| EVENT - Deviant Arts Summit |
[Jun. 21st, 2005|09:44 am] |
I attended the Deviant Art Summit as one of the gallery artists last weekend. It was held at the Palladium in Hollywood, CA. I must say, that this was a wonderful event and I was most impressed with the casual, laid back atmosphere, the panels on art and the exhibition floor. For a first year event, all the bases were covered and there was a decent turnout by "Deviants" from all over the country. I felt that digital art was the main focus of the convention. Half of the panels were on how digital art impacts film, video and commerical designing. Programs such as Poser, Painter, Bryce and Photoshop all had panels devoted to them and how to use the software. These panels were not run by just technicians, but artists that actually use them to produce their work. I found this perspective to be very refreshing.
I did not display my artwork since I have little new work to show and my painting style has changed a great deal in the past year. However, my new line of jewelry was on display and I had favorable sales throughout the convention of my more intricate pieces. The rest of the gallery was populated by 2D artists. My neighbor, "Nanya" recieved a great deal of interest for her pen and ink drawings and sold many of them. I'm not sure how the other artists fared sales wise, but I can say that everyone was well pleased by the event and walked away smiling.
I found that the convention has made me excited about using Poser and creating new artwork with it. I am looking forward to incorporating a few new ideas into art graphics for my upcoming websites and for a line of new art prints that I hope to display for sale late this year or early next year. |
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| Sunshine Artist |
[May. 19th, 2005|10:23 pm] |
I discovered that I've been mentioned in an article written by Christine Casey for the May 2005 issue of Sunshine Artist Magazine. It's a wonderful article about separating your art business from your private life. I remember being interviewed for the article a LONG time ago by Christine. It is nice to see that it finally has made its way to publishment and I'm honored to be one of the artists featured in the article.
In other news, I am busy getting ready for another fantasy convention on the morrow. I will be selling my jewelry and artwork at an OC hotel for the next three days and this will be my first time at this particular venue. I think that I'm doing about three times more shows this year than I normally do, but it feels great to be out working. I even did an inpromptu "garage sale" in front of my friend's house last weekend. Evidently, her entire block holds this sale every year. I didn't think that anyone would buy jewelry at full price at such an event, but I viewed it as an opportunity to sit and chat with my friend for a few hours. Surprisingly, I sold several of my more expensive earrings at the event. Several of the ladies had made money selling their old baby items and turned around and treated themselves at my "table". I call it a table, but all I had done was set up a fraction of my jewelry on a couple of boxes! It was really wild selling my wares literally from the tailgate of my SUV! |
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| Catching my Breath! |
[Apr. 22nd, 2005|11:41 am] |
April and May are usually the busiest months of spring for me as an artist. I do three times the number of shows during this time period and what little time I have left goes into making more inventory for my booth.
This spring I've been going through a renaissance of sorts with my business. I'm revamping my jewelry lines into OOAK jewelry. OOAK means -One of a Kind- items. After the success I had during a spring fashion show where most of my more expensive and complex earrings and necklaces sold out, I've decided to move the majority of my jewelry into this sort of style. I have many new stones, new earring findings and am wire wrapping my jewelry in new ways. So far, the response from my customers has been wonderful. I hope it continues!
My artwork is going through a similar process, but not as full steam as my jewelry. I have new display baskets for my tables so that my prints won't blow around in the wind and so that I can bring larger prints with me to my shows. I have several new floral prints completed that I will be bringing with me to my next show and I will be printing some of my bonsai prints in larger sizes as well. |
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| EVENT - OC Marketplace |
[Feb. 13th, 2005|09:54 pm] |
I managed to get into the overflow at the OC Marketplace. I also was given a corner spot!!! This is a spot that you'd normally have to pay extra for, but I got it at the luck of the draw. There are many pluses to the OC Marketplace as a selling venue. It is only $45 to get in for the day, which is less than many other locations that I'd have to pay for. It is 20 minutes from home with good freeway access. Once I'm in the show, my vehicle is parked next to my space, giving me a secure place to lock things up and making my set up and strike much easier physically. The space has 15' of frontage instead of the usual 10' and it can be made deeper depending on how I park. There are restrooms nearby and food is available...not to mention fresh coffee.
If I can get the sales to go up at the Marketplace, I'd become a regular. I might need to tweek my products a bit...I'll give it some thought and possibly return next weekend for another try. At least the weather was pleasant today. A bit overcast, but not too cold or windy. Most of the people that came by seemed to be in a good mood too. |
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| EVENT - Book Signing |
[Dec. 4th, 2004|08:52 pm] |
I participated in the book signing party for the child's book that I have recently completed, "The Adventures of A. Smile" by Elaine Dorff. It was a real pleasure to meet Elaine. She is a lovely woman of 90 years who has a clear mind and a great deal of love in her heart. I had not had the opportunity to meet her and had been working with her editor during the project, so I am glad that I had the chance to speak with her face to face. Steven Dorff, the young man who the story was based on and who served as the model for A. Smile, was also there. He is no longer a boy, but a man in his mid-thirties.
Elaine and I signed the books for the waiting group while everyone enjoyed wine, nibbles and coffee. My husband took a few pictures as we did so. This was the first time that I had done a book signing, so I found it to be an interesting experience. A few of the images from the book are now posted. Please visit Deviant Art to view them. |
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| EVENT: San Diego State Vendor Fair |
[Dec. 3rd, 2004|11:11 pm] |
I have returned from my Vendor Fair in San Diego. I always enjoy doing this show on the campus. I am surrounded by beautiful flowers: Fuchsias, Birds of Paradise, Princess Flower Trees, Angel's Trumpets and Roses. It is a lovely botanical garden. The weather was perfect. While it was a touch cold, it was sunny and without wind...just the sort of weather that you want for a show. One of the nice things about living in California is that you still have flowers blooming through Christmas time. I am hoping to be able to pick roses from my own gardens for my upcoming holiday table.
I debuted my new line of more complex, stone jewelry at the fair. To my delight, the people on the campus loved them and I sold out on most of my more expensive pieces. I had more men shopping my booth than I am used to, they were all seeking christmas gifts for their wives and sweethearts. However, for the most part, my customers were all women. I think that I will continue to make this new line and to add more one of a kind items to my jewelry lines. I am almost completed out of my woven delica earrings and will need to make more of them. They were very popular this year.
My art prints moved, but this time only fantasy art sold, including one of my larger prints. I wish that I had more new prints to show at the fairs, but I am still in the process of getting a new series of images prepared and deciding on how I wish to print them next year. I am leaning toward larger sized prints on watercolor papers or canvas. I had a request from a young man to paint dragons. I think that I might give that a try next year, but I am still drawn to my fairies and regular animal subjects. I might do a few horses, cats and dogs too. |
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| WIP - Stillness Healed |
[Nov. 16th, 2004|03:53 pm] |
I finished an RPG portrait commission today. I have entitled it: Stillness Healed. A lower quality jpg is in my deviantart gallery for those who are curious and wish to view it. It is a scene that illustrates the moment when the character Arishara steps out of a magic portal and regains her magical power and her status as a sorceress.
Since this was a private commission, it is not available for print, but serves as an example of my work for my portfolio. |
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| Conference - Call to Arts! |
[Nov. 7th, 2004|06:58 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  energetic | ] |
I attended the Call to Arts Sumit in Los Angeles, CA today. The admission was free so I was not expecting much more than to survey the dealer's room to see if it might be worth doing next year and to partake in a seminar or two if they seemed interesting. The dealer's room was juried artists of several mediums and everything was of excellent quality.
I was blown away by the three seminars that I attended. I highly recommend this conference to artists in the Los Angeles area.
The first seminar was by a painter named John Paul Thornton, who sells in the Pasadena, CA area. He is known for his portraits and paintings depicting scenes from Nepal and India. He spoke of showing your artwork in alternative galleries that you create for yourself. This is a subject that I've discussed with my artist friend, Amy Fraser. She put together a very successful gallery showing at a women's center last year while she was pregnant with her first child. Listening to the steps that Amy went through to promote her artwork has made this concept very intriguing to me. Mr. Thornton seems to have made this sort of showing into a fine art of its own. I was impressed not only by his wonderful artwork, but his humble demeaner and passion for his art.
Next was Margaret Danielak speaking on "Creative Art Marketing". She is the artist rep of John Paul Thornton. She spoke of the nuts and bolts of marketing your work and how to create alternate galleries. I found her lecture to be very absorbing. A few of her alternate gallery ideas intrigue me and I think that I might try a few of them next year once I get that larger limited edition series completed and printed. I found Ms. Danielak to be a woman of high energy and intelligence.
I had only planned on attending the first two seminars, but I had found them so energizing and intriguing that I decided to stay for Martin Isaacson and "The Responsibility of the Artist in the 21st Century". I had expected a dull college professor and a boring subject. Instead, a man in a neat silvered goatee and dressed all in black with a long black duster stood before me. I watched as this master lecturer drew the entire room into his commentary with skillfully guided discussions. The points he wanted to make were not uttered by Mr. Isaacson, but by the various participants in the audience. I heard such intriguing and stunning comments about creativity, spiritually, fine art and filmmaking that I was left breathless at the end. It was truly a remarkable experience and one that I will not soon forget.
I have left this conference feeling uplifted and creative. Ideas for new directions in my art have taken hold of me. I know that I am scheduled to be on hiatus from painting these next few weeks, but suddenly I feel like switching on my computer and creating. It is a very good thing. |
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| DeviantArt |
[Oct. 29th, 2004|01:28 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  calm | ] |
I have subscribed to the deviantart.com website. I have heard good things about deviant art in the past from other artists as I work conventions as a dealer. I don't know if I'll get sales there or if I want to tape the market for open ended prints, but for now it seems a good place to be.
I am planning on being on a brief hiatus from painting over the next few weeks. After that long illustration project and the heavy show schedule that I participated in this past summer, I am in need of a vacation. There will be auctions of some of my limited edition prints on ebay this month, but otherwise I'm taking some much needed rest. |
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| WIP - A. Smile |
[Oct. 27th, 2004|02:31 pm] |
I am glad to say that I have completed the illustration work for "A. Smile". There are 30 images in the book and an extra for the cover. All are in full color and created digitally via Poser with postwork in Paint Shop Pro plus a variety of filters. This is my first book and it took longer than I had planned for, but I think that it has been a wonderful experience overall. If I get permission from the editor, I hope to be posting sample images on the website for view. The child's book is a limited edition print and will not be available for sale at stores, but it already has a good number of people that are earmarked for a copy. I do not believe that I will be offering prints of the images either, if I do it will not be until next year after the book has been released.
Meanwhile, the rainstorms continue outside. It is warm and cozy inside my home. My dog is stretched out at my feet and a fire is going in the fireplace. I've opened that tin of english breakfast tea that I purchased in London last May and it has proven to be delicious. I always enjoy an excuse to use my favorite blue and white teapot. Outside, my roses are shooting up lots of new canes and are budding like crazy. They provide little spots of bright color against the drab stone fences that surround my backyard. These fall rains always make the roses happy. I am hoping for a break in the weather since I'm scheduled to be selling at UCLA next week. The storms have been going on and off here in California for two weeks. All I can do is cross my fingers. |
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| EVENT - UCLA Rain Cancelation |
[Oct. 19th, 2004|01:31 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  melancholy | ] |
The first of our California storms is coming through the Los Angeles area. It started on Sunday and the rain continues on today and will not be departing until Thursday at the earliest. Therefore, I had to cancel my UCLA show this week. Since this is an outdoor show, I can't risk damaging my art prints or having my wire jewelry tarnish in all the water. I am now rescheduled to return the first week of November instead. Hopefully, the weather will clear up by then and I will get in a full week of selling my art and jewelry at this venue.
My time is still going to good use. I am continuing with my work on the children's book, "A. Smile". I have only a few more images to complete before I prep the project to deliver to the author and ultimately the publisher. I'm pleased with how the book is turning out, but I now realize just how large of a project it was. The next time I do a book, I will schedule in at least twice the time that I had budgeted for this project. |
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| WIP - A. Smile |
[Oct. 5th, 2004|09:02 pm] |
Since I returned from Conjecture, I have been consentrating on finishing my illustration project "A. Smile". I am now doing actual images and rendering them raw in Poser. I have not done any postwork as yet. I've decided that I am going to create the raw Poser images first, make sure the author likes them and then go back and do the postwork. That way there will be more consistancy. Amazingly, I've been averaging two to three images a day. I remember when I first started with Poser that I would sometimes spend a full month working on one image. Now, due to my extensive library and skill with the program, that time has been cut down considerably.
It has been quiet here in my home based studio. All of the neighborhood kids are at school. Outside, the weather is clean and cool. My roses are blooming and were in need of deadheading. I took care of that while one of my images was rendering on the computer. My dog has been playing in her yard happily or guarding the doorway to my studio...from what, I couldn't guess. She is taking care of her Mama. I even had time to cook a nice meal for my husband. It is a peaceful way to paint away the day. |
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| EVENT - Conjecture |
[Oct. 2nd, 2004|10:15 pm] |
I am mid-way through the Conjecture convention in San Diego. The Doubletree Clue Hotel has a beautiful pool and spa and clean rooms. I'm finding that I like the San Diego hotel circle and I might consider finding a room there when I return to the city for the San Diego State University show this December. Conjecture is well organized. There are neatly printed signs with arrows pointing the way to various locations such as the game room, the con suite, the dealer's room and the art show. The Con Suite is featuring low carb and healthy foods along with a selection of the usual cookies, candy and coffee. I think that everyone was served and I certainly passed on my compliments to the volunteer that organized this. She did a steller job! The art show is well organized, but with Glen running the show I'm not surprised.
The dealer's room has a lovely large window so you can look outside and it is not so closed in as most shows. I have a table in the center island of the dealer's room facing a lady named Sue that sells beautiful silk scarves. I had to have one of those velvet silk scarves in sage green and it is now in my possesion! I am also near Liz that sells toys, David Gerrold the author and John Hilgrif who is self publishing a horror novel. John has been a professional prop man in the movies for many years and has quite a number of stories to tell that have been very interesting. I've been hearing about designing props and sets for movies, the creation of haunted houses and what sort of things you need to do to self publish a novel.
It was a pleasure to be able to meet Mr. Gerrold at last. I've been reading his novels for many years and am considering taking his writing seminar. I've enjoyed his novels for most of my life and screenplays. I suppose that I am a fan. I've been trying to meet him at other conventions, but he was either not as his table or I was simply too exhausted when he was around. Having him set up a few feet away from me with his own table made gaining an opportunity to chat with him much easier. He told a few stories about Harlan Ellison that were entertaining and then disappeared for one of his many panels! He also was helping Liz with her internet connection problems!
I purchased a small press book by Lee Martindale called "To Stand as Witness". It was interesting meeting the author and I had her autograph the book for me. She has several small books that she was selling at the convention. I'm often amazed at how many self publishing authors do the fantasy conventions, but evidently this is a common way for authors to get discovered.
I never got my dealer table display for my artwork completed, but when I arrived at Conjecture I discovered that they had a few panels available. So I paid for one and brought in a small number of my limited edition prints and hung them in the art show this morning. I have a bid on the unicorn print and hopeful a few more will find homes. I'm rather excited by this since sales at the fantasy convention art shows has not been as good as my college venues or on ebay, but perhaps I simply need paitence as the audience discovers me.
The convention has been very slow in the dealer's room and I have had few sales of my jewelry. At least when someone has purchased from me, they have been higher priced sales. I have broken even for the event. I think that I will likely book Conjecture again and certainly will attend the art show. |
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| EVENT - Conjecture |
[Sep. 28th, 2004|11:03 pm] |
I am getting prepared for my upcoming Conjecture Convention in San Diego. I have plenty of new jewelry for the table and I am going to bring a selection of my artwork. I am putting together a new display that will go behind my table upon which I can hang a few of my prints. I just hope that I can find time to head down to my booth display company to buy the connectors I need for the frame. I'm going to use the pipes and weights from my old "swapmeet style" booth to build it and hang the art via hangers and bullclips. I haven't displayed any of my art in a month or two, so I feel that it is time to get started with that once more. It feels good to be getting ready for another convention. I find that I enjoy selling at these venues as much as my college shows. Being in a/c during the hot summer months and protected from wind and rain in the fall are very good things!
Meanwhile, I am also putting together a donation for a local golf tournament door prize. I'm offering one of my glass bead necklace and earring sets. The golf tournament benefits a local buddist temple in the area. In exchange they are posting my website information in their program. |
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| WIP - A. Smile |
[Sep. 12th, 2004|09:40 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | calm | ] |
I've been steadily working on the book over the weekend and have made considerable progress. All three characters are now approved by the author and I have only a little more texturing to complete on them. I am now putting together the house interiors and the exteriors that I'll need to do the backdrops. The book is storyboarded and all images are sketched and ready for me to create. I'm rather excited about the project and have been getting into it. I am calm enough in my home to start creating art again. It is a wonderful thing. |
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| WIP - A. Smile |
[Sep. 10th, 2004|10:28 pm] |
I've been busy at work on the child's book, "A. Smile" for the past two days. I have finished the main characters and will be starting on the sets tomorrow. I'm pleased that my digital creation process is going so smoothly. I haven't been working on drawings for quite some time. Much has been going on in my personal life, events that are distracting and that have pulled me away from my art. I've been making an attempt to find more quiet time and to get away from things that have been bothering me and it seems to help me re-center and get back to my artwork. Now...if I could just get rid of the summer heat! I suppose that I should simply be grateful that I'm not near all the hurricanes that are destroying homes on the East Coast and that all I have to deal with IS summer heat.
Gateway turned out to be a very slow convention. I did not lose money on the event, but the profit I made was marginal. I did meet some nice fellow artists. I enjoyed the prints done by Katherine Wadey and had a good time chating with her at the end of the convention. Several of the vendors told me that it was unusual for this convention to be so slow and credited the slow sales to two other similar events going on at hotels nearby AND the panic created at LAX when a flashlight exploded...and thereby shut down the entire airport. I understand that over 100 convention goers had been left stranded and eventually gave up coming to the event entirely. I was urged to give Gateway one more try. So I am going to consider returning in the spring. It was a well run convention and not far from home, it would be nice if it worked out as a sales venue for my art and jewelry. Meanwhile, I have a few free weeks to consentrate on getting the book done. |
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| EVENT - Gateway |
[Sep. 2nd, 2004|09:43 pm] |
I'm doing the final preparations for the Gateway gaming Convention in Los Angeles. I was busy making necklaces and earrings most of today, despite the constant earthshaking caused by the jackhammers and heavy construction equipment on my little residential street. They've been at it for two days and it seems like it will never end. I have lost a few dishes in my cupboards and haven't dared to turn on my computer until the workmen were done for the afternoon. I'm excited about Gateway since this is a new venue for me. I have no idea if my artwork or jewelry will sell there, but I'm willing to give it a try. A friend of mine is coming with me to help at the convention and will be my houseguest for the duration of the show. It should be a good time for all.
My last UCLA gig turned out to be a disaster. My final day there was canceled by the bookstore without any warning. Wednesday is payday and I know that there were at least a dozen ladies there that were waiting to buy from my on that day due to that reason. However, once I arrived I was told to turn around and go home. Evidently, all vendors in the courtyard had been removed for the day due to the order of an administrator, even the hotdog vendor! I feel very badly about the whole situation. My loss of funds certainly, but also the loss of goodwill and trust that I have tried to build up with the customers there on the campus. In this case, there was nothing that I could do about the situation and at least it was nothing that was targeted at me personally. I will simply have to apologize profusely to my customers when I return in October. |
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| EVENT - UCLA |
[Aug. 22nd, 2004|09:43 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | energetic | ] |
I'm packing my gear for yet another art and jewelry sale at UCLA. I was just telling my husband about how I used to get so worried before these shows in the past and now I feel so calm about the entire process. I used to check my gear three times over, worried about what to pack for lunch or if I had the correct amount of money to make change for the customers. After almost ten years as a full time artist, all that has changed. My SUV packs up in around 20 minutes and everything waits in my garage in its proper place and order so that I don't forget anything vital. My artwork and jewelry are in orderly boxes by the front door to be loaded up in the morning before I leave. I never leave anything of value in the SUV at night. Too risky. It is a good feeling to have everything in its place. I'm glad to be an artist.
I have lots of new jewelry for tomorrow. I hope the ladies at UCLA like the new things that I am bringing. The new pi stone or heart shaped shell pendants were a real hit in Las Vegas last month. I hope I get the same reaction here in Los Angeles. |
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| WC! |
[Aug. 3rd, 2004|07:25 pm] |
I am grateful to be back home again. The weather has taken a turn toward the cooler side and my home is pleasant to be in. Since I've been away in Las Vegas, my rose gardens are in much need of a good deadheading and I'm looking forward to puttering there tomorrow if I can find the time. Maybe even pull some of the weeds from around my vegetable garden. It is the simple things in life that you value the most when you are on the road and I long to be one with my home for a time.
I know that I should be either painting or making more jewelry for my next show, but instead I found that I got sucked into the wetcanvas! artist community. They have a new gallery feature that seems very promising. At one location you can upload your work and template it and then it will display on the WC! site, art-agent.com to sell, a gallery on your own website AND interface with eBay. I could use it to catolog both my artwork and my jewelry in one location. It is a godsend to me. My webwork has been falling behind as I add more shows into my schedule and more projects to my pallet. If I could streamline my webcatologs, I could be getting my products back online on a more regular basis like I used to in the old days. Not to mention, cutting back on some of my out of pocket expenses.
Today I formated my gallery and put my fantasy artwork up. It can be viewed at:
http://www.art-agent.com/artist_info.php?userid=16562
If I keep at it this week, I hope to get a gallery of my work back on my website. To finally be able to showcase my work in an organized and professional fashion online. It is a fine goal. :) |
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