I sold a painting! / J’ai vendu un tableau!
I’ve been selling paintings for eight years now, and every time I sell a work of art—whether it’s one I made as a commission or one I created for the open market—I celebrate. That said, recently I made a sale that’s a bit more special than any of the hundred plus I’ve made so far in my career. It’s significant to me because it’s the first time I have ever sold a painting that isn’t a portrait.
Cela fait huit ans que je vends mes tableaux, et chaque fois que je vends une œuvre d’art—que ce soit un tableau que j’ai fait sur commande ou une peinture que j’ai créée pour une de mes série—je fête la vente. Ceci dit, je viens de faire une vente qui est un petit peu plus extraordinaire que la centaine de ventes que j’ai faite jusqu’ici dans ma carrière. C’est important pour moi parce que c’est la première fois que j’ai vendu une peinture qui n’est pas un portrait.
Gwenn Seemel
Dear / Chère
2011
acrylic on panel / acrylique sur bois
7 x 5 inches / 18 x 13 centimètres
(For more information, watch this video. / Pour en savoir plus, regardez cette vidéo.)
This is the piece that was purchased. It’s a study for my upcoming series, a body of work that I’ve been anxious about from the moment I thought about making it. And that’s why this sale matters so much to me.
Voici l’œuvre en question. C’est une étude pour ma prochaine série, un projet qui m’inquiète depuis le moment même où ça m’est venu à la tête de le faire. Et c’est pour cette raison que cette vente est tellement importante pour moi.
detail image of Dear / détail de Chère
As a rule, I am confident about my work. I know that I am contributing to the lives of others with the art I make. This is something that I feel deeply and with a pleasing certainty most days, but that’s only with regards to the work I do in portraiture. I can’t say anything like that about my new work yet because what I’m doing now is so different from anything I’ve done before. I don’t have any history with this new kind of work, so I’ve been unsure of my ability to do it well.
But now that I’ve sold this piece, I don’t need a track record of successes to help me to believe in myself: I have the vote of confidence that this sale represents. It’s the kind of confidence that can only come from the intersection of art and money. It isn’t something I thought I needed before I had it, but now that I have it I’m pretty sure that it’s exactly what I needed.
En général, j’ai une confiance en moi en tant qu’artiste. Je sais que je contribue à la vie des autres avec l’art que je crée. C’est quelque chose que je ressens profondément et avec une certitude agréable presque tous les jours, mais c’est seulement à l’égard du travail que je fais dans le portrait. Je n’ai pas la même confiance en moi avec mon nouveau projet parce que ce que je fais aujourd’hui est si différent de tout ce que j’ai fait avant. Je n’ai pas toute une histoire de réussites avec cette nouvelle direction, donc je ne suis pas sûre de ma capacité à le faire avec compétence.
Mais maintenant que j’ai vendu ce tableau, je n’ai plus besoin d’antécédents pour m’aider à croire en moi. J’ai le vote de confiance que cette vente représente. C’est le genre de confiance qui ne peut venir que de l’intersection de l’art et l’argent. Ce n’est pas quelque chose dont je pensais en avoir besoin avant que je l’ai eu, mais, maintenant que je l’ai, je suis convaincue que c’est exactement ce qui me fallait.
RELATED ARTICLES:
- Validation matters.
- Selling art
- The artist’s self-esteem
UN PEU SUR LE MÊME SUJET:
- Keeping the faith as an artist / Garder la foi en tant qu’artiste
- Comment gagner sa vie avec son art
- Cultivating self-confidence / Comment cultiver la confiance en soi
CATEGORIES: - En français - Business of art - Crime -
(8) Comments / Commentaires: I sold a painting! / J’ai vendu un tableau!
That vote of confidence feels good, doesn’t it? I was surprised recently by people liking my new, more abstract work best in my show in our fairly small town. I expected the older, more representational work to be more popular.
It can be tough to stay the course without good votes of confidence when doing something new to us. Gotta be strong! 
(btw, is that maybe a deer “portrait”?... 
Good observation, Rob! Part of what I love about this painting is that while Gwenn didn’t paint it from a photo (according to the vlog about its creation), it seems to me not to portray just any deer, but an alert, observant deer, one that is at once universal and unique, one that certainly has its own personality! It reminds me of the deer in the backyard in Oregon, who munch on our grapes and our roses, but they look so elegant while doing it that I can’t help but forgive them. This Dear deer has such a lovely expression, doesn’t she?!
I’m excited to see where this new series is going!
Claire, yes, the deer does appear to have its own personality. Gwenn’s portraits show such personality, it is only natural.
That is very forgiving of you with your grapes and roses, but deer are beautiful animals. No deer in the backyard here (also in Oregon), but that is a mixed blessing.
I’m looking forward to seeing where the series goes too. Any new ones coming soon, Gwenn?
Thank you all for your kind words!
I wouldn’t call Dear a portrait because a portrait to me is the representation of an individual, but I could see how this painting could be a portrait of deerhood. Maybe it would have been better with a fresh rosebud hanging out of her mouth!
The series opens in September 2012, and I’ll be publishing a print version of the book as well as a free PDF of the book at the same time. That said, I’ll probably start showing a few of the 50+ painting as I get closer to the show! This the the first time I’ve started talking about a series publicly so early in its development, and it’s exciting to have others be excited about it too!
Wow, your new series and new ventures into publishing - lots of excitement!
Thanks for sharing this painting and feel free to send out some teasers; Sept is a long way off (although you may not feel that way).
It’s a beautiful painting! Great job!
Thank you Natalie!
Terry Butler...
I recently discovered your videos and blog and I really love your work. To be fair, there is not much art or music I don’t like but I really like you, the artist. Congratulations on selling the deer painting. Keep on keepin on!
--- -- - --- - ---- - - --- ----- -- -