I don't get a lot of time to paint. If you follow my blogs on Fine Art Views and American Artist, you know why. I've considered having giclee prints made... have done successfully in the past, but I've been pondering an idea for several years which I am now ready to take on. Original Editions.

My husband and I have been collecting art since 1996.. before that we bought limited edition prints, but once we made the leap from reproduction to original, we were never satisfied with our prints. It's just not the same as having something actually painted by the artist.

Many of my friends and acquaintances would love to buy my originals, but they are not used to spending that much money on artwork. They say they'd buy my prints because they're affordable, but if they could afford an original, they'd definitely want one. By now, some of you can see where I'm going with this blog.

I don't mind painting the same thing over and over - it's sort of like knitting; it relaxes me. If I work out a magnificent composition, I can paint it 10 or 20 times without having to think as much as I do with "one of a kind" paintings. The exciting thing is that I can offer these "editions" for slightly more than a mechanical reproduction, but for far less than an original that sells to one person. I've talked to some of my collectors about this idea, and they say that they're excited about the prospect.

Some artists would bore themselves silly by having to paint the same subject again and again, but my personality can handle it fine. I look forward to some of the benefits that I'll reap for doing so - such as improving with each iteration (unlike prints that remain the same - these editions will get better with time).

Of course, this idea is not a secret, and I don't mind if any other artists out there decide to try it out.

My first two series will be paintings from Acadia National Park and one - probably from Sabino Canyon in Tucson. They'll be offered from my website http://lwsimons.com   when I finish a new one, I'll be available through Pay Pal on that site.

If you're interested, please sign up for my email newsletter at http://lwsimons.com

Portrait of Linda, watercolor 14x11(Ipainted for upcoming article in Watercolor Magazine)

My life is becoming increasingly busy - with writing my column in Watercolor Magazine, blogs for Fine Art Views and American Artists' online forum, an occasional article for Workshop Magazine (I'll be writing 2 this year - one on Daniel Keys and another on Stapleton Kearns), my ebooks, and last but definitely not least - my paintings.

I'm writing here this morning to let you know about my upcoming blog series for Fine Art Views which will be about Adding Value to your artwork. I'll include many quotes and conversations from my mentors, including Jack Beal, Sondra Freckelton, Nancy Guzik and Richard Schmid. Just this weekend, Richard gave us words of wisdom at lunchtime about painting what we love... getting to know everything about that subject.

Right now, I'm writing for http://artistdaily.com twice a month, but that could turn into a weekly series. My blog there is called, "The Artist's Life".  I write once a week for Fine Art Views, and it is on this forum where I'll begin the "Adding Value" series. Yep, the title sounds kinda commercial, but the series won't feel that way. It's about painting for both Love and Money... with Love first and then the money following. It's about mastering our chosen medium and subject matter - it's about creating truly remarkable work "worth remarking about". Finally, it's about how it feels to be a professional artist, what to expect - what other artists both renowned and lesser known, experience in their daily pursuits.

I'll post my links to these articles on Twitter and my facebook page. You can follow either one with the following links.
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lori-Woodward/159774076315?ref=nf

Twitter: http://twitter.com/loriwords

Oh, and thanks for all your participation on both Fine Art Views and American Artist forums. It's been a lot of fun exchanging ideas and experiences.

I'm the kind of artist who enjoys making New Year's resolutions.

It was only a year ago that I started using Twitter, and I began with Facebook during the summer, and while these have both been great tools for my art and writing career, it has come to the point where I need to do the bulk of my work offline.

It's been great fun to help other artists out individually by answering their questions, being active on forums, and retweeting interesting articles that interest other artists... but now the time has come to invest more seriously in my own work, and that means spending more time in the studio, and writing on a computer that isn't connected to the Internet.

This might seem a little selfish, but it's the only way I know to get back to my career faithfully. The Internet is just to much of a seductive place to spend the bulk of my day. Then at the end of the day, I have nothing to show for my time except a slightly overloaded and confused mind and a lonely studio.

Yes, I will be actively writing for Fine Art Views, working on my ebooks, writing instructional articles for Watercolor Magazine, and contributing to American Artist's online forum. I occasionally write articles for Workshop Magazine, but only plan to do one or two of those a year.

The truth is, I miss that time alone in my studio or notebook where I create and ponder - with soft music and my muse. As much as I enjoy helping others, I need to be who I am, and that is an artist and writer. I hope you understand and will support me in this effort. You'll still hear from me on twitter and facebook and on forums, but not as often and when I have something to contribute that seems important.

It's been a wonderful and exciting year, and you artists out there have made it so. It's time to make a few adjustments so that I am more productive and can be better at what I do. Thank you all!
Sincerely,
Lori

Portrait of Linda watercolor on 300lb paper 11x14
The spring issue will be out in April.

I've been working all week (yes over the holidays) for my next article in watercolor magazine. I have a column there, but the next article will be on painting watercolor portraits from photos. I will include one or two paintings I've done from life, but the main part of the article will talk about how I use a digital camera and photoshop to help me make better portraits from photos.
Here's the "almost complete" painting that will be featured in the article.