The Traveling Artist

 

'Night Time Neighbors' - very large piece done on stretched canvas. In Private Collection

Years and years ago - when my children were Littles - I would do local craft shows to feel out the response to my art. I wasn't very secure with my work or my style so I stayed in un-intimidating shows next to booths selling junk jewelry from China. I painted decorative birdhouses, kid's tennis shoes and even the wooden handles of plungers! Basically, if it didn't run away from me I painted roses, vines, and polks-dots on it. Eventually I moved onto painting cast-off furniture and became pretty elaborate in the renderings (I still love decoratively painting furniture). This was the early '90's, the height of the Mackenzie Child's type of home decor. 

(left) Mock up of set for charity auction. (above) finished set.

  From there I studied and learned a variety of faux finish techniques through months of trial and error. My husband and I had not one extra penny to our name at the time so I cut card-stock into post card sizes and hand-painted each one as an advertisement then hand-delivered them to area Interior Decorators and Designers (no money for stamps!). This was the beginning of my 'professional' career as a Decorative Artist. I touched up the black and white checks on many mass-produced and high end furnishings, painted side chairs to compliment the wall paper boarder in summer 'cottages' and at one point hand-painted wall paper back onto the walls of a bedroom suit when the contractors had accidentally removed it from the wrong room. Wooden mantles were painted to look like marble and columns to look like granite. I worked like this for over a decade and loved every minute of it. I was comfortable in the realm of decorative arts- it wasn't intimidating, my creations served a purpose and it seemed so much less rarefied than a 'True Artist' who painted scenery to be framed and hung on a wall at a gallery or in a place of honor in a home. Painting a small chair was easy. It never occurred to me at the time that it took enormous amounts of guts to transform an entire wall into something else because in my mind if it wasn't framed it wasn't really 'art' and therefore much safer. Not having a degree or art schooling weighed heavily on my mind and ,quite frankly, the local art community tended to be a little elitist regarding who could call themselves a 'real artist' based on schooling and degrees (they still are but I've since stopped caring).
  By the first decade of the 2000's the Great Recession hit. The remodeling business that had been built up by my husband and I suffered a lethal blow and we both returned to hourly wage jobs for other people.I had no reason or room to paint chairs or bedroom sets and was really too exhausted physically and emotionally to even think about it for several years. But I am creative by nature and as we as a family began to recover and we visited new places like my beloved New Orleans I was bathed in new colors, textures and styles. Without having a 'profession' to worry about I began experimenting with renderings on canvas- the fantastical architecture of the French Quarter, the gorgeous blues of Lake Michigan, the slender and sleek birch trees of Little Traverse Bay.

My Art featured in this publication this year

Framed Piece of New Orleans Street Car

 By now the internet had become a standard fixture and a low-cost way to showcase and sell art. I set up an on-line store and was gob-smacked when my art began selling. I found that local galleries were still not interested in my work but I had a fairly steady and enthusiastic clientele literally around the world (There's a wonderful lady in Australia who has several pieces of mine) so I didn't let it bother me too much. Eventually a few designers from 'back in the day' began calling again and I once again got to step back into the comfort of Decorative Painting on occasion. 
  For almost 30 years I have been actively learning, striving, refining and defining my art in a variety of mediums and techniques. When I think back to having started with hand painted plungers I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry!
  So now its time- I am checking out and pricing fair tents and have a list of prospective juried art shows to apply to. Its time to take the next step and experience selling my framed pieces face to face with the public. I am both scared and very excited about this part of the journey...

Until Next Time -
Annie