Small Jobs - Wedding/Anniversary Portraits: How do you differentiate between the various types of artwork you do?

I've always made artwork for friends and family. Last summer was my parents' 25th anniversary and I made them a painting as a surprise. I also attended one of my friend's weddings and painted a portrait, and this summer I will be going to another friend's wedding - I'm in the middle of painting their portrait. I've never charged for any of these paintings, I mainly give them as gifts but I've been thinking of possible small jobs to supplement my income lately and this seems like a viable option. The Reno community is great at supporting local artists and I've already looked into a couple vendor opportunities. In our BFA/MFA Intermedia course we've been discussing the role of the artist outside of the studio and academia, specifically how to be an artist and the different ways you can approach being an artist in the real world. In thinking about these wedding/anniversary portraits I can't help but think about who my audience is, it's obviously not a gallery or the museum - it would be the average person. Does that mean I'll be compared to the business practices of Thomas Kinkade (on a much smaller scale)? If I pursue this, how do I find the line between commercial paintings and paintings that are more for 'fine art' settings?

BFA Seminar Publication Documentation

Found these gems while uploading images, I forgot to send them to all the BFA students last year so I'll put them on here so whoever wants to save them can!

 

 

Insight Magazine Illustration - Uncertainty 8 x 11" Watercolor

 

I work for UNR Insight Magazine on campus as an illustrator, it's an awesome way to get work published and get involved with school publications. I've included this on my blog to show other work I've been doing besides my BFA paintings.

 

This illustration is inspired by "pre-graduation sadness," I've been talking with a lot of my friends who are about to graduate this May and we all seem to have this sense of dread that accompanies graduation. The question "now what" is like a big wave that was looming in the distance and is now suddenly upon us. I've been assured by my professors and parents that this is perfectly normal, but it sure doesn't feel like it - wasn't I supposed to find out what I'm supposed to do in college? 

 

This is what the gist of the article is going to be about, the next issue will be coming out at the end of this month! 

Twitter Consumption; Stromae - Carmen

Inge shared this video with me on Wednesday, really awesome Belgian singer and the illustration is amazing - captures everything I'm moving towards in my work and research. One of the comments during my last show was that because I'm painting people that I know, the paintings come off as more polite than when I explain them in person (critiques, oral defense, etc.). I want to get more obvious and project more feeling in my work. This video is pretty explicit in depicting hostile feelings towards mobile technology in relation to consumerism, it's a great example and stepping stone for helping me get to where I want to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKftOH54iNU

Enjoy!