Woodinville City Hall Art Exhibit

It is very exciting to hang an art show!

Today I hung eleven watercolor paintings and watercolor collage paintings in Woodinville City Hall. They do a fabulous job to make sure the art shows well, and Brenda Eriksen is very helpful.

My first rule in hanging an art show is to take more art than can possibly fit in the space allowed. This way you can arrange paintings as you see fit. Be sure to ask ahead of time about art identification cards and if price information is acceptable.

Second rule is to work with the person who hangs the paintings and not just drop them off. Besides getting to know more about the person and their role, you are able to see that your art is shown in its "best light".

Third rule is to set aside plenty of time to take in the atmosphere and visit with people passing through as well as staff. It is just good publicity!

Remember to bring a camera to take pictures of the art exhibit. It is nice to have photos for your records.

Bring cards and a bio or artist statement; more publicity.

Also, have an inventory list of the art with titles and prices to leave with the person in charge of the art exhibit.

Take a step back and take in the feeling of success!

Watercolor Pencil Techniques

Watercolor pencil is a new medium for me.

In previous blogs, I have discussed how different they are from regular watercolor paint and my challenges, but they are my medium of choice when traveling.

Today, I came across an excellent video by artist, Tim Fisher, who shows how to do various techniques with watercolor pencils. I now have an arsenal of techniques to try next time I travel with my watercolor pencils.

I love Tim's British accent. Check out his video.


Snowy Lane, Frisby
watercolor
Tim Fisher

Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project (ORSMP)

The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural is an inter-disciplinary, interactive, multi-site public art project that will innovatively make use of new media and social networking technologies to increase the strength and visibility of movements organizing for social change in Palestine, Israel, the US and the world.

ORSMP crosses borders, recognizing and exploring the relationship that exists between the people Olympia, Washington, the people of Rafah, Occupied Palestine and all people who struggle and work for justice. ORSMP will move from the local to the global by bringing people together across social justice movements. The images in the mural will articulate how the social and political struggles in Palestine and Israel connect to local and national and international issues that include environmental justice, racism, colonialism, rights of indigenous people, and anti-war movements, to name a few.

ORSMP uses creativity in public space to cope with and mourn traumatic losses in resilient and transformative ways. Inspired by Rachel Corrie, an Olympian killed in the Gaza Strip in 2003 in a non-violent act of civil disobedience, the mural serves as a reminder of the thousands in Gaza and elsewhere lost in struggle, and, also, as inspiration for those who carry on quests for justice and for the unity and peace that the olive tree represents.

For more information about the project

Artist In All of Us

There are sparks of inspiration all around us - all we have to do is look.

Each day brings something new, exciting and inspiring. As artists, we have to train our minds and feel in our hearts to see these things. Lighting, color, emotion, drama - all these things add to the excitement of being an artist.

An artist will create from this place of joy.

Next time when you feel this spark of inspiration, take a paint brush in hand and paint from your heart with happiness.

Remember, DO NOT allow the inner-critic any air time.



Penny Soto
The Rose

Penny definitely captures light, color, emotion, and drama in her painting.

Excerpt from "Starving" to Successful

Jason Horejs' new book, "Starving" to Successful | The Artist's Guide to Getting into Galleries and Selling More Art was written to help artist approach galleries in an organized, systematic and professional way. The book is newly published and here is an excerpt:

Mistake #1: Presenting an inconsistent body of work.

Artists generally love their freedom. They want to experiment. They love a challenge. They crave variety. All good things, except when you are presenting your work to a gallery.

The work you present to a gallery needs to be unified. It doesn't need to be repetitive or formulaic, but it must present you as a consistent artist with a clear vision.

Often I feel I am looking at the work of multiple artists as I review a single portfolio. To avoid this problem you need to find focus in your work.

If you work in several media and a variety of styles, focus on just one for the next 6-12 months. Create a body of work that feels like a "series". Once you have 20-25 gallery-ready pieces in this series, you will be ready to approach a gallery.

You can further create consistency by presenting the work in a consistent way. Use similar frames for paintings and photographs, similar bases for sculpture, similar settings for artistic jewelry. Make it very clear all of the work is by the same artist.

If you simply can't rein your style in, consider creating multiple portfolios, one for each style.

Don't confuse the galleries you approach with multiple styles in your portfolio.



Good advice; I ordered his book.

Reasons to Paint Every Day

Since moving the end of June, I have been using my creative energy in designing my new environment. Needless to say, I have not painted since. As I am looking forward to painting a part of me is saying "can I still do this it seems so foreign?"

Today, another artist made these feelings I am having more clear to me. Loriann Signori states, "Painting every day is so much like taking your vitamins, exercising and eating right. Without it your health/painting health can suffer." Returning to painting after several days away she explains, "I felt out of sorts, as if I needed to re-friend my materials. When I paint every day I am in a groove, it's not as much about thinking as responding." She concludes, "Sure it's good to get away and rest your mind from burn out... but there's a price to pay. I feel like I am relearning how to ride that horse.

Having unpacked my last box.........I am ready to ride again.

Stay tuned........

Puyallup Fair Art Show

The 2009 Puyallup Fair begins September 11th and runs until the 27th. I decided to enter the art show again this year.

It truly amazes me how organized and efficient they make the process of entering the show. In addition, the people are extremely helpful. I entered five paintings and brought my friend's six art pieces. Can you imagine me juggling all these?!?!?

The process begins with a check in to make sure you have filled out all the forms correctly for each art piece. The next station checks the wires and frames of the pieces. The final station gives each piece a number in the category entered and a description.

I am pleased to announce that all of my paintings were accepted! I entered these two watercolor collage paintings:


Creek at Whistler


Moonlight

An oil painting of my cat:


Gypsy

And two mini acrylic paintings 4" X 5"


Colorado Moment


Monet's Garden