The Everyday Life of a Working Artist

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Attention! My blog is moving to my website in early January 2016. If you are receiving daily emails about this blog you will continue to receive them after the switch. Until then, you might want to head on over to my new blog here!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Resting

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"Resting"
Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel
$200.00 with display easel.
Click here to purchase this painting.

Resting. Hmmm. What's that?
I was talking to an artist on the phone today about marketing and I was telling her about how much work it takes to successfully market your art. It's a constant task for me and I estimate it takes at least two hours every day to successfully market my art. Fortunately I love it. So it's fun and something I look forward to doing. 
But resting is a word I haven't really figured out how to incorporate in to my daily schedule. At night when I sit and watch a sporting event or TV program I get restless if I don't have my laptop or ipad on my lap. I think it's called multi-tasking and it makes me happy. But "resting" it is not.
So tomorrow, once I have finished my task list (which consists of printing workshop demo photos, embroidering eight aprons, sending out my newsletter, finalizing my really cool AND NEW 30 day challenge and packing) then I am going to try to relax. 
Or maybe I will paint. Hmmm.

Don't forget to post your two favorite paintings from the week here!


Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Late in the Day - SOLD

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"Late in the Day"
Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel.
$550.00 with display easel.
Sold.


I haven't painted many boats lately so I thought it might be fun to paint boats during this week's Monday Open Studio. I love this one because the dark trees and green reflections in the water provide a nice contrast to the bright colors on the boats. Thee third boat on the left was an after thought and was added in during the last thirty minutes. I think it balances out the composition. I'm glad I added it in!

It's been a busy week getting ready for my workshop in Indianapolis. Then we have the NCAA Swimming Championships and I am home home and teaching a three day workshop on my first day back! I didn't realize March/April were going to be so busy. Of course I love it!

I hope you will join us for the Artists Helping Artists radio show this week. We have an amazing guest artist, Carolyn Anderson on the show. I cannot wait to interview her!
Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

I'm hooked!

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"In A Row"
Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel
$200.00 with display easel
Click here to purchase this painting. 

Organization ... Somehow, in the last week, this word has become my middle name. I think it was last week's "Artists Helping Artists" show that got me hooked. The show was about digital organization. On the show, in front of 15,000 people, I admitted that I had 3500 emails sitting in my inbox. And that's funny, because after the show I looked and there were actually 4500 emails in my inbox. Needless to say, there are now only 400 left in my inbox!  And my office is also more organized than it has ever been. I spent over eight hours making labels for file folders, tossing stuff and filing everything in it's place. And boy does that feel good!
Staying organized is really important. Clutter and "piles of stuff" can really inhibit your creativity. That's probably why my studio is always clean. In fact, when I sense any clutter in my studio the "pile of stuff" is usually removed from my studio. It's a great solution for keeping your studio clean but not good for trying to keep your office organized. 
As I was terribly buried in piles and file folders I somehow forgot to post on my blog and leave a place for all of you to share your two favorite paintings from this week. So my bad. And feel free to post here all week!
Finally, I have a workshop in indianapolis next week and we have a few spots left. Just follow this link here if you think you might be able to join us. 





Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Big News ...

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"Buoy, Buoy, Buoy"
Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.
$200.00 with display easel.
Click here to purchase this painting. 

I am about ready to paint a larder version of this painting (perhaps a 36" x 36") and I am so excited. This is one of my favorite paintings and when I painted it (during the 30 in 30 Challenge) I was on my lunch break and in the middle of teaching a workshop.

That reminds me ... big news ... the 30 in 30 Challenge will happen again this year. 
But I promise you still have plenty of time to rest up before the next Challenge starts again. I already miss the drive, direction and energy from the January Challenge. So I hope you will join me for a wonderful month of painting.  I'll give you plenty of time to prepare but can you guess when it will be?????
Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Thirsty

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"Thirsty"
Oil, 8" x 8" on canvas panel.
$350.00
Click here to purchase this painting.

It feels great to be back in the studio again. Today was Monday Open Studio and I completed two paintings! This was the first and boy was it fun to paint! The small cranberry glass belonged to my mother-in-law and I just love how it came out! I am normally not a huge fan of carnations but I love this single one, leaning on the side of the glass.
I hope you are all in the studio this month. I am aiming for four hours a day (Mon - Fri) and really hope to finish five paintings a week. Wish me luck!
If you live near Indianapolis please consider joining me for a two day palette knife painting workshop. If you need a boost and want to feel goo about your art, then this is the workshop for you. It's March 26 - 27 and there are a few spots left! Hotel accommodations are very inexpensive and we are going to have fun! Click here for more information.
Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Early Riser

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"Early Riser"
Oil, 12" x 12"
Available at Gale's Restaurant
626.432.6705

This weekend there is a wonderful show opening in Pasadena at Gale's Restaurant. It's called Art for Animals and a large portion of the sales will go to support animals and the Pasadena Humane Society. The opening is this Sunday at 3:00 pm and it is a really fun party! There are a lot of beautiful paintings featuring animals so if you are in the area please come check it out! For details, click here. 

Art for Animals
March 9 - May 4, 2013
Reception - Sunday, March 10, 3:00 - 6:00 pm
452 S. Fair Oaks Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.432.6705
Don't forget I have a workshop in Indianapolis in two weeks! Click here to find out more information.

Post your favorite two paintings from the week here. I can't wait to see your art!
 

Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Blooming

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"Blooming"
Oil, 12" x 24" on canvas panel.
Click here to purchase this painting.

This is another painting completed at one of my "Monday Open Studios". We had so much fun painting white roses and all of the paintings created that day were awesome! If you ever get lonely painting in your studio then invite a few artist friends over to have some fun. You will love it!
I am still in Seattle attending a swim meet but look forward to getting home in a few days. I miss my puppy and my studio and I can't wait to paint later this week. It looks like the 30 in 30 Challenge worked. I am now restless when I don't paint.

Most of you know I started the March webinARTs 101 Marketing Course this week and I had a great comment today. One of the artists commented "I can not believe I have spent several hundred dollars in the last year and a half trying to get a website up I liked.  Neither of the companies I hired could do what I have done myself in the last few hours!  Leslie, why didn't I sign up for this course long ago?!!!". These comments make me smile! I also love the fact that there are almost a hundred artists creating a new website on day two of the class. Even if you have a website, you need to take this class. And it's not too late to sign up!
  Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Lots of Cuties

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"Lots of Cuties"
Oil, 8" x 8" on canvas panel
$350.00 with display easel.
Click here to purchase.

During the 30 in 30 Paintings Challenge I discovered a new love for painting silver. There is something about the shine and reflections on the silver that are very fun to paint.
Years ago I was a huge antique shopper and needless to say I have collected a ton of silver pieces. I have sterling silver and silver plated pieces and at some point I started collecting silver pitchers. You can expect to see a lot of new paintings featuring some of my silver collection. Of course that means I need to polish it all first! Ugh.
This painting contains a silver compote that I have painted before and has some wonderful "cuties" included. And to think I didn't even have time to eat a few when I was done!

My new webinARTs Marketing 101 course starts tomorrow. You can sign up any time this month but I highly encourage you to do it now. It will help your art career in a big way, I promise!
Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Sunny Spring Day

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"Sunny Spring Day"
Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel
$200.00 with display easel
Click here to purchase this painting.

I am heading off to Seattle for the Pac12 Swimming Championships. So I will be away from my studio for a few days This meet is very stressful and nerve-wracking so I please wish good thoughts and fast swims for the Stanford swimmers! Fortunately I was able to paint four paintings to post while I will be gone so my blog posts will still be arriving this week.
Don't forget to post your favorite two paintings from this week. You can post them until Tuesday, so please add them here!
By the way, I titled this painting after the gorgeous weather we are having in southern California. Yesterday it was 90 degrees ... What can I say?
Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

True Love

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"True Love"
Oil, 12" x 6" on museum quality panel
$350.00 with display easel.
Click here to purchase.

I am kind of addicted right now to painting flowers. I painted some during the 30 in 30 January challenge and enjoyed it so much that I am painting them all of the time. In the Monday Open Studio classes (I have two ... one in the afternoon and one in the early evening) we painted white roses. At some point last year I was given this red vase and it sure looks great in a painting! I'll post the second painting of a bunch of white roses on this blog tomorrow.

Don't miss this Thursday's Artists Helping Artists radio program. It's titled "Staying Motivated" and after putting the show notes together I realize this is going to be an amazing show. We have all been through this, whether very short or what seemed to last forever, and I think the show will be very enlightening. I will be joined by my February co-host Maria Bennett Hock and Artist Carol Marine. You don't want to miss this one.
I am starting another webinARTs 101 class in the beginning of March. If you want to redo your website, blog, FB Fanpage and newsletter, then this class is for you. So many of the artists that have taken my class are experiencing new sales and success and I am thrilled! It take hard work but I can't even begin to tell you how amazing their new websites and improved blogs are! You can sign up here for the next class.
I also have added two new workshops this year. I will be teaching in Indianapolis March 26 - 27 and in Charlotte October 30 - November 1st. Also there is one spot open in my May workshop so sign up soon if you want to study with me in the Carriage House! It's a great Mother's Day gift!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Give a Little ...

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"One Fish, Two Fish ..."
 Oil, 12" x 12 on canvas panel.
$550.00

I painted this painting for an Art Benefit that will be hosted by my favorite Pasadena restaurant, Gale's Restaurant. The benefit is for animals and I thought it would be fun to paint some koi. 

Speaking of charity events, I wanted to remind you all that donating a painting to a good cause can actually be a  good thing for your art career. I am frequently approached to donate my art to charity auctions. As much as I would like to donate to every request, I receive about 40 - 50 requests every year. So I usually donate my paintings to organizations that I am personally involved with. (This keeps my donations to around 10 paintings a year). I recently donated a painting to an art auction for an organization here in Pasadena. I am on the Board of this organization and I gladly donated the painting to support their annual Benefit. 

This afternoon I received an email from a woman interested in four of my paintings. She inquired about setting an appointment to visit my studio to see these paintings in person. I asked her how she heard about me (as I always want to support my galleries in case the referral came from one of them). She responded that she had been outbid on my painting last night at the Benefit and went home and looked me up and found my website! I guess I never imagined that my donation could lead to a new collector so quickly. Who would have thought ...

So, my point, in case you haven't figured it out, is that we all have a wonderful opportunity to help organizations by donating our art. Even if you only donate one painting a year, you can help in a big way! As an added surprise, when you give a little good things can happen to your art career. Especially when you never expect them! 

I am starting another webinARTs 101 class in the beginning of March. If you want to redo your website, blog, FB Fanpage and newsletter, then this class is for you. So many of the artists that have taken my class are experiencing new sales and success and I am thrilled! It take hard work but I can't even begin to tell you how amazing their new websites and improved blogs are! You can sign up here for the next class.

I also have added two new workshops this year. I will be teaching in Indianapolis March 26 - 27 and in Charlotte October 30 - November 1st. Also there is one spot open in my May workshop so sign up soon if you want to study with me in the Carriage House! It's a great Mother's Day gift!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Reflecting ...

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"Reflections on the Pavilion"
Oil, 8" x 8" unframed.
$350.00 with display easel.
Click here to purchase.

This has been a crazy week, hence my "lameness" in posting on my blog this week. I can't really explain it, I have just been doing a lot of catching up. I've been gone for 10 days, I am finding there are a lot of things I need to get done. 
I am also working on my Palette Knife Painting book, having been re-energized from this week's Artists Helping Artists show titled "How to Publish Your First Art Book".  I also have a wonderful new idea for Artists Helping Artists that I am working on. I think it's going to happen and I am very excited. But no hints or clues until I am sure I can pull it off ...

Meanwhile, I have a few announcements ... 

I am starting another webinARTs 101 class in the beginning of March. If you want to redo your website, blog, FB Fanpage and newsletter, then this class is for you. So many of the artists that have taken my class are experiencing new sales and success and I am thrilled! It take hard work but I can't even begin to tell you how amazing their new websites and improved blogs are! You can sign up here for the next class.

I also have added two new workshops this year. I will be teaching in Indianapolis March 26 - 27 and in Charlotte October 30 - November 1st. Also there is one spot open in my May workshop so sign up soon if you want to study with me in the Carriage House! It's a great Mother's Day gift!

Don't forget to post your two favorite paintings from the week here on my blog!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

On the Shore - SOLD

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"On the Shore"
Oil, 12" x 12" on museum quality canvas panel.
$550.00 with display easel.
Sold.

I try to include a "painting boats demo" in every one of my workshops. Not only do I enjoy painting boats but I think it's important to share my method to painting reflections. This painting was a bit different as we painted reflections in both the water and sand. 
As I mentioned before, my students were AMAZING and here are some of the completed paintings.

Don't forget my webinARTs class starts n March. If you want to take control of your art career and create a new website, blog, Facebook Fanpage and newsletter then you need this course. Use the discount code fabfeb20 to save $20 on the registration fee!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Sunflowers

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"Sunflowers"
Oil, 12" x 12" on museum quality panel.
$550.00 with display easel
Click here to purchase painting.

On the second day of the workshop we painted sunflowers. The paintings were beautiful and the shadows were I think what made the paintings so dramatic. The colors were also great which I think my students liked since my limited palette has decreased to only five colors (white, alizarin, ultramarine blue, sap green and cad yellow medium). 

Some of the completed class paintings can be seen here. Aren't they amazing?

It's Friday so i hope all of you will post your favorite paintings here from this week. Please post no more than two and include a link to where the painting can be purchased. Thanks for sharing your beautiful art on my blog!


Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Almost Fruit Salad

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"Almost Fruit Salad"
Oil, 6" x 6" on museum quality canvas panel
$200.00 with display easel
Click here to purchase.
I have been in Atlanta all week teaching a workshop. There is something about the South and the artists down here that makes me want to come back again and again! I was so blessed with 14 wonderful artists in my workshop and we had an incredible time. Their paintings are amazing and our favorite slogans easily became "slap it on" and "painting shapes".  I am afraid we will all hear these sayings in our sleep for quite some time ...


On the first day we started with a value study which is great practice and a wonderful opportunity to practice palette knife painting. It is a lot about "icing the cake" and understanding texture and pressure with the knife. After we completed the studies we painted 6" x 6" small paintings ans had some fun with color. The completed paintings were simply amazing!

Tomorrow I will post our first 12" x 12" painting of sunflowers. We also managed to paint boats (I know ... shocking!) and had fun with the reflections in the water and on the shore. I know I will be back in Atlanta soon!






My webinARTs 101 on-line Marketing class starts in March. Be sure to sign up soon and use the discount code intro25 to save $20 on the registration price. The offer expires on February 16th!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

On Campus

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"On Campus", Oil, 6" x 6"
Sold.

I am so sorry I didn't get this post up yesterday. But I am on a 10 day "road trip" and it just couldn't happen. Tomorrow I head to Atlanta to begin a workshop on Monday and I am so excited!
I painted quite a few paintings of Stanford this past week and I will be posting them all here in the next few days. It's such a beautiful campus!
Be sure to post your favorite art from this past week. You can post up to two paintings and feel free to post them here for the next few days!
Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Sunlit Sunflowers

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"Sunlight Sunflower"
Oil, 12" x 12"
$550.00 with display easel
Click here to purchase.

Taking a month off from painting boats last month has forced me to discover some new subject material. Until this year I have hardly ever painted flowers. In fact, I have probably painted them less that five times total. Why? I have no idea. No clue.

How dumb am I? I had the time of my life painting this painting. Sunflowers in a glass with some awesome shadows? With a palette knife of course. I want to paint more paintings like this!

I mentioned I had another photo shoot this past weekend. I took about two hundred photos of lots of flowers in vases, vegetables and even cupcakes! So get ready for roses, more sunflowers, gerber daisies, hydrangeas, tulips and who knows what else.

It's very fun to mix it up a bit.

Webinarts courses start again in March. Use the discount code intro20 to save $20 on the registration fee. 

I just added new workshops in Indianapolis and Charlotte this year. Check them out!
Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Peppers

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"Peppers"
Oi, 6" x 6" on museum quality panel.
$200.00 with display easel
Click here to purchase.

Monday Night Studio in the Carriage House is turning out to be fun! And productive. I love that I am meeting new artists and that we have the chance to paint, laugh, learn, tell great stories and finish a painting (or two). Today we started out painting these peppers and then we moved on to sunflowers in a glass.  I'll post that painting tomorrow after I tweak it a bit in the morning.

These next few weeks are going to be crazy. Tomorrow I am doing a demo for the Westlake Village Art Group. On Wednesday I am having dinner with one of my favorite artists (whom I have never met) and next week I am teaching a three day workshop in Atlanta. I am also going to get to see all three of my boys at their different sporting events! And of course, I am trying to paint everyday if possible! 

I had another fun "photo session" today as I want to have new images to paint for the Atlanta workshop. I cannot believe how well my photos came out considering I used a $4.00 lamp from Home Depot and my ipod to shoot the photos! It's so nice that we don't need to spend a ton of money on fancy photography equipment. 


Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Life After 30 - SOLD

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"Stanford Daily"
Oil, 12" x 6" on museum quality panel
Sold.

Life after 30. Now that the Challenge is over I am thrilled that it doesn't seem as if it is over. But then again, its only been one day. Fortunately I still feel the need to head out to my studio every moment and paint. Thank heavens.

I read quite a few posts on Facebook today that many of you are continuing this challenge.  How cool is that? In truth, I think most of us are continuing the challenge too. We are just moving at a different pace. I am confident we will continue to paint everyday but I think we also take more time to paint. We'll paint bigger. And try lots of new things. 

For me, today was a big time catch-up day. I sat at my computer and worked on my ipad for most of the day. I use a wonderful financial program called Invoice2Go. It's very basic and all I have to do is create an invoice every time I receive a payment. That includes art sales, workshops, gallery commissions, studio supplies sales, aprons, merchandise sales, webinARTs classes or anything, (The invoices can also be emailed and paid through a link to paypal.)  Once the invoices are logged in then a bunch of awesome sales reports and graphs are automatically  created.  The program gives you sales details by client, by month, by year, by quarter and by just about everything.  My accountant was blown away. Me too!

One of my goals this year is to sit down on (or near) the first of every month and update the Invoice2Go program. For me this is quite a project and usually includes examining the usual hiding spots (including the pockets of my painting apron!) for a random check or two. The program also has a Receipts2Go component to keep track of your expenses. You enter the information and take a photo of the receipt (on your ipad or iphone) which is so cool! The only problem is every month I have to search my wallet, purse and the four "receipt bins" (that are stored in my studio, office, bedroom and car) for receipts. Fortunately I have the program on my laptop, ipad and iphone and it's all synched up.  It's amazing ... you should check it out.

Good news. I have been asked to be a guest panelist at the Plein Air Convention in Monterey this April. I'll be participating in a Social Media Forum and also spreading the word about the AHA show. I am very excited!

Feel free to post up to two paintings here on my blog this weekend. Be sure to include a link to the place on your website or blog where the painting can be purchased!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops at http://www.saetastudio.com/Leslie_Saeta_fine_Art/Workshops.html.

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