Scouting for Art

I believe in licensing my art with as many reputable companies as I can. I think it is one of the best ways to become known as an artist. Exposure is the key to success and getting your name out in the public eye is worth it’s weight in gold!

I started selling my fine art prints approximately 6 years ago on Art.Com. This was my first try at getting noticed and within 2 years, a scout from All Posters spotted my dog portraits and signed me up to license my art with their company. My original paintings are still selling today on AllPosters.com as Giclees and Poster Prints.

After realizing that exposure gets you noticed, I started joining every free art site I had time for and eventually moved on to On line Galleries, Graphic Design Companies, Social Art Networking Sites and started my own Blog. Imagekind was next on my list and I uploaded my original paintings, digital art and graphic designs. About one year later I was contacted by a well known photographer and book author, Kim Carlsberg. She asked if she could print one of my digital works in her new book. I felt honored and very lucky that she somehow found my work on line. Kim is the Author of a book entitled “Beyond My Wildest Dreams” subtitle “Diary Of A UFO Abductee. Her new book is a compilation of other peoples experiences with alien abduction and UFO’s and she is showcasing my art piece titled ”SHAPESHIFTER” in this book. Prints of my work are available from $16.49 in my Imagekind STORE

The Most important and greatest licensing opportunity that came my way was Icon Shoes. A scout found my painting entitled “Pug Dog” in one of my on line gallery portfolios. Icon Shoes contacted me via email. They wanted to use my artwork for their handbags, golf shoes, belts, purses and accessories. I quickly researched their company and found out that Icon had become a leader in the luxury, casual-comfort category of shoes and a trend setter in handbags and small leather goods. Icon takes pride in producing beautiful, wearable works of art expressing a woman’s individuality with both function and style. If you are interested in seeing my new products please check out my “Pug Dog” at the ICON SHOES website and look for them in stores near you starting November 2009. More Icon Pug Merchandise coming out in 2010.

I am always looking for new licensing opportunities with reputable companies. My Original Paintings, Figurative Art, Animal Portraits and Graphic Designs can be used for puzzles, book covers, greeting cards, baby apparel, 3D figurines, fashion accessories & more. Please contact me directly if you are interested in licensing my art: wardogmastiff@netzero.net

I’m not sure how scouts go about finding the work of artists but I do know that having your work available to view on many sites will help them to find your art. The other on line galleries, graphic design stores and art shops I use are Etsy, Boundless Gallery, Absolute Arts, Yessy, D’ART, Fine Art America, Artflock, 1000 Markets, Cafepress, Printfection, Artist Rising, Imagekind and more.

In conclusion, licensing has become my way of surviving as an artist and a great way to become known. My advice to other artists would be to join many internet art sites, start a blog and include pictures of your work, make friends with social networking and try to get your art in the public eye as much as you can! One day someone will notice and if it is what they are looking for, you may become licensed with a reputable company that will send you monthly checks and contribute to your income. ~Good Luck

Fine Artist Laura Barbosa a.k.a barbosaart

Artist Spotlight Interview

Tell us about your background and let us get to know the artist behind the work. What made you start creating art and how long have you been active in the arts?

1. My interest in art began as a child. I was born with a love for animals and a passion for painting. Having come from a broken home and having a lot of free time at a young age, I developed my very own art skills through experimenting with crayons and finger paints. This eventually took me down the road of art and before I knew it, I was stopping at the art store on my way home from school and found myself buying new colored pencil packs and sketchbooks with my lunch money. My complete adoration and love for animals developed from my relationship that I had with our family dog. I was fascinated with his running speed and found enjoyment in his facial expressions and funny antics. I believe these experiences molded me in the direction of animals and a true love for painting them. My art grew more and more with each passing day. In High School my favorite pastime was doodling and eventually I doodled my way into an art class.

I started a home business when I was 16 which was all about capturing people’s favorite photos with fabric paint onto sweatshirts and sold them at a fair price to many students and their family members. I was making a decent living at a young age with nothing more than a few bottles of paint, an airbrush and a pack of generic sweatshirts. My dream ended when I had included an older woman who was in her thirties that saw the money making idea and wanted it for herself. I was very naive and did not see her as anything more than a nice person who loved my art. She made her way into my home and offered me a deal. The deal was that I painted the scenes and animals onto the sweatshirts and she would add sparkling decorations onto the artwork and we would split the profits and sell them together. Well, one day I left her alone in my work room and she had left with all my supplies. Later, I heard from the grapevine that this woman was selling my designs. I never knew what became of her after that, but she stole the very essence of my existence and left me discouraged, frustrated and without enough money to buy more supplies. That was the end of my teenage art business. I continued my art education into college and rebelled against the rules! I later left the campus to find my own path down the fascinating and wonderful world of art.

What do people love most about your work?

2. I Believe my clients look forward to a never ending NEW IDEA! The one thing I hear most is: “I can’t wait to see what you come up with next”. My emotions and thoughts pre determine what is going to develop on the canvas. I work from the subconscious mind and many times I will wake up with an idea every morning. There are so many ideas in my head that I need to carry a sketchbook with me day and night to jot down the thoughts coming from my head. I have been known to be in the middle of a conversation and have to excuse myself to sketch an idea in my book before I lose it. This is the beginning of my creative process and from this point I cannot wait to get to my studio to start painting. I work mainly with acrylics and ink. I like to use them together to achieve the effect I want. For my abstracts I prefer thick acrylic paint and using the palette knife to mix and push the paint around the canvas. I don’t like using brushes and have come to love the sponge and the use of my finger for blending but for my animal portraits, brushes are needed for detailing and creating fur. On occasion, I will dip my whole hand in paint and start creating to see what I come up with. If the subject matter is very specific then it must be planned out. For example, my animal portraits are carefully calculated before I begin.

3. The best thing about being an artist is having a non conformist lifestyle. Every day wields new ideas and interesting outcomes. I believe that if we embrace what we love, it shows the world who we are. I enjoy every minute of being a full time artist.

Where do you sell your art?

4. I sell my art from many different on line galleries and websites. You can find my work on: Etsy, Boundless Gallery, Absolute Arts, Yessy, D’ART, 1000 Markets, Artflock, Imagekind, Allposters, Art dot Com, Artist Rising, Cafepress, Printfection and Coming Soon – My Personal Artist Website.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

5. I am always looking for new licensing opportunities with reputable companies. My Original Paintings, Figurative Art, Animal Portraits and Graphic Designs can be used for puzzles, book covers, greeting cards, baby apparel, 3D figurines, fashion accessories & more. My art is currently licensed with Icon Shoes and will be available November 2009.

Some of my accomplishments:

*Published: NY ARTS Magazine 2008* Hollywod Reporter * Forbes & more

*Public Collection: Community Medical Center in Toms River, NJ*

*Winner, “Horse Dance”, Cultural Arts Center, Brick, NJ 2008

*Winner, Stover Mill, Acrylics Category, “Bordeaux Dog” Juried by Bill Novak, 2007

*Featured Artist: Imagekind Gallery on Easter Sunday March 23 2008

*Art E-Motions Contest Winner- Boundless Gallery – May 2009

*Artist of The Month – Boundless Gallery – Artist Interview – July 2009

*EBSQ Award Winner “Patron’s Choice” – For “Uncanny Valley” May – 2009

*EBSQ Art of the Day – For “Orange Scope” Digital Art – June, 19,2009

*Pug Dog Painting Licensed with ICON SHOES for their 2009/2010 collections*

*Artwork “Shapeshifter” Chosen by Well Known Writer for NEW BOOK (Kim Carlsberg)

Stay Tuned for my new etsy shop. I will be selling Art dolls and sculptures. Check my etsy store soon for a link to the new shop!

I believe that Art is the best investment you will ever make. Where else can you purchase a piece of someone’s soul? Where on earth will you ever own a special painting found nowhere else. This is the best foot I can put forward into theworld that leads my clients into a window where they can peer into my soul and maybe find something they can relate to. Maybe find a part of me that is also a part of them. After all, we are all connected in some way.

ART CONNECTS US ALL WITH EACH OTHER!

 

 

Boundless Gallery’s Artist of the Month Interview

This is my artist of the month interview for boundless gallery. I hope you enjoy reading it and finding out more about me and my artwork. enjoy~

What does being our Artist of the Month mean to you since you were selected by other professional artists? 
I was ecstatic when I found out that I was going to be Artist of the Month for July! It is a high honor and important compliment to have my fellow artists whom I respect and admire pick me as the winner of the art e-motions contest. To gain recognition for my work confirms that I am going in the right direction and my art is transforming my emotions, dreams and feelings onto the canvas. 

What is your creation process like?
My emotions and thoughts pre determine what is going to develop on the canvas. I work from the subconscious mind and many times I will wake up with an idea every morning. There are so many ideas in my head that I need to carry a sketchbook with me day and night to jot down the thoughts coming from my head. I have been known to be in the middle of a conversation and have to excuse myself to sketch an idea in my book before I lose it. This is the beginning of my creative process and from this point I cannot wait to get to my studio to start painting. I work mainly with acrylics and ink. I like to use them together to achieve the effect I want. For my abstracts I prefer thick acrylic paint and using the palette knife to mix and push the paint around the canvas. I don’t like using brushes and have come to love the sponge and the use of my finger for blending but for my animal portraits, brushes are needed for detailing and creating fur. On occasion, I will dip my whole hand in paint and start creating to see what I come up with. If the subject matter is very specific then it must be planned out. For example, my animal portraits are carefully calculated before I begin. 

24 x 36" City of Two Suns

Does a piece like City Of Two Suns start out in the same way as Captain Death?
These are two very different paintings with two very different approaches. The “City Of Two Suns” is not a planned piece. It took on a life of its own once I started pushing the paint onto the canvas. When I start developing pieces like this I usually have no idea what the outcome will be until it reveals itself in the end. First, I used a palette knife and had a nice cosmic type background and then I decided to blend the colors with a sponge, from this point I took my sponge again and started making shapes and saw a city in my mind and then it just developed from there. I knew I wanted to use the paint straight from the tube to top it off for a 3D effect and it was perfect for the top of the buildings. The colors were put together subconsciously and consecutively. I really liked this piece when it was finished. I feel freedom from it because I was so free in developing this concept.

Captain Death

 
Captain Death was fun even though it was a calculated and planned piece. I really enjoy the subject of pirates and skeletons. My clients love Pirates and a lot of my commissioned work is custom pirate art for homes, bars, clubs and restaurants. In starting this piece, I knew what the outcome was going to be and exactly what I wanted to achieve. So, there is a big difference in my planned and unplanned artworks. At the end of all my planned pieces my subconscious mind will take over and add some free details and creativity to each piece which makes them interesting and unique. 

 

Do You Own A Mastiff?
Yes, I own a French Mastiff or Dogue De Bordeaux and a Pug Dog. I have owned Bullmastiffs in my life and love the Giant breeds. They are like old souls. Having always been an animal lover since childhood I had started out sketching dogs and horses. My French Mastiff is a certified therapy dog and canine good citizen and we volunteer our free time at local hospitals and nursing homes to help sick and elderly people. In 2008, I donated 3 – 24 x 48″ paintings to the bright and beautiful therapy dog organization to raise money for their program and to keep therapy dogs in our facilities. The community medical center in toms river NJ purchased the 3 paintings for $7500.00 and that money went into the therapy dog fund. The paintings are now a permanent public collection on three floors of the hospital -Oncology, Hospice and Outpatient Radiology.

My Dogue De Bordeaux - Henna