Fighter: Share Your Thoughts

How often do you wake up to the realization that all the decisions that you have made and those decisions that others have made have brought you to this point in your life.  Where either you have this "can't wipe this grin off your face" look because everything is going your way or is it more cuddling your head in your hands look because your back on the road looking for solutions.  Well, which is it? 

I think we all wake to these situations more than once, and some we have the grin and some we don't.  I recall my beginning experience selling my art on eBay.  Wow,  I thought I would never be able to sell anything on eBay.  Eventually, I got a buy here and a buy there.  It was slow in the beginning.  According to the old timers, you had to get past 150 positive feedback to really start your business, and they were right.  Once I got there, I notice splurge in buying power.

Over a three almost four year tenure, I built a healthy art business on eBay.   It was built on trust.  It wasn't a big or even medium size, just a tiny part-time, over the weekend business, but it was healthy.  Eventually, I got my business to 431 positive feedbacks.  I had several recurring buyers and new buyers stopping by to bid. 

About a month or so ago, I started receiving this notice when I tried to relist some of my paintings.  This a jpeg of the actual notice.  I did crop it to show mostly the notice.

I'm not sure if this notice is from eBay USA or eBay HongKong, but it doesn't matter.  The bottom line is that I have a limit to how many paintings I can list within a 30 day period.  I think this is their answer to the 50 Free insertions (reinsertions when an item doesn't sell).  I was using the 50 free every month.  A few times I paid for an insertion, but rarely did that happen. 

My solution for this is to go it alone.  Not a great idea since my following is still on eBay.  Starting a website and to sell from that website is not the real problem.  I'm still missing a key ingredient.  I need traffic.  Everybody needs traffic. 

So do me a favor and visit my site.  There's a place where you can share.

Have a wonderful day!
Ken Law Artist

Saving Acrylics: How to Make a Wet Palette

Jesse Reno: A True Outsider. Posted from www.kenlawartist.com

http://www.kenlawartist.com/apps/blog/entries/show/15359513-jesse-reno-a-true-outsider

Have you ever heard of Jesse Reno?  If you have or you haven't, you should check out the post.

Have a Wonderful day,
Ken Law Artist

eye on: You Got To Feel Good About It!

eye on, a photo by ArtbyLaw on Flickr.

Boy, I'll tell you that the best thing that has ever happen to me was when eBay wanted to start limiting how many paintings I could relist.  That was certainly the best thing that has ever happen to me in respect to online commerce.  Why?  It made me get off my butt and start working for my art.  Yes, there's a lot of work because now I have zero traffic to my art.  That is the only problem or negative of me going rogue.

Here are all the positives.  First, you own it-the website, and that means you are the boss.   That means you make the rules.  By making your own rules, you won't be limited to someone else's rules.   You set your prices.  You decide if you want to bargain, and let's face it, you can any kind of deal possible because... you're the boss and you own the property.

Second, it's online.  Most people prefer going to an Art Galleries where they can touch and feel I suppose.  Really, you can't touch it until you buy it anyway, but you do get a real life look.  Unless your rich, you are limited to art near you.  Who can afford flying to Taiwan, France or any other countries to buy art.    Online also means you are buying "directly" from the artist.  I mean directly!  No middle man like a gallery.   eBay would like you to think that you are getting art from the artist but really, you have to go through eBay before you get to any one's art.  It's not direct; is it?  Another reason is that online prices are usually without any gallery mark-up making it more affordable.

An online website is like the front door to the artist's studio.  You have a direct line to his or her office where you can ask your questions or even bargain over a painting.  This front door opens up to a billion Internet users.  If you are using art as an investment, this is great way of introducing your investments or products to a lot of people.  By doing so, the popularity will grow much faster than other avenues.

For me, it has gotten me off my butt.  It's time to spread my wings and fly.  If you look at my recent paintings, you can see my freedom.  My need to let go.

The painting "Eye On" is a good example of how it feels to finally have your own website.  It feels good.

Have a super wonderful day,
Ken Law Artist

the carnival: New Mix Media on Paper by Ken Law

the carnival, a photo by ArtbyLaw on Flickr.

One day I'll learn how to do wrap-around text just like the big guys and gals do.  Until then, I'll do it this way....

The Carnival is a mix media painting that I just completed tonight.  It cost me a time out.  Not the kind of time out that naughty little kids get, but more of a break.  I use blocks when using watercolor paper, and tonight was no exception.  When I am finish and the painting is completely dried, I use a stiff putty knife to remove the painting from the paper block.  Well, tonight I slipped and learned immediately that you can get cut by the side of a putty knife.  I didn't know that, but I do now.  Thank you teacher Experience.  So if you are doing the same thing, please be careful.

Carnival is mix media where I use acrylic and china pencils-sometimes called grease pencils.  I enjoy the ability to combine brush and pencil.  I think it really brings me out into the open for all to see.  You can find this on my new website at www.kenlawartist.com . 

Once my finger is better and not bleeding, I'll finish and post my other paper painting that I have been working on too.  It's almost finish, but I need to wait until my finger stops bleeding.

In the meantime, I am working on some things to help promote my new site.  If you find yourself here, I want you to jump over to my website and get updates about promotions that will be coming out very soon.

I have also made a webpage just for my clients who want their painting published.  If you have bought a painting from me and have a jpeg of it hanging on your wall, send it to ken@kenlawartist.com and I'll post it on the site! 

Have a great day!
Ken Law Artist 

For Creatives, There's Always Change. Mine Is Here!

Well, the time is ripe and finally here for that change that I have been waiting for sometime.  That's right.  I mentioned before that I was leaving eBay (still have a few paintings there) because of some of their policy changes.  One policy change has left me with only posting a few pieces of work on their site.  If those pieces don't sell, then I can't repost them without waiting for 30 days.  Well, I'm not a machine; I'm a painter.  I think I paint a lot, but I can't whip out 15 new pieces every day or week.  I just can't do it.  Besides, art is not a machine that you turn on and off.

Hence my new announcement.  My very own website that I have created.  Hop over there today and tell me how it looks.  I'm looking for comments about how well it works and how it looks.  I put it together myself using a web making tool.  You got to read my Blog on my site to really understand what I've been up to for a few days.

Here's the web address:  http://www.kenlawartist.com  Stop by and say Hi.  My wife and I would love to hear from you!

By the way, we do have some art for sale there too.  FREEE  ShipppING.  Any way have a great day!

Ken Law Artist

Combining Materials: My Use of China Pencil

I love to paint, and as you can see here, I also like to draw.  As matter a fact, I was drawing before I was painting.  So it would make sense for some people out there to put both skills or talents together, right?  Well, I did.  The picture above shows what I like to use on acrylics.  They're called "china pencils" or markers.  I think you can get them from any office supply store.  What's so unique about them?  They'll mark on just about anything including glass.  So they'll work on dry acrylics.  By the way, they don't mark very well if the paint is still wet, but they do make lots of texture while you try!  Below is a good example of combining drawing and painting.  The painting is called "Don't Forget the Bread" and you'll find it on eBay.  By the way, I am still using eBay to sell paintings.

If you close enough, you can also see that I used something else, and it was not a paint brush.  If you don't see what I am talking about in the next picture, you will.  I called it "Aftermath".

Look at the white paint.  It appears that I put some white paint down and then took the end of my paint to push it away making lines in the wet paint and bring colors from underneath back to the top.  I didn't do that but paint markers or paint pens do.  Here's a picture of that.

I like to use both on paper, wood and canvas.  I've just finished a canvas painting that uses both materials.

In the next few weeks or more, I'll have a short 3 to 5 minute video out where all of you can watch me paint and destroy. LOL

Happy Mother's Day!

Ken Law Artist