Sorry all you painters….. just thought I would post a couple of dull black and white drawings. These are the last two drawings in my military series. I am starting to get some nice personal pictures sent to me from soldiers to draw. I think they will be a game changer. The first one is pretty powerful and could be difficult to look at if I can pull it off.

Does that make 100%?? I suck at math but I don’t suck at creating realism paintings. LOL I’m so EXCITED! 🫶🏻 Teaching doesn’t fulfill me 🫶🏻 YOU learning and getting it 🫶🏻 YOU exceeding what you thought you could do 🎯🎯🎯 THAT does I’m a little NERVOUS 🫶🏻 What if I don’t deliver the message right? 🫶🏻 This is a big shift for me 🫶🏻 I’m talking AND painting at the same time. 🎯🎯🎯 It’s harder than it looks So I’ve been practicing, recording myself, watching it, critiquing myself (which is quite… painful 😂) But here’s what I KNOW 🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟 🫟 🫟 What I’m sharing with you is YEARS of learning 🫟 testing products 🫟 trial and error 🫟 figuring out what actually works 🫟 what’s worth your time 🫟 what’s a waste 🫟 what actually moves the needle positively 🫟 🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟 🎯 That’s the value here These sessions will be recorded. The LIVE sessions will be FREE (or unlocked at Level 3). The replays will be inside Premium so you can go back. There are several of you that have access to this already and I thank you so much. I want us both to have value in this community. Do you have any thoughts or questions? Drop them below.

I’m really interested, what brought you here? Why do you want to create? 🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟 🫟 🫟 Creating isn’t just about making something beautiful. 🫟 It’s about what it does FOR you’re mind and soul 🫟 🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟 Some of you I know why. @Thomas Richards uses art to escape from the pain in his body. My friend Betty creates to calm the PTSD after being in an abusive marriage for 67 years. And me? I use art to create intimacy with other people and create and share bonds. If you don’t know you’re “why”, that is totally ok too. Read the others and get to know your fellow community members. The benefits of creating - no matter what you create - goes way beyond the actual brush strokes on the painting surface. Happy Sunday.

Ok - I am totally off my rocker on this one but I really want to have something amazing here. One of the things that made my in-person classes so special… no two people were painting the same thing. 🐈 Someone painted their cat. 🏡🏡 Someone painted their grandfather's home. 🌻🌻🌻 Someone painted a flower from their own garden. 🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟 🫟 🫟 🎬 6 weeks 🫟 🎨 You and me, one to one 🫟 🖼 you create a painting that means a whole lot to you. 🫟 🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟 We take an image from your life and we turn it into something you’re proud of. I walk you through it step by step until it works. And when I say you can paint anything… I mean ANYTHING! I spent years in art school studying the human figure (which is about as hard as it gets)… so yes — your dog, your kid, your favorite place… we can do that. I’m only taking 3 people at a time MAX. Not to create obscurity but literally, that is all I can dedicate so much time to. Check out the classroom. HERE

On the subject of galleries: from @Thomas Richards Galleries will help you be known more often than provide lots of sales. Being know will allow you to sell your art at the prices you desire to sell at. In galleries be prepared to leave your art for extended periods of time. How do you get your art into galleries: Getting into a gallery begins with spending a day visiting galleries to determine which gallery is a fit with your art. Second step is to put on your salesman hat and start a conversation with the gallery owner. Conversation should be about the art on display in their gallery NOT ABOUT YOU as you are trying to build a relationship. Remember they have tons of artist that stumble in with hopes of getting their art in the gallery. Be different, different stands out in their mind, be humble. If you do this step right they will actually ask to see your art. Make it their Idea to want to see your art because it is always better to negotiate from a position of power. Once the relationship is started you should do return visits often to build the relationship. Believe it or not they will get around to asking you if you have any art they can display in their gallery. Don't jump up and down and drool at this point. The key is to hold back slightly and pick the right show to make your arts day view. It is really easier than you think. Rejection will happen: Yes, you will be rejected. The best way to experience rejection is to rush into a gallery without doing your research. Even if the gallery is a fit for your art the owners personality may not be a fit for you. It is ok that that happens, some gallery owners simply have a superiority complex. Most rejection can be prevented by doing the steps I laid out above. Do your homework, gallery visits, website visits, look for any clue that will give you something meaningful to the owner to talk about. It is ok to tell the gallery owner that you don't feel they are a fit for you and your art. WHy do we as artist so easily surrender control to gallery owners.