This fall has been beautiful in Southern Quebec. We still haven’t had a really hard frost, which is unusual for the end of October. Of course the delight of warmish days is offset by the knowledge that it is probably Climate Change that is causing it. Even if you don’t believe that humans are totally responsible, it is undeniable that our climate is changing. Short-sighted people might reason that’s a good thing, especially if it brings us Northern inhabitants a bit of warmer weather, but looking beyond our own backyards, signs of the gravity of the problem shouldn’t be ignored. Extreme storm after extreme storm, rising temperatures and sea levels, unbearably hot temperatures, not good news. But that was not what I wanted to talk about! This week we finally winterized our RV. Winterizing implies emptying all the water tanks and flushing out the plumbing to make sure it doesn’t get damaged by freezing weather, as well as clearing the “house” of anything that small rodents would find interesting, either to eat or to nest in. It also means raising it on blocks and putting its winter cover on. It is always a bit of a sad time, because it means that camping season is officially over, and that winter is, inevitably, just around the corner. Some people like winter. I don’t. Perhaps as a child I did, but I don’t remember ever being excited that winter was finally here! I like water, but in its liquid state only. And although the cold didn't use to bother me much, as I have gotten older, I find I like the cold less and less. And don’t get me started about winter driving!! For the last 12 years or so, excluding last year of course, we have been lucky enough to spend a good chunk of the winter in warmer climates. What started as a week's holiday in South Carolina over Christmas gradually turned into 3 months in Florida. It was never a life goal, it just sort of happened. But this year will be the last. The small condo we bought 10 years ago will be going up for sale, once we can get to it! The US government has announced that they will be letting fully vaccinated people into the country starting next month, so we will be driving down one last time to get the place ready to put on the market. I will miss the warmth and all the activities we were into, especially dancing, and of course the many friends we made in our community. I will miss the wonderful people in the art group I had joined there. I will miss the many thrift stores and art supply shopping! I will miss slipping into sandals and not worrying about layers before going out the door! But I won’t miss the long drive down and the longer drive home, or the checklists of things to do before we leave each place, “winterizing” each in its own way! Maybe when travel is “a thing” again, we will return “south”, or maybe even spend part of the winter in Europe! Who knows? But for now, plans are to make the best of winter and stay warm at home! What about you? Do you like winter? If so, what are your tips for enjoying it?
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A few weeks ago, a friend of a friend approached me about doing a painting for her from an old photograph that someone had recently found and sent to her. The photo was yellowed and not very clear, but the scene was obviously very meaningful to this person. She sent it to me first to see if it was possible. I pointed out that the lack of detail might be a problem, particularly in the face of the person in the photo, but I would do my best. I first played around with the various elements in the photo and sent her a few alternative compositions. After a few online conversations, I met with her in person to discuss the suggested compositions and to get an idea of where the painting would be hanging, to help to determine a suitable size and framing style. This turned out to be a very useful meeting, as I was able to learn more of the “back story” to the photo and why it was significant. I also learned more about the person, her life story, and what was important to her. From the information gathered, I made a few tonal sketches and sent her photos to mull over, as well as a price for the size she chose. Once she decided which layout she wanted, I was ready to start! This is always a stressful but exciting step. I may have confidence in my abilities, but the results don’t always match up with my expectations! Not to mention the client’s! I have not had a client refuse a commission yet, but I am sure it will happen some day! It’s impossible to know exactly what the client envisions, and I can only hope that I asked enough questions to make sure I don’t miss the mark! For example, the sky in the reference photo I am using is almost white. Judging from the lack of strong shadows, it was probably an overcast day, but it could also be due to the aging of the photo. When I am painting for myself, once the pencil drawing is complete, I usually start painting the sky, and I was about to paint it a middle shade of blue (i.e not a super sunny summer day sky, but not an overcast day either) when I thought that I really should ask the client what she preferred! As I couldn’t reach her right then, I started painting the face, which is probably a good idea anyway, because if I messed that up I would have to start over! As I was slowly building up the skin tones and shadows, I realized how much I like painting skin! There are so many colors in a face! A few years ago I would never have noticed them, but watching many videos of portrait artists working has literally opened my eyes! Blues and greens and pinks, not to mention purples and yellows! Plus this person’s skin is not the “standard fair” color I have mostly painted, so I get to experiment with different mixes! I have learned that patience is crucial when painting a face in watercolor. You have to go slowly, and although you can apply wet into wet for certain effects, you have to let the paper dry for others. But it is absolutely fascinating to see the features appear slowly on the paper, just by applying tiny quantities of mostly very light-colored water. In the right places of course! I like painting commissions. Yes, it is stressful, before you start, while you are painting, and once you are done. Will I be able to do this right? Will I have problems and not be able to finish on schedule? Most importantly, will they like it? But it is also very rewarding to know that you are doing something for someone who really wants it and will, you hope, appreciate it. Especially in this case, where I was able to converse with the client about the significance of this painting, I am using that information and putting it into every brushstroke. I am not done, and maybe I will change my mind if I run into problems, but I am very much enjoying painting this. I will surely let you know how it goes! If you have been following me for a while, you know that I am looking for more ways to be “out there”. I have chosen to concentrate on in-person rather than online activities because I believe that art is something that most people will not buy without seeing it in person. So Art Fairs are on my radar. For some strange reason, Art Fairs in Quebec are often referred to as a “Symposium”. Maybe it’s because I was in Academia for too long, but to me, and to most dictionaries, a Symposium is a conference that involves discussions on a particular subject, usually scientific. So how that got stretched into describing an Art Fair, I have no idea. It just is. Vive la différence! So I have been googling “symposium” on and off to make a list of potential places I could show my art. I found quite a few, and although most have not been active for the last 2 summers because of Covid, I figure I have time to look up their criteria and see if I am a fit for their next edition. One of my criteria is "distance from home", because adding the cost of a hotel night or two might make it more expensive than it’s worth. So I was happy to see that the town where one of my daughters lives has one! That would be great! Get to see them and the grandkids, maybe spend an extra day there, sounds wonderful! I found the symposium on Facebook, where there was little information, but a link to a website promised more. The website, it turns out, is some artist’s “art blog”, which is in fact answers to paint-related questions (including how to hide paint cracks on a wall or remove paint from bricks(?!!)), with no mention of the symposium at all! So I messaged the symposium’s Facebook page about this oddity in early July, and asked if I could get more information on the Symposium. I got an answer in mid-September, which curtly said that before I could get an answer I needed to pay the participation fee! I replied the same day that all I wanted was to be put on a mailing list or something, and asked if I had to pay just for getting information. One month later, I get the simple, one-word answer ‘Yes”. Unbelievable! Needless to say, this did not make be want to be part of that Symposium any time soon! But I might reconsider, because in my search for writing this blog, I did find an email address for someone who might actually be in charge of this symposium, and I could send them a copy of the complete conversation thanks to the magic of Facebook Messenger’s eternal memory! In contrast, I have been dealing with a local printer to get some greeting cards made. Up until now, I had been dealing with an online provider and I was moderately happy with their product, but their recent substantial price increase was just the push I need to go to this solution which I had been considering anyway! I know I am a tiny customer, but you would never know it from the way I have been treated! I received electronic proofs of the cards the day after I ordered them, with an offer to make them better If I wasn’t satisfied. I replied to the email, but apparently this got lost in the ether so, after a week, I got a follow-up phone call about it and spent a good time on the phone discussing small adjustments I would like. If they spend this much time with every customer I can’t imagine how they get any work done, much less make money! But needless to say, I know who will be getting more of my printing business in the future! I am sure you have equally good and bad experiences dealing with people. I guess my message here is twofold:
What’s the worst or best customer service experience you have had? I’d love to read it in the Comments below! A few years ago, we started spending part of the winter in the southern United States. At first, it was a week, then a month in South Carolina. Once I retired, it became a month in Florida, then it became 3 or 4 months in Florida. Of course, Covid put an end to that, but that’s another story! The place in Florida where we spent our snowbird days was a huge complex with lots of activities for every taste. One of these was Karaoke, which was so popular that there were two and sometimes three events every week, put on by different groups. You could also dance at most of these evenings, which was the main draw for us. Anyway, it took me a while to drum up the nerve to get up and sing. I like to think I have a reasonable voice, but what I was most afraid of was getting false compliments from people, like I was seeing many other “performers” get when they walked back to their table after souring “Sweet Caroline” or stomping all over “Blue Suede Shoes”. It is one thing to applaud, if not the performance, the fact that it mercifully had ended, but cries of “That was wonderful, Marsha!” or “Great job, Joe!”, when it was painfully not even close, were, to me, being cruel to the “friend” who may have gotten their ego boosted, but who would then take this newfound confidence and be back next week with a very forgettable rendition of “Memories”! Was it really being kind to this person to tell them they could sing when they couldn’t? I know it was just for fun, and I know it would make me feel awful if someone told me I sang badly, but I like to think I would prefer someone caring enough about me to tell me before I made an even bigger fool of myself. So I made my friends promise that they would be truthful before I even tried to sing. Either they lied or I did OK. So what, I hear you think, has this got to do with art? Well, it turns out, a lot! Last weekend I was manning the exhibition of 18 artists of a paint group I belong to. I joined this group during the pandemic, and I haven’t really met most members in person except through the (very) occasional shows. I don’t really know what the etiquette or expectations or standards of the group are. It was a very slow day, so I had a lot of time alone with the art to get a good look at it. There were many styles and techniques, from abstract to representational, about 60 pieces in all. I found some of it good, some OK, and some pretty horrible. I know art is subjective, but I found a lot of it very amateurish. I realize not everyone is at the same level in their techniques, and that we all are always learning. But some of the paintings were done by some of the more experienced members, and had serious mistakes in perspective in a building, or shadows going towards the source of light instead of away from it, or basic animal shapes that were way off. Pretty basic stuff. I understand artistic license, but I am pretty confident none of these were done intentionally, as they might be in folk art, cubism or fantasy art. So here is the quandary: should you tell someone, even gently, that the art they produced isn’t as good as they perhaps thought? Unless they ask for a critique of course, in which case you can balance the good points (because there are always good points) with the areas that need more work. But what if they don’t ask? Is it kinder to tell Marsha or Joe that they might want to take a look at this or that part of their painting, or to say nothing and to go with Team "Ignorance is Bliss"? I know from experience that it is not pleasant to have one's work critiqued, even when you requested it. It hurts to be told that what you thought was good isn't. But would it hurt less to go on believing that it’s good, only to find out later, after having produced even more not-so-good art? I’m all for self-confidence and self-worth, but shouldn't these be based on truth? I am very lucky and grateful to have a wonderful spouse whose opinion and judgment I can trust. When he says “That’s not your best work”, I know he is right. I don’t always agree with his preferences in subject matter or technique, but I know he will never tell me something I made is good if it isn’t. But I also realize that not everyone is so lucky as to have their own personal art (and karaoke!) critic. So what do you do when you see a friend or colleague's art that you think could be improved? Do you smile politely and say nothing, hoping someone else will point them in the right direction? (And who knows what direction is the right one anyway?) Do you ask if they would mind getting your honest opinion? (That sounds ominous!!) Or do you just stop being a perfectionist and accept that maybe you are wrong and they are right? (It is their art, after all! If they want the bird to look flat, so be it!) Sure, Marsha, I would love to hear you sing “Over the Rainbow”! I would love to know your thoughts on this topic! Remember the old ad that said "Friends don't let friends drive drunk". Well, should friends let friends paint poorly? Or should friends just shut up and support their friends, no matter what? Is it kinder to be cruel, or is it really cruel to be kind? |
AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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