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My name is Sue Choppers-Wife, painter turned sculptor ( see my site ) who wonders if anyone out there really buys art or it's just a big scam so suppliers, publishers and people with workshops can make their own buck.
Seriously, there are thousands of artists visiting art forums every day wanting to know how to sell their art and become rich and famous. Scammers in the multitudes send 'opportunities' in the form of inclusion in catalogs, galleries, marketing, listings, all at a price to the artist.
There are competitions galore, each with a hefty entry fee. And workshops...did I mention workshops? I think some artists make more money off other artists than their own artwork.
And we can't leave out the artists themselves that want instant gratification, why spend years learning your craft when you can just label it 'naive' or 'creative'?
There are quite a few wonderful artists out there that don't get noticed because they don't play the game. Marketing is important, it's no good to make the best of anything if no one ever gets to see it, but considering the millions of art site listings, how does an artist get noticed?
And really, in this day of YouTube and special effects, is art becoming ancient history? Do people really want to spend their money on art or download the latest music/video/hot item on their iPhone?
The thing is that artists are compelled to create art, market or no. It's just very frustrating to spend years honing your craft and be only famous to other artists.
I finally got tired of the grind and switched from painting oil portraits to making polymer clay sculptures. I can hear the collective 'ewwwwww' from the purists, but who cares? I'm having a blast doing something that is fun, completely my own point of view and doesn't fully fit most art categories.
I finally found something fairly innovative, even for the medium...there's a lot of baby and fantasy sculpture out there, and tons of jewelry, but so far haven't found anything quite the same as my Jammins'© . Am I tooting my own horn here? You betcha. I fell in love with my first piece and the idea behind it. I've gotten great comments on them and already have had requests for certain themes.
Will I become rich and famous off them? HA...they're not the next great movement in art and I already told you it's a losing game. But damned if I'm not proud of my series and I get up every day excited that I'm going to create something no one else is doing. Sure I'd like to make a buck or two...enough to buy my supplies and maybe a little personal spending money. But I'm a little behind the game as all of my pieces are spoken for so far...(family and friends don't you know) :)
But soon I'll have some work that's only geared to the strange musings of my own mind and then I'll do some marketing. I have an onsite art blog but wanted a place to just share the thought process, not just the procedures, a place to 'rave' if you will.
Not sure what all will end up here...neat links, some photos, Harley trivia (note the name...husband's name is Chopper and it ain't cuz we got a helicopter), glimpses into Boots' life (best chow in the universe) and maybe a little bit about my long and crazy life as an artist and biker.
I welcome any comments regarding the content of my posts but I have the Easy Button for administrators so don't bother if you're just trying to be stupid. (be careful...I have a Stupid Button too...not quite sure where it sends the stupid people but they've never been heard from again).
Always looking for inspiration for posts so suggestions welcome in the form of questions too.
And finally....will I have to ask if anyone out there reads obscure blogs??? :D
