Introducing my website!
 

May I introduce my new website. After participating in the forum for a little over a year, and many unexpected personal obstacles, as well as feeling my way around the world of professional art, a kind friend and neighbor has taken some time to help me put together a cool little website. There is a little more polishing yet to go, more pictures to be posted, etc.

Please feel free to look around and comment. www.portraitsbyrochelle.homestead.com

Regards,
Rochelle Brown

Nice site, Rochelle! I especially like Little Jen and David; that's a lovely painting.

Interesting to see that you're located in Bellingham; I got my MA there. We lived on Lummi Island while I attended Western. It was a beautiful place at the time; I hope it still is!

Hi Leslie,

Someone else asked me about Bellingham recently. I happen to be replying to you from one of the WWU Library computers. There are a lot of parks here. My studio is only a few blocks from the dramatic "Little Squalicom falls" where a few months ago we had the salmon run which is very popular. They have cleaned and polished "old Town" quite a bit. I understand Bellingham is at this time the most recommended place to move to. Of course, I'm very busy here carving the market for portrait art and beginning to make a dent. The big Sea to Ski event is just around the corner in May and I think Bellingham is ready...

Hello, Rochelle,

Welcome to the Forum.

I like the Mayor of San Francisco portrait. I find in it a quite strange ambiance.

Best regards,
Sergio

Hi Sergio,

Thank you for taking time to reply. Can you please explain what you mean by "strange ambience"?

Intriguing, in a way that the viewer feels a sort of "malaise". I think that is why it is more successful than the other ones.

Sergio,

So far you are the first person to say this about the portrait of the mayor although quite a number of people have seen it already. Until now I was unaware that it had this effect on the viewer.

Congrats on your up and running web site Rochelle! May you be overwhelmed with hits! :)

Some of the images in the portfolio are poor. This should be remedied soon. There will also be new additions.

In response to Sergio's comment and use of the word "malaise", I will say this has haunted me somewhat. I don't want to be the suffering, starving artist. My mother used to tell me "The artist must suffer". Sort of a "Rembrandt curse". There was a split in the family as my grandmother would insist on the oil painting lessons.

I think success is not impossible and in fact I am getting commissions. Sometimes it's a lot of work just to think positive. How to interest otherwise indifferent people in portraiture, to convince them it's good to have a painted portrait without being too pushy like some car salesmen.

Here's a question or food for thought: In what new way can portrait art be successfully promoted?

Rochelle,

That would be a question for the marketing section. You might want to review what's there first though.