Sunday, June 13, 2010

13th June 2010 - Who's made a mark this week?


On Friday I went to Patchings where my friend Gayle Mason (Fur in the Paint) had a stand for the first time.  Gayle is an animal artist and an experienced exhibitor but at shows more focused on animals rather than artists.  Vivien Blackburn (Paintings, Prints and Stuff) and I had never been before so it was interesting to see what it had to offer.  You can read my review in today's blog post over on Making A Mark reviews....Patchings Art Festival

My overall conclusion was that it provided a good day out for people who belong to art clubs and local art societies and also offers the opportunity to take your car and fill it up with arts and craft materials!  I think it's possibly less successful for those trying to sell large original art in frames (unless very well known) and probably works better for artists selling fine art prints/cards and less expensive, smaller original art and items linked to learning about art.

As always happens when I start taking a closer look at something new, I'm always amazed at how few websites there are which provide the information and advice for those doing this for the first time.  I've started an information site which aims to pull together the most useful information about art fairs on the Internet.  I've already got some resources listed on existing "resources for artists" information sites which I'm going to extract and reassemble on a new site. 

How you can help people new to art fairs

I'm also very interested in hearing from:
  • any of you who know of a website or forum thread which in their opinion provides good advice for those EITHER visiting art fairs OR exhibiting at Art Fairs and Festivals
  • arts and crafts bloggers who have written one or more blog posts providing checklists or usefu;tips or anything which you think might be useful advice for those new to art fairs
Please leave a comment and a link to your blog post or a forum thread which you have found useful

Art Blogs and websites


A few more 'proper' websites this week which I don't normally include.

Drawing and sketching
Do you think we should have some sort of award for best sketch done while watching the World Cup? ;)  Or NOT watching the World Cup even though it's on the television in my case.  Maybe one of the advert which came on the HD version broadcast by ITV while England scored last night? :D  Anyway, if you see a good one do let me know.  This is World Cup from the corner of the sofa

Coloured Pencils and Pastels
Graphic Novels
Painting 
Sculpture
The figure reaches 25.5 metres (84ft), 5 metres taller than the Angel of the North. It weighs 60 tonnes and together the 547 nodes (the Meccano-like atoms that are pieced together to form the shape) combine 8,500 lengths of metal, requiring a further 6,500 or so angle joints.

Art Business and Marketing

  • The Artists Network (a-n) provides a knowledge bank of articles for all those working in the visual arts.  However it looks like there was a lot of activity in 2008 and not a lot since so review all articles in the light of changing economic circumstances.  It's also not free with a number of articles requiring a subscription.  The problem with most sites which like to store their knowledge behind a paywall is that many of us like to see a bit more evidence of what I'm getting before I pay up.  It's the equivalent of flipping through a magazine in the newsagents.  I'd like to see an index of current items - and when they were written and by who.
  • Thanks to Daniel (Art Markleting Secrets) who highlighted that Tara Reed recently wrote a great article on the subject of YouTube Marketing Videos For Artists. This is a must-read if you are thinking of creating video to promote your work. He also had a post about 12 Tips To Grab Galleries With Your Artist Website.  (I really don't like the intrusive sign-up pop-up though which deters me from vsiting his website)

Art and the Economy / Art Collectors

Collectors from emerging markets such as Russia and China have selectively bought the best examples of their countries’ art heritage at recent sales.

Art Competitions and Art Societies


Art Exhibitions


I get a fair number of private view invitations but getting one this week from somebody I didn't know for a PV that evening led to my blog post on Tuesday about Dos and Don'ts for Invitations to a Private View

...in the UK
...in the USA
This exhibition explores the advent of modernism a century ago through twenty important paintings, sculptures, and drawings by the first-generation American avant-garde.

Art fairs

  • ArtFair Calendar is a site which provides you with lists of art fairs around the USA.  Their blog Art Fair Insiders is actually a Ning site which is very much oriented towards the practical issues of attending an art fair. They also have a page on Facebook

Art Education / workshops / Tips and techniques

Art videos

Tips
Workshops

Art History

Art Supplies and Services

Book reviews

Opinion Poll

  • 57 people have responded to Do you subscribe to a magazine for artists? and some 68 have voted for their favourite art magazine (see right hand column of this blog). Plus I've had one enquiry from an editor wanting to know why their magazine was not listed! 

Websites, webware and blogging

Apple fans
Browser Security
Social Networking - twitter etc
  • Edward Winkelman writes amusingly - Too Much Internet Can Ruin Your Ability to Focus on Other .. .Oooo, a New Twitter Alert.  Only 37 times an hour was my first reaction!
  • This week I stopped following Art Calendar on Twitter (artcalendar) because of excessive tweeting.  A barrage of tweets, all at the same time, and every few minutes is just not cool! Automated tweeting is so inconsiderate when done like that.  I want to make it clear that I like Art Calendar. It has some really good articles.  What I don't like is the behaviour of the person they employ to tweet on their behalf who thought it was a brilliant idea to blast out huge numbers of tweets within a matter of a few minutes.  If it was genuine mistake and won't happen again I shall 'follow' once more - otherwise I won't be reading any more tweets from Art calendar.
  • You can use http://twilk.com to put your Twitter followers on your Twitter background.
Static websites
  • When was the last time you checked out your website - for out of date notices about exhibitions and workshops which need taking down and/or artwork which really needs to be archived.  Just a thought.  I had it and now I'm passing it on! ;)

and finally........


I have friends who jumped up and down and cheered when they heard that One of "Painter of Light" Kinkade's Companies Files Bankruptcy (plus Thomas Kinkade's production firm had filed for bankruptcy

Pacific Metro, Thomas Kinkade's artist's production company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in San Jose a day after losing a four year legal fight with Village Gallery, Inc.  Chapter 11 is intended to allow companies faced with insolvency to reorganize. 

Some - such as the Wall Street Journal's Bankruptcy Beat - can't resist the scope for puns.  See Thomas Kinkade Company Finds Itself Painted Into a Corner

The phrase "production firm" actually just about sums up why my friends and I are not fans of the Thomas Kinkade method of making art. For those who never understood the machine like production of his "signature artwork" try reading Thomas Kinkade: Profit of light.  Learning about the significant fraudulent practices of his companies which merchandised his art to licensed galleries - recently aired in and now recognised by the courts - only served to the distaste.

My personal view is that any gallery which chooses to sell art made in that way really should not be surprised to learn that there were further deceptions in the way the business was sold to them.  "Buyer beware" is an axiom which applies to galleries just as much as the end consumer.

I wonder what would happen to Google results if everybody searched for "Thomas Kinkade bankruptcy"


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