Thursday, April 26, 2012

Lake Grapevine Commission 2







"Lake Grapevine Sailing"
8" x 8 ", Oil on Canvas

Last year a friend of mine took a sailing class on Lake Grapevine.  He liked it so much that he bought a sailboat.  In one of our email exchanges he mentioned that he might ask me to paint his sailboat.

Last December, his wife, seeing our email exchange decided to surprise her husband with a painting since he'd not gotten around to sending me photos or commissioning me.  It would be too late to have it ready by Christmas but that was OK, she said and sent along several paintings of him sailing solo.

I didn't know which to paint so I painted two different views.  Sometimes I like to do that, especially if the work I'm doing is in a small scale format, and let the client pick which they'd like better.  So yesterday's post with the painting of the sailboat and today's sailboat is for the same couple.  

Although the painting would not be in time for Christmas, she still wanted to keep this as a surprise for her husband so we talked on the phone on the sly, deciding on sizes, etc.

About a week later, she calls me rather excitedly to tell me that her husband would be calling, finally, with a commission for a sailing painting but I was to not tell him about her commission and do whatever he wants - even if he might be emailing me the same photos.  

I'll tell you the "rest of the story" in my next blog post..

Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in commissioning a painting like this, please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Lake Grapevine Commission





"Lake Grapevine"
8" x 8 ", Oil on canvas
Commission - SOLD

I haven't been taking my own advice.  Blog often and visit other's blogs and leave comments.

I bought a house last year which was not in the best of state.  It had good bones, i.e. no issues with foundation and the roof is fairly new.  I was going to re-sell it right away so I left it vacant for the past year.  At the beginning of this year, I realized keeping it vacant and not updating it was not helping it sell so I decided to fix it up and now I've decided to live in it.

Fixing a house to re-sell and fixing a house to live in is a little different.  There are things I've been doing to the house to make it more comfortable.  This has been eating up a chunk of my time and sadly I've put my blogging on hold.

It is a little hard to get back into the groove of blogging...it will be a challenge.


Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in purchasing a painting like this, please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Musing about Marketing 101

"White Vase"
8" x  8", Oil on Gallery-wrapped canvas


Last week I signed up and joined a local Jazzercise class.  During the month of March, Jazzercise classes on Fridays were free to try out.  Several of my friends do the Jazzercise and have been telling me how much they enjoy it so when one and then another of my friends asked me to join them for these free classes, I thought it a great opportunity to give it a try.

On one Friday I went to the free class at a location near my house and the following Friday I went to a location a few miles further away. 

I was torn between the two classes, both had enthusiastic instructors, the exercise is basically the same, one location was closer....

When in the mail, a few days after I'd attended the class which was further, I received a Jazzercise postcard.  It was a simple card but it was handwritten by the instructor and she wrote "Dear Judy,  Thank you for trying us out.  I loved having you in class today.  I hope you will join us."

Since it had been in my mind to join some sort of exercise routine, guess which one I joined?  I've not heard a peep out of the other class I attended.


By the way, the instructor who owns the franchise to the class I joined has one of the top ten largest Jazzercise class in the nation.  Can you see why?


This makes me think about my own marketing - a simple thank you - a necessary ingredient in succeeding.


Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in purchasing "White Vase", please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Can someone be too busy?



"Tired"
8" x  8", Oil on Canvas
Available at the Dutch Art Gallery, Dallas, TX

The last post which was ages ago, I told you that I was doing a fix-up on a fixer in TX.  It has definitely been a wonderful ordeal.  Some days are good of course and some days are hell.  I have a handyman helping, of course but he's been MIA this past week - doesn't answer phone calls/txt's.

But I'm working on the things I'd planned to do myself....I am realizing that it is really hard to do things all on my own.  So it is slow.

So I have not been blogging as much nor painting....this is causing me to be a little blue  : (

This angel which I did paint and is on display at the Dutch Art Gallery, kinda says it - I'm tired....I think Angels can be tired too - after guarding sinners like us....lol


Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in purchasing "I'm Tired", please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Busy, Busy, Busy and Angel Walking



"Angel Walking"
14" x 11", Oil on Board

I own a fixer home in Texas.  I put it up for sale in the "need to remodel" stage because it is located in an area that has recently zoned Commercial and my thoughts were that if someone wanted to remodel the little house into an office, they'd want to change the bathroom and kitchen to fit their needs.

But the home did not sale.  I think it was kismet that it had not.  It probably meant that I needed to finish what I started.  So these past couple of weeks I've been working on getting the house fixed up.  Unfortunately I don't have very many tools nor body strength nor the know-how to do everything.  And because it had been vacant the first thing I needed to do was dispose of the dead bugs and that is NOT the easiest task for me.  ick ick ick...

This painting is one I did just before the remodel job; it was a commission and yes, very similar.  I was very honored to be asked to paint this angel, not just once, twice but three times.  This is the four one and angel has brown hair in this one.  

Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in commissioning an angel, please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Put a Little Yellow in your Life

"Put a Little Yellow in Your Life"
6" x  6", Oil on Canvas
SOLD and on it's way to Florida

There's only a few hours left of 2012.  So how was this year? 

I think that in order to plan for the coming year, I should look back at the things I did as they becoming the starting point for making plans to do better.
I studied various website hosting methods and finally found a super easy, easy template based website and hosting site, Weebly.com and created a website for the group I host, Palette Knife Painters. We already have a blog going for the group but having a website just seemed more permanent.  We have some of the world's outstanding palette knife artists on the site; I am constantly wow-ed by the beautiful work.  Sometimes I have to wonder, "is this really painted with the  Palette Knife?"  The styles are so varied and exciting.  www.paletteknifepainters.org  
This year, I have two new galleries to add to my resume.  I am now represented by Muse& Co Fine Art Gallery in Roswell, GA.  And an On-line gallery Ugallery.com.  Both venues have been successful for me and I hope this will grow.
The group I belong to, Contemporary Fine Art International has developed a new website which will allow their members to sell off the website.  It's in its infancy but by early next year, it will be live and I look forward to selling on that site as well.
I updated my website.  www.JudyMackey.com is hosted through Fine Art Studios Online.  A lot of artists use FASO for their own website and I really recommend it.  For the money, you not only get a website but you get an email marketing program.  I plan to use the email marketing a lot more in the coming year to reach out to my collectors and friends. 
To make sure your life is in balance with your Yin and Yang, for wealth, health, tips on Feng Shui - check out the Red Lotus Letter.
Need some inspiration?  I love some of the articles she writes, it makes me think, it makes me grow -  check out Daneille Laporte's White Hot Truth site
Want to make your blog better? - check out the Copyblogger
Want to learn how to market your art? - visit Alyson Stanfield's ArtBizBlog
Want to read more about art marketing and using the social media? check out Lori McNee's Art Tips blog.


Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in purchasing " ", please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas to everyone!

"Angel With Trumpet"
5 x 5 inches Oil on Board
Available for purchase
Merry Christmas.  I hope everyone is enjoying the remains of this day, this holiday.  I want to thank everyone who has visited this and my other blogs, looked at my paintings, read my little blurbs, left me a comment.
I appreciate your emails and your answers to my emails.  I loved networking and brainstorming with you and coming up with new ideas.  I learn a lot from my interaction with you. 
I hope you're all having the best of the best Christmas!!
Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in purchasing "Angel with Trumpet", please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

When Only Blue Will Do

"When Only Blue Will Do"
9" x 6 "x 1.25", Oil on Stretched Canvas


Playing with blues.  This painting is available via Ugallery.
 
Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in purchasing "When Only Blue Will Do", please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Blue Oxford Shirt 3




Blue Oxford Shirt 3
6" x 6" (15.3cm x 15.3cm)
Oil on Panel
$75 plus $4.90 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.
The idea of blue oxford shirts were brought to my attention from the comments on Facebook when I'd previously painted women in white shirts - I haven't posted those here on blogger yet but will do so in the next few days.
 
Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in purchasing the above, please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Blue Oxford Shirt - Palette Knife Painting


Blue Oxford Shirt
6" x 6" (15.3cm x 15.3cm)
Oil on Panel
$75 plus $4.90 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.



 
Website:  JudyMackey.com
Email: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in purchasing the above, please email me at judy@judymackey.com.  If you like my work, I hope you will refer me to your friends.