Centering On Action

So I noticed my website wasn't centered on our laptop. So I centered it.

I'm in the process of revamping my site, as always, doing it myself on my built-from-scratch site. Mostly I'm modifying the layout and navigation, but some content too, like yesterday with the "About Me" page. Today, I realized that my site is informative. That's great. But it doesn't have what they term a "call to action".

Apparently sales sites are supposed to lead the visitor to action. Who knew? Like, I'm supposed to show people where to go and what to do to buy my work? Sheesh.

So I'm working on it. I've got an idea for the homepage that'll hopefully be more clear but not too pushy/hard-sell-y/commercially. My friends at the Brentwood Art Center made bumper stickers that said "Buy Art Now!" I don't want to be that transparently blunt, but I want that to be the main option. Secondarily the focus'll be on my email newsletter and this blog, to keep people interested if they aren't going to buy a piece right away.

I think that's the strategy, right?

Peace.

About Me

Well I did it. I painted Jeff Buckley. This is the 1st time I apologized to a record before painting on it. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy with the piece and will gladly hang it on our wall. But this was a rare record, "Grace". I'd never seen it for less than $50 before.

This means I'm getting somewhere. This means I'm pushing the boundaries, getting out of my comfort zone with different aspects of my business. I've also reworked my "About" page into a Q&A bio. That certainly made me uncomfortable. Before, I figured I'd talked enough about myself here in my blog. But I realized it can be overwhelming and people expect a bio page.

If there are any questions that I didn't answer there that you'd be curious about, please don't hesistate to ask. I really don't know what'd interest people about myself.

Peace.

Plans For Vinyl Art

Above the couch next to a guitar, perfect! These are the blues trio that Ryan commissioned. I've posted a few other pieces as they hang. I love seeing them on other people's walls. From the beginning it's interested me to know how people decide where to put them. I even started a discussion on my Facebook fan page so people can chime in.

Ryan got excited about my work on Twitter and since he'd already gotten his print from Hugh MacLeod he decided to put more art in his new office. This makes sense, buying my art during a move or remodel, so the space can be planned or laid out with the art in mind.

I've just gotten a very exciting opportunity that hopefully will lead to a whole bunch more additions of my work to offices and media rooms. I'll be letting you know about it as soon as I get confirmation.

Peace.

Represent! Recognize!

I'm trying to figure out which one piece of mine best represents what I do quickly. I mean which one would the most people look at and go, hey yeah! that's... and then think it's the coolest thing they've ever seen, the fastest.

I've learned from people's responses, people's questions, that my work has a bunch of stages to get past in people's perception and assumptions before they get to "I want one". It's tough when what you're doing is different from what people're used to, but also not completely unknown at the same time. Most people seeing my work know what a record is, they know what a painting is, and they often know iconic musicians on sight. But put that all together and recognizing what they're looking at can get confusing. They have to see who it is, that it's a record, that it's handpainted, that it's handpainted ON the record, that it's handpainted on the record by who it is, and then they ask the question "Can you do...?"

Yes. Yes I can, as long as vinyl pressings of their recordings exist.

Peace.

Voices You Love Or Hate

I am extremely picky about voice. Back as a teen, the singer was always a deal breaker for me. That's why I listened more to groups that harmonized, like CSNY or The Beatles or Jefferson Airplane. There were those like Peter Gabriel or Midnight Oil or The The who were decidedly unique that I loved. Then there were those that I hated. I never could get into Rush simply because of Geddy's voice.

So here are a few that I've found people either go crazy over or can't stand, starting with Beck. For me, it works. His voice compliments his musical style, lo fi. His voice is lo fi. I love it as an additional instrument in his wacky arsenal.

Next is Thom Yorke of Radiohead. I've never been a huge fan. And, yes, you could say I hate his voice. Sorry. I've grown to respect it, and the band's music is innovative and intellectually intriguing, but I usually pass on listening.

Dave Mustaine of Megadeth has a far more captivating voice than Hetfield from Metallica, I think. When he gets all weird and metallic sounding, I love it. It works so well with their music. Kind of like Axl when Guns 'n' Roses first hit it big.

Jonathan Davis of Korn. God awful, to be honest. His voice works because their music is god awful. But it works. So again, I hate his voice but do respect it.

Iggy Pop has one of those weird voices, like Lou Reed. Just weird. I love Reed's because his music is so powerful, raw. Iggy's I frankly have never gotten into, and as of now at least, I have to say I can't stand his voice.

I am extremely grateful to Gilmour and Gabriel for both supporting Kate Bush early on. I love their voices for sure, though you can be luke-warm about them. With Bush, you can't. Again it's how it works into her music that makes me love her voice, soft and grating at the same moment somehow.

These are just a few. Ones I've done paintings of I love. My paintings can be like voices, some I either love or never want to see again, but some are just so-so.

What singers would you add to my short list and do you love them or hate them?

Peace.