Getting back to ACEO Originals

 Since the end of March I have done a lot more painting.

Mostly ACEO paintings.

Deciding to give eBay a new 'try'....I've found that the

ACEO paintings...going for pennies on the dollar...

at least generate some 'interest' in my art...

so

for now...

I've been doing ACEOs.

 

Not really sure what is going on with my regular sites...Etsy, Artfire...etc....

but business is really DOWN...

and it makes it difficult to continue trying to make

a living with my art.

But...what the eBay listings ARE doing for me...

I am painting MORE...

including these little 8x10 Stretched Canvas paintings

that I now have in my Etsy Shop.

 

People just aren't finding me anymore.

 My top search term today on Etsy is...

Rustic Goth Etsy.

What that tells me is...

people aren't able to find me anymore, just by browsing art,

like they used to be able to.

 

Not sure what to do about that...

Etsy Search Ads are a waste of money...

it doesn't help to renew anymore...

I am promoting everywhere I know...that doesn't cost a bunch of money...

and I viewed my Twitter results...just over 1% of my Etsy visitors in the last year

came from Twitter...

 

over 50% from Facebook.

 

12% from Pinterest 

(and I don't think I've even been there all year)

11% from this Blog

and the rest from places like:

Tumblr

DeviantArt

StumbleUpon

Squidoo

and

YouTube.

I suppose I need to promote a bit more on some of the other Social sites...

as soon as I have some 'free time'.

Week-End Shop SALES and eBay

My house is very small...probably the smallest house I've ever lived in.

 

It has a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry room

and two bedrooms.

No basement to speak of...at least not one that I would dare to go into.

I work sometimes in my chair in the living room...but most of the time

in the dining room.

I have one closet between two bedrooms...and share with my son who lives

in the second bedroom.

Most of the time...the size of my house is 'sufficient'....

and we manage okay.

But...trying to find enough room to store some 40+ paintings

in a house this size is a real challenge.

So.....I'm having a week-end painting SALE in my Etsy Shop...

a store wide SALE in my ArtFire Shop...

AND....

some very low starting bids on some small

framed paintings

on

eBay.

Hopefully this will help me move enough of the

current paintings that are looking for good homes...

to be able to paint some new pieces...

fingers crossed:)

Need to do LOTS of Computer Work

I recently checked some links I have on

my RusticGoth.com website...

and discovered Many links were directed to items 'no longer' available.

Not good....

I linked all of the print pics on my website to Etsy listings....

problem is...

a number of the items have expired and I decided not to relist.

So....I decided the CMZ Art ArtFire Shop would become my

One Stop Art Shop.

I don't have to pay listing fees and the items do not expire unless I close up shop.

So....I am gradually moving all of the items from...

Rustic Goth Etsy

FairytalezNFantasiez Etsy

Rustic Goth Zibbet

and

CMZ Art Zibbet

to one shop on ArtFire.

This alone is going to take SOME Time....then I'll need to redesign my website and update

all the links there....

needless to say...I do have some work cut out for me!!

In the meantime...I'm still working on two different commissions...so I'm managing

to keep myself quite busy...

hopefully I'll be able to keep it all going until everything is all up and operational

again!

Upcoming....

 I've got plans to do a number of  "Poe inspired"

paintings in the coming weeks.

I've already done some small 4" x 4" Poe paintings like

"The Gold Bug" shown here.

I had some frames that I've held on to for some time

and decided to do pieces that would fit the frames and offer 

the little paintings framed and ready to hand.

I also have pieces based on...

"The Raven"

"The Black Cat"

and

"Masque of the Red Death"

still available in my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.

To add to pieces like...

"Red Riding Hood"

which is a digital painting...

I am working on some Acrylic Canvas paintings based on Fairytales by

The Brothers Grimm

and 

Hans Christian Andersen.

I have completed a Grimm inspired piece,

"The Frog Prince" 

shown here...

and I'm almost done with Andersen's

"Little Mermaid".

This Blog....

I'm sure you've probably already noticed that I

changed my blog banner...

and put it back to it's original name.

I have blogs for both of my 'styles'

Rustic Goth

and

CMZ Art

and each blog is more narrow in scope

to the shops lined

with the different 'brands'.

"This blog" will be my usual

nonsensical ramblings with updates to both brands.

I will start first by only posting once a week

on Another Painting Blog...

and we'll see how that goes.

Magazine Interview...

I don’t know how I feel

"letting the cat out of the bag"

this early on...

and I don't usually make announcements

on something that isn’t already available...or about to be… 

but, I feel good about this one

I just completed an interview with one of the Senior Writers

and will be featured in Issue 40 of Gothic Beauty Magazine.

Gothic Beauty is a quarterly magazine and 

Issue 40 is their Summer 2013 issue.

It will be available at such places as…

Barnes & Noble, Hastings, F.Y.E., 

Suncoast, Chapters (Canada), 

Walden Books, 

Book World, Sheltam Books 

and Copperfield’s Books.

The interview and pictures of my art will cover at least two pages…

needless to say…

I’m very excited 

about this wonderful opportunity and will definitely 

have to get

a few copies!!

I’ll post an update as soon as the magazine is in the stands!