Being in Business in Green Bay...

Gee there's a lot to do being a "visible" business! Today there was a Business Expo at the KI Convention Center sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. My husband Tom and I went and did the networking thing. Gathered and passed out tons of cards and literature and will do a mailing about corporate and private art and team-building art projects for companies. 

Here in Green Bay, we have a wonderful organization Downtown Green Bay, Inc. who promote things in the Broadway district on the west side of the river, the downtown proper (OK you guys in the big cities would laugh...our downtown is maybe 12 square blocks or so!...and the Olde Main St District where my studio is. The lovely people there even gave me a little page on the site http://downtowngreenbay.com/  There's a Gallery Night in two weeks that we're all looking forward to!

The hope is that the Olde Main district can become the arts district. We've got a good start too - Art Garage has led the charge, and there are 2 other studio/galleries run by individual artists like myself, a shop/studio called Weathered Goods (Therese does some fabulous jewelry and has some very cool stuff in the shop), a ballroom dance studio, A Better Footprint (a Fair Trade Goods shop with art and goods from 3rd world countries). The United Way is moving their operations to an old bank building right across the street from my place and that'll bring lots more people to the immediate area every day too. I'm definitely going to be involved as much as possible - it's good for everybody!

Art and the Economy

I am really interested in how professional artists...the ones who rely on the sale of their artwork as their main income...are trying to adapt to the economy.  We're told that the people with disposable income still have it, but they're being much more selective in how they spend it. Heck I saw celebrity hairdresser Jose Ebert telling some guy on 20/20 last night that he now bought his underwear at WalMart (or maybe it was KMart - I was busy being stunned about the subject even being on TV!). 

A LOT of artists have adjusted their pricing structure downward. 

Some people I know are exploring wholesaling and licensing. 

Some are looking more to entering competitions for exposure, resume purposes and in hopes of capturing a cash or merchandise prize. 

Then there are those artists who are still sitting up on their lofty marble pillars looking down upon the huddled masses and proclaiming that they will never consider price concessions or "lowering" themselves to explore the commercial markets. 

Personally, I'd rather be busy and have something coming in than hold out for the big bucks and being idle, trying to figure out how I'll pay the rent for my studio.  I'm looking into participating in a group advertising campaign with other area artist's studio/galleries.  I'm keeping an eye on public art projects up for bids.  I'm spending time on "social networks" like Twitter and Facebook.  I'm planning to join the Chamber of Commerce just for the networking opportunities. 

This is definitely the time to do whatever you can to increase your name-recognition factor both locally and nationally.  Some of it costs money (which thank goodness is mostly tax deductible), but it's a necessary expenditure. What I will NOT do, (and I hope other artists won't do either), is to compromise the quality of my work or even the quality of the materials I use. People who choose to spend money on my artwork are worthy of the same respect they were a year ago, even if the transaction is not as big as it would've been back then.  

The Importance of Framing & Respecting Your Artwork

Today my dear friends Patcee and Floyd Bucher came to my studio with some beautiful mouldings so we could pick the right liner and frame for a wedding portrait of Mrs. Kathy Richardson. Floyd had seen the painting before and had spoken with the portrait subject about her desires for framing. Since she lives several hours from here, the rest was left to Floyd and myself. We selected an absolutely beautiful, relatively wide cherry moulding and a 1" white linen liner that both complement the painting beautifully. Which leads to my topic...the importance of professional framing.

I truly believe that framing can definitely make or break a painting. Sometimes restrictions on framing - while absolutely ridiculous IMO - dictate what is to be: For instance, one of the national watercolor societies (maybe more, but I'm sure about this one) rules that paintings accepted to their exhibits and/or competitions be framed using plain white mats and very simple frames, usually those cheap plastic ones you can buy in two's at Hobby Lobby. Their stated theory is that the artwork needs to stand on it's own merits and that framing in white mats and plain frames levels the proverbial playing field.  When jurying watercolor competitions, I've actually been instructed to disregard the matting and framing entirely!  At risk of being booed by all you watercolorists (for whom I have the deepest respect - watercolor is a difficult medium to truly master!), I strongly disagree with that theory and submit that the care taken 

with framing 

a painting is commensurate in most cases to the artist's professionalism.  

Are you a painter or a framer? Do you think you can actually do both jobs well? As director of a very large gallery for the last five years, I think the answer to that question should be a resounding "NO" for 90% of artists!  I really hate to see a beautiful painting disrespected by it's creator, and that's exactly what overcut corners, dirty and/or wavy-cut mats and cheap frames do to a painting...they show the disdain of the artist for his or her own creations!!! RESPECT YOUR ART enough to give it the most attractive mounting you can!  This is indeed work that will (hopefully) end up in someone's home or work environment: No matter how lovely the image is, that smudge on the bottom corner of the mat and the discount frame are going to make it look like something bought at Walmart. Wait...on second thought even the Walmart cheap-o prints have straight-cut, clean frames and glazing that doesn't have fingerprints and scratches. A juror may be looking at the artwork its

elf, but when it's in your view every day, the whole "package" is a decorative element in your environment! 

Heresy perhaps, but truth nonetheless...

Example: The first image is a portrait done of yours truly by an uber-talented artist by the name of Jeff Hargreaves (and how he managed to get my eyes right when I fell asleep 2 minutes after hitting the model stand will remain a mystery...). Nice piece, right? Put one of the aforementioned discount frames on it and it's still a nice painting. Compare it to the second image: I had the portrait framed by Foxley's Gallery in Appleton (Carrie and Eric are the BEST!). Carrie suggested this 4" wide suede liner in a purple that picks up on the lovely lavenders and pinks in the portrait, as well as the wide, fairly simple silver frame. (I apologize for the photo - just took it in my living room, obviously with un-ideal lighting). All of a sudden that "nice" painting turns into a stunning, very rich-looking centerpiece that I love living with.  The theory that your buyer expects to reframe is baloney...they want to be able to take it home and hang it up! The buyers that look at paintings with the idea that the price PLUS reframing is what they will spend are rare birds indeed. Talk to a local pro framer and as an artist, you'll get a great price from them. It is less expensive for YOU to have the painting appropriately framed and pass that cost on to your buyer than what the buyer thinks it will cost them to do it. To save a few extra bucks you could even have the framer cut the mats, liners, mouldings and even the glazing and assemble them yourself, although I think you'll be surprised at how reasonable the cost to have the framer "finish" the frame job is.

So...respect yourself and your artwork. Be a professional artist and let the professional framers do their thing: Together you'll find the best way to showcase that which you've worked so hard to create. 

More Joys of Marketing & Dog Days of Painting

I've been playing with a couple images already looking towards my Dog Days of Painting project and have done one that I really like and illustrates exactly what I want to do with the paintings...show the personality of each and every lovable beastie! 

As I attempt to integrate into the Green Bay business community, I'm learning that things it's very easy for me to do when I'm doing them for the art school or as a Portrait Society Ambassador, but soooo much more difficult to do on my own behalf! There was a lunch/meet-and-greet gathering yesterday for area businesses and was literally next door to my studio.  I did see a couple of familiar faces and spoke to them for a while, got introduced to a few more people and after lunch, took a very deep breath and approached random groups of people.  I actually found myself speaking way too fast and flailing my hands around...luckily realized it before approaching group #2 LOL. I did manage to exchange business cards with quite a few people. There's a business expo here on March 4: A very nice guy from the local Chamber of Commerce gave my husband and I tickets to attend and I'll go and gather info on more businesses, then do a mailing. I was also invited to attend the meeting for a business networking organization this coming Thursday.  I know it'll get easier as I do this type of thing more, but it again reminds me of how very personal our work is! We artists are literally putting our hearts and souls out in front and saying "This is who I am and what I do."  Sometimes I'm pretty sure being an accountant would be a whole lot less personal...but at least for me, much less satisfying!

Calling All Photogenic Dogs!

I'm starting another project and blog! Starting in a couple of weeks, I will create a 5"x7" (or so) dog painting every day I'm in the studio. This will give me a way to start each painting day with a big smile 'cause I'm a total mushmallow when it comes to my dogs...or anyone else's for that matter. I

I'm hoping other parents of hairy ones will send me some images of their dogs. I'll give the owner/contributor of the reference photo first refusal on the piece for $20 + whatever Priority Mail is going for these days. If the owner/contributor doesn't want it, it'll go up on ebay for auction! 

If people don't send me any images, there will be alot of my two beasties! They're both hams but would HATE to be over-exposed.  Please help them and send pics of your dogs to me at terrystanley@mac.com

Artist's Resolutions

I don't know where I picked this up from, but I have a copy posted in my studio where I'll see it every day.

Resolutions for Artists

 

RESOLVE to update my mailing list on a regular basis. 

RESOLVE to use my mailing list on a regular basis. 

RESOLVE to organize my mailing list on a computer database. 

 

RESOLVE to try a different color. 

RESOLVE to experiment with a new media. 

RESOLVE to expand my knowledge of art. 

 

RESOLVE to meet more people. 

RESOLVE to practice a ten-second commercial about myself so that I know what to say 

when meeting new people. 

RESOLVE to send personal notes to the new people I meet and to those who have 

been good to me in the past. 

 

RESOLVE to join and become involved in an artist organization. 

RESOLVE to network with other people in business for themselves. 

RESOLVE to understand better what it takes to be a self-employed artist. 

 

RESOLVE to stop whining about not having enough time. 

RESOLVE to say “no” to those things that are not important to me or that get in the 

way of what I want to be. 

RESOLVE to figure out what success as an artist means to me. 

 

RESOLVE to understand my work better and what it means to me. 

RESOLVE to differentiate myself from other artists. 

RESOLVE to take risks. 

Antonio Mancini (painter late 1800's)

The New York Times has a slideshow available of work by Antonio Mancini, an Italian painter from the late 1800s.  Usually when you study older master paintings, they're very much of examples of that particular era's styles and content: What I find so intriguing about this painter though is that the majority of his paintings could be hung today and be thought to be examples of costumed models from a contemporary master.  Take a look at the slide show (link is the post title) and see what you think!

A New Blogger

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Helen Stannard when she came to take a workshop at Richeson's. She wrote me today to let me know she's just started blogging! Helen's a very talented  decorative painter and fine artist. Check out Helen's blog  when you have a few minutes!

Social Networking

In January I started using Twitter and Facebook.  I just checked my website statistics and the sitemeter for this blog: I'm in shock! Hits on my website jumped by 5,000!!! FIVE THOUSAND! Although I can't say I know of any business that was done as a direct result of the social networks, the connection to site hits is indisputable.  Whee!

Open House Rocked!

The picture above shows about 2/3 of my studio last Thursday. Despite much trepidation on my part that nobody would come, I had my first open house cum studio warming this past Saturday. At 12:15pm, I was sure my worst fears were being realized and nobody was coming. By 12:20, my friend Pam Goodreau and a buddy showed up and were the start of a steady stream of well-wishers and art lovers that lasted til the proclaimed 5pm end time.Even the weather cooperated (at least as much as January in Wisconsin ever does anyway), so my dad was able to make it up from Milwaukee, which meant a lot.The only person I really missed not being there was BFF Janet Nelson...but she got to visit over Christmas and had already contributed to breathing some life into the new space. Quite a few friends brought beautiful plants that brng a nice organic touch to the space...and when I walked in yesterday, the smell of freesia and hyacinth was FABulous!

Artists take note: I used all the tips and tricks given in last month's smArtist telesummit -notified every print outlet in the area, emailed invitations to my list, got a notice in the business section and in the e-news for the area business association and did the social networking thing. Of course, it would've been lovely to have 200 people show up but I did have a good turnout, sold a couple things and have already nailed down one commission. 

Now to keep the proverbial ball rolling.....

Imagekind Here I Come....

I finally got set up on Imagekind and have 8 images on there that can be ordered as reproductions in a variety of sizes and on a variety of supports! This is the first time in a very long time that I'd had "prints" available of any of my work. Back in the day (yeah I'm dating myself again here), lithographic reproductions were all that was available...ordering less than 300 was completely cost prohibitive and it cost a couple thousand dollars! I still have a few gathering dust in the basement from the mid-90's! The work I've seen done by Imagekind has been great - very good color reproduction and I like the fact that the buyer can order on different papers or even canvas and has the convenience of having it framed. The framing is pretty basic but the prices are very fair.  The pieces that I've made available in this first batch are pastels I did a few years ago and the originals have been sold except for 2 of the still lifes (snapdragons and pot/tomatillos) that are still available :-) Now to try and get the link up.....

A Funny

As a direct result of procrastinating instead of getting to work this morning...

(no disrespect intended)

smArtist and Professional Development

There is a great "virtual seminar" being held this week (and last Thurs. and Fri. as well) with a plethora of invaluable information for artists of any ilk. Today a prominent attorney explained protecting yourself (and your art) with contracts and then Joan Stewart (happily discovered to be a fellow Wisconsinite) told us a lot about the value of building relationships online through services such as Twitter. I'm still processing a lot of the info that's been stuffed into my head the last few days and will surely write about implementing many of the suggestions given by the experts. 

Anyway - as I've mentioned the seminar to some people, I got some reactions that boiled down to "why would you spend money on THAT?" Unfortunately that's the same thing I've heard from people about taking art workshops too and I have a sneaking suspicion this might be a cross-industry issue.  Here are three reasons I would like to slap up the people I hear it from...

1)  If you know everything you need to know, you might as well just lay down on the railroad tracks and wait for the evening train. NO ONE with the possible exception of my mother and Jack Richeson knows everything and even if you DO know it, maybe thinking about it from a different perspective will make it something you can use to improve your art (or other business), your life or your self-awareness.

2)  Paying money makes you listen harder. You want to get the most out of it and if you've done your research before signing up, you will already have ascertained that the person you're paying is successful in their field and has a good reputation both as an instructor and in their particular business. Added bonus - professional training in your field is tax deductible!

3)  Even if you (wrongly) think you're the best in your field, if you don't incorporate some new ideas, techniques and strategies, you will stagnate: If you acknowledge the need to build upon current success and that you need to keep growing  to stay ahead of the competition, you'll keep your work fresh and they'll still be nipping your heels instead of passing you by. 

Rodeo III is done (I think)

I think it's done. It's proving to be a fun challenge to convey motion with something as static as paint! Now to pick the next painting....Think it'll be some small acrylics with an eye toward my open house. Nothing like working under a deadline huh? The open house is the 31st!

Self-Promotion and Other Ugly Necessities

I've been participating in the smArtist  telesummit starting this past Thursday and running through the coming week. The first two days were panel discussions to kind of set the tone for the more specific information that's coming.  Based on those panel discussions, it would seem that I am not the only graduate of "Do-As-I-Say-Not-As-I-Do" University.

One of 

the panelists, Joan Stewart, had great ideas that were grounded in the premise that even small accomplishments should be acknowledged by notifying various media/networks. Obviously, they're all not going to get you a mention in the local paper or other media outlet, but having your name appear in front of the editors/reporters/bloggers frequently makes it infinitely more likely that they will at some point acknowledge your existence and write or broadcast about you. The proverbial squeaky wheel getting the grease?

As a direct result of these panel discussions, particularly what Joan addresses, is coming at a great time...I really must treat the business part of getting my art out there as an integral part of the creative process rather than an unpleasant task. My first step is going to be to try and make my "open house" at the new studio more of a public event than I'd originally planned. Instead of just inviting friends, family and business associates, I'm going to test the effectiveness of social media (Twitter, Facebook) and notify the local newspaper as well.  I'm shooting for Friday Jan. 30 and/or Sat. Jan. 31 so this will be a "quick" experiment! 

Stand by for updates!

Motivation & Mindsets

This morning on Twitter I saw a post about trying to get motivated for the day.  A relevant lesson that's served me well: 

When Michael Shane Neal  was building a beautiful studio building in his home's back yard, he was concerned that being literally steps away from the house and his small kids might blur the line between home and work enough that it would interfere with his work (all artists know how distraction can adversely affect that "zone" we get into).  He was speaking to his mentor Everett Raymond Kinstler (arguably the most "famous" portrait painter alive today) about this subject and Mr. Kinstler told him that he must view the studio as his workplace and if he did so, so would others.  He advised Shane that in the morning, he should dress in shirt and tie as if he were going to a "business" job downtown and quite literally "go to work."  In doing so, Shane said, his workplace became as sacrosanct as if he were in a bank office...most importantly to himself! 

For the past couple of years when my studio was in an industrial space where my only contact was with a few other tenants in the building, I was guilty of wearing sweats and a baseball cap a lot of days. This worked for me because I had to get in the car and drive across town: It seemed like with every mile, I became more focused on what I wanted to accomplish that day and by the time I unlocked the door, I was ready to paint.  Now that I have a studio more accessible to the public, I am mindful that I need to look the part of a "professional" when I go there...perception is everything :0)...so the sweats and cap have been retired and my conversion to work mode now begins at the bedroom closet, continues in the car and is firmly set for the day when I unlock the door to the studio.  I truly have not had more than a couple of days in the last 2 years where I couldn't focus on what I needed to do that day....MUCH different than when I had a makeshift studio at home and was distracted by the dust on the tables, the TV or the laundry waiting to get washed. Added bonus - I find I'm much neater in the studio! I've actually managed to avoid getting any (new) paint on my clothes most days and the studio doesn't seem to reach clutter chaos level nearly as often. 

My point here is that I think we need a "muse" for inspiring what we want/need to create, but a "mindset" for actually doing it. 

Tech Terms for Dummies

The title of this post is a link to a post defining tech terms we need to know. Answered a lot of those questions I was afraid to ask because it seems like everybody else knows what they mean already (but I betcha they all don't!). Have a great weekend!

Balance

Lately on the social networking sites like Twitter, there's much talk about marketing methods, sales strategies etc.  It occurred to me a bit earlier today that many of the answers everyone seems to be looking for is explained by the natural law of "Balance."  Some questions just can't be answered satisfactorily and will lead some people to becoming obsessed with seeking that which doesn't exist.  If you believe in Balance, you can leave the inexplicable behind and focus on the realities of a situation. 

A lot of years ago when I was working with death every day, (as a forensic investigator), I discovered that - at least for me - NOT believing  in Balance would mean insanity: If the evil in the world was not balanced by the pure and good, civilization would've imploded long ago. In the intervening years, I've learned that Balance is truly integral to everything from spirituality to diet to art. 

Balance explains blessings and "divine retribution."  

Balance explains how eating that bag of cookies must be balanced by fasting for two days, exercising for two hours or it'll turn into the two pounds of fat that'll hit your hips next week.  

And once again, I use it for preservation of my sanity:  I choose to believe Balance explains why work such as this (right - by Sorolla) must be balanced by artwork such as this (below - I will decline to name the "artist" but people actually pay significant money for this stuff!). I can spend hours, days or weeks looking for why a collector has spent their funds on scribbles instead of something involving composition, color and technique. 

Balance is not always logical. Balance allows one to assign an acceptable alternative to a "reason" for things unreasonable and move on.

10,000 Hours

Luann Udell, an artist who I found through mention on Twitter has written a kick-ass article on her blog. I think everybody should read it! Link is the title to this post -

Resolutions

2009 is the year of "going for it" as a full-time artist - heretofore referenced as the GRAND RESOLUTION.  I am thinking that perhaps I need to see a shrink...or an artist's rep maybe? Either would do! 

My friend and marketing guru Janet is big into the social networking thing: At her suggestion, I have signed up at Facebook and Twitter. The latter in particular seems to host many that are savvy in the art of selling whatever it is they're selling and doing it well...so a good place to spend some time. How though to turn on that atrophied side of my brain that deals with logic and budgets and ROI's? My biggest payoff so far is a grand-daddy of a headache, hopefully caused by all those tiny words of wisdom drilling their way into my synapses. 

I've also resolved - as a subset of the GRAND RESOLUTION - to blog more faithfully and hopefully let the challenges I'll surely encounter serve as a what-not-to-do for some other poor souls.

So far...have checked out Guru and signed up for one of their free accounts. Clients in need of some form of artwork/illustration post their specs online and artists bid on the jobs. You're emailed notice of projects that fit the criteria you enter when you register. I've gotten several notices daily: For a free account you can bid on 10 in 30 days. I have entered what I thought were good, reasonable bids but haven't snagged a job yet. There are a lot of bids on each project - so much so that I wonder how the clients deal with them all! - lots of bidders from India in particular. To be honest, it seems like quite a few of the projects have very, very unrealistic budgets...one project I was notified of today wants 16 full bleed color illustrations with all copyrights etc for $400 max and seems to think that giving illustrator credit on the cover is worth waaaay lots. Yikes! Needless to say (or is it?) I didn't bid on that one! 

Stay tuned and I'll let ya know how it plays out.

Visits, painting images and new starts

I had my first real visitors to my new studio space last week...my best friend Janet Nelson (just recently) from New Jersey was in town, braving ice and snow to drive up to Green Bay for a day while visiting her kids in Madison for Christmas. I am so very glad Janet (and our other friend Margaret Hearden) was the first to come here! Kinda makes it more "mine" for having been inaugurated by Janet :-)  Check out Janet's blog (link is embedded in her name above)...she's got an ongoing project named "Innocent Spam" that is hysterically funny! Her latest comes from spam titled "Want a Real Man-Sized Pecker?" She takes these crass things and spins them in such a way as to make them NOT objectionable and truly, truly funny. Janet's a real master of words that way...she will always be my "go-to" person when I need a clever phrase. And besides, she's a super-talented artist in her own right! OK 'nuff gushing ...don't want Janet growing a big head or anything!

Something that came from Janet's visit inspired some of my workday today too and I think it's a very common issue: Janet saw my recent "western" paintings in the studio and mentioned several times that the p

hotos she'd seem of them didn't do them justice. It's actually something I whine about alot when I see the paintings sent in for the Richeson 75 competitions but never in a zillion years thought I was guilty of it myself! Today I paid more attention to lighting, camera angles ad nauseum and took new images of the paintings in question. Guess what? Janet was r

ight! The difference in the images is pretty striking. I guess it really pays to look twice - or three times even - to pay attention to the details! 

If you look at past posts you can actually see the difference in the images.

Wishing all of you a happy, healthy, art-filled and prosperous New Year!

Terry

A New Studio for a New Year!

I'm taking a new direction for 2009! After 5 years of starting up and firmly establishing Richeson School of Art & Gallery, I've stepped down from most of my duties (I will still run the Richeson 75 competitions, contract/schedule workshop instructors and answer Richeson's "Ask the Expert" questions from their website) and am taking the leap to PAINT FULL TIME (and teach workshops too of course!).  After I made that decision, my landlord decided to evict everybody in the building and build a restaurant, so I ended up renting a much more visible location on East Main Street in Green Bay...a fabulously renovated building from the 1890's complete with original hardwood floors, exposed brick, original beadboard wainscoting etc. Moving was somewhat traumatic...I hate throwing anything out!...but is finally complete and I've started painting in the new space. Here's a couple of pix of the new studio.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas / Happy Hanukah and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year filled with art!

Terry

Something to think about - Selling art in this economy

Admittedly, this is part of a promo piece sent out by Artist Advocate magazine which is trying to sell all of us some lovely big glossy ad in their magazine sent to "hundreds" of galleries and collectors: However...the first part of the sales pitch contains something to think about. Here it is:

Two true stories:

Story #1: Mr. Invisible
Bob is a whiner. "The economy is awful. I have no money. No one has any money. No one is going to buy anything. I will have to go back to work and give up life as an artist." I can't blame Bob for his fear. It's a frightening time. Bob's sales have gone down, and he blames the economy. But Bob is his own worst enemy. Because he is paralyzed by fear, he has stopped doing shows, stopped promoting, stopped e-mailing his collector list, and stopped advertising. He even pulled out of his gallery because "They weren't selling anything anyway." Now his paintings are sitting in his garage, where no one can see them. Bob is shrinking.

Story #2: Mr. Visible
Chuck is a winner. He understands the economy is awful, and he too is fearful of spending money he might not recoup. But in spite of this economy, Chuck has had his biggest sales month ever. No fooling. What did Chuck do? "I went through this in the early '90s and knew that I had to work harder to stay ahead." So instead of allowing fear to paralyze him, Chuck went into full promotion mode. Rather than expecting his galleries to do all the work, Chuck started promoting his new work and his galleries. He approached the galleries and offered to pay half on the ads so his name recognition would increase. People are still buying art, and Chuck is capitalizing because others are advertising less. By keeping his work visible, he will get the sales that may have gone to others. He has also doubled the number of galleries that represent him. Chuck is investing in his marketing; he is gaining visibility by doing more shows, more mailers, and more e-mailers. As a result, he sold 20 percent more paintings last month than he normally sells. Chuck is growing.

You Control More Than You Think
Your state of mind has a lot to do with the outcome of your sales. You can choose to shrink, or you can believe there is opportunity even in this mess. We must be careful not to project our own circumstances on others. I personally know many ultra-wealthy people who are buying art now, and others who are not. One gallery owner told me this week that he could sell more expensive paintings than he is selling if he could get them. Demand is still there. Though everyone is cutting back, that's a relative term. Cutting back in your world is a lot different than cutting back in the world of a working professional who loves art. That person may buy a smaller painting instead of a more expensive one. A gallery owner recently told me he sold a $400,000 painting to a collector who normally only buys work priced in the $700,000 range. I guess times are tough for that person.

Starting a new series in a new studio

Exciting times around here! I am giving up the majority of my duties as Director of Richeson School of Art & Gallery to paint full time! My idea of hell is being 80 and having a terminal case of the "What-If's"...so I'm taking the opportunity to use my wonderful network of contacts, what I hope is an improved talent (thanks to all the great painters I've gotten to study with) and with shaky knees but a determined and joyful heart, I am going to take the leap! Of course after

 I decided all this I got evicted from my studio! The owner of the building has decided a restaurant will better serve his wallet. I had quite a case of "sticker shock" when I got out and started searching for a space. I decided if I was going to have to pony up the going rate, I will ditch the industrial hidey-hole type that I've had for the past couple of years and go f

or something more visible. I looked on Broadway, a wonderful, revitalized area of downtown Green Bay right on the river, but the best offering was pretty much a glorified closet with unfinished walls and holes in the ceiling. One landlord that I'd called about a different spot suggested I look at a different place they had available on Olde Main Street, another area in the throes of changing from blech to really nice. I fell in love the minute I walked in - 16' tin ceilings, an exposed brick wall with original beadboard wainscot, hardwood floors... It's not as big as the old place but a nice size (about 13 x 25) with a 10x6 closet! I'll be making the move next week and I am VERY excited! The three paintings here are still wet but are makin t

he move with me and are the first 3 in my western series. Bronc Rider is 36 x 24, Bullwinkle is 16 x 20 and the calf roper is 8 x 16.  All are oils. Hope you like them!

Looking for a new studio

I got rotten news today...the owner of Lambeau Business Center where my studio is plans to build a restaurant/bar and we all have to be out by December 31st! Drat!!!!! Nancy, owner of Cheesecake Heaven, (the bakery is my neighbor), is thinking of maybe getting a building big enough to take the rest of us with her. That would be GREAT because what I'd miss most about the building is her, Amanda from US Tech Force and Ted our building manager (who might be out of a job!). Was looking at the commercial lease listings and I apparently have a pretty good deal where I am. I repeat - DRAT!!!!

Between going a little nuts at the news, I did finish the first in my series of rodeo  paintings. The attached is just a photo from my phone so is a bit fuzzy.

Open Canvas - Milwaukee

Yesterday the annual MIAD (Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design) fundraiser, Open Canvas, was held.  80 or so artists painted from 1pm til about 9pm, producing art that was then "silent auctioned" to the guests, who came to watch the artists starting at about 6pm.  My effort, a painting of the Milwaukee skyline as seen from the lake, is above. Crowds were pretty good but bidding seemed to generally be a lot lower than usual. Representational art was not very popular judging by the first couple rounds of closing bids. Lots of what I'd consider "outsider" art did really well compared to the other genres. Richeson's provided the paint for the event and Michelle Richeson served as honorary chairperson 

for Open Canvas (plus she painted a beautiful floral piece). Here are some pictures from the event...

Michelle Richeson painting, Darren Richeson manning the paint table and Mike Judy, artist extraordinaire from MN mid-painting.

A Portrait - Done?

This is the current state of the portrait I mentioned last week.  I'd posted the color sketch I did in the studio.  Students often ask about the process...and it never gets any easier...every portrait has it's high and low points.  Likeness is lost and found any number of times in the course of a painting.  (My color study for this had lost the resemblance by the time I got to the stage I stopped at last time). Even when it's "done" (the stage I'm at now), I'll live with a painting for a couple of weeks before I decide if any adjustments need to be made. I'll drag it home from the studio and usually, I'll make a  sketch of the piece, put the painting itself on top of the TV armoire where it's easily seen but difficult to get at.  As I pass it by, I'll decide it needs this or that "tweak"...but I only get to write it down on the sketch. It's amazing what you can see in your peripheral vision - try it some time! By the end of the two weeks, there'll be lots of notes made and scratched out...with maybe one or two or three that have stayed the course: Those are the ones I'll actually act on when I take it back to the studio.  It's  On this one, I think I need to restate the reflected light under the chin and I'm tossing around the idea of changing the necklace somehow...maybe pearls?...maybe just tone them down? Hmmmm.  

Portrait in Progress

There sure is a lot going on these days...the fine art business seems to be "down" in general but it seems that the situation leaves more time for talking about the business: This could end up being a bright spot in a dismal time - the more we can share with each other about paths taken and the successes or failures that were found can only be a good thing in the long run. Jeesh can I spout anything more platitude-ish? But it's true. Personally my six month goal is going to be producing a cohesive "body of work."  My skills have taken a leap - or at least a left turn -  in the last couple of years and I've kind of been going wherever the mood led: When my show at Hang Up Gallery in Neenah was hung, I realized there's definitely two distinct things going on for my work - one more traditional and one much more contemporary that explores color and texture and pushes the limits between representational and abstract. I don't want to give up either one but on some very good advice, I'm going to take that schizophrenia and channel it into the Terry Howell Stanley paintings (the "traditional) and a separate identity for the contemporary work. All I need to do now is to figure out who that #2 is...go with something masculine sounding (as a nod to a certain sector that swears men get more attention as artists - something I've generally found to be at least a little true) like Stan Howell - or cutesy like "Tessie Lou" (what my dad used to call me).  Decisions, decisions. 

While I ponder all this (comments welcome BTW), I started a portrait of a friend Bet

ty Jo last evening. She was kind enough to come to the studio and pose for a color study and photos. Hoping to come up with something worth entering in the Portrait Society of America members' competition. The pho

to is of the initial painting layers after the color study and a couple of hours in the studio today. Need to wait til this dries before glazing on some more layers to add depth and form. 

Shipping Paintings

Howdy y'all! (I'm still getting over my trip out west which was wonderful - but more about that some other time). I've gotten a few questions lately about shipping paintings so I'm going to talk about that a little.  The contests we run at Richeson's (The Richeson 75 series of art competitions) means we get 70-80 paintings shipped in five times a year. As you may imagine, that's a LOT of packing and unpacking and we've seen just about every variation of wrapping a package. 

We strongly recommend a box made for shipping artwork that's called "The Strongbox" from Airfloat...be sure to get the kind with the puncture-resistant plastic inside. The boxes are rated for strength and if there's any damage to the piece, this helps get the shipper to reimburse you. The only time in the past 2 years I've seen a painting damaged in one of these boxes is when the painting didn't fit correctly - as when the box is made for a thick painting and a thin one is sent and it can move around inside - or when the person packing the painting doesn't "fit" the foam correctly (the foam inside is scored in 1" blocks so you can take out exactly what's needed to give the painting a snug, secure fit. I have seen a couple punctures damage a painting when the one without the aforementioned plastic wasn't present. The downside to these boxes is that they are pretty pricey - anywhere from about $50 for a small one up to a couple of hundred dollars for a big one. They can be used several times so the cost-per-use is a bit more reasonable.

There's one other kind of box that we're seeing more and more of - a home-made one that obviously isn't rated like the Airfloats are, but WAAAAY less expensive and equally easy to unpack/repack. Here's my version of instructions based on my very unscientific analysis: 

1. Measure your framed painting including thickness.. 
   
2. Get the 1" pink styrofoam sheeting they use for house insulation. Cut 2 pieces of foam the measurement of Height x (Width+2"). Cut 2 pieces the size of width x (thickness + 1"). 
   
3. Cut 2 pieces the size of height x (thickness + 1"). 
   
4. Put down the 1st small width/thickness piece. 
   
5. Put the biggest pieces on the outside edges of the small piece and tape them. 
   
6. Put the longer thickness pieces between the big ones to form the sides and tape those. 
   
7. Put the painting in the cavity (put in a plastic bag first to make it easier and also give some moisture protection if you like) and fill if need be with bubble wrap or newspaper (it should fit very well if you measured right). 
   
8. Put the last piece across the top the just put a little tape on to hold in place. 
   
9. Make a box from sheets of cardboard around your styrofoam container. 
   
10. Mark "open this end" on the top part you just have a little tape to hold. 
    

I've not seen damaged paintings with this method either. I'm probably going to do it myself next time I have to ship a painting that doesnt fit in an airfloat I already have. 

All this being said, I want to mention that shipping paintings is a crapshoot. I'm actually writing an article about the subject to try and let my artistic brethren know that a lot of the shippers will take your money to insure paintings at retail value, but the truth is that you'll be darned lucky to get even the standard $500 if the painting is damaged. And the steps you have to dance to even for that are unreal.  Also, put on "fragile" stickers, big red "Do not lay flat" signs etc to your heart's content...no one will read them! Your boxes WILL be stacked, conveyed and tossed around during shipping. It's an occupational hazard of sorts so be sure you have strong packaging to protect your artwork and don't expect that even if you have 20 years of documentation of sales at a given price level, that you'l be reimbursed for much more than materials if things go awry during shipping.

Off to Wyoming...

I've been a bad blogger again: Sometimes life just kinda gets in the way. It's been a rough couple of weeks, more so for others around me than myself, but chaos indeed ensued. I'll finish up the work obligations this evening and then have tomorrow to prepare for my journey to Dubois, WY for the Susan K Black Foundation's artist conference/workshop event. I haven't been to that area in almost 20 years and am really looking forward to painting there! I spoke to one of the "old hands" who lives in the same region and she told me to bring everything from a winter jacket to shorts! So much for not overpacking... She said going out for sunrise painting requires earmmuffs, a warm hat, gloves, winter coat and a strong constitution! But that the afternoons can hit high 70's! The first night there's a miniature art show that conference participants bring paintings for. The public's invited and there are awards, etc. I've been stressing out about it because I had nothing that fit the requirement of 108" square inches or less. Finally shoved work aside last night and hauled out the pastels: Miniature versions of a couple bigger pieces were the results - each one is 4x6. I was dumb and didn't take pics before getting them into their frames, so the pics aren't great.

I'll let you know how the Wild West goes when I get back!

Plein Air in Door County

This past Thursday I had the pleasure of painting in Peninsula State Park with friends Dawn Whitelaw (from Nashville, TN), Sandra Murzyn (Manitowoc, WI) and new friend Paula Frizbe (also of Nashville). Dawn was one of the Featured Artists at the Peninsula Art School's plein air event - as were many other fabulous artists and friends like Jim Hempel from Milwaukee and Bridget Austin of Green Bay.  If you check out the links you'll be very impressed with the people I'm hanging out with these days LOL!  It was one of those all-too-rare perfect days for painting - mid-70's, just enough breeze to keep the bugs away but not enough to blow over an easel and the sun shone for most of the day. I got the two oil paintings shown here done, the first (9"x12") in the morning and the second (7"x14") in the late afternoon/early evening.  I'm a little torn whether to sell them or keep them as momentos of a truly spectacular day of comeraderie and painting.

Painting at the US Bank Open Golf Championship

A few weeks ago, Chuck Weber contacted me about Richeson School of Art & Gallery sponsoring an event at the US Bank Open Golf Championship in Milwaukee. Not being a complete dolt, I got myself invited to come paint as well. Also painting was Ginger Frederick of Milwaukee. What a fun day it turned out to be! We set up outdoors next to the entertainment stage under cloudy skies...and of course an hour into it, the rain began. Slightly dampbut undeterred, we relocated a few yards to the inside of a tent. An hour after THAT, the rain more or less stopped and in the interest of better lighting, outside we went again (the only casualty was that my very large disposable palette (fully loaded of course) took a header off my half-french easel and landed paint side down on my new black jeans and white sneakers (the left shoe now sports a lovely viridian tinge on the toe, but otherwise baby wipes took care of the mess). Chuck did a triple-portrait of Tiger Woods, Ginger did a 
New Mexico landscape and I did a "portrait" of the 18th hole, which turned out to be a real hit with the patrons who came to watch us paint and purchased raffle tickets to win their favorite painting.  Really a fun day despite the fact that the rain kept away a lot of spectators. But some decent money was raised for the US Bank charities and some very happy people now own some original art created before their eyes!

This last image is the 2nd painting I did in 1-1/2 hours at the end of the event. A different view of the same 18th hole at Brown Deer Park in Milwaukee and was also purchased!