I have been thinking about my goals as an artist. Do I want to sell my paintings? What makes a painting speak to art buyers and gallery owners? Do I paint for the public or for myself? What makes a portrait or a figure painting irresistible to an art lover; or are they sellable?These are a few of the questions stirring around in my head. 

I do not know the answers.

Yes I want to sell paintings, it pays the bills and affirms me as an artist. Do I want to be a production painter? No. In order to call myself an artist requires creative integrity; painting from a place of authenticity, love, and vulnerability. Making sellable merchandise is not art, it is business. 

I am searching for a balance between two poles; art as soul and art as merchandise. This journey into the business of art is not as easy as one might think. It is taking time and gaining experience to figure out where my priorities lie. Along the way I am discovering what people respond to as well as what sells. 

One thing I know about myself, I must paint from my gut, that is where beauty and power begins.