Self Portrait - AS level art exam piece

hi lauren,thirty six years ago i had the chance of going to art college and my dad wanted me to go but it was me who wanted to get a job, now i wished i,d listened to my dad...chris,p.s your picture is great..

Hello Lauren, (I'm not going to say how many years ago). I was told by the teacher at college - studying shorthand and typing - second subject art to pursue a career in art. Teachers also told my mother and father at school to get A level art. I didn't want to know. There are many of us on this site who have picked up the paintbrush again after many years and realise we still have the talent. Just think how good we might have been if we had just carried on or NOT. Some of us have managed to sell paintings. You are young - you can put yourself out approach art shops, galleries where they display and sell art. Maybe you can have your own exhibition. Look at other artwork on the site. All I can say is follow your dream if that is what you want to do. This is a lovely piece of artwork you have displayed here and I can see you have talent. Excellent Best wishes Jeannette

Hi Lauren, your work is very good and you obviously have a great talent - so don't give it up! Try to get into as many local open exhibitions as you can, because these do attract gallery owners looking for new talent. Also, try to help steward these events if possible - then you can hear comments made about your work (good and bad). Just remember not to take any "knockbacks" to heart, your talent will shine through in the end!!

Hi Lauren, you have a talent that could set you up for life.....I have always enjoyed painting, but like so many others I was led down another path in the belief that you couldn't get on if you spent your time drawing pictures. In my experience, if you are creative it will always be with you and at some point you have to follow your heart. It's a "god given" gift. Don't waste it. Now, 40yrs later I am starting to follow my heart and have taken up the brush again, my ambition is to sell a few paintings ( hopefully lots!) but most of all ,I'd love to get a painting in the National Portrait Gallery. I've been brave and entered one this year, no expectations of success, but if you don't try you've got no chance! Why not give yourself a couple of years, enter everything, set up a market stall, visit art galleries etc., then you can decide wether to make a career as an artist, or to enjoy art as a hobby. Very best of luck to you!

Go for it Lauren, I have no advice experience of selling art - yet unfortunately but the way you have captured the expression in the eyes tells me you are on the right path. As with others here I have just picked up the brushes after 36 years of working I've learnt a lot about life in that time and know that dreams unfulfilled are for people of my age - not yours.

What a lovely painting Lauren. You certainly can paint. Please don't give up. Follow your dream.I have no experience on selling either but I think you have just got to keep putting yourself out there as the others say. Good luck, let us see some more of your work.

Lauren, this is a really good painting. You must carry on! If you haven't done already, I'd start putting together a portfolio of your work (photographs), so its easy to carry around to galleries. Definitely look at open competitions, as suggested by Shayne earlier, and competitions. The January 2008 issue of The Artist magazine has a feature on Open Competitions, sending in days etc. so could be worth a look? You can buy this via the 'Store' area of this site. Are you doing any kind of art course - foundation or a degree? Doing something like this will build your confidence, and help you to formulate your practice. Good luck - let us know how you get on!

Thank you all for taking the time to write such lovely comments. They are all greatly appreciated. (I can’t emphasise enough how encouraging it is to hear I’m not wasting my time with art) I’ve been looking through everyone’s galleries and I’m shocked by the talent on this site. Everybody is so gifted – which makes getting comments even more rewarding.

A really lovely piece of work Lauren - I love the whole thing - the realistic skin tones - the expression in your face - the eyes are fantastic - you may have noticed that I make a feature of eyes on much of my stuff. re art as a career -if I had my time over again I would ignore the "advice" I was given -approaching the end of grammar school we had the usual talk with the LEA careers officer - I told him I wanted to go to art college - he dismissed the idea out of hand and said that as I liked drawing he had fixed me up with an interview at a local factory to become an apprentice draughtsman - designing & drawing plans for machine parts - stuck that for a few years - did many other things before coming back to the thing I love - creating pictures which tell a story - yours do the same and you are young enough to really go for it - Oh, and thank you very much for the comments on my painting - I'll have a similar one on here in a couple of days - Trevor

Hi Lauren. It is difficult for parents when a child wants to paint - because they know how hard it can be to make a living. However you are obviously very talented and art college would enable you to experiment and discover your own style. I have worked as a freelance artist for quite a few years now and I have had to go down two paths, one is working on commissions - mainly doing portraits etc ( I guess what you would call bread and butter money) and now I am starting to branch off and do my own thing. I have also done some secretarial work from time to time when money is tight. It isn't a bad thing to have something to fall back on, just try and keep sight on what you really love!

Love your gallery. For what it is worth. I spent the first 50 years of my life pleasing everyone else...Parents, Grand Parents, Teachers, Lecturers, Bank managers, College Principals, etc. I subjugated my desires and aspirations and raised a family to young adults. I then started to please no one but myself (and The Memsahib, AKA my wife). I moved to a lower-powered employment and now into FT retirement, now aged 62. My vision is in gradual decline, my spine precludes standing for too long etc. I have now just recently returned to painting, Art was my all-time favorite school subject. I wish I could find that flame and confidence in my paintings that I had then. So IF I had the time over again I would investigated a career in art and myself. A parent only wants a child to do well and above all be happy.

Hi Lauren. Thank you for looking in my gallery. From MY Blog You are the young lady I crashed out at. My advice for what it's is worth. I spent the first 50 years of my life pleasing everyone else, parents, grandparents, teachers, college lecturers, college principals, wife & children, bank manager etc. Finally I could not stand it any longer and took a less stressful job and after a further ten years I finally retired. I built a studio/office out in the garden and started painting more seriously. I had not painted since leaving senior school some 45 years ago. Art was then my favorite escape. Now due to glaucoma I only have a small field of vision and work with close-up glasses only. Wear & tear on weak spine precludes standing at an easel. Any painting is an effort, my horizons are very limited. So do a deal with your parents..Follow your dream. Go to art school you appear to have a great talent...If it does not work out you would still be young enough to retrain for a new direction. As a parent/grandparent I'm happy that they all have followed their dreams and not the will of others...Good luck and keep in touch.