Fresh Publicity
 	 
   

   

 
 

 	 
As a Solopreneur, I divide my time between the business side and the
art side of my professional life. It's a constant struggle between
wanting to paint vs. needing to do PR, advertising, social media and so
on. Just knowing where to put my energies on the business side is a
challenge.
That's why it's really nice when some free and unexpected publicity
falls in my lap. I recently had two bits of PR happen out of the blue. 
First, El Dorado Magazine published an article 'Jerome Wasn't Built in
a Day'.   The
author Lauri Davies interviewed me and featured my work at the top of
the article. Click the yellow link above to check it out.
Second, I was featured in Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine
  online, in an
article they did about the 'Celebration of Art' event last month at the
Grand Canyon. My studio painting is featured, and surprisingly it's
still available, go figure. Click the link above to see the article.
Interesting Observations
Recently there was a guy in my studio hanging out while his wife
shopped for jewelry across the hall. I'm used to being the 'waiting
room' for languishing husbands, but sometimes it works in my favor.
This gentleman began really looking at my work. He would go up close to
a painting, then step back a ways with a slightly puzzled look on his
face. I watched him do this a few times and then I asked if he had any
questions. 
He said "How is it that your paintings look 'different' up close?"  He
didn't know it yet, but he'd just made a breakthrough in his
understanding of paintings.
Paint Quality
I proceeded to tell him a bit about 'paint quality', and how the type
of brushstrokes in an oil painting show the artist's maturity and
personal style. I explained that, for me, I'm always working to develop
my own 'shorthand' with my strokes. From the correct viewing distance,
I want the painting to read beautifully. But upon close inspection, I
want to surprise and excite you with an almost abstract quality in my
paint application. 
In my case, I'm trying to go beyond what most people think of as
traditional impressionism, with its 'loose'  (but often
under-considered) brushwork. I want a more thoughtfully-designed yet
still very painterly look up close, and a natural organic look from the
proper viewing distance.
You can see some examples of this in the photos above. The close-up on
the right shows some uber thick paint in the sky, contrasted by the
delicately handled, semi-transparent passage on the left.
Once you learn to see this, you can't go back. Today when I go to a
gallery or museum, I often see a painting from across the room that
excites me, only to be disappointed in it when I get up close. Other
times I marvel at the brushwork and how the artist took something
literal, and came up with his own language for it that is uniquely his
own.
For me, great painting is about more that just the idea, though the
overall emotional appeal is primary. The craftsmanship and skill in the
brushwork and design must be there too. 'Fine' art requires all aspects
of the work to be masterful. At least, that's one of the goals I'm
striving for.
It was cool to see someone having that moment of discovery. I hope it
inspires you to take a closer look too.
 

For those of you who might be thinking about prints for the upcoming
holiday season, my new prints page
  is user friendly, but if you
have any questions, or don't see the image you want, please feel free
to contact [email protected] 

 

And for those of you who want an original Oil Painting
  (bless you) I have some great new pieces
available, and very affordable when you buy direct from me, take a look.

 

 

  _____  

 

Koya Klips

 

Koya says, "Train your humans well...so they'll take you to the river.
The best sticks are found there, and sometimes if you're lucky, a bit
of dead fish to roll in too!" Happy girl.
   

 
 

 	 
CodyDeLong.com