This really made me think a bit, about having studies AFTER the piece is finished. That is something. Makes me wonder whether every time I reprise a "character" or a subject I've painted before, whether I'm doing the same thing without knowing it. But for sure, don't devalue your work. It's true many people don't know just how much time and effort and materials go into what we do, and, what works for some people won't necessarily work for others. In any case don't give up okay? And keep making the reverse studies, that really is a fascinating concept ~ thank you for sharing ^_^
Chris Simonite's Cubo-Weirdism Blog! A Blog about Chris Simonite's Art by Chris Simonite. Who the Hell else?
Sometimes A Hundred Bucks is Just Not Enough!
Study for Chuck, 9" x 12", oil on canvas, 2021.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ll know that I’ve been talking about reverse studies for the last couple of weeks. As a quick re-cap, most painters do “studies” of their subjects before they tackle the final painting. This allows them to work out things like colour and composition before they tackle the final version. In my painting career I have not done that because I like the spontaneity of just doing the final painting and seeing how it works out. But that is changing. I have decided to re-visit some of the subjects I’ve already painted in what I’ve termed “reverse studies”. I call them that because they’re the paintings I might have done if I’d done a study of the final painting first. Does that make sense?
Anyway, you may also be aware that I have been offering some of my smaller paintings for $100.00. I started to do this because I read about an artist who was making a killing doing four paintings a day and selling all of them for a hundred bucks each. And supposedly all of them sold! So I figured if I offered one or two of these a week and sold all of them, it would be a great supplement to my income. But one thing I’ve learned since I started selling online is you can’t copy someone else’s success. And the truth is it hasn’t worked.
I have a couple of theories as to why it hasn’t worked. One is that I’ve been mostly relying on the Instagram algorithm to get my work in front of more and more people. And I haven’t cracked that code, so my work is not getting in front of enough eyes. But the other reason might be that even though these paintings are “studies”, they are also finished paintings in their own right and selling them for $100.00 might be devaluing my own work. This is the challenge for an artist - finding a price that people will buy your work at that also reflects the actual value of the work itself. I have found that while I get a lot of interest and compliments, not many folks are aware of the actual time, effort and materials it takes to create a piece. Such is the life of an artist!
Here is my reverse study of Charlie Brown, next to the original version. There is no question in my mind that the new one is superior to the old one. So the question is: should I do a new larger version of this painting, or just call the reverse study the finished painting. As Charlie Brown would say "Ugh!" I guess I'm over complicating it now!
Study for Chuck, 9" x 12", oil on canvas, 2021 and Good Grief, 11" x 14", oil on canvas, 2020.
