This annual showcase of work by our Signature Artists is your opportunity to view and collect the best of the best! Featuring works in all styles and mediums, these artists show off their skills with blooming florals, seaside scenes, intimate portraits and dazzling abstractions. These brilliant artworks are sure to impress and inspire. Please enjoy the 2022 Signature Exhibition, on view at the Federation Gallery from August 29th t0 September 11th, 2022 https://federationgallery.com/exhibit/2022_signature_exhibition/3417 I've just taken a look at the collection myself and what a pleasure to be featured alongside all these talented artists. I think you will agree that there are some amazing pieces in this collection.
I'm thrilled to disclose that the piece I have submitted has already been sold and will be off to its forever home once the show ends. My collector is patiently waiting to receive her gorgeous painting. Having the support of collectors and the Federation Gallery has been a real boost to my career. Creating art, and more importantly creating a business from an art career is not for the faint of heart. Throughout this whole journey I've known that my only goal is to stick with it, keep going, and keep improving my skills. When worry came up around finances, or promotion, or shipping concerns, I was continually reminded to "Just go paint Ciel." This is my studio mantra. It's really effective to get me back in alignment with what the whole point is. Creating beautiful art that inspires and uplifts my viewers and collectors. Recently I've received some push back around how I gush all over my paintings. How I exclaim that "this one is gorgeous" or "this is spectacular." I've been curious about these negative comments towards my excitement. I think my comments can be seen as bragging, which if you read it that way, could be offensive. The real reason that I gush all over my paintings is not because I want to stroke my own ego but rather because I'm genuinely amazed and thrilled with the painting. I often feel like I am simply the messenger. That the painting itself has a life of it's own and I'm simply the hands that make it happen. It's intuition and spiritual in nature and I simply follow the lead that I'm given. These negative comments have energetically set me back. I'm tamping down my excitement in my posts and trying to communicate in a different way. The comments have been hard to receive and the push to communicate differently is likely the growth edge that I was needing. Will I never gush over a painting again, probably not. My online presence is about me and my art, and if I feel that a gush is appropriate then that is what I'll do. However, I do feel a shift and a reservation to sharing how I feel about my work. I think it's human to want to avoid conflict or criticism and yet isn't joy what we are seeking more of? Does my joy for what I'm doing not equate to something wonderful? I guess this is the boundary between the excited artist and the art marketing roles. I spend hours and hours bringing a painting together. During that time there is a transformation in me that mimics the transformation on the canvas. I love it. I do get excited to share and I guess if people take offense then I really can't do much about that. I'm simply going to commit to my creative excitement and keep going. I'm rambling now, what I really want to gush over is that this Signature Show and the pre-sale of my submission is a big deal. It's also a completely new experience for me. I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm also thrilled to be featured alongside other artists who are on this same journey of finding their creative voices through artistic endeavors. When deciding on the size, shape, and location of a painting within a room, getting it correct can make all the difference. Too small and the wall looks empty, too large and the room can feel small. So how do we choose the right size of a painting for the given wall space? It's a great questions and one I want to explore a bit with you. First of all, how do you feel about the location and size of this first painting? the things I notice right away are that the piece above the fireplace has a really great relationship to the size and shape of the fireplace and wall above. There is a nice space border around the piece of the art, with the art being hung just below the centre of the wall while being up about 6 inches from the mantel, really works well. Both elements have a bit of breathing room. In addition, the paintings on either side of the fireplace also occupy the space beautiful. They are not hung at exactly the same height, as they are smaller pieces. You can see that by the bottom edge of the paintings are at different levels. This painting that doesn't quite get it right. In terms of placement within the space, it is sitting too low. There is no breathing room between the fireplace and the painting itself. In addition, the beam or mantel from the adjoining wall, on the right, cuts into the space. Perhaps an off centre hanging would have been better or a grouping of smaller pieces so that the eye isn't distracted by the line of the mantel intruding into the space. In this example the painting is right sized for the wall space and the width of the mantel. In addition, the colouring of the frame and subject matter go nicely with the rustic wood interior. I think this is a great placement and choice for this lovely mantel. If you are hanging a painting above a sofa or bed, how do you choose a piece for that space? In this photo I think the proportions are way off. #1 the size of the matt around the painting is too wide on the sides. It really doesn't enhance the image, rather the painting is a bit lost within that white border. The black frame is a bit harsh too. #2 the size of the overall artwork is about 1/2 the width of the sofa, which is too small. You want to aim for 2/3 to 3/4 of the width of the sofa or bed that you will be hanging the piece above. Here's a great example of a painting that is the correct size for the sofa it is paired with. Its close to the 75% of the width of the sofa, hung with 6-8 inches room at the lower edge and centred on the wall beautifully. The minimal frame, likely a metal frame, around the piece complements the painting versus drawing your eye to the frame. The colour of the piece also works well with the soft toned interior colour palette. This is a beautiful painting for the space, the correct size, and hung to the benefit of the other fixtures. Here's another example. The painting is lovely as is the sofa, but the two do not pair together well. The painting is too small for the wall size and the width of the sofa. The width of the painting is closer to 40% of the total width of the sofa. The colours work pretty well, it's just the size that is distracting. Here are two examples of using multiple pieces over a sofa to fill the space. They work really well. The overall width is appropriate to the width of the sofa and they are hung with a beautiful space between themselves and above the back of the sofa. In the second living room 5 pieces have been hung with the centre of the paintings at eye level and spaced regularly across the wall. This is a beautiful symmetrical pattern and is proportionally relevant to the second largest piece on this wall, the sofa. These pieces are also a nice combination to the sofa, however, they are hung asymmetrically and with variable spaces between them. I think this works really well because the colour palette is relevant to the room, the frames aren't too heavy and the entire grouping of paintings reads as one unit. Very nicely done.
Some helpful things to keep in mind. Leave 6-8 inches between the bottom edge of your artwork and the other large elements on the same wall. Your art should be 2/3 to 3/4 of the width of those other large elements which could be made up of one piece of art or several smaller ones. Keep the colours relevant to the room and choose frames that compliment without drawing all the attention to the frame. When you hang art on a wall that does not have another architectural feature like a sofa, mantel or bed, then aim to hang your art with the centre of the piece at eye level. Eye level changes for each person however the ideal would be between 57 and 60 inches up from the floor. Aim for the lower end of the range if people in your household are shorter and the higher end of the range if they are on the taller size. Measure the width of the wall space and aim for the art covering 60-75% of that width. These are guidelines and your interior is really up to you. Use your judgement and give these ideas a try in your own space. You might be surprised how moving your art around with these tips in mind could create a really pleasing space for you. If you are looking for new paintings to fill these walls of yours you can view my available painting using the link below. Leave me any comments you might have in the comment box. A full-time art career, one that has you earning money from the sale of the art, is pretty easy. Make some art, find some people to buy it and viola, you have an art career. Easy. Theoretically, this is how it works. In reality it is something a bit more involved. The way I see it there are a few key steps.
1. Developing a consistent body of work does not mean you have to restrict your subject matter. You might be interested in landscapes and still lifes. That is totally okay. Simply present each genre as a group rather than a smattering of each. Think about collections. Group pieces by size, medium, subject matter, price, however you like. What is more important is to be dedication to actually do the work. If you are not willing to put in the time at the easel to allow your creative skills to develop then perhaps you want to keep it as a hobby. No judgement. Simply a truth. If you want to have a business from your art, you are going to have to treat it like a business, which means putting in the hours. 2. Your mental attitude towards yourself and your art contributes so much to the success you are likely to realize. Doubt is going to come up, fear is going to come up, that is normal. The questions is are you willing to believe something more productive? I like to suggest that you start collecting evidence of what you have accomplished. How many completed pieces do you have? How many pieces have you sold? This evidence becomes the antidote for the doubt. For example, if I am struggling with a piece and my doubt voice says "You can't do this." Then I'm able to look at all the other paintings that I have completed and change my doubt into "Yes, I can. Just look at all these that I have already completed." Ultimately our doubt is showing us that we are scared. We don't want to fail and we don't want to be ridiculed or criticized. Collecting evidence helps us change our own mind about what is possible. 3. A professional website is so much easier now days that it has ever been. If you are not techy, find someone to help you. If you can figure out how to upload an image from your computer and write some descriptions then take a look at Weebly (my #1 choice), Square, Squarespace (different than square) as a website platform. They are robust. In the case of Weebly there is a storefront built in so you can create items and connect to those items in your website. When someone clicks on an image of your art on your website, and that image is connected to your store, they will be taken right to the sales page where the purchase can actually happen. Very cool. Your website is your showroom. Clients interested in purchase art are going to search for your website. Which brings up another topic, wherever possible use your name for your domain name versus some unrelated name. Use www.janedoeart.com versus www.artbyjanedoe.com, or www.paintingsbyjamesdoes.com You make it difficult for people to find you when you put words before your actual name. 4. The most important thing you can do is start collecting email addresses from people who are interested in seeing your art. It's never too early to start this. Social media is great, but they are platforms that you do not own. They can disappear, they can change their rules, they can ban your site. If you are only growing your following on social media you leave yourself vulnerable. Your email list is something that is yours. You are in control of what you send out, when you send it out, and who you show it to. Very important. Now keep in mind email open rates vary, but you can reasonably expect 25-45% of the people on your email list will actually open your email. With Social media you have no idea how many of your 2000 followers are actually seeing what you post. The other piece of this is use an email provider that is designed just to send emails. Some websites have email services built in, but email sending is not their sole focus so the deliverability of those emails can be very low. A specific email service is much more reliable at actually getting your emails through the spam filters of your clients email hosts. 5. Have a way to collect money for the sales of your artwork. Now many people collect e-transfers when they make a sale. It certainly works. The drawback is that #1 clients have to be familiar with online banking, which a lot of people are not. #2 clients have to know how to set up a recipient in their e-transfer account. #3 setting all this up takes them away from the joy of purchasing and into the online maze that may have them decide it's not worth it. Instead, I recommend using Square. They have online credit card processing services at 2.9% + .30 cents per transaction, which is the industry standard. They also have a piece of hardware that allows you to use a tap device if you are making sales in person. (Cost= $50? This is a one time fee to purchase the device) This tap device processes credit and debit transaction. Debit transaction carry a little larger fee and take longer to process. However the ease that your clients can make a purchase is fantastic with this service. (Note: I avoid Paypal at all cost. It can be difficult to get your money from them, they hold funds for 5-7 business days, and there are hidden fees if you are processing US credit cards in Canada.) 6. Having a systematic way of showing people what you are doing and what is available is important. Figure out what feels good for you. I have no problem doing videos, so I'm choosing platforms that allow me to load videos and share content with my audience. I was considering using Pinterest as a platform recently and my gut feeling is that it's not a good fit for how I work. I prefer videos to curated still photo creation. The important part is to be consistent. How often do you want to post? What feels good for you? For me:
7. What I find essential for the long term vision of my business is having goals that keep pulling me forward. This is a great way to avoid the immediate disappointments that may come up. If a promotion doesn't go exactly as you planned it can be easy to get discouraged and stop. With a goal in place you have something pulling you forward to complete. In my case, I have my work outlined for the next six months. I have paintings planned and my timing all figured out. Will I reach all these goals, no. It doesn't matter. I have a road map of what I intent to complete. This timing also helps me plan when a commission comes in. I can see what shows I'm committed to, or what I'm really set on completing, and easily slot in the commission once a juggle a few non-essential commitments later in the year. The other advantage to planning ahead is you can be thinking about and composing the emails that you want to share when it is time to start promoting your next series of paintings. I hope this has been a help. Let me know if you have any questions by messaging me below. If you'd like to speak personally to me about your art business, you can schedule a call here. I'd be happy to chat with you about what your goals are and what challenges you are having.
Once humans moved from being nomadic to subsistence farming, accumulated land and wealth, patronage was soon to follow.
Patronage, the financial sponsorship of artists by individuals or institutions, paved the way for some of history’s most enduring works of art—so much so, in fact, that history only began regularly recording the names of the artists themselves around the time of the Renaissance. (https://www.artsy.net/article/the-art-genome-project-from-mesopotamia-to-1980s-new-york-what-art-history-owes-to-its-patrons) The first patrons were the religious organizations that were trying to share bible stories with a population that was largely illiterate. From there patronage moved to wealthy individuals who wanted to enhance their prestige and power. Art was the way they did that. They hired artists to create portraits that represented themselves, and their families in the best possible way. I've heard that before Anne Boleyn was beheaded a portrait of her with her family was created in an effort to show the French public what a devout mother she was. The effort was valiant and didn't change the outcome of her fate. Art may have also been an early form of money laundering as wealthy individuals found ways to recycle their questionably acquired money into something tangible. Two very well known names who had a strong patronage relationship was that between the Medici and Michelangelo; the Sforza family and Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper (Leonardo) and The Last Judgement (Michelangelo) being two pieces created under a patronage relationship. In the 19th Century patronage relationship have evolved to support artists producing works without a predetermined buyer in mind. Artists making work on their own time and their own dime. When Gustave Courbet had three of his 14 pieces rejected by the French academics for the "Exposition Universelle" claiming they were too large to be displayed, he boldly rented the building next door to the exhibition and displayed 40 of his pieces in his own exhibition. Courbet turned the dismissal into his own opportunity. You see this all the time. Artists use their creativity to think outside the norms and create something unique that supports their work outside the normal structures. Courbet's exhibit is the first known solo exhibition. It led the way for Realism and Impressionist painters to have their own shows and have a greater stake in the sale of their artwork. This fact is very interesting because it had not occurred to me that in my own career I'm following in the steps of Courbet with my solo show in the fall of 2019 and the direct sales to collectors through my studio and website. Very cool. Ashley Longshore is a name that comes to mind as an artist who has paved her own way in modern times. She has been touted as a pop artist to rival Andy Warhol and who has challenged the business model of traditional art galleries. She has partnered with Bergdorf's, the first female artist in the history of art with to do that. She has also paved the path for art and fashion to co-exist. I've included a link for you to check out her work. (https://ashleylongshore.com/pages/about-us) So patronage, patron's support of artists has been an historical relationship that lives on today. It's one that I have recently embraced in my business. I know I have raving fans all over social media and within my email list and yet purchasing an original painting is only one way those fans can engage with my work. I have just developed a 4 tier subscription that gives patrons the opportunity to receive beautiful stationery/gifts during the year or even an original painting - depending on the level of subscription they select. I'm excited to walk in the shadows of Longshore, Courbet, Michelangelo and Leonardo. Continuing the legacy of great art getting into the hands of patrons who appreciate the skill, time and beautiful of the art that is created. If you are curious about the subscriptions I have available, plans start at $5/month, you can take a closer look by clicking the button below. |
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