March 2019 - Alice Sheridan: contemporary artist

Get wiser quicker – learn from our mistakes! [10]

Often we only get better at something by doing it wrong first. But it’s very tempting to do something once, not get the results you wished for – and then give up. If something’s worth doing then it’s worth sticking with so you actually have the chance to benefit from your own experiences.

I would love to know which mistakes you’ve made learned most from – maybe some of ours are yours too. Let us know in the comments below. Bonus points for funny stories!

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This week we hear what leaf blowers have to do with buying art, which leads us into the benefits of longevity. Of course we all make mistakes and learn as we go, but we hope to make things a bit easier by sharing some of the mistakes we’ve made – from email marketing, understanding how to talk about yourself and your work and simply not knowing how to sell paintings because they are so mysteriously different.

See Alice’s first ever email here ( but don’t reply to it as it goes to an old email address!)

Louise Fletcher feeling brave – new work in progress

Audience Question

We have a great listener question: “When do you decide when a painting is finished? So often, I like what I see, but want to push forward for something even more dynamic. I am nervous that I will mess it up (and I have!). But…always afraid I am not reaching my full potential in a particular painting if I give up too early. Help!” We have some time based suggestions – and also the two types of fear you may be having around finishing a work.

Inside / outside inspiration

Finally, we are inspired by different reactions to art in completely different contexts and scale. And Riley has a reaction to the postman 😉

Join the Art Explorers Facebook group to join the discussion

If you have a question you’d like us to discuss, click here to send it to us

Follow Alice on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
or Louise @louisefletcher_art

Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Choosing frames and titles [9]

podcast episode

Framing can be a challenge for us all. It’s expensive and there are so many options. If you paint on board or canvas, is it even necessary?

If you do decide to add a frame, what style works best? Today we’re going to delve into this topic, discuss our own approaches, and share some inside tips. We consider buying pre-made frames, having frames made online, and working with a professional framer. The discussion also covers cost and profit concerns and how to balance those with the desire to present your work most effectively.

What’s your experience with framing? Has it made or broken a sale for you? Do you like to frame everything the same? Please add your comment below.

As well as listening you may also like to find inspiration on this Pinterest board > FRAMING INSPIRATION

Art Juice podcast episode 9 framing and titles

Audience Question

We also talk titles after a listener asks: “How much importance do you attach to finding a good title for each painting and which comes first – the title (theme?) or the painting?” We discuss the importance of titles to our work and how we each approach them.

Inside / outside inspiration

Finally, the decision to purchase a small painting leads Louise to re-visit her attitude to selling and Alice is feeling grateful to the people who help us with our art.

Join the Art Explorers Facebook group to join the discussion

If you have a question you’d like us to discuss, click here to send it to us

Follow Alice on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
or Louise @louisefletcher_art

Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Are you an artist with attitude [8]

podcast episode

This is really a juicy one. What happens when your work culminates in a show – but you’re still feeling dissatisfied? There is no doubt that making art is an emotional journey. Showing or selling it can feel even more raw – but it depends on your attitude. Hashtags and starlings all have a helping hand this week.

What are you working on this week?

Louise is managing all the elements needed to hang a show and Alice wonders if getting work online at the same time as hanging a show an almost impossible feat. Even when you are doing all the work yourself there is a huge advantage in curating and arranging your own work in terms of reviewing your progress.

Sneak preview of Louise’s exhibition here

Alice has had to pivot her hanging plans for an upcoming art fair due to a change in circumstances beyond her control. But this led to some new energy into other paintings including using her hands. How do you feel about using tools in your work?

Favourite artist tools Art Juice podcast

How does your attitude as an artist help or hinder you?

Are you an artist with attitude? Without attempting to be psychologists (!) we share how we’ve learned to adjust how we react to certain situations or change our thoughts. For both of us this has led to lovely changes in our art and life. But it’s not always easy, and is certainly an ongoing practice. How do you respond when life throws you a curve ball?

Noticing and connecting with your emotions is part of being human and can be hard to manage, especially at art fairs. We talk about keeping your energy up in the face of bad sales or an overheard comment.

Oh, and then it all veers into magic and law of attraction 😉

I would love to hear your experience on this – please comment below as either an artist OR a visitor. x

Audience Question

Thank you to Jennifer who asked “What’s the best way to find people looking to BUY art? (on social media)”. We have a few ideas but perhaps the main response will surprise you.

Inside / outside inspiration

After she just bought a new painting which has transformed her bedroom, Alice is buoyed by how much impact art can have in a home – and seeing the result of her recent collaboration with Zoffany designers. SEE IT HERE

Louise has felt supported by the magic of starlings. Here’s her photo

Join the Art Explorers Facebook group to join the discussion

If you have a question you’d like us to discuss, click here to send it to us

Follow Alice on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
or Louise @louisefletcher_art

Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Help! I never have enough time [7]

podcast episode

Have you ever panicked that you don’t have enough time left? Or that you are not spending long enough on your art? Maybe you have fixed ideas about how much time you need before you even begin, and this is stopping you even get started. Alice is on a mission to stop the anxiety and Louise is full steam ahead!

What are you working on this week?

Alice is getting back into work after a week away and has found that she needed to finish up some paintings before she could get back into her newer work. Louise is preparing for an exhibition and feeling relieved to call this series of paintings complete.

Time – the one thing we all have the same

We all struggle with time. Some of us have young children, or elderly parents or a full-time job, and even those who work full time as artists also have the pressures of marketing, gallery relations, art fairs etc. We discuss the challenges we face in terms of managing time on a day-to-day basis, and also consider the larger question of how much time we have left in our lives. If we knew we only had one year to live, what kind of work would we make?

You may also like to read this blog post: Making Time For Art

Audience Question

We also answer a question from Tracey who asks “How do you know when you are ready to move on from playing and start to produce a series or body of work. Also I’ve been making small collages and can see how they could translate into larger paintings but I’m finding it hard to make a start on the paintings… #fearofmakinganactualpainting!”

If you have any tips on this, please comment below or come and join the Art Explorers group discussion.

Inside / outside inspiration

Alice has been inspired this week by two unusual books from a remainder bookstore and Louise has been learning from the students taking her latest course.

find out about Louise’s online courses

Mentioned:

Alice’s Connected Artist Club (join waitlist here)

6 things you can do to help manage your time

Join the Art Explorers Facebook group to join the discussion

If you have a question you’d like us to discuss, click here to send it to us

Follow Alice on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
or Louise @louisefletcher_art

Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Paintings in good company

Studio Notes

So excited finally to share this! One of three ‘secret’ projects which I have been keeping under wraps since the end of last year when I was asked to lend paintings for a Zoffany photoshoot. I love these experiments – there is no payment involved but I get to see my work styled in an amazing setting.

OK, it’s playing second fiddle to a roll of (fantastic!) fabric but still feels good to see my paintings can hold their own against such exquisite design.

Abstract blue painting Alice Sheridan — ‘Split Fused’ 90 x 90cm abstract painting on deep wood panel

OK, so this one is a little more “need a magnifying glass”, but it’s still there! Personally I loved to see how all the elements have been pulled together. I’m a sucker for dark walls. My own home has deep smokey blue walls and almost anything looks great on it.

‘Poised Earth’ just peeking through in the new ‘ICONS’ by Zoffany photoshoot

‘Poised Earth’ 60 x 60cm acrylic on wood panel, framed

We may not all be so slick and beautifully styled at home in real life, but if this range inspires you to go a bit bolder that would be amazing! It feels brave, but makes such a harmonious space.

Want a little colour tip?

For stronger colours always go much less saturated to make a space feel sophisticated rather than in-your-face colourful. Choosing a greyed-down version rather than saturated colour will feel more elegant – we really don’t need much colour to ‘see’ it. And then you can have fun with accents, the walls are just the backdrop for your personal things (like paintings!).

Now on display at Gallery Top

I’ve spotted the photographs in a feature in the March edition of Living etc but chance co-incides and you can also see both paintings in real life as part of the current ‘Modern Works’ show at Gallery Top which runs 2-31 March 2019

“this an exhibition of contemporary paintings by a group of artists who have a diverse, though connected, approach to their work. There are five painters in the exhibition and their work has reference to many of the signifiers associated with the development of abstract art – fluid spirituality, geometry, hard-edged and gestural. What unites the exhibition is a passion for painting – for colour and form but also the physical process which the media offers to develop and mould their unique creative identities.”

There will be also be paintings from Andrew Bird, Val Hudson, Brian Neish and Ian Rayer-Smith

The gallery is open in Rowsley, Derbyshire on Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10.00 until 5.00 and on Sundays from 11.00 until 4.00 and you can also visit their website or call and speak with them directly if there is a painting you like.

‘Decorate the Silence’ acrylic and oil pastel on wood 50 x 50cm

You can always contact me directly if you have any enquiries about a painting you see, whether it’s to see more details or ask about shipping. In the meantime, if you see the paintings featured in a magazine or advert, do share it with me – tag me on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio.