Print of the Week

"Summer Memories" 

- signed open edition print from the original oil painting 

- © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 

I have print sales from different sources during the month and probably rarely mention the "sales" side of my art business.  Yes, I tell people I'm an artist, but most of the time people don't equate "Art" to business.  If you are doing art to support the art and pay your bills, and that is what you do 24/7 - then art is a business, believe me!

The fun thing about the open edition prints I produce is they sell from many different sources...I have artwork and prints in several galleries throughout the state and area (as well as a few online galleries) - and here at the studio gallery.  Its always fun to get sales from other sources because I'm unaware of the sales until I find out in the mail (many times e-mail)...its like a pleasant surprise to bring an upbeat to the day! 

I just got a check in the mail for a print yesterday "Summer Memories".  This image has a story and has morphed more than most artwork I've done in recent years.  After thinking about the original oil painting, I thought maybe doing a "print of the week" for the blog would be a neat idea(?)...we'll give it a try!

"Summer Memories" has had other names...titles are kind of iffy at times, I usually go with whatever hits me first.  But after a period of time I reflected on what this painting was really about.

This painting is a "memory" - 99% of what I usually paint or draw, is done from the original subject, like a photograph I took or a place drawn or painted on site.  This painting is more from memories of summers on my grandfather's farm down by Madrid, Iowa.  My brother and I would spend 2 or 3 weeks with grandparents each summer, this went on from a very young age - around 6 or 7 through our mid teens.  (My sister would too but we were split up so one set of grandparents would have us boys and the other had our sister).

This became a dominant summer memory for me - spending time at the farm was an adventure...things that happened or that we did there have become bigger than life in my mind.  These summer memories prompted the painting.  But it doesn't end there.

Every artist has their quirks...hmm, maybe I have several - but never mind!  One quirk I do have is I find my best comfort zone is "when I can lay eyes on it"!  Painting a memory wasn't my strong suit and I made the mistake of asking a friend what they thought of the painting.  Mistake.  I repainted it 3 more times.  Not a good experience!

The "Summer Memories" that I was the happiest with was the first one - go with your first gut feeling is now my mantra!  The painting you see at the top of this blog is that painting - the prints I offer of "Summer Memories" is also that same first painting.

I kept the oil painting "Summer Memories" for my private collection, and even though it is now a somewhat different version of the above painting - it still brings back those memories of carefree summer days on the farm...the water pump in the kitchen (no faucets), sleeping above the machine shed in the hired man quarters - on an old spring mattress bed, no TV back then - just an old tube radio, climbing through the hayloft of the barn, walking around with the chickens in the farmyard, taking baths in big galvanized tubs out in the farmyard "in broad daylight"(!), being pulled from the pig pen after dropping a brand new toy in with the hogs (hey there was some "real" excitement too!)

"Summer Memories" - signed open edition print from the original oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison - available from the studio here or other galleries listed on my web site - www.morrisons-studio.com