A Sad Painter's Musings

Yes I wear glasses. Here is my most recent portrait that supports that fact.

Self Portrait Oil Painting oil on canvas 4 feet by 3 feet

Expressions are going to be a growing area of my self portrait. I can’t keep painting the same ol’ gloomy face that got me the name of this blog. Or do it? I’m not sure. Anyways, here is a very recent portrait.

art and the secondary auction market

Art is now an “alternative asset.” 2012 has been a record-breaking year for art auctions and for many people in this art auction industry art means money.

This particular article, from artinfo.com, refers to art as illiquid asset. An illiquid asset is like a car, house, or antiques. These are possessions that cannot be easily exchanged for cash without taking a loss.

Major art auctions are a tiny tiny part of the art world but are the biggest growth area. Less than 50 artists are included in this elite pool of competitive art purchasing.

I hope that for the sake of art, these buyers will fall in love with their pieces and not to equate fine art with “investment or short-term trading gains”, or just plain luxurious competitive shopping.  If you are fortunate to participate in a Sotheby’s, Christie’s or Bonham’s art auction, don’t miss the point!

Happy Late New Year.

Here are some projects that I have kept me from blogging:
1. a new commission(YAY!)
2. training for a 1/2 marathon
3. swimming- or rather trying to swim.
4. building a dollhouse.

Unfinished self portrait of Rachel Goede

Today, I went to the art supply store to pick up raw umber, reds, french ultramarine, and whites. Sometimes I just cannot get enough paint.  If I had any hopes of starting a series on swimming, after completing enough self portraits, those aspirations will just have to wait.

December was a crazy month. I began a third self portrait and have not worked on it for the last  3 weeks.  However, breaks like this can be very beneficial. Since I have not looked at this portrait for a while, I will see it with a renewed vision of what I want it to be like.

self portrait by Rachel Goede with glasses. It is unfinished.

Many times while I am working, my daughter will come into my studio and tell me how bored she is. She wants to do what I am doing. I get out some paper that I have saved from years and years ago. She draws whatever she is thinking of. Days later I need to sketch for my portraits, so I use her negative space. I think seven-year-olds love to compose art with lots and lots of negative space! Here are some studies that I have added to my daughter’s drawings.

sketch and kids drawing

Here is another sketch with my own studies added into the negative space. In this case I would say do not waste paper and do not waste negative space. I always tell my daughter that I love it when she uses the ENTIRE sheet of paper. It brings back childhood memories of similar messages from my art teachers.

Sketches featuring a red dog drawing