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When I was a teenager, I got into a black and white phase that I have never really left. Maybe she knew something that I didn’t, and I am sure she did, but my mother triggered it by one year giving me, of all things, my own set of sheets for Christmas. I had that set for years and only got rid of it when I no longer had any single beds to use it on. It was a very good quality, Wabasso brand, and the pattern was black and white. The fitted sheet was white on black and the flat sheet and pillowcase were the reverse pattern.
This lead me to start decorating my room in black and white. I remember finding this gorgeous and to me very expensive flower made out of black and white feathers. I thought it was very elegant in its simplicity, standing in its recycled square bottle vase. I was quite into photography at the time and I remember taking photos of it and developing them myself in the college’s Photography Club’s darkroom. I probably still have those negatives ... somewhere... I also made a rather large geometric wall decoration from four pieces of white poster board, drawing a circle in the square and dividing it with diagonals, etc. then painting the resulting shapes alternating black and white. I bought some cheap cotton in black and in white and made myself some curtains in alternating vertical stripes. It was all very seventies. About the same time our local gas station was offering dishes as premiums for buying gas. The pattern was black and white (solid black saucers if you can imagine!!) so obviously I began collecting them and it was my dish set for years. Maybe you remember it. I think one of my daughters still has a few pieces! If they do they should consider selling them because they are now "vintage"! This seller on Etsy is asking $120 for this set! A few years ago, I found out about something called “Dressing your Truth”, which divides people into 4 types. According to this, I am a Type 4, and according to the inventor of this system, that is the only one of the 4 types who can properly wear pure white and pure black. Interesting! A few months ago I remembered my black and white room with its black and white art, and thought it was time to do a series. So far I have done three, one in gouache, one in pastels, and one in watercolor. Here they are.
I am very happy with them, and will next be doing one in oils. I was searching for a subject to paint, and last night I watched a film called “Exit through the Gift Shop”, which was recommended by one of the many artists that I follow (but of course I can’t remember which one!!). It is a film by Banksy about street art, and I strongly recommend it. This gave me an idea for my next Black & White painting, which I will start exploring later today. Stay tuned!
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To make things easier for my collectors and web site visitors, I have decided to add a Frequently Asked Questions section. I start today with 5 common questions, and will add more as time goes on.
The questions I have added are: Why don’t you sell your paintings directly online? Why do I still have to contact you? What is an ACEO? Where do you get your ideas for paintings? Why should I buy original art? What is a commission? If you wish to see the answers, you will have to visit the FAQ page. I would love for you to tell me what questions you have and would like me to add to the list. Thanks in advance!
Do you have a great photo that brings back special memories? Would you like to be able to see it transformed into a one of a kind painting that you and your family can cherish forever? Well, it may be easier and more affordable than you think.
In the past few months, I have painted a few commissions for the same collector. She asked me to create original paintings from photographs to offer to special friends. In one case, it was of a shared childhood memory, in another, it was to cheer someone up during covid times, and in other cases, it was capturing special moments that her friends would cherish.
The process is quite simple, and full details are available on my website, but it basically boils down to 1) determining your needs and budget, 2) getting the source material (photos), 3) doing an optional sketch or two to pin down options, 4) doing the actual painting and 5) delivering it.
The cost is based on the size of the final painting, and also whether or not it is framed (you can, like my collector above, save a lot of money by handling the framing yourself). Some commissions I was honored to do were to help preserve memories of people’s beloved homes or summer cottages, often as the properties were being sold. So now, even though they may no longer live there, the paintings’ owners can, every time they glance at their painting on the wall, recall the memories of the happy times they had there.
So if you have a favorite photo that you would like as a painting, first please read the Custom Work page on my website which explains the process more fully, then get in touch to see what we can work out to preserve your special memories, either for yourself or for a lucky friend!
A while ago, I promised I would talk more about ACEOs. If you have visited my website or seen me at an art show, you have probably seen the tiny paintings I offer for sale. You may even have bought one! But do you know that they are part of a worldwide movement?
This movement is a rather young one by art movement standards. It was started in 1997 by the Swiss artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who created a conceptual art project he called “Collaborative Cultural Performance”. Using his second-hand bookshop as a gallery, he held a 3 week exhibition of the 1200 art pieces he had created, and followed the exhibition with a trading session. The original idea was to allow a variety of people who would not normally do so, to participate in an ongoing art project. The idea was to trade the art, not to buy and sell it, and as they were the same size as sports trading cards, they were called Artist Trading Cards, or ATCs. A bit later that same year, Canadian artist Don Mabie took up the idea and organised a show and trading activity in Calgary, Alberta. From there, the phenomenon grew larger and several international trading shows were organised over the years. These ATC trading shows still happen today worldwide. Because of its trading component, only artists could participate by trading their creations for those of other artists, thus participating in the ongoing “collaborative performance”. In order to allow artists to profit from their small creations, and to allow non-artists to buy them, and also to avoid intellectual property infringement, in 2004 Lisa Luree renamed them “Art Cards, Editions and Originals” (ACEOs) and offered them for sale on Ebay. There are thousands of them for sale now on Ebay, some originals, and some prints. If you want to know more about the original ATC project, I invite you to visit its website https://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/ You will find a lot more about the worldwide movement, as well as the schedule of the next trading sessions. I was very surprised to learn of the deep Canadian connection, and to see that most of the upcoming events are in Canada, but on the west coast. I must say I have not yet come across anyone who had heard of ATCs or ACEOs before seeing mine! I don’t remember when or where I first heard about them, but it was no doubt on the Internet. I have never participated in a trading session, but I’m sure it would be fun. One of the goals of the original project was to get people to meet face-to-face, which I can’t wait to get back to! One thing that I didn’t find in the research I did for this was the reason for the choice of the 2.5in x 3.5 in size! I can only surmise that Mr. Stirnemann is a practical person, and he realised that all kinds of storage equipment already existed for collectors of sports trading cards (protective sleeves, boxes, displays frames, binders, etc.). It reminds me of how the original punch card size was selected. Do you know? It was the same size as the US paper money at the time, so the inventor Herman Hollerith could use existing boxes and storage equipment! Finally my computer history geekness gets put to use! I hope you enjoyed this little lesson on ATCs and ACEOs. Maybe we can trade some art cards when the time is right! |
AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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