A review of my art progress from blogging.

The blog is just a little over a year old. Happy Birthday! So it's time for a review!

What has it achieved in that time? I have a counter on the bottom of the page and it is now reading 8450 or so, but I reckon several hundred of them are mine. So perhaps 7500 people have viewed the blog in that time. That's an average performance as I haven't pushed it too much. As expected the english speaking countries have predominated. I haven't been the most prolific blogger in the recent months but have managed to keep the blog going. However the real value of the blog has been that I have used it as a reference point to refer people to it, who want to view my art. It has helped me to license my art, and it has been responsible for some sales. All in all, it has been enjoyable and worthwhile and I don't see myself losing interest in it in the immediate future. So I look forward to creating more art and improving as much as possible. I am very pleased with how the last few months have gone. Despite the recession, I have managed to sell pretty much everything that I have painted this year! So the future looks more than positive!

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.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1841 - 1919,

I am currently reading a library book about the techniques used by this impressionist artist.

Renoir painted delightful paintings which have always held a special place in the affections of the art-loving public. Today he is one of the most popular and well-known of the impressionists. Unlike most of his contemporaries, who came from middle-class backgrounds, he came from humble origins, being the son of a tailor. A simple and sincere man, he had little time for theories about art, but rather believed that a thing of beauty needed no commentary. His earlier work had much in common with the other impressionists, but gradually he developed his own very personal style. He was meticulous in his attention to learning the craft of painting. However, success came gradually to him and it was during the middle of his life that he began to gain recognition as a major artist. The earlier years of his life knew much hardship, yet from the day he decided to become a painter a brush was always in his hand. He painted well into old age, even when arthritis afflicted his ability to work.

The book shows sections of Renoirs paintings in detail and describes the methods used by him in accomplishing certain effects some of which I hope I can incorporate into my own paintings.

Meanwhile, I have been painting steadily so I shall post new works in my next post. If possible, I won't be leaving it a month to post next time!