Hello and welcome to my blog that's being resurrected for my tens of followers. Well....... fives? OK- one or two? But we are going to change that! Maybe. I'm currently re-evaluating which social media sites it's best to focus on since time, for all of us, is limited! If you'd love a preview of next Tuesdays Tuesday Art Tips, here it is below as promised on the facebook trailer you probably just watched. Click the active link below. Let me know what you think! Awesome Art Studio Tips
Why my studio ( and perhaps yours too) must remain in a state of perpetual organized messy chaos: Try as I may, I cannot, for the life of me, KEEP my studio neat and clean. I do actually clean and organize it fairly regularly, but it immediately and always reverts back to something similar to the shot posted above. I have fought this for years, but- no longer! I am going to embrace the mess instead. I'm going to have a mind-set change. After listening to yet another #Artist Helping Artist podcast on the subject I finally gained some insight into this. Artists are visual people, through and through. Out of sight, out of mind. We need to see it to know that we have it in our possession. The overly organized artist that hasn't yet recognized this, has, you can bet, more frames on hand than she thinks she has, extra tubes of that particular paint color he thought he'd run out of, and so on. Which leads me to the.... Studio Tip of the Week Install open shelving in the studio. Place wire baskets on the shelves and label everything. This "open" storage system is working much better for me than the old "neatly tucked away" system ever did.
Open shelving and open baskets, installed and ready and waiting to be filled in an organized manner of some sort. ( it's on the To Do list, towards the bottom.....I'm getting there!)
A non-artist friend, a neat-nik, ( you know who you are, JB) told me open wire baskets, though neat-looking, would look messy on the shelves once I filled them up. She's right, they do look a bit messy once filled with my stuff, but at least I always know what I have on hand and where it is.
So, learn to live with a bit more of a mess than you like-embrace it, and drop the guilt. It's your studio! ************************************************* Playing around with a different palette the other day, and with a different style, I produced this piece, which I really ended up liking. It's currently at a local boutique. I am interested in hearing some feedback on it!
Flowers, 20x20x1 1/2 acrylic on wrapped canvas $ 495.00
The Summer Art Market was a success and is so much fun to do , despite the hard work. It's always interesting to me to watch and listen to find out what art patrons like or don't care for as much. This painting, which was done last minute- just a couple days before the show- was the most popular. I would not have predicted this; quite a surprise to me.
The Garden, 30x30 acrylic
I am taking one of Alyson Stanfield's 6 week marketing webinars. One of the things I am learning is the importance of developing and maintaining an e-mail list and sending out regular newsletters. I simply have not focused on this much in the past but finally created and mailed out my first one yesterday! If you are interested in receiving it ( and it will go out only 4 times a year), please sign up. Go to this link to sign up ( and scroll to bottom of the page):Newsletter Sign Up To help get my newsletter off and running, I offered a free painting giveaway raffle for those signing up for the newsletter. Ann LaForte was the lucky winner of this little bird: ( and the birds were really a hit; they literally flew out of the booth!
It is fun and rewarding to give recipients a nicely packaged piece of art! It takes so little effort and can make such a difference for someone. One of my clients mentioned how much she enjoys the quotes that I stick on the back of some paintings or packaging materials.
Would you like a bird?
4x4x1 1/2 oil/canvas, sides painted black
$ 45.00
Speaking of birds, looking for a FANTASTIC read for a lazy summer day? I absolutely loved the book, Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien
It is a true and heartwarming story about a girl and her owl. You'll not only not be able to put the book down, but you will learn a lot about owls. I think it's a must read and it renewed my love and fascination with birds.
Studio Tip of the Week:
Print out a small thumbnail of each painting. Have several copies of each on hand. Paste one in the upper corner of a page. On that page document the painting's history (where the paintings have shown , when it sells or is donated, etc.)
Place these sheets in a binder. I number each painting and file them by number, since names get forgotten or re-used.
The other thumbnails I place on the box in which the painting is stored, on a bullitin board to remind me which paintings are earmarked for upcoming shows or competitions, etc. This system is really working well for me. I hope it helps you.
Please consider clicking this link to " like" my facebook business page:
Happy June! It is summer and that means......... Summer Art Market time! Be sure to stop by the 2015 SUMMER ART MARKET!! June 13&14th , 9-5 Saturday and Sunday 2nd and Grant st in Denver, Colorado. Please stop by booth #6 and say hi!
I am excited to showcase new work in a very different style this year. I will have many large ( up to 36x48") mixed media and acrylic paintings in a more stylized landscape format and a few purely abstract works like the one below. Fresh off the easel:
Lazy Summer Day 16x20 acrylic on stretched canvas $ 395.00
In my never-ending attempt to de-clutter, I read yet another book on the subject called the life changing magic of tidying up by marie condo ( no caps in her book title)
I am starting to put some of her tips to use. As you see in the photo, I have been hoarding art magazines. I keep them, because I realize that a style I don’t care for today, I might be inspired by tomorrow. But my studio is starting to feel too cluttered again. So, I’m slowly going through the magazines, tearing out paintings I like and filing them in a binder. The rest were heading for the trash- until I stumbled upon a neat idea. I use brightly colored images from the art magazine to provide a backdrop for artist quotes that I add to my paintings that sell online.
I feel good about this, because I am recycling, and it’s fun to make things when I don’t feel like creating a work of art. ( It's a great procrastination tool, if you're looking for one! )
THEN, the remains of the magazine go to the recycle bin.
