Finally

I am finally working again.
The commission piece is exactly what I need to be doing.
I have sent off color cards to the buyers and getting their input to the colors for the background abstract portion and now I am rendering sketches for the poses.

If you are not up to date on the commission....it is a new section to my DANCE OF LOVE series. These will be all red and earth toned colors with the same passionate poses of the figures.(note painting in earlier post from first series)

I have two new sketches and will probably do at least 3 to 4 new pieces to this series.

The first sketch is somewhat tamer than the first four, but as I go along they are acquiring the same sort of intensity of the first group. I appreciate the challenge in going back to a former series and adding to it and keeping the same degree of feeling I first captured. Well, I hope I am capturing the same degree of feeling. We will see.

Will post the sketches soon.

Time Flies.

Ok so I didn't make it back as promised. Is there a method or a system to being organized or are you born with that gene?

I am so slow....but I mean well

LOL...yes I am slow in posting on this thread and I need to be here at least once a week. Who knows maybe I will actually keep that commitment.

I do have good news......
I was just picked up by a gallery in Mississippi.
So even though I will be busier than ever, I need to stick to my commitments that I previously started and try to get back here and show what I am up to next.

Jewelry.....the rings have sold very well.
I took pictures with intent to post but all have sold, so now I need to craft new ones.

Clayworks. I have added a new item to my clayworks...it is called "Earth Tones"...will get new pictures up of those items as soon as I can.

I got a long distant commission on one of my favorite series. Dance of Love I will be working on that the next couple of weeks....
posting pictures of that series here.

Recently I was asked by the ORPHEUM to submit items with 25% commission going to them for my work that they sell.

I got notice today for a call to artists to submit work once again to the invitational that I entered last January, I am excited I sold 3 pieces at that show and I look forward to getting some new work in for that show.

I am still entering the various events that are hosted by the ARTHOUSE in Atlanta.
I have my five little canvases finished and will be sending them off this next week.
That show will be touring the United States like the Scrapbook #2 did in April.

So that is it for now...thanks for reading.

Another Direction

I recently became interested in designing and making jewelry.
I am now learning different methods of beading and wire twisting.
I am thinking about going further into the jewelry line and actually do some casting.
We will see....it isn't at if I didn't have enough on my plate at the time

Here is one of my rings. This is a crystal rivoli stone with sterling silver wire.

Giving Back-

Life swirls and flashes by so quickly that rarely do we have the chance to give back to those who helped you get to the point you are now. Thank You at the moment is fine, but to actually find a way to do more is rather exciting.

Life has handed me a couple of lemons lately and instead of sitting here on my duff I have thought about taking the time to recognize people who directly influenced me and who supported me during some lean hard years. People went on the ride with me just for the sake of being there. They took on a lot and gave me faith and support when I needed it.

I run a co-operative gallery and for several years the location that I maintained wasn't the best to have for the enterprise I was trying to run.

In those years a lot of artists came to me and we exhibited together through the "lean" times. They trusted my idea and wanted to be involved. They could not always stay too long in the gallery because in a co-operative overhead sometimes out weighed the commissions and sales before it became an additional hardship on them. Again location, traffic and capital to promote were not always available and that did make a difference to people and how long they might be willing to give their support.

I now am in a location that drives traffic to our door, we are experiencing some good sales even in this economic down turn for most of the country. I have thought about those who hung in there with me as long as they could, but never got to ride the upside of the co-operative.

I had this "light bulb moment" of how to share with the former members what is happening in the gallery now and I hope it will work out. I am going to invite each former member to have a chance to exhibit in our new home as a thank you for helping me get there.

I am still in the working stage of this idea, but feel that allowing one artist a month to come hang a few pieces of their work in the new space will be nice; not only for me, so that I can see what they are doing, but maybe a little bit for them too. I think they deserve that moment, it may take me years to get to all of them after running a cooperative for 11 years, but it certainly is worth the try. Some have moved on to better places and larger galleries and they probably will not return, but several I think would enjoy the experience of what they helped me do.

Think I will set a date to get this started and just get it done...I think it is very important to give back whenever you can, especially before you lose the opportunity.

Myth's about Vanity Galleries

There has been a bit of rumblings on the Internet art networks about Vanity Galleries. Lots of discussion. First would ask, what do you think of when you hear the title Vanity Gallery? does it come across as negative?

For most artists it does, but if you look pass that first title and look to the benefits, there is some justification for that sort of space.

Now I would ask how many types of galleries do you think there are?
Let's see if I can list them
Commercial Galleries
Cooperative Galleries
Exhibition Galleries
Vanity Galleries
Regional Galleries
Private Galleries
and Internet Galleries
most of the above list are explanatory.

Commercial Gallery would be the standard 50/40% commission gallery that usually deals with their set "stable" of artists. They are comfortable with the work they exhibit and know it's sales value.

Cooperative Galleries are galleries that have a collective of artists who have grouped together to pool their resources for a venue to exhibit their work. The availability of artists at hand to produce work or even commission pieces directly for clients. It has little or no commissions attached to the art work so the savings is passed on to the customer. Cooperative does handle the artists in a creative manner. It allows the artists to expand their thinking processes by helping them to balance some matters on the left side of the brain. If a cooperative gallery is in a well trafficked area, is managed and handled well, the benefits of artists running the show is doubled, everyone benefits- client and artist

Vanity Galleries and Exhibition Gallery are those that have a space with lights that may be rented by individuals for a fee to host their own shows. There is little or no input from the actual owner of the space. Their fees are directly related to the rent of the space and sometimes to a % of sales made during the event. If an artist wishes to be involved from top to bottom then this for them

I am sure the last two types of galleries are self explanatory.Private and Regional.

Though there is some negativity in calling a gallery "Vanity", there are benefits.

some responses from other artists on www.Painterkeys.com

Joyce Fournier, Or.
While some of these galleries do charge artists exorbitant fees to exhibit work that is of questionable quality, many such galleries would be best referred to as Exhibition Galleries, where artists who have work that is of a high calibre are invited to display their work within a specific theme. The Exhibition Gallery offers a great option to independent artists who are tired of waiting for their submissions to be accepted by traditional commercial galleries and would prefer to spend more time creating. Exhibition galleries also meet the needs of independent artists who may not enjoy doing the ART EXPO's at convention centres due to limited funds, excessive workload, etc

Joy Engleman
I am a curator at a commercial gallery as well as an artist with a long career spanning some 35 years or more. Vanity galleries do have a place in the system and are a great place for artists to showcase what they can do. We need more galleries, co-operative, vanity or commercial, regional and private, more galleries

Don Cadoret
I agree in that these galleries have a place. I would suggest though that we avoid the term "vanity" in the future and allow ourselves the honor of being involved in co-operative galleries where the marketing and potential profit is shared. If serious craft artists can do quite well in the co-operative model than why can't other artists succeed in the same environment? Of course they can! Like any business decision (of which there are many for artists), be wary of pitfalls and be willing to learn from mistakes. That's what makes Painter's Keys so valuable for all level of artists.

Silvia Forrest
I like to think about the changes in the business model we are living through as similar to what occurred in Europe when the Impressionists first organized their own show in response to the rigidity of the "Salon" system which then controlled who could and who could not exhibit and what works of art were considered acceptable.

Change is always unsettling but also unavoidable.

Those of you who are looking for venue's to show your work, heed these words and get out there any way you can.

Running as Fast as I can

Whew!!!!
My new ad came out this week.
I am excited and hope that the possibilities I perceived through getting my name out there will actually come to fruition.

It would be interesting to hear from others and their attempts on getting recognition and how it turned out for them. Sort of a networking of ideas and outcomes.

Well, guess now is just my turn to wait and see.