions are looking for "cheap art" - something pink and floral for the hall, something with a boat in it for the living room, some watercolour of a garden, or of cute children, or a still life, they aren't looking for anything "specific" and they aren't looking for a specific artist, they're looking for a nice day out, a walk in the countryside, a quick look at the art exhibition, a cup of tea and a piece of cake, and to be entertained on a bank holiday weekend. They are not serious art buyers, they are just..................people. Nothing wrong with any of that, nothing at all. But I never seem to fill that category, somehow. I never have. I do fill part of that criteria, I can paint pretty pictures of still lifes (the shell painting I did last weekend, being a case in point!). But my prices are too expensive for village hall buyers, I think. I know if I put a price of below £60 on my art, I'd probably sell it, easily.

But I don't want to.

I value my art too much for that.

And listening to other people, who comment on my art, they do too.

Because cheap art, in a way, demeans the other art that that artist does. And I don't do cheap art. I don't do very expensive art, either! :) I think my prices are right for the place I am in, as an artist. For the commissions I do. And I would far rather paint a commission. And that is what makes me unusual for a lot of artists, as I LIKE painting commissions. I like people to ask me to paint a favourite subject in a certain way. Because they get just what they want, and I don't paint "best guess" paintings for little exhibitions, put a lot of hours in in creating the work, setting up the exhibition, spend time stewarding it, and helping taking it down afterwards, for no sales.

But, I also know that that isn't the main reason for exhibiting. It is, to state the bleeding obvious, an "exhibition" of paintings. It is a place to show other people what I can do. What I'm capable of. And that's why, it looks like I might be getting a commission from it, for a dog portrait. If the chap contacts me, as per the received message from a third party. It sounded quite hopeful though! LOL

So, the exhibition wasn't a waste of time. And it follows the pattern, as much as I've found, from previous exhibitions! :)

Erotica'd !!!!

Phew, well I'm back, I did it, and BOY was it FUN!!!!!! and also bloody hard work - I'm not used to standing on my feet for twelve hours non stop, and trying to sell at the same time!

Right, to start at the beginning..........

When I arrived on my stand, I was firstly struck by how small it was, and secondly by how badly lit it was. I hadn't ordered lighting for the stand as I had been told that it was light enough up on the gallery where I was situated. Well, that was true, to a degree, and in some places it was light enough, but not where I was! So, off to pay for some lighting and even though it added to the overall costs by a large amount, it was well worth every penny of it! Because my stand "shone" with the lighting on the vibrant fannies! It took me five hours to dress the tiny stand (including hanging around for the electricians to do the lights). But at the end I was happy I had done the best with what I had. Then, back to the hotel for an early night, and then..........

The first day, and I had been told by someone who has exhibited there many times, to watch the body language of the people passing, and I learnt during that day what that meant. Because some people walked past my stand without even a glimmer of interest at it, me, or anything. Of course that may have had something to do with the fact that on the next stand were two gorgeous virtually topless girls (except for their tasselled nipple cups and very little else). But also, I know that not everyone likes art, regardless of the subject matter (and I thought it was reasonably interesting.......................... ) :)

Anyway....... I learnt during that first day to watch the people, and their reactions. Some smiled at the "Fantasy Fannies" title, some smiled at the art. A lot of them loved the bright vivid colours, and a few of them went a REAL WOOOWWWWWW over my paintings, and the concept they convey. One woman got really very emotional over the beauty of them, which deeply touched me. The fannies are everything I love in art - a unique personalised portrait of a part of your body that normally isn't painted, they are bright and vibrant, they are a private joke, and the most interesting of conversation pieces - how good is that!!!?? and certainly those who understood the concept, loved it!!!!! A success then! Well, yes, it was for the effect the fannies had on the viewing public. But not on the other artwork I'd taken with me. There wasn't a vast amount of interest in it at all, but that may have been partly due to the smallness of the stand and not being able to display it properly. It was certainly worth taking though, so people could see what I was capable of. One of the highlights of the show was when a complete stranger said to me "You're a clever girl aren't you?" and one woman said that my "fannies" were the best thing at Erotica! Wow! Really???

I certainly had a lot of interest in them. Women really related to them, and some men did too. I'm happy to paint "cocks" as well as fannies, but this project is so new, I haven't had chance yet. I was asked if I'd paint one of the fannies for an erotic museum, and if I'd like to exhibit them at swinging events in clubs in London, New York and San Francisco. I also discussed the possibility of the fannies being in an article for a raunchy women's magazine, so I think that the promotion of them has started now, and that will open other doors.

And as you would expect, there were some interesting visitors there. Most people were dressed quite ordinarily, and then there were the more, er, interesting ones - the man in the auburn wig and the "fat suit" dressed as an exotic female dancer, complete with sagging pointy boobs in a red pvc peephole bra, and matching thong hanging down at the back, with a wodge of black public hair at the front, was a scream. The girl as the "dog" on all fours being led around on a collar and lead was cute, the various slaves in collars and leads was to be expected, the girls in corsets looked luscious, the men in dresses, the transvestites, and the cross dressers, all added to the fun of the show. And that's what I love about it so much, the dressing up aspect, and "playtime for adults" aspect of it.

And of course, the friends who visited, some travelling quite some distances to go to the show. It was really really great to see them, and catch up with their news. And best of all, was the bloggers who went - six that I know 0f, and some of them had their fannies on the wall for the world to see. And of those who made themselves known, it was great for me to put faces and names to their fannies.

So, all in all, a good success. I just hope I've "sold" the idea enough for others to want to participate.

Oh, and most amusing moments - were .......

When I was asked why I called myself "Fantasy Fannies" - and I replied " I don't!!!"

When I asked a woman if she had ever considered having her fanny painted and her reply was "No, I haven't, I'm not very happy with it at the moment" (that left me non-plussed!)

When I asked two women swingers if they wanted their fannies painting, and one replied "If I ever want it painted I send you a photo of me flange!"

So, picture of an exhibition. A fanny exhbition. Well, that's different, isn't it???

Hope springs eternal

I could have spent the weekend drawing, or painting or doing something productive. Well, actually, I thought I was doing something productive since I was helping to steward a local art exhibition that I was exhibiting at. And it rained... No, to be more precise, it pissed it down. So for the two and a half hours I was there, the grand total of TEN people, (yes ten!) walked through the door to view the paintings. The whole total of visitors was only 239 over two weekends. So I the exhibition didn't do too well. And didn't sell many paintings. And I didn't sell any at all. Sigh.

But I know its the way it is with art exhibitions, and someone, may have just walked through the door and gone wow over my art, and bought something. They may just have done. And that was why I was there.....

I live in hope.

I have to.

In the red

It's a very busy time of year for me - there are loads of local exhibitions on - and that means decisions to make whether to participate or not, which to go and see, and which to miss out. I can't do all of them, so I have to pick and choose which are most important to me. And then I have to consider that if the exhibitors can put a maximum of ten paintings in an exhibition, that I have the ten that I need, and usually the organisers want the information for the exhibitions well in advance, which means the paintings have to actually exist! So I've been busy painting these last few days, along with continuing with the paintings I'm doing for the main gallery.

My model asked me an interesting question when I saw her this week - and one that made me laugh out loud in disbelief! She said "Do you ever get stuck for ideas of what to paint?" and my reply after I'd stopped laughing, was "No, I have the opposite of writers block - I have so many ideas to paint at this moment in time, that I doubt I'd ever get them all painted if I painted solidly for the next year, and that's not counting the other ideas that come to me regularly for paintings".

So, when I drew her this week, I knew exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. Another white on black drawing with a touch of colour to add interest. And the interest in question was going to be suspenders and that lovely piece of creamy white thigh at the top of the leg that is that is exposed whilst a woman is putting on stockings. I also wanted her cleavage on show and the hint of the little black dress that she was wearing whilst she got dressed to go out. And since I prefer to paint as little as possible to get the point across, I did just that, and added the colour just for the suspenders. The title came to me easily too, which always thrills me when it does - so it's called "In the red" because she's obviously in red underwear, from what you can see so far!

Maybe I passed some magic on somewhere

Well as far as the exhibition went I could say that it wasn't much of a success, in that I didn't sell a painting and overall the whole exhibition didn't sell alot. But the lack of sales was perhaps to be expected because people are tightening their belts due to the cost of everything going up at the moment. And I know I don't sell well at exhibition, for some reason (I still haven't fully worked out why even now, after many years trying!). So, a lot of hard work and time put into something that hasn't reaped a return.......

Or has it? Yes, I think it has actually. I may not have made any sales, and I might be financially worse off for it, but i think there has been a lot of good to come out of it. I've spent the weekend with my artist friends, I've seen their artwork, as they have seen mine. I've seen some beautiful paintings, and admired them. And I've had some nice comments from the people who've admired mine. And someone emailed me regarding my paintings -I'm still not sure who she is who emailed me, but she seems to think she knows me, and maybe I've met her at an exhibition before, its an enigma at the moment, but she took the time to get in touch with me, which was lovely, and she particularly liked my unicorn paintings, and has told me of some books it reminds her of, which I want to search further into. So, that was beneficial. And I had a long chat with an artist friend this morning, who also exhibited over the weekend, and we dissected the exhibition, as people are wont to do, and in passing she mentioned a guy I don't know who she said knows my artwork very well, and when she mentioned my name to him, he knew of me. So, again, I'm getting my name known, and that will help in the future. Somehow. And that's the funny thing about exhibitions, I go and show my artwork and think that if I've not made a sale, its been a failure. But it hasn't. its done a lot of good. Tis all positive stuff.

So, what now? Well, I've got the dog commissions to do. I've done one, and that's proved so much of a success that I've been given another commission to do. So that's really exciting. And I much prefer commissions to exhibitions. Because people tell me what they want, and that's what I paint. With an exhibition, I have to guess what people are going to like, as well as painting something I like too. Its far more hit and miss.

So, back to the dogs...............

Looking for magic

Well, its here again, one of the local exhibitions I get involved in. That time, when I chose my ten paintings, trying to pick the best ones that I think will sell, that will look good as a collection, that will appeal to the buying public. And I wrap them up carefully, write out the hanging label, take them over to the exhibition hall, and hang them up together, making the best of the space available to me. I write out the hanging cards, and pay my hanging fee.................... then I wait...... patiently. Like a fisherman on the side of the river. I wait. And hope. And wait, and hope that somewhere, someone, will walk through the door, and will walk around the exhibition, quietly surveying the artwork there, and then they will turn the corner, and see before them *my* artwork and they will go *W..... O....... W!!!!* over what they see before them, and they will stare in wonder at my art, my paintings, and they will feel a surge of some unexpected emotion, and they will instantly fall in love with one of my paintings (or maybe two, or better still ALL of them!) and they will instantly feel that they need to buy the painting they have fallen in love with, as their lives will not be complete if they don't buy it, so they'll go and pay a deposit on the painting, and will come back at the end of the exhibition to pay for it and collect it, and they will happily take the painting home and hang it on a wall somewhere where it will give them pleasure to look at for ever more......

That's what I'm hoping for.

But, will I get it?

I don't know.

Maybe I will.

.........And that's what keeps me ever hopeful........

And also I have to bear in mind, that there's talk of a recession. And that petrol and food has shot up in price. And that if people are struggling to buy normal every day living things, they're not going to be buying artwork. Are they? Ah. yes, its not a necessity, is it? And that's why the artwork I've chosen for this exhibition has some magic in it. I've chosen pictures of mine that depict fairies, mermaids, unicorns and dancers. Cos we all need some magic in our lives, especially if money is tight. We need to hang a picture on the wall that will fire us up with hope, and magic, and something that feeds the spirit and soul. We all need that, don't we?

Pretentious twaddle

I'm going to say something and I'll try hard really really hard not to use any swear words to tell you......... but I'm gonna be really struggling with this, so bear with me..........


Lots of people give me things that they think may be of interest to me, especially if it's to do with art, and this morning was no exception, as I was given a pamphlet about an art exhibition for a group of artists. I'm always interested to read about other exhibitions, even though I rarely buy art (because I'm in the business of selling it!) and I flicked through it with half interested attention until I read one of the phrases in it and instantly went into *rant* mode! WHAT THE FUCK????!!!! ..........(Told you I wouldn't be able to tell you without swearing!!!) - Well, I'll tell you what it was and you tell me what you think, cos I know what I think about it!!! The pamphlet was about the exhibition and gave a few brief details about the artists exhibiting then said:


"Placed in the company of the others, each body of work affects the viewing experience of the next, while retroactively changing the memory of the preceding one"


Yeh? Well, what a surprise! Of course it does! Anything would! That's how the brain works!!!! WHATEVER you look at affects what you next look at and is affected by what you JUST looked at - whether its baked beans on a supermarket shelf, guys in a bar, flowers in the desert, clouds in the sky or questions in an exam. But to use this as a selling phrase for an exhibition of paintings seems to be stating the bleeding obvious to me (you see, I'm swearing again!). Of course viewing one painting will affect the viewing experience of the next, that's what images DO, no matter WHAT the image is of. We all do it, all day, all the time!

This rant and my thoughts on it has reminded me of two separate conversations I had over the weekend, one late at night in the pub and one with other artists (and not the erotic lot I was with on Sunday) and it seems to me that I just don't understand the bollocks (you see, more swearing!!) that surrounds modern art. Why does a piece of artwork need to be explained? Why does it have to have "intellectual" artyspeak to describe it? Why can't it stand up on its own with out having to be propped up by fancy words? It seems quite easy to me, if its a piece of art it should be self explanatory. And it can evoke emotions in others one way or another (and it doesn't always have to be in a positive way) and it should speak to the viewer, and the viewer should be able to tell that some sort of artistic talent has gone into painting it (not that a child of three, an elephant, or someone just out to rip off other people, has produced it). I don't mind looking at a painting of a blue box on a red background so long as I feel that that image is created by an artist. I don't like every realistically painted painting I see, I don't like every old masterpiece I see, and I love some modern art, but I want to feel that I LIKE the painting because I can relate to it, not because someone has TOLD me its good. We're back to the "Emperors new clothes" aspect of art again. Its the only way I can describe it! (Whoops, I almost swore again!!!!).


Right, I'm off to paint a picture, and something that's NOT white spots on a white background!!!!!


And if you want to you can tell me how the painting on the left "speaks" to you, and what deep emotions it evokes. And after that I'll tell you that its part of the painting on the right, and I bet you get a different emotion from THAT one!!!