The first sale of my paintings and how it felt

A Story by Thomas Lucas

this story is about how I started to paint and how in almost 2 months I already had 3 collectors )

Today is 24.11. I guess I should mark this date as a personal holiday on the calendar, as today was full of unexpected, interesting, sort of unbelievable events.

It all began at the end of September, I started to draw again. Actually, I wasn't doing anything new, just ordinary sketches. Yes, I was improving the skills, but slowly. I purchased special graphic pencils, studied tons of materials about drawing in perspective, fisheye, the Dutch shot. I started to browse social media and got to know new techniques, and secrets. But there was one profile on Instagram that changed the path I was on. It was divemadhouse. His art, process of creation of amazing paintings made me freeze (in a good way ). I felt like a kid, looking at his masterpieces with wide open eyes and with the dropped jaw. “I want to be like him. He is so cool “- I said to myself.

So, straight the following days I did my research and bought everything needed: palette knives, canvas, oil paints, palette. Just so you know, all the mentioned things were totally new to me, I have never used them. I started to paint at home. Honestly speaking, using these instruments seemed much, much easier on the videos on youtube. Even though my art looked nothing the way I imagined, still I didn't give up. I was enjoying the process - how paints looked, the power of the colors, how they mixed with each other, their textures, scratches and its' application done by palette knives. I was just lost in it.

I would describe my painting as a ritual process. The essential part of it, of course, is the desire to create an art. Mood is the crucial element as well. Be it childish happiness with tears on my face, or madness with crazy screams in my head, or fearful thoughts that eat me up inside, it doesn't matter. I strengthen my mood with proper music. My playlist includes different genres: from electronic, indie to rock and classics. I do strange movements I call dancing, sign, change my position all the time (I might be laying, standing close to the canvas, running away and towards to it ), close my eyes and paint blindly. As my mind goes blank, ideas just appear and I express it all on the canvas. Therefore in the most of the cases, I do not plan my paintings and even during the process, I have no idea what it's going to be.

Almost 2 months passed from the first painting.. My room started to be full of my work and one day I had the conversation with my friend and somehow we started to talk about different platforms for selling. And you know how it goes- word after word and decision was rendered - to try to sell my oil paintings. I knew some websites for selling different items from clothes and technics to different types of equipment for garden and even cars. So the same day of the conversation I posted 4 advertisements, however, I even didn't give any description, just name ”oil paintings”. Remarkably, next morning I had 2 emails about inquiries. To say that I was surprised means to say nothing. I replied, but I didn't receive any messages back. The following day I decided to increase my chances of selling and filled the description and found 2 other platforms for advertisement. One was very useful and people started to text me right away. Even 2 hours didn't pass that I agreed on 2 meetings for the following day.

When I woke up on the next day I felt strange even though I didn't receive any bad news about the meetings. Going to the location of the first meeting I was worried and honestly expected the worst scenario to happen, where the potential collector would not show up and would ignore my calls and messages and I would be standing like a fool and waiting, waiting, waiting…. But the reality was totally opposite. The client came almost on time, even apologized for a small delay. She looked at the painting with pleasure, smiled, paid the agreed amount, thanked me and drove away. I walked back to the station trying to realize what just happened. “What? Wasn't it a joke? She really liked my painting so much so she bought it?” - I thought. I decided to record a voice message to my friend, it was hard to connect words together and construct the normal sentence. I hardly managed to describe everything.

I had the next meeting in 2 hours. “ Well, the first meeting went really well, so now this is the time where everything will get fucked up “-such positive attitude I had. I arrived at the place on time, met the buyer. The meeting went fast, he checked the 2 required paintings, said that they seemed interesting to him and paid money. I was walking back with empty mind again, feeling myself like in the vacuum, nothing could steal my attention.

In a couple of hours, I got one more inquiry message and agreed on the late meeting. I was overwhelmed, how come all these could happen in one day. But more surprises were about to come. The last collector even drove to my house to pick up the painting. During the meeting he asked me about my art and if I would paint anytime soon.” Might it be the future regular collector?” appeared in my mind. I showed the page where I post my art, also added that I would use the same platform for selling. And he paid even double more than the agreed amount. I was shocked.

Such a day! It's hard to describe what motivation, strength, belief it gave me. I feel like something changed inside me, probably that is the acknowledgment that everything is possible, you just have to be on the constant move, work hard, listen to your intuitive feelings and try different things.

P.S. To view the paintings visit my Instagram page, it is Beatrice Bond . (next article will be about my pseudonym and ill tell the story about why I've decided to use it)