One of the burning questions, for a large number of artists, is, Are galleries worth their 50% cut?

One way to look at this is a simple check list of what the gallery is going to do for you, in an ideal relationship:

• Pay for the space to show your work, and all the attending overhead costs:

              –Rent for a good location 

              –Heat/light/insurance/decor/administrative costs/staff

              –Advertising

              –Exhibition costs: display, brochures, ads, opening night expenses, etc.

• Create lasting relationships with buyers and collectors for your work

And yes, you could…

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I’m so excited by what just happened on the First Day of smARTist 2009 that I simply have to share some of it with you.

The five panel members…

as far afield from each other as Molly Gordon in Seattle, Guillermo Cuellar in New England, Nancy Marmalejo and Lucia Cappacionne in Southern California, and artist Shirley Williams in Ontario, Canada…

…seemed to be flowing from an interconnected river of knowledge as they responded to the questions that came straight from this year’s smARTist participants. 

I found the panel’s answers to be practical in their collective wisdom, that only when we…

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Last night as I was drifting into dreams the thought came to me that I am somehow searching for visual constants when I draw and paint from nature and from the works of other artists who came before me.

I spent eight days in a row drawing in the Rosicrucian Museum a few weeks ago, and found that on the last day or so…

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smARTist Resource Directory

Here’s a gift, no strings attached, from the smARTist Telesummit 2009:

Our brand spankin’ new smARTist Resource Directory.

You’ll find a clickable TOC. And, after the 2009 Keynote Speakers, there are categories for you to browse: Art Magazines, Art Organizations, Art Supplies, Blogs, Book Recommendations, Education, Displays, Trends…and much more.

All of these resources come straight from your fellow artists.

You can download and enjoy it here.
smARTist Resource Directory

The core of smARTist is pulling together, in one place, the best art career information that we can find.

So, on top of 7-Days of art career presentations and panel discussion, I decided to create a directory that would give you resources to explore at your convenience.

Since a spoonful of art makes the “learning” go down, I’ve sprinkled pieces from our illustrious smARTist alumni throughout the directory to soothe your artist eye.

I hope you like it. I had a lot of fun creating it.

Wishing you an abundant, joyful 2009!
Ariane 

In an earlier post I talked about going back into unfinished drawings and paintings with an abstracted and loosened approach, and how that served as a good vehicle for my re-entry into the world of making pictures.  I continue to work like this on these old drawings, and in the process I am slowly and subtly becoming aware of my developing visual memory.

I remember when I was an art student my teachers would often talk about visual memory.  They told of how…

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When Shirley Williams came to smARTist last year, she had reached a plateau after 18 years of being a self-supporting artist. After the telesummit, she went on to win Canada’s National Portfolio contest. This started a series of events that have shot her career forward like a shooting star.

Her keynote presentation for the conference will be on Tuesday, January 20th. In her own words, here is what she has to say:

I just finished listening to an interview with Robert Storr, the current Dean of the Yale School of Art.

And I was struck, as I often am, by an academic’s perspective on being an artist. Which is not to say that Dean Storr is not part of the real art world. Far from it. He has extensive experience with curating (at the Museum of Modern Art, for one), exhibiting as a painter, he’s a respected art critic and a writer on the theory and practice of art.

The interview zeroed in on his plans for graduate and undergraduate students at Yale, yet I found that he had much to say that was…

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Peace.  Quiet.  Let’s let time go, just for these few holy days. Let’s just for a moment put aside commerce and concentrate on matters of the heart and soul: ignite candles, adorn the world with tinsel and angels, and celebrate the return of the light.

Strawberries and Chinese Cup - Oil on Linen Panel - 12" x 9" by Michael Lynn Adams

One of the best ways to see how you and your art travel around the web is to sign up for Google Alerts. I’ve done this for my name and also for the smARTist Telesummit.

Now, every day I receive one or more “Google alerts” in my inbox. Not only can you see where your name and art are showing up, these alerts provide a link so you can click to find out more. Once in a while the link lands me on page where I can’t find any mention, but more often I end up…

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It’s raining. The trunks of the great firs and redwoods are black with moisture.  It’s cold.  I retreat within.  Like a Cloud Leopard in the afternoon sun with nothing better to do, I need to languish in warmth and let that be enough.  I need to pause.    

The thoughts of doing and being will come again soon enough.  Opportunities for seeing and getting will offer themselves.  But in this moment I give myself permission to take a break.  

After all, these are the dark days of the year.  This is the far reach of the cycle.  I will rest on momentum as it swings around again toward the light.

Over the years I’ve encountered two groups of artists. Those who embrace the “M” word with determined resignation. And those who turn away, mumbling something about not selling their souls to the devil, or I wouldn’t have a clue where to start, or I’m an artist, as if the very obviousness of that fact will save them from getting their hands dirty.

For that, after all, is the real story behind the “M” word…

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All right, how many of you print a Certificate of Authenticity each time you sell a work?   Well if you don’t, and if no one ever told you what one should contain, here’s a simple example.  

Please note that I list title, medium, size and current value.  

Also note that I indicate to whom the copyright actually belongs, and how infringement is a VERY bad idea.  

Do I ever have to enforce this with an attorney?  

Nah; it’s better to stay on cool terms with everyone.  The big artillary should always be a last resort.

Note: to enlarge the image so you can read the text, click on it.

————————–

Paul will be one of 11 Keynote speakers at the smARTist Telesummit in January 2009.  

His topic: Corporate Collectors: The New Medicis Where to find them and how to get in the door.  Just click on “Click to learn more” under his photo for all the details.

So interesting this Life,

always surprising,

always teaching.

When I try to capture, to tame it

& make it mine,

all I get

is hands full of thin air,

& worry.

But,

when I let it speak to me

& truly listen,

oh, the stories it unfurls,

so 

intricate

& full of

wonder.

Pencils

This week I invite you to visit my studio.  In my day-to-day life I am an organized person and like things to be evenly and purposefully arranged.  I used to have that going on in my studio as well–at least more than I do now.  Now…

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This is the second of three “story” posts, all of which happened within a three hour span of time last winter when Visual Art was EVERYWHERE.

It began with tires and art, and then continued an hour later, as I was driving home, back from the Tire Wearhouse.

I was listening to NPR, which is a small miracle because the car that I drove before this one had no working radio. At the same time, I’m crawling along roads covered in wet snow, with flakes the size of a child’s palm floating down in slow motion. The woods on both sides of me ache with the cold beauty of…

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