PineShoreStudio/Paintings by Helen Harris

I like to refer to the ACEO format ( 2.5" x 3.5" ) as "pocket art". As a grandmother I proudly carry around the grandbabies photos...but how many of my fellow artists "pocket" their paintings? It certainly makes more of an impression than flipping out the ol' business card! My watercolor/ collage techniques are right there to see & feel with my potential customer. "Buds" my newest ACEO featured at left is currently available for purchase through my web site

I find myself with a day off from bakery/cafe . I'm treating myself to some painting time today + I hope to revisit some of my art marketing information that I've neglected too long during this past year because of the bakery. These past few years while working daily at my painting I'd developed quite an extensive marketing plan that encompassed a number of sites where my work was available. Now I find after working 12 hour + days at the bakery my available time to market on the internet or @ shows is limited. How to best use this limited time and effort is now the question I face for the coming year. Do I simply keep what I had ? Do I scale it down & concentrate on 1 or 2 sites ? Which is most cost effective? How do I reestablish my presence after being out of sight this past year? hmmmmmm... back to the drawing board. The painting "Sugar Pines" at left is currently available as a print/greeting card . This makes a wonderful holiday card & currently i...

Moments stolen in this past week,sneaking in a few brush strokes created this new ACEO. If you are new to this format, let me explain. Artist trading cards (ATC) are miniature pieces of art that are traded around the world. When these pieces of art are offered for sale, it is referred to as an ACEO: Art Card Editions & Originals. The only criteria is that the dimensions of the card be 2.5" x 3.5". A trade mark of my work is that the image is adhered to a complimentary colored mat board presenting the image as a finished piece measuring 2.5" x 3.5". This work is currently available for purchase from my web site .

On October 31st, my new business venture The Cookie Cab celebrated its one year anniversary. Happily I can say it has been a success. In fact, it expanded from a bakery to a bakery /cafe, adding sandwiches & soups ! Celebrating the anniversary, we expanded to a second shop The Cookie Cab Retro Candy & Nuts that has been well received by the town. As I have stated in my blogs this venture has detoured my painting career..lol..I guess that's an understatement. Through it all I have hung on to the fact that the day would come that I would paint again ......and I am! Not as prolific as once before but the paintings are beginning to surface & I have participated in two shows. At The Cookie Cab , I created The Cookie Cab Gallery, where I feature the works of local artist. Part of our business plan is to "pay it forward". The Gallery wall is free of charge to these artist & all sales go to the artist 100% ..no commission is taken. A few sales have been made,...