Still Working Away

This is my latest project that I'm working on. It has taken a long time this time around. I am currently working to set up a Zazzle shop featuring my artwork. It will, in the long run, replace my Fine Arts America account. I pay an annual fee for that site and I find that a lot of people come and look but no one actually buys. I can get virtually all the same benefits with Zazzle without an annual fee. Some of the pricing will be a little higher and some lower. It will eliminate some overhead that I can't really afford. The new website store is at www.zazzle.com/artisane.

My First Commissioned Work

About a month ago I received an inquiry to paint a coat of arms on two sides of an eighteen inch square piece of steel roofing. I found the project intriguing and challenging. A price was negotiated and I went to work.

We have a stack of recovered steel roofing my husband is saving for a different project. He was happy to cut out a piece the size I needed. With a picture provided by the customer of exactly the subject he wanted, I set about getting paint that would cover and stick to the metal. I normally paint with acrylics, but that would not be satisfactory in this application.

Yesterday I received final approval from the customer after he had a chance to view photos of the project. Payment was sent to my Paypal. My husband helped me package it securely and this morning it began its journey through the postal system to Texas. The whole process has brought me a great deal of pleasure and I made a little money to boot.

I am happy to do this type of work. Anyone interested should message me directly through my email address on the contact page. Pricing will be negotiated before the project is started. My schedule is limited so please give me plenty of time to complete the work if you have any kind of deadline in mind.

I do this kind of work on a first come first serve basis. If I negotiate and start a project, I will not dump it in favour of another. As always, I do reserve the right to refuse any work without explanation. There are things I don't paint well and I want all my customers to be satisfied. If the work is not within my ability, I will not accept the work.

Some New Work

Apple Bunch

I painted two very small canvasses since the last time I posted in this blog. This is the only one that I have uploaded to my Fine Art America account. It is available as a large print, but it will probably be much nicer as a greeting card or I-phone cover. The original is available for $30 plus shipping and handling. The same will be true for the second one when it has been uploaded. It you want to purchase a print or another product just click on the image or the caption and you will be brought directly to Fine Art America.

Currently I am working on a small commission project for a client. This customer wants a painting of a family coat of arms on a piece of metal roofing. I find the project intriguing because it is different than what I usually do. It requires different paint than I usually use, because I want it to last a long time for the person who wants me to make it.  I will post here about it once it has been completed.

A Castle in the Netherlands

Dutch Castle in Muiden

My maiden name is Bolduc, which is very French-Canadian. The ancestor who originally came to North America was a French soldier named Louis Boulduc. The family name may not have originated in France though. I have heard from several sources that the name Bolduc came from Bois Le Duc which is the French name for an important city in Holland. S-Hertogenbosch or Den Bosch is not very far from Hei-en Boeicop, where my husband's family name originates. Who could have imagined?

I am proud to be French-Canadian, but part of me is tickled to have dutch blood. Between that and my desire to paint a picture of a castle, my husband and I researched castles in Holland. I really liked the photos of the Muiderslot in Muiden the Netherlands and that is how this painting came to be. I have no family connection to this particular castle that I know of, but don't think that really matters. I may paint something in the future from s-Hertogenbosch. I'm just a little jealous of my husband who actually had the chance to visit that city on a family trip when he was ten years old.

This painting was more of a challenge for me than most of the other pieces that I have done. It took me the better part of two months to paint in my spare time. Only the Versailles painting to this point has taken me longer.

Anyone interested in purchasing prints of this painting or products bearing the image, just click on the image. It will take you where you can do that. The original is available for sale. It is acrylic on canvas 24” X 18”. The asking price is $225 Canadian.

A New Painting Nears Completion

My art work space isn't much to look at. It is functional though. It's also the best I can do at this time. This is upstairs in the hunt camp I share with my husband. We managed to clear enough space at the foot of our bed to put up the easel I was given by another local artist. A cheap beat up folding chair completes the functional furnishings. Everything else in the picture is stuff that doesn't have another place. If you look close you might notice the studs and insulation through the vapour barrier.

The current project is sitting on the easel and should be completed within the week. It has been a great deal more difficult than most of my other projects. It looks good though and I'm quite pleased with it. I'm planning something smaller and simpler for my next canvas. I won't go into any further information on this project though until it is finished. Looking forward to finishing it and moving on.

Winter is coming to a close in this part of the world. We've been heating with wood all winter. Hard to control the indoor temperature but the price is right. I'm looking forward to the spring, when the weather is warmer and before the mosquitoes take over.

Presenting iPhone Cases

The main reason that I opened a Fine Arts America account was the fact that I could easily make my paintings available in the form of prints. They do all the complicated work. All I have to do is bring my work, select the appropriate options and they make it available to the public. If someone likes my work, they purchase it, Fine Arts America prints it and ships it. They send me my mark up without any further worries on my part.

Along the way I noticed that my work could be featured in other ways on additional products. These iPhone and Galaxy cases are some of my favourite products. Most of them turned out absolutely beautifully.

The whimsical piece I painted with the bees pictured above makes an exceptional case in my view. We had considered replacing it on the site until we saw the phone image. I don't have an iPhone, but if I did, I'd love to have that on my phone.

If you want to purchase one of these beautiful cases for your own iPhone or Galaxy, it's simple. Just click on any of the three images in this post. You will be taken to Fine Arts America on the iPhone page where you can see all of the available images. They can be selected and ordered right there.

Dunkerque Windmill

Dunkerque Windmill

After completing my painting “Versailles”, I was looking for something smaller and less complicated. I was still looking to paint something that would have some meaning to me in the way of family history. I settled on this windmill scene from northern France.

My mother's maiden name originated in the north of France so I felt this was fitting. My maiden name is French-Canadian. It no longer exists in France and may have originated in The Netherlands like my husband's. For that reason this is likely not the last windmill I will ever paint.

The original painting is available. The dimensions are 16 inches by 20 inches and it is acrylic on canvas. The asking price is $190 Canadian plus shipping. Please email me if you are interested. For prints and other products click on the image attached to this post.