I love what I do. It's been/is a journey to make a living from my work. It's like a living thing, seeking balance between making/promoting/selling.
It's gratifying when it looks enough right that people ask advice. These are not all my thoughts on the subject, just some recent answers to inquiry...
Do you balance your art career with another occupation, or are you a full time artist?
I’ve been full time at this since 2000.
What was your first artwork sale experience?
Not sure, but I think it was the holiday show at art school.
Does specializing in one specific niche (bicycle paintings) help you stay focused? Sometimes, I can be overwhelmed with new ideas always coming to mind. Do you recommend a young artist to limit themselves to one subject, for the sake of developing their style?
I don’t believe in limiting yourself really, but following your own heart. I started painting and focusing on bikes when I started cycling and got very excited about it Whatever your subject/passion is it will come to you. My bike paintings started when I was 28. It has been helpful to have that focus. Having that it is somehow easier to be creative than if I had no focus. I think every artist/writer/creative person has a thing that interests them, that they want to express. It has to be for you, not the audience. It has made it easier, I think, to find an audience and the cycling world is friendly.
Do you have an agent, or do you market your own work to galleries/shops?
No agent, but I don’t really market beyond selling extensively at outdoor markets and having the website and distributing postcards. No agent could care as much about my success as I do!
What made you decide to sell your work at shops? Do you find this better than selling directly to the public?
I do everything I can.
What factors do you believe help “hand-drawn/painted” works stand out, in a world where digital graphics/illustrations abound?
You just said it, in a world where digital graphics/illustrations abound hand drawn\painted works stand out!
Any words of advice to a young artist hoping to put their work out to the public?
Be true to yourself. Make postcards with your website url on them. I leave stacks in bikeshops and wherever, it has been tremendously helpful. Do everything you can to promote yourself and be creative with it, don’t just do the usual channels that everyone else is doing. When I was getting started I found cafes where I could show my work and that was really helpful too.
Good luck,
Taliah