Last week I learned that I had been chosen to have a feature wall at an upcoming show of an art group to which I belong. Artists usually have only one art piece in these group shows, but this time I will get a whole wall all to myself! I would like to believe that it is based on merit, but I was actually chosen out of names in a hat! That’s still fine with me, as I know that there were over 20 names in the hat for only 6 spots during the year! Thrilled as I am to get this great opportunity to display my work, now I have to decide what the exhibition will be! Basically, I have to become my own curator! I asked the organizer for guidelines and there are very few. Basically, if it fits on the wall, then fine! So I have to decide what to show. Usually, a show has a theme to follow, or rules such as “Black and white only” but in this case, I have to make up the rules. Not as easy as it sounds! So I thought that talking about the problem here would be a good idea. As I have mentioned before, blogging has the advantage of forcing me to stop and think out, or actually write out, my thoughts on a subject. Plus, I can ask you to comment with your suggestions! I don’t really have time to paint much new art for this show, so I don’t think I will go that route. But I will need some new work for a weekend art show this summer, so that might actually be a good idea. As far as themes go, I don’t really paint specific subjects such as flowers or portraits. I paint what I like, usually from photographs that caught my eye, often because of sharp contrasts of light and shadows, or a unique point of view. Maybe that could be the theme…. “Points of View”. I have several pieces that would fit that description! Another option is to show variety. I paint mostly in watercolor, but I also have done a few oil paintings. A few of my watercolor paintings were done using a little-known technique that produces spectacular results: pouring. Perhaps I could show 2 regular watercolors, 2 poured, and 2 oil, to show my range? I also have to do a 1-hour talk about my work, so that could be an interesting subject, maybe even a demo. Another route I could take is the ACEO/Artist Trading Cards. I have been trying to popularize them in the area, and this could be the perfect opportunity! I would have to paint some new ACEOs for the show, around a theme if possible, but these are much quicker to paint than a full-size painting, so that is definitely a possibility! Because they are little known, this would be original and might generate the attention that I would like to get, maybe even a write-up in a local paper! Plus this would be the best fit to my current tagline of “Connecting people through the magic of original art”! Because ATCs are free (traded) and ACEOs are very affordable, it is very easy for people to actually own original art! I have made a list of over a dozen full-sized paintings that I could show. From these, I must select a half dozen or so, depending on how many will fit on the wall. But I could also have a few regular-size paintings and mostly ACEOs/ATCs. And my talk could be part history (it is the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Artist Trading Card in May 2022!) and part creation/trading! The more I think(write) about this the better I like the idea! I had already written a proposal last fall to a local art center to have such a display/workshop, so some of the work is done. I need to give this more thought, but I am really liking the idea and how it fits into my overall goals. Once again, the blog has worked its magic! Thank you for reading, and please, leave a comment below with your ideas or thoughts on the topic!
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AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
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