Some Busking Paintings

Thought I'd take some close up pictures of the small paintings going out for busking. Stagg has posted some of his on his blog too. I don't usually make small paintings. Frankly...I make really big paintings and I am usually kind of a bitch about it...I just plain prefer to work really large scale. But....I have to admit...making some small paintings for busking has been quite a fun project for me after all. Stagg and I are knocking out the paintings. He tends to be prolific and I tend to be well...I work at quite a different pace. BUT...I am a monster fast painter if I want. I used to do contract work of murals and specialty paintings for like twenty years. i can paint anything. I'm an utter animal. But...I do tend to prefer to poke about and day dream when I paint. But I've applied my work ethic of mural painting to these small paintings. It's really been a hoot. Stagg and I actually are running out of space knocking these things out...and it feels every bit as fun to me as making a large painting! (remember I'm making fucking wallpaper...and it's like a 100 feet long so far...so putting my heart and soul into a small painting was a real attitude adjustment for me ha ha). Most of these paintings are less than 18" and many are about 12".

Okay...above can you see a glow on the wall behind the painting? I was aiming for one of those 90's cars where they had the neon border under the chasis. Remember those?

I just laid this painting on the scanner. The scanner doesn't translate flourescent paint...so the scratchy grey in this image above is actually flourescent orange. You can get an idea of the small scale of these paintings by the brush stokes in this detail. The canvas is built to be hung across a corner...so the back frame is beveled. I doubt in a million years i would hang a painting across a corner of two walls. I just don't get that, heh. BUT I painted it so the beveled frame would have some function visually. I just made this one and haven't had it outside. I have no idea if it will attract anyone. Should be interesting.

There...maybe you can see the effect of the flourescent paint reflecting on the wall in the above picture?

This painting above is dear to me...because it is made from a prop from one of my short films. No one seems interested in it, which is kind of a relief. I mean...part of me doesn't want to let it go for less than $100. The thing is "business wise"...objects are worth what people will pay for them. It's not personal, that's just the way people function. Artists included. So far...no one wants this piece of historical artifact for $10 nevermind a $100 heh heh. So, We were taking this out for a few weeks with no interest. I'm putting it off the market until the day I think I can get $100 for it. I also think...people want the paintings done on the small canvases. (the painting made from a prop is painted on hardboard). People tending to buy paintings on canvas makes sense because it is the traditional format that peple are familiar with, plus...they are ready to hang. With paintings on boards the buyer would have to deal with a frame or a more challenging device for hanging. We should probably stick to small cananvases...we haven't sold anything that wasn't on a canvas. Not rocket science...just a pattern recognized so far. Busking has a traditional history and format...plus variables one picks up with the actual experience of being outside talking with people.

This one is just plain silly with my manga chick on it. So far..it's not like we can predict what will appeal to one person or another. People seem to like flowers. I had made a painting with collaged together words, like a made up word...and one of the words was "happytastic"...and I thought no way anyone else is going to find that funny. I mean in a lot of ways my paintings are not far removed from my "opinions" ha ha ha...so you know, I am aware I annoy some people, heh heh. But the "happytastic" painting was outside for about 5 minutes and snatched up. Go figure. I didn't even get a picture to archive it. I thought I'd have lots of time to take a picture later.