Wins·Karen Wessel·17h

my sister-in-law's friend asked me months ago if I could paint her parents' lake cabin for their anniversary. I kept putting it off because the pressure of doing something for someone else, someone paying me, felt so much heavier than painting for myself. finally got it done this week and mailed it out this morning. I'm not sure how it landed honestly. I kept second guessing the colors, the angle I chose, whether it even looked like the place. but it's gone now so it's out of my hands. she paid me $200 which felt like both a lot and not nearly enough at the same time. told myself I'd use it to buy better brushes but I'll probably just spend it on the kids 😅 anyone else get weirdly nervous about commissions or is it just me

Wins·Karen Wessel·1d

I had this little still life of a mason jar with some wildflowers I picked on a walk. Simple thing. But I couldn't get the glass right, the light was bouncing weird, the stems looked like they were floating in there instead of sitting in water. I scraped it down twice, walked away from it for a month, came back and scraped it down a third time. At some point I just wanted it out of my sight so I stuck it in the "we'll see" pile under my table at the local fall fair, priced at $25 because I felt weird charging more for something I'd hated half the time. A woman walked by, stopped, came back. She said it looked like the kitchen window at her grandmother's house. She teared up a little. I almost teared up a little. She paid $25 and I felt like I was robbing her. Still not sure I nailed the glass. But I guess that's not the point.

Studio Life·Karen Wessel·2d

Spent a good chunk of yesterday afternoon reorganizing all my acrylics by color family instead of the chaotic system of "whatever shelf had room." Looked so satisfying. Took a picture. Felt very accomplished. Today I needed my raw umber and I stood there for a solid 30 seconds staring at this neat rainbow of bottles like I'd never seen paint before in my life. Could have grabbed it in 2 seconds from the old pile. My 8 year old said "so you made it worse" and honestly she might be right. Anyone else's attempts at organization backfire this badly or is it just me?

Pricing·Karen Wessel·4d

I took a commission back in February for a 16x20 landscape, a friend of a friend wanted a specific view from their vacation photos. I quoted $200 which is usually fair for that size and my level. What I didn't account for was the two weeks I spent staring at those reference photos, trying to figure out how to handle the lighting, sketching thumbnails in my head while I was folding laundry, completely rethinking the composition twice before I even touched a brush. By the time I actually started painting I had probably put in 6-8 hours of just... mental labor. And I didn't charge for any of it. Finished it in about 10 hours of actual painting time so the math works out to like $12/hour before supplies. I know you can't really bill for "thinking about it" but also, that was work, you know? It was work. I'm trying to figure out how to price differently next time without feeling like I'm nickel-and-diming someone. Maybe just raise the flat rate enough to cover it and stop overthinking.

Studio Life·Karen Wessel·5d

I was working on a small still life on Sunday, just pears, nothing fancy, and my 11yo wandered through the kitchen, glanced at it, and said "that's fine, mom." Fine. Not good, not bad, just fine. And I know that's a kid being a kid, he didn't mean anything by it, but man it's stuck with me. I think because I've been in a rut lately where everything I finish feels just... fine. Competent but flat. Like I hit the technical notes but there's no spark. And hearing it out loud from somebody who wasn't even trying to critique me just kind of confirmed it. Anyway I moved the pears around and repainted the background last night and I think it helped. We'll see if he upgrades me to "pretty good" this weekend lol.

Gallery Outreach·Karen Wessel·6d

I had a local gallery interested in showing a few pieces and I was so excited until they mentioned I'd need to provide all the framing and they'd take 50%. No framing budget, no help, just "bring them ready to hang." Is that standard and I'm naive, or is that a sign they're not really invested? I've only done fairs and coffee shop walls so I genuinely don't know what's normal. What's the line between "that's just how it works" and "run"?

Rants & Vents·Karen Wessel·1w

I had a booth at a local craft fair Saturday and a woman picked up one of my acrylic landscapes, looked at it for a good minute, and said "oh this is nice, I could probably do this with my daughter's $5 watercolor set." And I just stood there like... okay. So do it then? I'd love to see you mix titanium white into a puddle of Crayola paint and get that kind of coverage on canvas. Please. Film it. I didn't say any of that of course. I smiled and said "you should give it a try, it's really relaxing!" and she moved on. My husband said I was too nice and I probably was but also what's the point. People who think art supplies are all the same are not people you're going to convince in one conversation at a folding table. Still felt like packing up my easel and going home though.

Marketing & Social·Karen Wessel·1w

Had someone at a craft fair last weekend tell me I'm underselling myself. Very nice lady, bought a small 8x10 of a barn scene, paid $65. Then she stood there and told me I should be charging triple for everything because my work is "gallery quality." And I'm thinking... you just paid $65. You're not wrong exactly, but also you're not the one sitting at a table for six hours hoping to cover the booth fee. I've slowly raised prices over the last couple years. A 16x20 that was $150 in 2022 is $225 now. And I do get that people who love to give pricing advice usually mean well. But the ones who actually pay are the ones who tell me "I love this but can you do $50?" and I have to decide if I want to eat the loss or let it walk. There's a sweet spot somewhere between "paying myself $3 an hour" and "pricing myself into an empty booth." I haven't nailed it. Anyone else feel like pricing is the hardest thing to get right, no matter how good the work gets?

Rants & Vents·Karen Wessel·1w

I was at a local craft fair last weekend, had a small table with some of my landscape paintings. Nothing fancy, just trying to sell a few and maybe get some commission interest. This woman comes up with her daughter, spends a good minute looking at this painting I did of a marsh at sunset, it's one I was actually proud of, the light came out right for once. She says "oh that's lovely" and I'm thinking oh cool. Then she turns to her daughter and goes "see, you could do that, couldn't you sweetie? with your little watercolor set?" I just smiled and said "she should definitely keep painting" because what else are you gonna say. But man. That one stung more than it should have. I spent like 12 hours on that painting. My 11 year old asked me why I looked grumpy when we got home and I didn't even know how to explain it without sounding ridiculous.

Studio Life·Karen Wessel·1w

There's this old oversized button-down of my husband's that I grabbed one day to keep paint off my clothes and now it lives on the back of my studio chair and I literally won't paint without it. It's got a dried smear of burnt umber on the collar from like six months ago and that's just part of the uniform now. My 8-year-old calls it my "painting costume" which honestly is not wrong. I didn't mean to have a ritual. But apparently I do.

Gallery Outreach·Karen Wessel·2w

Got approached by a small local gallery recently, really liked the space, seemed legit. Then they sent the contract and there was a line about me covering the cost of the opening reception, drinks, snacks, etc. I've heard of artist paying for their own prints or whatever but this one caught me off guard. I passed on it but now I'm wondering if that's more normal than I think? Has anyone else run into this? Did you pay it or walk?

Studio Life·Karen Wessel·2w

I was digging through the closet looking for my good brushes, the ones I hide from the kids, and I pulled out this canvas I'd completely forgotten about. A little barn scene I started in a workshop back in 2021 and then gave up on because I couldn't get the shadows right on the roof. I sat there holding it for a minute, and I could see exactly what I was doing wrong back then. So I mixed up some Payne's grey and burnt umber and fixed it in about ten minutes. Ten minutes! Three years of sitting in a dark closet and it just needed a little patience and a better eye. Felt weirdly nice. Like giving past-me a hand. Anyone else ever rescue an old abandoned piece?

Artwork Feedback·Karen Wessel·2w

I found this half-full jar of Liquitex gesso in a bin yesterday. I swear I bought it before my youngest was born. The top was crusted shut, I had to run it under hot water to get it open. Inside it's separated and a little watery on top, but I stirred it and it seemed okay? I prepped a small canvas with it just to see what happens. It feels a bit thinner than I remember but it's drying fine. Am I going to give myself some kind of mold situation or is gesso basically immortal? I hate throwing art supplies out but I also hate painting on something that's going to fail six months from now.

General·Karen Wessel·2w

My favorite flat brush, a Princeton Catalyst I bought at a workshop two years ago, the one I was so precious with I'd wash it twice and never let it sit in the water cup, finally shed a bristle today mid-stroke on a sky I was actually happy with. It stuck right in the middle of a cloud. I fished it out but the damage was done, both to the painting and my trust lol. I know brushes wear out, that's what they do. But I swear I've been so careful with this one. Meanwhile the cheap multipack brushes I bought on a whim at Michael's are all still perfectly intact. Makes me wonder if I should just stop getting attached to nice supplies and treat everything as disposable. But then I think about how that Catalyst felt in the hand, how it laid down a smooth wash... ugh. Anyway I guess I'm in the market for a new favorite brush. Anyone else ever have a tool breakup that stung more than it should?

General·Karen Wessel·2w

Was painting a pine stand this afternoon (trying to salvage a canvas I started two months ago and abandoned) and I grabbed a flat brush on a whim instead of my usual tiny round. And wow. One stroke and it actually looked like pine needles. Not a hundred fussy little lines that all run together. Just... one confident sweep that did the job. I've been doing landscapes since I picked painting back up and I never even questioned what I was grabbing. Just assumed smaller = more control = better. Turns out I was making everything twice as hard for no reason. Got me thinking what else I'm doing wrong out of pure habit. Anyone else have one of those "wait, THAT'S how you do it" moments way later than they'd like to admit?

Marketing & Social·Karen Wessel·2w

I've been fighting against reels for like two years now. Kept posting finished paintings, good photos, decent lighting, the whole thing. Getting maybe 40 likes and a sale every other month. Last week I was in a rush and just propped my phone up and filmed myself blocking in a sky for about 90 seconds. No editing, no music, just the sound of brush on canvas and me muttering "that's not gonna work" under my breath. Threw it up with a one-line caption. It's at 12k views. I got three commission inquiries. I don't know whether to be thrilled or annoyed that the thing that finally works is me looking like a mess in real time instead of the polished photos I spent actual hours on. But I guess I'm making more videos now.

Rants & Vents·Karen Wessel·3w

Signed up for a "Sunday afternoon landscape workshop" at the local community center. $65, reasonable. Show up and it's 1pm to 6pm. That's not an afternoon, that's a full work shift. I've got to pick up my 8 year old at 4:30. So I got to do the underpainting and then pack up while everyone else was adding their second layer. I asked if they ever do shorter versions and the instructor said "well, you really need the full time to develop the piece" like I hadn't just paid to develop about 40% of a piece. I get that you can't rush painting but also I have a life??? I'd pay the same $65 for a tight 2.5 hour session that actually fits into a Saturday.

Gallery Outreach·Karen Wessel·3w

Anyone else had a gallery go totally cold after acting super interested? I had one last year where the owner literally told me my landscapes were "exactly what we need" and then... nothing. I followed up twice, polite, just checking in, and got radio silence. Still not sure if I should have pushed harder or if that was my answer. What's your cutoff point? How many follow-ups before you take the hint and move on?

Studio Life·Karen Wessel·3w

I have this one flat brush, a no-name synthetic I picked up at a craft store for maybe $4 five years ago. The ferrule is a little loose and the bristles have a slight curve to them now. I own brushes that cost ten times as much and are objectively better in every way. And yet almost every painting I finish has that brush somewhere in the process. I think at this point it's muscle memory. I know exactly how much paint it holds, how it lays down a wash, how hard to press to get the exact edge I want. A new brush would be sharper and cleaner and probably better. But I don't want to break in another one. My husband doesn't get it. He keeps saying just buy a new one, it's four dollars. But it's not about the money. It's about the fact that this specific brush has been in my hand for every painting I've made since I came back to this. I'm not sentimental about much but I guess I am about this.

General·Karen Wessel·3w

I've been painting seriously again for about six years now, and I still keep ending up with the same brand of paint I started with. I've tried the fancy ones at workshops, bought a couple tubes of stuff that cost $12 each, and I always go back to the $4 tubes from Michaels. Maybe it's just what I learned on and I'm used to the consistency. Or maybe I'm telling myself it doesn't matter to justify being cheap, ha. But honestly I got a tube of something nice at a workshop last spring and it dried out weird and I was annoyed. So I'm back to my usual. Anyone else stuck on a brand they probably should have outgrown by now?

Artwork Feedback·Karen Wessel·4w

Working on a little 8x10 of a pear on a blue cloth for a craft fair submission this weekend. It's my third painting this week and I think I cooked it. The highlights on the pear started out nice and soft and I kept messing with them and now it looks like it's made of plastic. The cloth is okay but the whole thing just feels... tight. Like I sucked the life out of it by trying too hard. I know the answer is probably "put the brush down and walk away" but has anyone actually gotten better at knowing when a piece is done? Or is it always this guessing game of is it finished or did I just ruin it?

Studio Life·Karen Wessel·4w

Started a new still life tonight after the kids finally went to bed. Got all my supplies out on the kitchen table, got my palette set up, got maybe 20 minutes into blocking in the background and realized I forgot to pack my son's lunch for tomorrow. So I had to stop, wipe my hands, make a sandwich, put the grapes in the little container he'll complain about anyway. Came back and the paint on my palette was already starting to skin over. I love painting in the cracks of the day but man, I dream about having a space I can just leave a mess and come back to. Even a corner. Just one corner where a half-finished canvas isn't in danger of getting ketchup on it. Anyone else making it work in a non-studio studio? How do you handle the constant setup/teardown without losing momentum?

General·Karen Wessel·4w

I spent all Sunday afternoon on a landscape, trying to get this one tree just right. I think I finally mixed a color for the bark that felt authentic, but then the branches... they just look a bit stiff, you know? It's so close to what I see in my head, but not quite. Anyone else get that 'almost there' feeling and just have to put the brush down before they ruin it completely?

Studio Life·Karen Wessel·4w

Got the go-ahead on a commission for a large landscape piece. It's a local scene, a rolling hill farm at sunset. I'm so excited but also a little nervous, it's bigger than anything I've done before. I've stretched a 30x40 canvas and now just have to actually put brush to it. Wish me luck! I'll need all the focus I can get with the kids home for the summer too. Maybe I'll hide out in the garage studio after bedtime.

Wins·Karen Wessel·1mo

Just finished my first ever commission. It was a portrait of a golden retriever for a friend's mom. It took me about three weeks, on and off, because I'm still so slow with acrylics and I kept second-guessing myself. But I finally got the eyes right yesterday and it just clicked. She's coming to pick it up tomorrow and I'm honestly a little nervous but mostly excited. It's not perfect, but it's the best thing I've painted so far. Feels good!

Rants & Vents·Karen Wessel·1mo

commission story, and then im quietly retiring from commissions forever. client wanted a custom portrait. haggled me down from 200 to 80 "because it's just one person, not a full scene." fine. my fault for saying yes. then ghosted for two weeks. then came back asking for four rounds of revisions, including, and i quote, "can you make her look happier but also more mysterious." i have earned roughly eight pounds an hour to be told my work isnt mysterious enough. im done. originals only from here on