Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artist. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

7 reasons why an Artist will still stay in Business in 2021

Hey there fellow artists, here are 7 good reasons why we still are in business. However, I would advice just have an alternative line of activity for you to make a living out of too because an art, animation career is all about ups and downs even if you work for someone it is dependent upon a third layer of a luxury item. 


If promotion of your services is a necessity (the first level), advertising is only a want (the second level) and art and animation (is only the third level) and in tough economic times lets face it, even for me as a creator it is a luxury :o/


But these 7 points could brighten up the dark scene that we think impends us:

  1. The other day I noticed my friends whatsapp profile page, looked great at first glance, when I looked at it closer I saw that it was a sketch but realized my friend looked 10 years older than she actually was in that sketch. After a momentary shock I sighed in relief because I realized wow technology managed to mess up her looks. So don’t tell me technology can replace the artist’s talent? Technology can replace an engine designer/someone who has no money to replace a car engine if it conks. Technology with a lot of money could do that. But a real talent still has work to do baby and still  is needed with pay.
  2. I have been contacted in the middle of the night at times to make weird paintings sometimes. Unless its not an obscene portrayal or breaking the laws I do it for them gladly. There was this request several years ago from a person who lost love and wanted to win it back. He and his now crush only had a silent relationship on Facebook where they only communicated through pictures for whatever cultural limitations they had between them. He wanted me to make him a few series of paintings and this whole plan was so emotionally attached to him that after he met me, he trusted my art enough (that I had not yet created for him) He paid his dollars upfront across the table.
  3. There was an SOS type call one evening one among many i can list below. He was a salesman who was entrusted by his boss to get his daughter’s portrait painted as a surprise gift for her birthday. He was so desperate for his promotion he said he depended on this portrait and he gladly transferred me a 100% advance. 
  4. Talking about SOS calls here is another one she wanted to impress her Ex fiancé who blocked her off even on whatsapp and wanted to win him back by doing a portrait and gifting him. She was so broken when she contacted me I did not feel like charging her anything. But she insisted as it was a personal cause for her she wanted to pay for the gift that she believed would make things fall in place for her.
  5. Then there was a request from someone to do an oil painting in a hurry of a beautiful lady his wife. I had to hand over even before it dried. He was in that of a mighty hurry. After that I had 3 requests from him. He seemed to be wanting to impress one girl friend after another with gifting them with portraits to impress.
  6. I made a spiritual painting for my maternal uncle on one of my summer vacations to that tropical Island. The next year when I visited them, my painting was blessed by their priest and was carefully given a place next to a miraculous deity’s statue that the village folk came to worship or seek blessings before an important event they considered more auspicious if they prayed in that tiny prayer room. And I was pleasantly surprised that my painting was given a place in that room where 1000s worshipped by praying to the deity on my painting as well.
  7. I can go on with a lot of instances where artists are needed just that we need to be visible always to be wanted by our targets and fans.

Thank you and stay safe and stay skillful! :o)

Sunday, March 16, 2014

An ART group in Dubai made it for me

My apologies for missing from my blog from the new year of 2014. The real-life grind goes on but I am going to be coming to give you an update about this exciting season in Dubai!

How have you been doing with that New Years resolution?

As for me and some folks around here the madness continues and my motivation to keep up with the race has been several this season. It all started in January when I took part in Street Art Night - city beautification project when one felt this revolutionary period in art in Dubai is something no one could afford to miss. This phenomenon does not seem to stop anytime soon for the liberalization of conducting programs like this has only made Dubai all the more sparkly with different races of people from around the world coming into the country in droves.

This is my third year of exploration and experience in the entrepreneurial world and it has been nothing but an exciting ride filled with mystery, conviction, uncertainty, learning from life's ruthless ways of wisdom-sharing, artists camaraderie, collaborations and finding the long sought after niche. Along the way, I was truly touched by some very genuinely human (yes I emphasize) human beings and some very inhuman behavior from but only a few others. But all of it have been a part and parcel of being a growing entity not losing sight of what I wanted to have at the end of 2014.

The plan to set priorities straight this year:
Resolution 1: To give a hearing to my true calling in being a realist and impressionist and taking fine art to my next level...because art to artists makes work-life not all business....but gives a sense of release and a balance to normalise living.
Resolution 2: To shift gears within my corporate offerings to remove some of my services which are beaten up and broken into a sorry commodity and to look closely at what I have as a niche offering. I have managed to lock down a couple... those which I have gathered slowly, painfully with several years of seasoning.

So now I am rather pleased to say....resolution no. 1 has been met more far beyond expectation.
And resolution no. 2 is on its way to its victory.

Here are my posts in relation to my first resolution going forward oh so successfully.

I became a regular exhibitor, also having the courage to face members of the public, holding live portrait sessions at Arte - The Artisans of the Emirates which is an art market in Dubai. I realized that my sketches were such a great vehicle to create my dialogue with many people face-to-face in the city. So overwhelming was this experience which I had dreamed of in all my years as an artist.

Almost 2 weekend days from January - March 2014 I was there getting into an artistic trance like no other. Hats-off to this very thoughtfully created group... who make us and Dubai pledge "to Go Handmade!"

Arte was one among the good samaritans who have helped me see my resolution through this far.

Following are the pictures born out of my involvement with Arte. Dubai with Arte, this season got me into the groove of making portraits by the numbers....getting to practice like this is simply a joy.

I can't express enough the enjoyment I felt in mingling with a multi-national Dubai community doing what I did, getting into split-second friendly conversations no matter what their age, 6, 16, 30, or 80. Getting a thumbs up or a couple of cheers from passers-by who otherwise would just have passed by. Everyone shared a broad smile as if to say thanks for entertaining them. 

These pictures may show a bit of the flavor of my experience and an introducing to my signature style in portrait and caricature. 


Besides, I was pleased to make portraits of 2 great people....
Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela soon to be available as limited edition prints.




I have never enjoyed live-sketching like this before in Dubai!!
Truly no 2 people were from the same region.
The past 2 weeks I made portraits of 2 Africans, an Indian child, a Jordanian child, a Lebanese chil and portraits and caricature of many people who send in pictures. If faces that passed by were so portrait friendly as in good posers....I was pleased to give a portrait to them free like this Egyptian Child.



and even a 5-minute portrait of my pet daschund which quickly got bought by a second-grader "Deniz" who looked at him like eye-candy. 

It was a small struggle to part with my first portrait of Robbie yet I was pleased to hand it to little Deniz who I knew would treasure it dearly. 
Here is his picture.

 However I made a new one of him soon after. :o) Shall post it here for you as soon as I can.


I was also very pleased to re-introduce a couple of oil paintings (in flesh & blood) from my personal collection which I painted back in the 1980s and 1990s, shipped in from my home country.
I couldn't believe they have been with the household as silent companions for more than 20 years.

She is the product of my study of one of the great masters Rembrandt


This bear family piece made in July 1994 was inspired by the impressionists.


So the season this far was something to treasure....
Today being the start of the Art Week in Dubai the March fever hasn't stopped just yet.
I am waiting for another artistic trek this weekend.
Wait till I uncover what, where and who were here when I blog about it next week same time.
The only thing I wish is I had an extra self to help me take part in the bubbling events in store for artists right now.

Keep an eye on this space....because posts of it all are going to be rolling in regular succession. I have been bitten by the writer's bug once again ;o)

So long until next time!