Another new member...

[Holly Snyder]

Hi Pat,

I think oil paintings are considered to be more valuable than acrylics, mainly because acrylics are a relatively new medium and thus don't have the same history and fame of the many masterpieces that have been created in oils. Honestly I don't know though. Personally I like oils better than acrylics, because of being able to work wet-in-wet much longer. I think that one can achieve generally the same look or style in either medium, even if the technique is slightly different. I suspect the difference you see between my acrylics and oils is more my recent attempts to develop a looser style. Several other artists here have worked in both oils to acrylics, I can think of Marvin Mattelson and Terri Ficenec off the top of my head.

By the way, if you do have an opportunity to develop a web site, I would encourage you to do so as you get back into commissioned portraits. It's so easy to be able to give potential clients a business card printed with your web site address, from which they can quickly check your work and see if you're the artist for them. You could display your portraits as well as your other work, and highlight your Best of Show paintings. Perhaps some of the Pacific Gallery Artists League members know of an outlet for web site creation?

Cheers,

Holly

[Pat Graham]

Hi Holly,

I guess it's going to take time for acrylic paints to prove themselves. Personally, I love the way oil paint handles and blends, too, but with 2 active Abyssinian cats running around wild I can't find a 'safe' place for the canvas while I'm not working on a piece so I'm focusing on other mediums for now. Having a studio (extra kidless bedroom) in my home can pose some challenges! However, I certainly am not complaining.

Interesting that you would suggest checking with the PGA league regarding setting up a website. For a small fee per year members can have a web page with up to 9 painting images, a brief bio and their personal photo linked to the PGA website. I think as soon as I get a couple more paintings done that really thrill me I'll go that route and test the waters. Who knows where that will lead? Have you found your website to be beneficial for bringing in customers?

Pat

[Holly Snyder]

Hi Pat,

I don't know how much success people have had with their web site "bringing in" customers. This was mentioned in a recent thread somewhere and I think the general consensus was that it wasn't that helpful in that regard. However the benefit is the ease with which someone can view your work on your site after they've heard about you from a show or word of mouth or whatever.

Holly

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Pat Graham

...with 2 active Abyssinian cats running around wild I can't find a 'safe' place for the canvas while I'm not working on a piece ...

How about hanging them high on a nail in the wall to keep them out of the way? The paintings, not the cats.

It's handy to have a website to which you can direct clients who are curious about your prices. You will quickly weed out those who think a portrait should cost less than a Sears photo shoot.

And thank you for the kind comments about my work, although I'm painting fewer outdoor portraits than I used to.

[Pat Graham]

It sounds as if having a web page through the PGA league is the way to go for now, then....

Linda, believe it or not, my Abies will jump 2/3 the way up a wall to get to whatever it is they are interested in, so I don't trust even putting a wet painting on the wall in my studio! Since they are such jumpers (a breed characteristic) I think I'll have to wait till I can have a studio away from them before getting back into oils again. *sigh* Or, maybe I'll come up with some other great idea to deter them. Hmmmm......

At any rate, here's an image of the last oil painting I did many years ago (15?) which won the People's Choice award for 7days of 21 days of the show it was in. The painting is of our daughter who is now 25. Not the best photograph of it, unfortunately, but it's the best I've got at the moment.