Beauty, Birds & Blooms Collection – Indigo Hypnosis
I started a new collection of paintings called Beauty, Birds and Blooms. I’ve completed the first painting in the collection titled “Indigo Hypnosis”.
Indigo Hypnosis 12″ x 18″ x 1.5″ acrylic on cradled board, ©Teresa Kogut, all rights reserved
A snapshot of the work in progress. ©Teresa Kogut, all right reserved
For many months now I’ve been planning and dreaming on how to make my life-long goal come true, which is to make a living selling original works of art. Large paintings. Beautiful paintings. There’s a unique feeling of fulfillment when one invests in my original paintings. Each work of art is a piece of me. It’s very personal. There’s a special connection between artist and collector. I crave those connections….not for my pride or ego but to be fulfilled and understood. I get a sense of gratification and peace knowing my work has found a permanent place to live….. someone has connected with my art, brought it into their home and hopefully it’s bringing them as much joy as it brought me when I created it.
You see, I’ve been painting since 1992. I have a library of over 4,000 images, however, the majority of those paintings were created with product in mind. I was painting for the licensing market. Can this art be applied to a flag, quilting fabric, dinnerware, floor mats, figurines? are the colors “on trend”? which licensee will this work for? these questions swirled around in my head as I sketched and painted day in and day out as deadlines came at me like a rainstorm.
Currently, I have many facets to my business; I still license my more commercial art (such as, snowmen, Santas, teddy bears, etc), I design cross stitch, punchneedle & rug hooking patterns, I offer online courses, as well as make prints of my work to sell on Etsy…..although I enjoy all areas of my business, my REAL PASSION is painting from the heart…with no product or customer in mind. It is my bliss. It is my purpose. It is where I feel free. It is a gift from God.
I’ve spent several hours over the past weeks searching online for art fairs in Michigan, looking for “artsy shops” in tourist areas, listening to successful artist interviews on Youtube, blogs and podcasts. Basically making a plan and gathering information in order make a real go of it in 2019.
Last week, I was listening to a podcast and the artist who was interviewed said something that made me stop in my tracks (literally, I was on my elliptical machine), I paused the podcast and pondered what she said; “My days are numbered. I only have so many days in my life to paint.” This was the fuel I needed! It actually freaked me out a bit….I have sketchbooks full of ideas ….more than I’ll ever be able to paint because I keep adding sketches when inspired. I was so fired up that I made the decision right there and then to start painting a minimum of 3 hours a day NO MATTER WHAT! (and pray I can find more time)
I had been setting Fridays aside for painting but it always seemed like “something” would come up and I’d only get a few hours of painting in, if that. Even though I can’t neglect the other areas of my business, aka, my bread and butter, I know I need more time to paint. So I changed my morning routine….I get up earlier, meditate, workout, shower, make lunch and head to the studio for a minimum of 3 hours of complete bliss before starting my “real job”. (I’m not complaining….my real job is creative and fun, too, just not as fulfilling as painting)
The purpose for creating a collection was inspired by an opportunity that landed in my lap a couple weeks ago. A lady in Berkley, Michigan saw my art on Etsy and emailed me to invite me to have a show at her boutique in August. I decided to have a cohesive collection of 10-12 paintings (one will be donated to charity). The decision to name the collection Beauty, Birds and Blooms was inspired by 3 of my loves:
- I LOVE the challenge of painting faces, hands, hair…basically everything about the human form.
- Birdwatching was something my Dad and I shared before he passed. If I saw a siting of a unfamiliar bird, I’d immediately call him and we’d both search for it in our bird books and he’d call me if he spotted a new feathered friend as well. I miss that time with my Dad so as a tribute to him, birds will be in each painting.
- I love gardening. I have several flower beds around our home. It is such a great way to unwind….working in them as well as just gazing at their beauty. When I see bright beautiful blooms, I say, “that’s God’s paintbrush, only He has access to such vivid colors”.
I will be posting works in progress as well as the final paintings here on my blog so be sure to follow so you can see the collection come together. I’m beyond excited!!
About Indigo Hypnosis
The title for this painting came to me when she was complete. When I start a painting, I have a sketch and an idea of composition but as far as color and some of the finer details, they come as I create the painting.
Her eyes are as blue as the Indigo Bunting on her hand and her piercing gaze looks as if she could hypnotize anyone looking into them.
Here’s a speed painting video of Indigo Hypnosis.
Blessings,
Teresa
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