FOR THE LONGEST TIME, I have posted art regularly on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, as well as countless forums, art pages and groups. In an effort to promote John Price Art, I watched videos on "how to get 10,000 Followers on Instagram in one month," and even subscribed to bullshit platforms in a sad, almost embarrassing attempt to "boost my visibility" if you will. After doing the 10,000 followers thing, I gained a total of 6 followers...which is slightly short of 10,000. Not bad...not bad at all. At the end of the day, I realized I was putting more time into social media than in my art. And let's be honest, these platforms are nothing more than addictive, self absorbed websites that produce little to no positive environment, something I am still a part of. The next few paragraphs will sound like a broken record as I go into detail.

At some point in my countless posts, I realized that I was not only taking away valuable time from my art, but also my relationship with my partner, my kids, and to be honest, Facebook is partly to blame for my marriage falling apart. I was regularly creating content for Facebook and Instagram and not for me. I had over 1000 friends on Facebook (most who I never interact with) and 20 who are dead. In an effort to "boost my visibility", I was spending more time creating for a platform I do not own or have control over. Social media relies on content creators (artists, entertainers, instawhores, you name it) to stay relevant. People will literally pay good money for likes...think about that. Someone will go to work for 8 hours, and then post content on Insta, and pay for people to like their shit. That's like doing stand up comedy and paying for an applause. It's shallow and at the end of the day, does nothing for you, or your brand.  

Art - good art, effective art, produces or creates an emotion. It tells a story and forces conversation both good and bad. "Social" media should be just that, a place to socialize in a medium outside of personal contact. It's how the world interacts. Unfortunately, what could be used for a positive interaction turns into people stalking their ex, sending "hey we should hang out" DMs, and scrolling through endless, mindless posts. Snapchat for business? No...snapchat is for over-filtering your photo and trying to get laid. Regardless if you're a man or woman, it's kind of weird and creepy if you're over 35 with a Snapchat or TikTok account, considering the majority of both of those platforms consist of minors and people under 30. If you are 38 hanging out at a high school, people will think you are a creep. How is that any different if you are on Snap or Tik? I'm sure it's different for you isn't it?  

On Facebook, artists are bound to the terms and conditions...conditions that they don't regularly uphold. Their policy is so obscure it's laughable, and if for whatever reason they decide to shut your profile down, you lose it all. People have violated the community standards for sharing a post that that they found on Facebook which legit doesn't make sense. I used to work PaintNite, and they had a policy that nobody could be put on the schedule until they'd finished their training packet. I was asked by corporate why an individual was not on the calendar and when I said they hadn't completed their training packet, I was told to put them on the schedule anyway. Then, after putting them on the calendar, I was written up because they hadn't completed their training packet. It's kind of like police telling you it's okay to talk to them and they promise they'll help you, but then penalize you for talking to them. Facebook is no different. They have a nudity policy that they enforce...sometimes. They have a hate speech and bullying standard that is strict...sometimes. Racism will not be tolerated...most of the time. This is not a slam against Facebook, everyone knows their algorithm is so faulty it's laughable. Instagram, LinkedIn, NextDoor, Deviantart (is that still a thing?) they all have this same, shitty issue.

As I continued to create for these sites, I realized that I was spending more time with the setup, photographing things properly, looking up the latest hashtag, editing videos, and then getting notification after notification. Most of the notifications were just likes, but sometimes the comments (especially on social/political art pieces) could become toxic. And when things become toxic, things get emotional, and guess who Facebook penalizes? They don't penalize the racial "fuck them monkeys!" comments (I know, I was on the receiving end of these hate messages and these accounts still exist)...no, they penalize the person who is fighting against that comment. 

On Instagram, I was posting 1-2 times a day along with 1-2 stories and even a reel here and there. It's exhausting. Over the last few months, I've downgraded to maybe several times a week and I haven't updated my Facebook (art page or personal page) in almost a month. The amount of sales I get from social media is menial at best. With advertising, I think this year I made $1000 off all social media platforms combined. I made that in 2 weeks from Etsy alone without any advertising. Most of my sales come from markets, my website, etsy and art shows, and yet, I spent more money and time promoting on social media with nothing to show for. I literally make a living from being a full time artist, but social media brings in the lowest revenue. Artists are notorious for doing this - spending countless hours promoting on social media and at the end of the day, the post is lost in a massive chain of mindless content. And not just artists do this, take a look at your Facebook albums...some of them are just sitting there, never being opened by you or anyone else. Facebook owns the rights to use that image pretty much however they like without paying you or getting your permission. They can sub-license and transfer the photo without your permission. It's in the terms and conditions you agreed to. 

Basically, it's free work for the social media giants who depend on artists and creators to make content to stay alive and relevant. Yet, we're the ones who see little success for it in the grand scheme of things. I have nothing against influencers; in fact, I think they are a necessary evil. When I say "influencer" I'm not talking about the "can I get free shit and I'll post about you on my Insta." I'm talking about the RichmondExperience or Miss_elaine_neous, who go around to businesses and promote them with little to no interest in free shit. They love their city and highlight the fuck out of it. More than once I've had an influencer approach me about doing something on their blog about my art and never once did they ask for anything in return. Social media, for me anyway, is not productive. It's toxic, and honestly a sheer waste of time. 

It's toxic not only because we compare ourselves to everyone else, but because we're lambasted with tons of "DM for promo" comments under our posts. Within seconds of making an art post, the spammer "DM" comments come in, and for the next 20-30 minutes, I'm having to individually delete and block the posts. Instagram knows it's a spam account but allows it to stay. If someone has 1M followers and 10 likes...it's a spam account. 

So for my art business, I will most likely pull back almost completely from social media. I've already started doing that and sales have remained the same. Of course, I'll post art if it's relevant or meaningful, but other than that...I think it's time to promote with my business partner, on my website, blog, and store...things I own and control. 

Don't get me wrong, social media has allowed artists to gain exposure (myself included) in ways never imagined. But at the end of the day, they control that exposure, there's little to no financial gain, and they require constant content for you to stay relevant and collectible. It's free work, and if you're good at something, you never, ever, do it for free.

The Webb Shed

 The completed painting of The Webb Shed out in Franklin County is 22x30, oil, and includes soil from the land the shed is on. Feel free to shoot me a message if interested. Prints are available at my etsy store: www.etsy.com/shop/JohnPriceArt

Shed Painting - Work In Progress

Coming down to the final touches on this gorgeous fall painting. The shed is basically complete, and the shadows that spring across the road give off that effect of trees to the left that are not in the painting. And the tree? I'm about to highlight the hell out of it and trust me when I tell you, there will be more than is needed.

 

Shed Painting - Work In Progress

 Here are the beginning stages of the detailing of the shed and while I may have gone overboard with the highlights on the large tree, I really have no regrets about it. That tree was absolutely gorgeous and there's no way a painting or photograph can capture how beautiful that thing was. The entire left side of it was lit up with beautiful golden leaves that morphed into peach and orange. The hay bales, they were all over the damn place and I decided to paint 2 of them to the left to kind of frame everything in. This was maybe 2-3 months in. 

I often paint and let it dry and come back to it. One time I had a commission that took damn near 7 months to complete. 

Shed Painting - Work In Progress

 I learned a technique from Michael James Smith that I'll share here. Once the colors are blocked in, you kind of dot in, (usually with a fan brush or some other older brush that has kind of fucked up bristles) a darker color That will serve as a shadow. You give this darker color a few days to dry and then begin going over it with lighter values which I'll post tomorrow. 

If you're into realism painting, I would check out his youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MichaelJamesSmithArt

He's probably one of my favorite artist, fun to watch, and is one of the best teachers you can find when it comes to realism art. 

Shed Painting Work In Progress

 The timeframe between yesterday's pic and today's is probably a solid week to 2 weeks. It's all about drying time and taking on commissions. This painting was not a commission. I love old sheds and the American landscape. There aren't many collectors for this type of work, and that's okay. I paint these type of things for my own enjoyment and for my house. 

Shed Painting Work In Progress

This is an outline of another shed painting. This shed is just off the side of the road out in Franklin County. I think Franklin County has to be the shed capital of the world. There are so many abandoned sheds, moonshine stills and memories of a time gone by. This one will be a gorgeous fall painting. 
 

House painting commission

 Another house painting commission. These make great housewarming gifts for someone who has just recently purchased a house, or one to hang in your own home. 

Mabry Mill in the Fall

 This is a beautiful print of an original palette knife oil painting of Mabry Mill in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mabry Mill is one of the most photographed locations in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and in the fall, the colors almost sing. Some of our family lives about 30 minutes from the mill, and if you have an opportunity, stop in for some of the most mouthwatering blueberry pancakes you will ever eat. Get there early though, it's a solid 2 hour wait. Requests of your own city can be made to order. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1113888489/mabry-mill-mabry-mill-art-fall-art

House Painting Commission

 Feel free to reach out f you'd like a painting of your own house, or of someone you know. 

Monumental Change

 When the protests erupted last year, it was Lynanne who told me that I should go paint the monument to capture the events unfold. She's the sole reason this painting was completed. Shortly after posting the image and putting it in an art show, it sold. Galleries rarely let you know who the buyer is, and this time was no different. Of all the paintings that I've sold, this one was one that I wanted to know who bought it. Unfortunately, that wouldn't happen.

Shortly after we moved to Rosewood in September 2020, I was walking the neighborhood to introduce myself. I gave out cards and let people know I was an artist. When I approached one of my neighbors, he looked at my card and said, "John Price...I think I have one of your pieces." I was curious so he invited me in. 

Just 2 blocks from my house lived this guy, Sean Pierce and he was the owner of Monumental Change. The painting was on my block, and the owner is one of the coolest, friendliest people you can meet. I'm thankful it's in the hands of someone who will appreciate it, and that it lives in a good home!

CNU Painting for Lynanne

This is An oil painting I did for Lynanne Jamison our first Christmas together. She graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2006 and I wanted to replicate what the University looked like when she attended. Some of these buildings have since been demolished to make room for the newer Jeffersonian architecture on the campus. I had to contact the archives department to get my hands on some of the older photos from 2002-2006 and I'm grateful they understood my vision.

She would go to Noland Trail at Mariner's Lake near the Lion's Bridge and study on a fallen tree. The tree is still there and I took a piece of bark from it and adhered it to the painting.

The buildings shown are the Ferguson Center for the Arts, James River Hall, York River Hall, the old administration building and the geese fountain with Gosnold Hall in the background.

Lynanne has a heart of gold, and I'm forever grateful she's in my life. She's helped me understand what my purpose is, and is the focus behind everything I do. I've never met anyone like her. Ever. She drives me to better myself, to focus, and to push my art in ways I never imagined. Plus, she likes to travel, so there's that. This painting was an absolute labor of love and keeping it from her until Christmas Day was an undertaking in and of itself.

Some behind the scenes photos

Here is a little bit of the behind the scenes at John Price Art. My daughter, Alicia, helps out a lot both in the studio and at the markets. I pay her $10 an hour to keep a small inventory, stuff prints into backboards, restock art at any art market, and sometimes, just talk to me while I'm painting. Here we are in the studio, just a few days before moving into a new place. This was a particularly rough patch, as Lynanne was facing two great losses in her life, and we were juggling buying a house, running a business, and going back and forth to Callaway.   

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - Art Prints

 Richmond On A Clear Blue Day

Prints Available at my etsy store

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1100171143/richmond-on-a-clear-blue-day-fine-art

5x7 - $15

8x10 - $20

11x14 - $25

16x20 - $40

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day

 Richmond On A Clear Blue Day

Oil

30x40

$5,000 Unframed

$6,500 Framed

This view is from the Potterfield Bridge with the new Dominion Building in the background. 

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day

 Now comes the detailing of the trees, bridges and all those damn ripples in the James River.

Richmond on a Clear Blue Day - Work In Progress

 Most of the buildings are complete at this time. The Riverfront Plaza windows will be put on, as well as the Harris Williams building. After that, the CSX Bridge, trees, 9th Street Bridge, and then the James River. 

Richmond on a Clear Blue Day - Work In Progress

 Adding more details on the windows and buildings. 

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - more buildings

 At this point, I've completed most, if not all of the background buildings. That large grey blob to the left is the Federal Reserve Building. 

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - Initial Detailing

 When I begin to detail almost any painting, I start with the areas furthest from me and move forward. The reason is because the further an image is from us the less detail it appears to have. Knowing how much detail is in a building, tree, or other object that is behind other objects, helps me keep in mind how much detail to put in objects closest to me. 

You start with minimal detail, take a step back, see how it looks from a distance, and then continue moving forward. In this photo, I've painted in the detail in most of the furthest buildings, and am now beginning the shading, windows, and overall structures of the foreground buildings. It's tedious work (the part that I hate) and I found that if I take the color I'm working with and put it on a palette knife, I can pull paint from the knife, instead of constantly putting my brush into the palette. I hate having to look at the canvas for a second, then down at the palette and then back at the canvas to allow my eyes to refocus for a few seconds. With the paint on the palette knife, I don't have to take my eyes of the canvas for an extended period of time. 

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - Blocking In Phase

 This is the blocking in phase. This is where I block in the basic color of everything. I it has multiple colors that are noticeable, I'll block in the dominant color. The paint is still thin at this point, but probably took a solid 5-7 days to dry to where I could add more color in. I will generally use a large brush, but will switch back and forth to medium and small brushes to his the tighter areas.

Richmond On A Clear Blue Day - Outline

 So how long does it really take to create an oil painting? Well, it all depends on size, quality of paint, drying time, even the humidity in the air. The bottom layers are generally the thinnest. Here is the city of Richmond from the Potterfield Bridge that stretches from the city, over the James River. This painting was started back in late April/early May. This is the outline, which took about a day or so to dry.

Josh's Alley - Palette Knife Commission

 

Live Painting - The Norman's @Avonlea Farms

 

Remembering Buddy Hamm

Through the years, I've had several friends and family pass away and it's rare I say anything on social media. I generally don't because I don't put my pain out there. I tend to deal with things in a private manner, because I hate all of the fake "thoughts and prayers" comments. While I do public art, I'm kind of a private person; rarely do I post pics of my kids or relationship. I prefer privacy, always have and always will. For example, I was separated for almost a year from my wife before most people even knew. 

But this time is different. 

There are people who go to church, and there are people who ARE the church. Some people talk a good game with their testimony, while others, a small minority, live the testimony. I do not go to church, or even believe god exists, but if he does, he was exhibited in Buddy Hamm's life. I met Buddy by accident. His church was looking for an artist to paint a mural in their theater room, and someone who knew someone, who knew someone else, who knew me lol, asked if I'd be up for the task. 

From that one job, came more murals and art pieces for their church, my last one was in 2018. Buddy trusted me enough to come by and paint in the evening, and to lock up the doors when I got finished. Every time I saw Buddy, whether he was stressed or behind schedule, he laughed, joked, and found a way to keep things together. When he put on a show for the kids, he. Put. On. A. Show! Entire backdrops and displays, almost Hollywood style, were built for the kids to get them involved in the gospel. 

He once told me, "the world spares no expense in entertaining our children and influencing them, why should we send them to a summer camp that's half-hearted?" And what a show he would put on, every single summer. He'd take my art murals, cut holes in them and connect props to them to make them three dimensional, interactive, and come to life. He refused to accept mediocre art, even if it was going to be on display for one week out of the year. If it was for the kids, he expected it to be topnotch, and yes, excessive at times. Below is just a small snippet of some of the work I did with him. 

Buddy was as sincere as they come. He was warm, friendly, and aways kept a smile. He will definitely be missed, and I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to have met him, and worked in his presence.