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Peter Loft

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Posted
In acrylics, which paintings sell the most. Landscapes or animals.. cheers peterallan
michael

Michael Edwards

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I think the question could apply to all mediums - having said that I guess there is no evidence based answer . I can't respond to animal paintings where I think there will be a steady, albeit limited, call but from my own experience the call for landscapes (and here I include my own village scenes) has dropped off over the last 12 months - only 3 commissions so far this year compared with 12 last year. . In fact it seems to me that the call for most of the more traditional work such as we see here on POL all the time is now becoming dated as far as buyers are concerned. For this reason I am now getting more and more involved in abstracts which (fingers crossed) seem to be taking off - for me at least. Not that I'll ever give up my watercolours !!!
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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There's a steady demand for animal paintings - of pets, for instance. And the perpetual tigers ... but is that what you want to do? In my case, no. Landscapes are probably somewhat out of fashion, abstracts might be in - who knows, frankly? I think it depends where you are, and whether you can persuade a gallery to take you on; if they specialize in what you want to paint, they'll have a name (if they succeed at all) for that kind of painting: and that, therefore, is where you need to be. I haven't much interest in abstracts, and so my own sales are low. But there we are: one day, they may come back - one might of course be dead by then..... But if you paint according to what you know (or hope) will sell, and for that reason only, in the hope the income will liberate you for your "real work", the chances are you'll never get around to doing that real work. So - is it worth it? Landscape artists are selling - maybe not so many as they did, but they're selling nonetheless. Perhaps the answer lies in better marketing.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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I think that's the best argument against plein air painting I can think of! The last thing I'd want to do is paint some passing stranger's girlfriend, boyfriend, or dog - although I imagine a mention of the price might put them off a bit.... As to the townie vs. country-dweller question above - I doubt it's that clear-cut: people's motives for buying a painting are so different, so unpredictable, that they constantly take you by surprise wherever they come from. If anything, I would imagine that a town-dweller might prefer landscape paintings - because a lot of them don't live in towns by choice, but because that's where the work is: a verdant view in their living room might cheer 'em up a little as they face trudging into the office on a Monday morning. I have a bit of a down on tiger paintings - tigers and lions feature so often in exhibitions, often very well painted: but it doesn't seem to me that the world really needs yet another big cat painting; they're ubiquitous, though.... What's wrong with a nice warthog? Or skunk? A lovingly painted crocodile, smiling invitingly at one? If only there were as many tigers actually living in the wild as there are on artists' canvases.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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I mourn the possibility that, however hard it tries, a warthog can never be cute.
michael

Michael Edwards

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Unless you're another warthog Robert - but I guess you're not.

Amanda Bates

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Posted
As someone who lives in a pretty village in the shadow of a famous hill BUT who is in the process of painting a fifth of a serious exhibition inspired by a specific town, I say that townscapes are a perfectly good subject! The town in question is not known for its beauty. Mostly it is known for its roundabouts, but... you know something? I haven't actually painted a roundabout yet. I probaby won't, because I'm in danger of painting too much. Yes, Basingstoke is, after all, rather an interesting town... who'd have thought it? I still like rural landscapes, of course. And seascapes. They sell quite well. I like animals in landcapes. But I don't especially like the sort of pet portrait that has a vague nondescript background; animal in a vacuum? Poor Laika.