O.K. here I go
 

...what do I do?, "I'm a Professional Portrait Artist."

This is what I have to get used to saying now, as I've just given notice at work, and am about to embark on this portraiture world with all my energy. What seems like a big leap is really the final one of years of baby steps and now a whole new journey...

It's under construction, so please excuse things like examples that don't enlarge yet, but please stop by my new website, and let me know if you have suggestions.

Thanks for letting me share my total joy!

Linda

www.heirloomportraits.net

Congratulations Linda
 

I know you are excited. Good Luck and best wishes. I couldn't get your website to open, I will try again later.

Thanks for the support!

The two things I'm looking forward to at present is 1.) being able to paint in the daylight hours , and 2.) having the hours of the business day to do business (i.e. sales & marketing stuff). It's been so very limiting to do either of these things well in evening hours only.

Thanks

Here's some shots of my booth two weeks ago - I wasn't sure how it would go...and so was relieved when I got my first commission interest on Sat. before the show opened, and absolutely floored by Sunday afternoon when I had over 20! This good fortune gives me the "break" I need to make the jump from part-timer to pro.

Linda--

So pleased for you. You will never look back.

Best wishes!

Congratulations, Linda, on "Taking the Leap." (By the way, have you read the book by that same title, on how to market artwork? It's a good one.)

Just wanted to let you know that the link to your website isn't working and the images you posted aren't on the Forum either. Could you post them again?

let's try them in gif...

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Nice booth. What are your "walls" made of and where did you get them, as well as the nice easels?

I rent the walls and tent for now (i've only exhibited twice). I believe the guy who I rent from here actually makes the walls himself. They're awesome.

I'll investigate...

The easels - one is an auction find, one a cheap brass easel, and the one inside the area is my first painting easel (which displays the only unframed painting...)

Lastly, the podium is a Featherlite 814 counter with a door in back and laminate top, which collaspes all into a case. (I've worked for the past fifteen years designing and selling trade show exhibits, and currently working at Featherlite. (I highly recommend this counter, but their exhibits are not meant to hang extreme weights or for outdoor use).

-

Dear Linda,

First of all, congratulations! I'm sure you are full of equal amounts excitment and trepidation. But, it sounds to me as if you're doing all the right things.

I love the large frame on the central painting seen in the photo of your booth. I look forward to seeing a bigger image of that painting (the child on the tree limb) on your website, too.

Speaking of which, when did your website "go live"? If it was on Friday or on the weekend, it is possible that it simply has not yet "propogated" throughout the Internet. That can often take a few days, depending upon the hosting service, geographical location, and a few other factors. If it was supposed to have been "live" longer ago than that, you might wish to contact your hosting company to see what's what because it should be up-and-running after no more than 3 days or so (maybe weekends don't count, though,I don't know). In any event, I'll keep me eyes open for it.

Best of everything.

Juan

Link to "Spring Bud"
 

Juan, Here's a link to the painting you're referring to.

Linda, thank you for posting the photos of your booth, and congratulations.

Wow Juan, thaks so much for the enthusiasm. I was just admiring your fabulous award painting last week. I love its fresh lighting/compositional treatment.

As for the website, to confess I think what happened is that I lost the credit card I had on autopay about a month ago, and forgot to update them with the new number (sometimes I think I'm practicing to be the village idiot in my next life).

Mari - your are soooooo nice to have taken the time to post the link. Looking forwrad to meeting you someday (hopefully this year in Sarasota).

Linda

Linda,

Congratulations! You must be very excited. Best wishes on your adventurous (and rewarding, I'm sure!) road ahead....

Congratulations!
 

Linda, very much impressed with your work. Surely we would like to see individual photos of your paintings. Your jumping into Pro from part-time is an inspiring event! surely it requires a great deal of courage to do what you have done! Congratulations and wish you all the BEST.
Meera Bakshi

Thanks Meera

It's coming up on a year now that I've been Pro. Business from last years' shows went well for me. In a few weeks I'll be doing the first of 4 shows this summer, and to be honest I'm terrified. But I was last year as well, so hopefully it's just needless worry.
I was able to go to the PSOA convention a few weeks ago, and got some great feedback from my portfolio, and International Magazine will be publishing a portrait. Back home here in MN, I 'm in the final stage of getting representation, and I've hired a designer to put togther comprehensive marketing materials.
I wish I could say that I'm a well behaved entrepreneur, but the negatives are that I've gained at least 10lbs from that **** refrigerator being soooooo close, and napping when I get bored or frustrated. Oh well.

I'm especially am grateful that I have a career that gives me more time with my son Alex. From that perspective I've been very happy with everything.

Congratulations Linda
 

Dear Linda,

I just saw this thread now that it has come up again under 'new posts' and I want to add my congratulations! And also, WOW! You are so talented, I think you have a real gift for composition. The portrait of your son on the staircase that I admired just a few days ago under the thread about type and the portrait of the little girl in the tree (your daughter?) are wonderful.

It was so much fun and so inspiring to find this thread with your first post of just 'launching' yourself and now a year has passed and I can read about all your successes!

You must love doing the shows because it sounds as though you are keeping busy enough without them. (?)

I am surprised to read that you are still, what word did you use, nervous (?) about upcoming shows. I think you obviously have a talent for problem solving and any commission that comes along is just another challenge with problems to be solved. And, from your website and the photos of your booth, you have a gift for meeting the challenges in portraiture. And not just meeting them, your truly excel at portraiture. I think a lot of thought must go into each portrait to make it unique, though I'm betting a lot of that must come naturally for you.

I hope you'll post some more photos of your booths this summer!

Joan

Wow Joan... you have just floored me. How sweet of you to take the time to say such nice, encouraging things.

You know the saying " the more answers you get the more questions you have", well I feel like I've learned so much about painting this year, yet remain I so far from what I don't know yet. Is also difficult (but rewarding) in the midst of that to sort of what personal style I want to guard. It can make one bipolar!

That was so nice to read your email. What a pick-me-up.

May I say by the way to anyone who is intimidated by the whole thing but really wants to be out there doing portraiture for hire that - push yourself to get public with your work, get used to dealing with your artwork in the public eye. If you get work great, if you don't you, ask yourself "what isn't communicating". Change it, but don't sell yourself.

Thanks again Joan, really

Thanks for prompt response.
 

Yes, it's rather easy to paint portraits than to be our own PRO and get the business! With a young child if you could achieve this much, you have a great career ahead, I am sure. I have been painting since childhood and I can say, one has to have a burning desire to achieve perfaction in whatever one does to achieve excellence. I would be inerested how you co-ordinated the shows. My family members and friends suggest me to have a booth at the mall so that people can see my work, but somehow I feel nervous doing all by myself. Recently I have started devoting atleast one hour to painting no matter what and create my own collection of paintings. Till now I was working only on orders and have done 4-5 paintings per year since last 10 years. Working full time job does not leave me that much of time for my own painting work. That is why, to get more inspiration and like-interest friends around I have joined this forum.
Thanks to Cynthia to have such a wonderful site.
Thanks again, will keep in touch.
Meera Bakshi

Linda, it's been exhilarating to watch your progress over the past year or so on the Forum, both in the quality of your work and the growth of your business. You've certainly jumped in with both feet and made tremendous progress in a short time.

Can you tell me: what sort of shows are you in? Are these outdoor art shows in your area? Also, what type of local representation are you setting up? I wasn't aware of any portrait agents in that part of the country.

And finally, you wrote that "International Magazine" will be publishing a portrait. Did you mean "International Artist Magazine"? If so, a big congratulations to you! How did that come about?

Meera,

Yes it's really tough to work another job and get time to paint, but as you show, where there's a will there's a way. I found getting myself committed to an art fair booth was an ENORMOUS motivator, and I'd suggest you get into one, even though it seems so terrifying (it was and is still for me too). If you know of some shows in the area, go check them out and then sign up for next year if it's the right one for you. We have a large state fair art competition and I found entering into that was as rewarding. Don't try to do more than one show. Should things not go well, then you can learn from it for the next one down the line, yet still pat yourself on the back for putting yourself out there.

Michele,

Thanks so much - this forum has been so encouraging. Isn't it fun to be in a field where the people are so nice! That's one of the main things that inspire me about this site and about the PSOA - what an honor to work amongst such sincerely passionate and nice people like you. So to get a thumbs up from the group(s) is all the more meaningful.

Yes it's Intl Artist Magazine. On the suggestion of a friend who had done the same, I simply looked for the guy while at the PSOA convention, approached him with my portfolio, and right there he "ordered" one to be sent for publication and explained the parameters of the text I needed to send with it. That was cool.

The representation I'm going for here is not with a typical gallery. It with a firm specializing in providing artwork to residential and corporate spaces. They have a team of sales people and I'm sure a much larger database of prospects than I could ever amass. I let you know how it works out. I'm skeptical of working with agencies, yet I know a handful of people who wouldn't work any other way.

You're right Michele, I don't think there's any portrait agencies around here. Minnesota is not big into portraits, and the prices one can charge are not at all like in other parts of the US (I don't think at least). So I 'm doing work in a place that's not an obvious slamdunk. That's what also keeps me worried about the future, oh well.

Worrying
 

Dear Linda,

You can stop worrying now. Really :D !

Joan