The view ... from my outdoor "studio" location... on our front lawn. South lighting was great! ha ha!!!
No one should ever complain about having clients who have faith in your painting style... who are willing to give you artistic licence to complete the commission and who wish to pay you right up front for your effort. I never complain because it is part of our business and in these economic times... it pays the bills.
However... I always feel uncomfortable and a bit pressured to have someone else's money jingling in my pockets until the commission is sent off to the clients and they are happy with the work. This was amplified by the fact that we had much work of our own to get settled into Rockport before I could settle into the commission work.
I decided to use afternoons over the past week to dedicate time to completing these commissions t... thus alleviating this feeling. This afternoon, I put the finishing touches on the second 20x24 inch canvas to complete the painting(s) part of the commission. Now ... it's over to Deb for the framing and we can send off the work to the clients in Hillsdale. I'm quite sure that they will be more than happy with the outcome... and I can only hope that they will understand about the length of time needed "to deliver the goods"... as they say.
I have one smaller work... a 9x12 inch canvas remaining... which will be in the done basket by Tuesday at the latest. Then... on to the joys of Rockport! I am truly excited to get started and will focus on village scenes at first because that seems to be where the interest... and sale potential lies for visitors here. Then... I will get my canoe in the water and head out island hopping to record the multitude of landscape and river home sites that are just minutes away... and crying out to be painted. Summer Island Folk adore their homes in the Islands. Many have been owned by families for five and six generations and they have a great deal of pride in their castles.
So I will be posting as I go... newer and I think very pleasing works, along with the photographic references I gather as well. I do hope that you'll continue to check in regularly and follow me on this exciting new path I am on!
"Summertime... and the livin' is easy... Fish are jumpin' and the livin' is high..."
Good Painting... and Happy Summer to ALL!
Beautiful pieces, all of them Bruce. Is that old granary now a home? I'd love to see inside that place. The church is gorgeous too. I love all your excitement and enthusiasm for life. Rockport is already good to you!
ReplyDeleteHi there "up n' early Sherry!... Good morning to you... and thanks for your early morning visit and excitement!
ReplyDeleteThe feed mill is just as you see it here... abandoned and mouldering... sadly to say! Like many things "old" (including people).... their service and importance to man has long since passed and they are neglected and forgotten.
This is the main reason that I have chosen to record such buildings in my work over the years. Many of my subjects... like these two are now ghosts... within my lifetime. In a good many cases ... my paintings will maybe serve as the only record of their having been here.
Such is life... and the "pernickety" (maybe not a word) nature of man.
Rockport indeed fuels my excitement to paint... but so does the interest and ythe kind comments of friends like you Sherry!
Thank you so much for your kind visits and comments. I much appreciate them and our on line blog connection!
Happy summer and Good Painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
So glad you're able to get back to painting...and finishing commissions is a great feeling...and it's so nice to HAVE commissions! I'm sure you'll be getting loads from your new home area very soon. Sounds like a wonderful place you're in and I look forward to all the new work!
ReplyDeleteMy mother had a doctor she went to in Brampton several years ago who spent his spare time doing watercolours of all the old buildings and places in the Brampton area before they got torn down to make way for the new developments which were beginning to eat up everything in sight. He did very well in sales with those paintings as people hated to see the past done away with so cavalierly. I think it is important to remember these places and to leave the history for future generations to be aware of.
Hi there Karen!... Thanks for your enthusiasm and interest! Rockport provides a wonderfully serene environment which really does encourage and energize one's creative spirit!
ReplyDeleteI am very much connected to the Natural World and as well... to the way our ancestors coexisted and made use of its resources... without disturbing its delicate equilibrium.
Can't wait to jump into action... one commission lest to do... then off to the races!
Good painting and Happy Summer!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Bruce, your paintings really make me want to revisit Canada. I have never been to your part but it looks so picturesque. I know what you mean about commissions. They are great to have, but somewhat intimidating too.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Bruce, I love the Rumble's Mill painting. It's so monumental, almost like another church.
ReplyDeleteI'm mentally getting your canoe ready for you: I can't wait to see what you discover on your adventures!
All the best,
Keith
Good Morning Douglas!... Thanks for dropping by and for your added comments!
ReplyDeleteThe Thousands Islands is a unique part of a diverse Canada. It has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its intrinsic beauty and historic past. Worth the trouble to visit!
Commissions can be exciting... challenging and rewarding monetarily... but the fact remains... that the choice of subject matter lies without. That always runs against the grain in the creative pursuit. Creation is such an individual and personal pursuit!
Good Painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Good Morning Keith!... Thanks for the early morning visit and supportive comments!
ReplyDeleteRumble's is for "Me"... exactly what you describe. I first saw this mill and visited it in the summer of 1995. I was so taken by it that I returned and painted there for the next two weeks... from every angle and even had tea with Louise Rumble... widow of the miller Jack Rumble.
I made friends with the Rumble family members and all have paintings of the mill. I had "the complete run of the place"... freedom to roam and paint or bird... wherever and whenever I wanted.
I never tired of examining it or painting it over the years that I visited. She became my own personal..."Lady in Red."
Sadly, she is deteriorating too quickly to conserve... though she remain intact with all the belt drives and milling related paraphernalia still housed within. She is a living relic of the past... a cathedral to yesterday!
Thanks for "the shove off"... the canoe will soon be in the water and plying the River! Count on it!
Stay tuned!...
Good Painting and Happy Summer Keith!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Hi Bruce I really like the Rambling Mill painting it is such an unusual building so high. You have done well to get on with the commission work it isn't easy to settle down to do that kind of work especially after a big move into a new location and home. I feel sure your buyers will be delighted with the paintings. I wonder if it felt like you were back visiting your old homeland by doing the paintings, perhaps you felt in both places all at once! thank you for sharing your news Bruce and happy fishing on the canoe trip.
ReplyDeleteHi Caroline!... Thanks for visiting and for leaving your thoughts... good wishes and encouragement!
ReplyDeleteI am fully living in Rockport... and Hillsdale is for the time in the rear view mirror... to speak. I am looking forward to completing this last commission connection to Hillsdale so that I can point that canoe out into the maze of never ending islands and channels to seek new ideas and subjects to paint.
Stay tuned!... "Good Painting... and Happy Summer!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
These two paintings are fantastic, Bruce. I love the colors in the buildings....I'm sure your clients will absolutely love your work!! Enjoy the rest of your Evening!!
ReplyDeleteHi there Hilda!... So Glad to hear from you! I've missed our connections!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliments regarding the commissions. It helps to know that people whom we admire validate our work... and especially before they are sent off to clients!
Thank you for that vote of confidence!
I'm finishing up the third and final commission tonight... so that my Rockport Odyssey can get under way! Stay tuned!...
Have a nice evening back!
Good painting and Happy summer!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Oh my goodness Bruce, how wonderful for you. I cannot wait to see your village scenes and then to go out in a canoe to paint. So tell me Bruce, sounds like heaven to me. Enjoy and paint and I wish you and Deb many sales.
ReplyDeleteAll the best to you,
Joan,
P.S. Love your paintings you have posted and looking forward to your next post.
Hi there Joan!... Rockport is Heaven indeed! Since I am already in Heaven... I can relax... paint... and not worry about the "after" life!
ReplyDeleteThis is the idyllic and peace-filled life... that I have always been after!
I will certainly be sharing my adventures... in the village...on the land and amidst the countless Islands!
Stay tuned Joan!
Thanks for visiting and for your encouragement!
Good painting... and Happy Summer!
Warmest regards,
Bruce
Hello to new Friend Amanda Dixie!... Thank you for your visit to the blog and for your very lovely and poignant response on my recent Mother's Day post/tribute!
ReplyDeleteI tried very hard to use Google Friend to connect... but no such luck! Go to the post and there is a detailed response... and BIG thank you there ... especially for "You"!
My history with your Mom and Dad goes back a VERY long way! Your Mom was a kind and very special Lady"... in every respect!
THanks for dropping by. Visit often!
Much Peace and Warmest regards,
Bruce