DEDICATION.

THIS PAINTING ORIGINALLY BEGAN AS A DRAWING OF A GIRL I KNEW.  YES, HER HAIR WAS LIKE THAT AS WELL.  I SAT ON THIS DRAWING, FOR MAYBE, A COUPLE YEARS AND FINALLY THIS IDEA CAME TO ME.  THIS WAS POSSIBLY ONE OF MY HARDER PAINTINGS, BECAUSE I HAD TO KEEP GOING BACK OVER IT TO GET THINGS RIGHT.  THE OTHER PAINTINGS I HAD DONE UP TO THAT POINT, HAD KIND OF COME PRETTY EASILY.  WELL, THEY HAD THEIR OWN DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY, BUT, NONE OF THE PREVIOUS PAINTINGS REQUIRED THE SAME AMOUNT OF FINE TUNING, LIKE THIS ONE.  IT WAS TEDIOUS, TRYING TO GET THE LOOK JUST RIGHT, IN ONE AREA, BEFORE MOVING ONTO THE NEXT.  I SPENT ABOUT 2 MONTHS PAINTING THIS PIECE, AND SPENT QUITE A BIT OF MONEY FOR SUPPLIES AND WHAT NOT.  I KEPT TRACK OF EVERYTHING, AND WHEN IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE, MY ESTIMATED PRICE WAS ABOUT $1000, FOR TIME SPENT AND SUPPLIES.  IT NEVER SOLD.  IT GENERATED A LOT OF INTEREST, BUT, NOBODY WANTED TO ACTUALLY PURCHASE THE PIECE.  EVEN WHEN I MARKED IT DOWN TO $500 AND NOW, EVEN AT $200.  THIS IS WHAT MAKES BEING AN ARTIST REALLY HARD, BECAUSE YOU PUT SO MUCH TIME AND EFFORT, INTO A PARTICULAR PIECE, BUT, AS SOON AS YOU PUT A PRICE TAG ON IT, IT LOSES IT'S VALUE IN A WAY, BECAUSE, NOW PEOPLE ARE JUDGING WHETHER IT'S WORTH IT OR NOT.  I HAVE THIS PAINTING STILL HANGING IN MY HOME, AND I CONSIDER IT A PERSONAL VICTORY.  IT IS A TESTAMENT TO MY PERSEVERANCE, TOWARD EVERYTHING I LOVE.  OF COURSE, IF SOMEONE, ACTUALLY PURCHASED THE PAINTING, I WOULD LET IT GO.  ALTHOUGH, PEOPLE ALWAYS TELL ME, "YOU SHOULD DO PRINTS OF YOUR WORK", BUT, THEN THE PIECE LOSES IT'S MEANING.  MAYBE IT'S JUST ME, BUT, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT HAVING THE ORIGINAL, THAT HAS WAY MORE MEANING.  I PLAN TO DO MORE PAINTING AT SOME POINT, BUT, MY DAYS ARE A LITTLE FILLED UP THESE DAYS.  SO, IF THERE'S A LESSON, ANYONE CAN LEARN FROM THIS, IT'S THIS:  WORK FOR THE SELF SATISFACTION OF ACCOMPLISHMENT, BECAUSE, THE WORK YOU PRODUCE WILL NEVER MATCH THE PRICE PAID FOR IT.  IT IS NOT A DIRECT REFLECTION OF WHO YOU ARE, JUST A NUMBER SOMEONE IS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT.  AS LONG AS, YOU ACHIEVE A GOAL IN YOUR MIND, THEN THAT'S MORE VALUABLE THAN WHAT ANYONE IS WILLING TO PAY, RIGHT?   -  925