Painting Projects

I haven't had time to enter a new blog until now. My husband was out of town at a business conference, so I was busy doing the chores that he usually does. Then my brother-in-law was in town from Washington, so I was busy visiting him as well and going out to eat with the rest of the family.

Today I went downtown to the Art Source Gallery to pick up my art from that show, "Autumn at Hidden Lake". The show just ended. June sure went fast.

I finished the painting project on the outside of my house. The trim on the front of my house is now a beautiful grayish-blue. I call it Periwinkle Blue. It looks terrific.

Last night I started painting & completed five ladybug rock animals for my next art show, July 12th. A lady bought all my ladybug rocks at the last art show on June 21. Who would have thought those little bugs would be so popular? My next art show will be in two weeks, so I better get started preparing for it.

Vevay Cat Portrait

I started on another portrait commission this past week. I am doing a 9 X 12 size color portrait of a sienna brown & white cat with short churly hair whose name is "Vevay". It is a specific breed of cat called a Cornish Rex. (See March 30th blog entry for a photo of Vevay.) I recently discovered a new kind of drawing surface/paper to use with colored pencil & turpenoid. The client who ordered this portrait of Vevay gave me some illustration board to use because she doesn't use them anymore. Since they are so stiff, I wasn't sure that they would work well with colored pencil & turpenoid, but they actually work better. This board has a very smooth & thick surface and when I put down the turpenoid over the colored pencil, it makes it look even more like smooth watercolor. I think it distributes the color more evenly than with watercolor paper. The only problem is it is very, very hard to cut.

I have also gotten some time in here and there to work on my next installment of Leavenworth, Washington series of artwork pieces. I would say it is about 60% done. June has always been such a busy month for me that it is always hard to get in enough time for creating art. I am usually doing more marketing and selling than creating. Some of my time has also been devoted to landscaping projects, which is a kind of design project in itself, but I look forward to being done with the landscaping so I can get back to the business of creating art.

Another Successful Art Show!

Just a short blog to report that my art show today at the Capital City Public Market in downtown Boise was very successful. I took in about $160.00 and got several orders for portraits. Not bad for only four hours work. I'm glad that people were in the buying mood inspite of the slowing economy.

The only obstacle we had to overcome was my husband's truck decided not to work today, so he wasn't able to get to a business meeting he had this morning. It's a good think I was using the other car to deliver my art, tables and other display accessories.

Emerging Artist Show & "Get Real!" Vine Arts Gallery Show

"Reflection Detection"

"The Struggle: Being Real vs. Being False"

Everything is packed and ready for my Art Show tomorrow. I had a few obstacles. My printer jammed and a piece of paper got stuck and wouldn't come out. Murphy's Law says that the printer will always jam right during preparation for a big project or show. Then I had to clear up some miscommunication at the Sawtooth Artisan's Gift Shop where I dropped off my new inventory for the summer season. The gift shop is suppose to be open during the weekends in June, but it wasn't because they were in the midst of trying to hire a new shop keeper because the old one quit. So I had no one to communicate with and go over the paper work with. I hate paper work! The only paper work I like is the kind that comes out looking like artwork.

I also had to prepare and drop off new artwork for a new gallery show at the Vine Arts Gallery. This show's theme is "Get Real!" I entered two pieces--one is a print of a graphite pencil portrait on beautiful gold and brown decorative paper that I call "The Struggle" and the other is called "Reflection Detection" and is a colored pencil painting of a beautiful Leavenworth, Washington window and the reflection that is seen from that window. The reception for this show is this Sunday, June 22 at 7:00 p.m. I have posted above the two pieces of art that are in this show.

Preparing For The Art Show This Saturday

These past few days I have been working on preparing my inventory for the Emerging Artists art show this Saturday. I only have to make a few rock animals, but I have about eight prints I need to matt and wrap. Then I have to assemble everything and pack them into the car. The next few days will be busy preparing for this show at the 8th Street Marketplace downtown.

The only painting I have been doing lately is painting the trim on my house. There is a lot to do around the house right now, including some landscaping, so much of my time has been devoted to that.

Is it Really "All In the Application?" or "Please Don't Bother Me With Questions, Just Read my Mind."

Now that I am back from vacation, it is dawning on me that I have a lot of art-related things I need to do! Yicks! I better kick myself into 'super speed' and start on it. I am preparing an order for a client and getting it ready to be shipped out. Then I need to prepare for an outdoor show at the Capital City Market on June 21. I also need to squeeze in time to continue with creating artwork.

I would like to address an issue that I have come up against lately. Recently, on two occasions, I have run into the problem of show coordinators who send me applications for shows or galleries without giving all the necessary specific information that you need. Then when you ask them, they give you an answer like, "It is all in the application." and they don't really answer you. What is up with this? I tell them that the application does not address these specific quesions and they act like I am stupid or have misread the application. When I try to be specific and ask them specific questions that are not addressed in an application or email so I can avoid miscommunication, they give me an attitude like I am annoying them or I am stupid, and that I should be able to read minds. Maybe they are so extremely busy that they are under stress and it comes out in their attitude. Okay, I guess I can relate to that. The problem is that I have run into too many situations that got all screwed up because the coordinator thought they were being clear and was not and the artist applicant ends up bringing all the wrong stuff to a show or shows up on the wrong day and it becomes big mess.

I even dared to suggest to one coordinator that they put in their application a certain wording so it would be clearer. She did not take this advice well at all. Her attitude was "Don't tell me how to do my job. The application is worded perfectly and doesn't need revising." I am tired of dealing with people who have this attitude. If I have trouble understanding the specifics of an application, then other people will too. When a show coordinator gives me this type of response it shows that they are more concerned with their own ego rather than trying to help others by being clearer in their communication. I am also learning that part of what I am looking for when applying to be in certain shows or galleries is a good attitude and good communication. I am not just looking for a super great gallery or show, I am also looking to work with people who do not act annoyed when you ask them specific questions and people who don't give me a lot of attitude. I am also sensing a certain amount of "uppity" attitude in some places I contact about shows & gallery representation. This sets off a red flag for me because that is not what I am about and it is not who I am. My work is good enough to be at a high-end gallery, but I do not like to deal with people who have a "high-end" attitude. This is something I realize I must consider in the future. In a way, this problem is good for me to encounter because it helps me to define who I am and what I am really looking for. I think that from now on, I will give higher priority to shows like the Idaho Cat Fancier's Show and the Emerging Artist Show downtown, The Sawtooth Artisan Gift Shop, because the people who run those shows are always kind and considerate, easy to communicate with and easy to deal with.

Art Sales Are Hot at Lifeline Chiropractic!

I have some good news to report! All three of the framed prints that I had hanging up at my chiropractor's office (Lifeline Chiropractic in Boise) have sold! They all sold while I was in Stanley! I drove over there today to replace the art and collect my check. The pieces that sold were "Still Waters" "Otter Odyssey" and "Got Nuts?"

Back From Stanley!

Yesterday, my husband and I got back from our weekend in Stanley, enjoying the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains. After checking into the hotel, we went over to the Sawtooth Artisan's Gift Shop and I spent a couple of hours doing inventory of my art, replacing stuff that is old, putting out new art and getting ready for this gift shop's new season of sales which goes from June through Labor Day. With the business end of things taken care of, the rest of the time was spent hiking around Redfish Lake and Stanley Lake, enjoying some of the most gorgeous mountain scenery in America! The weather was very odd. It was sunny part of the time, but it also rained, hailed and snowed! That is Stanley for you. It has dynamic and very changeable weather patterns.

While we were hiking, I did a few quick sketches of the scenery (posted above). I didn't get to do as much sketching as I wanted because the weather wouldn't cooperate. I am trying to improve my quick sketching skills as well as making a visual journal of some of the plants, trees, & flowers found in Stanley and other areas of the Idaho mountains.

During our drive home to Boise, right outside the main part of Stanley, we saw eight elk crossing the highway! It was SO COOL! We just stopped and waited for them to cross. I tried to get a photo, but they were not interested in posing for my camera. Everytime I go to Stanley I always say, 'Okay wildlife (and I don't mean the nightclub life) come out where ever you are!' Sometimes they cooperate, sometimes they don't.

When I got home I was delighted to find a check had arrived in the mail from the client who requested a portrait of her cat, Smoke. Yay! I will use her check to help pay for the hotel bill we put on our credit card.

Gallery Hopping & Other Related Things

Today was my day to visit a few places around town that hang my art for the purpose of changing out some art and putting up new art. I delivered a framed print of "Autumn at Hidden Lake" to Lifeline Chiropractic to replace the print that was previously there. Then I went over to the Gallery in Hyde Park, which is near downtown Boise, to pick up all my note cards and prints. They had been there for quite a long time and it was time for a complete change out of art. Fortuntely, I am not out of this gallery, I am just going to submit new stuff. At some (undisclosed) time I am going to put up some of my Stone Critter rock animals to sell at their gallery. The owner had mentioned many months ago that he was interested in selling my rock animals at his gallery. At some later date, I will probably also submit some more art prints too, but it has to be new stuff that hasn't been there before. I have had my art at this gallery for several years now and they have always been good to work with. Some galleries give you the old "heave hoe" and tell you to leave if your work doesn't sell very well and consistently. This gallery has a sense of loyalty and sticks with me during times when my art does sell well and during times when it doesn't. They are good people.

During my visit to the Gallery in Hyde Park, they also gave me a check for what had sold during the previous months. It wasn't a lot, just enough to take me and my husband out for lunch somewhere not too expensive!

I emailed my client a photo of her finished portrait of "Smoke" the cat (See previous blog) and she loves it. Another successful portrait commission-mission completed. I think she is using it for a birthday present to her daughter. She confirmed to me that she put the check in the mail, so I'm really looking forward to receiving that. Hopefully, I'll get that check in the mail before I leave for my trip to Stanley, Idaho this Friday. What wonderful thing should I spend this money on? I should probably use it to pay for the gasoline it will take to drive to Stanley & back.