Last week I participated in an art show with a local group of artists. They hold a show in this venue about four times a year. It is a great location, in a very popular park where hundreds of people every day take a walk around a small but lovely lake. Weekends are usually extremely popular. Except when it is over 35 degrees C (roughly 95F). And humid. So we did not get huge crowds, but the people who did stop and visit the exhibition enjoyed both the air conditioning and the huge variety of painting styles on display. It was also a great time to get to know some of the other members of this group, as we don’t have regular social meetings. Over two days, I had some very interesting conversations about art, the city government, copyrights, and people in general. From my vantage point, I could observe people as they made their way through the exhibit. I couldn’t help but notice how many people just glanced at my display and moved along, whereas they might spend several minutes at others. With 20 artists exhibiting, there was a LOT of art to see, so I could totally understand why someone would not want to spend time looking at art that didn’t “do it” for them. Of course there were some that did take time to look at my art, but I couldn’t help but hear the little voice in my head…. “Your work isn’t that good… you may think it is, but the people who really matter don’t…. See? They barely even look at it.... The other artists' (the real ones) work is much better than yours…. What are you even doing here?”.... That voice had gotten stronger in the last few weeks, after a string of shows with lots of compliments but very few sales. I know that sales aren’t everything, but I also know that compliments, even if sincere, are easy to give, and that parting with one’s money is a lot more difficult. But it is also a concrete way of, as the saying so aptly puts it, “putting your money where your mouth is” and giving the artist proof that their work is worth something. So yes, sales aren’t everything, but they do matter. And they allow me to make space at home for new work ;-) So anyway, that little voice had been getting stronger, and I was asking myself lately why I was bothering, not to do art -- I love that and have no plans to stop -- but why I was putting so much effort into getting my art seen. In last week’s blog, I talked about possibly finding a gallery to show my work, as an alternative to doing in-person art shows. It is a LOT of work to do in-person shows!! And then this happened. Early in the afternoon on the second day of our weekend show, the number of visitors had picked up noticeably. At one point a man, clearly dressed for a walk on a hot summer day, stopped in front of one of my paintings. And stood there. For minutes. Obviously mesmerized by what he saw. I gave him a few minutes, then walked over and said “You seem intrigued by the painting”, to which he answered, ”Not intrigued, interested”. We had a pleasant chat about why he liked the painting, and he eventually bought it and a second smaller one! He had no idea that an exhibition was going on, and obviously had not planned to be buying art that day He was just out for a walk. And yet….. So, that’s why I will continue to do in-person shows. To see that look. To talk to the one person in a hundred who loves my work. To experience the joy of knowing that something that I created makes someone happy, not just today, but hopefully for many days to come.
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Yesterday I had the pleasure of having High Tea with friends from one of my art groups at a local Art Gallery/Museum/Culture Center. We had a few minutes to visit the current exhibition of works by a local artist. The display was expertly curated and it was interesting to discuss the paintings with other artists. This got me to thinking about my own art. Is it good enough, and do I have enough of it to consider having such a one-person show? I have my doubts. Until today, I thought that I had a lot of finished art, in fact too much of it, but looking at all the art in this show, all by the same artist, has made me think that maybe I don’t actually have that much! I have been showing regularly for the last few years, or at least as regularly as Covid would allow. I have been fortunate to find a happy collector for a few pieces. Some pieces sold immediately (before even being framed) and others, that I humbly consider quite good, have been following me around from show to show for months, in some cases, years. I keep showing them, with the firm belief that if they aren’t seen, they will never find the person who wants to have them. But doing shows is hard work. For instance, today I have to finish getting ready for a 3-day show this weekend at the Armand-Nadeau Pavillon in Sherbrooke. Thankfully it is only 30 minutes away, so I can come home every night, but I know I will be knackered. For an introvert, standing around meeting people is exhausting. Not to mention all the work that goes into getting ready for the show. So some days, like today, I wonder if there isn’t a better way. Like art galleries. I have looked into local galleries, but they show mostly modern abstract art, nothing like what I do. I haven’t approached any of them, mainly because all I have read says that the gallery should be a good fit for your art. I wish there was a cooperative gallery that I could join, but I haven’t found one, or there again, the art they have is all modern abstract. So I have joined several art groups that show regularly, to get more exposure and experience. So far the results have been disappointing, but I know these things take time. Another thing holding me back from approaching galleries is that in a survey I did a while ago when I started getting more serious about my art, most people said they would not visit an art gallery to buy art. Is this because I asked the wrong people? When was the last time you visited an art gallery? Well, more to ponder… I have to get to work on this show. Hope to see you there if you are in the area! The news everywhere is pretty grim. War. Inflation. Climate. Viruses. Corruption. All pretty depressing. So what does this have to do with art? Art, or at least original art, is considered a luxury item by most people. I don’t know about you, but I personally don’t know anyone who is so well off that they can just go out and buy whatever work of art they want, just because they like it. Right now, for many people, art is the last thing on their minds. They are much more concerned with keeping food in the house, gas in the car, and a roof over their heads. Basic needs are basic for a reason! But what about the sheer joy that art brings? Looking at a Sorolla beach scene, or at one of the many beautiful ladies painted by Sargent, can take your mind back to simpler times, and for a few moments, you can hear the crashing waves, or wonder how it must have felt to have to pose for hours in those corseted dresses. Art doesn’t change reality, but it allows you to escape it for a brief time. But all art isn’t about beauty and escape. Some is quite brutal, and even Sargent chose to paint some of it, such as his famous painting Gassed, serving to remind us of human atrocities, in the hope they would not be repeated. Sadly, it would appear those paintings aren’t seen by enough people… Think about your own favorite piece of art. Hopefully, you have it in your home and can look at it whenever you want. How much joy does it bring you? What sweet memories are attached to it? Even if it is just a reproduction, such as mine of Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World, I hope you take the time to stop and enjoy it whenever you can. Sometimes, because it has been hanging in the same place for so long, we walk by it every day but no longer see it. Maybe it’s time to move your art around? If you are lucky enough to have an original, you have the added joy of human connection; you have an object that another human, perhaps many years ago, spent hours, possibly weeks, creating. Just for you to be enjoying it today! Do take time to enjoy both the art and the connection! And if you are having trouble finding your favorite piece of art, could it be because the art you have hanging on your walls has little connection to the person you now are? Maybe it's time to correct that! Isn’t now, when things couldn’t seem to be any worse for so many, the perfect time to take the time to really enjoy art? You can’t change the news. And I don’t think that you should ignore it either, like unfortunately many people have chosen to do. It’s important to be aware of what is happening so that we can make better choices when we can, such as when we get the opportunity to vote. In the meantime, take pleasure in the little things around you, and hopefully that includes some art! And you don’t even have to leave your house! Here is a link to 12 of the best museums in the world that offer virtual tours. No cancelled flights, no lost luggage!! https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours Enjoy your visit(s)!! Last April, I wrote in my blog that I had just discovered linocut printing, and that I was quite taken by it. I explained then in very rough terms what it was, and today, with weeks of experience under my belt, and having talked to many people -- including artists-- who had no idea what linocut printing was, I decided to give you a more thorough explanation. Linocut printing is a form of “relief” printing. This means that the relief, or “bumps”, on the printing block serve to leave an impression of an image on paper. Other forms of printing, like etching, do the opposite, that is that the ink is deposited in the grooves rather than on the raised surfaces. A design is drawn or transferred onto the surface of a block of linoleum (that’s where the name comes from) or other newer surfaces such as vinyl or rubber. Then using special cutters, the artist carefully carves out the spaces between and around the lines of the design. Whatever is left will make up the printed image. A lot of planning goes into preparing a linocut design, as there is no way to repair the block if a part is cut out by mistake. The image will print in reverse, which must be considered at the design stage, especially if lettering is involved! If the artists wants several colors or even tones in the final print, they will probably have to separate the design into several blocks that will be printed onto the same piece of paper, so these designs must match up perfectly. For example, my “Bouleaux d’été” print required two blocks, one for the background, and one for the black lines on the trees. There is another technique to get multi-color prints which is called “reduction printing”, but I haven’t tried it yet. It requires the image to be cut out in stages, printing several copies in one color at each stage. More of the block is cut away at each stage (hence the reduction), making any error a potential irrecoverable disaster. I am not quite ready for that! Once the design is cut out, the artist will do a test print to see if the block needs adjustments. For example, there may be some stray lines in blank areas that need to be cut away, or some lines may need to refined. But nothing can be put back, only removed! To get a print, special block printing ink is rolled onto a glass or other very flat surface with a roller or brayer. The goal is to cover the brayer with a thin, even layer of ink so it can be used to transfer this ink to the block. Once the block is properly inked, a sheet of paper is pressed onto it to transfer the image from the block to the paper. To ensure proper transfer and a clean crisp print, a baren or other flattish tool (including the bowl of a large spoon!) is used to rub the back of the paper. If the artist wants more prints, they re-ink the block to make each individual impression. I don't have one, but a press can also be used at this point instead of hand tools. It is actually a simple process, but a lot can go wrong! Too much ink, too little ink, not pressing enough or evenly on the paper, pressing too hard and tearing or crumpling the paper, etc. Making prints from multiple blocks is even more prone to problems! I am very much enjoying my discovery of this art form, and I hope you enjoyed this mini-lesson. There is still a lot yet for me to discover and I hope you follow me along for the ride! Suggestions for print are always welcome! I would have liked to leave you with a link to a short video that showed all the above steps, but couldn’t find any that were less than 15 minutes. But if you are interested, just search for “linocut printing” on youtube and you will find many videos, surprisingly mostly by British artists! Take your pick! I don’t know if I ever mentioned this, but we live in the country. The only “facility” we can comfortably walk to is the group mailbox. Everything else is at least a 10 minute car drive away, more like 20 minutes for most services. It has a lot of upsides, like plenty of fresh air and trees and privacy. But they come at a cost, and one of those costs is poor Internet service. For those of you not living in Canada, the whole telecom industry is regulated by the CRTC, or Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. They hand out licences and make sure there is no monopoly in the industry. That is the rhetoric anyway. Bell Canada has had pretty much a monopoly on home telephone service ever since it was invented. Of course when cable and cell phones arrived, Bell lost some of their customers, but they were still the only game in "town" in rural areas, where installing a new physical network was beyond the financial capacity of anyone but Bell. Governments both at the Federal and Provincial level have been promising better Internet service for rural areas for many election cycles, and Bell has been finally getting around to installing fiber optic cables in our area. I am sure it is very costly. We have been customers with Bell for over 40 years. Landline, satellite TV and Internet (DSL). They used to offer rebates for bundling of services, but when they realized they really had no competition (and we had no other choices), these rebates started to disappear. As they proceeded to install the new fiber optic cables, neighbors around us started switching to “Fibe”, and we kept expecting to get a flyer or something to encourage us to switch, but nothing! A few weeks ago, our old DSL Internet connection started getting very slow and spotty, so much that I eventually called Bell to complain about it. The person I talked to tried to get me to switch for “only” more money per month, but I refused and insisted I just wanted what I was already paying for. He informed me that our modem was outdated and was the cause of the slowness, and he would send a new one to us right away, no charge, and that all I would have to do would be to plug it in and wait ten minutes and everything would magically work. Right. One wonders why this had not been done already, as we are renting this outdated modem from them after all… I also asked for him to send me some brochures explaining the new services so we could study them at leisure (rather than listening to him rattle off the many complex options and prices) but was told they had no such brochures, and that I would find all that on line. Maybe it’s my suspicious nature, but I think they want nothing in print so they can change prices and plans at will! Anyway, we finally get the new modem, but I wait to install it until after we get back from the Lyst’ART festival, as I know how things can go and don’t want to be without the Internet just before such an important event. I read the very sketchy instructions that came with the modem and figure, with my background in IT, this shouldn’t be that hard…. The first issue is in the instructions, which refer to a non-existent document in my “package”. Must be a typo. Right. Then the instructions that say to plug the wires from the old modem into the same spots on the new modem. Except they are all labeled differently…. After a few tries, the new modem is fired up, and after a few minutes, no Internet. Disconnect everything and reconnect the old modem, Internet “fine” (same as before, not fast, but there). Reconnect new modem, still no Internet. Call Bell, talk to a young lady who, after trying a few things, informs me that our copper line is unable to support this new modem, and we need to have fiber installed, because Bell is pulling all of its copper wires in our area and it’s only a matter of time until our service no longer is offered, Including our landline! I inform her that I am less than happy to hear this, as we have many power outages and the landline is the only thing that will work. She doesn’t now when this “improvement” will happen, only that it inevitably will. When asked how we were supposed to be informed of this, she says that emails are being sent out. I remind her that not everyone has email or smartphones, and she remain unimpressed. I also inform her that the young man who sent us the new modem should have known that it would not work with our current line. She then informs me that there is a note in our file to change us to fiber, which I certainly never asked for. Not clear what is going on, but it smells very fishy. I tell her that I am not pleased, and that this is not the way to treat long time loyal customers, that I will be returning the modem, and that we will be looking for another provider. I can almost hear her say “good luck with that!” So yeah, “country living”. Not always great! Some might think that it’s time that we caught up with the times, but I would argue that not everything new is necessary, and that in any case, customers, especially older ones, should be treated with more respect. P.S. I consider myself computer literate. I feel for a lot of the other older adults who aren’t and who have to put up with this stuff! This coming weekend, I finally get to participate in my first major art festival. Called Lyst’ART, it is held in the little town of Lyster, Quebec, about an hour south of Quebec City. This two-day festival has been going on since at least 2006 (except for the two last years being canceled because of Covid) and features about 50 artists and artisans. I first applied and was accepted for the 2020 show, which of course was canceled within days of getting accepted. However, this gave me automatic acceptance to the 2021 show, which almost happened, but was eventually also canceled, a mere 10 days before it was scheduled to start! Here we are in 2022, and I think this is finally going to happen! Having only photos of past shows to guide me, I have been putting together everything I think I will need. In addition to over a dozen full-size framed and half as many unframed paintings, I will be bringing greeting cards and of course numerous ACEOs. I also will be bringing a few freshly minted lino prints, as well as all the paraphernalia to display all of the above! The booths are smallish, so I am probably bringing more than I will be able to display, but I figure I can’t show what I didn’t bring! Lyster is almost 3 hours from home, so we won't be popping back home if we forget something! We will be taking the RV and sleeping on site. So in addition to the art and display stuff, there is the usual camping stuff to get ready too. A lot of checklists currently in operation! One of the good things about this show is that it is all inside, and you set up once for the entire weekend. The 2021 edition, the one that almost happened, was supposed to have been held outdoors under popup tents, requiring setting up and taking down every day, and of course being at the mercy of the elements! Better than not showing at all, I suppose, but certainly not ideal! Unlike the impression I got in 2021, this time the organisation seems to have a handle on things. I have asked a few questions via Messenger and received answers quickly. I still think they could be communicating with the artists more often, especially in the two weeks before the event, but that could just be me overthinking everything and my obsession with getting things right. I am pretty much ready, and at this point can only hope the show goes well and that as a minimum I can add a few people to my subscribers. And covering my costs and adding a few collectors would be nice! 😉 Wish me luck! And of course I would love to see you there if you can make it! We got back this afternoon (Wednesday) from a week-long trip to New Brunswick. That was one of the reasons I couldn’t publish a real blog entry last week, as we were busy packing to get ready to leave. I wanted to write it on Wednesday night, but the power went out around 6:30 pm. I thought I could get it done in the morning, but the power only came back about an hour before we were scheduled to leave, so I wrote out a few sentences and that was that! Well, "it’s déjà vu all over again!" It’s Wednesday evening again, and the power is out again! I was busy trying to catch up on the news that happened during our absence. I had heard the worst of it, but I was now ready for more details. Poof! No power! But this time I remembered that I can write with my Chromebook and save locally, so here I am. In the dark. Writing. But not about art. We were in New Brunswick to attend our first ever “Rally by the Sea”, a yearly get together of owners of “Pleasure Way” brand RVs. We bought our 2000 model in late 2018. We weren’t able to go to the rally in 2019, and we signed up for both the 2020 and 2021 rallies, which were both canceled because of Covid. The rally was very well organised, and activities and excursions were available for those who wanted them. It was quite a sight to see row upon row of similar yet different vans, eighty-one in all, the oldest being a 1991 model (if I remember correctly) and the youngest being only a few weeks old! It was interesting to see the evolution in the models, each year’s design trying to be better than the previous. These vans are what are considered “Class B” vans, and the camping part is built by Pleasure Way Industries in Saskatchewan. One of their employees, Phil, who has been with the company for 35 years, attended the rally and went from van to van answering questions and helping fix issues, no matter how long ago any warranty had expired!! Talk about customer service! Twenty-nine of the participants were going on after the rally for a 2 week tour of Newfoundland. That seemed a bit too long for us to be away. Next year the Rally will be near Quebec City. The campground where the rally was held was bare-bones, but it was situated in an enormous park with dozens of walking trails, which made up for it. The weather was great and we got some good hikes in. I took a few pictures, but as often happens when I travel, I was not inspired to paint. There is always so much to do, and painting doesn’t seem to be one of them. It was good to take a break from art for a few days, although I did do a few sketches, but nothing worth sharing. Now I have to get ready for the big weekend show coming up July 9-10. It will be a first for me, a two-day multi-artist event in a town a few hours away from home. We will be calling the RV back in to service (we might do that tonight if the power doesn’t come back soon!!) and sleeping over at the event grounds. Hopefully we will be able to get the water heater fixed before that (it decided to spring a leak the first night of our New Brunswick adventure-- Phil thinks it’s just a connector!) I hope so! Cold showers don’t sound too tempting! For the first time since it started in 2016, I will not be doing the World Watercolor Month Challenge this year. Although it is a great activity, it is just too difficult for me to commit do a painting a day during such a busy month. I still have a few days to change my mind, but I don’t think I will. You’ll find out next week! P.S. So we ended up having our dinner Wednesday in the RV, and our house power came back around 9 pm. This morning it was back off again, and after going out to do some errands, it is back on, but the internet is deathly slow! I don’t know what is going on, but I hope someone figures it out soon! Last weekend, I was participating in an art show with a local group of artists to which I belong. It is our annual show, and we were all quite excited to be able to hold the event after a Covid-imposed 2 year hiatus. Sales had been OK, perhaps a bit better than in past years, but not what you would call brisk. I was helping out at the main sales table when a nice lady asked me for a small piece of paper. I of course obliged. A while later, she comes back with her note-covered paper and informs me that she is “ready to buy”. I glance at her paper and ask if she means that she wants to decide among the paintings that she has listed, and calmly replies: “Oh no, I am buying them all”. OK, this is a first ….. Trying to not show too much excitement, I ask her how she plans to pay for her purchases, and she coolly replies “Credit Card”. My heart sinks, because we aren’t equipped to handle credit card sales (I know, it’s 2022, but this group is very traditional and this kind of situation has never happened before). I inform her that we will accept a check if someone in the group will vouch for her, or cash of course. There is no problem vouching for her, but there is the slight problem that she doesn’t have her checkbook with her, nor her debit card to get cash from a nearby ATM. That could have been a problem anyway, as I had added up her selections and the total was over $600, more than most ATMs will allow you to withdraw …. So I was silently glad that I hadn’t gotten too excited, because I could see this “dream transaction” slipping away…. As we are discussing possible solutions, the lady suggests that she could go home and get her checkbook, but understandably she doesn’t sound too thrilled at the prospect. She confides that she picked the paintings because she just fell in love with them, and eventually convinces herself that the only solution is to go home and get her checkbook. She assures me that she will come back. While she is gone, the member who vouched for the lady, and who incidentally had invited her to come to the show, says she knows her personally and she is an art collector, so she is not surprised by her actions. About an hour later, the lady returns with a box of packing materials and her checkbook, and I proceed to write up her purchases while others are busily packing her newly acquired treasures. We agree to have separate receipts and checks for each artist, and as she is writing one of the checks out, she looks up at me and says “You know, I feel really bad paying only this much for that piece. It’s worth a lot more. Can I add $20 to the amount?” As I had already written out the receipt, I ask her if she would like to talk to the artist and share what she had just told me. So I call the artist over and enjoy watching her receive compliments from the lady, as well as a cash tip. They are both happy, as am I! Talk about win-win-win! As we near the end of our transactions, the generous buyer casually asks me if I am an artist. Of course I say yes, and point to my display of paintings right behind us. When she sees my name, she says “Oh, I almost forgot, there is one of your small paintings I wanted to get too! “ So she wound up buying 8 paintings in all, from 5 different artists! I hope she enjoys them for many years to come! Has anything like this ever happened to you? Do share in the comments! It has been and continues to be a crazy week! Between preparing for a show this coming weekend (selecting the works to show, making sure they are framed, matted, packaged, labeled, rounding up the hanging & display hardware-- thank goodness I am moderately organised!!), then setting up the show, attending the show, taking down the show, traveling to a family birthday party (and getting ready for that!) and getting new art done for the farmer’s market next weekend, there are not enough hours in a day this week! And I hate to admit that I don't get things done as quickly as when I was younger! Not to mention the physical strain of lugging stuff around. Thank goodness I didn’t get into pottery! So this blog will be very short. I am looking forward to a major weekend event this July. It is out of town, and is causing me a few sleepless nights as it is all new for me. And it is less than a month away! But it will also be a turning point for me. If it goes well, I will continue to promote my art as I am doing, but if the results are disappointing, it will certainly make me question whether or not all I am doing is worth the effort. Maybe the time I spend trying to promote my art might be better spent making art! So, big decisions ahead! In closing, I wanted to share with you this very interesting person I discovered this week. His name is Danny Gregory, and he posts essays and videos every week on art-related subjects. Although some are technical, I am most interested in the philosophical ones. Here is one to check out what I mean, titled “27 Ways Art can Change Your Life’: https://youtu.be/MGD7SWq8CL0 . Hope you like it! |
AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
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