Scarification, 2010, 18x24"
Golden State, 2010, 18x24"I stopped working large when the economy went south, although that's where my real preference lies. Actually, I stopped making anything to hang on the wall and began working with assemblage, a choice which had nothing to do with sales/non-sales. It's just the direction I'm being pulled in right now.
Are any of your current formats or media choices linked to the soft art sales of our current times? Or do you not let it bother you, instead building up inventory for better times?
i like golden state, very cool! larger always makes such a statement but as you know, people do like and buy smaller works (online) more than ever.
ReplyDelete'not let it bother you'...well sometimes its a matter of surviving as you know. i suppose i could have been making smaller mixed media photo assemblages, in fact i was going to start doing that but then i realized i wanted a total change and hence the smaller, functional works. good to change and come back to things, or not. dont you think?
congrats on new works deborah!
These are beautiful Deborah! So rich and textural and beautifully composed.
ReplyDeleteI used to work larger. Never huge...I'm a watercolorist, maybe that's why. My biggest watercolors were 36" x 51". It feels great to paint big and loose, really swinging my arm with a big brush instead of getting all nitpicky with details and little brushes. But, I do nitpicky pretty well, and like that too.
Aside from it being harder to sell a big piece like that (framed up at about 45" x 60"), there are other issues. The expense of making it -- bigger paper, bigger brushes, more paint; the huge expense of framing. Harder to store; harder to ship; harder to show.
I'm working smaller these days, and trying to think of my smallest pieces as little jewels!
Good question -- looking forward to reading other responses.
Paula, I'm glad you like golden state--thanks!
ReplyDeleteit's very definitely a question of survival. So you started making the functional works only recently? Wow! I've been thinking of what I could make for my etsy(!)shop and functional is good.
Hi Cynthia, thanks! It takes me a long time to work out the ideas for my work these days, which is frustrating in some ways, but it does cut down on storage space needed!
ReplyDeleteThat's impressive that you've done such large pieces in such an unforgiving medium as watercolor--I know, so I'm very admirative. Your watercolors are beautiful!
It's very self indulgent (for me anyway) to work large, for all the reasons you list. I do plan to make some larger assemblages at some point...soon, I hope.