Painting by Allison J Smith

painting from a painting, sunset

2012-01-21T18:19:00.002-05:00

This is one of three paintings which are created from a previous painting. See the whole set: http://allisonjsmith.com

Purple Flowers and Atlanta Botanical Gardens

2011-06-02T20:05:00.001-04:00

New landscape paintings and reproductions available!http://allisonfineart.com

Stark, Eerie, you decide...

2011-02-15T14:06:00.004-05:00

These paintings begin to catch the mood that I have been striving for...

But I must confess that I have been and are already turning back to my abstract pieces. The abstract paintings offer so much more than the representational. If you already know what the painting is, you are no longer fully open to what it has to say. As soon as your conscious mind has identified fully recognizable objects, your rational side takes over. If this does not occur, in the case with abstracts, your emotional side remains open to the subtleties of art, painting, and the colors, shapes and ultimately the mood and teaching the painting has to offer.

Still-life and Landscapes

2010-07-20T21:21:00.004-04:00

Find my small still-life and landscape paintings for sale on ebay!

"Vine Ripe" 9x12 in
ebay auction ends soon!

ALL:
http://myworld.ebay.com/allisonfineart

I don't know what's going on with blogger, but my posts are not showing up like I design them.

Sunflower with Brick

2010-07-06T22:36:00.002-04:00

The best part about gardening is making paintings of all the wonderful growth and color!

Sunflower with Brick
Oil on canvas
9 x 12 in.

bid now

2010-06-19T10:11:00.002-04:00

I've been producing lots of plein-air (painted outside, on-site) paintings. Just joined the Atlanta Botanical Gardens so lots of flowers and interesting foliage will be coming soon!

The Artful Garden Tour 2010 - this year I decided to get the owners home in the painting, check it out on the right!

The Artful Garden Tour - High Museum of Art

2010-05-14T13:58:00.001-04:00

Allison J Smith will be plein-air painting in The Artful Garden Tour (Atl, GA) this Saturday, May 15th! (I'll be at #5 from 10-1)

http://www.high.org/main.taf?p=4,3,2&eventId=311&eventTypeId=11

Opening reception for my new abstracts!

2010-02-21T18:38:00.004-05:00

Join me at the opening reception for my new abstracts!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 5-7 pm

"Painting into Abstraction," Georgia Perimeter College, Dunwoody, GA

http://allisonjsmith.com/events.shtml#gpc2010

Atlanta Painters 2010 Exhibition

2010-02-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

Check out the Atlanta Painters 2010 Exhibition in May 1-31, 2010

Artists can register now!

http://atlantapainters.org/exhibition/

Plein-Air Painting Workshop, Atlanta, GA USA

2009-07-27T17:02:00.006-04:00

Plein-Air Painting Workshop

with Allison J Smith

Paint outside at Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA, USA

Saturday-Sunday, September 19-20, 2009

2 days from 1 pm to 5 pm Beginner to Advanced

details and register online:

http://allisonfineart.com/workshop.shtml

First ever artists talks by Allison J Smith and Lynn Edwards!

2009-07-21T19:59:00.001-04:00

Artists exhibition with artists reception including first ever artists talks by Allison J Smith and Lynn Edwards!

"Driven to Abstraction," Buckhead Branch Library, Atlanta, GA

Friday, July 4 - Thursday, July 30, 2009

Artists Reception: Saturday, July 25, 2009 3-5 pm

Artists Talks begin at 3:30 pm

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The Art School at Binders: Express Yourself Class

2009-07-15T16:02:00.001-04:00

Only one week left to register for my new class at The Art School at Binders: Express Yourself

Learn how to remove creative blocks, create good studio habits, and naturally develop your own style. You will receive individual consultation and direction. Work in your favorite medium: acrylic, oil, pastel, etc.

Wednesdays, 4 sessions, July 22- August 12, 1:30-4:30pmFee: $120

Call Kristy Breneman 404.237.6331 ext. 203, email learning@bindersart.com, or visit http://learning.bindersart.com/smith.html.

"Driven to Abstraction," Buckhead Branch Library, Atlanta, GA, USA

2009-07-04T11:22:00.003-04:00

View my Intuition paintings at the Buckhead Branch Library, Atlanta, GA, USA.

"Driven to Abstraction," Buckhead Branch Library, Atlanta, GA

Saturday, July 4 - Thursday, July 30, 2009 Artists Reception: Saturday, July 25, 2009 3-5 pm

More Details on my site: http://allisonjsmith.com/events.shtml#buckhead09

eerie, calm landscape oil paintings for auction

2009-06-25T17:11:00.002-04:00

Some of my eerie, calm landscape oil paintings are on auction at ebay, check them out before they are gone!

http://myworld.ebay.com/allisonfineart

Express Yourself with Allison Smith at The Art School at Binders, Atlanta, GA

2009-06-10T15:15:00.007-04:00

Join me for a new class at The Art School at Binders:

Express Yourself

Learn how to remove creative blocks, create good studio habits, and naturally develop your own style. You will receive individual consultation and direction. Work in your favorite medium: acrylic, oil, pastel, etc.

Wednesdays, 4 sessions, July 22- August 12, 1:30-4:30pm
Fee: $120

RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!

Call Kristy Breneman 404.237.6331 ext. 203, email learning@bindersart.com, or visit http://learning.bindersart.com/smith.html.

Poetry of Flowers exhibition, Ellijay, GA

2009-06-06T17:08:00.004-04:00

My painting "Single Sunflower" won 3rd place at the Poetry of Flowers exhibition.

Thank-you Gilmer Arts and Heritage Association and The Garden Club of Ellijay!

Poetry of Flowers exhibition

2009-06-03T09:59:00.003-04:00

Poetry of Flowers exhibition reception has been changed to Friday night instead of Saturday.

Please join me June 5th at 5-7 pm in Ellijay!

http://www.gilmerarts.org/

The Poetry of Flowers Exhibition, Ellijay, GA, USA

2009-05-31T08:49:00.004-04:00

Join me at "The Poetry of Flowers" exhibition reception on Saturday, June 6, 2009 from 5-7 pm. All three works that I submitted were accepted into the exhibition and will be available for purchase at the Gallery. If you can't meet me at the reception, visit the Gallery between Wednesday, June 3 and Tuesday, June 30, 2009 to see all the works available. What a great end-of-Spring event!

"The Poetry of Flowers," Gilmer Arts and Heritage Association, Ellijay, GA
GAHA Gallery Ellijay, GA

More info...

How long did that take to make? cont...

2009-05-11T10:41:00.004-04:00

Inspired by a comment on my last post by Chaotic Black Sheep:
"There is a lot of time that goes into art that is unseen as well - conceptualizing, learning media & processes, learning composition, developing a style..."

Actually, the "unseen time" is reconciled with the first option. If you calculate your total yearly time and income to create your time and pricing for your art, you will inherently be including all that "unseen time."

Also, any education or other that was done prior to the year you are calculating should be represented in your hourly rate, not how many hours it took to create a piece. Like a doctor or lawyer that went to school 8 years and now charges $75 an hour. They don't add additional hours for all that expertise, they include it in their hourly rate.

So where does this lead us? Your value in money is not your true wealth or level of success. True wealth is a combination of financial, relational, mental, physical, and spiritual (that idea and list is totally stolen from "Harmonic Wealth" by James Arthur Ray). If money is only 1/5th of who you are, it's easier to put an exact value on it. Isn't it?

What are YOU worth?

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How long did that take to make?

2009-05-10T15:44:00.004-04:00

After reading this article:
http://jeanevogel.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-long-did-that-take-to-make.html#links
I decided I needed to delve into this more closely:

I've used the "I don't know", "maybe a day" and other vague answers and they never seem to satisfy the client. I've found most people work jobs and know their hourly rate, they relate to that. So no matter how much we (artists) don't want to, we have to do better in our explanations, merely to connect with the public more.

To make a living as an artist, you have to consider money. Every business does. I find the best way to deal with this is to find your averages. You probably already know what you're hourly rate is, or maybe just how much per year. Use these numbers and calculate you time and how many pieces you created. You can do this in one month, 6 months, 1 year, whatever makes sense for how you work.

Too much math? Try thinking of your art-making in an all-inclusive way. You spend about 1 hr. setting up, 6 hrs. creating, 1 hr. cleaning up, and most likely at least another 8 hrs. marketing the work. So that is what it takes to get the work in front of the person asking the question. 2 days. That is your answer, 2 days. It's not exaggerating, it's being honest, it's making sure you're not cheating yourself!

Don't forget, when they say they work 8 hours a day, you assume they actually took a 30 min lunch, and two 15 min. breaks, and don't forget checking personal email or a phone call at their desk. They still say they worked an 8 hr. day. It's the over-all time that's most important here.

When you answer clearly, confidently, and it correlates to your pricing, they'll be ready to buy!

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Painting at Piedmont Park

2009-05-04T11:57:00.004-04:00

Plein-air (outside) painting was so much fun yesterday; I created a fiery tree trunk! The rain cleared up just long enough for me to get this completed.

Plein air painting in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA

2009-04-20T08:27:00.005-04:00

Plein air painting went great, by the time 2 pm came around it was all dry and not too hot to be outside either! I had time to take a look at some of the art in the festival before I started painting, that really got me excited and inspired to paint! The location for painting was the open grassy area on the Hill away from the festival crowd, although there was some great background music making it's way over!

Join me next time: http://atlantapainters.org/

Focusing with Zen, happiness

2009-03-18T16:20:00.005-04:00

I'm changing my blog, as you might have noticed in the past 2 weeks. First, not many posts, that part will change into more! Second, the types of posts. Posting my paintings has become repetitive since I post them on my website also. Here's what I found today and it's helping me with my Art Goals 2009 Resolution: I will maintain focus, be selective, and simplify my life this year.

One of my favorite stories – you might have heard it before. There was a big city businessman who once went on holiday to a faraway beach. One day he walked past a local fisherman who was lazing around, with his fishing rod in the water, enjoying the sun and a beer.

The city man’s mind went to work immediately. The fishing spot was a gold
mine, and a serious fishing business would thrive in the area. “Why are you so stupid?” he asked the fisherman. “Get some boats, hire some extra hands, and in a few years you will turn your little shop into a million-dollar business!”

The local man asked him. “And what would you do once you have a million dollars?”

The city man stared back blankly. “Why, I would have so much free time I could sit around in the sun all day and drink beer!”

This was in a great article at ZenHabits blog. It talks about separating your internal and external goals and seeing them for what they are, which allows you to be a happier, more passionate person.

I still paint pretty close to everyday, I just feel there are better things I can be doing with this blog. Things that matter inside, and if you're interested you can see my paintings at my web site.

Art Networking is a Win-Win

2009-03-04T09:35:00.008-05:00

When running your own business, networking is a must! Monet walked around his town with a painting or two under his arm. He knocked on each door and tried to sell the paintings. That was selling in the late 1800's. We've come a long way since then!

What everyone in the business world has realized is that the best selling is through networking. It's like this: I trust person X and they recommend person Y. Now, I am mostly trusting person Y and I just met them! Trust is one hurdle you must jump if you want to do business with someone else.

For artists, networking is even more important than most businesses. For us, lots of people don't even know we exist. We create work that people have never seen, so they don't even know to look for our art! That's where networking comes in, let people know that your work exists, that you exist as an artist. And through networking, your also getting a foot in the door with trust. It's a win-win!

Galleries and collectors use networking to find their artists: http://joannemattera.blogspot.com/2009/03/marketing-mondays-art-network.html