Yesterday I went on a birthday outing with a couple of friends. The birthday girl had a couple of requests so we checked out some "girly venues" involving quilting shops, homeware etc etc. One was especially overwhelming, tables piled with candles, china, glass, bling as far as the eye could see , a magic wonderland :) And all we bought was some florists wire! One friend made a very interesting comment - " It all looked so beautifully displayed, but when you lifted something out of its surroundings is somehow lost its magic".
Unfortunately that's pretty much how I see shops these days (apart from book or artshops) - a delectable array of stuff that I don't need , things that will probably have me wondering why on earth I bought them. And often the things depend on what they're displayed with to add pizazz.
The point of all of this? When I paint I'm not trying to concoct a decor element. My painting may or may not match your sofa. The red of the frame may pick out the red of your favourite earrings.
Rather, I'm painting a complete moment of something, which may have nothing to do with anything else in your house! If I was commercially minded enough I'd probably realise that I should change my attitude , but I'm not sure how long I could keep that up. I remember selling a painting to a couple once who emailed to say that they had bought a house , had no furniture but were enjoying sitting on the floor looking at my painting on the wall . And that made me very happy :)
PS. I did come home with a new recipe book and a pile vegetables, so I'm not a complete failure at shopping expeditions.
Unfortunately that's pretty much how I see shops these days (apart from book or artshops) - a delectable array of stuff that I don't need , things that will probably have me wondering why on earth I bought them. And often the things depend on what they're displayed with to add pizazz.
The point of all of this? When I paint I'm not trying to concoct a decor element. My painting may or may not match your sofa. The red of the frame may pick out the red of your favourite earrings.
Rather, I'm painting a complete moment of something, which may have nothing to do with anything else in your house! If I was commercially minded enough I'd probably realise that I should change my attitude , but I'm not sure how long I could keep that up. I remember selling a painting to a couple once who emailed to say that they had bought a house , had no furniture but were enjoying sitting on the floor looking at my painting on the wall . And that made me very happy :)
PS. I did come home with a new recipe book and a pile vegetables, so I'm not a complete failure at shopping expeditions.
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