Juggling, childrens portrait, dog portrait painting, woodblock print & marketing

Still on the easel is this painting of a little mutt (I love mutts!) on a retro orange vinyl ottoman.  My dilemma is needing a name for this piece, so I am asking my Facebook fans to help.  It's one of the little things I never thought about when I decided that, in addition to my pet and childrens portraits, I'd paint, draw and print pieces to sell at shows and at my Etsy Store.  Speaking of which, I am trying to keep my head down, so to speak.  I've never worked without deadlines before, never.  And then there's the marketing, updating the online sites, looking for shows and galleries that would be a fit.

It's a juggling act that all artists do.  I'm convinced the better you are as a juggler, the better chances for success you have.  Until of course, you're so successful, you can hire people to do it for you.

Back to the dog, I really enjoyed painting the retro, mid century modern ottoman.  I can always put a dog on a carpet or grass, but I really like dark backgrounds with just a hint of something in the back (can you see the curtains?) and well lit foreground.  I see some tweaking, so hopefully will have this guy off and dry and varnished at the same time I have a name!

I've been approached recently for shows and gallery shows.  It's hard to figure out what would work for me, so a lot of thinking and investigating to do.  The important thing for both of those, of course, is to be ready.  So I've been keeping my head down and working.

At the same time, you know I love commission work.  I love collaborating with my clients to create the portrait of their dreams.  It's such a thrill to be chosen and I will never take that for granted.  I'm glad people like my style and how I approach my work.  I'm in the middle of one of a darling little girl, I'll be showing you her in a day or so.

AND, I have a woodblock print of a pug I've been DYING to get to.  Wood is cut, drawing done, new set of my favorite knives bought (I like disposable ones), just need to do it! 

Do I sound like I'm complaining?  The only complaint is the number of hours in a day.  I want to do it all even more!  It's so important to make the most of each minute.  But that's true for all of us, isn't it? Whether you're an artist or not?

Hey, about that name...suggestions welcome, here or HERE.  My Portraits site is http://robinzebley.com/.  Thanks for visiting my blog, I really do appreciate your visit, and I LOVE comments! Robin