Wow, one whole year of doing art full-time! This used to be just a dream, and yet by the grace of God, here we are.
It was April of 2022 when I (Isaac) left my high-paying corporate job to pursue painting full-time with my wife, Lorrie. This year has been a roller coaster of creating, emotions and learning how to craft an art business around our paintings and serving you well. We’re so excited for the coming year and continuing to work with you!
In this “year in review” we’re going to share with you some big lessons that we learned, highlights of stories along the way, and what this next year looks like for us. I hope you find this enjoyable and enlightening!
Big lessons
This year has been full of twists and turns and there are a few big takeaways…
In-person shows are still alive and well
We expected online sales to be a big part of a business, but they really haven’t been! Most of our client relationships have been through live shows. We love getting to be a part of the Franklin art scene.
Relationships matter
We have developed such dear relationships with you and have loved hearing your stories! It’s because of YOU that we get to live our dream. Thank you!!!
We love doing commissions
Commissions are just a fancy, “insider speak” way to say custom artwork.
We were hesitant when our mentor suggested that we start doing custom work. It seemed big, scary, and intimidating. Many artists don’t enjoy working directly with the client, but we love it! After dipping our toes in that pool, we found that it was a great fit for us and our passions.
What we’re doing now
Commissions
Commissions have become our favorite thing to do, and a crucial part of our business! We’re rearranging how we do business this year to maximize commissioned work.
Shows
In-person art shows are alive and well, and we’ll be continuing to do them. We will be sending out more info about some exciting events we have coming up!
Classes
Lorrie has a heart for teaching. She’s taught science in the past and is taking that experience to share her love for painting with others. If you don’t think you could ever paint, you should go take one of her classes and see just how much fun it is!
Commission highlights
Francesco & Markaley
A young family in Franklin, TN approached Lorrie at an art crawl with a wonderfully unique vision. They wanted to “tile” multiple paintings together to cover a large, barren wall in their living space!
Lorrie worked with their vision, helped them direct it in a way that they loved even more, and then delivered. She used hexagon canvases that Isaac hand-made for the project, and then painted them with colors that matched their vision for the space. It looked wonderful, and completely changed their space for the better!
They also commissioned a large entry piece that welcomed guests into their beautiful home.
Anastasia
Anastasia was in the Franklin area when she saw one of Lorrie’s paintings on display, and she fell in love. Not only did she buy that painting, but she’s since ordered another, and commissioned two more!
She has very innovative art ideas, and it’s fantastic! Each commission with Anastasia has been a truly wonderful experience, leading to truly unique artwork–including one that was painted on 4-foot wide clear acrylic! Each piece has deep Biblical inspiration and the results have been impactful.
This huge (and heavy!) painting was packaged and delivered out-of-state (yes, we do that!) to California, where it has become a beautiful addition to her and her husband’s home.
Willy
Willy is a talented musician who relocated from Butte Montana to Franklin. After buying a serene lake painting, he reached out to me (Isaac) about commissioning this beautiful scene from his past. This is an abandoned train track in the mountains of Montana, where he spent his time walking and praying with God. What a beautiful gift to get to partner with Willy in making this painting!
Charles
Charles and his wife Gail commissioned Lorrie to paint a special painting based on his life verse Galatians 2:20.
The painting was a gift for his grandson and fiancé for their wedding day. After receiving the painting, Charles said, “Every one who sees it is overwhelmed with its beauty and meaning. It will be treasured for generations.”
This is all just a small sample of the custom paintings that we’ve both had the pleasure of creating this year!
Conclusion
This year has been so much fun, and we’re so blessed to look forward to this next one! Let us know if you’ve ever wanted specific artwork, we’d love to bring your dream to life!
