Holidays

It's been rather hectic around here. I haven't really had much time to get anything done. Thanksgiving, then my birthday, now preparations for Christmas....yikes! I've done a bit of painting, a pinch of drawing, and no photographing artwork. I hope to find more time soon, but first, I've got things that really need to get done.

Organizational Problems

I've gotten myself more organized lately and I've discovered some odd things. I made a list of all the art sites I'm on, the ones where I post my art and try to get discovered. I'm on over twenty of these sites....twenty! How am I supposed to keep current on that many sites? I remembered that I was on one that I hadn't logged into in over three years when I saw my name appear on a tweet on their Twitter account. I suppose I need to just concentrate on five or six of them, but part of me thinks it's possible for me to keep them all going. Fortunately it's a small part of me. I've also found that I have five day planners. I stay busy, but not enough for that many planners. I'm paring them all down and consolidating them into one planner, which I can hopefully keep current with. The more I try to get organized the less I get done. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

A Really Big Show

I had planned on doing some painting today and perhaps taking a nap, but I've got bigger fish to fry. I was asked to provide some art for the walls of a deli that is getting ready to open. 'No problem', I thought to myself, 'I'll grab six or eight paintings and head out.' Well, the deli is going to open Thursday and it turns out that the seating area in the deli is three thousand square feet. It's gonna take a lot of art to cover those walls. Fortunately I have a lot of art. Unfortunately it's gonna take me most of the day to get out all my paintings, sort through them, remove the nudes (it's a family place), make sure they're signed, have finished edges, and have wire on the back so I can hang them. Not difficult work, but tedious. I do get to decide where to hang them, which I enjoy immensely. Should be a very productive day. Maybe I can sneak that nap in later.
AKU ANG HARI

The Next Chapter

I've got most of my stuff put away, mostly organized in my studio, feeling pretty good about life. I do need to find room for all my artwork. I had no idea I had so much of it. If anyone wants to buy some, I've got all kinds. I found all kinds of reference photos too. I'm sorting through to find something to paint today. I need to do other things, but painting will keep me from slipping into insane.
AKU ANG HARI

Where I Stand

I've got all my art, art supplies, and miscellaneous stuff out of my old house now. Every thing I own is with me in Paducah. It was quite an effort getting it all here, I had more there than I remembered. I'm not doing very well on my art sales as of late. I'm marketing and promoting the hell out of my work, but haven't sold anything in quite a while. I went to a job interview today. I'm not sure how I feel about having to go back to work. I don't mind working but it's been almost a decade since I've had to work for someone else.

My Week

I went last Saturday to my old house in Cape Girardeau to pick up the rest of my stuff. My sister is taking over the house and needed me to get my stuff out so she can gut the house. I thought it would be a simple trip up and back, but I had forgotten how much stuff I still had there. I did get my collection of Artist Magazines and American Artist magazines and some art supplies I had forgotten. I also got lots and lots of art that I had forgotten about. Acrylics, some oils, pastels, watercolors, some as old as twenty years. I still need to go back next Saturday with a U-Haul to get some big stuff, and in the mean time I'm unpacking and sorting my stuff. I unpacked some art supplies today. I may have to go test them out and make sure they're still good. That'll probably set my unpacking back a day or so. Oh, well, the boxes aren't going anywhere.
AKU ANG HARI

I'm Confused

I recently ran across an art website that acts as a go-between for artists and collectors. Naturally I was excited, as I've been trying to find someone to help sell my work for what seems like forever. I sent them an email and they said they would contact me. Apparently not everyone gets in....outstanding! It will be much better if they separate the chaff from the wheat, it makes the site look much better. At least that's my thinking. After playing phone tag with a really nice lady named, well, maybe I shouldn't say, I finally got some info on their submission standards. High quality images, prices, location it all sounded great and it all sounded like stuff I already had. I emailed them my website so they could check out my gallery and verify that I had high quality work. I waited all weekend to get a phone call back from them. Finally on Monday I got an email which read:
"Your work is provocative and high quality, although it is not quite right for our market. Most of our clients (both buyers and renters) are going for more abstract contemporary “emotionally neutral” pieces."
How do you get emotionally neutral art? Isn't that contrary to what art is? So I looked up the definition of art. It reads:
"the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance."
Does that sound like it could be emotionless? I've also tried to think of something that could be considered art that is emotionally vacant. I've got nothing so far. Even a canvas painted white stirs something in the viewer. Maybe not as much as an emotionally charged piece of art, but it evokes somewhat of a stirring in the soul. I'm thinking this is going to bug me until I can find an example of such art. I also wonder what collector would want something like that. If you think of something, please let me know.
DOUG
AKU ANG HARI
www.ArtworkOfDougBaltz.com

Post

I'm still trying to figure out why my blogs are posting multiple times. I can't seem to delete the extra posts either. It's just more frustration for me. On the plus side, I am painting a lot more and have caught up on photographing my art. I haven't posted all my new paintings yet, but that's because I like to take some time in between postings. I feel that gives me more exposure to more people. I'm not really sure if it works or not, but until someone proves to me that it doesn't I'll stick with it. I'm also getting my promotional train back on track. I've opened accounts on lots of website and I lost the paper that I had them all written down on, so I've been attempting to find them all again. I may never find them all.

A Day in the Life

I've been very inspired lately, but haven't been painting as much as I should have. I've been putting a lot of time it to promotions, and time in to taking care of my family. Those things definitely need to be done, but I still need to find time to create.

WTH?

I've been posting on here through Blog It from Facebook and for some reason it's posting multiple times. It doesn't do it every time, but when it does it makes me look foolish. I don't need help with that, I do fine on my own.

What Ever It Takes

Well, my sales are down. It looks like I'm gonna have to get a job soon. I'm not sure what kind of job I can find with the economy like it is. Oddly, if the economy was better I'd probably be selling some art and not need a job. The old Catch 22. I don't mind having to go back to work so much, it's just been a long time since I've worked for anyone else. I'll still make time to paint, and I suppose I need to make time to promote myself. Maybe this will be the kick in the pants I need.
AKU ANG HARI
DOUG

Some Random Thoughts

I've taken pictures of my new artwork (finally). I took thirty pictures. I didn't realize I had done so much painting as of late. I downloaded them on to my computer to crop and tweak them and found out that about half of them need to be re-shot. No telling how long it will take me to get that done. I posted some of them on my Facebook fan site ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Doug-Baltz/91455321956) if you'd like to check them out. I don't have titles for them yet, I'm hoping to get some help from my fans.
I'm still posting on eBay too (http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Darkwater-Studios__W0QQ_armrsZ1) and I'm updating all the art websites I'm a member of. I'm not having much luck with my sales of late. I've always said that one per cent of any given population will like my work enough to buy it and actually be able to afford it. The world population is 6.7 billion. That means that, according to my theory 67 million people should be looking to buy some of my work. You'd figure that at least one or two of them would have stumbled across my art on the internet. Over eighty million people visit eBay ( according to the 2006 stats I found), meaning that eight hundred thousand people on there should be bidding on my work. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong or how to fix it. I blame a massive government conspiracy.
I've been checking out a lot of artwork as I update my postings. I have to say I don't really understand the people that meticulously copy photographs. The draw and/or paint for hours, days, weeks and end up with something that looks just like the photo they were working from (best case scenario). Why not just post the photo and be done? Save some time. I see no point in this, other than the 'look at me and how cool I am, I can make soulless art. Look how much effort I put into it' mentality.If they want attention that bad they should .....well, I probably shouldn't say that. That's just mean. They are slightly better than the ones who take a photo, Photoshop some artsy effects on it, post it, and claim that they drew or painted it. They're not fooling anyone who really knows art, and the rest would be more impressed it they actually did some real art. Oh, well, I can't change the world over night. At least that's what the restraining order says.

AKU ANG HARI
DOUG
www.ArtworkOfDougBaltz.com

Another Day On The Job

The dawn of a brand new day. I have lots I need to do. I've tried balancing my creativity and promotions, but with out much luck so far. It seems I can only motivate to do one or the other each day. I suppose as long as I do at least one I'm in good shape, but it really needs to be both. I'm looking to find a place to set up my paintings so I can get good photos of them. It's hard to get the right lighting. I'm also looking to start some new big acrylics. I have lots of reference photos, but nothing really speaks to me right now. Maybe a search for new inspiration is in order. I'm also spending a lot of time helping the kids with school and chores. I'm still not sure how people with kids ever get anything done for themselves. Don't get me wrong, I like to help them. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. I just wish I could get my stuff done before they get home from school. I should really make myself a list to help me get my time organized.

Summer Winds Down

As the summer winds down, I find that I have more time to get things done, what with my girlfriend at work and the kids at school. I have been painting more, much more, and I have done a lot of reading up on art marketing, but I haven't been able to convince myself to do all the crappy (for me anyway) business related things that need to get done, like photographing artwork, posting photos on the internet, scanning watercolors, or posting art on EBay. I hope to get these things accomplished soon, but it's just so much more fun to sit down and put paint on canvas and see where it leads me. Perhaps when I get my creativity nourished I'll have some desire to get them done. If only I had an apprentice.
AKU ANG HARI
DOUG
www.ArtworkOfDougBaltz.com

Summer vacation is over

I want to start by thanking all of you who watch my blog. It's nice to know someone is reading this, or at least pretending too. I've kinda let my art promotions slip during the summer, taking more time to spend with the kids than I had before. It wasn't a hard choice- read another book on promotions or marketing, or go spend the day running around town with a nine year old who thinks I'm the world's greatest dad. Despite my attempts to buckle down, the nine year old won more often than not. Both the kids are back in school now. The oldest can now drop off and pick up the youngest, so it frees up a lot of time for me. My girlfriend Malinda is at work, so I have to whole house to myself. Well, me and the dog and the cat. I've done some Internet updates, sent some emails, checked on Facebook to see if I had any new fans (why aren't you a fan?) , and painted. I've started a new large painting that I expect to finish today. I hope to start some others, but I've misplaced my reference photos. Maybe I need to take some time to look for them.

AKU ANG HARI

DOUG

www.ArtworkOfDougBaltz.com

Update

I thought I'd update my progress to anyone who's reading this. Things have settled down somewhat, although there have been more hospital visits. The last was rather humorous, at least to me. I was in CVS Pharmacy late one night getting medicines when I saw a lady who was looking for her friend that worked there who had that particular night off. She had been taking cabs all day, and apparently they had charged her quite a bit of money. I felt bad for her and offered her twenty dollars. She didn't want to take it, saying she just needed a ride. I asked her where she needed to go and she replied 'Western Baptist Hospital'. I laughed to myself and thought "at least I know where that is!". I offered her a ride, since she was about seventy years old and I figured I could whip her if I needed to. Anyway, back to the art scene. I've been painting and drawing quite a lot, but I have been dropping the ball on the promotional end of things. I have a hard time balancing the two. I either get wrapped up in one or the other. I suppose things will even out in time.

AKU ANG HARI

DOUG

It's been quite an adventure as of late. I'm finally through setting up my new work space although I'm still sorting and organizing art supplies. I've spent more time in hospitals the past few weeks than I'd ever care to, staying with my girlfriend and both of her daughters. I've been trying to pick up steam on the promotional end of my career, but with no sales of anything in the past month it's been hard to muddle on. I was told that eBay would be a good place, but it's hard to sell anything when you have no seller's rating and the only way to get a rating is to sell something. Seems like there should be a better way. I have been doing some drawings lately and it's good to create again. I'm wanting to get some canvas out and throw some paint around and see what happens. It's usually more therapy than art creation, but I do end up with some powerful pieces at times.
aku ang hari
DOUG

Shortcuts that take longer

I found a program that is supposed to post my blogs and status updates on all my sites at the same time. I tried it yesterday in hopes of saving time, but it not only didn't work well, it didn't work at all. I suppose it's my fault for basically taking the lazy way out instead of using the old fashioned work ethic that help make this country great. Oh, well, live and learn. I'm finishing my reorganization of my art supplies and hoping to get some art done soon. It's been a long time since I've been creative.
akuu ang hari
DOUG
www.ArtworkOfDougBaltz.com

A really odd thing happened to me a while back. I was at the Cape Comic Convention back in April and I got to talking to a friend I hadn't seen in a while. As he was talking, he mentioned seeing one of my paintings hanging in a tattoo shop. I gave him a puzzled look, not knowing what he was talking about, unsure how one of my paintings was hanging there. " I know it was one of yours," he said "it had your signature on it from '87,it had little squares with shadows." Suddenly I knew how one of my paintings could end up there. It was apparently a painting I had done in my painting class when I was in college at Southeast Missouri State. I had to go see it. After the convention closed for the day, my girlfriend Malinda and I went to go investigate. We drove down Broadway until we saw the tattoo parlor, right next to the dollar store. I entered and looked around, and there it was, like one of my prodigal children, hanging on the wall. As soon as I saw it I remembered it. I hadn't seen it in over twenty years, probably since soon after I'd painted it. I must have given it to some one of my friends, who must have parted ways with it some time later. I talked to the lady who bought it, and, much to my dismay, she told me how much she paid for it...five dollars. Crap! I remember the canvas I painted it on cost me ten dollars. On the bright side, she liked it so much she based the whole decor of her store on it. I must admit that made me feel much better, in fact it went straight to my head. I would like to remember who got that painting from me. If anyone out there has any idea, please let me know. I'll make it worth your while.

My First Show at the New Gallery

Over the past weekend my girlfriend Malinda and I drove to Columbus Ohio to drop off a painting at the Mac Worthington Gallery . I had signed with them a couple months ago and this was the first opportunity I had to show my work. It took us about eight hours to get there, probably six and a half hours of actual driving time and the rest was spent with me stretching my legs. It was a nice gallery in a nice looking section of Columbus. It seemed to have a great selection of art. I wish we had had more time to look and explore, but time constraints prevented us from doing that. I've got high hopes for this venture. It's nice to have another gallery representing me, especially one that is out of town (and out of state to boot). The downside is that it is out of town and out of state. I don't travel well in cars anymore, my legs get too stiff too quick. I'm hoping to be able to figure out some way to get my art there and back without crippling myself. But then maybe that's what they mean by suffering for your art.
Check out my website at www.ArtworkOfDougBaltz.com

A Step in the Right Direction

I finally finished redoing my website today. It took me almost a week to get it done, when it should have taken less than a day. Perhaps my wanting to figure it out for myself rather than asking for help was the reason for that. Anyway, it's much better than it was before. More artwork, more features, a better design. I'm happy with it, but I'll have to wait and see if there are any bugs that need to be worked out before I go patting myself on the back. If you'd like to visit it, the address is www.ArtworkOfDougBaltz.com . Stop by and then let me know what you think.

A New Beginning

Okay, here I am at the beginning again. I started doing artwork full time in 1999 and had built up a nice career and following. In 2001 I moved back to my hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri to take care of my mother. I lived with her and took care of her until her death in 2006. I still did a lot of artwork, but the promotional and business side of my art took a back seat and fell to nearly nothing. I don't regret my decision. I enjoyed spending time with my mother, and it was nice not to have to worry about the business of art. Now, it's time to get on track again. This time instead of hiring others to do it for me, I'm going to run my own career. At least that's the plan. I've studied up on what I need to do, and I've got a few things going so far. I'm in the process of redoing my website and I'm selling my art on eBay. I've installed more business software on my computer in the past two weeks than I had installed in the past two years before that. My computer has become more of a tool than a toy now.