Julie T. Chapman - ArtBlog

I’m wondering if anyone else has noticed that there are a great many more ‘art show’ emails coming to the inbox than, say, a year ago. I’ve never heard of any of these; most seem to be based in New York or Europe, and offer some sort of themed exhibition, or gallery show in NY, or book, or whatever…for a nominal fee. I’m led to speculate that perhaps some gallery dealers or show promoters have decided that it’s darned easy to get artists hungry for exposure to pay to enter almost anything.

Here’s an example (and I’ll leave the gallery anonymous):

CALL FOR SUBMISSION

<Exhibition name deleted>

This exhibition will feature 200 artists from aroundthe world. Invitations will be sent to over 40,000 collectors, andfellow artists. Your works will also be featureon our website and for purchase online.
Idea:

Each artist will have a 40(L)x30(H) space to display their artwork of choice. Artist’s can have as many pieces as you want as long as it doesn’t go over the 40″ x 30″ space. Make sure that each piece are ready to hang and is less than 2 lbs. Also, please be sure to mail in a picture/chart of how you want your pieces to be displayed.

We will be picking one artist from this exhibition to presents a solo exhibition at our gallery. We will also be picking 10 artists to present a group exhibition as well.

All artists are guaranteed to be featured in this exhibition upon completion of registration.

AWARD: SOLO Exhibition

Entry Fee: $50

This was cut and pasted from my email - typos, grammatical errors, and all. Plus, I’m confused by “all artists guaranteed to be featured upon completion of registration”, vs the “feature 200 artists”, vs the 40,000 artist invitation.

As other recent blog entries have so amply illustrated: be very choosy about the shows you enter - check them out, talk to other artists who have been involved with the show, Google the show name…etc. For example, I’ve exhibited with a reputable show in California in which sales have been fairly poor recently, and I won’t return to it. An artist contacted me after the last time I’d been in this show to ask me about my experience; I told her my observations, and she bemoaned having already made travel reservations to attend. Clearly, the time to make that phone call is before any money is committed, not after.

Someone recently emailed to suggest that we start a discussion regarding studio lighting. Since I LOVE getting suggestions for the blog, I’m on it! First, a photo of my own setup - it’s a second-floor room with the pitched eaves from being up under the roof. I have a pair of windows at either end (here, looking east), a bank of 6 fluorescents (the other 2 are directly overhead of me in this photo), and 2 of those “solartube” thingies that are like little round skylights (again, the other is directly overhead and out of sight in the photo). This gives me a fabulous mix of natural and artificial light that is bright and also fairly shadowless.

This room was a remodel, so I was able to specify this mix; having lived and worked in this room for 6+ years now, the only things I would change would be to add another bank of fluorescents on the west side, and build in task lighting low on the eaves (it’s dark towards the side walls). And I need some shades on the windows: at certain times of the year the sun comes directly in and onto my easel/display setup.

In the midst of the economic gloom that tends to dominate the media right now, I think it’s important that we also hear about good news in the art world. To wit:

• The CM Russell Auction sold almost $1.5M this year; this is below last year’s record-setting amount, but is still the fifth highest amount the auction has ever sold. One of Charlie Russell’s watercolors sold for more than $100,000 in “spirited bidding”. Not too shabby, methinks.
• Legacy Gallery had its annual G. Harvey show in Scottsdale in mid-March. They had collectors calling beforehand and saying “I’ll call back after the show when you’re ready to sell at a discount”.
  The night of the show, all but one piece sold by draw (and his work is way spendy). The gallery was in the enviable position of telling the discount seekers afterwards that they were out of luck.
• The Scottsdale Art Auction (of which Legacy is a major part) sold 78% of its lots, though prices were on the low end of the estimates. Still, the auction did about $6.2M (against last year’s $9.2M).

…in the Gervais saga. Here’s a firsthand report from an artist who contacted me recently:

I was at last year’s show at the Holiday Inn in Missoula, MT. There was no advertising, not even a sign, until one of the artists’ husbands put one up. It was supposed to bennefit the Wildlife Film Festival with a reception for a couple hours. Nobody showed up except two film festival people. That Sunday was Mother’s Day so we had some traffic from the Mother’s Day brunch in the next room. At the time I thought he was just an inexperienced promoter but after talking to other artists at other shows I am starting to realize just how bad he is. Not one person who has done business with him has anything good to say about him. Looking at his web sites this year it looks like he is having it [the Missoula show] again but in one place it says it is at the fairgrounds. At another place it says the Holiday Inn. I wonder if he is using the tax exempt status of these non-profits for some sort of tax break for himself. By the way that is him on the MySpace page……..definitely!

I just learned today that the Missoula show that was to take place in a few weeks has been cancelled by Mr. Gervais; he has promised refunds to all the exhibiting artists. I sincerely hope the refunds materialize.

Once upon a time, I was talking about a certain well known wildlife artist with one of my favorite dealers. Mr. Dealer said “Yes, I’ve heard all the stories about how The Unnamed Artist Whom We Are Discussing copies ideas from others. Frankly, I don’t see how you artists keep coming up with new ideas.” And I replied, “Getting out in the field. It’s the best way I know of to stay fresh and keep the ideas flowing.”

My recent trip to Freezeout Lake was just such an inspiration. I normally (a) do not paint birds, and (b) do not like painting subject matter in soft or flat light. Yet the impending snowstorm sweeping down on the Rocky Mountain Front, combined with the sight and sound of a blizzard of snow geese, was the imagery I most wanted to capture right after my return (go figure).

Now, certainly, copying a successful painting idea that has already sold well for another artist probably has more surety as a sale. But I’m not here to make oil reproductions of someone else’s ideas - I’m here to push my own boundaries, even if it’s uncomfortable (which is frequently) and without guarantee of a sale.

What do you think?

The Nicolaysen Art Museum, located in Casper, WY, sent me a letter a few months ago, asking me to give them something for their “Postcards from the Wild Wild West” (PWWW) show/auction. Anything sent would be a complete donation.

Normally, I’m rather against just sending something off as a full donation - I think we artists tend to undermine the value of our work through this generosity. It’s easy for museums and other organizations to profit from our hard work while we think ourselves lucky just to have been noticed and asked for the contribution.

However, in this case, I think “the Nic” is doing it right: they just want something no larger than 5″x7″ and they’ll take care of all the framing. Well, heck - it’s an excuse to play a bit, especially since the Nic has a more contemporary focus. And for some reason, I feel that in these economic times it behooves me to support other artists and arts organizations. We all care deeply about what we do, and since art is a discretionary purchase - and therefore one of the first things to be dropped from someone’s budget - I want to do my part to keep all of us afloat.

In any case - it was a challenge to work so damn small, but I still found a way to put palette knife to Yupo and make something kinda wild happen.

Anybody ever get into this mode?

This was the term we used at HP (back in my previous life as an engineer) for getting mired down by over-thinking something, to the point that you can no longer take action. Of course, given the cautious, analytical tendencies of many R&D engineers, there was always a natural tension with the gung-ho marketing types (e.g., me).

In any case, I’ve been getting stuck here lately. I came home from my winter workshop and whipped off two lovely little miniatures that I find enormously satisfying. Then I go to do something larger, and I’m paralyzed by trying to re-create the freshness and appeal of those little pieces; I agonized over subject matter and composition for several days, changed my mind about 50 times, made up my mind, got prepped for a painting, THEN changed my mind again. I finally DID another painting - but I’m not happy with it. The miniatures that I like so much had very little investment in prep or study sketches; they just popped into my head as ideas and I rolled with the inspiration.

So - WTF?? is up with this kinda thing?!

I’ve learned that if I DON’T take my time on compositions and study sketches for larger pieces, the results can really suck. And boy, am I good at beating myself up for wasting canvas, paint, and time on a painting that doesn’t work. But - where’s the right balance between prep and over-work?

I received this email a couple days ago and thought one or more of you might be interested:

 Hello!

You are receiving this E-mail because you have links with one or several art courses.

We, in World Artcraft (website www.art-et-artisanat-du-monde.com ) are organising our 3rd Annual contest for art classes “Discovery of new talents” (amateur painters only). This year, the thematic will be “The water”

To win: 500 euros of prizes, free exhibition spaces on our website and opportunities to give more visibility to your art course !

You can obtain all details  here :  http://www.art-et-artisanat-du-monde.com/anglais/concours_2009/index.html

Many thanks for reading this E-mail.

Karine Caire
Art et Artisanat du Monde

I haven’t heard of this show or organization before, and do not know whether it is legitimate or reputable - just passing this along.

Thank you to Sandra (see comments for prior post) for asking about this! So, just how does one have one’s cake and eat it too when it comes to art?

Many of us might aspire to be full-time artists, but aren’t there yet. Or perhaps we just want to find more time to devote to the creativity that makes us happy. Herewith, a “how I did it” to spark discussion.

I’ve always been rather anal-retentive (probably to the point of rigidity) about my schedule and time. When I was working at HP full-time, and trying to build up my art career, my week looked like:

• Work 4×9 plus Friday mornings (later on, I worked 4×9 with a 10% pay reduction).
• Use Friday afternoons to do errands, groceries, and housecleaning
• Spend evenings on art business: emailing, photographing paintings, packing, website maintenance, sketches for next paintings, etc.
• Spend Saturday and Sunday painting

Several things to note: no kids, little TV, and not much social life either. Also, I was and am diligent about exercise (weightlifting, running) which keeps my energy level up for working in the evenings. This was my schedule for about 5 years before I became a full-time artist.

NOW - this is what worked for me, and these tradeoffs might be too onerous, or this schedule unworkable, for someone else. BUT: what ideas does it spark for you? What choices have you made to fit art into your life?

Happy 2009, everyone! Personally, I’m fine with seeing the hind-end of 2008. Although 2009 ain’t getting on my good side yet, with a thaw and pouring rain on top of 2 feet of snow producing roof leaks and a thick, metallic sheet of unwalkable ice where our driveway and road should be…

So. It’s time for New Year’s Resolutions! Actually, I set specific goals each year for various areas of my life (physical fitness, art, agility, etc.).

Still, I think there’s a place for resolutions which may not have goals associated with them. Sometimes having a goal takes some of the joy-juice out of the activity. F’rinstance, in 2009 I’d like to:

• Continue giving myself permission to experiment in my work - to create without expectation of sales
• Refresh my approach to marketing my work
• Work more on developing meaning in my art

These are kinda vague, but that’s intriguing for me.

OK, everyone: time to step up with your 2009 resolutions!