Queen Kitty

2.5" x 3.5" oil on canvas paper

This is just one of the many, many aceo's I painted from last week. I paint about two a day to sell on ebay, and I do fairly well. The problem is that it takes so much time away from the art that I want to paint.

How does one reconcile the need to paint what one is passionate about, and the need to make a living? Anyone have any suggestions?

 I don't want to go back to being a restauranteur, I don't want a receptionist job...I want to paint...but right now, these cards are my only income, and I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my life painting pint size kitties and horses. Grrrr!!!

Sunlit

                                                        "Sunlit"  ACEO -- SOLD

It's spring, finally...I think... The large patches of snow beg to differ, but the temperature on the thermometer is finally agreeing. (Is that a word? It sounds funny...lol!) I'm really tired today. I ran 9km, painted for four hours, only to have to basically start over...way too much time to spend on a 6 x 6 painting, cooked a few meals, picked up after the kids...put them to bed...How does one have the time to stay in shape, raise a family, try to be an artist, and be a wife...YAWN! Okay, well I'm going to go to bed now, but I'll leave you with this little horse I painted the other day. I've been painting A LOT! I just haven't been posting much. There's the cows...and the swan...and a lot of cats, haha. I will post some more soon.
Bye for now.

...and even more ACEO's

Hello everyone...sorry about the lack of sketches, if anyone noticed...but I'm trying to make a few bucks to pay for the deluxe printer I just bought, lol!  And I need special paper, too, and Crystal Clear Bags...

Uhhh...the business of art. I'd rather just paint, and let someone else do all the other work, but I've made a new years resolution to get serious this year, and treat it as a job instead of a hobby...see where that gets me.

These cuties go active on Ebay at about 6 pm PST, 

Cheers, all!

Cat, Kitten, Kitty, ACEO, oil painting, miniature painting

Jade ACEO SOLD

I haven't really sketched in a few days as I've been working on the color study for my large commission, so I thought I'd post one of my latest ACEO's.

I 've also been working on a cute sketch for my daughter. I couldn't sleep last night, so I started doodling, something I never allow myself the novelty of doing and it turned into a pretty little big-eyed girl...but I'm not ready to show it. It might actually turn into a full size painting...we'll see. If it does, it's something totally and completely different for me, but I'm having fun experimenting.

More Itty Bitty Kitties

Snuggle Bugs Aceo SOLD

I'm so happy, my long awaited package of art supplies  arrived today! Yay! Thank you so much, super-hubby. I was going crazy. For those of you that don't already know, I am stranded in my old hometown, at my mom and dad's, in my old room, nonetheless...because the town where I now reside with my wonderful DH and my sweetheart monsters, has totally flooded. Like disastrous, devastatingly flooded! Many people's homes are beyond repair, and it's a bloody nightmare. Thank God our home was safe. But anyways, I have this huge commission, and no paint and no brushes...and my last batch of SOLD ebay ACEO's were also stranded...in Bella Coola, with the buyer impatiently waiting for their purchase.  For the longest time we had no mail going out or coming in because the road and the airport were closed. At least now the air traffic is moving, so we can get mail and send it...so dear buyer, if you're reading (I hope you don't mind me showing off your card) and, your package will now arrive soon.

My Darling Billy

Billy in my sketchbook

I've been really enjoying looking at less serious stuff lately, namely people's sketchbooks. I love the spontaneity, the freedom, and the sense of the artist in these pictures. I've been finding them on Flickr, and on art blogs, (check out Andrea Joseph's stuff...it's amazing!, and also Paul Madonna) and I realized, I don't sketch enough. I take my art way too seriously.

I guess that there's so little time in a day, being a mom and a wife, that any chance I get to paint, I paint seriously. It feels like a waste of time to sketch, when I have so little of it to begin with.  My focus has been on success so much, and recognition, and now that I'm finally getting a few shows out of town, and workshops, my art feels suddenly so joyless. I've been painting for shows, and for work, but I need to find the joy in it again, and maybe I can by sketching more. 

This is my sweet husband, Billy. We had a beautiful sunny day, about two days ago. He was home from work, and we sat on the deck, soaking up the sun. The light was great, so I grabbed my sketchbook and whipped this one off.

I also joined the "Sketchbook Project".  It's a pretty cool idea. You send them $25. They send you a moleskine sketchbook, you pick a theme, fill it up and send it back to them. Once there it becomes part of the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Art Library. You can also have them put the whole thing on line for an extra fee, where they're there for the whole world to see. 

Anyways, that's my post for the day.

Don't forget to check out my ebay listings. I have a bunch of Cat ACEO's for sale, starting at only $9.99.

The Chairman

                                   "The Chairman" 2.5"x3.5" ACEO
      

Chairman Meow is a lovely cat that belongs to my friend and employer, Holly, of Coast Mountain Lodge in Bella Coola. He is sweet and affectionate...more like a big friendly dog than a cat, and he's also a manx...ya, just a little stump of a tail...anyways, he's a sweetie, and I had to paint him.

I've actually been on a bit of an ACEO painting binge this week, so check out my listings by clicking on the scrolling gallery to your right.

Unfortunately the horses and driver in my previous posting met an unfortunate demise...beware of painting when you're not in the mood, is my advice to all of you artists out there that might have a bit of a temper, lol! Yes, I have to start over, or patch the hole in my canvas....

christmas aceo's for sale

Here's a few aceos I did for ebay today. I had kind of an aimless day, I suppose. One could call it "art avoidance"... I have a large painting I am about to attempt for my show at the gallery in April, and I'm putting it off. I guess I'm intimidated by its size, or that it's more complicated...I don't know. I'm just putting it off. Which isn't good. Because I need to have about four more paintings in about six more days. I guess I just work better under pressure:)
Anyways, these little guys were fun, and maybe I'll make a few bucks. So bid now!:)

Bookworm kitty cat aceo original art by Tahirih Goffic

"Bookworm" 2.5" x 3.5" ACEO oil on canvas paper

This is one of the ACEO's I sold last week on ebay.
Check out my new listings on Tuesday night. I should have a bunch more.
I enjoy doing these little paintings. I can get the great feeling of accomplishment that comes with finishing a painting, but in an hour instead of a week. It's a nice break sometimes, and they sell like hotcakes, too. It's a nice way to make a few extra bucks every week.

Mishka

"Mishka" 2.5"x 3.5" oil painting ACEO

This is my mom and dad's cat, Mishka, asleep at her favorite perch on the back of the couch in front of the big picture window.
I managed to get a few good pictures of her while I was there at Christmas, and this is from one of them.

Mo Cuishle

"Mo Cuishle" 2.5" x 3.5" oil on canvas paper

I've been meaning to post a few times this last week, but our internet service is really bad right now, and blogger hasn't been letting me upload pictures. Since this is mainly a blog about pictures, and I didn't have anything interesting to say, I just didn't say anything at all.
This painting is one out of this week's set of ACEO's. It is from a gorgeous photograph that my friend, James, took, and he graciously gave me permission to use it. His was black and white, and I used my imagination to colorize it. I couldn't think of a name for it that I hadn't already used before, and "Mo Cuishle" came to mind, because it means "my darling". In the book I'm writing, I had to do a lot of research on Gaelic endearments because it's based in Ireland, so the term was fresh in my mind. Anyways, I hope you all like it.
Bye for now.

Contemplation

Contemplation - 2.5" x 3.5" ACEO

Hmmm...much to contemplate these days. I'm not sleeping well, thinking too much...too internal. I feel like walking, running, writing, reading, but not painting. Is that a normal artist thing? Am I just avoiding work? LOL! I'm having a hard time focusing on painting, but, I'm still able to churn out these little babies because they only take an hour. That's about as long as I can focus on one thing, and even then, I'm finding myself getting up twenty times, to look in the fridge, the cupboard, the drawers, only to go sit back down at the easel, empty-handed, because I'm not really looking for food. It would probably only take half-an-hour if I didn't get up so often:)
I did finish the 18 x 24 for Inside Barkerville...I think...maybe. There's still something bothering me about it, but I'm not sure what it is yet.
Anyways, I love the look in this cat's eye, and I also love the way I did the red background. It really brings it to life...I think it does anyways. (Thanks a bunch to the copyright free WetCanvas photo library for the reference photo!)

Is That You, Momma?

I've been slacking at posting, again, but not painting. I'm busy! I'm working on an 18"x 24" painting right now for the Inside Barkerville project, and have finished at least 8 ACEO's since I last posted. This little fella is one of them. I love how the light from the window behind him outlines his little head. He looks like an angel:)

I also took part in our village's annual Arts and Crafts fair, this last weekend, and I did awesome. I sold cards, prints, ACEO originals, ACEO prints, and even three original paintings! Yay! Not bad for our little town. I recommend it to all of you artists out there. It helps spread your work and your name around, and lets people know what you do. I gave out lots of business cards and chatted with many people who claim to have not known I was an artist, even though I've been here for twelve years, and have my stuff in the gallery. Who knew?

Bucephalus

"Bucephalus" 2.5"x 3.5" oil on watercolor paper ACEO

This is one of my newer aceo's. I've actually been painting more than one a day lately, I've just been lazy about posting! So, you can have a look at all of the other ones on my ebay listings.
Have a great night,
Ciao

New original miniature oil painting aceo

The Eyes Have It -- 2.5" x 3.5" aceo

Just a quick post tonight. I'm busy and tired. I painted three aceo's today, cleaned house, played with my kids at the park, cooked dinner, gave the kids a bath, put them to bed, folded three loads of laundry, and now it's time to get to work on my Barkerville paintings.
YAWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!
But, I'm painting:) Who could ask for more?
G'night, all.

New ACEO Black Cat Original Oil Painting for Halloween

"I SEE YOU" 2.5" x 3.5" oil on watercolor paper

Here's another little ACEO. I've been having fun with these kitties this week. My first one, Baby Blue Eyes comes up for auction on Ebay tomorrow at about 7pm, pacific standard time, so check it out. I think next week I'll do horses, or maybe musicians...hmmm. I also finished three other ACEO's and a top secret Barkerville watercolor this week, so I've been busy. I'm a very tired mommy tonight, so I don't have much to say. Oh, I know, you other artists out there, I have a question for you...What is your favorite type of watercolor paint? I need to upgrade, and I'm wondering if anyone has any opinions.
Okay, that's it. Goodnight, all.

Queen Shiva ACEO

Okay, well, I know I have painted this image of my beloved Shiva before, but never this small:) I sold the original one, and I really love this picture of her posing in a ray of sunshine on our old farm. The light is so beautiful, I just had to do it again as an ACEO.

In other news, hmmm...let's see. I know I had something I wanted to talk about. Oh yeah...commissions. I've discovered something new about actually working full time as an artist. I hadn't up until this Barkerville project came up. I'd always dreamed of being able to support myself with my art, but let's just say I didn't do a whole lot to make that dream happen. I painted when I had the energy, or when inspiration hit, or when I thought I had time. When it's a job, though, holy...do priorities ever change. Suddenly it's really not that important to have coffee with girlfriends, or make sure your child gets to the play centre three times a week that's half an hour drive away, and lasts for three hours, or watching Medium every Monday night. I'd love to still be doing those things, mind you, but they sure don't allow me to get any painting done. This is hard!@ It's work. It's good work, because I'm doing what I love, but sometimes I have to do an image I'm not crazy about, or subject matter I'm not familiar with, and...it's work! I'm the one who decided I wanted to paint Barkerville anyways, so it's not like I have to just paint what I'm told, either. But still, I started to feel smothered, and hopeless.

I know I was going to go somewhere with this...damn mommy brain...I wish I could sleep at night:) That's it...back to the ACEO's. I've realized, that no matter how tiny, or insignificant it is, we, as artists, need to remember to take time to paint just for ourselves, or we'll start hating it. I was getting so burnt out. The last thing I wanted to do was pick up a paintbrush. And then I took an hour and put it aside for just me, and painted a little trading card. It turned out great, and I felt great, and I didn't have to take it all seriously, and worry if it was going to be good enough. So now, when I'm feeling smothered by the project, I grab a little 2.5" by 3.5" card and whip off a little kitty, or horse, or something totally frivolous, and suddenly everything's all good again.

I'm BAAACCKKK! With some original miniature oil painting ACEO's

"Baby Blue Eyes" 2.5" x 3.5" oil on primed watercolor paper


I know!!! I've been away from here forever, but...I'm going to try to come back, I promise. I'm finally painting something I'm allowed to show you all:)

For the last five months, I've been working on a top secret project:) I'm not allowed to show the paintings off online...yet. Not until the website is up and running. I'll give you a hint, though. The Candyman painting is one of the paintings included in the project. And, this cat painting is not, lol! Okay, I'll tell you about it. I know that I mentioned somewhere that I decided to do my body of work on Barkerville, this cool historical, restored ghost town near Quesnel, B.C. -- Well Serendipity walked in, and about a week after I'd made that decision, I was contacted by a man working in Barkerville, who saw my art online and wanted to know if I might happen to be interested in illustrating a book he was writing. (At that point, the only person I had told about my decision was my husband.) Well, DUH!! I had just decided to do twenty or so paintings about Barkerville anyways, so that was a no-brainer.

So, I've been working really hard on those full-size, original oil paintings ever since, and haven't given myself much time to paint anything just for me. These little ACEO miniature paintings are perfect, since they don't take long to finish, so they're not really cutting into my project time, but I still get that wonderful sense of accomplishment of finishing a new painting. Plus, I can paint whatever I want, and that's nice, too. I'm really enjoying the Barkerville project, but sometimes it's hard as an artist when you're being directed. So, Baby Blue Eyes was my solution! Hope you like her. She'll be on Ebay for the next week, so have a look.

Hey Horsey!

I was absolutely horse CRAZY as a kid! I drew horse after horse after horse, I talked about horses, dreamed about horses, and finally, when I was twelve, my parents got me my very own horse. But, I think I must have got sick of drawing horses, because this is the first horse I have painted in about 15 years! I made it look just like mine, Miss Peeti Poco. I miss her. She died when I was 27, and coincidentally, she was 27. Our birthdays were only a week apart. I really enjoyed painting this little thing. I may have to give horses another go! This is another ACEO for ebay. The detail is difficult, though, so it's quite hard to make it look polished, and the picture doesn't do it justice. 2.5" x 3.5" is so small!
Well, I have a portrait commission that I have to start work on tomorrow, as well as an assignment almost due for my writing course, so I don't know when I'll next be able to post. Maybe if the weather is good enough for pictures, I'll post some in progress ones of the commission. So, ciao for now.

Crazy ACEO's Craze

So, I decided to try a few ACEO's, I believe it stands forArt Card Edition Collectables. My mistaken assumption was that I could whip them off fairly quickly, thereby afford to sell them for much less on ebay. Well...let's just say, that I could have finished three 6"x8" paintings in the time it took to do four of these little suckers, and the fourth is not fit to show you! It's hard to get convincing detail into a 2.5" x 3.5" little square!
My brain feels like it's going to explode!!! The good thing was, that I could work on them at the kitchen table with the kids running around, I didn't have to hide in my studio.
My poor baby girl is sick right now, though! ArRrGghhh!!! What I wouldn't give for daycare sometimes. Not when they're sick, I mean, but on other days, so I could get something done.
Any other artists out there have any experience with ACEO's?
Are they worth the time and effort? I want to paint big!! Really big, actually. My arm is starting to cramp and pretty soon I'll need reading glasses, or to paint under a magnifying glass!