Musings of an unhinged mind.
NOTES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL
6/23/2010 1:50:34 AM | By Sandra Haynes | Comment on this
Hi Friends,
In the last few months, the trying out of several shows new to me here in the Northwest has met with notably less than success. It's been awhile since I have found myself in that position, and it's always a humbling experience. Two almost in a row is downright painful. But the worst of the back to back weekends are behind me now.
So now that the schedule has some breathing room in it, instead of the frantic, driving for miles, lunatic pace that it has been lately, I find myself in a major letdown......you know, sort of the depression after a really great party. Even if this party hasn't been all that great, at least it's been interesting.
Oh, I won't be wasting away with nothing to do.....it's just going to take some analyzing to sort through the good, the bad and the ugly. There are still Wildlife and Western shows, Wildlife Scratchboard Etching workshops, private students, commission work and producing new art pieces that will take up any slack time. And not forgetting doing up some brochures or other reach-out-and-touch-someone-reminders-that-I'm-still-alive mailers, too.
The latest in the auto memorabilia works is this little beauty......
"Hell" (c) 8x10" Scratchboard Etching
The product of a warped imagination, the title for this one fairly leaped at me while viewing the photo. The destruction of this vintage racing Porsche came about when it hit the tire safety wall at 100+ miles per hour.
A project on the board right now is a book of Wildlife in Scratchboard Etchings. The book will be an art book loaded with images and a few stories about some of the animals in it, all at a very affordable price for gift giving to the animal and/or art lovers on your holiday shopping list. (Technically I didn't mention the C word yet.) It will be available later this summer.
Happy Summer to you all....keep coloring outside the lines,
Sandra
In the last few months, the trying out of several shows new to me here in the Northwest has met with notably less than success. It's been awhile since I have found myself in that position, and it's always a humbling experience. Two almost in a row is downright painful. But the worst of the back to back weekends are behind me now.
So now that the schedule has some breathing room in it, instead of the frantic, driving for miles, lunatic pace that it has been lately, I find myself in a major letdown......you know, sort of the depression after a really great party. Even if this party hasn't been all that great, at least it's been interesting.
Oh, I won't be wasting away with nothing to do.....it's just going to take some analyzing to sort through the good, the bad and the ugly. There are still Wildlife and Western shows, Wildlife Scratchboard Etching workshops, private students, commission work and producing new art pieces that will take up any slack time. And not forgetting doing up some brochures or other reach-out-and-touch-someone-reminders-that-I'm-still-alive mailers, too.
The latest in the auto memorabilia works is this little beauty......
"Hell" (c) 8x10" Scratchboard Etching
The product of a warped imagination, the title for this one fairly leaped at me while viewing the photo. The destruction of this vintage racing Porsche came about when it hit the tire safety wall at 100+ miles per hour.
A project on the board right now is a book of Wildlife in Scratchboard Etchings. The book will be an art book loaded with images and a few stories about some of the animals in it, all at a very affordable price for gift giving to the animal and/or art lovers on your holiday shopping list. (Technically I didn't mention the C word yet.) It will be available later this summer.
Happy Summer to you all....keep coloring outside the lines,
Sandra
THE IDIOT WITHIN
6/3/2010 1:32:09 PM | By Sandra Haynes | Comment on this
Hi Friends,
It's been a busy few weeks.....with a show, usually profitable, that bombed for me rather seriously, it has taken awhile to recover from the shock.
Now this wasn't my first rodeo, so I'm aware that as an artist you have to take the bad with the good occasionally, but I had relaxed into what had always been a profitable show for me. It's easy to blame it on the economy, but a few artists were doing well. After mulling it over, no good reason has come to light.
It has become an expensive show to do....not only high booth fees, but 3 auctions in 3 days has drawn the dwindling crowd, that has to pay a hefty fee to get through the auction door and a buyers premium, out of the booths of the artists. The auctions prices across the board have fallen to record lows and are now no longer a good venue for selling art, unless you enjoy getting a very small fraction of your usual selling price.
So what to do?
Well, go to another show, of course!
This one was a startling contrast to the long-running, but failing show......into it's 4th year, it charges no entry fee at all! Located in a small town just south of the other show, it sets up artists in outdoor and indoor locations on the central core downtown streets and in businesses. The streets are blocked off and has food vendors and live, recognized singers and musicians and activities for everyone in a family.
With an artist's reception and quick finish and auction on Friday night and then 2 days of showtime, I found it to be exciting and very refreshing. The committee that puts on the show made it clear that it's a show for the artists and were incredible to work with.
How do they keep it running? All they asked for was 50% of the take on the quick finish and a donated piece of art, voluntary, to be auctioned off as a fundraiser at a later date. 60 good artists showed up for this wonder of a show, and I made a nice profit....not huge, but nice.
Where's the idiot within? Alive and well right here, thank you. The profits were used to buy a binding machine and supplies to print up instruction books for my workshops.....the light bill isn't getting paid this month, but the show(s) must go on! Professional looking workbooks are another step closer to where I want to be.....and I'm in this for the long haul.
All my best,
Sandra
It's been a busy few weeks.....with a show, usually profitable, that bombed for me rather seriously, it has taken awhile to recover from the shock.
Now this wasn't my first rodeo, so I'm aware that as an artist you have to take the bad with the good occasionally, but I had relaxed into what had always been a profitable show for me. It's easy to blame it on the economy, but a few artists were doing well. After mulling it over, no good reason has come to light.
It has become an expensive show to do....not only high booth fees, but 3 auctions in 3 days has drawn the dwindling crowd, that has to pay a hefty fee to get through the auction door and a buyers premium, out of the booths of the artists. The auctions prices across the board have fallen to record lows and are now no longer a good venue for selling art, unless you enjoy getting a very small fraction of your usual selling price.
So what to do?
Well, go to another show, of course!
This one was a startling contrast to the long-running, but failing show......into it's 4th year, it charges no entry fee at all! Located in a small town just south of the other show, it sets up artists in outdoor and indoor locations on the central core downtown streets and in businesses. The streets are blocked off and has food vendors and live, recognized singers and musicians and activities for everyone in a family.
With an artist's reception and quick finish and auction on Friday night and then 2 days of showtime, I found it to be exciting and very refreshing. The committee that puts on the show made it clear that it's a show for the artists and were incredible to work with.
How do they keep it running? All they asked for was 50% of the take on the quick finish and a donated piece of art, voluntary, to be auctioned off as a fundraiser at a later date. 60 good artists showed up for this wonder of a show, and I made a nice profit....not huge, but nice.
Where's the idiot within? Alive and well right here, thank you. The profits were used to buy a binding machine and supplies to print up instruction books for my workshops.....the light bill isn't getting paid this month, but the show(s) must go on! Professional looking workbooks are another step closer to where I want to be.....and I'm in this for the long haul.
All my best,
Sandra
