I've Gone Postal Art

It's always a bittersweet experience to sell a painting. It's like sending your child off to college, only you will never see your child again. This ( art ) child has been created solely for the purpose of creating something that I love, and also with the hopes of connecting with a buyer and making them happy. Granted, not every painting an artist creates sells, and the creation process in itself is what brings the ultimate joy. But to me the ultimate satisfaction is connecting with someone who feels a connection to my work. I make it as easy as possible for a buyer to own my work; many times placing the payment on a lay-away type payment plan. When the art is paid for in full, it is shipped. I package the art myself with the help of my husband and the process takes about half an hour. I use UPS to ship and I'm grateful to say that my art has always arrived at its destination in perfect shape.

But as I place the art in a huge, plain, white box I feel there is something missing. The box becomes a blank canvas to me and I put myself in the receiving end of this box realizing that what's on the outside does not match what's inside. There should be some sort of art on the box "announcing" the arrival of what the buyer has invested in - something to make the buyer feel special. So with each box I ship ( and they have been pretty large ), I get my trusty markers out, roughly outline a design in pencil, and go to work on a piece of art on the box. Nothing super elaborate because the likelihood of it getting to the destination unscathed is pretty slim. The above photo collage is from the buyer of my painting "Amphitrite" as she photographed the steps upon receiving the art. She was thrilled. I believe in making the buyer feel special, because that's exactly as she/he should feel when they make an art purchase. It's a bond between creator and buyer that there are truly no words for. Expressing it visually is the closet I can get. Happy Creating!