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| Where Are You Going my Little One - Acrylic on upholstery by Alisha K. Ard |
I mentioned previously that, should
I ever win the lottery, I would purchase one of every item in an art
supply store. I would also own a library, comparable to the one the
Beast gives Belle, and finally realize my life dream of being a
philanthropist. (Dream BIG, right?) Unfortunately, this would require me
to actually play the lottery. So, the best I have to offer right now
are words of encouragement, clothing donations to shelters, a couple of hours here
and there of my time volunteering, and donations I can make with my art.
The most rewarding pieces I create are those that give back to causes I believe in, such as the painted chair pictured with this post. This piece was created a few years ago for a charity auction fundraiser to help raise money to buy beds for children. I had so much fun coming up with the concept for the design and then painting this piece. The title, “Where Are You Going my Little One” is a line from the song “Turn Around” my grandmother used to sing to me. She learned the song from a Kodak commercial — fair warning, have tissues handy, especially if you’ve ever played a role in raising a child yourself. While I viewed this as an inspirational song as a child (you’ll be a grown-up before you know it!), the lyrics definitely resonate differently when you are on the parent end of them. The shoes and the footprints painted on the chair are those of my daughter, who is, indeed, growing up fast.
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| Duckling Shoes - Acrylic on Postcard |
Obviously, I cannot donate all of my art to fundraisers because:
1.)
I’m raising my 16 year old and 11 year old. (Food, food, clothes; food,
food, clothes… No one warned me how much food and clothes kids need
when they are growing! Oh, and then there’s college…)
2.) I need money to buy more art supplies. (It’s a vicious cycle.)
So,
I decided last year that I would donate a portion of sales of my
artwork to causes I support. My reasoning is this — if I were to seek
gallery representation to sell my art, anywhere from 30–50% of that sale
would be taken by the gallery as commission and I may or may not get to
know who bought it. Why not sell directly online and have a percentage
go to support a cause instead? Granted, this route is not without
challenges. I don’t have the built in network that galleries do, and it
takes a lot of time and effort to promote oneself online and actually
reach the right buyers. But — it is such a win-win for me! I get to create a piece of art, connect directly with the person buying my art, and fulfill my dream of being a philanthropist (albeit on a much smaller scale).
Currently, I have a couple of pieces for sale with specific causes they will support: “For Liberty” will help support veterans with PTSD, and “Timeless”
will help support breast cancer research in honor of my Grandma. Buyers interested in purchasing one of my other original works are invited to let
me know a cause they would like to support and I will find a related charity to
make a donation to. Once buyers have received their art (and
confirmed they love it), they also receive confirmation of the donation
to the charity they selected.
Yes,
I realize this concept means I will likely never have
gallery representation, but I’ve always approached life differently
anyway. Some call it “out-of-the-box thinking,” but I don’t even bother
to identify the box they speak of — it sounds confining. To any
other aspiring philanthropists, I recommend Charity Navigator to research any charity you are considering making a donation to. I welcome you to connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and view my portfolio of works on my website.
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