Clearing the Decks

Right then. Back in the Autumn, after my last daughter still living with us moved out, I set about making her room into a studio. Her room was actually one of my favourite of the whole house. It’s on the first floor, and has a lovely bay window which looks out over the back, and is beautifully filled with natural light for most of the day.

Well, through a combination of circumstances, none of them at all bad, my eldest daughter and my grandson have moved back in with us. Well, I want them to be happy, and I know how much my daughter loves the room at the back of the house. It also means she will be right in the room next to my grandson’s bedroom, so it makes sense that she moves into the studio. So I’ve spent part of today just moving all my art stuff to other places in the house. It’s not ideal but hey, I’d rather we were all together.

Still, one of the results is me realising just what a lot of pictures I’ve accumulated over the last couple of years. I haven’t really been making any great effort to sell my stuff in that time, and basically just been relying on commissions for my ink work, and emails from people who’ve seen a picture of mine they like and wonder if it’s for sale. Mind you, these are double edged swords. I’ve had 3 emails in the last couple of months asking about watercolours or ink sketches I’ve made. None of them resulted in a sale. I don’t think that what I ask is excessive, but people tend to think that if you’re not a full time professional, then you sell stuff for car boot sale prices.

Case in point. I recently had an email asking about a line and wash painting I made a couple of years ago of a London tube station. I explained that I’d sold the original, but offered to do another of a similar subject for the same price as the one I’d already sold. Never heard from the potential buyer again.

Anyway, I’ve decided to start trying to clear some of my back catalogue, and so have listed my 4 monochrome blue paintings of Hollywood comedy icons on a popular auction sight. If you wanted to bid yourself, you’ll only find encouragement from me to do so. The 4 paintings are Chaplin, Groucho, Buster Keaton and Stan and Ollie.