Reflections on becoming a full time visual artist after a year and a half

For the last year and a half I have tried to make a living as a full-time visual artist working in oil paint. I've learned a lot.

The timing is terrible, I know, with the economic crisis going in full swing for let's see, about a year and a half? Mostly, I've hit dead ends again and again and been rejected or denied in more ways than I can count. I suppose perseverance and hard work are the keys to being successful, in art or just about anything. On the one hand, I've sold lots of work. On the other, I've only made enough money to cover the material costs. And I've worked really hard, as hard as I did managing water supply in Washington during the drought of 2002. And that was hard. On the bright side, I have improved my skill set as an artist, and feel poised to take off when the economy improves. I take inspiration from the support of my friends, and am so grateful to the support of T for essentially being my patron during this time.

I am returning to a career of engineering as a consultant, working from the home office and doing what I can. This will allow me to continue to do art and follow my passion for art making, moreover it frees me from the constraints of having to sell my art and market it through the usual channels of galleries, art fairs, etc. This is incredibly liberating from an artistic point of view as well.

I will continue to make, show, and sell my art on my art homepage, and to publish my artwork on the "Work of the Week blog." I have decided to sell my works at about cost so that I can at least break even in support of this quirky addiction to oil painting... I am hopeful that this approach will allow my art to be seen in the world, and that the website will grow organically as word of mouth spreads and as I build an internet following. The internet is changing how art can be bought and sold. Maybe one day I can build this into something much bigger. I'm certainly going to try.