Lay Down or Lay By.

I have had to force myself to paint this past week since the murder of a local Tikokino resident just over a week ago. Not only was he young with his whole life ahead he also lived just 15 minutes from where I am now plus he was the cousin of a close friend. It was such a senseless killing as he was only trying to protect a woman who was been beaten by her gang member boyfriend. I wish the Government would toughen up on the gangs in this country. The last Government in particular had a tendency to kowtow to them as I know since I once lived in a gang area. They had family members working for the Ministry of Employment and used to boast of all the handouts they received. Yet you get genuine people who really need help being hassled by WINZ etc. Just makes my blood boil.

However I had to keep going as the deadline for handing my fantasy painting in for the Art Hawkes Bay show was today. I just finished it mid yesterday afternoon and after wrapping it up I left it out of the veranda for a friend who collected it at 11pm. I should hear if it's been accepted by Wednesday.


With the economy tanking at the moment it's been time to think new ways of generating income. One method which was brought up at one art forum I belong to was to offer layby to clients. This would mean that they could pay off larger items over time, receiving the artwork when it's been fully paid for. I think this is a great idea as it would perhaps garner more customers, especially those who love a painting but don't have the wherewithal to pay the full amount up front. Of course this might only apply when selling work privately but I think it's an idea that most artists should consider. The other option is to have a sale to move on work that hasn't readily found a home. I would find this tough to do personally as my stuff is already low priced as it is and I don't really want to give it away. I have found in the past that the people who want a bargain are often those that can afford to pay full price. It is very annoying to have someone try to haggle you down from $20.00, especially if you've put a couple of hours work into a piece, while they're wearing designer sunglasses and swinging round a Gucci handbag.