Gormleys Opening Night New Gallery in Dublin and my VIDA Collection

Today I visited Gormley's New Art Gallery Official Opening in South Frederick Street just around the corner from Grafton Street in Dublin. I enjoyed the opening, with canapes and wine. The paintings on display were very nice, a mixture of landscapes and figurative works, and there is a beautiful space out the back which is a small gravelled area displaying several large sculptures. Downstairs is a large room and anteroom displaying more art. The layout of the new gallery is very attractive and has a feeling of openness and space.

Above is a screenshot of my new collection of designs from VIDA which are available to purchase at the following link: http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/jim-shanahan All of the clothing is not available in shops only through VIDA. So this is a chance to purchase a unique item which has not been mass produced.

I shall be adding more designs in the coming while. Enjoy...

Gormleys Art Auction Current Work on Auction

I have three paintings in the auction online with Gormleys Art Auctions, which will end on Nov 1st. If you would like to see them follow the link. I am currently painting between 20 to 30 works a year and these are of a high quality. So feel free to browse the auction for my work or maybe even bid. I feel sure that my work is equal to most out there and that you will not be disappointed. I am endeavouring to produce a body of quality art that will hopefully appreciate in value for all my collectors. I don't mass produce lesser quality paintings of similar subject matter and hope that will stand to upholding the value of my art. Thanks for your interest in my art. Jim

Art Collecting - What to know about collecting art...

Many people who like art but are not artists themselves may be interested in learning something more about collecting art. However, there are so many different types of art that it is almost impossible for them to figure out what to decide upon. What is good value? What will be worth investing in....? Basically there are four steps in the progress of all artists who become widely famous and sought after. Here I will run through them briefly. I might hopefully be at step one. Most artists never get beyond one or two of these steps.

Four stages in the development of a Great Artist and Investing Tips.

1. Recognition by the Artists Peers.

The first step is recognition by other artists, that the artist is above average in technical ability when compared to the majority of artists. Some artists manage to skip this step by being well-known to start from another walk of life, but it will mean that they will not stand the test of time, as in beyond their lifetimes, in terms of being a "great" artist.

2. Critics begin to explain the Artists motivations to a wider audience.

This is the step where the artist can begin to increase prices of the work, if this occurs while they are still alive!! and begins to garner a wider audience. Buying artists work in the hope of a profit at this stage is the best time in their career, but is risky. If it pays off, it will be well worth it.

3. Art dealers becoming interested in the Artists work

This is an important step forward and means a secure future for the artist. Dealers will buy typically at wholesale prices to sell on for a profit. Buying from them will not result in a profit for the investor in the short term. It is better to have found the artist before this stage takes off, as in step 2. However, there-in lies the difficulty. Who will make it to step 3?

4.The wider public recognise the greatness of the Artist.

The final step, and one that is usually achieved when a large body of good work has been created. Most artists will never reach this step. At this level prices will be out of reach for most investors.

Anyway - hope you enjoyed this brief article. I will write more about this topic soon, as there is a lot more to know about art collecting. Jim

Reflections on the Blog - Painting Progress

The blog appears to be getting more traffic lately. I see that page views have edged up past 1000 per week in the last few days. I am unsure if this is a true reading but may be an indication that I am slowly gathering a presence in the online art world. Not to get ahead of myself, this is a minor amount of traffic compared to most web sites. Still can't complain. Now if it was translated into sales of my paintings!!

I have been working on a still life at an art class I have been attending since August. The techniques I am learning are really helping speed up and improve my ability, and I consider it well worthwhile so far. I have made some fundamental changes to how I approach paintings since August. I hope you can start to see it in the last few paintings I have shown here. Scroll down and compare my last four paintings with previous works. Maybe it's not so noticeable but I feel it, in speed of completion and ease of getting things right.

The above work is "Under the Cherry Tree" by John Lavery, Irish Artist. He is one of the best Irish artists and in the top echelon of Irish art, selling usually in the 100K range or higher. Hopefully I will eventually be producing work of that quality. That is one goal to aim for!

Art Marketing, Croagh Patrick Painting

I have been researching the state of the Irish Art Market, talking to artists and just trying to get a feel for how things are out there. I talked to artists selling on the railings in Malahide, a small but popular town just north of Dublin, and also on Merrion Square, in the city centre. They sell their art there, week in, week out, through the summer months. The season for Malahide is winding down now, but I believe that Merrion Square is a year round event. There is a long waiting list to get on this venue!! Two years possibly...

Anyway I have just finished reading the book "Sold, the inside story of how Ireland got bitten by the art bug" by John Burns. It is a real insight into who is who around the galleries and auction rooms of this city. I have had dealings with one or two of the people mentioned or interviewed in the book. It really is a worthwhile read for anyone trying to understand how the galleries and auction rooms operate. The main conclusion of the book is how the auction rooms are taking over the primary market from galleries where they used to only focus on the secondary market. Now the galleries are changing their focus too, to compete against them. Now galleries are moving more into art fairs to stay ahead of the auction rooms taking their business. In fact, last year I sold through auction, which is exactly why galleries are losing out. I am now more conscious of how this may be bad in the long run for both gallery and artist, as galleries are the main promoters of artists, not auction rooms. However, most artists that sell directly through auction are like me, unrepresented yet by galleries, so maybe the galleries are not doing too bad. I do see though that many seriously successful artists are also selling in auction rooms. The end result I guess is that the market will decide what eventually happens, although some galleries have closed in the last while.

The above is a shot of one of my latest in progress works, of which I now have several. I will post further when finished. Due to learning and changing from this, my painting technique has got faster. I hope that this will still mean acceptable quality, something I have to be careful of paying attention to. The above is an indoor shot and a little dull due to this. It's also underpainting, and needs more colour adjusting. The place is looking at the back of Croagh Patrick in Mayo, from the road to the Delphi valley. The time is middle of summer. If just a few weeks later, the vegetation colour changes a lot! Enjoy and check back to see further progress...

Birch Forest -- Current Work in Progress Update

I will be posting more progress shots of this current painting over the next week or so, so if you would like to see how it develops, be sure to stop by again. Why not bookmark or subscribe to the blog via the link on the right? Anyway enjoy, and check back for more when you can.

This year, apart from my usual size paintings of 12 x 16 and 16 x 20 inch paintings, I intend to paint some larger works, up to perhaps 30 x 30 maybe. That might not be so large for some artists, but they have to fit into my car, and I have to be able to sell them too!! So have to be practical also. However I believe there is a shortage of larger paintings such as would be above a fireplace or as a centrepiece in a room available at a reasonable price, so I intend to offer something along those lines. So that will be something to try in 2010....

Art Marketing and the year ahead...

One of the aims I have set for this year is to get more disciplined about marketing, and hopefully more productive on the art side. I have so many other demands on my time that art can find itself on the back burner sometimes. So I think if I can at least paint a little on a regular basis, it will be still more productive than a longer session on less frequent basis. That said, I have been thinking about ways of gaining more sales from and interest in the blog. So how has it been doing since it was started in June 2008. Well as can be seen from the visitor logs on the right (scroll down) the vast majority of the visitors are coming from 7 or 8 countries.

United States 3000, United Kingdom 1000, Ireland 800, Canada 400, India 200, Australia 150, Germany 100, Phillipines 90. These are the top visitors to the blog and with the exception of India, Germany and Phillipines, are fairly predictable. These 8 countries are 75 - 80 % of all visitors to the blog. The counter on the bottom of the blog shows 18000+ individual page hits (many of which are mine).

I would be interested in gaining an idea of how many regular visitors I might have. So if you are a repeat visitor, please feel free to leave a short comment or sign up to the subscription on the right, which will give you an automatic alert to any new posts.

During the next year I hope to be able to offer a larger range of painting sizes and prices, which will allow a greater choice to you, the customer! So feel free to visit the gallery below, just scroll down to see all my available art! Currently if you like to buy anything I can be contacted by jimsartemail@hotmail.com but I will be putting prices on all new work. If your budget doesn't stretch to buying an original, I currently sell laser prints on 300 gram paper of most of my more popular and recent paintings, for 10 euro each. Just inquire by email of you see something you would like to purchase a print of, as it may be available. Unfortunately I can't vouch for their lightfastness as these are laser prints, but giclee prints are much more costly to produce at the moment!!

Finally - I intend to be reintroducing the buy it now buttons which I had on previously at some stage. I just have to refresh how to do that and use them when I know I will be around to send on any painting purchased. I have found that it is possible to send a small to medium size painting (up to 12 x 16 inches) safely in the post unframed to anywhere in the world, for a cost of approximately 20 euro or 30 dollars.

So looking forward to an enjoyable 2010 -- a belated Happy New Year to all! -- Jim

My Art is up for Auction at Nora Dunne Gallery Oct 4th

One of my recent paintings has been accepted into the Auction which Gormleys Fine Art are holding in the Nora Dunne Gallery on October 4th. Gormleys Fine Art have an online auction site which is showing all the paintings and you can bid on them in the days prior to the auction. Here is my painting, Howth Head from Portmarnock. Gormleys is a well established gallery chain, having two galleries in the north of Ireland and one in Dublin. They are renting the Auction Showroom from the Nora Dunne Gallery/Auctionhouse.

Nora Dunne Gallery Update

I went on the website of Ben Dunnes Gallery yesterday. I sent several paintings into the gallery earlier in the year, but now the gallery is closing as a gallery!! So I have been watching changes in the gallery operation for the past month or so. Originally the gallery space was to show art, but now it is becoming an auction house. This is not a bad thing and they could become very successful -- depending on how much Ben Dunne can drive the project. I am interested to see that they are uploading all entries to the gallery auctions on the website of an associate from Belfast Gormleys Fine Art. Gormleys appear to be a well organised operation and their site for auctions (Irish Art Sales ) allows viewing and bidding on the auction works in the days preceding the auction.
The above is an example of ideas I have been looking at for my next painting. This is a harbour in New Zealand taken from the reference image library on Wet Canvas. I went down to Howth Harbour on Saturday last and took around fifty photos of the boats. It was a dull overcast day and I would have preferred it to be brighter but sometimes that can add to the atmosphere of the images. Anyway I have two ideas to work on -- so will show them as they are progressed over the next while.

Reasons to buy Original Art instead of a Print

It's a topic often discussed on the web and elsewhere. Is it better to buy an original fine art painting even though it costs much more or just settle for a print. What about an expensively framed limited edition print? Is it's value equivalent to that of an original work of art?

First you need to ask why you want to buy -- is it just to redecorate or fill a space, or do you also want an investment? If you are just space filling it seems the cheaper option of a print is what you may buy, unless you have money to splash.

But if budget is not so flash, should you invest in fine art? If I was not an artist I would still say yes to this question. However I would be asking several questions first. Is the artist emerging, established, widely respected, or one of a kind? What is their genre? Are they improving? If it is an emerging artist you are interested in, are they able to produce quality work with a style that will stand the test of time? Are they just a passing fad? Is their work truely based on honed technique or are they just chancing their arm? The price you are prepared to pay should be based on all these considerations.

From my limited experience of the market, I see three categories of buyer of art.

Low price range, below 400 euro or so.
Medium price range, 400-900 euro approx.

Upper price range, 1000 euro upwards.

The first group are looking for a fine art painting but are either unable or unwilling to spend a large amount relatively speaking. They look for emerging artists and hope to pick up a painting which really appeals to them, with the hope it increases in value. They will often buy scenes of local areas and popular views.

The middle group will have some knowledge of what artists are established but will not be able to afford the better names. They will look to buy a lesser work of established names or a work by an artist who is becoming more prominent. They will be unlikely to spend on an emerging artist unless it is an exceptional work whose subject has wide appeal.

The last group will be relying on professional advice most likely or will really know their stuff. They may be patrons of the well established professionals and the most popular artists, even if the technique of some of those artists is questionable. If the artist has a following they will feel safe in investing in their art, regardless of their ability. The quality of work of most artists selling at this level will have been well proven however.

If you are still unsure about fine art or print or what to buy if you do want to buy an original -- consider the following...

Go to a gallery and look at the real thing. Look at the colours, the texture and the feel of the painting. Then look again. There really is no comparison to a print. Prints are at best a poor imitation and in my opinion can never capture all the subtle beauty that the artist conveys in the original work. The brushstrokes are lost and the shades and colour variations will never be as vibrant no matter what the quality of the print. Artist grade pigments far exceed the best of giclee ink in their vibrancy and intensity, when viewed up close. There is an energy in an original work of art that is totally lost in the best of prints. You feel this energy every time you look at the original. Living with an original painting enriches the owners life every single day. Also there is a special feeling knowing you have a unique once off original. So for me there really is no competition. If you can afford it, buy originals first. Save up and buy if you must, but don't settle for second best!

What's happening with the blog? Cosyheart...Check it out.

Any regular followers will be wondering why so few posts...all I can say is that I have been working on the preparation of files for and cooperating with a newly formed company to market my art in England and elsewhere. The name of the company is Cosyheart. They manufacture beautiful heaters which can enhance your home. Obviously I am biased now as they are using my paintings for their range of designs. If you are interested in having one of my paintings on the wall and also the functionality of a heater combined, go along to their website and check out my designs. They are in the process of launching in August, but the site is more or less ready. The above is how my painting Snowy Track appears on their square heater. Here's the link to my profile on their site. Tell all your friends!! Thanks.

The second reason for the lack of posts is that I encountered a problem with my last artistic effort which I have to yet to fix...due to time constraints so I didn't post any of the progression shots of it, even though it is almost complete. I might get around to fixing and completing this painting soon but I have to do an exam in a different pursuit which is distracting me from painting lately. I don't put all my eggs in the one basket!! Anyway I intend to keep this blog going and also improving as an artist - so there will be more posts.

That's all for now. Check back in a week or so....I can't be sure when I will post again but it won't be too long.

Current News - Auction Result Nora Dunne Gallery Auction

Its been a while since I updated as I have been concentrating on a rather time consuming painting. I won't post pictures until it's finished - just to say it is rather intricate and as always I am trying my best to get it right. I hope you will find it worth the wait if you are interested in coming back to see it. I have been working two and a half weeks on it so far and it is close to complete. Another few days should see it there, or as good as I can currently get it.

I am trying out various subject matter and ideas, all of which I am choosing to help me learn and improve painting various items. I could stay painting things that are easy but I know I will not improve as quick that way. I intend to push my ability as much as possible. That's something I have always believed in, as the only way to improve. I also have to be somewhat consistent however in style and overall themes, purely from a marketing viewpoint - so it's a fine balance to try out new stuff.

Something I am reading about at the moment is brushwork and brushstrokes, as this really is the core of all painting. I haven't incorporated so much of what I am reading in the latest picture but will do so in further work. It's really a case of planning ahead, and also it takes time to ingrain newly learnt methods of working. Hope that I can be disciplined enough to do what I say. It's so easy to just keep painting the same way as before and not think before applying the paint brushstroke in the right way. There's a bit more to improving than meets the eye. That's one thing I realise, and really is the reason so many people find it hard to do so. You really have to understand, learn and practice what the instruction books teach. Understanding the techniques is the first step but not always the hardest. Often techniques that look easy are tricky when you try to repeat them. The kind of things I am reading about are how to paint lamplight, candlelit scenes, outdoor evening light with artificial street sign lights, dull overcast or misty light, ripples in water, strong summer day light, winter light etc. The list of things that have to be learnt and learnt well if you are to really get good is tremendous. Again that's why even though there are a lot of good artists out there, as a percentage of all artists and the general population, their number is very small.

Auction Result.

Last 19th April my painting of Clare Island was sold in a no reserve auction. The bidding started at a low of approx. 30 euro. for all items, and went from there. My painting sold for 200 euro. I am pleased with that for my first real auction.

Deer in Snow Painting is finished...Auction News

Finished Painting

After a lot of work and some useful research into technique and colour, here is my finished painting of deer in snow. I have yet to sign my name to it, or give it it's final name, but I am pleased with the way this has turned out. I was really trying hard to get that 3-d look and make you forget you are looking at a 2-d surface. I hope I succeeded to some degree.

Auction News

The Nora Dunne Gallery is holding an Auction in their gallery on Kimmage Road West, on April 19th Sunday at 1pm. It is a no reserve Auction according to their website. I have submitted one painting to the Auction and it was accepted. All works to be auctioned are viewable at their site, Nora Dunne Gallery. Below is my painting to be auctioned. Clare Island, Mayo, oils, size 20"x16".

For a closer view, scroll down to the bottom of this page. That's it for now. Next, I intend to work on my life drawing skills and new ideas for two or more paintings, as I want to work on more than one painting at a time in future. Don't forget to check back in a week or less to see my new ideas. Meanwhile, why not check out the other posts, or my slideshow, see the link on the right!

Ongoing Work...Some more progress shots.

Here are a few more shots showing progress on my current painting. This painting is 16" x 20" and I really want to get it up to that next level so am putting in the time. I really want it to evoke that 'anything is possible feeling' we have each Spring when the days get longer. So the atmosphere, light etc. have to be just right.

I am using viridian green, titanium white, raw umber, cobalt blue, cadmium yellow and hints of other colours, cadmium orange and medium green light, to create various colour mixes.

Each of the shots above are a few hours apart. How long does it take to paint an average size painting? That's something I have been pondering for the last while. I guess it all depends on how good you are at planning, choosing the right colour mixes first time and avoiding all the errors which make us have to redo an area of the work. To this end I have been researching other artists who are painting somewhat similar subject matter to me. Currently I spend between 10-30 hours on paintings between 12"x 16" to 16"x 20". I am now realising it doesn't really matter so much how long it takes. What is more important and will pay back all extra time involved is to take whatever length of time needed to paint a work to the best possible quality. That is what hopefully will produce a second look from the viewers and lead to more recognition. So I am researching technique and brushwork and hope that I can put what I learn into practice. Also I am trying to be more disciplined in painting regularly. When I drew portraits in pencil, I found that as I kept drawing, after a few weeks I was getting more 'fluid' at drawing. I was getting it right quicker and first time with no mistakes in the likeness I was trying to draw. I hope it will be the same as I begin to paint with more regularity. Regular followers of this blog, feel free to comment if you can see an improvement hopefully in my work. I sure hope my efforts will begin to bear fruit. Hopefully I can focus and not to rest on my laurels over the following while. That's it for now. The next post might be a revisit to poetry corner. I think it's about due...

Clare Island Finished - Gallery Sales - New Work

Clare Island -- finished painting.

Clare Island -- at underpainting stage.

The above image is of my most recent painting which I have just finished. It is from a photo taken by my parents on holiday in Mayo last year. Although I have never been there, Clare island is apparently a quite popular destination for tourists wishing to experience the quiet and remoteness of the islands off the west coast of Ireland. You can stay overnight on the island, and really get that feeling of remoteness. I went to the Aran Islands some years ago and it's like stepping back in time. There are very few places in the world that have the same aura about them as these places. I hope they never change too much.

As for how I am doing in the gallery... I am very pleased with the outcome so far. I have sold four paintings since I submitted them at the end of January. I also sold one original outside of the gallery from my studio. Sales of my prints in the real world as opposed to internet, has also been reasonable. That said, I am beginning to think spending time trying all the various ways of marketing on the internet is not as profitable as just marketing in your own locale and striving to improve your local recognition. My sales through internet methods, ebay, etsy etc. are still insignificant compared to the alternative.

The below is a first sketch of my next painting...I will post more as I progress it further -- so don't forget to drop in from time to time to see.

Gallery Representation!

The blog has been in suspended animation for quite some time. This is a sign of how busy I am. So here's an update. As of this week I am represented by the Nora Dunne Gallery in Kimmage Dublin. It is a new gallery, having opened in October of 2008. I have four paintings in the gallery, Deer at lakeside, Clew Bay Co. Mayo, Cygnets Day Out and Printemps en France. Taking into account the recessionary times, and the fact that I am an emerging artist I have priced them to sell -- so hopefully I shall see some sales over the course of the next weeks. In the mean time I have sold a considerable amount of prints - not via the internet I should add! So I can attest to the popularity of the actual images I have painted. That's it for now, next step is to keep painting...

A winter poem

Those who have followed this blog periodically will have seen less posts over the last month or so.. not surprising considering how busy I have had to be on non-art related things. This is still the case and with the season that's in it, I will have little time unless I am ruthlessly disciplined. That is a trait I have to develop and I appear to be a little lacking in that department over the last few weeks, so updates and work on art has taken a back seat to marketing of art and house projects. I don't want to anticipate January events, but hopefully I will be able to sell some work beginning then, based on some of the marketing efforts and contacts I have made this week. Today I showed my work to the curator of a gallery, and their initial response was favourable. I shall talk more about this in the coming weeks. This week will see the shortest day of the year, and psychologically this is always a boost. With that here is a poem, origin unknown to set the scene, I sort of remember. I knew it better a few years ago.

When days are shortest and winds are coldest,
When snow is deepest and year is oldest,
When frost is hardest and storms are strongest,
When skies are darkest, and nights are longest,
Then powder your nose, and feather your nest,
And dress in your richest, and finest and best,
For Winter has brought you the worst it can bring,
And now it will bring you the promise of Spring!

Clontarf Christmas Art Fair and other news...

Paris Street, Rainy Day 1877 by Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894)

This week I have some paintings in the local Christmas Art Fair at Clontarf GAA club. It is a three day Friday to Sunday event on the coming weekend. I have also been busy looking at the printers available for A3 and A2 printmaking and may go down the route of buying one rather than paying someone else to print for me. I haven't decided yet, looking at the costs of various printers versus inks etc. first. I got some great results from the visit to the photographer I chose (Sheldon Photographic), and he was really helpful in creating the final files ready to print. So making some progress - now just need to get my non art projects, house decorating etc. out of the way to get more art done!! With Christmas around the corner too, it's going to be a busy time over the next while. What else is new!

Changing circumstances -- More to follow...

This week has been eventful and due to circumstances at this moment I now anticipate having more time to concentrate on my art for the foreseeable future. Enough about that, except to say that I have the chance to really push my ability and see how far I can stretch myself over the following weeks and months. This is a development I was not entirely unprepared for and I see it as an opportunity in disguise.

Last night I attended the opening of an exhibition by Claudio Viscardi, opened by Bill Cullen, a prominent businessman in Ireland (currently he plays the same part of Donald Trump in the Irish version of The Apprentice). It was in Gormley Fine Art in the centre of Dublin. It was an interesting exhibition, by this well established artist (Claudio is dual Irish Swiss nationality and lives in the Beara Penninsula Kerry) and a reporter was taking photos. Bill Cullen is quite flamboyant and gave a lively speech to open proceedings. There was a wine reception and Bill's teenage children played traditional music on harp. I stayed for about an hour. The exhibition was a chance to meet other artists and art enthusiasts and I enjoyed conversation with several people there.

I am entering some paintings in a Christmas art fair to be held in the rugby club in the Clontarf area of Dublin, so have to decide what ones I will put in this next week.

Thats about it for an update. There will be some more frequent postings of work in the following weeks as I have the time. I am looking to start a series of paintings of Irish landscapes, unless I get distracted onto under themes, which happens on occasion too...

Etsy Shop Now Open -- ShanahanArt

Yesterday I joined Etsy as a seller. I went through the whole shop setup procedure and now have a niche in the Etsy "Mall". Hopefully I can see some interest from the online world. I will be listing some paintings at the shop which might also be for sale on the blog gallery (see bottom of this page). Where prices are converted to US dollars for Etsy I have tried to keep prices the same as the euro price although some discrepancies may arise due to the exchange rate changing! Sorry if that is confusing. Also I am just getting to grips with the paypal setup, so if you wish to buy and are experiencing difficult, just send me an email. I am almost certain I have it configured correctly but one never knows.

I am enjoying the whole experience of learning about online marketing. I feel I have really learnt a lot in the last few months, and it's not finished yet. Apart from the blog and other technical online things, I have been researching the use of printers and lots of other stuff that artists need to know about for general day to day survival. I guess it all takes time, but being savvy about marketing is an artform in itself and it really helps to know what to do. I have learnt a lot by reading the advice from many artists who contribute to online forums. To them I am very grateful. If I can begin to carve out a niche market for my work I will consider the last few months well spent. At the moment I still consider myself an emerging artist, -- but one to watch! You can't beat modesty...

One thing I have realised from reading the experiences of other artists is the occurrence of burn-out. It can be difficult to be focused and creating art is quite intense at times. That's why being able to take time out with friends or to relax at something else is most important. I definitely know this to be true for me, I need variety. Fortunately I have a lot of non-art related interests to divert me. I go through phases of creativity and then need to refresh, so to speak. I guess like most things in life, we need to keep a balance.

Anyway that's it for now - check out my Etsy store at ShanahanArt if you're curious and want to see what I did. Just click on the link under my photo on the right of the posts. Enjoy and check back here for new work in progress which I will be posting over the next while.