13 Tuesday Sep 2016
Posted in Art
Tags
art, custom art, custom baby name art, customizable art, customized art, family heirlooms, keepsakes, monogramed art
Yes, you can have it your way! Some of my art is absolutely customizable. I can add names, poems or dates. Make it special! Just contact me at ttgallery_47@hotmail.com to discuss your special piece. 🙂
28 Friday Aug 2015
Posted in Art
Tags
abstract flower, abstract flower print, art, Colorful Art, colorful flowers, custom art, custom paintings, flower, flower paintings, flowers, sharon cummings, summer queen, tie die
“We lost our father in May and my mom has been pretty down so she was extremely excited that you would be able to paint her a piece of art that is so lovely. She fell in love with your “Summer Queen”. Her mother was an artist for over 50 years but she got glaucoma and other eye problems and had to stop. Your art has beautiful colors that even she can see with her limited sight. They are both looking forward to this very much.” T.S.
It’s nowhere near finished yet, but as I work on this piece for a woman that I do not even know, I am so touched by how much joy it will be bringing to her and her mother. Sometimes being an artist involves more than just creating a pretty picture. I am humbled and honored.
Summer Queen
Acrylic/Texture Medium on Canvas
Sharon Cummings
26 Sunday Jul 2015
Posted in Art
Tags
abstract art, abstract art for sale, abstract paintings, art, colorful abstract, colorful abstract art, Colorful Art, commissioned art, custom art, custom paintings, modern art, modern paintings
I’ve been super busy this Summer! I am especially excited to be working on a huge commission for the Neri family.
Each canvas is HUGE! 36×72 for a finished size of 72×108!
The Annex Studio is too hot this time of year, so the Hubby generously relinquished his office for this project. 🙂
This is the splashy wet fun part! Spray bottle in hand, everything gets wet!
The first drop of color…
Patterns are starting to form….More spraying!
I love where it’s going! (The scissors are a shim to control the flow.)
Oh yeah!
More splashing and spraying! Who is going to clean up the mess?
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It’s not finished yet, but it will be soon. I will update a picture of the final painting once it is complete and cured.
04 Wednesday Feb 2015
Posted in Art
Tags
art, art as a living, art career, art for sale, Artist, cheap art, creating art, custom art, inflation, making it as an artist, making money with art, successful art career, why is art so expensive
The other day someone asked me if I would lower the price of one of my custom paintings. She said that she knew it was a “labor of love” so she would understand if I wouldn’t. I didn’t. It isn’t because I am greedy about my “love”. It’s actually due to the fact that creating art is a “labor of expense”.
A lot of people do not realize what goes into that painting you hang on your wall. Aside from a lifetime expenses like education, I am talking about the day to day. We have to pay for our inventory such as canvas, frames, mats, texture mediums, varnish, brushes and paint, but we also have to use a ton of electricity and water. We buy paper towels by the pallet. My studio requires plastic sheeting, special flooring, butcher’s paper to cover my table. I constantly need to purchase equipment and supplies such as tables, chairs, printers, scanners, printer ink, paper, pens, pencils, staplers, calculators, spray bottles, shelving, computers, cameras, containers, lighting, gloves and a special ventilation system (so I do not breath in toxic fumes all day). And when one of those breaks or runs out, I have to call an expert to come fix it or I have to buy a replacement.
And then there is the “F” word: Fees. We pay listing fees whether a piece sells or not, marketing fees such as CPC, yearly fees for art sites, fees when we sell a piece and fees to receive payment like PayPal and Credit Cards. Social media are starting to charge fees if you want to be seen too. There are so many fees that sometimes you just feel “F”d.
Very few artists get rich on their work alone. Yes, there are famous success stories that we can all fantasize about, but for the average creative, the best you can hope for is to make some sales now and again. If you are really fortunate, it might get to be your only job. But that is even more rare. Sharing household expenses with my husband has allowed me to make this my full-time career. But a lot of my artists friends work regular day jobs and create on the side. That is typical. It’s just ridiculously expensive to produce artwork and the income gained is too low in comparison.
Everyone feels the sting of inflation and artists are no different.
My hope is that this blog comes across as”informational” and doesn’t just sound like a rant. I rarely get on a soapbox because I am too busy working. 🙂 Maybe, when someone that is not into creating art reads this, they will gain a new appreciation for our labor and expense…Just maybe…
15 Thursday Jan 2015
Posted in Art
Tags
abstract art, art, art collectors, brown painting, commission, commissioned art, custom art, custom paintings, facebook, facebook fan page, gold, gold dust, gold painting
“Gold Dust”
Mixed Media Painting Art
Sharon Cummings
2009
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I recently noticed a familiar name show up on my Facebook Fan Page and I thought it was nice to see an old collector. Shortly afterwards a message showed up requesting a commission of my “Gold Dust”( painted 6 years ago). I am very selective these days about custom work, but I remember this man and his lovely wife. Beautiful people who have made a home for 7 of my original paintings. Even though I have not heard from them in over 6 years, it is really touching to know I am still such a vital part of their lives and they want more. They have gone from renters to home owners. This will be going in their entry way for all of their guests to see first. I am honored…
My fan page:
https://www.facebook.com/SharonCummingsArtTerraceGallery
29 Saturday Nov 2014
Posted in dogs
Tags
cool dogs, custom art, custom do portraits, customized dog paintings, cute dogs, dog, dog art, dog paintings, dog pop art, dog portrait paintings, dog portraits, dogs, great danes, pop art
“Colorful Great Dane”
Mixed Media Painting/Collage
Sharon Cummings
2014
People ask me regularly for custom work, so I thought I would post a little blog explaining the process. I do accept commissions as pet portraits (dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, donkeys, goats, you name it!), but it has to be a piece that I WANT to create first and foremost. After desire, I also need good clear photos to work from. Small grainy cell phone shots just will not work. And I need to see the EYES really well. There should be light and life in them.
Once a clients sends me a handful of clear head shots of their beloved pet, I decide if any of the images will work. If so, then I charge a creative fee to work on the piece. For instance, the one pictured above would cost 40.00 for me to create. I accept PayPal and credit cards over the phone for this fee. After I have finished the work, I then list it to one or more of my POD (Print On Demand) sites and the customer is free to purchase prints in whatever size/mount they like. This is a separate purchase from the custom fee. You can get my prints on paper, canvas, metal and acrylic. They can also purchase the artwork on various merchandise such as t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, etc.
Kiyah the Great Dane was a lovely subject to work with. When my collector Laura in Texas asked me to create this piece, I was delighted! I have had the opportunity to be caretaker to 6 Great Dane dogs in this lifetime. So it was my pleasure. 🙂
07 Monday Jul 2014
Posted in Abstract Art, Art
Tags
art, art for sale, Artist, artwork, black, black and orange, bright, bright orange, buy art, canvas, canvas art, canvas prints, custom, custom art, custom paintings, custom prints, customized art, Fine Art, framed art, framed prints, gray, grays, modern, orange, orange and gray, oranges, paintings, prints, ready to hang, sharon cummings, soft gray, soft orange, tangerine, wall decor, wall hangings
Sometimes you can have it YOUR way. A client recently asked me if I had any artwork with soft grays, orange and a hint of black. I did not. However, with the magic of the digital age comes customization that was never possible before. In the past I would have had to buy paint and canvas, use paper to cover my painting table, paint it, use water to clean my brushes, paper towels and electricity. Plus I would have to let it dry completely for 3 to 5 days and then photograph it. Send it to the client for approval and if so, then upload the photographs. After that I would have to spend time manipulating and cleaning the photo before I could finally get it loaded to a print site for purchase. Whew! That’s a lot of work.
Today I can simply convert colors on Photoshop to create a completely new piece from an original painting. Very little resources wasted. Green Art. How cool is that!
If you need very specific colors for your decor, do not hesitate to contact me. You CAN have it YOUR way!
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04 Wednesday Sep 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
art, Artist, asia, canvas, Colorful Art, commission, countries, country, custom, custom art, custom artwork, india, indian, map, map of india, maps, of, paintings, prints, sharon cummings, southeast asia
In the wee hours of the morning, I got an email from someone who loved my colorful maps. They wanted to know if I would create a map of India. Absolutely! It only takes me a few hours to work on a piece like this. I have always loved doing custom work for collectors. If you see something you like, but you want something a little different. Just ask!
More here:
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/map-of-india-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html
