On my walk back across the road from my neighbor’s house, I noticed their “hollyhock bushes” in bloom. Hollyhocks. No. Wait. I always confuse the name. As a child, there was this bush in our yard. And perhaps my father wrongly called it the “Hollyhock” bush, for all I know.
It is actually called Rose of Sharon.
At any rate, my neighbors always let me snip some of their many garden flowers if I ask, to dry and use them in art projects. So, without asking, I just plucked off seven of these blooms, intending to add them into my current pressings of dried garden flowers. Just because.
And, why seven? I don’t know. Just because. Seven seems to be a good and perfect number, especially on this Sunday afternoon, God’s day of rest.
But, of course, I am not literally resting from my labors. Actually, I opted out of church this morning, for several reasons. And I wrote a blog piece called LOOKING FOR THE LION (OR, “HOW MUCH ACCESS DO YOU GIVE TO A CAT?”) , and then, have been at work in my studio and office, with what feel like very pressing matters.
I am finishing up several larger and a couple smaller new paintings to share here during the next few days, things that have been in progress in some form. One piece is quite large (Sparrows in Flight), measuring about 30 x 40-ish inches, and I need my neighbor to come over later and help me scan the canvas in about 20 smaller sections to join in Photoshop, in order to promote and possibly make prints, and use in a children’s book I’ve been working on a bit, here and there, since January. She will need to help hold and keep the large canvas level as I import each scanning pass into Photoshop.
Grabbing seven Rose of Sharon blooms reminded me of a beautiful, large dried flower piece I did last fall, hoping to sell (or to at least possibly raffle, as an out-of-the-box way to reap the fruits of that already done labor to create art and beauty which I am inspired to create, and while doing so, pay my bills).
At Christmas 2022, once again here in Pennsylvania, I planned a couple of Open Studio weekends which I promoted and put out money for refreshments, etc for, in various ways, but no one attended. (I also did the same in 2021, and 2020.) I did, however, have a local young girl and her boyfriend stop in on another day shortly before Christmas–she loves my art and jellies, and wanted a few items for gifts. She has had her eye on this dried flower piece, and they put in two chances for $10.
I also put my tent out front to offer caricatures to passersby on Mother’s Day Saturday 2023. I had one older couple stop by while driving past my property, and wanted to go through my studio to see what it was that I did. They surprised me that on their way out they put in another two chances toward my raffle of this piece!
Obviously, I won’t pay my bills if I attempt to raffle a piece that I put many hours and costs into, without having a reserve. I actually have two pieces that are larger dried flower pieces, and, if I had a single buyer to outright buy the first, purple one, I could also then shift the four entries into a raffle for the brown piece! But, it would be great to get another 94 entries and then be able to do the raffle drawing, pick and winner, and ship the piece out!
Ahhh, the ruminations of a starving artist, struggling to keep doing what I do best: create art and beauty in this world and hope that it will find a good home…and sooner, rather than later, or worse…when it is too late!
So, I am putting it out there once again, this time here with more singular focus! If you would like to put in a $5 chance, or several, here is a link to make payment and put in the description: “I will take ____ chances on the purple dried flower collage, and if a direct buyer comes along before the reserve, please roll my chances into a new raffle for the brown piece!!! “
Oh, and BTW, I still do bridal bouquet preservation! I finally got my first bouquet to preserve last week…here it is almost July. Last year, I think I did about 3-4 bouquets. Prior to the covid pandemic which impacted the wedding industry as well as the caricature gig industry, I’m guessing I preserved about 10-15 bouquets per year. It was one of my main money-making services, that helped offset, along with live caricature drawing, other services I offer that don’t necessarily bring in a high profit margin, due to the time consumption and limit to what the market will bear/my clientele can bear, for commissioned portraits and such.
If you know of someone getting married, please do pass along my information! While bridal bouquet preservation may seem expensive, a group of 4-6 friends or family could gift certificate the bride to have her bouquet preserved (this needs pre-planning!) for her bridal shower or wedding gift.
Thank you!
For those who use Facebook and want to “like” and follow this page and especially, share it with all your friends, I would appreciate this and it is another way you can help me keep moving forward in rebuilding my business here in Pennsylvania. Bouquet work is often done via shipping of bouquet on ice to me from other states!
Keep Your Bouquet Forever by Eileen Slifer, Artist
