Week 1 Recap - 30 Paintings in 30 Days
30 Paintings in 30 Days - The Analysis
Jared and I walked straight up the hill to Camel’s Back in Boise which reminded me of my prior stomping to the vistas in San Francisco. Through strained breath, we talked about our latest artistic endeavors, and we got on the topic of having inventory and production pipelines for art. It’s the crux of any artistic success, we said— if you’re not making things and you don’t have sufficient pieces to move, you’ll probably struggle to make a living off of what you’re producing. He and I said that having inventory and volume is also inherently impressive; to have 40 paintings or 100 mugs on hand is a spectacle which people can’t easily ignore.
Thus came to me the idea of doing 30 paintings in 30 days. Since I started my endeavor to leave my job and make art and pursue my own interests full-time back in September, I’ve produced roughly 20 oil paintings. I’ve had 4 commissions (and many more almost-commissions), and I’ve sold 6 original pieces, and I have one piece hanging in a hotel. Overall, my inventory is dwindling— I have probably a dozen paintings on-hand. Still, I’m not really sure that my pace of production has been enough for me to say, “yes, I can do this full-time.”
Initially I considered that I would do a season of production, followed by a season of sales, where I let paintings dry while I traipse around Phoenix trying to peddle my art. My analysis brought me to realize that I need to either 1) increase my prices or 2) just make more stuff. Roughly $10k of inventory over nearly 7 months of work wouldn’t cut it. I do think I’m going to increase my prices to better align with the worth of my art, and I know that things will ramp up over time.
I decided to cap off my long season of production with a sprint— finish strong by making 30 paintings, really challenging myself. I’ll feel much better about traveling in the summer if I have paintings which are drying—I firmly believe that to have almost 40 paintings on hand will situate me to continue to pursue my dreams.
The Context
I was having doubts back in April about my path. Only then did I realize that my payment processor was broken, and people were trying to buy my art online, only to be blocked by my system. This realization gave me a second wind—combined with the fact that I had two events in May in which I sold art, I’m doubling down on making paintings and trying to sell my art.
I’m also feeling incredibly grateful to my supporters—I hit my first goal, which was to sell an original piece of art online to someone who isn’t already in my network. I shipped off my first Cézanne dupe— thank you, Tom! Building on this, after my launch of prints on my site, I’ve sold a handful! It really does feel like things are picking up; I’m all the more motivated to buckle down and make it happen.
The Production - First Week
Back in Boise, I made an order for 30 canvases. I got pieces ranging from 12”x12” all the way up to 60”x60”. They arrived just after my event at Luanas, so I decided to officially start on May 25th.
I spent the first few days making paintings in my old style and trying to orient myself around how I would actually complete this project. I know that my best paintings take shape only after a few days, so I wanted to be sure to have ample concurrent projects.
I finally got serious about this on day 5 by putting every canvas size into my iPad and doing a list of ideas and loose renders for them. I’m currently working on 4 still life pieces on a small/medium scale, hoping to take the best ideas and translate them to larger pieces. I have a Kyoto scene which was prompted by an almost-commission— I like the direction it’s taking, and I hope to do it again at a large scale. I got some photos from Michael from his travels which are beautiful pieces in their own right, and I’m hoping to use them as inspiration for some large landscapes. I’ll also be copying some more Cézanne and Van Gogh pieces, and maybe a Monet. I have a few other photos from which I’m pulling ideas.
I’m posting daily on my Instagram and TikTok, and I post more detailed updates (sort of like this one) on my Patreon. If you want to support me, share my videos or check out my Patreon! It’s an easy way to make a difference!
In other news, I’m re-recording content for my oil painting course. I had someone reach out about wanting a 4 hour seminar over oil painting, so I’m hoping to use the material that we discuss and offer it online. I’d love to invite people into my space, show them some art, make them a coffee, and teach them some painting. I’ll be posting that here as soon as it’s out— but if you want to check out my course while it is in early access, please do so! If you’re enrolled, you’ll have lifetime access to the revamped videos and upcoming lessons.
I’m taking preorders for pieces in my 30 days in a loose fashion— I don’t know my pricing for the series yet. I don’t even know if I’ll finish all 30— fingers crossed! I’ll be dropping the collection July 1st.
Thanks again for reading,
Kevin
