Two Stages Of The Same Painting

[Pooch]

So there I was having a hard time deciding on my next painting. I was working on something, but was hating it. I get my pallet knife and some blue paint and start covering up the work like Jack The Ripper. I'm slashing blue and then green and adding some white here, some yellow there. I don't even know what I'm doing but at least I was painting and having fun. Well, I step back, and I see that it's looking a bit like the ocean. I'm liking it. More green more white...well, you get it. I wind up with something I'm kind of liking. Okay, it's the ocean.
But when I realize that, I start detailing the waves a little. Then I start to think that maybe it needs a ship. I've never painted one of the old sailing ships before. It was time to give it a try. To make a long story short, I wind up with the second painting.
I like it. But as I look at that first one I wonder if I carried it a bit too far. I liked it enough at that early stage to take a picture of it. I can't help wondering, "Did I paint the life out of it?" The first one has a vibrance and a looseness to it that works, I think.
What do you think? Now, I'm not unhappy with the second one but which one has more of an appeal? Just curious. Thanks for looking and hope you like them.

[CarlOwen]

Do you know about fineartamerica.com?

[Pooch]

Quite a coincidence that you should mention that. I just put two paintings on Saatchi Arts today and was going to do F.A.A. tomorrow. What do you think of the work?
The good thin is, I've taken good pictures of both. So I can still offer the one without the ship as a print. I don't think it's too bad.

[CarlOwen]

I like the power of implied movement with no boundaries between the sky and the water in the first one better than the defined precision in the second one with the ship. Glad you took good photos of both.

[Pooch]

Yes, it lost some of that power with the tightness, didn't it? It's funny, I've been wanting to paint with that loose style, and when I finally did it without the help of another artists work, I ruined it! Lol!!

[CarlOwen]

Changed it. Live and learn. You will do it again then know when to stop.

[Pooch]

Carl, now that you've mentioned Fine Art America, I'd like to ask a question.
When I placed my Otter painting to be sold as a print, at Saatchi , I used the default price. The print will cost the customer 90 dollars and I will get 27 of that. Okay, fine.
But at Fine Art, I don't know how much to price it. You can request a certain amount for yourself, but I don't know how that will affect the selling price. They don't say how much they add for themselves. I don't want the cost to be rediculous. I'm not a name and noone will buy it.
What did you do, if you don't mind me asking?

[CarlOwen]

Just checking in before we go to bed. I will fill you in from my point of view in the morning.

[Artigrapher]

The first one was much better. It has more life and movement to it, as well as having a more natural feel that is often hard to get with oceans. It needed something I agree, as there are no focal point, I think a ship like in the second one would have been the finishing touch.

[CarlOwen]

Good morning Joseph. Now my opinion about Fine Art America. The site is very large with so many artists, thousands. The artists are pleasant company who hold different online contests within the site. The paintings with the most votes win first place with a complementary comment of some sort as the first place prize. Artists get to know each other, sort of, and trade comments about each other's work. The site does not sell originals and advises viewers to contact the artist directly. As to the artist's profits off the prints, not much. Don't expect more than a few dollars for any sell and don't expect any sales at all.

It seems to me that the site makes money off the sale of prints and frames in addition to sideline products of bags, cups, cards, etc. I have been on the site for years and have sold nothing. Now an uptick side. The prints are high quality using the dimensions you provide. There is no cropping or stretching of your image to fit their format. They advertise the upload size up to 25MB, but in reality it will accept nothing over 5mb. The site is of value to me because I have bought prints of my own work, primarily in black and white to repaint as an original work. Oil paint covers the print nicely. Buenos Dias or Good Day in an example of the type of painting. It saves me the drawing time and gives me a second original oil painting. Since this creates an ethical issue, one I have not sold the oil painting over the print. Two, if I ever do I will state that it is an oil painting print I made of the original painting. Well my worker just showed up so have to stop now. I think you get the point though.

[Pooch]

Carl, thanks for taking the time to answer. Yes, the site is huge and it's easy to get lost in it. I'm sure the big names do fine there but that's because they are, well...big names. People go to the site, specifically, to look at and buy their work. No one is looking for a painting by Joe Bucemi so I probably won't sell anything either. I just don't what else to do to get my work out there. It's frustrating because I really would like to sell some art.
Art, thank you for the input. Yes, there was no vocal point so, hence, the ship. But what I should have done was to paint the ship in the same loose style as the ocean. Not too much detail. Maybe a greyish blue, coming out of the mist. But, I didn't. Like Carl said, "Live and learn."