Art for auction

About a month and a half ago, I signed up to participate in an online art auction. At the time I was turning out a painting a day, and didn't see any problem with coming up with five new pieces to sell! Then July and hot weather hit, and output fell off. I got a notice today that my bio and photo were due today and all my pieces—named, described, and priced—are due by Friday night. Eeek!

It's okay if I sell already finished work in the auction, as long as it isn't anything that I did as an assignment or "in the style of" another—it all has to be original work. But with the 70+ portraits I've painted over the past year and a half, finding five of my own shouldn't be any problem. Still, I wanted to create at least a couple new pieces; most of my portraits have been sitting unsold on Etsy (and Redbubble) and honestly, it's shaken my confidence a little that I haven't made any sales.

I did that painting with collage of Anne Boleyn the other day and was happy enough with it that I decided it would be one that I would sell; and that led me down the path of thinking of a theme, like how about people named Anne? Hm. The first to come to mind was Anne Frank, but I didn't know if anyone would want to buy a portrait of a girl with such a tragic end. Of course, Anne Boleyn, skinny neck, sharp sword...okay. But I kept thinking, and yesterday inspiration struck. I was finishing up my four portraits in acrylic for Emma's class, so I waited until today, and put in a hard afternoon's work. And I have to say, I've impressed myself a bit. I just hope someone else has the same sentimental attachment to this Anne that I do...

"Anne of Green Gables"—pencil, watercolor, ink, on Fluid 140-lb. coldpress paper, 14x12 inches.