Yes, this is the second iteration of this design. The other one was bigger, but much more fragile. I would not have been able to pick it up like I did the one in the last picture. I also could not drive it anywhere.
This iteration is much better.
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My older brother is a retired art prof. from UNM, in Albuquerque. I remember many years ago that he would produce smaller and more affordable works of art to keep food on the table while he continued working on his larger and more costly canvasses. They were called ‘pot boilers’. Even if an artist is doing OK financially, it’s one way to get a feel for the market. There is a danger even in that, though…that once people have gotten used to purchasing your work for less, it’s pretty tough to raise the price later on.
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That is an amazing piece! So what if you’re in Ottawa. Sell it online to someone in NYC or LA with a huge shipping fee and insurance. Get what it’s worth given all that time and creativty.
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Yep. I have a few lines of “bread and butter” items … lower ticket products that help to keep the bills paid while I experiment with more challenging/satisfying projects. I find that even if my more elaborate stuff sells slowly, it will typically sell 2-3x its value in bread and butter pieces.
The only down side to the bread and butter stuff, is that sometimes it becomes so popular that you can get trapped into a cycle of spending all of your time trying to keep up with the demand, and not having any time left to work on the stuff that feeds your soul.
(and yes I’ve heard the theory that in the ^ above scenario, the best move is to raise your prices. IME, sometimes that works, sometimes no)
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The good - better - best approach. Those who buy the smaller, less expensive pieces may drool for the day that they can buy larger, more complex pieces.
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Going to be facing the same dilemma myself, and the idea of a range from ‘bread and butter’ to insanely expensive’ I think is the way I need to go.
Fortunately, I’m getting some ideas that will allow me to produce that spread of products, but getting the confidence to go with it is another matter.
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I think of it as priming the pump. Helps to get the word out that these items are available and gain exposure for bigger opps. Just don’t put the same level of detail or proportional time into them. Buyers of the lesser, but still artful items, should wish they could have the better ones. Those who buy the more detailed ones should be able to easily see the value for which they paid more. IMHO and as one who has been drawn in by such things (and I did this with consumer tech products at retail)…
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That’s me right now, too. A very new feeling for me…
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Welcome to the club !
It’s been with me for a lifetime, but curiously, and I’m sure it’s a coincidence, but since the SWMBO encouraged me to go for the GF, things have been much easier on that front.
Make of it what you will.
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You should take preorders for delivery in 3 months. Throw in a half dozen 6 month delays and you’ll have a few years to fulfill! Haha sorry for the cheap GF jab but I’m still sore 
but of course will still wait, even though I’ll never be able to make anything like this masterpiece!
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Nice! Keychain size for the museum gift shop is coming! 
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Wow that is stunning. Need to look at it from my desktop. Phone screen doest not do this justice
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An absolutely EXCELLENT Idea – Glowforge should buy it!
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That looks amazing! I love the detail and the scale is ginormous! I can’t imagine it will last long in any gallery before it sells
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James McNabb was definitely an inspiration to me.
Looks like James Mcnabb was more than just an “inspiration”, but nice work. Might want to tip your hat to him in your original post.
PS - Not trying to knock your finished artwork either, it’s really amazing. It really shows the time and effort you put into it.
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It’s a good thing more than one artist can participate in a style or we’d live in a rather bland world. 
So much for Claude Monet. I’m trashing my collection. Going with Eugene Boudin’s only from here on out.
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I had not seen his latest works. This is one that inspired me several years ago:
His building have become more complex in his latest pieces.
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Yeah, like I thought, out of my league! I can appreciate the pricing on it though.
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