How to gain exposure for your art online
It is common for me to receive dozens of questions each month concerning advice on how to develop or improve online presence. There are many artists who want to improve exposure for their art by utilizing the Internet. The problem is that most do not know how to do it efficiently. True, there are many books about this subject on the market. However, there is also a world of information online that one can obtain without cost. It all starts with a simple search.
Search ‘online exposure for art’, ‘how to gain exposure for your art online’, or any number of combinations and you will most likely find some useful information. Google searches for ‘art business’, ‘art market’, or simply ‘online exposure’ can also be helpful. Below I will provide some general advice about obtaining exposure and creating presence online for your art.
One of your main goals will be to obtain traffic to your personal art website or the profiles that you have created on online art communities such as www.myartspace.com. This is a task that will involve some organization if you desire to do it well. Thus, be prepared to spend 15 minutes to an hour each day updating specific online efforts and posting links. The sacrifice of time is minimal when compared to what can be achieved.
Many artists make the mistake of thinking that the effort involved in gaining exposure and presence online is a one trick pony. These artists will create profiles on select online art communities or create a personal website thinking that alone will build their online presence. They create a personal site and online art community profiles-- but fail to update or promote them. Again, that tactic is a one trick pony that will have mediocre results at best. It is kind of like going to the gym only to leave shortly after setting up equipment. In other words, creating a personal website or online art community profile is just the starting point.
True, those minimal efforts will certainly help with online exposure and presence, but it is not an efficient way to establish yourself online if you allow them to gather cyber dust, so to speak. In order to receive a steady flow of traffic to your art online you must spread your links like wildfire on the World Wide Web. There are several ways to go about it. For example, if you visit an online forum you will want to include a link to your main art site at the end of any comment you make. Often there will be a space provided for the URL. If so, use it! This goes for Myspace bulletins, Facebook messages, Livejournal entries, blog comments… and so on.
You can also take advantage of email. When you write or reply to someone you will want to include links below your name at the bottom of your message. That will hopefully spur curious readers to visit your personal website or the profiles you have on online art communities. Email can be a powerful tool for gaining exposure. Especially if you establish an e-letter in order to keep family, friends, past buyers and other interested individuals current about your art practice, exhibits, and updated about your website and online efforts.
My point in all of this is that you can't simply create a personal website or community profile for your art thinking that the site(s) alone will do all the work for you. True, having your work on any site will bring visitors to your art, but you need to do some work yourself in order to maximize that traffic. You need to have your name and links to your art on as many sites as possible. You need to pass those links on whenever the opportunity arises. Remember that there is nothing wrong with promoting who you are and what you do. There is no room to be shy-- especially when we are talking about the internet.
On a side note, artists also need to think about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). That is a topic that I will go into further detail about in the near future.
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Pop Goes the Art World Bubble
Lately I have been thinking about the current state of the art market. It goes without saying that the art market is in for some rough times. I’m by no means an expert on the subject, but I must say that I could see this happening. The bubble did not burst in the way I had expected-- I don‘t think anyone could foresee these dire times, but I did stress the fact that certain aspects of the art world had been walking a fine line.
Today the bubble is gone. It popped months ago. The question is… what will be the result when everything is said and done? How will the various aspects of the art world restructure after having been dealt a hard economic blow? Many have taken a Darwinist view of the situation in that they feel that the ‘best of the best’ will survive this storm-- the best artists and art dealers. You can see this opinion expressed on art blogs, art forums, and elsewhere. What are your thoughts on this issue? Who are the 'best'? Do any of you view the recent chaos in a positive light?
The following is an excerpt from a post I made in 2007 titled I’d Hate to Burst Your Bubble:
“True, there has been record-breaking sales of art in 2007. It seems that the art market has finally overcome obstacles that had left the market in question for several years. However, I'm nervous as to how much longer this can occur before there is another slump. Slumps in the art market tend to trickle down the chain of art sales. When the market is good it is good for every artist- when it is bad... it is bad. When it is bad... even the most established artist can have a hard time selling his or her work.
Many younger artists, who are not really established yet, are fetching up to $20,000 for their works according to collectors who frequent fairs like Art Basel. This is due to the market at this time. If the art market were to fall it would cause many of these younger artists to get caught in the process- which could lead to young careers being stamped out before they even started. The current market is reminding people of the bubble of the 1980s market and history teaches us that it can burst at any moment.
I'm not suggesting that a young artist should not price his or her work high. However, young artists need to think in the long-term about their careers. Fetching a few high prices now is great, but what if the 'bubble' around the current art market were to pop? Where would that leave them? It is hard to go from fetching $20,000 to just a few thousand per piece. One would do that at the risk of offending collectors who had purchased their work for higher prices. In other words, I'd hate to burst your 'bubble'... just be careful.
The art market looks great at this time. A young artist can throw caution to the wind, right? Just remember that in the wind a bubble can only be carried so far before it finally pops. That is a situation that leaves a young artist who is not established with only one direction to go- Down. Don't get caught in the 'pop'.”
View the complete article from 2007 by clicking, HERE
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Today the bubble is gone. It popped months ago. The question is… what will be the result when everything is said and done? How will the various aspects of the art world restructure after having been dealt a hard economic blow? Many have taken a Darwinist view of the situation in that they feel that the ‘best of the best’ will survive this storm-- the best artists and art dealers. You can see this opinion expressed on art blogs, art forums, and elsewhere. What are your thoughts on this issue? Who are the 'best'? Do any of you view the recent chaos in a positive light?
The following is an excerpt from a post I made in 2007 titled I’d Hate to Burst Your Bubble:
“True, there has been record-breaking sales of art in 2007. It seems that the art market has finally overcome obstacles that had left the market in question for several years. However, I'm nervous as to how much longer this can occur before there is another slump. Slumps in the art market tend to trickle down the chain of art sales. When the market is good it is good for every artist- when it is bad... it is bad. When it is bad... even the most established artist can have a hard time selling his or her work.
Many younger artists, who are not really established yet, are fetching up to $20,000 for their works according to collectors who frequent fairs like Art Basel. This is due to the market at this time. If the art market were to fall it would cause many of these younger artists to get caught in the process- which could lead to young careers being stamped out before they even started. The current market is reminding people of the bubble of the 1980s market and history teaches us that it can burst at any moment.
I'm not suggesting that a young artist should not price his or her work high. However, young artists need to think in the long-term about their careers. Fetching a few high prices now is great, but what if the 'bubble' around the current art market were to pop? Where would that leave them? It is hard to go from fetching $20,000 to just a few thousand per piece. One would do that at the risk of offending collectors who had purchased their work for higher prices. In other words, I'd hate to burst your 'bubble'... just be careful.
The art market looks great at this time. A young artist can throw caution to the wind, right? Just remember that in the wind a bubble can only be carried so far before it finally pops. That is a situation that leaves a young artist who is not established with only one direction to go- Down. Don't get caught in the 'pop'.”
View the complete article from 2007 by clicking, HERE
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Art + Politics = Press
The Cavity Search by Bruce ElliottDo you remember the painting depicting Republican Vice President hopeful Sarah Palin in the nude during the 2008 election? You know-- the painting that grabbed the attention of national news coverage simply due to its subject? Remember? Well, the man behind the painting, Bruce Elliott, has decided to place another politician in an awkward situation. His subject-- Governor Rod Blagojevich from Illinois.
Elliott’s recent painting, which is already receiving press in Chicago, depicts a nervous Governor Rod Blagojevich (Democrat) with a prison jumpsuit pulled down to his knees. In the painting Blagojevich is positioned as if he is looking at the viewer as a guard stands near wearing a rubber glove. The painting, titled “The Cavity Search”, pokes fun at Blagojevich‘s potential future if he is found guilty of attempting to sell Barack Obama‘s former seat in Illinois. The Governor from Illinois is currently caught in the throws of scandal over the issue.
The artist has stated that he created the painting because the criminal complaint against Blagojevich “stunned” him. He has went on to say that he did it to appease individuals who criticized him for having painted Sarah Palin in the nude. I think it is safe to say that he painted it because he has found the golden ticket for gaining news coverage within the current political climate.
So what is the point in subjecting my readership to The Cavity Search? Simple. I find it disappointing that the mainstream media is so quick to latch on to works that focus on political figures or political scandals-- especially when said works would not be relevant otherwise. I don’t want to be too harsh on Bruce Elliott and his paintings, but I don’t find them to be overly skillful and I think the mainstream media is doing a huge disservice by throwing artworks like The Cavity Search into the spotlight.
Perhaps Bruce Elliott should take a lesson from Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic image of Obama titled HOPE which was 'inspired' by Alberto Korda's famed shot of revolutionary Che Guevara, and ‘reference’ a better image before creating his own work. Elliott could take it a step further and follow Shepard Fairey’s knack for infringing on the copyright of political artists from the past without giving credit where credit is due-- as Fairey did by exploiting the posters of Felix René Mederos Pazos without permission from the Mederos estate. Or maybe, just maybe, the mainstream media can learn a few things about art-- and the artists behind the work-- before reporting on it.
Is this the ‘new art’ fueled by Obama’s campaign that so many of my peers have been writing about at length? We all know that Shepard Fairey’s image of Obama titled HOPE-- with a steady flow of media attention-- spearheaded this ‘revolution‘. All I can say is that the one good thing about revolutions is that they are normally short. Until that time I suppose artists like Bruce Elliott will continue to ride this wind of change-- and easy media.
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Thursday, December 18, 2008
My Art Advice: Contacting an Art Dealer by Email
If you read this blog you know that I sometimes give advice on what artists should not do. I know, I know, we are all focused on what we should do-- like gaining exposure online, social networking, and creating the best art that we can. However, many artists make simple mistakes that can reflect poorly on their professionalism. An example of this is contacting an art dealer whom you don’t know personally in the hopes of gaining gallery representation. Edward Winkleman, a gallery owner and art blogger from New York, recently posted a perfect example of why artists should not contact art dealers by email in this manner. Winkleman handled the situation well in that he could have criticized the artist harshly for sending random solicitation. To read the story please visit Edward Winkleman’s blog, HERE .
It does not surprise me that an artist would contact Ed out of the blue. It happens to art dealers often and is commonly viewed as desperation. As Winkleman points out, the action sends a red flag message that the artist in question may be more trouble than he or she is worth-- professionally speaking. After all, art dealers are like anyone else in that they don’t want to take on the extra burden of an artist who is desperate or insecure. In other words, it is not an art dealers business to improve the esteem of a hopeful artist.
As I’ve mentioned before this issue is very delicate. Most people, including art dealers, don’t want to offend someone concerning the caliber-- or lack thereof-- of their art. Thus, contacting an art dealer without knowing him or her creates an awkward situation for both the art dealer and the artist. Most art dealers are likely not to respond to the unsolicited message-- which furthers the doubt the artist may have for his or her art. Unfortunately, lack of response spurs some artists to send even more unsolicited message. It is a lose-lose situation for the artist. In other words, this form of solicitation is almost always met with failure. Therefore, it is important for artists to not give in to the urge.
Most artists desire to be represented by a gallery-- specifically a gallery in New York. With that said, there is a key step to remember when pursuing gallery representation-- be it in New York City or anywhere else for that matter. So what is this step? Simple. An artist will want to attend openings at the gallery he or she is interested in. The artist will want to learn everything he or she can about the gallery-- attending exhibit openings can be one of the best ways to do that. Thus, it is a good idea to take that step before contacting anyone at the gallery by email.
While attending exhibit openings you will want to keep an eye out for the type of work that is displayed at the gallery. If possible, try to speak with artists who are already exhibited at the gallery and be friendly to the gallery staff. You want to become a familiar face without being overly familiar-- such as sending an email that is doomed for failure. In a sense, you want to know exactly what you are hoping to get yourself into-- you want to know if it is right for you. Simple conversations can help you to find out if you are right for the gallery and visa versa.
As I have mentioned on this blog before, getting to know people and being friendly I does not mean that you should go up and say, "I really like this space. Are they looking for new talent?" or "Can you get me in here, my work is great!" to everyone you meet! Just enjoy yourself... be yourself-- leave the 'I'm a brooding artist' or 'I'm better than this place' persona at the door. If needed imagine yourself as a ronin observing the force that you are interested in joining. In other words, silence is a virtue and speaking when spoken to-- or when the opportunity arises-- is always a good tactic.
In time you can slide the fact that you are an artist into the conversation, but keep it short. Business cards that contain a link to your personal website or accounts that you have on art sites like www.myartspace.com can come in handy if a conversation goes well-- be prepared! Don’t be afraid to ask for the art dealers card after you have become a somewhat familiar face. You may even want to ask him or her if it is OK for you communicate by email just to observe the reaction on his or her face. Just remember that fake smiles are often a business trait of the profession. If you don’t believe me simply attend an art fair as a member of the press and you will know exactly what I’m talking about.
As mentioned before on this blog, the question of when to contact an art dealer by email reminds me that the world wide web is sometimes a double-edged sword for artists just as much as it is for anyone else. On one side you can cut yourself short by annoying galleries and other exhibiting venues by emailing them random information about your work. On the other side you can carve out your career by building your presence online. In regards to this question, be careful which way you swing the blade-- especially if you are just starting out. Artists want to land gallery representation, but that does not mean that every gallery wants to be baited by a thousand emails from hopeful emerging artists each day-- yep, you are not the only one contacting them.
Before you send a random email to a gallery about your art remember that there might be hundreds of other artists doing the same thing at the same time. What will happen? You will most likely have your email marked as spam or blocked. If you are not blocked and you continue to send messages about your work you will most likely become an inside joke at the gallery rather than land representation. I’ve seen that happen. Worst case scenario... you will annoy the person on the other end and they will end up telling their associates about you. Word can travel fast and in the art world-- even on the most basic level --everything is about presence. You want to put your best foot-- and face since you will be attending exhibit openings-- forward. You do not want to create obstacles by sending an unsolicited email message. Annoying gallery owners can be career suicide depending on the status of the gallery and the disposition of the owner.
Artists often forget that a gallery is a business. In fact, the business side of being an artist shares some similarities with the business of running a gallery. For example, an artist tends to not want someone to barge into his or her studio-- the same can be said for art dealers who are just as focused on their work. An artist probably does not want to deal with unsolicited email messages and the same goes for art dealers. Remember that an art dealer does not display art simply for the viewing pleasure of visitors. No, the art dealer has paychecks to write and lights to keep on-- it is a business just like any other. While it is true that galleries need artists to run their business, you need to remember that they already have a stable of artists-- they need art, but that does not mean that they need your art.
You might be thinking, " If that is the case, why do the galleries have their email listed if they don't want artists to contact them?". Do you want the truth? In most cases a gallery has their email listed for two reasons. 1.) They can send out exhibit information to their email list from that account. 2.) A random collector can write to them with questions about an artist that the gallery represents-- though most will call the gallery before writing them. Having an email address listed does not mean that the gallery is offering an open invitation to hopeful artists. In fact, the important email address are rarely listed on a gallery website.
There are always exceptions. Some galleries want artists to send examples of their work by email. Many of those galleries have ads in art publications stating that fact (just as galleries that do not want artists to send samples of their art by email will often have some fine print-- sometimes BIG print --stating that they do not read unsolicited messages under their contact information!!!). As stated, I think it is better for artists to attend openings at the gallery they are interested in instead of sending a desperate email to the gallery about their art and the possibility of representation. As I mentioned before, there could be thousands of artist worldwide sending emails to the gallery with the same desire. As artist wants to be a face in the crowd... not a random name listed in the galleries email inbox-- or trash bin for that matter.
Some of you might be saying, "But I live hundreds of miles away! Sending an email is my only option!". Well, if that is the case you might want to ask yourself if you want to be represented by a gallery that you can't visit in person at least once per month, especially if you are new to the scene. With a ton of luck your email effort might land you gallery representation, but if you are not able to actually visit the gallery you will not know if your work is actually in sight of gallery patrons or somewhere in a backroom waiting to be pulled out when-- and if --someone wants to view it. That is not to suggest that galleries are shady, but they do tend to cater to the needs of represented artists who can actually visit the gallery often. Thus, you might want to focus on exhibiting opportunities near you or at online venues that specialize in giving opportunities to artists who would otherwise be isolated.
Keep in mind that I'm mainly talking about city galleries. Rural galleries might have a different outlook on 'view my art' solicitation sent by email. With that said, I still think that getting to know more about a gallery in person, no matter where the gallery is located, is the best choice for an artist if he or she is seeking gallery representation. As always, I suggest seeking regional success before going after the big dogs. Yes, there are some advantages for artists who do not live in one of the hubs of the art world-- I'll save that for a later topic.
Also, remember that you do not exactly need to rely on brick & mortar galleries ... you can always represent yourself by utilizing sites like www.myartspace.com, www.youtube.com, and www.myspace.com as tools for exposure. Remember that most of the artists represented by Steve Lazarides (he represents Banksy and Mark Jenkins, among others.) started out by spreading their influence online. My point-- Don't sweat over gallery representation. Don’t make a fool of yourself or place yourself in an awkward position by contacting art dealers you don’t know personally. If gallery representation happens, it happens. If not you can always go it alone.
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
It does not surprise me that an artist would contact Ed out of the blue. It happens to art dealers often and is commonly viewed as desperation. As Winkleman points out, the action sends a red flag message that the artist in question may be more trouble than he or she is worth-- professionally speaking. After all, art dealers are like anyone else in that they don’t want to take on the extra burden of an artist who is desperate or insecure. In other words, it is not an art dealers business to improve the esteem of a hopeful artist.
As I’ve mentioned before this issue is very delicate. Most people, including art dealers, don’t want to offend someone concerning the caliber-- or lack thereof-- of their art. Thus, contacting an art dealer without knowing him or her creates an awkward situation for both the art dealer and the artist. Most art dealers are likely not to respond to the unsolicited message-- which furthers the doubt the artist may have for his or her art. Unfortunately, lack of response spurs some artists to send even more unsolicited message. It is a lose-lose situation for the artist. In other words, this form of solicitation is almost always met with failure. Therefore, it is important for artists to not give in to the urge.
Most artists desire to be represented by a gallery-- specifically a gallery in New York. With that said, there is a key step to remember when pursuing gallery representation-- be it in New York City or anywhere else for that matter. So what is this step? Simple. An artist will want to attend openings at the gallery he or she is interested in. The artist will want to learn everything he or she can about the gallery-- attending exhibit openings can be one of the best ways to do that. Thus, it is a good idea to take that step before contacting anyone at the gallery by email.
While attending exhibit openings you will want to keep an eye out for the type of work that is displayed at the gallery. If possible, try to speak with artists who are already exhibited at the gallery and be friendly to the gallery staff. You want to become a familiar face without being overly familiar-- such as sending an email that is doomed for failure. In a sense, you want to know exactly what you are hoping to get yourself into-- you want to know if it is right for you. Simple conversations can help you to find out if you are right for the gallery and visa versa.
As I have mentioned on this blog before, getting to know people and being friendly I does not mean that you should go up and say, "I really like this space. Are they looking for new talent?" or "Can you get me in here, my work is great!" to everyone you meet! Just enjoy yourself... be yourself-- leave the 'I'm a brooding artist' or 'I'm better than this place' persona at the door. If needed imagine yourself as a ronin observing the force that you are interested in joining. In other words, silence is a virtue and speaking when spoken to-- or when the opportunity arises-- is always a good tactic.
In time you can slide the fact that you are an artist into the conversation, but keep it short. Business cards that contain a link to your personal website or accounts that you have on art sites like www.myartspace.com can come in handy if a conversation goes well-- be prepared! Don’t be afraid to ask for the art dealers card after you have become a somewhat familiar face. You may even want to ask him or her if it is OK for you communicate by email just to observe the reaction on his or her face. Just remember that fake smiles are often a business trait of the profession. If you don’t believe me simply attend an art fair as a member of the press and you will know exactly what I’m talking about.
As mentioned before on this blog, the question of when to contact an art dealer by email reminds me that the world wide web is sometimes a double-edged sword for artists just as much as it is for anyone else. On one side you can cut yourself short by annoying galleries and other exhibiting venues by emailing them random information about your work. On the other side you can carve out your career by building your presence online. In regards to this question, be careful which way you swing the blade-- especially if you are just starting out. Artists want to land gallery representation, but that does not mean that every gallery wants to be baited by a thousand emails from hopeful emerging artists each day-- yep, you are not the only one contacting them.
Before you send a random email to a gallery about your art remember that there might be hundreds of other artists doing the same thing at the same time. What will happen? You will most likely have your email marked as spam or blocked. If you are not blocked and you continue to send messages about your work you will most likely become an inside joke at the gallery rather than land representation. I’ve seen that happen. Worst case scenario... you will annoy the person on the other end and they will end up telling their associates about you. Word can travel fast and in the art world-- even on the most basic level --everything is about presence. You want to put your best foot-- and face since you will be attending exhibit openings-- forward. You do not want to create obstacles by sending an unsolicited email message. Annoying gallery owners can be career suicide depending on the status of the gallery and the disposition of the owner.
Artists often forget that a gallery is a business. In fact, the business side of being an artist shares some similarities with the business of running a gallery. For example, an artist tends to not want someone to barge into his or her studio-- the same can be said for art dealers who are just as focused on their work. An artist probably does not want to deal with unsolicited email messages and the same goes for art dealers. Remember that an art dealer does not display art simply for the viewing pleasure of visitors. No, the art dealer has paychecks to write and lights to keep on-- it is a business just like any other. While it is true that galleries need artists to run their business, you need to remember that they already have a stable of artists-- they need art, but that does not mean that they need your art.
You might be thinking, " If that is the case, why do the galleries have their email listed if they don't want artists to contact them?". Do you want the truth? In most cases a gallery has their email listed for two reasons. 1.) They can send out exhibit information to their email list from that account. 2.) A random collector can write to them with questions about an artist that the gallery represents-- though most will call the gallery before writing them. Having an email address listed does not mean that the gallery is offering an open invitation to hopeful artists. In fact, the important email address are rarely listed on a gallery website.
There are always exceptions. Some galleries want artists to send examples of their work by email. Many of those galleries have ads in art publications stating that fact (just as galleries that do not want artists to send samples of their art by email will often have some fine print-- sometimes BIG print --stating that they do not read unsolicited messages under their contact information!!!). As stated, I think it is better for artists to attend openings at the gallery they are interested in instead of sending a desperate email to the gallery about their art and the possibility of representation. As I mentioned before, there could be thousands of artist worldwide sending emails to the gallery with the same desire. As artist wants to be a face in the crowd... not a random name listed in the galleries email inbox-- or trash bin for that matter.
Some of you might be saying, "But I live hundreds of miles away! Sending an email is my only option!". Well, if that is the case you might want to ask yourself if you want to be represented by a gallery that you can't visit in person at least once per month, especially if you are new to the scene. With a ton of luck your email effort might land you gallery representation, but if you are not able to actually visit the gallery you will not know if your work is actually in sight of gallery patrons or somewhere in a backroom waiting to be pulled out when-- and if --someone wants to view it. That is not to suggest that galleries are shady, but they do tend to cater to the needs of represented artists who can actually visit the gallery often. Thus, you might want to focus on exhibiting opportunities near you or at online venues that specialize in giving opportunities to artists who would otherwise be isolated.
Keep in mind that I'm mainly talking about city galleries. Rural galleries might have a different outlook on 'view my art' solicitation sent by email. With that said, I still think that getting to know more about a gallery in person, no matter where the gallery is located, is the best choice for an artist if he or she is seeking gallery representation. As always, I suggest seeking regional success before going after the big dogs. Yes, there are some advantages for artists who do not live in one of the hubs of the art world-- I'll save that for a later topic.
Also, remember that you do not exactly need to rely on brick & mortar galleries ... you can always represent yourself by utilizing sites like www.myartspace.com, www.youtube.com, and www.myspace.com as tools for exposure. Remember that most of the artists represented by Steve Lazarides (he represents Banksy and Mark Jenkins, among others.) started out by spreading their influence online. My point-- Don't sweat over gallery representation. Don’t make a fool of yourself or place yourself in an awkward position by contacting art dealers you don’t know personally. If gallery representation happens, it happens. If not you can always go it alone.
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
For the Love of God: Damien Hirst Threatens Young Artist with Legal Action
A collage by Cartrain involving Damien Hirst's 'For the Love of God'There has been some buzz about a situation involving a young British graffiti artist and Damien Hirst. Apparently the young artist, known as Cartrain, took a lesson from Banksy’s playbook-- he displayed one of his collages in the National Portrait Gallery under the nose of security and staff. So where does Damien Hirst come into play you ask? The collages by Cartrain, which the artist has sold as prints, involve a parody of Hirst’s ‘For the Love of God’. It seems that Hirst was not thrilled to discover that a young graffiti artist had profited from prints involving his copyright protected works.
The Design and Artists Copyright Society, of which Damien Hirst is a member, contacted Cartrain after receiving direct instructions from Hirst. The society informed the young artist that he had broken the law by infringing upon Hirst’s copyright. Hirst’s demands were clear-- he demanded the original works and the halt of sales with the threat of legal action. Hirst also demanded the profit that Cartrain had made from selling his collages and prints. Four works were confiscated by DACS from Cartrain’s gallery on November 12th. Reports state that Cartrain only earned about £200 from sales of the work.
People are defending the work of Cartrain by stating that appropriation is not theft. However, appropriation can be considered theft if the work is protected by copyright. It really boils down to a fine line decided by judge or jury. True, art schools and law have very different opinions about the implications of appropriation. In the case of Hirst’s work-- which is known worldwide-- one could make a case for parody within the protections of appropriation.
Damien Hirst is not the only internationally renowned artist waving the legal stick around these days. Shepard Fairey, the visual spearhead behind Barack Obama’s campaign, recently stated that he will take legal action against “bootleggers” who have “hijacked” his “style”. That said, I find it ironic that Damien Hirst would be upset over someone infringing upon his copyright considering that he has infringed upon the copyright of others. Damien Hirst and Shepard Fairey have two things in common-- they have both settled out of court due to infringing on the copyright of others and they have both threatened legal action against artists who have violated their protected works. The saying, “you reap what you sow”, comes to mind. Did I mention that Cartrain is 16 years old? ‘For the Love of God’-- Indeed.
Links of Interest:
‘Appropriation’ isn’t theft, Mr. Hirst
Damien Hirst 'threatened to sue teenager over alleged copyright theft'
With Barack Obama Posters Comes Fame
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Art Space Talk: Belinda Eaton
Belinda Eaton’s magic realism paintings and portraits evoke a world of colour, vivid characters, swirling spaces, uncontained energy that can’t be trapped by the limits of the canvas, images constantly on the move, living life, dancing, drinking, and eating. Within the canvas there are no boundaries of subject, perspective or reality, just the borrowings from all that she has been exposed to. Belinda Eaton graduated with a B.A. Fine Art from St.Martins School of Art, London, in 1983.
I decided to take my degree in Film making, which was a passion of mine, but found the course was focused on the minimalism of film, the abstraction and deconstruction of the medium rather than the content and imagery. So I transferred over to Fine Art and was drawn to the Printmaking department.
I did no painting at all at college, instead I immersed myself in acids and inks and metal plates, the world of etching. It absolutely fascinated me. Starting with a blackened metal plate covered in ground. Creating lines or areas that would be bitten into by acid, so many factors affecting the quality of line, so many serendipities and unpredictability's. To this day I prepare all my canvases with a blackened gesso. For me it's the experience of allowing the light and form to emerge from the dark. I actually cannot paint on a white ground. It freaks me out.
As for remembering my art instructors, St. Martins was very well known for the fact that all the tutors were well known artists. But at the time as a female, I found it a very sexist environment to be in and also very boozy and as I can't remember any of the tutors names l don't think they had a lasting impact on me. But that was my experience, not necessarily that of others.
The artist's block always come when one begins to think about what one is projecting, where is it going? Is it any good? What on earth am I doing? etc etc. To just be in the paint forgetting everything and really, the old cliché, letting the painting take over, it's so very true.
Gamblers by Belinda Eaton
BS: Can you discuss any symbolism in your paintings that reflect those experiences?
BE: No, I can't really. There is no conscious symbolism, but I am aware that I do use symbolism, I just haven't worked out how its symbolic to me. In my drawings and etchings there are always fishes in the sky. Certain patterns emerge again and again especially pomegranates, tattoos, eggs. I don't want to think about it really. And in 10 years I might have a deeper understanding of why l have used them, but it is not important now, as they are not conscious but subconscious.
BS: Can you go into further detail about some of your methods as far as your painting is concerned?
BE: As I have already mentioned, I prepare the canvas with a black ground and just begin to paint. If it's a more narrative painting, the face comes first and the story after. I paint in acrylics, which really suit me as I like to work fast and need to repaint an area over and over. I sometimes think if someone x-rayed one of my paintings they would be amazed at the layers and layers of colour and change of figure, composition etc. These layers are fantastic because an element of the lower colour always comes through somewhere and adds so much dimension. If the painting were planned out you would lose all this.
Also by painting in acrylic and liking to work wet on wet, you really have to work fast and then the painting becomes purely instinctive. I can spend weeks painting and then an hour painting over the whole painting and reworking it with completely fresh paint and it's finished. You lose all the agony and caution of those weeks and what's there is dynamic and fresh. This approach is really happening in my new large Faces. I add a dimension to this of turning the painting on its side or upside down whilst I am working. So I lose the image and really just focus on colour.
I use a large painter & decorators brush and just get very physical and dynamic. There is so much energy with each brush stroke, it's magic. It's also quite abstract and liberating. But then my obsession with layers and patterns comes in, and these begin to play with each other. So in a way there is an element of total freedom and then complete control. Hmm, interesting.
BS: What about other influences? Do you adhere to any specific art tradition, so to speak? Are you inspired directly by any specific artist from the past?
BE: No not really. If anything I think I am quite traditional and probably most influenced by the early Renaissance. I don't think I am inspired by any artists, but I find some artists truly inspiring. For example, I went to see Ron Mueck's exhibition at the National Gallery, London where he was the artist in residence. He creates these people who are so realistic but their proportions are different to real life. Take his 'Man in a Boat ', a roughly metre high naked old man sitting in a rowing boat. You could see every pore on his skin. The hair on his arms, the pink of the skin of his elbows, his small penis etc. etc. is quite amazing. They are alive. You expect them to breath, you are waiting to see their chests rise and fall, a pulse.
I find Rothko's work for me borders on the religious. They are possessed and quite spiritual and leave me in wonder. Paula Rego is an artist I really identify with. She paints her world, which has that magic realism and dreamlike quality, and at times a harsh brutality. She is so true to her self. Originally l went to live in New York in the early eighties because of Rap, Graffiti and Jean- Michel Basquiat. At the time his language was so new and refreshing as was rap and graffiti. I went to see Peter Doig,s exhibition at the Tate Britain and found it magical. You stand in front of his large snowscapes and the texture and colour are so charged and move into the realm of possessing their own life. There is a common theme through out the artists above, of work, which breathes a creative force of its own. I am really inspired by life around, people, nature, the layers and layers that make up life.
Tattoo Girl by Belinda Eaton
BS: What are you working on at this time? Can you give our readers some insight into your most current work?
BE: I am currently working on much larger canvases and am really involved in the larger faces with the focus on colour, paint and the brush stroke. This is what's consuming me right now. Tomorrow I could be lead somewhere else. Again as I mentioned before, my work is purely instinctive and l try not to intellectualize too much about it which in turn would inhibit the freedom I search for within painting.
We all have our own relationships and motivations of why we create Art. I guess mine is to try and experience liberation with in the medium. I can get totally agonized by thinking of what to paint, where is it going etc, and months can pass by in this self-inflicted questioning and also criticism. A lot of artists I speak to all have this horrendous inner critic.
BS: Will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?
BE: Yes, I have a solo exhibition coming up in two weeks in Karachi, at the V.M. Gallery which is a great space. I had quite a few shows in Pakistan over 10 years ago and have wanted to go back. It is very, very, rewarding to show in the East. I think l have already mentioned how ones work is really received from the heart. I am also about to start a whole new body of work for a show I am hoping will come off in Paris.
I have had paintings in shows that are then taken on exhibition all around a country with out my knowing. They have their own lives. When I appeared on television on BBC 1, the response was amazing from all over the world. From the isolation of the studio to a conversation with the world via the internet. In the same way I love to see what happens to my images on the Internet, what people do and say about them, it's brilliant.
BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the goals that you have?
BE: About my Art? I actually think I have said too much, but thank you for giving me the opportunity. A dream would be to be involved in a project that would have some beneficial impact on the planet. Some project that would enable artists to use their creativity to help solve some of the environmental and social problems that exist.
You can learn more about Belinda Eaton by visiting her website-- www.belindaeaton.com. Belinda is also currently a member of the myartspace community--www.myartspace.com/belindaeaton. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
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Brian Sherwin: Belinda, you studied at St. Martin's School of Art in London. Can you discuss your academic years? Did you have any influential art instructors?
Belinda Eaton: I was very lucky to be at Art school in England at a time when all the colleges were Government funded. There were unlimited supplies of free art materials and fantastic courses. I was even luckier to have been selected by St Martins School of Art for both its amazing Foundation Course and then the Degree course, 4 years in total. The foundation course covered everything from sculpture, photography, fashion, painting and printmaking etc. You were given the opportunity to try everything and then you were able to make your choice as to which direction you would like to go. It was an absolutely great experience.
I decided to take my degree in Film making, which was a passion of mine, but found the course was focused on the minimalism of film, the abstraction and deconstruction of the medium rather than the content and imagery. So I transferred over to Fine Art and was drawn to the Printmaking department.
I did no painting at all at college, instead I immersed myself in acids and inks and metal plates, the world of etching. It absolutely fascinated me. Starting with a blackened metal plate covered in ground. Creating lines or areas that would be bitten into by acid, so many factors affecting the quality of line, so many serendipities and unpredictability's. To this day I prepare all my canvases with a blackened gesso. For me it's the experience of allowing the light and form to emerge from the dark. I actually cannot paint on a white ground. It freaks me out.
As for remembering my art instructors, St. Martins was very well known for the fact that all the tutors were well known artists. But at the time as a female, I found it a very sexist environment to be in and also very boozy and as I can't remember any of the tutors names l don't think they had a lasting impact on me. But that was my experience, not necessarily that of others.
BS: You have stated that your paintings are your world, your fascination for people, plants, animals and color. You went on to say that they are how you perceive the energy of things. Can you go into further detail about this? Tell us more about the philosophy behind your art.
BE: Oh!... To try and identify my philosophy about my art would be like trying to contain energy. I try not to be too mind-full or intellectual about what I do. I have practiced mediation for over 20 years and feel the influences of that more and more in my work. Not so much in the content, but more in the approach, especially recently.
I start with a black canvas and I stand and start to paint. Always a face comes first and this informs the rest of the painting. The story unfolds. But more recently each brush stroke has got its own life. I am beginning to paint just looking at the colour rather than the form. It is being in the moment with the paint rather than projecting the finished painting. Very much like meditation.
The artist's block always come when one begins to think about what one is projecting, where is it going? Is it any good? What on earth am I doing? etc etc. To just be in the paint forgetting everything and really, the old cliché, letting the painting take over, it's so very true.
BS: I understand that you have traveled often. How have those travels shaped your artistic direction?
BE: This is a really interesting question. I think by constantly moving you can never really attach yourself (on a subconscious level) to anything. By being secure in one place it's very easy and comfortable to begin to identify with a group or culture and find your comfort zone within that. As a sort of nomad you take something from here and there, an impression, a sound, a smell. You collect references that become jumbled and mixed and lose their original context, to emerge in a new context.
Its just been a circumstance of my life that I have moved from country to country never staying longer than seven years and occasionally only a few years. I am currently on my longest stay which is here in Spain, nearly 9 years. Moving around, arriving finally in Barcelona with its sophistication and amazing architecture and then Almeria. In the middle of the desert where all the Spaghetti westerns were made with Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone along with many other films. It's a scarred landscape almost like a blank canvas, exposed and raw. And its here that I have built my studio and hopefully will end up staying a while.
But how has all this traveling shaped my work. It's the richness and newness of each culture. Always having to look with a new uninformed eye. From Pakistan , the amazing painted lorries, where every surface even the engines are painted and decorated. Old men with their flaming hennaed red hair and beards. India with all its colours with no restrictions. Africa where as a child everything was larger than life and colour again and amazing creatures and improbabilities like an elephant eating the roof where you were sleeping. Spain and its magic and superstitions, Easter processions of religious statues being walked through the village at night with thousands of candles and masked bearers in their sinister pointed hoods. Terrifying until they reach beneath their robes and throw out handfuls of sweets. The tomato throwing festival. New York with its thousands of different faces from every background. Its all layers and layers of colour, pattern, no rules, surprises and light. And I think this is how I paint.
Also, I think quite importantly, realizing each country has its own relationship with art. What Art is for them? What is good? etc. How the trends in art are so strong, especially in the West. Personally as a painter this period in time when up until recently painting has had very little value. That successful art has come from a very mindful intellectual space. To go to countries and have ones work received from a heart place has been quite amazing.
Gamblers by Belinda EatonBS: Can you discuss any symbolism in your paintings that reflect those experiences?
BE: No, I can't really. There is no conscious symbolism, but I am aware that I do use symbolism, I just haven't worked out how its symbolic to me. In my drawings and etchings there are always fishes in the sky. Certain patterns emerge again and again especially pomegranates, tattoos, eggs. I don't want to think about it really. And in 10 years I might have a deeper understanding of why l have used them, but it is not important now, as they are not conscious but subconscious.
BS: Can you go into further detail about some of your methods as far as your painting is concerned?
BE: As I have already mentioned, I prepare the canvas with a black ground and just begin to paint. If it's a more narrative painting, the face comes first and the story after. I paint in acrylics, which really suit me as I like to work fast and need to repaint an area over and over. I sometimes think if someone x-rayed one of my paintings they would be amazed at the layers and layers of colour and change of figure, composition etc. These layers are fantastic because an element of the lower colour always comes through somewhere and adds so much dimension. If the painting were planned out you would lose all this.
Also by painting in acrylic and liking to work wet on wet, you really have to work fast and then the painting becomes purely instinctive. I can spend weeks painting and then an hour painting over the whole painting and reworking it with completely fresh paint and it's finished. You lose all the agony and caution of those weeks and what's there is dynamic and fresh. This approach is really happening in my new large Faces. I add a dimension to this of turning the painting on its side or upside down whilst I am working. So I lose the image and really just focus on colour.
I use a large painter & decorators brush and just get very physical and dynamic. There is so much energy with each brush stroke, it's magic. It's also quite abstract and liberating. But then my obsession with layers and patterns comes in, and these begin to play with each other. So in a way there is an element of total freedom and then complete control. Hmm, interesting.
BS: What about other influences? Do you adhere to any specific art tradition, so to speak? Are you inspired directly by any specific artist from the past?
BE: No not really. If anything I think I am quite traditional and probably most influenced by the early Renaissance. I don't think I am inspired by any artists, but I find some artists truly inspiring. For example, I went to see Ron Mueck's exhibition at the National Gallery, London where he was the artist in residence. He creates these people who are so realistic but their proportions are different to real life. Take his 'Man in a Boat ', a roughly metre high naked old man sitting in a rowing boat. You could see every pore on his skin. The hair on his arms, the pink of the skin of his elbows, his small penis etc. etc. is quite amazing. They are alive. You expect them to breath, you are waiting to see their chests rise and fall, a pulse.
I find Rothko's work for me borders on the religious. They are possessed and quite spiritual and leave me in wonder. Paula Rego is an artist I really identify with. She paints her world, which has that magic realism and dreamlike quality, and at times a harsh brutality. She is so true to her self. Originally l went to live in New York in the early eighties because of Rap, Graffiti and Jean- Michel Basquiat. At the time his language was so new and refreshing as was rap and graffiti. I went to see Peter Doig,s exhibition at the Tate Britain and found it magical. You stand in front of his large snowscapes and the texture and colour are so charged and move into the realm of possessing their own life. There is a common theme through out the artists above, of work, which breathes a creative force of its own. I am really inspired by life around, people, nature, the layers and layers that make up life.
Tattoo Girl by Belinda EatonBS: What are you working on at this time? Can you give our readers some insight into your most current work?
BE: I am currently working on much larger canvases and am really involved in the larger faces with the focus on colour, paint and the brush stroke. This is what's consuming me right now. Tomorrow I could be lead somewhere else. Again as I mentioned before, my work is purely instinctive and l try not to intellectualize too much about it which in turn would inhibit the freedom I search for within painting.
We all have our own relationships and motivations of why we create Art. I guess mine is to try and experience liberation with in the medium. I can get totally agonized by thinking of what to paint, where is it going etc, and months can pass by in this self-inflicted questioning and also criticism. A lot of artists I speak to all have this horrendous inner critic.
BS: Will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?
BE: Yes, I have a solo exhibition coming up in two weeks in Karachi, at the V.M. Gallery which is a great space. I had quite a few shows in Pakistan over 10 years ago and have wanted to go back. It is very, very, rewarding to show in the East. I think l have already mentioned how ones work is really received from the heart. I am also about to start a whole new body of work for a show I am hoping will come off in Paris.
BS: Speaking of exhibiting… what do enjoy about displaying your art in public view? Do you see it as part of the process, so to speak?
BE: Yes it is apart of the process. As a painter you spend so much time on your own, isolated in your own little world, or lost in your own world. The process of showing is your emergence. somewhat terrifying and very vulnerable. I don't let anyone in my studio whilst I work. But hanging for a show is the first time you see all the work together, hanging and breathing. Then you can let go of it, really let go of it. The paintings are no longer a part of me and can start their own journeys.
I have had paintings in shows that are then taken on exhibition all around a country with out my knowing. They have their own lives. When I appeared on television on BBC 1, the response was amazing from all over the world. From the isolation of the studio to a conversation with the world via the internet. In the same way I love to see what happens to my images on the Internet, what people do and say about them, it's brilliant.
BS: Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your art or the goals that you have?
BE: About my Art? I actually think I have said too much, but thank you for giving me the opportunity. A dream would be to be involved in a project that would have some beneficial impact on the planet. Some project that would enable artists to use their creativity to help solve some of the environmental and social problems that exist.
You can learn more about Belinda Eaton by visiting her website-- www.belindaeaton.com. Belinda is also currently a member of the myartspace community--www.myartspace.com/belindaeaton. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Myartspace Announces London Calling Competition
Myartspace Announces London Calling
Myartspace is sponsoring a competition juried by a world class panel from The Tate Modern, The Hayward Gallery, and the Barbican Gallery all in London. Fifty finalists will be selected and three winners will have their work represented at SCREAM London in June 2009.
Inspired by Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood’s own career as an internationally recognized artist, SCREAM touches shoulders with some of London’s most established art galleries in the traditional hub of the capital’s art market. SCREAM London is run by Tyrone Wood as curator. Notable guests and patrons have included Tracey Emin, Claire Danes, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Beverly Knight, Meg Mathews, and many others.
Competition Snapshot:
-Deadline for registration and submission is May 15, 2009.
-Competition is open to myartspace members. Membership is free.
-Registration fee is $50, but for early registration by March 31, 2009 the fee is $25.
-Those who register before December 31, 2008 will receive a free 3-month trial subscription to Premium Services.
-Very qualified jury panel to review your work.
-Fifty finalists will be selected and announced by the jury panel.
-Three winners will have their art represented at SCREAM London, in June 2009. Winners to be announced on May 31, 2009.
Summary:
myartspace, the premier online venue for the contemporary art world, is sponsoring a Juried competition. We want to represent three contemporary artists at a venue in London, England during June 2009. The competition, like others from myartspace, will have world-class jurors reviewing the work of the submissions. Fifty finalists will be selected and three winners will have their work represented at the show.
With over 50,000 members, and more than two years of history, myartspace has been a key force in the art industry at availing opportunity for its rapidly growing community. The myartspace community consists of artists, collectors, gallerists, art appreciators, educators, curators, art critics and many others. Membership to myartspace is free, and members can upload an unlimited amount of art work, music, video and audio narration.
For more information about London Calling visit,
www.myartspace.com/londoncalling
For more information about SCREAM London visit,
www.screamlondon.co.uk
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Myartspace is sponsoring a competition juried by a world class panel from The Tate Modern, The Hayward Gallery, and the Barbican Gallery all in London. Fifty finalists will be selected and three winners will have their work represented at SCREAM London in June 2009.
Inspired by Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood’s own career as an internationally recognized artist, SCREAM touches shoulders with some of London’s most established art galleries in the traditional hub of the capital’s art market. SCREAM London is run by Tyrone Wood as curator. Notable guests and patrons have included Tracey Emin, Claire Danes, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Beverly Knight, Meg Mathews, and many others.
Competition Snapshot:
-Deadline for registration and submission is May 15, 2009.
-Competition is open to myartspace members. Membership is free.
-Registration fee is $50, but for early registration by March 31, 2009 the fee is $25.
-Those who register before December 31, 2008 will receive a free 3-month trial subscription to Premium Services.
-Very qualified jury panel to review your work.
-Fifty finalists will be selected and announced by the jury panel.
-Three winners will have their art represented at SCREAM London, in June 2009. Winners to be announced on May 31, 2009.
Summary:
myartspace, the premier online venue for the contemporary art world, is sponsoring a Juried competition. We want to represent three contemporary artists at a venue in London, England during June 2009. The competition, like others from myartspace, will have world-class jurors reviewing the work of the submissions. Fifty finalists will be selected and three winners will have their work represented at the show.
With over 50,000 members, and more than two years of history, myartspace has been a key force in the art industry at availing opportunity for its rapidly growing community. The myartspace community consists of artists, collectors, gallerists, art appreciators, educators, curators, art critics and many others. Membership to myartspace is free, and members can upload an unlimited amount of art work, music, video and audio narration.
For more information about London Calling visit,
www.myartspace.com/londoncalling
For more information about SCREAM London visit,
www.screamlondon.co.uk
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Monday, December 15, 2008
Frequently Asked Questions About the New York Art Exchange (NYAXE)
Below are some frequently asked question about the New York Art Exchange (NYAXE). The New York Art Exchange is an online marketplace for buying and selling contemporary fine art. NYAXE was officially launched on December 2nd at the Bridge Art Fair in Miami. The New York Art Exchange (NYAXE) enables the art community to capitalize on new digital mediums through technology by connecting artists, gallerists and collectors via the World Wide Web. NYAXE can be used in association with www.myartspace.com. NYAXE and myartspace are owned by the Catmacart Corporation.Why the two sites - myartspace and nyaxe?
"We debated this issue quite a bit. We decided that we wanted to see the social network, myartspace, continue to flourish as a great place for free expression, unlimited uploading or work, and a healthy balance of artists, collectors, gallerists, educators, students and art appreciators. Artists can upload their studies as well as their best work, and gain valuable feedback and support. It's almost like a museum exhibit for the artists. The New York Art Exchange is highly focused on providing a market for selling and buying art, and so the items for sale are likely to be amongst the best people have to offer, and the buyers are there not only to look and appreciate, but to purchase. We see this nyaxe personal store more like a Chelsea Gallery. People can wander in to admire, but many will be on a mission to buy. We think the overwhelming majority of members will co-exist between the two sites as there are ways the sites are tightly linked."
Can I use my art on myartspace for nyaxe?
Can I use my art on myartspace for nyaxe?
"Yes. When you go to create a listing, you can either upload a fresh new piece of work directly into your online store OR you can import work from your image library in myartspace. If you feel the images you uploaded in myartspace are perhaps not high enough resolution or don't capture you work well, you can always upload new images. You can access your NYAXE store by logging into your www.myartspace.com account. Simply visit your account page and click on Manage Store."
What resolution images should I upload for nyaxe.com?
What resolution images should I upload for nyaxe.com?
"You should try to upload the highest resolution images possible onto nyaxe as buyers will want to use the zoom feature to scour your work for details and because on-demand printing is always better with a higher digital image to print from. We would recommend a minimum of a 5 megapixel camera, and today if you are buying a new camera, the lowest resolution should be 10 megapixel. A Digital SLR camera will generally take much better photos than a non-SLR even with the same megapixel rating."
How many photos of my piece of work should I upload?
How many photos of my piece of work should I upload?
"For each listing, you can have one primary image, and 4 secondary images. You may want to show different perspectives on the work, or perhaps some images more zoomed in that others. You don't need to provide additional images, but the capability is there."
How many listings (items for sale) can my store have?
How many listings (items for sale) can my store have?
"There is no practical limit to how many items can be listed on your site. But realistically, you will need to use Categories in order to keep them in smaller groups so that the buyer doesn't get lost. Each store plan has a limit to the number of free item listings you can have that year, and after that there is a cost with each listing. You probably would like to balance the incremental listing costs against the traffic you see going to your store before committing too many listings."
Do I get my own web address with my store?
Do I get my own web address with my store?
"Yes you do. It will be something like www.nyaxe.com/lois.foley. You get to choose that address when you sign up to create your store."
How does the representation work?
How does the representation work?
"Gallerist have more advanced stores and have the option to "represent" other artists work found in a nyaxe store by making a formal request. The gallerist would propose a representation to an artist through the nyaxe messaging system. He would propose a price that the artist would receive upon sale of the work, and a shipping arrangement. In some cases they may leave the work with the artist and simply represent them online. Either way, the art listing is immediately transferred from the artists store to the gallery store. We expect more galleries to develop an physical and online presence."
What is the commission I pay to sell my work?
What is the commission I pay to sell my work?
"The commission varies from 5% to 15% depending on your store program. You can choose a free store, and you would have a limited number of free listings and a 15% commission when your work is sold. Or you can choose a professional store, list up to 100 pieces of work for free, and pay a 10% commission. For galleries, they have substantially more advanced capabilities and pay a 5% commission. So the actual figure depends on how active your store is."
How does the escrow program work?
How does the escrow program work?
"nyaxe is based on an escrow model for selling original work. The program is designed to protect both the buyer and seller. The money is put safely aside when the artist sells some work is held by us until both parties are satisfied. The way it works is pretty straight forward. The buyer purchases a painting and pays for the item and the shipping. Our escrow system dispenses the shipping money to the artist and the artist then safely ships the work to the buyer. Once the buyer receives it, he acknowledges it and the rest of the money due is released."
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
Edward Winkleman: How to Start and Run a Commercial Art Gallery
Edward Winkleman, an art dealer from New York, has written a book dealing with the many aspects of running a commercial art gallery. Winkleman announced his book, titled How to Start and Run a Commercial Art Gallery, on his popular art blog. The book is designed for individuals who have considered opening their first gallery. However, it appears that there will be useful information within the book for artists and others. How to Start and Run a Commercial Art Gallery by Edward Winkleman will be released in July of 2009 and will be published by Allworth Press.On his blog Winkleman stated that he did have some hesitation about the announcement, stating, “as the world economic situation crumbled all around us, I thought it a particularly cruel joke by God that this would be the backdrop against which I announced a book titled How to Start and Run a Commercial Art Gallery.”. However, based on the comments he has received so far it would seem that people view the book in a positive light. I look forward to reading it.
Winkleman commented on his blog, “The marketing copy and the copious caveats throughout the book do take pains to stress that not only is a gallery a very organically grown and individualized enterprise but that although it's possible to summarize the advice and best practices of the dealers I've interviewed and known over the years, outside of legal and business regulations, there are no hard and fast rules for running a commercial gallery, and the most successful new dealers are the ones who re-invent the business. In short, it's a book for beginners. I wouldn't dream to suggest it contains anything that established dealers would need to know.”
Links of Interest:
www.edwardwinkleman.blogspot.com/
http://badatsports.com/2008/episode-169-edward-winkleman/
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Finalists of myartspace / Bridge Art Fair Miami competition
Finalists of myartspace / Bridge Art Fair Miami competition
Myartspace, along with Bridge Art Fair sponsored a competition juried by a world class panel from Bridge Art Fair, SF MOMA, San Jose Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of Art. The registration and submission period ran from September 1 through November 15, 2008. Fifty finalists were selected along with three top winners.
The three winners were Jonathan Brilliant, Beatrix Reinhardt and Douglas Ljungkvist. The four-person jury panel consisted of Elisabeth Sussman, senior Curator of the Whitney Museum, Janet Bishop, Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, JoAnne Northrop, senior curator of the San Jose Museum of Art, and Michael Workman, Founder of the Bridge Art Fair.
Catherine McCormack-Skiba, the founder of myartspace and CEO, noted, "We continue to marvel at the quality of work that the community puts up for consideration, and the challenge the jury confronts with such breadth and depth of material. Our goal continues to be to provide great opportunities for artists to have their work recognized by leading curators and the art public. We continue to see a global audience of artists and art appreciators in our community."
Michael Workman, Founder and Director of the Bridge Art Fair, said, "We have always believed the art industry will thrive with new entries, new models and new venues. myartspace.com brings to the table a dramatically new and contemporary way to address the art market. We welcome such innovation from the Internet in the Bridge Art Fair."
This will be a short series of entries acknowledging the fifty finalists. I shall post five at a time:
Paul Hickey -- www.myartspace.com/paulhickey
"My work explores space and colour interaction as central sensuous elements. Attempting a balance between control and chance I use bold industrial colours to achieve a democratic approach towards hue. Focusing on the correlation of the whole to its individual component pieces, I want my work to have a direct dialogue with the architecture and not to be confined by the picture plane but to fully discover architectural limits."
Milee Tibbs -- www.myartspace.com/milleetibbs
"I am drawn to photography because of its ubiquitous presence in our culture and because of the tension between the truth-value photographs infer and their inherent manipulation of reality. Despite our awareness of the mutability of photographic images, we approach them thinking we know what to expect: something that-has-been, a fixed subject inside a frame. If the fundamental nature of photography is the fixing of an image, then it is my goal to create an image whose subject is illusive. I develop my work out of my desire to scratch off the surface of the image and expose its construction. 
Mari Richards -- www.myartspace.com/maririchards
"Our culture is hell-bent on consuming everything around us. In every area of life – from food, to information, to our choice of identity and beyond – we create a concept of self by asking our bodies and minds to incorporate and assimilate our surroundings. This habitual filling assumes that individual bodies can take it all in, and continue in the same oblivious state as they began. But, what is our personalized bodily response to this excess and overfilling? How do we cope – subconsciously and corporeally – with too much input, and no end in sight"
James Robert Ford -- www.myartspace.com/jamesrobertford
James Robert Ford is a contemporary British mixed media and installation artist. James attended Goldsmiths College, London. His artwork is often based around social interaction and include elements of game play, participation, communication and humor, and is recognizable in form by its heavy use of the Internet as a means of creating, displaying and promoting artworks.
Myartspace, along with Bridge Art Fair sponsored a competition juried by a world class panel from Bridge Art Fair, SF MOMA, San Jose Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of Art. The registration and submission period ran from September 1 through November 15, 2008. Fifty finalists were selected along with three top winners.
The three winners were Jonathan Brilliant, Beatrix Reinhardt and Douglas Ljungkvist. The four-person jury panel consisted of Elisabeth Sussman, senior Curator of the Whitney Museum, Janet Bishop, Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, JoAnne Northrop, senior curator of the San Jose Museum of Art, and Michael Workman, Founder of the Bridge Art Fair.
Catherine McCormack-Skiba, the founder of myartspace and CEO, noted, "We continue to marvel at the quality of work that the community puts up for consideration, and the challenge the jury confronts with such breadth and depth of material. Our goal continues to be to provide great opportunities for artists to have their work recognized by leading curators and the art public. We continue to see a global audience of artists and art appreciators in our community."
Michael Workman, Founder and Director of the Bridge Art Fair, said, "We have always believed the art industry will thrive with new entries, new models and new venues. myartspace.com brings to the table a dramatically new and contemporary way to address the art market. We welcome such innovation from the Internet in the Bridge Art Fair."
This will be a short series of entries acknowledging the fifty finalists. I shall post five at a time:
Paul Hickey -- www.myartspace.com/paulhickey"My work explores space and colour interaction as central sensuous elements. Attempting a balance between control and chance I use bold industrial colours to achieve a democratic approach towards hue. Focusing on the correlation of the whole to its individual component pieces, I want my work to have a direct dialogue with the architecture and not to be confined by the picture plane but to fully discover architectural limits."
Milee Tibbs -- www.myartspace.com/milleetibbs"I am drawn to photography because of its ubiquitous presence in our culture and because of the tension between the truth-value photographs infer and their inherent manipulation of reality. Despite our awareness of the mutability of photographic images, we approach them thinking we know what to expect: something that-has-been, a fixed subject inside a frame. If the fundamental nature of photography is the fixing of an image, then it is my goal to create an image whose subject is illusive. I develop my work out of my desire to scratch off the surface of the image and expose its construction.
My recent work is a response to our relationship with mediated images, specifically those of women. I use the transgressive space of self-portraiture to upend the canonical power relationship between photographer and subject. This is a picture of me is an attempt to locate the self in an image. This series both evokes the impossibility of going back to childhood and questions the desire to do so. The act of reenacting these photographs is a gesture meant to question how a woman is expected to present herself.
In present American culture, women are asked to have the body of fourteen year olds, and fourteen year olds are presented as desirable women. There is an obsession with youth and sex, and not coincidentally, there is also an obsession with pedophilia. By reenacting these childhood poses I am asking the viewer to reinterpret them through what I see as our culturally confused and confusing relationship to sexuality."
Mari Richards -- www.myartspace.com/maririchards"Our culture is hell-bent on consuming everything around us. In every area of life – from food, to information, to our choice of identity and beyond – we create a concept of self by asking our bodies and minds to incorporate and assimilate our surroundings. This habitual filling assumes that individual bodies can take it all in, and continue in the same oblivious state as they began. But, what is our personalized bodily response to this excess and overfilling? How do we cope – subconsciously and corporeally – with too much input, and no end in sight"
James Robert Ford -- www.myartspace.com/jamesrobertfordJames Robert Ford is a contemporary British mixed media and installation artist. James attended Goldsmiths College, London. His artwork is often based around social interaction and include elements of game play, participation, communication and humor, and is recognizable in form by its heavy use of the Internet as a means of creating, displaying and promoting artworks.
"My work investigates nationalism, in its broadest sense, and the slippery navigation of belonging. The most current work deals with absence and fullness, the imbuing of a template with desired characteristics, and the potential blankness of identity. Personality is hollow, an amalgamation of characteristics plucked from your heroes and shaped by your chosen environment. This is accomplished through series of works that circulate around this central subject.
The images I choose to work with are either the assembly of smaller wholes to make one larger body and movement, or are a single body that addresses the interior space of the silhouette. The fascination with mutable identity is really a reaction towards the American dream, being anything you want to be- especially relevant to immigrant societies, but widely applicable."
About myartspace:
myartspace, the premier online venue for contemporary art, is one of the fastest growing and diverse communities on the internet. Its members include more than 50,000 artists, collectors, gallerists and other art world professionals from across the globe, and it currently has on display hundreds of thousands of pieces of fine art.
Membership on myartspace is free and artists can upload an unlimited amount of work including images, music and video. Myartspace is created and run by CatMacArt Corporation. CatMacArt Corporation is located in Palo Alto, California. CatMacArt Corporation also is the company behind The New York Art Exchange (www.nyaxe.com) the premier online marketplace for contemporary art.
For more information visit, www.myartspace.com/miamibasel/winners/winners.html
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Nothing's Shocking?
Between Nothingness and Paradise (detail) by Gregory de la HabaWhen writing I follow two paths. The first involves complete silence and the other involves loud music. My taste in music ranges from Bach to Megadeth. Tonight, since I’m working away from home, was an ear shattering night. I listened to my usual-- Into the Lungs of Hell off of Megadeth’s So Far, So Good… So What! album is always a favorite for setting the mood when that extra edge is needed. However, tonight I felt like something else-- something less audibly shocking, so to speak.
Eventually I stumbled upon my copy of the album Nothing’s Shocking by Jane’s Addiction. The album, which was released in 1988, made me think-- just what is shocking--with social commentary in mind-- today as far as the art world is concerned? The art world is a reflection of our collective culture, true? So what is shocking? What shocks us visually when we visit a gallery, art museum, or art fair? What hits us in the gut? What wakes us up? Does that type of work exist in mass today or has the concept been so watered down that it is only whored out by attention seeking art-star hopefuls?
For me, shock art-- or just art that is shocking if you like-- must have a strong message in order to remain valid. Viewers must leave with an idea that goes beyond the absurdity, beyond the bizarre. Sadly, a true sense of social commentary is rarely achieved with shocking works today. That is my opinion. I have seen very few works to convince me otherwise in recent years.
A perfect example of this shocking failure could be found at Bridge Art Fair (Wynwood) during Art Basel Miami. An artist at Bridge Wynwood strived to shock curious onlookers as they passed by his installation titled Between Nothingness and Paradise-- which was conveniently located near the center of the exhibit space. The installation-- involving three horses in the throws of exaggerated sexual gratification with a child-sized doll standing nearby-- was the work of Gregory de la Haba. Needless to say, the spectacle-- I mean installation-- attracted a steady flow of viewers. However, the interest did not appear to be strictly about the work. In fact, people tended to focus more on the man behind the work.
Throughout the length of the fair onlookers whispered amongst themselves while passing by the large installation (large compared to the other exhibited work at Bridge Wynwood)-- questions about the artists sanity and sexuality could be overheard. It seemed that people were more shocked by the fact that de la Haba created the installation than by the artwork itself. In that sense, the only social commentary that de la Haba achieved was an exposition of assumptions questioning his stability as an individual and as a father-- since it was made clear from word of mouth that de la Haba created the piece in the presence of his young sons.
With that in mind, there was nothing truly shocking about de la Haba‘s actions. In fact, it appeared as if he were following a blueprint for attempting controversy-- a path that has been followed by many hopeful provocateurs in recent years. However, de la Haba did make a few unorthodox twists and turns in his game plan. For example, one report states that the artist chartered a truck that displayed an image of the installation as a form of promotion-- as if being positioned as a centerpiece at Bridge Wynwood was not enough.
Apparently the artist drove around Wynwood displaying the graphic image until Miami police threatened to arrest him. Censorship or common sense? You be the judge. In other words, a shocking work of art with meaning does not need to be forced upon viewers in order to be valid. Unfortunately, it seems that is exactly what de la Haba was attempting to do. This example of the 'look at me, look at me' attitude is becoming all too common. The story is always the same-- no matter how badly the game is played. Fumble.
I’m certain that dreams of instant art-stardom tickled de la Haba’s brain upon resting his head each night throughout the length of the fair. The only problem is that this provocateur, as so many before him, failed to provoke anything other than a few fleeting moments of curiosity, concern, and ridicule from viewers. Nothing lasting. No meaningful kicks to the gut. Nothing truly shocking. If there was social commentary behind his ‘shocking’ installation it was lost after a few beers and a trip to Art Basel Miami.
This brings me back to the questions at hand: What is shocking today in the art world? What is purposefully shocking, so to speak? Has social commentary been exchanged for a petty display of arrogance and the desire for fame? Is de la Haba more important than the message his work conveys? In thinking about these questions-- while listening to Jane’s Addiction-- I recalled the past.
The album Nothing’s Shocking by Jane’s Addiction was released a year before the Andres Serrano Piss Christ scandal. However, there is a long history of ‘shocking’ art to consider when thinking about the span of art history-- works that were both shocking and meaningful-- works that offered commentary that has stood the test of time. That said, what exactly is shocking-- with meaning-- today considering the art world we know? Why does it seem that social commentary in these works has been lost to art-star delusions?
There is much to comment on today... issues and concerns that could be delivered with a visual bang-- a clever form of shock art. After all, we live in the ‘age of terror’-- there is enough war to go around, we watch movies involving mass destruction followed by movies involving talking animals, children butcher thousands of characters on the tv screen each day in the form of a Playstation 3 game (or is Xbox 360 all the rage?) followed by taking care of a virtual pet so that it does not get 'sick'.
So what is shocking today? How can our way of life be expressed in both a shocking and meaningful manner? Is there still room for social commentary just under the surface? Or would we be better off searching for Wild Horses.
Links of Interest:
Art Basel: It's 'horses gone wild' at Bridge fair
Wacked-Out Weirdness at Art Basel
Horse Porn, Kids, and Basel
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Friday, December 12, 2008
Finalists of myartspace / Bridge Art Fair Miami competition
Finalists of myartspace / Bridge Art Fair Miami competition
Myartspace, along with Bridge Art Fair sponsored a competition juried by a world class panel from Bridge Art Fair, SF MOMA, San Jose Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of Art. The registration and submission period ran from September 1 through November 15, 2008. Fifty finalists were selected along with three top winners.
The three winners were Jonathan Brilliant, Beatrix Reinhardt and Douglas Ljungkvist. The four-person jury panel consisted of Elisabeth Sussman, senior Curator of the Whitney Museum, Janet Bishop, Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, JoAnne Northrop, senior curator of the San Jose Museum of Art, and Michael Workman, Founder of the Bridge Art Fair.
Nicola Evans -- www.myartspace.com/nicolaevans
Maureen Keaveny -- www.myartspace.com/maureenkeaveny
Born St. Louis, MO; 1980. Living and working in Providence, RI. Photographer, installation and new media artist Maureen Keaveny utilizes outdated machines, electronics, photography, and a variety of found and recycled materials to construct large-scale, impermanent landscapes. She constructs reproductions of a nature-based reality that explores the disintegrating layers of what is natural through the formation of cultural objects and imagery.
Keaveny has won honors for her work at the St. Louis Artists' Guild in Missouri and has received the Albert P. Weisman Memorial Scholarship Fund from Columbia College Chicago. She has exhibited her work in Chicago, New York City, St. Louis, Providence, and in the Museum at Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA.
Joyce Siegel --www.myartspace.com/joycesiegel
Joyce Siegel is a working artist with a studio in Long Island City. She recently had a solo show at the Shag Gallery in Chelsea, NY. She also has work at the Pierogi gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. While living in London, Joyce became fascinated with paintings, sculpture and especially drawings. She scoured the galleries and museums in London and New York.
Joyce is primarily a self taught artist and much of what she has learned has come from her interaction and observation of great art. She developed her techniques by taking several art classes at the The New York Studio School, The School of Visual Arts and Anderson Ranch. She has also worked with Jerry Salz, Suzanne Joelson, and more recently with Shazia Sikander and Joan Snyder. Joyce was invited and resided at the artist colony Yaddo, the summer of 2006.
Joyce primarily works with water based products on paper. She is very intrigued by the surface and edges of paper. Joyce has always been fascinated by the creative process; one mark leading to the next mark, as well as one drawing developing into the next drawing. Besides producing her own work, Joyce has also worked with children from The Dalton School, P.S. 6 and the 92nd Street Y Nursery School creating large scale grid drawings. The drawings incorporate sentences, letters, marks and words generated by the children. The entire student body is involved in the drawings which have raised significant funds for these institutions.
Joyce Siegel was born in New York City where she currently resides. She received a B.S. in Economics in 1982 from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and worked on Wall Street for 10 years.
Myartspace, along with Bridge Art Fair sponsored a competition juried by a world class panel from Bridge Art Fair, SF MOMA, San Jose Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of Art. The registration and submission period ran from September 1 through November 15, 2008. Fifty finalists were selected along with three top winners.
The three winners were Jonathan Brilliant, Beatrix Reinhardt and Douglas Ljungkvist. The four-person jury panel consisted of Elisabeth Sussman, senior Curator of the Whitney Museum, Janet Bishop, Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, JoAnne Northrop, senior curator of the San Jose Museum of Art, and Michael Workman, Founder of the Bridge Art Fair.
Catherine McCormack-Skiba, the founder of myartspace and CEO, noted, "We continue to marvel at the quality of work that the community puts up for consideration, and the challenge the jury confronts with such breadth and depth of material. Our goal continues to be to provide great opportunities for artists to have their work recognized by leading curators and the art public. We continue to see a global audience of artists and art appreciators in our community."
Michael Workman, Founder and Director of the Bridge Art Fair, said, "We have always believed the art industry will thrive with new entries, new models and new venues. myartspace.com brings to the table a dramatically new and contemporary way to address the art market. We welcome such innovation from the Internet in the Bridge Art Fair."
This will be a short series of entries acknowledging the fifty finalists. I shall post five at a time:
Julie Davidow -- www.myartspace.com/juliedavidow
Julie Davidow was born in Miami and attended New World School of the Arts in Miami from 1996-1999 on scholarship. Her work has been exhibited at The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC; The Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art; The Tampa Museum of Art; the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, N.C., and numerous local and national galleries.
Davidow's work is included in the permanent collection of the Miami Art Museum, the Girl’s Club Collection in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and many private collections nationwide. She is recipient of a Florida Artist Enhancement Grant, Dade Community Foundation’s Leo and Raye Chestler Contemporary Visual Arts Award, and was a four year juried artist-in-residence at the ArtCenter / South Florida on Miami Beach. In addition, Julie is the coauthor of the book MIAMI Contemporary Artists.
Nicola Evans -- www.myartspace.com/nicolaevans
Maureen Keaveny -- www.myartspace.com/maureenkeavenyBorn St. Louis, MO; 1980. Living and working in Providence, RI. Photographer, installation and new media artist Maureen Keaveny utilizes outdated machines, electronics, photography, and a variety of found and recycled materials to construct large-scale, impermanent landscapes. She constructs reproductions of a nature-based reality that explores the disintegrating layers of what is natural through the formation of cultural objects and imagery.
Keaveny has won honors for her work at the St. Louis Artists' Guild in Missouri and has received the Albert P. Weisman Memorial Scholarship Fund from Columbia College Chicago. She has exhibited her work in Chicago, New York City, St. Louis, Providence, and in the Museum at Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA.
Joyce Siegel --www.myartspace.com/joycesiegelJoyce Siegel is a working artist with a studio in Long Island City. She recently had a solo show at the Shag Gallery in Chelsea, NY. She also has work at the Pierogi gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. While living in London, Joyce became fascinated with paintings, sculpture and especially drawings. She scoured the galleries and museums in London and New York.
Joyce is primarily a self taught artist and much of what she has learned has come from her interaction and observation of great art. She developed her techniques by taking several art classes at the The New York Studio School, The School of Visual Arts and Anderson Ranch. She has also worked with Jerry Salz, Suzanne Joelson, and more recently with Shazia Sikander and Joan Snyder. Joyce was invited and resided at the artist colony Yaddo, the summer of 2006.
Joyce primarily works with water based products on paper. She is very intrigued by the surface and edges of paper. Joyce has always been fascinated by the creative process; one mark leading to the next mark, as well as one drawing developing into the next drawing. Besides producing her own work, Joyce has also worked with children from The Dalton School, P.S. 6 and the 92nd Street Y Nursery School creating large scale grid drawings. The drawings incorporate sentences, letters, marks and words generated by the children. The entire student body is involved in the drawings which have raised significant funds for these institutions.
Joyce Siegel was born in New York City where she currently resides. She received a B.S. in Economics in 1982 from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and worked on Wall Street for 10 years.
Megan Bisbee-Durlam was born in Minneapolis in 1983 and grew up in Vermont. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art from Alfred University in 2005. She has exhibited at such venues as Lohin Geduld Gallery in New York City, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center in Buffalo, Tampa Museum of Art, Bleu Acier Gallery and Covivant Gallery in Tampa, FL, and Flinn Gallery in Greenwich, CT, and was a finalist for the 2005, "Albright Knox: Western New York and Beyond."
Megan's work was published in the Northeastern edition #56 of New American Paintings and will be included in the upcoming publication RiseUp: Vol. III. Reviews and announcements of shows she participated in have appeared in such publications as Art in America, Buffalo News, The Gay City News, The Tampa Tribune, and Tampa Creative Loafing. Megan was invited to give an in-class presentation of her work as a visiting artist at the University of South Florida. She has studied art abroad while living in Paris and Florence. Megan currently lives and works in Anan-cho, Japan, learning Japanese and indulging in Japan's truly unique visual landscape.
About myartspace:
myartspace, the premier online venue for contemporary art, is one of the fastest growing and diverse communities on the internet. Its members include more than 50,000 artists, collectors, gallerists and other art world professionals from across the globe, and it currently has on display hundreds of thousands of pieces of fine art.
Membership on myartspace is free and artists can upload an unlimited amount of work including images, music and video. Myartspace is created and run by CatMacArt Corporation. CatMacArt Corporation is located in Palo Alto, California. CatMacArt Corporation also is the company behind The New York Art Exchange (nyaxe.com), the premier online marketplace for contemporary art.
For more information visit,
www.myartspace.com/miamibasel/winners/winners.html
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
www.myartspace.com
Thursday, December 11, 2008
TOUGH CALL by Charlie Spear
TOUGH CALL by Charlie Spear
This is going to be a tough call. I have three cans of spray paint, a jar of acrylic gel, four tile spacers and a canvas panel 18x24. I am thinking of an abstraction. Shadows from coat hangers on the back wall of my lighted closet have caught my attention the last few days. The voices start the minute I reach for the canvas panel and prop it in front of me on the paint covered 1950’s Formica gray kitchen table.
The whole four years in art school diatribe comes back to me…What is art? What about composition? Who do you think you are to have something worth saying? I know. Still, I have been in love with the process of making art since I started drawing in the first or second grade. It was more fun then. The teacher would give us a few simple instructions about whatever we were doing in class in English and the rest was pure ZONE. When I was done I liked ‘What’ I saw. That was it.
Now, I am an artist and still an art teacher and most of the joy has been squelched from the process of expression by The Art World. Marketing is the focus and Money the goal. I pick up the spray can of Krylon Safety yellow and start letting the paint run down the canvas from staying in one place too long. I like the smell and the liquidity of the yellow street crossing color.
This is what I remember. That feeling of experiment and what now takes me away from the sound of voices. Something of an ethereal feeling fills my mind. Industrial Blue enamel jets out of the nozzle causing a rich green to appear at the edges of the spray thrust. Again the liquid runs like rain on the canvas onto the table and puddles. Quickly before it dries I am scooping out the gel and pushing it onto the surface.
The two mediums can’t mix but still stay on the panel like unyielding neighbors over a driveway easement. The gel peaks from the pull away from my palm. The smell is memorial. I have liked the smell of acrylic from the first can of paint my dad bought for the bedroom, Lucite brand. Smells are the most primeval sensory memories.
The four tile spacers need to be included. I have the last can of Farmall red from Rural King. I point and soak the four spacers in that Garden of Eden red. I sling them onto the canvas in a random but perfect placement. More gel coats over them while they float listlessly in the clear viscous goo. The idea of the coat hanger shadows comes out of nowhere. Yes, the shadows. There are a slew of them hanging from a gas pipe by the washer. Five or six should be enough. I lay them on the canvas allowing for an accidental placement to occur by hitting the stretcher.
More red flows from the wire shapes and drips into crevices of gel. With one hand I wipe the red away from the surface holding the hangers down with the other hand. Several swipes pull the red into a gradual softening mottled pattern. One last offering of Safety yellow softens the red into a Crayola orange-red. Done.
The piece is hanging in my living room over a library table. I look at it now and then. Some new ideas are forming like small wisps of cloud. I might just pick up a few more canvases. And some different colors. Recently I found a DVD copy of an interview of Frank Gehry by Sidney Pollack called the DRAWINGS OF FRANK GEHRY. Frank makes a comment in the beginning of the interview to Sydney about his work for clients. “I’m terrified I won’t be able to come up with anything good for them. So I start drawing and cutting pieces of paper placing them into something that looks good to me.” Hey, that sounds a lot like second grade.
Charlie Spear is a member of the www.myartspace.com community. You can view his work at, www.myartspace.com/CHARLIEARTS/. If you would like to write an article for the Myartspace Blog feel free to contact us at info at catmacart.com.
This is going to be a tough call. I have three cans of spray paint, a jar of acrylic gel, four tile spacers and a canvas panel 18x24. I am thinking of an abstraction. Shadows from coat hangers on the back wall of my lighted closet have caught my attention the last few days. The voices start the minute I reach for the canvas panel and prop it in front of me on the paint covered 1950’s Formica gray kitchen table.
The whole four years in art school diatribe comes back to me…What is art? What about composition? Who do you think you are to have something worth saying? I know. Still, I have been in love with the process of making art since I started drawing in the first or second grade. It was more fun then. The teacher would give us a few simple instructions about whatever we were doing in class in English and the rest was pure ZONE. When I was done I liked ‘What’ I saw. That was it.
Now, I am an artist and still an art teacher and most of the joy has been squelched from the process of expression by The Art World. Marketing is the focus and Money the goal. I pick up the spray can of Krylon Safety yellow and start letting the paint run down the canvas from staying in one place too long. I like the smell and the liquidity of the yellow street crossing color.
This is what I remember. That feeling of experiment and what now takes me away from the sound of voices. Something of an ethereal feeling fills my mind. Industrial Blue enamel jets out of the nozzle causing a rich green to appear at the edges of the spray thrust. Again the liquid runs like rain on the canvas onto the table and puddles. Quickly before it dries I am scooping out the gel and pushing it onto the surface.
The two mediums can’t mix but still stay on the panel like unyielding neighbors over a driveway easement. The gel peaks from the pull away from my palm. The smell is memorial. I have liked the smell of acrylic from the first can of paint my dad bought for the bedroom, Lucite brand. Smells are the most primeval sensory memories.
The four tile spacers need to be included. I have the last can of Farmall red from Rural King. I point and soak the four spacers in that Garden of Eden red. I sling them onto the canvas in a random but perfect placement. More gel coats over them while they float listlessly in the clear viscous goo. The idea of the coat hanger shadows comes out of nowhere. Yes, the shadows. There are a slew of them hanging from a gas pipe by the washer. Five or six should be enough. I lay them on the canvas allowing for an accidental placement to occur by hitting the stretcher.
More red flows from the wire shapes and drips into crevices of gel. With one hand I wipe the red away from the surface holding the hangers down with the other hand. Several swipes pull the red into a gradual softening mottled pattern. One last offering of Safety yellow softens the red into a Crayola orange-red. Done.
The piece is hanging in my living room over a library table. I look at it now and then. Some new ideas are forming like small wisps of cloud. I might just pick up a few more canvases. And some different colors. Recently I found a DVD copy of an interview of Frank Gehry by Sidney Pollack called the DRAWINGS OF FRANK GEHRY. Frank makes a comment in the beginning of the interview to Sydney about his work for clients. “I’m terrified I won’t be able to come up with anything good for them. So I start drawing and cutting pieces of paper placing them into something that looks good to me.” Hey, that sounds a lot like second grade.
Charlie Spear is a member of the www.myartspace.com community. You can view his work at, www.myartspace.com/CHARLIEARTS/. If you would like to write an article for the Myartspace Blog feel free to contact us at info at catmacart.com.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Portfolio Submission and Review is Now Online
Portfolio Submission and Review is Now Online
For decades, mailing 35mm slides served as the only option for sharing/reviewing portfolios. This was expensive and time consuming, but nobody had a problem with it because there were no other options. That is, until the digital camera came out. Then the art world when through an awkward period where many photo documentation was being taken digitally, and output as 35mm slides. This never really caught on due to expense, and was quickly replaced by photo-services automatically saving everything to a CD. This was very cheap and convenient for the artist.
However, CDs caused new problems. The first problem with CDs was compatibility. Organizations often could not open files because of software differences. And artists were scared because they were not sure if their portfolios were viewable. This gave rise to pages and pages of instructions, for exactly how files should be prepared. But not all artists are Photoshop geniuses, so this was frustrating as well. The second problem that arose was the inefficiency of of receiving hundreds (or thousands) of CDs. Slides were at least easy to preview and review, you just hold the sheet up to the light. But CDs have to be inserted, opened, navigated and clicked through one at a time ... very time consuming. But many organizations "upgraded" to this because digital photography was the new standard, and they want to be fair to applicants.
With the explosion of online usage, the web is the new standard for communication, including portfolio submission & review. Even the word "digital" has become synonymous with "online." Some institutions build their own system, while others buy professionally made systems. For example, Since 2006 over 50 major art schools in the US moved to an online system powered by SlideRoom, and this number is growing everyday. Some of the schools using SlideRoom include CalArts, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Hunter, MICA and Pratt.
The benefits of doing everything online almost needs no explanation. Applicants can easily upload, label,arrange and submit their portfolio (along with any application forms). And organizations can easily aggregate, view and assess the submitted portfolios in one private online setting. This has several beneficial consequences for the organization. First, with the proliferation of media types, it is extremely helpful to have all media converted to one consistent format. There is no more fear about whether a file can be opened. Secondly, reviewers can participate remotely, leaving ratings and comments from anywhere in the world. And finally, everything is automatically organized and archived, saving weeks (sometimes months) of administrative work!
Now I can hear you saying: "Wait a minute, I know lots of places that ask for portfolios to be sent via postal service." I can guarantee you they are presently looking into online options. Some organizations have been slow to switch for a variety of reasons. Some are worn out from having just switched to CDs, and the idea of making another major switch to their process is scary. Another reason may be a fear of expense. Online systems are not free, they can cost anywhere between $50K - $100K to build from scratch. Luckily, companies like SlideRoom provide affordable alternatives in the form of ready made systems.
So, I wanted to end this post with three tips for artists:
1) Don't let the convenience of the digital camera lure you into being lazy about demanding great photo documentation. While most point and shoot digital cameras take great pictures, you may still want to hire a professional for formal documentation ... particularly if you want print the images in invitations or catalogs. Even if you are not printing the image, because the web makes it possible for everyone the entire world to see your work, and you need to be looking good.
2) Maintain two inventories of your work: one for print (300dpi) and one for web (72ppi). Your main inventory should be for print, because these are huge images, and you can always make them smaller. However, they are too large for the web. You will face trouble emailing, using online submission systems, or posting anything to web because the files are way too huge. If you don't know how to re-size images yourself, invest in a 30 min lesson from a friend. Since the web is now our universal medium for sharing media with each other, it is critical you understand this digital material.
3) If you make videos, keep the original file and the software you created it on. This is the only way you will be able to alter it to meet future submission guidelines. I have seen countless artists save their movie to a DVD, only to find they cannot post it to the web. Or, they have it saved to a CD, but not in the format an institution is asking for. The easiest/best way to meet specifications is to take your video into the original software and re-export to meet guidelines.
About the author: Christopher Jagers is the Founder & CEO of SlideRoom: www.slideroom.com. His company provides online systems to universities, art groups and others to receive and review visual media from applicants.
For decades, mailing 35mm slides served as the only option for sharing/reviewing portfolios. This was expensive and time consuming, but nobody had a problem with it because there were no other options. That is, until the digital camera came out. Then the art world when through an awkward period where many photo documentation was being taken digitally, and output as 35mm slides. This never really caught on due to expense, and was quickly replaced by photo-services automatically saving everything to a CD. This was very cheap and convenient for the artist.
However, CDs caused new problems. The first problem with CDs was compatibility. Organizations often could not open files because of software differences. And artists were scared because they were not sure if their portfolios were viewable. This gave rise to pages and pages of instructions, for exactly how files should be prepared. But not all artists are Photoshop geniuses, so this was frustrating as well. The second problem that arose was the inefficiency of of receiving hundreds (or thousands) of CDs. Slides were at least easy to preview and review, you just hold the sheet up to the light. But CDs have to be inserted, opened, navigated and clicked through one at a time ... very time consuming. But many organizations "upgraded" to this because digital photography was the new standard, and they want to be fair to applicants.
With the explosion of online usage, the web is the new standard for communication, including portfolio submission & review. Even the word "digital" has become synonymous with "online." Some institutions build their own system, while others buy professionally made systems. For example, Since 2006 over 50 major art schools in the US moved to an online system powered by SlideRoom, and this number is growing everyday. Some of the schools using SlideRoom include CalArts, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Hunter, MICA and Pratt.
The benefits of doing everything online almost needs no explanation. Applicants can easily upload, label,arrange and submit their portfolio (along with any application forms). And organizations can easily aggregate, view and assess the submitted portfolios in one private online setting. This has several beneficial consequences for the organization. First, with the proliferation of media types, it is extremely helpful to have all media converted to one consistent format. There is no more fear about whether a file can be opened. Secondly, reviewers can participate remotely, leaving ratings and comments from anywhere in the world. And finally, everything is automatically organized and archived, saving weeks (sometimes months) of administrative work!
Now I can hear you saying: "Wait a minute, I know lots of places that ask for portfolios to be sent via postal service." I can guarantee you they are presently looking into online options. Some organizations have been slow to switch for a variety of reasons. Some are worn out from having just switched to CDs, and the idea of making another major switch to their process is scary. Another reason may be a fear of expense. Online systems are not free, they can cost anywhere between $50K - $100K to build from scratch. Luckily, companies like SlideRoom provide affordable alternatives in the form of ready made systems.
So, I wanted to end this post with three tips for artists:
1) Don't let the convenience of the digital camera lure you into being lazy about demanding great photo documentation. While most point and shoot digital cameras take great pictures, you may still want to hire a professional for formal documentation ... particularly if you want print the images in invitations or catalogs. Even if you are not printing the image, because the web makes it possible for everyone the entire world to see your work, and you need to be looking good.
2) Maintain two inventories of your work: one for print (300dpi) and one for web (72ppi). Your main inventory should be for print, because these are huge images, and you can always make them smaller. However, they are too large for the web. You will face trouble emailing, using online submission systems, or posting anything to web because the files are way too huge. If you don't know how to re-size images yourself, invest in a 30 min lesson from a friend. Since the web is now our universal medium for sharing media with each other, it is critical you understand this digital material.
3) If you make videos, keep the original file and the software you created it on. This is the only way you will be able to alter it to meet future submission guidelines. I have seen countless artists save their movie to a DVD, only to find they cannot post it to the web. Or, they have it saved to a CD, but not in the format an institution is asking for. The easiest/best way to meet specifications is to take your video into the original software and re-export to meet guidelines.
About the author: Christopher Jagers is the Founder & CEO of SlideRoom: www.slideroom.com. His company provides online systems to universities, art groups and others to receive and review visual media from applicants.
Art Space Talk: Suzanne Unrein
Pastoral, oil on canvas, 62.25 x 53Brian Sherwin: Suzanne, I observed that you take three directions with your work. You have an ongoing series of paintings, drawings, and portraits. Does each series of works feed off the other? In other words, do your drawings inform your paintings… and your paintings inform your portraits, so to speak? Also, do you prefer one body of work over the other?
Suzanne Unrein: The paintings originated out of the drawings. I had been living in Mexico and was working on a series of drawings that were oil on clay paper. They worked like daily visual diaries that started out as gestures and then became very sculptural in form as the applying and erasing evolved.
Suzanne Unrein: The paintings originated out of the drawings. I had been living in Mexico and was working on a series of drawings that were oil on clay paper. They worked like daily visual diaries that started out as gestures and then became very sculptural in form as the applying and erasing evolved.
Shortly after I moved back to the States, I took a trip to London and saw Rubens’ Massacre of the Innocents. I was excited and began thinking about the sculptural forms in my drawings. I decided to try a painting inspired by that Rubens work, using the technique I had developed through the drawings. That was the start of a body of work reconstructing the old masters as abstract paintings.
I have been interested in portraits throughout my life. I like the forced discipline of the genre, and they provide a yin to the yang of my more abstract work. All three ongoing bodies of work inform each other. On a given day, one may seem more important to work on than another, depending on where I am creatively.
BS: Suzanne, when I view your paintings I’m reminded of classic works, such as The Rape of the Sabine. You are obviously influenced by the Old Masters and other artists from the past. You drawings contain some of the same movements, so to speak. Can you discuss that influence? Perhaps you can go into detail about specific influences?SU: I find great joy in the Old Masters and am very much inspired by the dramatic impact created by the composition and colors. When I first turned to them after making the drawings, I was having an artistic crisis with my works on canvas. I was blocked and not sure how to proceed. The Old Masters seemed so alive compared to what I was working on at the time, and I felt that I could learn something from going back to that source. While Rubens is a particular favorite, I’m also a big fan of Poussin, Raphael, Correggio, and Bougereau.
Antic Hay, oil on canvas, 80 x 68BS: Tell us more about the thoughts behind your work. For example, is there a specific message that you strive to convey to viewers of your work?
SU: My interest in the Old Masters came from a desire to get back to the joy of why I started painting in the first place. By playing with the compositions – mixing Bougereau’s nymphs with Poussin’s – I’m both taking weight off of the work as well as bowing to these great icons.
BS: Tell us more about your creative process and the methods and techniques that you utilize…
SU: The drawings are oil on clay paper, and they are painted gestures that I then erase with turpentine and a rag to create sculptural forms. The works on canvas begin with creating collages. I take old master figures and reconfigure them into new compositions. I use these as inspirations for the paintings. My painting technique is similar to the drawings, although they involve quite a few more layers.
F-86, oil on canvas, 59 x 69 BS: Can you discuss some of your current work? What are you working on at this time?
SU: Right now I am interested in combining the still life genre with portraiture. My current canvas is inspired by Rubens’ Portrait of a Man as the God Mars, with a van Huysum flower arrangement on his head.
BS: Let us step back and discuss the role of art history within the context of your work. It often seems that people dismiss the past when striving to create a ‘new’ art. Everyone wants to be the ’first’ even though art history informs us that they are walking on the shoes of many other artists who came before--- everyone wants to be ‘remembered’ while not taking the time to remember those who came before. That said, would you say that a connection to the art of the past is needed in the art world of today more than ever--- especially on the academic level?
SU: A connection to the art of the past is extremely important to me. I couldn’t say what is needed in the art world.
The World Inside the Wrist, oil on canvas, 65 x 87 BS: Do you have any other thoughts or observations concerning the art world of today?
SU: With the technology of today, we are able to see so much more work on a global level, that it’s very exciting. Through art websites I’ve seen amazing paintings that I would not have had the chance to see otherwise. I’m optimistic that the internet will open the art world up to lesser recognized artists and their work.
BS: Finally, where can our readers see your work in person? Will you be involved with any upcoming exhibits?
SU: My main focus at the moment is producing this next body of work. I have a studio residency at PS 122 and will be doing a month residency this winter at the Jentel Foundation. I hope by late spring to have a body of work together to show in New York.
You can learn more about Suzanne Unrein by visiting her website-- www.suzanneunrein.com. Suzanne is currently a member of the myartspace community-- www.myartspace.com/suzanneunrein. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
New York Art Exchange (NYAXE)
The New York Art Exchange media lounge and digital gallery at Bridge Miami Wynwood. Catherine McCormack-Skiba, CEO and founder of myartspace & NYAXE, mingles with pressThe New York Art Exchange, an online marketplace for buying and selling contemporary fine art, was officially launched on December 2nd at the Bridge Art Fair in Miami. The New York Art Exchange (NYAXE) enables the art community to capitalize on new digital mediums through technology by connecting artists, gallerists and collectors via the World Wide Web. NYAXE can be used alongside www.myartspace.com. NYAXE and myartspace are owned by the Catmacart Corporation.
NYAXE will connect collectors, artists and gallerists together, allowing buyers to quickly search through thousands of works of fine art on the site and navigate through numerous curated pieces of works. Gallerists and artists can create a personal and customized branded online gallery storefront to begin selling on the NYAXE marketplace. The storefront gallery allows artists and gallerists to sell the following: an original piece of artwork, a digital version of the work (e.g. jpeg), or an on-demand version of the print on merchandise (e.g., posters, note cards, Giclees for example). Storefronts can be organized into categories such as watercolors, original works, sculptures, to make it easy for art collectors to find what they are looking for.
Brian Skiba demonstrates the capabilities of the New York Art ExchangeThere are five different levels to choose from in building a NYAXE gallery storefront. A basic storefront is free for the first five listings, and each level provides more advanced features and marketing capabilities and cost effective pricing structures. The various tiers of service are designed to enable artists and gallerists to try their hand at ecommerce to build a basic store at a low cost. Artists and gallerists subsequently can upgrade to higher tiers if they wish to expand their offerings. NYAXE is a an affordable solution for exploring what eCommerce has to offer.
Catherine McCormack-Skiba, CEO and founder of NYAXE, stated, "It's been my vision for years to make great art accessible to a broader audience through technology and the internet. I'm excited that we can empower gallerists and artists to expand the awareness of their fine art and help them connect with a new audience of buyers on a global level."
Catherine McCormack-Skiba, CEO and founder of NYAXE, stated, "It's been my vision for years to make great art accessible to a broader audience through technology and the internet. I'm excited that we can empower gallerists and artists to expand the awareness of their fine art and help them connect with a new audience of buyers on a global level."
Links of Interest:
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
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