Riot of Choice and Color

It rained most of the day today. The sky layered in grays. So I spent most of my day sequestered inside following up on correspondence, reading, and even starting a deviantART page (http://anndemarle.deviantart.com/). But I find the process slow and so only posted three Maine pieces. devaintART has an interesting feature that I didn't realize—the option to sell reproductions of your work. The price is pre-set with no leeway that I've figured out yet. Of course 75% of the funds go to the site, shipping, reproduction costs, with a minimal to the artist. An artist definitely won't make a living this way. All the artist's time and production costs are not covered. Interesting though as reproduction is only a few clicks.

Most of my work is now on Flickr ( http://flic.kr/s/aHsjvRU8PX ). Flickr has a sale function too—through stock sales agreement with Getty Images ( http://www.gettyimages.com/Creative/Frontdoor/FlickrPhotos ). This is more applicable to photography. I haven't read through all of the agreements so for now I haven't registered for that option. However I quite like Flickr for imagery. Etsy is another I may post some work to but there is so much management of all the differing options to stay relevant.

One of the reasons I'm exploring all of these options is to try and understand what is the best way for an artist to showcase work online. Social network sites allow greater audience potential. Custom designed sites allow for finer creative and fiscal control—in essence one's own gallery.

However what I really wanted to do today was paint and get outside. I've been walking through the woods almost daily. A favorite walk of mine is about 2.5 miles through damp woods, across to Barber Farm, through a mystical pine forest, down into deep marshes, along a stream and then arriving at a tall, proud beech forest high above. So about 2:00 the dogs and I headed out.

What is beautiful about rainy days like today is the power of the light and the damp to pull out and intensify colors. Moss is greener, tree trunks blacker, and fallen leaves a riot of brilliant vermillion, cadmium red, lemon yellows, and gold. And today it was if all the leaves decided to drop. Looking up the trees were covered in green, but the floor of the forest was like an impressionist's painting. Almost disorienting. Each area was covered in differing blankets: the scarlet of the sugar maples, the gold of the beech, and the lemon of the birches.

I've brought some of the leaves home and am painting again. But first I completed yesterday's painting.