Here is the progress on Fand. The choice to make the knotwork interlace in her border yellow has lengthened the process a good bit. It requires a few more layers, with a 000 brush and loads of careful turning. It gets to be like meditation for sure. It is paying off well though.

Lately I have been avoiding taking on commissions. Focusing on my current portfolio series instead. I enjoy the work, but dont always enjoy being selected to work outside of my usual style and genre. I have however been playing at mixed media portraits. I get many inquiries on portraiture and seem to dissapoint people who really want it. So I am listening. I will experiment through the fall and post some examples up. I will even try some fantasy portraits. Which is embellishing the portrait with whimsical traits, similar to what Anne Geddes does with her portraits.

The mixed media style I am playing with should allow me to keep up with any demand, minimize my time compared to my usual layering techniques. The benefit personally will be in the diversifiying my portfolio, even though I do intend to niche market into my genre. It just has to be something that wont take away from my time on the series. (So here is crossing my fingers it will be a good adventure)

For exercise and quick money I am still doing my still life and nature works. These are about a quarter of the size of my usual work, and I can do one in about a day or two with time well allotted. (If anyone, in the area, goes Morel hunting- I would love to borrow them for a day) I should be able to finish most the exercise from this weekend up in a day or two. It was of some Acidenthera flowers from my old garden in Florida, I miss their scent. Soon I will experiment with selling these online and compare them to the local galleries and shows on turn around.

Currently I have a launch date set for October 31st for the gallery site with my originals. Yes the years end, and plan on the winter solstice to finish out the direct marketing and prints site. I just need to select a designer/ programmer to intergrate the perl shopping cart I need for the merchandising. Before then however, I will be offer Dagda prints up to poster size and on a stein. Hopefully all will transpire more timely even with the move that is planned.

One thing I have learned is that figures often get more money than say fruit. You just never know how the market online will go. Research is theory really, can’t wait to see what happens.

The commission I am working on now is of Bhodhidharma. The last commission I had of this type was for Joe Hurtsellers and the Martial Arts Center Bodhidharma will be more in my usual style. I have made a huge hault to any graphics work, except for close friends and family.