So, I Was Thinking

   Winter is approaching, the temperatures are dropping. It's getting time to hunker down. I'm especially thankful this winter, because we were able to get our heater fixed. We've been without our steam heating for the past two winters. Space heaters have kept the frost at bay, but with them comes incredibly high heating bills. ( We had a bill over six hundred dollars one month last winter). Our leaking roof has been fixed and we've started repairing all the water damage to our walls and ceilings. I sometimes feel like I've been through a lot, certainly more than I had been used to. This got me to thinking about how I always hoped and prayed to be a great artist. I don't think that you can become great without suffering. I'm not sorry for all I've been through, and I won't go through everything here because some of it is personal family stuff, but I never stopped to think all this would have to happen for me to reach my dream. It has been a long, hard road. I'm thankful that I had friends and family to help me along the way. I'm grateful for my wife and her positive attitude through all this. Friends and family have helped out immensely, I likely wouldn't be writing this without the assistance of my two sisters. I am selling a lot of shoes, a few paintings, and not my soul. I feel like I'm close to turning a corner.
   Here's some of the shoes I've done lately. you can see more of them here. You can also contact me there to order a pair for yourself.

One Foot In Front Of The Other

   I'm still moving forward. Making progress daily. I don't get as much done as I would like. I'm not as far along as I would like in my quest to be a full time artist. I farm out work when I can. I'm advertising on Facebook with the money I made from selling shoes. I feel like I have all the tools I need to sell my work, but I don't think I'm implementing them to their fullest potential. I have more ideas than I have time. I hate that feeling. I need to devote all my time to my art. I could use a few more people to help me promote my art. I just need to keep moving.

Here I Am Again

So, here I am again, posting after way too long of not being on here. Things are looking up. I've sold some paintings. I've sold some shoes. I finished a thirty day Halloween themed painting challenge. I just feel overwhelmed by life. But, this too shall pass.

I'm So Ashamed

I've been motivating myself to get more done in the way of marketing and selling my art. I got an email the other day saying I had sold a painting on an art site I was on. The problem was it had sold over a month ago. I never saw an email saying it sold. I hadn't logged on to that site in a long time. The buyer was upset and wanting his money back. I don't blame him. I dropped the proverbial ball on that one. I did get a phone call asking why I hadn't shipped it. Then I shipped it. I need to make it up to him.
I've also been posting paintings on my Shopify store. I can't remember the names of a lot of these paintings. I can't find the pictures I took them. Some don't seem to be posted on my DeviantART site anymore. I'm sure they once were. They're hard to find in my portfolio. I'm so unorganized. I wasn't always this way. In my defense I do have over five hundred paintings to keep track of. Or NOT keep track of. There has to be a better way.
On the bright side I'm working a daily art program, Drawlloween. Here's one of my latest:

I'm Trying To Stay Focused

I've been doing a daily challenge that I saw on Facebook. It's called Drawlloween. It's a different Halloween themed drawing/painting every day. I've enjoyed doing (most of) them. I didn't realize how hard it would be to find time every day. I've been doing them as watercolors in a special sketchbook. I've also done some in ink, which I've applied like watercolor. I've never used ink like this before and it's been very enjoyable doing something new like that. I'm publishing this from my phone, testing a new (to me) app in hopes of keeping a better publishing schedule on here. Now to see if I can post a picture.

Where The Artist Finally Starts To Sell Art

  Here I am again. I swear to myself that I'll keep up to date on here, but it's been three months since I was here. Summer is always hard for me. It's hard for me to keep doing what I need to when it gets hot. My house doesn't stay as cool as I'd like for it to, even though you'd think it would be cold enough to freeze water with what I pay the electric company. I don't want to make excuses, I'm just telling you how it is with me. I have done very well with my custom drawn shoes link . It has kept me busy  on my days off from my soul sucking 'day job'. The shoe business has also given me enough money to start a Shopify store (www.DougBaltzArt.com) and some left over for advertising. I'm hoping this the break I've been expecting for so long. If you get a chance, check it out. Let me know what you think. You could even buy a painting or two.

You Say you Love Me

I'm Not Sure If I'm Going The Right Way, But I'm Making Good Time

   Yeah, it's been a while. I was having a problem getting motivated for a while, but I'm feeling much better. I'm still painting, still promoting my art. I made a pair of shoes for a couple of my friends:

  I've been wanting to make these for a long time, as a "thank you for supporting me" present. Apparently I've tapped a vein of artistic gold. I've made at least two pair every week for the past three weeks. $45 a pop. I'm feeling pretty good about life.
   I've done some pet portraits:

 I did a Beatles pair for my wife:

 I did a pair for myself that I ended up selling:

And I'm getting ready to do a pair for you, right?

Standing Tall And Proud

   I haven't kept up with posting on here like I should have. The late winter/early spring snow storms took me out at the knees. It's hard to be creative when you're too cold to be comfortable. Stress reared it's ugly head, only to be knocked back down by my watercolors. It's been many years since I've used them regularly, but I've picked back up where I left off. I've been posting them on the net and getting lots of positive response. I've done 25 paintings for the Montreal Project. That has also helped keep my mood up. Lots of cleaning and organizing did their part, as did my man cave/art studio. I'm on an upward curve.

    "Caress". Not like anything I've done, yet exactly like everything I've done.

The Montreal Project

  As you know, at least those of you that follow me, I'm working on a project with a gentleman named Ted Strauss. Ted lives Montreal and he's putting together a post-apocalyptic film. The earth has been decimated and the survivors pull themselves from the muck and mud to fight for survival. He asked me to do some images to help the group get a focus on what this might look like. I've done eleven so far. I sent them to him and he was "blown away". High praise indeed. I've enjoyed every step of this project. There's no stress on me. I come up with ideas of what people might look like. Paint them in earthy, dark colors, listen to music, tweak the images, take pictures, adjust them as necessary, send them to Ted, collect money. I could do this for the rest of my life. I'm really digging this. Here's the image that the group has liked the best. For the first time on the internet'

My Post-Apocalyptic Visions Finally Pay Off

  I've been spending most of my free time lately working on a commission. The biggest commission I've ever taken on. Link. It's nice to be hired by someone who appreciates my talents and pretty much gives me free reign on what I'm painting. I'm working on ten right now in acrylic and another six in watercolor. Yep, you read that right. Watercolor. This project inspired me to get the good brushes and paint out and spend time with a medium I haven't used in many years. I'm feeling pretty good about life right now. I'm posting this while I'm waiting on the paint to dry. It should be about ready. I'll keep you posted. In the mean time, here's something new from me:

"Stand Tall"

It's A Marathon, Not A Sprint

     Being an artist, at least for me, is like running a marathon. In mud. Sometimes fresh tar. Sometimes I struggle so hard to keep moving, knee deep in the mud, that when I break through to the other side I end up running and stumbling like a sugar crazed three year old, only to fall on my face. I know that I am making progress. I realize if I just keep moving forward I'll get to where I need/want to be. I keep my sense of humor. I create as often as possible. Even if it's only something small. I do have some cool opportunities going. One's an animation project I'm doing character designs for. The other is not finalized yet, but I'll keep you posted. It's kinda like I was wandering off track and someone was calling me from ahead to get back on. Ah well, here's some art:

"Elegant Planes"

 "Ashley's Girl"