Never Forget
In and Out
There are juried are shows, and there are judged art shows. Juried shows have a judge or a panel of judges who decide which entries are in and which are out. Judged shows award prizes.
I entered a juried show which is to hang for a year in a Tulare County government office building lobby. Any piece had to be a minimum of 2′ per side, so I rejuvenated 2 older pencil drawings and painted a new oil of my favorite bridge. (That’s the Oak Grove Bridge on the Mineral King Road.)
Go figure. I asked the coordinator of the show if he could tell me how the decision was made. It is good to know the reasons behind such decisions, because they help me learn for the future. He didn’t know, couldn’t tell me, and I continue in a state of befuddlement.
Normally I don’t enter juried shows, because they often have an entry fee and then are a hassle to deliver the work. This is in Visalia, the county seat of Tulare County, and since my mama lives there, delivering will be part of my normal route.
There will be an opening reception to the show on Thursday, September 19, and I cannot attend, so the mystery of why 2 are in and 1 is out will remain unsolved.
Side Job
A side job is something I consider work, but not my main deal. Logo design is not my strong point, but sometimes I get asked to make a logo. Usually I have one good idea, and then the rest just get worse with every attempt. When I was asked last fall to design a logo for a church I used to attend (the only reason I have ever left a church is for geographical reasons so we were on very good terms, nothing awkward or difficult), I said I’d try.
I spent quite a few hours sketching out ideas, refining them in pencil, rejecting the weaker ones, holding on to the stronger ones, until I had 3 that I wasn’t too embarrassed of. They know I can draw, know I have a soft spot for their church and wouldn’t produce something second rate, so I wasn’t too worried about the rough presentation.
The pastor took them to a council, and they selected this one:
Oh boy, next I got to figure out how to turn my scribbles into something print worthy, using Photoshop Elements.
The council began making suggestions, and I froze. (Design By Committee is what produced a camel when a horse was desired.) They were kind and didn’t have a deadline, so I worked and worked to incorporate their wishes, which were a cross (to be expected in a Christian church) and some color.
I called this one #4, but it might have been closer to #20. They are happy, so I am happy. (I don’t want to look at it too long, or I’ll keep finding ways to “fix” it.)
Remember. . .
Blog Idea
Since April of 2008, I have been posting to this blog, in an irregular fashion at first (I knew nothing about blogging), and then consistently 5 days a week.
Current blog wisdom from the Internet-Know-It-Alls is that 5 days a week is too often. Since I am not seeking a multitude of “Likes, Followers, or Friends” (none of those words really mean what they appear to mean), current blog wisdom doesn’t drive much of what I do.
Instead, I have the distinct privilege of knowing most of my readers, or at a very minimum, having met them in real life. Some subscribe (the means for that is on the main blog page that gives excerpts from each post), some check in occasionally. All are welcome.
Many of my readers aren’t very techie, and might be a little nervous to click on things. (If that is you, today’s Blog Idea might be a little too much for your careful self, but there is nothing to worry about because you can’t wreck my blog or your device by clicking here.)
My Blog Idea is that you can go to a particular category that interests you and see a whole lot of information on old blog posts. Some people only read my blog to learn about Mineral King, others read because they want to know about drawing or murals or oil painting or lessons or Three Rivers, and a small handful read my blog because they are related to me.
I have noticed that if reading my blog on a cell phone, the category list doesn’t appear. There must be a way to see the list, but that is beyond my current abilities.
“General” is a category automatically assigned if I have neglected to uncheck that box while posting. If I had nothing but time on my hands, I’d go back through the list and change the categories on those posts, but I’d rather be showing you how to enjoy the blog or telling you about current events in the life of this Central California artist. (But wait! What category does this post belong under??)
THANK YOU, BLOG READERS, NO MATTER THE REASON FOR SHOWING UP HERE! (unless you are trying to sell me something like fake brand-name purses or sunglasses or your “grow-your-subscriber-list” services –all y’all can just go bother someone else)
About shows
There are several different kinds of shows for artists to participate in.
- The elegant type at an art gallery – a dress-up indoor event, usually with wine and hors d’oeuvres, often shared with other artists and usually preceded by a postcard mailing. These range anywhere from a nice opportunity to a Big Deal, depending on how shiny the floor is and how far apart the art is spaced on the walls. There is no entry fee, you have to be invited to be a participating artist, and the gallery keeps a percentage of the sales.
- The arts and crafts fair. These tend to be outdoors, have an entry fee, and attract all manner of folks. Some are looking to spend money, and some are just looking to spend a little time. The sales can vary with the weather, the amount of publicity, or just economic times. A show can be wonderful one year and a dud the next, and it is hard to predict in advance.
- Setting up art at some sort of an open house, a reception, a dinner or an annual meeting. Unless the artist is the featured speaker, I have found these to be a waste of time. Exposure is only important for a little while when starting out; after a while, a person can die of exposure. (We need sales to stay alive.)
As a regional artist, I do local shows, so I know a high percentage of the folks who visit. It is like a reunion/party combined with being tuned in to people who actually want to buy something. There is a balancing act between chit-chatting too much and missing sales as a result, or just zeroing in on potential customers and not having time for friends.
The items that sell well vary from year to year. Back in the 1990s, it was all about cards and reproduction prints. Learning to oil paint in 2006 opened up an entirely new avenue. A few years ago, coloring books were the hot item. This year at the Redbud Festival, Mineral King Wildflowers was the star.
And look at my booth 10 years later than the photo above:
Redbud Report Part 2
Here are the promised 7 observations and thoughts about the 45th Annual Redbud Festival in Three Rivers.
- There weren’t very many vendors and visitation was low except for one exciting surge. I don’t worry about low attendance, because it gives me more time to learn who people are and to spend time hearing their stories.
- Mineral King Wildflowers sold very well. People like the newest thing.
- The coloring book fad is definitely fading.
- This year’s big attention-getting painting was Sawtooth with wildflowers in the foreground. People loved it. And, when it was their favorite painting, they bought a package of notecards of Sawtooth drawn in pencil with colored wildflowers in the foreground. Say what??
- The Show Special* was a good idea – 5 of the 8 paintings sold.
- More people liked my old detailed layered style of painting than the new, painterly style (except for the Show Specials).
- Funny story: I NEVER break down my booth ahead of the end, and if someone wants to linger and shop, I wait for them. A man spent a fair amount of time in my booth at the end, trying to decide between 2 paintings of the Oak Grove Bridge (my favorite subject to draw and paint). Back and forth, lots of questions, look, look, look, the 6×18″ or the 10×10″. He was very appreciative and complimentary, definitely wanting to take home a painting. His girlfriend came into the booth, and pointed to the one called “Alpenglow on Alta Peak” and said “I like that one!” Suddenly he said, “I’ll take that one”, pointing to the Alpenglow. Decision made.
*Show Specials were 4×6″ paintings done in the alla prima style of wildflower scenes, offered for $40 instead of the normal $50 for that size.
Comparing a Painting to a Hike
Eagle Lake is probably the most popular destination in Mineral King. It is about 3.5 miles (feels like 5), and the last 1/2 mile or so is on a terrible trail. The lake has a dam built by the Mt. Whitney Power Co. in the early 1900s (1909? 1911? I’m just guessing, because it is hard enough to remember the relevant dates in my own life.) And it is a beautiful place.
Last year I painted it twice. One was for my niece and newly acquired nephew as a wedding gift; one was to sell. My niece asked if I just pulled theirs off my wall or if I painted it specifically for them. My answer was that I painted it specifically for them, but that I had tried to sell it first. (My family likes honesty.)
That 6×18″ shape is very appealing to me for some reason. So, here it is again, but this time I am working from two photos: one for the mountain ridge, and the other for the lake. All of it is squashed or stretched to make it fit, with the goal of keeping it believable.
I think I am developing more confidence in painting my chosen subject matter of various Mineral King scenes. It is about time, since I have been painting almost 13 years.
I wonder where I am getting these metaphor type ideas for blog posts. It’s kind of fun, a new way of thinking and writing.
Today my dad would have been 87 if he had not gotten that dang brain tumor and died a few days before his 67th birthday. I bet he would have thoroughly enjoyed the internet, including my blog.
How to Subscribe to this Blog
This might be a boring subject. Please forgive me, and come back on Monday when I might have something more interesting to share.
Sometimes people say “I don’t know how to get your blog”. They don’t mean “get” as in “understand” ; they do mean how to receive email notifications. (Anyone can read the blog at any time by simply going to cabinart.net and clicking on BLOG in the menu bar.)
The way to receive email notifications is to subscribe. If you go to my homepage, then click or tap on the Blog button; it will take you to the blog homepage. This blog homepage only contains little teasers of the specific blog posts. From there you can click on the READ MORE to read the full posts instead of just the teasers. This is how the home page looks with the SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG VIA EMAIL function:
Do you see where it says “SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG VIA EMAIL”? Type in your email address, and you’ll receive an email (if you typed it correctly) that asks you to confirm your subscription. Follow those directions, and you will begin receiving a new email every time I post to the blog. If you don’t get the email, you might have typed your eddress incorrectly, or the email might be in your junk or spam folder or file. (Why is everything so complicated??)
Thank you for hanging in. Here is another smile for you.
P.S. You can also subscribe to my e-newsletter there. I haven’t sent anything out for awhile, so if you are subscribed and wonder if I went mute, you are correct. But, I’m gathering a list of things to tell my subscribers soon.
Regreening a Mural
I had a little encouragement and companionship while working on the regreening of the Mineral King mural. It wasn’t the normal type, with questions and requests for business cards.
One of the most difficult parts of painting a mural for me is that the brushes don’t hold their shape. They get clogged up by paint, the ends splay out, and it is just impossible to draw with them or make edges look clean or accurate or anything at all like I want.
Sigh. Best viewed from the back of a fast horse. . .