[goosepimple]

Have been away from TAS for ages (maybe a couple of years?) as my life took a tangent and my head was in a different place, still smallholding though!  After having been an architect for years and then teaching it, I decided I would try and make a living from painting, am not quite at that point yet but getting there and selling well.  Check out the website please, many thanks.     

www.amandaphillips.co.uk    or on Facebook     Amanda Phillips Artist

[Hellybee]

You are very talented, love them x

[Louise Gaunt]

Beautiful, evocative images. I wish you every success!

[DavidandCollette]

Fantastic.  Beautiful evocative images. Best of luck

[waterbuffalofarmer]

They are brilliant, I especially love the way you have used the color to emphasize the landscape. I especially like this one http://www.amandaphillips.co.uk/work/#/hill-grazing-dods-farm/ The way the light touches the hills is brilliant, how did you do it?

[goosepimple]

Thank you all, your kind comments should help me get back in the studio next week as my head's been in DIY since Christmas.
Most of the paintings are done from photos and sometimes sketches I make at the time (if the weather's fine).  I just started a year ago painting full time (more or less) and it's surprised me how well it's gone - what's amazed me most is that there are people out there with money to spend on art!!!! When did we ever have money to spend on a painting I ask!!! Not even pre-kids!

Thanks for looking x

[Lesley Silvester]

Amazing talent. My favourites are the tiny cottage one and the boats. I still can't afford to buy paintings    or I would be after them.

[goosepimple]

Thanks Mads, if I get prints done in the future I'll throw one your way x

[Lesley Silvester]

Yes, please. I have an old school friend who is a talented artist. She has recently started working in different mediums, including fabric, and I admired one picture that she posted on Facebook and asked the price. When I got over the shock, I realised it was not a print I was looking at but, bless her, she had a print made for me. Just got to get it framed now.

[goosepimple]

Yes, framing through a proper picture framers can be quite expensive, but the look and weight of it is better than a b&q frame.  Pricey though.  Galleries also take big commissions, the lowest one I have out of the galleries I use is 35%+vat so it's 42% in total.  When I add that on and the framing price, the resulting price can be quite shocking.  Sometimes I've barely broken even, the galleries certainly make as much as the artist even if it's only on their wall for a few hours.  I did have a big painting I did that didn't even make it to the wall - one of the staff bought it but I still had to pay the commission.  At the moment it's as difficult as making money from smallholding!

We've got a little kiln house building at the front of our property here we're renovating at the moment and hopefully that will be a wee gallery where people can buy direct from me, much cheaper.

[Lesley Silvester]

Your own gallery sounds like a good idea. That's an awful lot of money you are paying out in commission. Do you ever do craft fairs and the like? Have you thought of having postcards made of your paintings? Or cards? I think they could be popular.


I haven't found out yet how much my picture will cost to frame but it's an unusual size so will have to be a made to measure frame. I did have a small poster mounted last year and that cost me £14 which I thought was pretty good. It was a double mount and it did set it off nicely.

[goosepimple]

Thanks Mads.  Yes, cards and fairs all happening and a couple of galleries taking me on to 'nurture' me (means they get the paintings first really), all galleries commissions are high - usually 40-50%.  I do get a lot of commissions though and the payment comes straight to me.  I like those!

[Lesley Silvester]

Commissions are a good way to go.

[Bionic]

Very nice Amanda. I am jealous as I would love to be able to paint. I am sure yours will sell well

[goosepimple]

Thanks Bionic, glad to see you and Mads still on the forum, a few people seem to have disappeared ...