1st 11 Art Article by Silvia Hartmann

August 1st, 2006

So, I want to be an artist in my next in-life incarnation.

As I don't believe in "starving artists", that entails having eventually painting in galleries, and also to sell them for a decent amount of money, as well as "gaining recognition" as an artist.

I'm completely serious about this and look upon it as something to do, something to learn to do, much like I've learned how to SEO a web page so it gets to be No.1 on Google if that should be desired for a certain set of keywords.

Apart from practise and thought on the topic, there is the step that in my requirements for being an artist, you have to *sell* your work.

That means that folk are willing to take their hard earned cash and they *give* it to you in exchange for an original work of art, which is an amazing thing, if you think about it, and on every level.

In a way, when you first start out anywhere or with anything, it is difficult to see a pathway from being an aspiring nobody to being a successful someone in the context. It often seems to be like a snake that bites its own tail or a Catch 22 - in order to get a job as an actor, you need to be in the Actor's union - but they won't give you a job UNTIL you're employed as an actor somewhere - only no-one will employ you UNTIL you're a member of the union.

As an artist, you need to get folk to pay for your paintings - but they won't until the paintings are exhibited by galleries, and the galleries won't exhibit you until you've sold your paintings.

So how do you get in there?

I've learned over the years that you just need to start somewhere, with something small, just to get "in there" and pick up the strands and flavours, the tides of unfoldments in the field.

It's like in MindMillion - the "Nothing Principle".

If you have SOMEthing, you can build on it. It's there, and it is real.

This is a dual energy-hard event, as well.

In this case, I want to move into the "selling paintings for money" zone of the whole artist field. Once I'm in there, I can improve and move forward from there.

After much consideration as to how to achieve this first step, I remembered the first "books" I made and sold - they were little stapled booklets on dog care for my dog obedience school, way back when.
That was the first step to my publishing company, which, although not a global empire yet, registered for VAT this year and supplies all the Amazons and ships worldwide.

So, and taking this idea across to the paintings, how can we get started here?

With something that is a) here; b) simple; c) easy; d) available; and e) which will provide at least a measure of success so we can build on that.

I came up with the idea of choosing some of the small abstract oil paintings, having them framed really nicely and professionally, and selling them, complete with a certificate of authenticity, for a very reasonable amount of money to get the ball rolling.

I would also number them, name and sign them, just like a "real artist" would who absolutely expects to sell these, and many more to come.

I talked it through with Nicola and we felt the idea was sound, so today I went ahead to choose the paintings for this series and take them to the framer's.

There were quite a few but in the end, I had made my choice.
"I wonder how many there are?" I thought and counted them.

There were 11 - and the instant I saw that, I had a HUGE, and I mean HUGE, thing happen all across my energy system and I absolutely KNEW, without a shadow of a doubt, that these were ...

The 11 Mysterious Flying Eggs!

For those who don't know, 2 and 1/2 years ago I painted a symbol painting, depicting and thus, entitled, The 11 Mysterious Flying Eggs.

11 Mysterious Flying Eggs - Symbol Painting by StarFields, April 2004

11 Mysterious Flying Eggs by StarFields 2004

This is a big painting, 30 x 26 inches, and ever since I painted it, I had to have it around, up on the wall in a public space and we all asked ourselves, "WHAT are these? WHERE are they going? WHAT'S going on????"

I don't know how many times I looked at that and wondered about this and what it might be - 11 dwarves? 11 knights? 11 days in January?!

It could have been absolutely anything, but today I KNOW what it is - it's the 11 small abstract oil paintings that will be sold and go on their way when they come back from the framer's next Thursday.

Man, I work in AMAZING ways!

I *love* it when something like that happens. And in my life, luckily it happens quite a bit. But seriously, that is because I listen and I try to understand, and I really do try to act in accord.

It was GREAT going to the framer's with the paintings, already a step towards being a "real artist". The lady asked if I was doing an exhibition, and I said, "No, they're going to be sold." upon which she nodded and accepted that. Later she commented on their texture (!), and how bright and lively they were, which was also nice, but I think she says that to all her customers <g>.

I even remembered to build in the lessons from MM and the 60s - I asked her for a discount, seeing there were 11 of them, and then asked for (and got) a best price, as well. Wow! Art and commerce in beautiful harmony.

So! I've decided that I wanted £25 each for the paintings, and the frames go on top of that, whatever they cost. As it was, they turned out to be £28.50 each. A shame really because that put the paintings above the $100/E 100 threshold, but still affordable and reasonable, I would have thought. Later on, there were other expenses I hadn't reckoned with, such as the payments to the photographer, graphic artist, web designer, technicians to put in the payment system - it was shocking how many different aspects were involved to get to the point where one could sell a simple painting for which the artist got £25 each! The final price was a staggering £110.74. I looked at that and laughed and said, "Well then, the 1st 11 might as well cost £111 each!" Does the universe of numbers have a sense of humour? Who's to say?

Will an original painting from the "Hartmann 1st Series of 11" prove to be a marvellous investment in the art market?

I've no idea and I can't promise that. I'm just excited and I hope my 11 little friends will find a good home somewhere, and that will all sell eventually.

Then that first foothold in the reality of being a real artist has been established, and we can go from there, wherever it may be.

A lovely interlacement of the levels at work, and very enjoyable, on my part, on every level.

Cool!

SFX

PS: This is the list of the "1st 11". You can buy one for £111.00 (UK Only, sorry). A bargain!

No.1 - Dark Ocean