TO PRICE OR NOT TO PRICE?

I have been struggling with a common artist dilemma for years.  When I had my website converted from Microsoft Office Live to WordPress, I did not indicate the prices of my paintings.  People would contact me through email if they are interested in a piece.

About a year ago, I received advice from an artist who successfully sells her art through her website.  I carefully considered it and decided to have a "store" created within my website where one can buy my art and pay through PayPal.  Unfortunately, not one has purchased anything from my site except my husband who was just testing if the process actually works.  It does!  But so far, my sales, though slow and few, have been made through my studio - not the website.

I started wondering.  Does indicating the price cheapen my art?  I thought it would save a prospective buyer time to know how much a piece costs.  My prices are lower than most in the area; so does this give the buyer the message that my art is not good enough?  Was it a mistake to indicate the prices in my website?  Should I get rid of them?

Any suggestions?  Thoughts?      

Family Visit and Painting

We had a wonderful visit from my family the week of April 15 - a lot of eating, drinking, and endless chatting.  I thought my husband would get overwhelmed but he was a real trooper - bless his heart!

My painting was put on hold but I made a lot of progress with the three pieces I was working on the week before.  It takes me a while to decide when to stop working on a painting.  A former art teacher said, "One of the most difficult things for an artist is to know when to stop working on a painting."  One piece is near completion - it is a landscape on a 30" x 40" gallery canvas.  I am quite pleased with the colors I've used and I've already signed it (?) but it needs a few more finishing touches.  I will post a photo when it is ready.

No Apologies - a slideshow of my art

I just created the above video.  Why No Apologies?  My styles and themes are so varied that people say my art portfolio looks like a group exhibition.  Most galleries show artists with a common theme and a consistent style.  I prefer to paint what I feel and sometimes challenge myself to try a genre I haven't done in the past.  The common threads that bind my art are the vivid colors and a "need to convey a mood or tell a story".      

Two more recent paintings

Early light was based on a magazine photo which inspired me to paint it with the subtle colors of a hazy, cold, morning just starting to get lit up by the sun.

Early Light

Flaming Lava was the piece I did during a knife-painting class in Honolulu with Ed Furuike.  I chose the model from one of Ed's magazine photos and bravely started what I have never done before, with his guidance and help.  Then he suggested that I add a white bird to the scene.  When there is a volcanic eruption, Hawaiian legend says the lone white bird is Pele which travels alone and is protective of its domain.  The photo doesn't do justice to the actual colors and the textures in the painting.  I am really pleased!

Flaming Lava