"Getting Out There", the Good and the Bad

 

I can't believe it's been almost two years since I started posting my paintings for sale.  First on Fine Art America and Contemporary Fine Art International, and then on my own website http://www.maryopat.com.  I started with just a few paintings, knowing that they were far from being even close to the professional level.

The thing is, as with any endeavor, you can jump in and learn as you go, or spend years and years preparing for your dream to begin.  I imagine that after awhile putting off becomes a habit that's hard to break.  Procrastination and the need for perfection takes over and that dream gets shoved further and further down the road. 

Looking back at the first few paintings I posted for sale, I can see mistakes galore, depending on whose wisdom I'm currently following.  It's easy to get discouraged when you come away from an art show without a sale, or when your paintings are turned away during the jury process.  The thing I feel the most successful at is choosing the right teachers on this wild journey. My knowledge about art has increased more in the last two years than I could have imagined. 

So, as the two-year mark draws close, I'm thanking my friends and family who check out my blog from time to time.  My view count will go over the 9,000 mark.  In my haste, I made some not-so-perfect paintings, but I'm not sorry I "got out there" with my work.  You've got to start sometime, and for all of us, the road ahead grows a little shorter each day while the road behind grows longer!

Live is Art...Paint Your Dreams!