Why I Paint

People often ask me why I paint and why I sell my paintings at such good prices.

So many reasons!

I paint because I love to have paintings around me and on my walls that give me pleasure. It may be a quiet kind of warm familiarity and love. It may be a leap of joy. Always it’s about having colours and impressions that make me feel good.

And the whole process of painting fascinates and obsesses me too. The feel of the paint – so varied depending on what I’m using and how I’ve mixed it and of course how I’m applying it. I use all kinds of different brushes and palette knives and often my fingers too.

It’s so exciting seeing how it takes shape on the canvas or paper. I could write lots about this (and no doubt will!!)

Then I discovered that other people sometimes loved my paintings too. I went with the conventional thinking then that paintings sold in art galleries and so I started showing my work in galleries. I’d paint and sell two or three a year for a few hundred each. Writing was my day job so it was a nice extra whenever one sold.

But a few years back one of my lovely two main gallerists died and the other moved. My paintings began to stack up – I had so much going on in my life at that time that I couldn’t face approaching new galleries.

And then I listed some paintings on line and to my surprise – as this was a new way of selling for me - all the backlog sold and soon I found myself painting and painting to my heart’s content.

So now, as well as the joy of painting itself (I love working with real gorgeous paint!) and seeing my paintings around me, I have the great pleasure of passing on the happiness to anyone who falls for one of my paintings. My work goes all over the UK and around the world too – just last month three sold to buyers in Spain.

It’s exciting and satisfying and inspires me to paint, and I paint as often as I can – most days usually.

I love it when a painting sings. I love it when a painting gives someone else pleasure.

I have the loveliest buyers and collectors who are so generous with their appreciation. They make my heart sing too.

I love the fact that my paintings are affordable so that anyone who likes one can make it theirs.

I’m always happy too when a gallery buys one or some of my paintings and makes a good profit – that’s fine by me. And I also sell a few of the very big ones for higher prices - it all helps me keep my smallholding and tribe of rescue ponies going.

But still a lot of artists think I’m mad. But they subscribe to the million dollar stuffed shark art market. I love my new way. There’s no hanging around for months to wait for galleries to pay and I love being in direct touch with my buyers and collectors.

And there are now some truly great artists selling online and affordably so I’m in good company.

So I am glad to stand up for the right to sell my work affordably for those – like me – who want happiness in colour on their walls – a unique painting.

Real paint. Originality. Yey!

With love and light, Jenny