Getting My Pink On or Love Is In The Air

In my quest to actually make a living at painting, I have become more mindful of the passing seasons and perceived customer desires. To this end I identified an upcoming holiday as a topic of interest; Valentines Day. So I should paint everything pink, right? Maybe. It's not as easy as it looks.

First I tried adding pink to a watercolor as I worked. Which produced a somewhat subtle effect. The painting is unfinished in this photo, but still, you can see the pink will have a low impact.

 Then I tried painting the pink first.

Then I tried a combination of before, during, and after. (Another unfinished painting - needs some final details and punching up). 

Being slavishly commercial and superficial is not easy. Maybe I'm not cut out to be anything other than “deep and meaningful”.

Then I tried a “love” topic that fit with the current landscape outside my window, a mailbox with snow. It does frequently snow during February, and it allowed me to use my favorite fix it technique which is just add snow on top of everything (not so easy for summerscapes, but works for everything else). I didn't even try to add pink, but the topic was a zinger. A letterbox? Hello, a valentine card maybe? I will likely do several versions and work this up, maybe even Photoshop it a bit. (I think one is actually finished, just needs a signature.)

Now, I am back to the content issue, the fly in the ointment, or in my case, paint. How many times can I paint a mailbox and still mean it? Hopper painted a lighthouse and got away with it, because he aimed at it straight and true, no seagulls, no smarmy fisherman in rain gear, no attempt to make the blue sky a little prettier. Given that my quest here is to sell pictures, adding those seagulls, one at 1:00 and another at 2:00 is part of the game. Or is it? I'm not very good at selling my soul, though I can put soul in everything I do. Can I have it both ways? That little bit of meaning tends to sneak it's way in the door, regardless of what I paint, or my intent. It transcends and connects on a deep very deep level, beneath those seagulls and I want to believe it will also sell paintings.

See Part II of Getting My Pink On (coming soon!) for more detail on technical side of the hue of pink/red and its uses.