Something Good Among all the Bad

"Ride em Cowgirl"
9" x 12" Oil On Canvas $125.00

We have had a lot of major tragedy in our life over the last 4 weeks so much so that it is hard to get out of bed and move forward. Sometimes when we loose someone in our lives it is difficult to strive to move forward. In our case we have lost Shelly's wonderful father a man we all loved and admired. But that is not what this blog is about today.
I am going to speak about moving forward in life that is what we all have to do from time to time.


I know what it means to loose a loved one I had it happen to me 3 times in 6 months from 1999-2000 then to go through a divorce all in just over one year. On top of that my job was going down hill quick due to my divorce, loss of family members, depression and anxiety. I did finally loose my job well it was mutual I quit just before my @#$) boss fired me. At least I got the last word.


We have lost a major client the economy is taking it's toll on a lot of industries but the housing industry is being hit the hardest which is where we gain most of our income. Enough of that said I went through all of this 7-8 years ago and I came out stronger than I was before.


Shelly and I are close as two people can be at least we have each other. I suffered 3 deaths and a divorce followed by a my career hitting rock bottom by myself. We will survive again at least this time we are not alone. I said I was not going to dwell on the negative so here is the original blog I was going to write before I got off on this subject.


I currently have an exhibit at the city hall in Milton with other members of our guild. All the work hanging is for sale and I hope you will go by and make a purchase. True to form I shocked the city of Milton and was forced to remove my now famous painting. "Messing with Sasquatch" I am such a proud artist to have my work cause a controversy. Many artist only dream of creating work that results in censorship I am proud that this will mark the second time I have achieved this level of notoriety. I just wish John Valente had lived long enough to be proud of my accomplishment.


I have since replaced that painting and I hopefully have sold it to one of the employees. Please go down and check out that work. Also we have a show and sale on December 4th at the Alpharetta welcome center from 5-8pm please come out and purchase a painting for yourself or to give as a gift.


Mike

I am my own worst marketing manager

"Free Spirits"
9" x 12" oil on hardwood $125.00

I am my own worst enemy when it comes to taking pictures of my work and adding it to my website. One would think after 20 plus years in marketing and advertising I would understand the importance of documenting and publishing my work on my website. I photographed about 7 paintings yesterday and added them to the website. I realized that I still have about 6-7 more paintings to list on my website.


I have my first add running next month and I want to be sure I am getting my monies worth from the ad so I need to list everything for sale. The problem i have is that I am not a great photographer I am good enough to understand my 35 mm exposure etc but it is film and way to much trouble. I have a digital point and shoot that works well but it is not easy to compensate for lighting exposure etc. So I have to use my front porch as my photography studio and natural lighting which is dependent on the time of day.


I am actually getting better but I hate to do it because half the time the image is too bright too dark etc. Most of the things I can compensate for in photoshop thank goodness I am a better graphic designer than a photographer. When you paint every day that equals a lot of painitngs to shoot.


Don't let that stop you from viewing my website I will be adding new photos by the masses so please check back often. I am painting daily beaches and horses in small affordable sizes


mike

The Future

"Life's A Beach"
12" x 24" Oil on canvas (sold)

Life doesn't feel much like a beach at this moment in our lives. Shelly and I have experienced our world get dumped on in every way possible with her fathers health, her loss of a major client the economy what else can I say? Tomorrow we were supposed to go on vacation to British Columbia for our fifth wedding anniversary.

Well our plans got changed and now we are not sure what the future holds. It is hard to get up each day when you feel like you are falling with out a parachute. What does the future hold for us? None of us know. We fortunately have a lot of business for December then I go to Florida for three months of shows. Will the economy come back so I can make money? I hope so. I have paid for the shows so I know most of the promoters have money.

Will the patrons have money? As I have done all year I am painting small and affordable paintings that sell. It is that I have to sell a lot of smaller works to make my money back which is not easy. I do have a commission and I just finished another commission so that helps.

Otherwise I have to hold my breath to make it. I am hoping things will turn around in January now that the Mesiah has been elected. I am not holding out hope for the Mesiah but if he can turn things around then he may actually be the Mesiah.

My ad runs next month and I am hoping that will generate some sales over the next few months.

So please keep Shelly in your thoughts and prayers I can survive I am tough and I have done it before and I can do it again.

Mike

Rough Times

"Painted Beauties"
9" x 12" Oil on Hardwood

As I sit here to write this blog I struggle to find something good to say. In the past week our family on my wife's side has experienced tragedy everyone dreads in life. I am not going to go into detail on this blog, rather save that for a latter date. Major decisions must be made that will change our lives forever.

We all deal with this in our lives but no one ever expects it to happen today or tomorrow but deep down inside we all know it will come sooner or latter. I am the newest member of our small family Nov 1st was our 5 year marriage anniversary. Our marriage is strong and will remain strong as our family must remain strong. The past five years we have not had any major tragedy and life has been good to us all.

I have survived this before which will make my experience helpful but no matter how many times you experience this it is never the same or by any means easy. I am strong and I will support my wife and family through these most difficult times.

Even though you might not be aware exactly what I am referring to I ask that you please keep Shelly and our family in your thoughts and prayers.

~mike

The Tax Man in South Carolina

"Friends First Competitors 2nd"
9' x 12" Oil on hardwood $125.00

I don't know if any other artist have fallen for the South Carolina Business License trap or not when doing shows in SC. If you have then you know what I am referring to if not then be forewarned. I did one show in SC last year in April. I was told by the promoter I had to have a $18.00 business license. Ok I bought the license now what? Oh did I mention I must file every month even months prior to April before I had the license? Even if my sales were $0.00?

Well i am not one to read the fine print and I have never met an artist who does read the fine print. Artist think that rules don't apply to us creatives me included. So now guess what, I have a %*&%$#% Tax lien for January before I even had the %&^%#$ License. The amount is $2,500 an assed amount for sales I never generated because I did not even know I was going to be accepted to a show in SC at in January. In fact I had not even applied to a show in January.

So what is a lunatic like me to do? Get the %^$^&&% forms and waste my time and the SC dept or revenue employees time faxing 11 pages of forms to them to show I had $0.0 sales. But it gets better even though I did not have sales or even set foot in Sc in January of 08 I still have a tax lien that cannot be removed. which now shows satisfied for $0.0

To make matters even more stupid it will be on my credit report! Oh but contrare you ^%%$#^ tax man you have meet you match and he is a lunatic creative that will eat up your time with letters, emails, phone calls and faxes until you destroy this ^^%$%& evidence.

My actual sales were $300.00 for April which I paid $21.00 in taxes to SC for. Not to mention the fact that I paid $125.00 for the show and $47 in campground fees plus $18.00 in the license. After I paid all the fees taxes etc I netted a total of $89.00. This is not including gas money. We stood in the pouring down rain for 2 days to make $89.00

This is exactly what I am going to tell the judge in SC if they don't remove this ^$%%^$%^ Lien, because I will appeal it over and over again and then when I have exhausted that I will file a court hearing which is my right under the SC law. Oh wont this be fun to see how much time and money I can waste of the SC govt over $0.0 sales for January.

I bet this even will make the local News Small business artist appeals $0.0 Tax Lien. Well at least when they are interviewing me I will be wearing a shirt with my website across the front and back plus I will mention it in the interview.

Like the greatest creative mind of the 20th century Any Warhol once said "Everyone gets 15 minutes of fame"

~mike

Thoughts and Prayers

"Congratulations"
9" x 12" oil on hardwood $125.00

Since my last blog our family has suffered a major tragedy and I have been preoccupied with this family emergency. On Thursday my father in law was not feeling well and complained he had a headache. Shelly and I took him to the hospital against his will. It turned out he was having a stroke and I am glad we got him to the hospital when we did.

As of today John, Shelly's father is in intensive care and we are all all hoping and praying that he will have a safe outcome. We are a small but close family and we are all working together to make sure John gets the best care possible. If you are reading this blog I ask that you have a positive thought and pray for John to come through this tragic illness.

We are all moving forward in our daily lives as we must to keep our businesses and jobs. I am still painting and posting new images on my site as I complete them. My ad runs next month in Ranes and Manes so if you are a horse lover please pick up this magazine and check out my ad or my website.

~mike

You can only please some of the people

"Roping"
11" x 17" Oil On Hardwood $175.00

Well for some of us in America a victory was gained last night and for others we had a major disappointment. Either way happy or sad I just hope the economy picks up. I am not going to write a political blog rather an art blog.

I planned my show schedule for the year and right now I am looking at a possible 40 shows and that is not including the fall. I just hope my truck can handle the driving it really has no choice Shelly has said no new truck in 09. I might be able to get a new trailer but not a new truck.

I have some really big shows planned and I really need to get painting but what am I going to paint? Today I could not be creative to save my life. That is how it goes sometimes. I really am lost to what will sell in Fl, I look at galleries and that is no help. I am not an abstract painter nor am I a landscape artist. I am really just a what ever I think of artist.

I am going to paint some wildlife, some boat scenes, more horses, some beach scenes and what ever else comes to mind. I would like to begin to paint big again but I am holding out for a better economy. I know I can sell small works better than large works at least that is my philosophy.

Well please look for me on the road this next year and if you see me broken down on the side of the road maybe give me a ride and tell Shelly to loosen the purse strings and let me get a new truck.


Mike

Out of Shows for the year

"Equestrian Show Contender"
9" x 12" Oil on hardwood. $125.00

This is exactly the type of painting I will be selling from my web site when my ad comes out in Dec. Reins & Manes.
I hope this ad will generate some sales to keep me going on December during the slow selling season for me.

I have one more show this weekend which I hope will be profitable. I canceled a show in Fl due to mixed up vacation plans. So I have to pull this one out. Fortunately for me I have a very large commission that I am working on this will keep me us feed for part of the month. I have one more local horse show to do here in Alpharetta in Nov so maybe just maybe I can pull a sale or two from that show.

I have my fingers crossed for the ad I do not expect it to make me rich but hopefully it will at least pay for its self. If it can generate me more income then I will add another ad to a different publication and keep gaining exposure. Once I get to Fl in January I have a very busy month for Jan. Feb is a little slow but I can add shows when I get there.

I am counting on 2009 to be my best year I have figured this business out I am gaining ground I have a few galleries working for me and some really good shows. With the addition of my ads I should be hopping. My other goal is to get on Daily Painters then I can really take off.

With my website setting new records each month I should be gaining more sales from it. Every thing worth doing in life takes time that is what I have to remember.

Mike

A change is comming

"Congratulations" 9" x 12" Oil on Hardwood

This painting above is my wife Shelly's latest favorite. Me I have no favorite paintings my favorites are the ones which sell. I love to paint and when I finish a painting I am ready to move on to the next one. Sorry no blog on Fri I was busy trying to straighten some personal things out then I received a very nice commission project for Nov.

It came from a customer who I have seen at least seven times at shows it shows that people need to see you at least seven times before they may make a purchase. I am going to paint a beautiful painting for him just as I have for other customers. So if you are reading this blog and you would like a commission please contact me.

Change is coming whether we like it or not. After tomorrow our country will feel a huge change good or bad it will be a huge change. But change can be good even though we don't like it. I am hoping that my change will come in the way of people rebounding from the economy and buying art. I may not be happy with the next president but over 50% of the people will. The only problem is the 50% that could be happy are the 50% who cannot afford to buy art and the ones who can afford to buy art will be sharing their wealth.

Oh won't communism be a wonderful thing for our country? I hope that the people who are forced to share their wealth will share it in the art community. I personally hate change but I must admit this every time I have been through a major change in my life I have rebounded and life got better. So here is my optimistic view change we need and change can be good.

Please understand I am not for the Mesiah who preaches change I am just looking for change in general to be good.

Mike