No longer FREElance

Freelance isn't free anymore as New York City by a vote of 51-49 becomes the first city in the US to attempt to seal the deal for freelance workers.

The Freelance Isn't Free Act is the first bill passed in the US that will actually give freelance workers a legal right to uphold their contracts and I hope the rest of the US will follow suit. This is a great thing for artists as the client can not just worm their way out of paying for work done, as long as a contract was signed.

"The Freelance Isn't Free Act will make sure all workers can get paid for their work, on-time and in full," said Council Member and lead sponsor Brad Lander.

The bill also establishes a formal mechanism for the director of the Department of Consumer Affairs to enforce the labor rights of freelancers who are stiffed by employers.

While it still needs final signing by Mayor Bill De Blasio, but his staff has said that he is indeed in favor of passing the Bill.

This is long overdue in the US and I hope it gets its final approval as soon as possible.

“Pumpkin Pile”

Just in time for fall I offer you my latest piece of art. This drawing/painting is a pile of pumpkins from my own reference that would look great on your wall.

This Color Pencil piece was made using (25+ year old) Prismacolor pencils… you know, when they were still good pencils, and blended with Mona Lisa odorless paint thinner. (a la Lachri)

I started by sketching out my subjects loosely but maybe a bit too much pressure, this was my first attempt with these materials and this was definitely a learning experience for me.

Then I added a single layer of my base orange colors with a little red orange thrown in for depth.

After this I blended the entire thing out to soften the look and really get that color onto the paper and into all that tooth, even though it was fairly smooth paper.

I then went in and added a second and third layer of highlights, shadows, and darks. While also making sure I was getting my lighting right and creating form.
Then I blended that out as well.

I then went in for a fourth and fifth layer that will not be blended softly. And give it those little details that finished it up.
After that I added where my highlights would be in a yellow orange and added some browns to where the shadowing was.

I hope you like the finished product and prints will be made available soon through Fine Art America and directly from Facebook.

Thanks for stopping by.

Joseph

The Thinking Behind Thanking

Thank You GIF by Joseph Finchum

        I see a lot of artists on Facebook that post their artwork for others to see and comment on. They do this a lot, and they should, but what I don’t see is artist’s thanking those people who interact for the like or the comment or even for the view… if you know who it is.

     Now the reason to do this is not just to be polite, but to further your reach, being polite is just a side effect of this action. We all know or at least we should all know by now, that Facebook puts some limits on the reach of our posts. If you have 100 followers, Facebook will show that post to about 10 people. If only 1 person out of those 10 interacts with that post, it isn’t going to get out to that many more people after that, if it goes out to any more at all.

     But if you thank that person for their action… you have created another action, one that also reaches out. Friends of that person or rather, people that are not actively following you will see your post with that additional message of “Your Name” was mentioned in a comment or on a post. Now if those friends see your post and act on it in any way… you get a little more action on your post. It is a way of reaching back through your follower to their followers, which in turn can lead to new followers for you and if you are using Facebook for your art… you should.


So send out a thank you now and then and make sure you are tagging the person you are thanking, it can only work in your best interest… In my honest opinion. 

"Humming Dolphin"

"Humming Dolphin"
11 x 15" Watercolor


Having joined a group over on Facebook for artists, I have been having some really great conversations and getting lots of ideas

This group also does a monthly challenge. This months challenge was to combine two things into one, to make an amalgamation.

Mine is a Humming Dolphin, half hummingbird, and half Dolphin. But I couldn't stop there, I also combined a sea anemone and a flower, as well as the sky and the water. Three amalgamations in one watercolor painting

I hope you like it.

A new Website appears.

I have been building a new website for my artwork and such,

Working on getting some stuff sorted out, but it is coming along nicely.

Hope you all find it enjoyable.

http://artofjosephfinchum.weebly.com/

Reflective Sunset

"REFLECTIVE SUNSET"

24" x 18" Oil on Canvas Knife Painting

Available for purchase $150

Prints are available on Fine Art America by following the link in sidebar.

This is a 24" x 18" oil painting that is brand new. Knife painting is a delicate and messy approach at first, but a fun way to get different textures and effects out of the paint.

All comments are welcome, any opinion appreciated. 

It's Monday on Tuesday

Well I went to the Art Expo in NYC this weekend and I got to see a lot of really well done, well-crafted artwork. However, I did see a lot of what the heck is that artwork as well, but you know what they say, one man’s art is another man’s junk. There were some pretty talented painters exhibiting there as well as some very technical sculptors and their works were simply impressive.

I got to see Tim Gagnon and his artwork in person and being able to see just what the textures and colors look like to the eye as opposed to seeing it on a color monitor, was very much a benefit to his art. I was also glad to see that he sold a few. I also found it interesting that an artist from Maine was being hosted by a gallery ten minutes from where I live on Long Island. It certainly is a Small world.

A few other artists that caught my attention were GehryWelty, whose Geometric paintings are mathematically accurate to a point that they are in the correct perspective no matter what angle they are viewed from, were very impressive. He is also a cinema artist and has worked on movies like Iron Man, Robocop 2014 and Inception to name a few.


Alexis Silk had some amazing free handed glass sculpture that looked extremely delicate and were hanging from large industrial steel hooks giving that sense of their impending breakage.

Beatrice Vangreel Had some cool looking line art works that had a vibrant green color that could accent a wall very nicely.

I was also very happy to see Stan Lee had some work there. He was not in attendance, which was a bummer, but his paintings were in the presence of many fine artists.

There were also two other artists whose names I failed to get, bad Joseph. One had some painted wood pieces that really accented the form and patterns of the wood grain with bold splashes of color and fine lines, while the other did some impressive textured paintings that used the application of the paint in a way I had never seen before and thought was a very interesting technique.

All in all, I would say there were some really talented people there and it was well worth the visit. Maybe I will go again next year, but maybe… just maybe, next year I will be in the show rather than just a patron of the arts.

With that said I am sharing with you a sold painting of my own today. This one sold about a year ago and is actually two paintings on one canvas. I hope you like it. All in all, I would say there were some really talented people there and it was well worth the visit. Maybe I will go again next year, but maybe… just maybe, next year I will be in the show rather than just a patron of the arts.

With that said I am sharing with you a sold painting of my own today. This one sold about a year ago and is actually two paintings on one canvas. I hope you like it.

   Summers Winter By Joseph Finchum  18" x 32" Oil on Canvas

"Summers Winter"

18" x 32" Oil on Canvas

Sold

Prints are available on Fine Art America by following the link in sidebar.

This is a 18" x 32" oil painting that sold a while back. It depicts a mountain landscape with summer colors on one side and winter colors on the other.

All comments are welcome, any opinion appreciated.

Missing a Friday :(

No real Friday post this week as I am getting ready to go to the NYC Art Expo this weekend and wanted to hold off in case something really great presents itself as a topic. But rest assured I will have my normal Monday post or possibly two. Can't wait to see what my favorite YouTube artist Tim Gagnon is bringing to the show. Looking forward to this for a while now.

So if you haven't already seen this blog or if you have but have only glanced at it, this is a great chance to go back and maybe see something you might have missed or wanted to look over again.

I have also added a video to the Social Media Interaction post that delves deeper into how bad Facebook's paid post ads are and why it is a terrible idea to use it.

Hope to hear from a few of you here. Please leave a comment if you do take the time to look over and ponder my previous posts.

Cheers,
Joseph

Visiting the Past Again

This is another look back in time for me. This painting is another one of my first works. It is titled "Lady with Ribbons" or just "Ribbons."

Recreated in Photoshop and Illustrator

Original Painting done 21 years ago

I did this painting just after getting out of high school in 1993. It was one of the first paintings I ever did that was not just a typical landscape and had elements of the abstract and symbolism involved in it. Time unfortunately, has not been fair to this piece. The whites have all faded into a dull yellow and mix into the yellow of the stained glass effect I was going for. It has bad line work and some connections of the ribbons do not line up to the counterparts on the other side. It was painted using liquid watercolor paints, used like acrylics, since I had no knowledge of what I was really doing. I am a self-taught artist and this was one of those times when I was trying to get the feel of paints and how they worked. I didn't know that these paints were even meant to be used with water or that they would not stand the test of time.

In this painting, I was trying to get a feeling of movement and energy. To show that I could use my imagination to bring something to life that was only in my head. To me it represents my first real success with painting as well as my first real defeat in painting. I say it is a defeat only because my mother has always been my biggest fan and she didn't like this one. She just didn't feel it so to speak.

 It is to me, representative of my life at the time that I did it. I was trying to go with the flow and the ribbons were meant to represent that. They flow in and out while twisting around the figure in a tornado of mixed emotions. The woman represents the fact that all my friends were out there with their significant others while I wasn't. Being a bit on the antisocial side I have trouble with relationships and found myself feeling alone a lot of the time. The stained glass effect was depicting my rigidness in life. Unwilling to change myself for better or worse and my inability to put myself out there with my art, something I still struggle with to this day. But the colorful paints are showing that deep down inside there is a warm person that is trying to emerge. To break free of the glass and the ribbons that keeps me locked inside of myself. One day, I will finally shed these things and move on with my life.

Twenty-one years later I find I still feel these ribbons holding me in place but they are certainly becoming looser. I am just now truly finding myself and letting go of the things that have held me back. I often think of revisiting this painting and either doing a recreation using what I have learned over the years, or just re-imagining it all together.

I hope you enjoyed this painting and reading a bit about me and my struggles. After all art can be tormenting to the individual and it is only in overcoming these torments that we can really be free.

What do you think of it? Do you think I should redo it? Should I re-imagine it? I would love to hear from you all. Your opinions and feedback are always appreciated.

Joseph Finchum

Social Media Interaction

How do you interact with other artists on social networking sites?

I have some basic guidelines that I set up for myself. These guidelines are set up in a way that allows me to interact, ask questions, and give critiques to any number of artists and either gather new information or just shoot the breeze from time to time. Both can be just as rewarding if your goal is simple interaction or learning something new. I use these guidelines to not only gain exposure for myself and my artworks to others but to make it simpler to interact with more real people and artists. Because that is what people do, we interact with others, even online. We are social creatures at our core.



My guidelines:

• Never add a +1 or a Like to something that is not by the artist themselves or a promoting service helping the artist get more exposure.
        The reason for this is time management and concentrated efforts. If someone posts a picture of another artists work and doesn't include a link or even their name, then that  person is getting and more likely taking the credit.
  
• Only engage with artists that are willing to engage you back.
        If someone doesn't take the time to interact back, then they might not be worth the effort. This does not count against the occasional poster. Only those who are very active but don't take time to engage with their audience. Why have the social networking account, if you aren't being social.
  
• Never +1, Like, or Share something that is asking or begging to have it made so. If someone is asking me to do these things I immediately get that feeling that that is all they are really interested in... their personal numbers. Facebook can be an exception since they limit your views and numbers so that you will pay them to increase it. Ask away on Facebook.
        I get that numbers can be important and that the rate they go up can be thrilling, but this should not be your main focus. I also, will not add one of these requests to anything I post, mostly because it comes off as needy. Yes I want my numbers to go up, who doesn't, but let's not lose control and become lost.

These are my guidelines, not yours, and yours may vary greatly. Do you have any personal guidelines for promoting yourself and your artwork on social networking sites? What sites are you on and or using? Anything you do or don't do? Any tips or tricks?  Whatever you want to talk about is always open for a good discussion.

Hope to hear from many of you.
Joseph

Edit to add this video: Check it out if you have any questions about Facebook ads.

Making a Splash

It's Monday and so that means I am posting another of my paintings for you all. I hope you like it and that it can bring you just as much joy as it brought me while I was creating it.
This one is a little on the traditional side for me but I still hope you like it.

"Making a Splash"

24" x 18" Oil on Canvas

Available for purchase $200

Prints are available on Fine Art America by following the link in sidebar.

This is a 24" x 18" oil painting is brand new.

All comments are welcome, any opinion appreciated.

Sporadic Video Wednesday

This is just a small preview of the painting coming on Monday. I hope you enjoy it.

Wu Wei Tribute

Wu Wei Tribute Misty Mountains

"Misty Mountains"

24" x 108" Ink on Paper Scroll

Available for purchase $NFS

Prints are available on Fine Art America by following the link in sidebar. This is a 24" x 108" ink painting that I did a while back.

These misty mountains gracefully float as if suspended on clouds. Drips and runs created on purpose as a tribute To Wu Wei.

Wu Wei was a professional painter who worked both in and out of the Imperial Court. In fact, he worked at the Imperial Court several times for several Emperors of the Ming Dynasty, having at times withdrawn voluntarily and at times being handed the pink slip by bureaucrats who disliked Wu because of his disdain for “important people.” This may have been due to his background, having come from a literati family that fell on hard times during his childhood. This caused his training to abruptly stop. However, he was a lucky man who attracted the patronage of a wealthy duke in Nanjing that launched his career as a professional painter. - Franklin Tom, East Asian Art Council member

The reason I made this originally was to show as an example of Wu Wei’s style. He was often drunk when he painted and allowed the ink to drip and run as if he didn't care. You could say he was an impressionist ink painter in his later years. He gestured the feelings of object like rocks and trees, rather than making perfect interpretations.

His behavior in these times was seen as highly objectionable but he was basically given a free pass since his artworks were so well loved. The aristocrats of society would have let him do almost anything as long as he kept painting.

Visiting the Past

       When I revisit this painting, I have a tough time looking at it and all I can see are the glaring mistakes, improper technique, and bad decisions. But to the person that owns it, it's on of their favorite pieces. I can't explain their attachment to it any better than I can explain why someone doesn't like peanut butter.

"Winter Hideaway"  by  Joseph Finchum

What I see is...The streaks in the background sky. The bad perspective, the not so perfect lighting and the muddiness of it all really show the faults I had at the time. There are many bad choices in this painting. Of course there are. I was just starting out and had limited techniques. Mixing colors is a skill you need to master, especially when dealing with oil paints that get mixed with a bit of or a lot of white. Using to much medium can get messy quick and this is a lesson I learned while creating this piece. Leaving to much paint on the brush would lead to either putting too much on the surface or pulling paint directly off the canvas and just smudging the detail. A gleaned a lot of information on layering and blending paints together that I would not have learned otherwise. Looking at it again now, I think I would have went back in and cleaned up a bunch of things just to make it a little crisper. A few more touches of highlights and properly colored shadows wouldn't hurt either.

Can these little mistakes make us better artists overall? Absolutely it can.

With every mistake and every stray mark we make, we can learn something new. Whether that lesson be a negative or a positive one, is all in our point of view. These are the things we as artists have to think about while we are painting and creating. If we become stagnant, we lose direction and focus. We have to own our mistakes and be humbled by them.

So go out today, pick up a brush and make some mistakes, good ones. Let me know if you have ever made a mistake that taught you a valuable lesson. Something stand out that changed the way you have done on every work since. I look forward to your responses.