Today I finished the small group of paintings made specifically for display locally and, hopefully, for sale. There are people who say you shouldn’t ever make work just to make some money (or “sell-out”, as they prefer), but those are generally people who don’t have to worry about money. They change their tune when they get older or when the money runs out. Then they’re ready to stop painting pussies and throw a few lighthouses or dog portraits into the mix.
My hope is that when I’m doing this I can still manage to retain part of myself in the painfully safe and redundant imagery that one generally uses under these circumstances. It should be noted that I don’t necessarily think badly of people who like this kind of work. I’m painting some tropical flowers for my mom, as per her request, and I don’t do so begrudgingly or harboring some resentment because she doesn’t like me “real” work. It’s okay. Really. It’s just not what I want, it’s not what excites me.
In this particular instance, I focused on circus animals.
