When a Painting Doesn’t Sell Right Away

Some paintings take their time—and sometimes, that’s part of the story.

For a while, that used to bother me. When a piece sat in the studio too long, it felt like maybe it wasn’t good enough. You put so much of yourself into your work—heart, hours, hope—and when it doesn’t sell right away, it’s hard not to take it personally.

But over time, I’ve come to see it differently.

When a piece hangs around, it becomes part of the studio. It watches new ideas come and go, sits quietly through the shifts of seasons and sketchbook tangents. It lives through the messy middle stages of other work. Sometimes, it’s simply waiting—for the right wall, at the right time.

The longer I make art, the more I realise: not everything needs to move fast to matter.

Some paintings stay because they’re still becoming. Some because their person hasn’t found them yet. And some just need time to settle. When they do find their home, it always feels like it was meant to be.

Now, when I walk past a piece that’s been with me a while, I don’t see it as a leftover. I see it as a quiet companion. A reminder of what I’ve made. Of what I’m still capable of. A part of the process that’s still unfolding.

A few originals are still with me now. And when they find the right walls, it’ll be exactly when they’re meant to.
Until then, they’re part of the story too. And that’s more than enough.

Want to see the pieces that are still waiting?
You’ll find them in the Available Originals collection—each one waiting patiently for its forever home.

If you like stories that unfold slowly—quiet, thoughtful, and made to keep—The Painted Post might be your kind of mail.
One art print, one letter, once a month. From the studio to your letterbox.