Displaying Art in Model Homes

 

Artists need to be as flexible as possible regarding opportunities to sell artwork.  My husband and I recently jumped on the opportunity to hang artwork in a model condominium that is for sale in our town.  The furnishings are included in the price of the model home, and hopefully, the future owners will decide to purchase some of our artwork that was hand picked for the space.

  Since the condominiums are on the Connecticut shoreline, they are being advertised as great weekend escapes for people living in nearby cities, like New York and Boston.  With the potential client in mind, we chose artwork with either a beachy or outdoorsy feel.

For interested art buyers, we left a framed a price list on display as well as greeting cards with our artwork and websites listed on them.  The future "Open Houses" will also be a great way for us to meet potential art buyers.  A girls night out is also planned for the condominium in which I will be able to talk about our artwork.  Let's see what happens.

Painting: "Last Blush" Oil on Linen, 10" x 8"

Every year I look forward to watching the daffodils spring forth in my front yard.  These daffodils were left by the previous owner who passed away, but her flowers come back to life every year.  I'll have to wait for next year to paint them again since these were some of the last to flower.  Now I'm looking forward to painting the lilac that is almost fully blossomed and teeming with flowers this year.  This painting will be on display at the Old Lyme Country Club, CT this summer.

I found a more pleasing composition by slightly changing the flower arrangement in my painting.  The middle flower was raised in the painting in order to create a more dynamic triangular shape. I also changed the relative dimensions to make sure that the painting fit properly on my canvas.   For purchase information, click here.

Painting: "Bright as Sunlight", Oil, 22" x 19"

I've always enjoyed gazing at flower paintings.  They immortalize the flowers that will inevititably wilt and die. 

I began this painting from life.  I eventually had to step away and revisit the painting with fresh eyes in order to make the final touches.  For purchase information, click here.

Book Recommendation: "The Art Spirit" by Robert Henri

Now that I'm teaching art, I have been on the lookout for good material to use in class.  This book has many wonderful quotes and teaching lessons that I will pass on to my students.  Robert Henri (1865-1929) was an artist and inspired teacher at the Art Students League of NY.  The book is a compilation of his theories and beliefs about the art of making art.

Here's an excerpt that I find meaningful for students who don't want to put in the hard work necessary to acquire the tools necessary to express themselves properly through their art :

"I have heard it very often said that an artist does not need intelligence, that his is the province of the soul.  All very lovely, but heads painted by such artists are very flat and a great medium of expression is lost to them.  They recognize and make much of the measures across their flat surfaces, but miss all the wonder of depth... If the man has the soul of an artist, he needs a mastery of all the means of expression so that he may command them, for with his soul in activity he has much to say."

"Breakfast with Fellini II", Oil, 6" x 6"

                               

This oil painting depicts an espresso cup with the image of Federico Fellini, the great Italian director, painted on the front.   I paired the biscotti with the cup, keeping with the Italian theme.  The painting includes the 3" pewter frame.

Exhibit: "Palate to Palette"...

I was pleasantly surprised to have a painting of mine, "Breakfast with Fellini", printed in the calendar in the February 26th, Sunday Edition of the New York Times.  The painting will be on display at the Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, CT until March 13th.  Some of my other artwork is hanging in the current exhibit as well.  Take a look if you're in the area.  For purchase information, call the Lyme Art Association at: 860-434-7802.

Art Classes: The Reboli Atelier

The Reboli Atelier:

Beginner Cast Course

I am now teaching at the newly opened Reboli Atelier in St. James, NY.  My class focuses on the Classical Realist techniques I learned while training in Italy. This is a great starting point for anyone who is serious about learning the fundamentals of drawing and painting.  Feel free to stop in for a free class anytime during the semester.

Beginner students will learn to draw and paint by copying plaster casts of Greek and Italian statues. Special emphasis is placed on students completing a sequential series of plaster cast drawings, from simple statue segments to complex bust and figures. All students in this course will begin with graphite, progress on to charcoal and then finish with a grisaille oil painting.

Click Here or on the Above Link to go directly to the Atelier Website for registration.