Thank you so much Chuck for helping me update my website. To those of you who have seen it before, we posted much newer pieces in the Environment and Forgotten sections and posted photos from the Claude: the Monster, the Myth, the Legend and Relics & Reliquaries shows, so please check it out.
Environment page
Forgotten page
Claude: the Monster, the Myth, the Legend
Relics & Reliquaries
My next big update I'm hoping to post more photos of my plein air paintings on display at Art Saint Louis and Les Bourgeois Vineyards but I won't be doing so until early next year. Those shows will be up through the holidays (the show at Les Bourgeois will be up through February) so check them out in person if you can.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Art of the Week: Hat
Here is a photo of the Knify Knitter hat that I mentioned last week, complete with puffball. I am looking forward to wearing it as it gets colder - it's quite warm.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Art of the Week: Necklaces
Sorry I'm a little late posting the art of the week. Yesterday I had a wonderful time at a day retreat at a friend's house and finally got started on a hat using the Knifty Knitter Hat Loom - something I'd been wanting to do for months. The hat isn't yet done but may make art of the week next week. In the meantime, here are some necklaces & jewelry sets I finished up this week.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Opening This Week
I have some artworks in a couple of shows opening this week. Outside In is "a contemporary celebration of outdoor art" in which artists worked en plein air and in their studios to depict sculptures & outdoor art from Chesterfield's permanent collection. Included are my interpretations of Ernest Trova's Gox A and Bob Cassilly's Butterfly. Similarly themed is the Remastered show at Soulard Art Market, where artists were invited to "re-imagine famous artworks of the past" in which I will be showing the Claude Monsterpieces.
Outside In
Chesterfield Arts
444 Chesterfield Center
Chesterfield, MO
Nov. - Dec. 2009
Reception: Friday, Nov. 13, 6 - 9 PM
Remastered
Soulard Art Market
2028 S. 12th St.. St. Louis, MO
Nov. 2009
Reception: Friday, Nov. 13, 7 - 10 PM
Encore Reception: Saturday, Nov. 14, 7 - 10 PM
Outside In
Chesterfield Arts
444 Chesterfield Center
Chesterfield, MO
Nov. - Dec. 2009
Reception: Friday, Nov. 13, 6 - 9 PM
Remastered
Soulard Art Market
2028 S. 12th St.. St. Louis, MO
Nov. 2009
Reception: Friday, Nov. 13, 7 - 10 PM
Encore Reception: Saturday, Nov. 14, 7 - 10 PM
Friday, November 6, 2009
Art of the Week: Love Nest
Love Nest
reappropriated women's & men's clothing, wire hanger, wooden pants hanger
Created for MoFA Member Challenge: Build a Nest to benefit Nest.
(Note: Not everything I do is for donation and I actually rarely make new work to donate, but I am catching up on things and was excited to participate in these two particular events.)
Statement:
Working together to build our lives and our home, we feel connected and safe in one another’s arms. There are many who would judge us harshly for choosing not to procreate, who would say that our relationship is illicit despite our being married because we aren’t letting nature take its course and surrounding ourselves with children. But neither of us feels the desire to have children to be complete; we have each other and that is all we need.
Professionalism in Practice
Aside from avoiding excuses, not being afraid to ask questions, and remembering to say thank you, you need to think about how you're representing yourself and your art. This is a continuation of my last post on the importance of having good images of your art, but here I will focus more on how we present ourselves. This is a topic I have touched on many times, but I haven't devoted a blog post entirely to it, so I hope to consolidate some of my thoughts here, in no particular order.
- You will be remembered by how you present yourself. First impressions stick, so make sure to make a good one.
- Present your work professionally. Shoot good images of your work to show to people.
- Keep business cards on hand so people you meet can contact you and can be directed someplace where they can see your artwork. If you use an image of your art on your business cards, make sure it is a good one and reflects your current work.
- It is a good idea to maintain a professional website, keep it up to date, and apply for a domain name. This reflects better on you than directing people to your MySpace or Facebook page which can be seen as amateurish. Blogs do not make up for websites and typically serve a different function.
- Always always always check submissions packets for spelling, typos and grammatical errors. Mistakes are much more forgivable in some formats than others (a lot of blog posts are rife with errors, but that is the nature of putting your thoughts out there quickly), but if you're applying for a show or a grant you want to show off. You don't want to be remembered for what you did wrong. Have as many other people as possible proof your work.
- Be courteous and polite.
- Abide by whatever rules are set up by those whom you're working with and don't expect that rules will be changed to suit your needs, especially not at the last minute. If you have any complications regarding your ability to meet requirements, check with the gallery or organization with whom you will be working to negotiate an alternative plan of action - don't wait and spring it on them last minute.
- Communication is important. Don't bother people and abide by their rules deadlines in regards to contacting them, but don't be afraid to ask questions if you need to.
- Say thank you.
- Attitude is everything. Convey a positive image of yourself. Try not to engage in gossip or complain, especially to those whom you don't know well. Negativity can do a lot to perpetuate itself by fostering more negativity, so try not to bring others down or come across as unappreciative as you can be remembered for that.
- Attend receptions for your work if at all possible. These are great opportunities to network, to show your commitment to yourself as an artist and to talk to others about your work. Think about what you're wearing to your show and how it reflects upon you.
- Stay respectful. Don't backstab or undermine others because they didn't treat you professionally - doing so won't reflect well on you either.
- Be responsible for yourself. Follow through on what you commit to. Try not to overextend yourself or double-book your work.
- Above all else, abide by the Golden Rule and treat others as you would like them to treat you.
I'm gearing up for a busy week next week with drop offs and pick ups, so this will likely be my last blog post on this topic, at least for awhile. I hope that you've found these at least somewhat informative. It has been good for me to get my thoughts down someplace where I can refer to them.
- You will be remembered by how you present yourself. First impressions stick, so make sure to make a good one.
- Present your work professionally. Shoot good images of your work to show to people.
- Keep business cards on hand so people you meet can contact you and can be directed someplace where they can see your artwork. If you use an image of your art on your business cards, make sure it is a good one and reflects your current work.
- It is a good idea to maintain a professional website, keep it up to date, and apply for a domain name. This reflects better on you than directing people to your MySpace or Facebook page which can be seen as amateurish. Blogs do not make up for websites and typically serve a different function.
- Always always always check submissions packets for spelling, typos and grammatical errors. Mistakes are much more forgivable in some formats than others (a lot of blog posts are rife with errors, but that is the nature of putting your thoughts out there quickly), but if you're applying for a show or a grant you want to show off. You don't want to be remembered for what you did wrong. Have as many other people as possible proof your work.
- Be courteous and polite.
- Abide by whatever rules are set up by those whom you're working with and don't expect that rules will be changed to suit your needs, especially not at the last minute. If you have any complications regarding your ability to meet requirements, check with the gallery or organization with whom you will be working to negotiate an alternative plan of action - don't wait and spring it on them last minute.
- Communication is important. Don't bother people and abide by their rules deadlines in regards to contacting them, but don't be afraid to ask questions if you need to.
- Say thank you.
- Attitude is everything. Convey a positive image of yourself. Try not to engage in gossip or complain, especially to those whom you don't know well. Negativity can do a lot to perpetuate itself by fostering more negativity, so try not to bring others down or come across as unappreciative as you can be remembered for that.
- Attend receptions for your work if at all possible. These are great opportunities to network, to show your commitment to yourself as an artist and to talk to others about your work. Think about what you're wearing to your show and how it reflects upon you.
- Stay respectful. Don't backstab or undermine others because they didn't treat you professionally - doing so won't reflect well on you either.
- Be responsible for yourself. Follow through on what you commit to. Try not to overextend yourself or double-book your work.
- Above all else, abide by the Golden Rule and treat others as you would like them to treat you.
I'm gearing up for a busy week next week with drop offs and pick ups, so this will likely be my last blog post on this topic, at least for awhile. I hope that you've found these at least somewhat informative. It has been good for me to get my thoughts down someplace where I can refer to them.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Promoting Your Art Via Images of It
Aside from avoiding excuses, not being afraid to ask questions, and remembering to say thank you, you need to think about how you're representing yourself and your art. In this post I'm going to touch on the importance of having good, quality images of your work.
It is crucial that you have images of your current work and that those images do it justice. People will likely see more images of your artwork than your actual artwork itself, between promoting your work to galleries and publicizing it to viewers. So it is very important that your images are accurate representations of your work and make you look good.
I don't really have much to say on this topic except that it really really needs to be a priority. Keep in mind that high quality images are a must. This may be the only way some people see your artwork at all, so make sure to provide an accurate representation that reflects well on yourself and your art. If you don't feel you can do a good job shooting images of your artworks, then hire someone to do so. Make sure to arrange licensing & copyright agreements and payment in advance so that you have permissions to use the images of your artwork for publicity, promotion and to apply for opportunities.
Slides are becoming less common and digital images are used for pretty much everything nowadays. There is no standardized format for submitting digital images as it varies vastly from opportunity to opportunity, so always follow directions when submitting digital images to shows and galleries. It reflects poorly on yourself and decreases the likelihood that you will be considered when your files are improperly labeled, corrupted or saved in the wrong format or size. Check to be certain that your images are readable. It helps to look at your submission from multiple computers if possible to make sure that your files open and are readable and to see what your artwork looks like on different monitors, since that can change how color and detail is conveyed depending on screen size, resolution, type, brightness and so forth.
Digital images used for printed materials need to be much higher quality and greater resolution than those viewed on a computer monitor, so make sure you have an idea of what the image will be used for. It is also generally preferred that images used for print have fewer effects applied to improve them, except when those effects are used to create the artwork itself, since that can have a big impact on print quality. So it is far better to shoot good images in the first place than to correct them drastically later on when considering printed materials. And be aware that some print opportunities specify that images need to be saved in different file formats than you may be accustomed to otherwise, so don't always assume that you can send along a jpeg and be done with it and keep in mind that saving from one file format to another can alter the image quality.
Another consideration is where the images of your artworks will be viewed and by whom. If you or your representatives plan to post high resolution images online in the public domain, it is a good idea to watermark them with your copyright information to prevent others from using or printing them without your permission. Also consider whether or not your work can be traced back to you - I have gotten numerous emails about really cool art that people have forwarded so many times that there is nothing more than a string of images of artworks without any information about the artist or where to find more of the artist's work.
I recognize that I do not have the highest quality images of my work and so am not really the best source of advice on this topic. I prefer to shoot everything myself and do so on a regular basis to keep as many current artworks on file as possible so I can promote and submit them. I use my best pictures of my work to represent my art and myself for publicity purposes, and I tend not to post super high resolution images online so as to not draw attention to their imperfections.
It is crucial that you have images of your current work and that those images do it justice. People will likely see more images of your artwork than your actual artwork itself, between promoting your work to galleries and publicizing it to viewers. So it is very important that your images are accurate representations of your work and make you look good.
I don't really have much to say on this topic except that it really really needs to be a priority. Keep in mind that high quality images are a must. This may be the only way some people see your artwork at all, so make sure to provide an accurate representation that reflects well on yourself and your art. If you don't feel you can do a good job shooting images of your artworks, then hire someone to do so. Make sure to arrange licensing & copyright agreements and payment in advance so that you have permissions to use the images of your artwork for publicity, promotion and to apply for opportunities.
Slides are becoming less common and digital images are used for pretty much everything nowadays. There is no standardized format for submitting digital images as it varies vastly from opportunity to opportunity, so always follow directions when submitting digital images to shows and galleries. It reflects poorly on yourself and decreases the likelihood that you will be considered when your files are improperly labeled, corrupted or saved in the wrong format or size. Check to be certain that your images are readable. It helps to look at your submission from multiple computers if possible to make sure that your files open and are readable and to see what your artwork looks like on different monitors, since that can change how color and detail is conveyed depending on screen size, resolution, type, brightness and so forth.
Digital images used for printed materials need to be much higher quality and greater resolution than those viewed on a computer monitor, so make sure you have an idea of what the image will be used for. It is also generally preferred that images used for print have fewer effects applied to improve them, except when those effects are used to create the artwork itself, since that can have a big impact on print quality. So it is far better to shoot good images in the first place than to correct them drastically later on when considering printed materials. And be aware that some print opportunities specify that images need to be saved in different file formats than you may be accustomed to otherwise, so don't always assume that you can send along a jpeg and be done with it and keep in mind that saving from one file format to another can alter the image quality.
Another consideration is where the images of your artworks will be viewed and by whom. If you or your representatives plan to post high resolution images online in the public domain, it is a good idea to watermark them with your copyright information to prevent others from using or printing them without your permission. Also consider whether or not your work can be traced back to you - I have gotten numerous emails about really cool art that people have forwarded so many times that there is nothing more than a string of images of artworks without any information about the artist or where to find more of the artist's work.
I recognize that I do not have the highest quality images of my work and so am not really the best source of advice on this topic. I prefer to shoot everything myself and do so on a regular basis to keep as many current artworks on file as possible so I can promote and submit them. I use my best pictures of my work to represent my art and myself for publicity purposes, and I tend not to post super high resolution images online so as to not draw attention to their imperfections.
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