Not quite a rainy day

I have been listening to this for the last hour or so.

http://www.rainymood.com/

What is it about rain that is so relaxing I wonder...

Here are some of my favourite rainy day photographs I have taken in the Conwy valley.

They were in fact the inspiration for 'Here comes the rain'

This piece is at auction on Ebay right now, with a starting bid of £80

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160880562567?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_924wt_1271

Any comments welcomed 

:)

Brand New Shiny Etsy Shop

Well, my Ebay listings ended today, with none of them selling. It does seem like a set back, like wasted time or something, but it's nothing to dwell over I don't think.
The thing about selling is finding your market, and this counts especially with art. Whilst we are on the subject, selling is also about building your audience which I'm slowing doing through this blog, Facebook and Twitter.
A bigger audience means more views, more interest and therefore more sales.
It seems, although I have sold two paintings on Ebay previously, my market isn't there at the moment. Not that it is going to put me off however, I will be re listing my works and making sure they are as good as they can be- more photos are necessary I think.
Etsy are a website I've heard about but never really thought of it for selling my work, but I'm giving it a go.

You can view it here- http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmberHodgeArt

We will see how it goes!

Images of this terms work

You may have noticed that I haven't actually shown my work for my uni project for this term. Don't worry, here are a few images to give you an idea of what I've been doing- allow me to explain...
 The idea behind the project came from getting a new phone at Christmas, a Blackberry, with internet access and instant messaging. I had never had a phone connected to the internet before, and was finding the email and Facebook notifications overwhelming and intrusive in my daily life. It was then I had the idea to write down every time my phone went off, to try and monitor exactly how much the technology was influencing my day to day life. The project snowballed from there, and soon I was writing down, and colour coding every part of my routine. It became and overview of my life, especially when I began involving my dreams, that started because I  was concious of the fact that my phone is always near me, including when I am asleep.
Have a look at the images, (they are photocopies from the diary I was keeping) and see what you think. The work may need some more explaining, but for now, here it is.

New sunset (unfinished)

I am pleased with how this one has progressed, but it still needs a little bit of work to get it up to standard. As I said in the previous post, any and all comments are welcomed, what do you think? The sunset is painted with acrylic, and is 3ft x 2ft (36' x 24') (92cm x 61cm)

New seascape (unfinished)

Here is the outcome of the first attempt for this seascape. I say first attempt because I am not completely happy with it, so will probably change some parts when I next paint. Any comments on how I can improve it are welcomed.  The work is acrylic, and measures 30'x40' (76cm x 102cm). 

After painting

Good morning reader, well, can you call it morning if you haven't slept and the sun isn't up yet? Perhaps not..
It's quarter to five and I've just finished around three hours of painting.
Why so late?
Well, everything gets quiet at this time of day, almost everyone is asleep, rarely will you get a text, phone call, or email which sends your phone into attention mode. No interruptions from other people, just time to lose yourself in the paint and the process.
I always seem to think about one particular line in a film when I paint. I used to think it's just because I like the film and have watched it so much.. The line is from The Notebook, when asked why she paints, the female character replies with "Everything gets sort of quiet, I usually have so many thoughts running round in my head, but when I paint it's just..quiet"
Something along those lines, but, I get it.


I was working on two separate pieces which I wasn't happy with.
The first is a seascape but the colours were all wrong and I'm very pleased with how it looks now, all I need to do is play the waiting game to see how it looks when it's dry, this should take about a day or so.
Now, the second, I was loosely basing on a photograph. It's a very beautiful image, and the lighting is stunning. Through working on it, and re-working it, and re-working it some more, I have come to the conclusion that you can't control some pieces, with boundaries and certain colours. The beauty of painting is you get to decide these thing for yourself, and sticking to the photograph of a certain moment will probably not get you anywhere.
The canvas is now a blank, I meant it to go white but it's more green because of the wet paints mixing together..it's out of my control for now..
Pictures to follow in the morning, and when I say morning, I mean afternoon, after a long sleep.
Same again tomorrow night?

A little about me

Well, hello.
This is my first attempt at writing online about my work and thoughts about what's happening in the art world.
I hope to inform readers about my practice, alongside offering my views on whatever takes my fancy.


Here's what you need to know about me-
I am 21
I Live in Southampton
I am studying BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Southampton Solent University


That's all for now, keep reading and I'm sure you'll discover more about me through my posts.




ps
I am listening to Scouting for Girls- Airplane