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I've Done It

April 13th, 2019

I

I have done it, yes I did it! What have I done you ask? I’ll tell you in just a minute, but first a little background. When I returned to creating visual works
of art for my adult daughters back in February of 2017. My original purpose was to only draw and paint pieces for them. However, during research of
several instruction video’s on the YouTube service. I discovered video’s for artists marketing, and selling your art work on-line.

I consumed those video’s with a passion of a fanatic, and told my daughters about the idea of maybe starting a career as a professional artist.
Anyhow one video lead to another, and before I knew it, I enrolled in a professional artists career training course and was on my way to creating works of art for sale.

During a private coaching session with the coach. The question, a big thought provoking question was asked of me. “What do you want to do with
your art?” I said, that I wanted my art to touch people hearts, to touch they’re souls in the same manner as my old time radio programs. What motivates
me to keep my internet radio station broadcasting nostalgic old time radio programs for over 19 years is just that! Over the years I have received
thousands of e-mail letters telling me how my programming has saved lives and provided comfort and enjoyment. I wanted my works of art to do the same!

Now, lets fast forward to today. I have done it! I have accomplished that goal. My art has touched hearts, and peoples souls! My mother taught me to watch people’s actions and not what they say, very wise advice.

Before I started this artist journey, only a handful of people maybe (20) family and friends ever knew that I was an artist. After compiling the statistics from
the various artist platforms where my art appears. As of today, well over 100,000 people from around the world through the internet as viewed my
art work. If you search Clyde J. Kell Artist on Google, I am about three pages deep, and with an image search my art work comes up to the top.
Here’s the most exciting news! Since 2017, (35) people, has purchased, home decor products featuring my art, along with a few private
commission pieces.

The skeptic would say, that’s not a very large number. With regards to income not anything to brag about. But here is what excites me. I have images of my art work displayed across six internet platforms featuring my art on various home decor products and prints available for purchase.

The Six Artists Internet Platforms The original purpose was only to introduce my art to the world. If someone purchased a print or product. I told myself, that’s a bonus, because the royalty payment is only a few dollars.

However, out of the thousands and thousands of artists displayed on these platforms, a stranger picked my art! People have purchased blankets, prints, tapestries, pillows, wall clocks, t-shirts, dresses, women scarves, and tote bags. Yes, how personal can you get? An adult woman, purchased a dress with one of my art designs! I’ve done it! My art has touched the heart and soul of a stranger. Another human unknown to me ordered an apparel or home decor item featuring my art. You have no idea as to how much satisfaction, and heart warming that brings me. How it motivates me to continue creating art.

Something that I always admired about the American artist Thomas Kinkade, is his art touched the heart of millions of people around the world. Kinkade’s art is everywhere on all types of home decor products. Members of my own family love his art work.

I have no allusion’s to compare myself to Kinkade. But, I think I’m on the right path to achieving the same goal! What do you think?

Digital Abstract Art Designs

April 5th, 2019

Digital Abstract Art Designs

Introducing my new work collections, “Digital Abstract Art”. These are digital extractions of small abstract pieces from my previous works.
I then use a graphics program to enhance, enlarge and turn them into unique abstract designs. Great for apparel, prints, and home decor products.

I’ve never been fond of abstract art, however when you look at some of my previous representational works. Patterns emerge, and become a work of art
on their own. Color, light, shading, and brush strokes draws the eye into the piece.

Take a look, and tell me what do you think? Digital Abstract Collection

Life Events Run In Circle's

April 4th, 2019

Life Events Run In Circle

Sometimes life events come full circle. Let me explain, sit back for a marketing success story!

During my last two years of military service in Naples Italy. I was hyped up on entrepreneurship and self employment. I read every magazine I could get my hands on. There was no world-wide web then, circa 1990. In one of these magazines there was an article about Temporary Tattoos. How, an enterprising person could setup a booth at fairs and events etc. The article provided the steps and source for ordering the tattoos.

Temporary Tattoo Booth
Every year the military community held a Fourth of July festival in the local park, Festa Americana, and they open the park to the Italian public, friends and
relatives. They offered opportunities and encouraged people to setup activity booths, food booths, games, etc. I jumped on this, and setup a booth selling
those temporary tattoos.

Marketing Success!
I have 16 Italian niece and nephews, and they were all from age’s three to 17 years old. They were perfect for marketing my product. I put those tattoos on
the kids and encouraged them to run through the park. My 17 year old niece helped me handle the sales. Both of us were putting tattoos on some very
long lines of people. In that one weekend I made $4000 selling these $2, $5 and $8 temporary tattoos.

Life events come full circle. This week I received an e-mail announcing new products available on one of my artists sites. My temporary tattoo adventure
memory came flooding back! However this time, I can create my own designs and offer them for sale.

Today temporary tattoos are not that unique, but still make great party favors. I’m back in the temporary tattoo business, well sort of!

Here's what I'm starting with, lots more designs to come. Clyde's Temporary Tattoos

How Not To Sell Art

March 28th, 2019

How Not To Sell Art

With thousands and maybe millions of articles on the internet about marketing, and selling your art. I found this article REALLY interesting.

How Not To Sell Your Art -Artbusiness dot com

After reading the article, think about it! How many of those situations do you create, maybe without knowing it.

Original Art Collecting

March 20th, 2019

Original Art Collecting

The art market can seem like a daunting scary world, for those with millions to spend. Don’t be intimidated, anyone can enjoy owning art in an affordable way. The key is to choose something you love and buy with confidence.

Research

Take your time and do your homework. There are lots of opportunity to find quality art for a reasonable price. With the internet now more than ever artists are presenting their works on-line and available for purchase. When you see a piece of art that grabs at your soul, and you fall in love with.
Google search the artists, look at their website. Subscribe and read their blog postings, follow them on Instagram, and Face Book. Don’t be afraid to personally contact the artist about the piece you love. After a few days, you should be able to identify if the art works fit your budget. One price does not fit all! With millions of artists around the world, you will find one with the talent and price structure that you can afford.

Buy With Your Heart

Buy something beautiful for you and that you want to look at everyday on your walls. However, when you decide to collect the works of a particular artist, research their careers. Do they have a body of work, and are they demonstrating skills and craft growth? Trust Your Instinct. Buy something for the simple reason that you love looking at it. Be discerning and brave. If you’re looking for something in a particular style. Consider the works of an exciting emerging artist, instead of scrimping and saving to buy something second-rate from a well-known artist. There’s great satisfaction in supporting the next generation of artists. I once heard an expert art dealer say that all artist are “emerging” unless they are represented by established major world-class museums and art galleries, in New York, Rome, London, etc.

Don't Try To Be Cool

Don't be too hip. It's hard to be on the upside of the curve unless you're an insider. Better to buy something that's gone a bit obscure, even out of style, think modern, not contemporary. Don’t buy something only because you think the piece will gain in value. Art collecting, is a long term process, and a love and passion for the works themselves. The artists unique style, and subject matter! When you decide on a piece, don’t be afraid to ask the artist for a discount of 10 to 20 percent. If you’re buying directly from the artist, most will be glad to agree.

Have Fun, and enjoy the art collecting experience!

Wonderful Time For Artists

March 12th, 2019

Wonderful Time For Artists

If you watch network newscasts, and read newspapers. One can become very depressed! The world is going to hell and a hand basket as the old saying.
Well for artists this is the BEST time ever! Why, you ask? Probably since the birth of the renaissance it has never been easier for artists. Let me
try to explain with a personal example.

I have always been a artist since my youth, however life got in the way and I never really pursued a career as a professional artist. In my entire lifetime
maybe only 20 people, family and close friends knew that I could draw or paint and had artistic skills.

In early 2017 after re-establishing a relationship with my adult daughters. (Life, heartbreak, separation, financial issues got in the way before, and I missed out on a large portion of their youth.) My girls remembered that I was an artist and questioned if I was still painting and creating works of art. One thing lead to another and before I knew it I was picking up the paint brush and pencils and creating visual works of art again. All due to their encouragement, and love! It wasn’t long before I investigated the resources available on the internet, and again at my daughters suggestion’s started on this wonderful artistic journey.

The disruption of the internet in all levels of our society truly has made it possible for artists to by-pass the gatekeepers and present their creations to the world! Now lets fast forward to 2019, utilizing the various platforms for artists, more than 60,000 people from around the world has viewed my artistic creations, and some have purchased original works, prints, and, home decor products. I am on the way to living off the income from my art sales. A long way to go, but on a positive trend upward as they say.

Yes, it is truly a great time for artists. Use social media, use sites like Fine Art America, and others. There are no more gatekeepers!

Pulp Radio Art Graphic Novel Project

March 5th, 2019

Pulp Radio Art Graphic Novel Project

As I’ve posted here before one of my primary passions is collecting, listening and sharing old time radio. When I commenced this professional visual art journey, figuring out a combination of these two passions was heavy in my mind.

With advice from a professional artists coach. I came up with the Pulp Radio Art concept. Illustrations and art renderings inspired and based on these old time radio programs. This was very satisfying and fun for a while, but still did not fulfill the passion.

A few weeks simply by pure accident I stumbled on the idea of a graphic novel. This was purposed to me over a year ago. However I dismissed the idea because I am not a writer, and doing a transcription of the radio shows would be extremely laborious.

Many of the original scripts for these wonderful programs are available, and are not under copyright, or the original copyright holders have released them to the public domain. Problem solved, there’s my text, and with judicious editing, combined with my Pulp Radio Art illustrations we have a graphic novel.
I am currently working on one of my most favorite episodes from the horror anthology series “Quiet Please”, “The Thing On The Fourble Board.”

Here’s the first four pages check it, and let me know what you think about it? Download Link in PDF format.

Trolley Car Memories

February 13th, 2019

Trolley Car Memories

I participate in several Face Book discussion groups for artists. It’s a good way to receive and give creative encouragement to fellow artists.
Plus, a very excellent method for reviewing various artistic styles and creative inspiration.

One of my favorite groups is the “Purely Water Color” discussion group. These folks are from all over the world and extremely polite and nice.
Members are artists of all levels of skill. They are very helpful and inspirational to my artistic journey!

Every month they hold a creative challenge. A subject is picked by the group administrators and reference photo’s provided. Participates in the challenge, upload images of our completed works into a folder. At the end of the challenge month the administrators vote on first though tenth place. The fun part of this contest is, skill level doesn’t matter! They’re great at picking the piece that best reflects the spirit of the image and challenge. The prize is bragging rights! Like I said the members are very polite and so very encouraging.

I don’t always participate in every challenge, and have actually won tenth place in a past challenge. The February challenge particularly grabbed my interest, because of my recent fascination with old junk cars and trucks. The subject is vintage transportation! Trains, planes, cars, motorcycles, ships, and trolley cars.

Trolley cars, that got my attention! A reference photo of a vintage street car was posted and made available. Memories of my travels in Italy, a warm
summer day in Rome. One day while visiting, I hopped on a trolley car. I didn’t know where it was going. I grew up in Indiana and we didn’t have street cars there. I had never ridden one, so they fascinated me. What a great experience and wonderful way to see a city. The building’s going by at a slower pace than a car, allows you to take in all the unique character of the structures and the people walking down the street. Stories, and mysteries, wonders who lives there? Where are they going? How do they live, what are their lives like? As a stranger in their city, the trolley car gives me the opportunity to participate in a non-intrusive way into their lives, and my fellow passengers. Are they tourists like me? Going home from or going to work?

A photograph brought these memorable treasures flooding back! Participation in Face Book artists discussion groups can be so fulfilling. I am very grateful and feel privileged for the inspiration they give me.

Do you have a favorite group that you participate in?

Skill Growth

February 9th, 2019

Skill Growth

When slugging away creating art we sometimes wonder if our craft skills are improving or just making it. When a new growth spurt takes place it is so
rewarding and satisfactory. I recently had that experience! I am a self-taught artist. I never attended college for art, or any art specialty school.

However over the years I have attempted to self-school myself. Reading various books on art history, art craft and technique. I’ve noticed some
improvements, but nothing radical until recently.

In my efforts to raise the level of skill, I sometimes review various art instruction video’s on YouTube. Artists are so lucky, at our fingertips and
in the privacy of our studio’s we have access to thousands of self-instruction video’s.

One must use a discerning eye, because you can go down a rabbit hole as they say watching all the available video’s and waste a lot of time.
But now and then one pops up in the search that excites and actually can improve your art skill.

That’s the case with a series of video’s from artist/teacher Stefan Baumann! I’ve come across his video’s in the past but ignored most of them, because he is a Plein air, outdoors artist. What caught my interest this past week, was his discussion on composition, focal points, eye magnets, lighting,
shading, don’t paint things.

I’ve never heard such talk! While watching and listening to the video I was working on some pieces for my Junk Car & Truck water color series. Voila!
To my complete surprise and under fascination I had incorporated these concepts in my work. However at the same time maintaining my style!

If you review most of my previous works, only a few jump out at you as he states. Something special, meets your eye’s. Stefan Baumann say’s that
untrained artists with talent will occasionally incorporate these composition fundamentals in their works and not know why or how they did it.

That’s so true with me, but going forward not any more. With each new work before picking up the pencil, and paint brush. A complete review and thought
process about lighting shading, focal points will take place with my eye. The subject matter doesn’t come into play with these principals.
I have to think I’m NOT painting things!

Craft skill growth is such a satisfying thing for an artists. Stay tuned and look out for what’s coming! Oh by the way don't worry about your style, it
will come to you. Mine did!

Junk Car and Truck Series

January 25th, 2019

Junk Car and Truck Series

Introducing my new “junk car” illustration series. I have always enjoyed old vintage car photographs. Especially, the 1940’s and 50’s black and white photographs of vintage cars and trucks. When I was a boy, growing up in Indiana, we lived nearby a car junkyard, and I spent many hours playing around those fantastic rusting heaps. If we were lucky a car or two would still have the steering wheel and seats. Hours of racing in the Indianapolis 500 race way!

My imagination was filled with solving the mystery of why these old cars were there. Who owned them, what adventures did these cars endure?
Now all grown up maybe these old cars stand as a metaphor for our lives? As we grow old, and reflect back on our own lives. We were proud, and honorable in service to our families and society. Just like these vintage cars!

Using various photographs, I “junk” the cars up. Adding rust, and broken windows, but still attempting to keep the proud essence when new.
Abandoned and forgotten, but not lost, resting in wooded areas and fields, around the world. Weathered, and worn, resisting time, representing man’s
mobile achievements.

 

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