This weekend was the Pride celebration in Oklahoma City, and once again they had an "art" show. This was only the second time, and they're still trying to get their act together. I expected that, since I had done the show last year, I might have gotten some notification, but apparently that's not a thing. I didn't actuall find out they were doing it for sure until I saw it on the schedule in the Gazzette two days before the show. So if I am to do this show next year, I'm going to have to be a lot more proactive about my participation.
Last year, I was in the unique position of being the ONLY artist in the art show. Everyone else was selling t-shirts, trinkets, and advertising services. This year, with my absence, there were no artists at all.
My entry last year was the result of some effort on the part of the committee to attract artists to the show. A fellow came out to the Paseo show and was passing out coupons for half off the entry fee. The going rate for art show entries is about $100 per day, slightly over that if it's a large established show. They were charging $200 for a day and a half, and it was necessary to tear down just as the crowds were arriving because the tents are set up on the parade route. There are spaces available at the side, for an additional cost, tho.
I did moderately well at last year's show, but I think I might have done better this year. I think that the new pics I have would appeal to that particular audience. But money is a problem right now for everyone, and the new pics are more expensive than my old p&i prints. But I still would have liked to have tried.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Monday, June 20, 2016
Self Satisfaction
I'm feeling very pleased with myself. I finished a painting.
This is the painting that I was working on when my friend Loggan convinced me that I needed to start printing some of my photos instead of just hiding them on my computer with the idea that someday I'd get around to painting or drawing them. And now it's done. And apparently sold.
If you've been to my shows and asked me about the photos that I showed this year, then you already know much of this story. I take lots of pictures. Lots. Tons. And now that everything is digital, whether on my camera or my phone, all of them get loaded up on my computer. I then play around with the ones I like best... Well, actually, I play around with most of them regardless, finding the best composition, changing it to black and white if it should be a pen & ink, tweaking the colors if it should be a painting, sometimes changing the color scheme entirely, and running them through some other filters to add some cool visual effects. Sometimes I forget to go to bed when I'm doing this. And then, after all that work, it goes on a memory stick in a file called "potential" where it mostly sits unseen except by me and, perhaps, the man-spouse if he happens to notice.
I like morning light a lot, so frequently my picture taking expeditions happen on a Sunday morning when I'm getting off work, and the parking downtown is free and abundant. The photo for the painting above was taken one October morning when the sun had moved to the south and was lighting up the north side of the Bricktown Canal. There is a bar on that side (I thought it was a restaurant, but it's a bar) where all the seating is brightly painted wooden chairs. The morning light on the chairs was incredibly beautiful, and I took several pictures with my little Kodak. Six of those pictures turned out pretty good, five I liked well enough to paint, four I intend to paint (though I haven't decided which one to skip,) and two I love.
Frankly, painting a series is pretty ambitious for me. I already have five canvases sitting in the studio that I haven't been working on, some of them years old. And there is a large pen & ink that I started a year and a half ago that hasn't seen the light of day in... uh...
I know. I'm ashamed.
So one night, Loggan and his partner, Steve, come over for dinner, and we all wander out to the studio because Loggan wants to see what I'm working on. I showed him this partially completed painting, and explain that it's going to be one of four, and then I fire up the computer to show him the other three. As I'm scrolling through the source file, he says, "What's all this?" I explained that this is my source file for all my future works. He said, "Doc, you're never going to get around to that. These are wonderful the way they are. Why don't you just find someone who can print them for you, and put them in your show, and see if anyone likes them." The man-spouse concurred, because, well, he knows me.
Within a couple of weeks afterwards, I found out that Tim, the guy who cuts my frames for me, had a giclée machine. I asked some questions about how it worked, and how I should provide him with my images, and then brought him my memory stick with all my pictures. I had him print my favorite. O Em Gee, it was gorgeous. Ultimately, I had him print eleven different pictures, which I had in my shows this year.
But...
I discovered that some of the picture I had were small. The large ones worked very well printed in a large format, but others, either through cropping or reducing, could not be printed large without becoming pixelated. The chair pics happened to be thus, which is okay, because they would still be painted anyway, but there were others that I would have liked to have had ready for upcoming shows. Yeah, I could print them small, but there's just something about the image that says it needs to be bigger, y'know?
So, in spite of having a new medium to show, it seems I still have a lot of work to do. I guess I better get crackin'.
This is the painting that I was working on when my friend Loggan convinced me that I needed to start printing some of my photos instead of just hiding them on my computer with the idea that someday I'd get around to painting or drawing them. And now it's done. And apparently sold.If you've been to my shows and asked me about the photos that I showed this year, then you already know much of this story. I take lots of pictures. Lots. Tons. And now that everything is digital, whether on my camera or my phone, all of them get loaded up on my computer. I then play around with the ones I like best... Well, actually, I play around with most of them regardless, finding the best composition, changing it to black and white if it should be a pen & ink, tweaking the colors if it should be a painting, sometimes changing the color scheme entirely, and running them through some other filters to add some cool visual effects. Sometimes I forget to go to bed when I'm doing this. And then, after all that work, it goes on a memory stick in a file called "potential" where it mostly sits unseen except by me and, perhaps, the man-spouse if he happens to notice.
I like morning light a lot, so frequently my picture taking expeditions happen on a Sunday morning when I'm getting off work, and the parking downtown is free and abundant. The photo for the painting above was taken one October morning when the sun had moved to the south and was lighting up the north side of the Bricktown Canal. There is a bar on that side (I thought it was a restaurant, but it's a bar) where all the seating is brightly painted wooden chairs. The morning light on the chairs was incredibly beautiful, and I took several pictures with my little Kodak. Six of those pictures turned out pretty good, five I liked well enough to paint, four I intend to paint (though I haven't decided which one to skip,) and two I love.
Frankly, painting a series is pretty ambitious for me. I already have five canvases sitting in the studio that I haven't been working on, some of them years old. And there is a large pen & ink that I started a year and a half ago that hasn't seen the light of day in... uh...
I know. I'm ashamed.
So one night, Loggan and his partner, Steve, come over for dinner, and we all wander out to the studio because Loggan wants to see what I'm working on. I showed him this partially completed painting, and explain that it's going to be one of four, and then I fire up the computer to show him the other three. As I'm scrolling through the source file, he says, "What's all this?" I explained that this is my source file for all my future works. He said, "Doc, you're never going to get around to that. These are wonderful the way they are. Why don't you just find someone who can print them for you, and put them in your show, and see if anyone likes them." The man-spouse concurred, because, well, he knows me.Within a couple of weeks afterwards, I found out that Tim, the guy who cuts my frames for me, had a giclée machine. I asked some questions about how it worked, and how I should provide him with my images, and then brought him my memory stick with all my pictures. I had him print my favorite. O Em Gee, it was gorgeous. Ultimately, I had him print eleven different pictures, which I had in my shows this year.
But...
I discovered that some of the picture I had were small. The large ones worked very well printed in a large format, but others, either through cropping or reducing, could not be printed large without becoming pixelated. The chair pics happened to be thus, which is okay, because they would still be painted anyway, but there were others that I would have liked to have had ready for upcoming shows. Yeah, I could print them small, but there's just something about the image that says it needs to be bigger, y'know?
So, in spite of having a new medium to show, it seems I still have a lot of work to do. I guess I better get crackin'.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Paseo 2016, Day Three: Pondering The Future
Boy. I am tum pluckered.
It was raining a bit this morning, and I guess overnight as well. It made things cooler for a while, until later when it was just more humid. I had taken everything down last night because of the possibility storms, so this morning I completely rearranged it all.
The picture of the First National Center, "Skyline Signature," continues to be the most popular of my photos, though no one liked it enough to take one home with them. The pictures that someone did take home were "No Time Left For You" (the parking meter) and "That None May Penetrate" (the combination lock.) Other than that, I only sold one of the letters, and finished the show just short of making back the entry fee.
Late in the afternoon, another artist came around, and she was very complimentary of my work. But she told me something I had already been thinking about: I'm surrounded by crafts and resale items, and it's hampering my sales. Not that the show was good this year anyway, she said, but she thinks that I should be in the "real" Paseo show, and not Kathy's.
I decided to check on the possibility of that, so during a restroom break, I headed north and spoke to a randomly selected artist about how does one get into the "real" Paseo show? My question confused him at first, because, as it turned out, he was part of Kathy's show as well. In fact, there were two more booths in Kathy's show north of him, the last being #120. (I was in #29.) I had no idea that the show was that big. He also told me that the "real" Paseo show uses Zapplication for their entries, which is why he's doing Kathy's. I understood, because Zapplication is the reason I hadn't been doing the Stillwater show, nor the OCCC show for the last several years. So, considering all this, I've decided that the thing to do, to try, is to just note on next year's application a placement preference.
I met a couple of interesting people late in the day. One was the lady who owns the Empire Pizza building, which once was the Friendly Laundry, the subject of my pen & ink drawing "Almost Friendly." She said that she once had all of those letters, but she doesn't know where they are now.
The other was a lady whose father was the man who built the wall that is the subject of my pen & ink drawing "Freshly Fallen Silent Shroud," as well as the walls at the entrances to Fink Park, Woodlawn Cemetery, and other places in Edmond. It seems he was the go to man for those kinds of rock structures, and the city of Edmond relied on him to get the job done.
It was also nice to see friends Michael and Josh, who I haven't seen in a while.
As far as I know, this is the last show for a while. I always refer to the day after the last art show as New Year's Day, because it's the day I get to start working on the stuff that I want to do instead of what I have to do. Not that I won't jump at the chance to show my work if the opportunity arises, of course.
It was raining a bit this morning, and I guess overnight as well. It made things cooler for a while, until later when it was just more humid. I had taken everything down last night because of the possibility storms, so this morning I completely rearranged it all.
The picture of the First National Center, "Skyline Signature," continues to be the most popular of my photos, though no one liked it enough to take one home with them. The pictures that someone did take home were "No Time Left For You" (the parking meter) and "That None May Penetrate" (the combination lock.) Other than that, I only sold one of the letters, and finished the show just short of making back the entry fee.
Late in the afternoon, another artist came around, and she was very complimentary of my work. But she told me something I had already been thinking about: I'm surrounded by crafts and resale items, and it's hampering my sales. Not that the show was good this year anyway, she said, but she thinks that I should be in the "real" Paseo show, and not Kathy's.
I decided to check on the possibility of that, so during a restroom break, I headed north and spoke to a randomly selected artist about how does one get into the "real" Paseo show? My question confused him at first, because, as it turned out, he was part of Kathy's show as well. In fact, there were two more booths in Kathy's show north of him, the last being #120. (I was in #29.) I had no idea that the show was that big. He also told me that the "real" Paseo show uses Zapplication for their entries, which is why he's doing Kathy's. I understood, because Zapplication is the reason I hadn't been doing the Stillwater show, nor the OCCC show for the last several years. So, considering all this, I've decided that the thing to do, to try, is to just note on next year's application a placement preference.
I met a couple of interesting people late in the day. One was the lady who owns the Empire Pizza building, which once was the Friendly Laundry, the subject of my pen & ink drawing "Almost Friendly." She said that she once had all of those letters, but she doesn't know where they are now.The other was a lady whose father was the man who built the wall that is the subject of my pen & ink drawing "Freshly Fallen Silent Shroud," as well as the walls at the entrances to Fink Park, Woodlawn Cemetery, and other places in Edmond. It seems he was the go to man for those kinds of rock structures, and the city of Edmond relied on him to get the job done.
It was also nice to see friends Michael and Josh, who I haven't seen in a while.
As far as I know, this is the last show for a while. I always refer to the day after the last art show as New Year's Day, because it's the day I get to start working on the stuff that I want to do instead of what I have to do. Not that I won't jump at the chance to show my work if the opportunity arises, of course.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Paseo 2016, Day Two
Well. I could replay the video from yesterday, but I think I'll skip it.
I've been using a particular frame for all of my digitally enhanced photos, but yesterday when I was putting up the most popular of those pictures, I noticed that the frame was damaged. I had thought the frame was stained wood, but it turns out that it actually has a thin layer of composite (that plastic plasterish stuff they use to create the filigree on ornate mouldings) which had just been painted to look like wood grain. I called Denton's to see if they could cut a quick replacement for me, but they didn't have enough moulding to make a frame that size. So, when I left the show last night, I took that pic home, along with another of the same size, so I could switch them out.
This morning, I got up at six again, as I do on show days, hurried to get showered and dressed, and went out to the studio to fix the frames. When I was done with that and all the rest of the stuff I needed to do to get ready, I left the house at 7:30.
When I got to the show, the first order of business was to rearrange the screens as if I had a corner booth. My neighbor to the north doesn't have walls, and there is a two foot "alley" between booths, so a corner arrangement would do a lot to increase my street visibility, and it would give me a place to stay out of the sun.
As I was putting up the pictures, I noticed a chip in another frame. I don't believe this particular moulding is going to stand up to the rigor of outdoor shows. I'm going to have to find something else.
Even with these two extra tasks, I was finished and ready by 9:00am. The show opens at ten. I should have brought a book.
Crowds were pretty thick all day, but sales were few. A lot of that can, of course, be blamed on our State's economy at the moment, but the heat had a lot to do with it too, as attested to by the fact that even the $6 letters weren't selling. But a lot of people were taking my new cards after having discussed a particular piece, so perhaps there will be residual sales later on.
My phone said that it was going to rain in the late afternoon, and when that failed to happen, I felt ripped off. Rain at a show is seldom a good thing, but if it would have cooled things off, that would have been a blessing. It did cloud up late in the evening just about closing time, but it had all moved east by the time I left. There is a chance of storms overnight, so I took down all my pics and wrapped them in plastic. I think that tomorrow, I'll completely rearrange things.
I've been using a particular frame for all of my digitally enhanced photos, but yesterday when I was putting up the most popular of those pictures, I noticed that the frame was damaged. I had thought the frame was stained wood, but it turns out that it actually has a thin layer of composite (that plastic plasterish stuff they use to create the filigree on ornate mouldings) which had just been painted to look like wood grain. I called Denton's to see if they could cut a quick replacement for me, but they didn't have enough moulding to make a frame that size. So, when I left the show last night, I took that pic home, along with another of the same size, so I could switch them out.
This morning, I got up at six again, as I do on show days, hurried to get showered and dressed, and went out to the studio to fix the frames. When I was done with that and all the rest of the stuff I needed to do to get ready, I left the house at 7:30.
When I got to the show, the first order of business was to rearrange the screens as if I had a corner booth. My neighbor to the north doesn't have walls, and there is a two foot "alley" between booths, so a corner arrangement would do a lot to increase my street visibility, and it would give me a place to stay out of the sun.
As I was putting up the pictures, I noticed a chip in another frame. I don't believe this particular moulding is going to stand up to the rigor of outdoor shows. I'm going to have to find something else.
Even with these two extra tasks, I was finished and ready by 9:00am. The show opens at ten. I should have brought a book.
Crowds were pretty thick all day, but sales were few. A lot of that can, of course, be blamed on our State's economy at the moment, but the heat had a lot to do with it too, as attested to by the fact that even the $6 letters weren't selling. But a lot of people were taking my new cards after having discussed a particular piece, so perhaps there will be residual sales later on.
My phone said that it was going to rain in the late afternoon, and when that failed to happen, I felt ripped off. Rain at a show is seldom a good thing, but if it would have cooled things off, that would have been a blessing. It did cloud up late in the evening just about closing time, but it had all moved east by the time I left. There is a chance of storms overnight, so I took down all my pics and wrapped them in plastic. I think that tomorrow, I'll completely rearrange things.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Paseo 2016: Set-up and Day One
And now for the theme of today's show...
Ya, seriously. But it's still better than wet wet wet.
Alright, I need to go back in time a bit to day one of the Edmond show. I had asked our friend Randall if he'd like to help me set-up, because the man-spouse has a job (yay), which means he wasn't going to be available (boo.) Randall said yes. BUT, Randall is notoriously flaky when it comes to scheduling stuff, and sometimes he bails -- that is, he's nowhere to be found -- when we are expecting to get together with him. I called him the night before the show and got no answer, and the morning of the show I was running just a hair late, and I'm sitting at the corner of 2nd and Littler trying to decide, do I go left and go on to the show, or do I go right and pick up Randall? I went left.
Last week I dropped by his house for a visit, and he asked me why I didn't come to pick him up. The reason he didn't answer the phone was because he'd gone to bed early so he'd be ready in the morning. And he was ready, an hour earlier than I was expected. So now I'm feeling ashamed and embarrassed, and I'm feeling like I don't have the right to ask if he's available for this show. Fortunately, he strongly hinted that he wanted to be asked.
I picked him up at his house, and we went to my parents' house to get the truck, and he met my Dad. Dad started talking about some work he needed done on rent houses, and Randall said he should hire him. But then he said that, maybe not because he cusses a lot, and "joo wadden unnerstan my oxcent." Dad said that was okay, because he can't hear anything anyway.
After dropping by my house to get the tent, screens, and furniture, we headed on down to the Paseo. The Paseo was a revelation to Randall, and he says he can't wait to come back when the show is open. We set up the tent, short, stuck the screens and furniture underneath, strapped it down tight, and headed home. On the way it started raining. Dad called to say he wanted the truck back in his garage because the TV was saying we had impending hail. On the way, Gaby happened to meet up with us on the highway on his way home from work, and he followed us the parents' house. Once there, Randall met my Mom. Randall is not known as a charming person, and sometimes it seems like his favorite two hobbies are criticizing and complaining, but he absolutely charmed the socks off my parents. The five of us had a nice long enjoyable conversation, until it was time for us to go. The hail never came.
I never sleep well the night before a show. I tossed and turned a lot, and when I did sleep I had weird dreams.
When the alarm went off, I got showered, dressed, got the truck packed, sandwiches and coffee made, made sure I got those items that I was afraid I was going to forget, kissed the man-spouse good-bye, and left the house in fifty minutes. I stopped by the ON-cue and got ice and Cheez-itz and Rolaids. I got to the Paseo early enough to get a decent (though not terribly close) parking spot, and had plenty of time to set up.
I forgot my phone.
DANG-it.
Can't use The Square without a phone.
So, now I'm borrowing other people's phones trying to wake up the man-spouse.
"Hello? This is Gabriel." (Finally!)
"I forgot my phone."
"I can tell. I'm talking to you on it."
He arrived with the phone a little over half an hour later, and he stayed for about an hour. After he left, I got to use The Square for the first time, and several hours later, a second time. So easy. I should have done this ages ago.
Crowds were good all day. We didn't even get the 3:00 lull. Did I mention it was hot?
Ya, seriously. But it's still better than wet wet wet.
Alright, I need to go back in time a bit to day one of the Edmond show. I had asked our friend Randall if he'd like to help me set-up, because the man-spouse has a job (yay), which means he wasn't going to be available (boo.) Randall said yes. BUT, Randall is notoriously flaky when it comes to scheduling stuff, and sometimes he bails -- that is, he's nowhere to be found -- when we are expecting to get together with him. I called him the night before the show and got no answer, and the morning of the show I was running just a hair late, and I'm sitting at the corner of 2nd and Littler trying to decide, do I go left and go on to the show, or do I go right and pick up Randall? I went left.
Last week I dropped by his house for a visit, and he asked me why I didn't come to pick him up. The reason he didn't answer the phone was because he'd gone to bed early so he'd be ready in the morning. And he was ready, an hour earlier than I was expected. So now I'm feeling ashamed and embarrassed, and I'm feeling like I don't have the right to ask if he's available for this show. Fortunately, he strongly hinted that he wanted to be asked.
I picked him up at his house, and we went to my parents' house to get the truck, and he met my Dad. Dad started talking about some work he needed done on rent houses, and Randall said he should hire him. But then he said that, maybe not because he cusses a lot, and "joo wadden unnerstan my oxcent." Dad said that was okay, because he can't hear anything anyway.
After dropping by my house to get the tent, screens, and furniture, we headed on down to the Paseo. The Paseo was a revelation to Randall, and he says he can't wait to come back when the show is open. We set up the tent, short, stuck the screens and furniture underneath, strapped it down tight, and headed home. On the way it started raining. Dad called to say he wanted the truck back in his garage because the TV was saying we had impending hail. On the way, Gaby happened to meet up with us on the highway on his way home from work, and he followed us the parents' house. Once there, Randall met my Mom. Randall is not known as a charming person, and sometimes it seems like his favorite two hobbies are criticizing and complaining, but he absolutely charmed the socks off my parents. The five of us had a nice long enjoyable conversation, until it was time for us to go. The hail never came.I never sleep well the night before a show. I tossed and turned a lot, and when I did sleep I had weird dreams.
When the alarm went off, I got showered, dressed, got the truck packed, sandwiches and coffee made, made sure I got those items that I was afraid I was going to forget, kissed the man-spouse good-bye, and left the house in fifty minutes. I stopped by the ON-cue and got ice and Cheez-itz and Rolaids. I got to the Paseo early enough to get a decent (though not terribly close) parking spot, and had plenty of time to set up.
I forgot my phone.
DANG-it.
Can't use The Square without a phone.
So, now I'm borrowing other people's phones trying to wake up the man-spouse.
"Hello? This is Gabriel." (Finally!)
"I forgot my phone."
"I can tell. I'm talking to you on it."
He arrived with the phone a little over half an hour later, and he stayed for about an hour. After he left, I got to use The Square for the first time, and several hours later, a second time. So easy. I should have done this ages ago.
Crowds were good all day. We didn't even get the 3:00 lull. Did I mention it was hot?
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Prepping for Paseo
I did something yesterday that I should have done a long time ago. I got The Square (cuz I have a smart phone now and I can do that.) My only excuse for having not done it sooner is that when one is not tech-savvy, everything seems like it should be more complicated than it really winds up being. And this was really easy.
Once upon a time, I accepted credit cards the old fashioned way, through a credit card service with a machine that processed the cards and payments automatically. The fee wasn't bad, but they had me renting (to own) a machine that ultimately cost me over a thousand dollars, and then on top of that, they insisted I start paying for ID theft insurance, which was going to cost more than I was making in credit card sales. Totally not worth it. So I stopped taking cards altogether. The Square is so much easier, and I won't have to deal with all the bullmumblemumble.
Today was spent matting and framing replacements for the pics I sold at the Edmond show. I went to Denton's to pick up some matboard, and on the way I thought it would be a good idea to stop by the Paseo district to see if they've already laid out where the booths are going to be. completely forgot about it till I got back home. They've got a really cool thing. I'm in that portion of the show that is being run by the heirs of Kathy Jacobson, and they own the parking lot that much of the show is in. a few years ago, they drilled holes in the parking lot and put in some sleeves for large eyebolts that the artists use to anchor their tents. It is THE reason we didn't lose everything during last year's monsoon.Sometime in the next day or so, I need to go to my Dad's house and make up some more business cards. I had intended to get ahold of my old printer and have her make up a box of cards for me, but I procrastinated myself out of time. Still needs to be done, tho.
Other than that, I believe I'm ready.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Everything Is All Over The Place
Once upon a time, I had a Chevy Astro. It was the perfect vehicle for transporting my art show. But life changes and mechanical problems made it necessary to get a different vehicle, and though the little sedan I drive now gets great mileage and has few problems, it isn't big enough for my show.
So, for the last several years I've been borrowing my Dad's old pickup truck for my show. But my Dad has a lot of rental property, and the truck is always packed with the tools and things he uses to fix whatever maintenance issues come up at houses he owns. So before each show, the truck needs to be unloaded, and after, reloaded. The stuff that gets unloaded gets piled in the spot in the garage where he would normally be parking the truck, so until the truck is reloaded, it has to be left outside.
Outside is where I left the truck when I returned it. I told my Mom that I didn't have time to stay and help load, but that I'd be back the next day (today) after I got up. When I got there this afternoon, I found Dad upstairs. He told me that Mom had told him I'd be there, but he had told her that he really didn't want to load the truck today. We went down to the garage, where he explained that there was too much stuff in the garage, and most of it didn't need to go back into the truck. And it didn't help that his shed, which is actually a detached one-car garage, is also full. We discussed storage options and strategies for tackling the project, but whatever he does, it's going to be a big job.
My Dad and I have the same problem. We have a place for everything, and everything is all over the place. The only way to solve our problem is to drag everything out of our respective sheds, our respective garages, and my studio, sweep the floors, and put everything back in in a more organized manner, perhaps disposing of a few things along the way. But this requires time, energy, and good weather. Lately, all three of those things have been in short supply. A little help wouldn't be a bad thing either, but the usual minions are busy as well.
My next day off won't be till Sunday or Monday, and I've suggested to him that I might be able to help. He's a little less patient, though, and even though he's a champion procrastinator, just having the truck sitting outside is going to bug him. He'll probably have it done by Friday. That'll leave me without an excuse for getting my own stuff done. Oh, well.
So, for the last several years I've been borrowing my Dad's old pickup truck for my show. But my Dad has a lot of rental property, and the truck is always packed with the tools and things he uses to fix whatever maintenance issues come up at houses he owns. So before each show, the truck needs to be unloaded, and after, reloaded. The stuff that gets unloaded gets piled in the spot in the garage where he would normally be parking the truck, so until the truck is reloaded, it has to be left outside.
Outside is where I left the truck when I returned it. I told my Mom that I didn't have time to stay and help load, but that I'd be back the next day (today) after I got up. When I got there this afternoon, I found Dad upstairs. He told me that Mom had told him I'd be there, but he had told her that he really didn't want to load the truck today. We went down to the garage, where he explained that there was too much stuff in the garage, and most of it didn't need to go back into the truck. And it didn't help that his shed, which is actually a detached one-car garage, is also full. We discussed storage options and strategies for tackling the project, but whatever he does, it's going to be a big job.
My Dad and I have the same problem. We have a place for everything, and everything is all over the place. The only way to solve our problem is to drag everything out of our respective sheds, our respective garages, and my studio, sweep the floors, and put everything back in in a more organized manner, perhaps disposing of a few things along the way. But this requires time, energy, and good weather. Lately, all three of those things have been in short supply. A little help wouldn't be a bad thing either, but the usual minions are busy as well.
My next day off won't be till Sunday or Monday, and I've suggested to him that I might be able to help. He's a little less patient, though, and even though he's a champion procrastinator, just having the truck sitting outside is going to bug him. He'll probably have it done by Friday. That'll leave me without an excuse for getting my own stuff done. Oh, well.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Edmond 2016, Day Three
Well, I started out the day by spilling coffee on my shoes. Is that a good omen?
Another sunny but cool day, with a bit of wind. Crowds were great.
I put out some stuff that I hadn't had out the first two days, one of which was my tub of names, a collection of letters from the Letters Project that I had matted into three, four, and five letter names. The main reason I hadn't put the tub out before was because I wasn't sure where to display it. I wound up just putting it on the ground next to the print file. Turns out, that was perfectly adequate. People didn't mind squatting down to thumb through it, and two people found the name they were looking for. Over all, the letters made up almost 19% of my sales.
It popped up in my Facebook newsfeed that I took the original photo for my new picture "Garden Party" five years ago Saturday. By the end of the day, that was the only one of the new pictures that had sold. Surprising, because everyone seemed to gravitate toward the pic of the First National Tower ("Skyline Signature.")
The vet called in the middle of the day, and left a message saying that the schnauzer's x-rays showed that she had a partially slipped disk, and that if the medication and rest didn't fix the problem, she might need surgery. Fortunately, the meds seem to be working just fine. As long as we can keep her from re-injuring herself (she's like Bambi on the ice in our dining room) then she should be okay.
It was a pretty good show this year. Not spectacular, but I made enough money to cover my booth rent and pay for the time I was taking off from the job. Plus, there will be residuals. One person says she wants to order three of my Scrabble pics. I talked to one fellow who says he might be interested in buying one of my big originals. The conversation was not satisfying with him, though. I feel like I failed to communicate effectively to him how to get ahold of me outside the shows. Also, one of my regular collectors (yes, I have a few of those) plucked a print out of the bin and said, "Frame this for me." I'll have that done for him in a few days. And a couple for whom I had done a drawing of their house years ago wants me to do another one. So, as you can see, the end of a show is not necessarily the end of the show.
Next up: Kathy's Paseo on Memorial Day Weekend.
Another sunny but cool day, with a bit of wind. Crowds were great.
I put out some stuff that I hadn't had out the first two days, one of which was my tub of names, a collection of letters from the Letters Project that I had matted into three, four, and five letter names. The main reason I hadn't put the tub out before was because I wasn't sure where to display it. I wound up just putting it on the ground next to the print file. Turns out, that was perfectly adequate. People didn't mind squatting down to thumb through it, and two people found the name they were looking for. Over all, the letters made up almost 19% of my sales.
It popped up in my Facebook newsfeed that I took the original photo for my new picture "Garden Party" five years ago Saturday. By the end of the day, that was the only one of the new pictures that had sold. Surprising, because everyone seemed to gravitate toward the pic of the First National Tower ("Skyline Signature.")The vet called in the middle of the day, and left a message saying that the schnauzer's x-rays showed that she had a partially slipped disk, and that if the medication and rest didn't fix the problem, she might need surgery. Fortunately, the meds seem to be working just fine. As long as we can keep her from re-injuring herself (she's like Bambi on the ice in our dining room) then she should be okay.
It was a pretty good show this year. Not spectacular, but I made enough money to cover my booth rent and pay for the time I was taking off from the job. Plus, there will be residuals. One person says she wants to order three of my Scrabble pics. I talked to one fellow who says he might be interested in buying one of my big originals. The conversation was not satisfying with him, though. I feel like I failed to communicate effectively to him how to get ahold of me outside the shows. Also, one of my regular collectors (yes, I have a few of those) plucked a print out of the bin and said, "Frame this for me." I'll have that done for him in a few days. And a couple for whom I had done a drawing of their house years ago wants me to do another one. So, as you can see, the end of a show is not necessarily the end of the show.
Next up: Kathy's Paseo on Memorial Day Weekend.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Edmond 2016, Day Two
Day two started out rather cool. I had forgotten to take home the sweater that I was wearing the day before, and I was tempted to put it on, but my pride kept telling me that I didn't want to be seen wearing the same top as yesterday, so I just endured until it warmed up just after noon. Also I had forgotten to bring a hat, so my bald spot got sunburned.
Before the show opened, I moved the two screens that were holding up the new pics from the north side to the west side to increase visibility for the southbound foot traffic. As you can see from the photo below, that was a smart move.
Before the show opened, I moved the two screens that were holding up the new pics from the north side to the west side to increase visibility for the southbound foot traffic. As you can see from the photo below, that was a smart move.
You can also see that the weather was beautiful, and so was the crowd. Unfortunately, that didn't translate into a lot of sales. People loved my work; they just didn't love it enough to take it home with them.
Early in the day, I overheard a group of young men walking by talking about the prices one of the artists had on his work. One of them said, "Wow, I am in the wrong profession." My eyes rolled involuntarily. Yes, an artist may have, say, $5000 on a painting, but if at the end of the show that painting hasn't sold, the artist has made zero dollars.
Still, the day was rather nice. My parents came by at separate times bearing food. It was nice to see an old college friend, Sandra, who came by about lunchtime. I had a nice conversation about current architectural trends in downtown OKC with a couple of fellows who had asked about the subjects of some of my new pictures. And Gary Lennon dropped by late in the afternoon with some enthusiastic reactions to the new stuff.
The man-spouse never got to come to the show. Our schnauzer sustained some sort of injury - we're not sure what - and had to go to the vet this afternoon. That took a big chunk out of the bank account and orchid watering time. But hopefully tomorrow will prove that I'm in the right profession, so the money won't be a problem. Tomorrow's supposed to be beautiful, so it could happen.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Edmond 2016, Day One
The man-spouse has been helping me set up my shows since we met in 2002, but a couple of years ago he got his green card (yay!) and a job (yay!), which means he's no longer available to help if the show begins on a Friday (boo!) So for the second year in a row, I have to figure out how to get this tent up by myself. It's not easy, but it can be done. As it turned out, my biggest problem in getting set up this morning was the lack of a water hose.
There are certain steps that must be taken in order when setting up the tent. First, uh... well, set up the tent. By that I mean, unfold it and get the legs snapped into place. That's actually the hardest part because gravity wants to interfere. It's easier with two people because one person lifts the roof support, while the other person snaps the corner framework into place. Not impossible for one, but very difficult.
Secondly, I bungee cord the corners of the roof. It's just a thing I do because during one show on a very hot day, the wind blew the roof off . Although this is a new tent, I'm not taking any chances.
Thirdly, we attach the walls, and fourthly, we attach the weights. Instead of using heavy items, like concrete filled PVC pipes, I use five gallon buckets filled with water, which are convenient because I can just dump the weight when the show is over. But they have to be filled at the beginning of the show, and that's where I ran into my problem this morning. There is a spigot available for use at the corner of 1st and Broadway, but this morning it took forever to locate the hose. I waited at the hospitality tent and had a donut and coffee, and chatted with the show committee ladies. Finally, one of them came back with the hose, and I was able to fill the two buckets that I had brought. When I got back to my space, I discovered that my tent had walked itself out into the street.
I finally finished at 11:20, an hour and 20 minutes after the show opened.
This is the first year that I am showing my new computerated photos. I put most of them all together on the north side, and put my older stuff, the pen and inks I'm known for, on the south side. I didn't bring everything, and I didn't display everything I brought, because I have eleven new pictures and limited space.
The weather was pretty iffy, but not nearly as bad as was predicted. It rained lightly for a few minutes at a time all day, and fortunately, it wasn't wet enough to keep the crowds away.
My daughter showed up for lunch, and while she was there a couple decided to purchase a picture. While I was filling out the ticket, I started telling them about this blog, and about how in the first post I had speculated what my kids would do with my work after I was gone. I said, "If my daughter winds up with my work, she'll probably find a way to market it and sell it all. Or she'll just toss it." That made them laugh.
"Dad," my daughter said in that tone that teenagers take when they're explaining something really obvious. "It's more valuable after you die." That really made them laugh.
A gentleman came in some time later, and got really excited about the intricacies of my pen work in one of my pictures. He went to find his wife, who happened to be standing behind where I was sitting. He told her that I had an amazing amount of patience, and that he could never have the patience to do what I do. "Don't be silly. You've got a lot of patience," she said. "You married me."
About 3:30, one of the committee ladies drove by in her golf cart and informed the artists that a storm would be coming through in about an hour, so batten the hatches. As time approached, I wrapped up all my big pictures and moved them into the beauty salon behind me, and then sat in the booth waiting for a storm that never came. The temperature dropped a couple of degrees, the wind picked up slightly, and there was some thunder, but the only bad thing that happened was that all the customers left. By six o'clock, most of the booths had shut down, so I did too.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day.
There are certain steps that must be taken in order when setting up the tent. First, uh... well, set up the tent. By that I mean, unfold it and get the legs snapped into place. That's actually the hardest part because gravity wants to interfere. It's easier with two people because one person lifts the roof support, while the other person snaps the corner framework into place. Not impossible for one, but very difficult.Secondly, I bungee cord the corners of the roof. It's just a thing I do because during one show on a very hot day, the wind blew the roof off . Although this is a new tent, I'm not taking any chances.
Thirdly, we attach the walls, and fourthly, we attach the weights. Instead of using heavy items, like concrete filled PVC pipes, I use five gallon buckets filled with water, which are convenient because I can just dump the weight when the show is over. But they have to be filled at the beginning of the show, and that's where I ran into my problem this morning. There is a spigot available for use at the corner of 1st and Broadway, but this morning it took forever to locate the hose. I waited at the hospitality tent and had a donut and coffee, and chatted with the show committee ladies. Finally, one of them came back with the hose, and I was able to fill the two buckets that I had brought. When I got back to my space, I discovered that my tent had walked itself out into the street.
I finally finished at 11:20, an hour and 20 minutes after the show opened.This is the first year that I am showing my new computerated photos. I put most of them all together on the north side, and put my older stuff, the pen and inks I'm known for, on the south side. I didn't bring everything, and I didn't display everything I brought, because I have eleven new pictures and limited space.
The weather was pretty iffy, but not nearly as bad as was predicted. It rained lightly for a few minutes at a time all day, and fortunately, it wasn't wet enough to keep the crowds away.
My daughter showed up for lunch, and while she was there a couple decided to purchase a picture. While I was filling out the ticket, I started telling them about this blog, and about how in the first post I had speculated what my kids would do with my work after I was gone. I said, "If my daughter winds up with my work, she'll probably find a way to market it and sell it all. Or she'll just toss it." That made them laugh.
"Dad," my daughter said in that tone that teenagers take when they're explaining something really obvious. "It's more valuable after you die." That really made them laugh.
A gentleman came in some time later, and got really excited about the intricacies of my pen work in one of my pictures. He went to find his wife, who happened to be standing behind where I was sitting. He told her that I had an amazing amount of patience, and that he could never have the patience to do what I do. "Don't be silly. You've got a lot of patience," she said. "You married me."
About 3:30, one of the committee ladies drove by in her golf cart and informed the artists that a storm would be coming through in about an hour, so batten the hatches. As time approached, I wrapped up all my big pictures and moved them into the beauty salon behind me, and then sat in the booth waiting for a storm that never came. The temperature dropped a couple of degrees, the wind picked up slightly, and there was some thunder, but the only bad thing that happened was that all the customers left. By six o'clock, most of the booths had shut down, so I did too.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Not Enough Hours In A Day
When I first conceived of this blog, I assumed that most of it would be about how trying to live my real life is interfering with my attempts at being a serious artist. In all likelihood, that will eventually turn out to be the case, but for now, today, the opposite is true.
When I get off work in a few hours, it will be Thursday morning, the day before this weekend's art show. I still have a lot of things to do to prepare for the show, one of which is to call my Dad and tell him there's an art show this weekend and I need to borrow the truck. (Hazards of working the night shift: whenever you think about needing to call someone, it's ALWAYS while that someone is in bed asleep.)
I also need to go to the grocery store, both for show food and for home food. I need to dig out the big pictures and clean the glass and make sure the frames are in decent shape. I need to go through my tool box and make sure it's sufficiently loaded. I need to find and clean all my show furniture. Late in the afternoon, I need to go downtown and get my show packet, and find out if Elaine at Dean-Lively Gallery is going to stay open late so I can store some of my work in her shop overnight. I also need to get four or five hours of sleep. And I need to shower and straighten up the house a bit before my son shows up with his new girlfriend for dinner.
Hopefully, my son will remember to bring cake, because Thursday is also the man-spouse's birthday.
I can do this.
When I get off work in a few hours, it will be Thursday morning, the day before this weekend's art show. I still have a lot of things to do to prepare for the show, one of which is to call my Dad and tell him there's an art show this weekend and I need to borrow the truck. (Hazards of working the night shift: whenever you think about needing to call someone, it's ALWAYS while that someone is in bed asleep.)
I also need to go to the grocery store, both for show food and for home food. I need to dig out the big pictures and clean the glass and make sure the frames are in decent shape. I need to go through my tool box and make sure it's sufficiently loaded. I need to find and clean all my show furniture. Late in the afternoon, I need to go downtown and get my show packet, and find out if Elaine at Dean-Lively Gallery is going to stay open late so I can store some of my work in her shop overnight. I also need to get four or five hours of sleep. And I need to shower and straighten up the house a bit before my son shows up with his new girlfriend for dinner.
Hopefully, my son will remember to bring cake, because Thursday is also the man-spouse's birthday.
I can do this.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Forecast, Six Days Out
Well, shoot crud.
This is not good news. Hopefully things will change in the next few days, or perhaps it will just go around us.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
The Schedule
The Downtown Edmond Arts Festival begins in eight days. I have eleven new pictures in a new medium that really excited to show, plus all the other stuff I've been dragging around for years. I've done this particular show every year but one since 1993.
Art shows have a peculiar psychological effect on me. I'm inspired to go home and create loads of new stuff while at the same time wondering how I'm going to get rid of the stuff I've already got, or what my kids will do with it after I'm gone. My son is a kind of sentimental sort, and I figure if he winds up with it, he'll be holding on to it as a keepsake for the rest of his life. My daughter is a bit more practical, and she'd probably figure out some way to market it all. Or toss it, either one.Thinking about this makes me feel old.
Anyway, I think I need to either expand my market somehow (more shows?) or just improve my marketing skills. I can't just keep going to the same two shows and just expect that in one or two years a couple of hundred people in Edmond will suddenly realize they desperately need a nineteen year old print of a typewriter. Although, I suppose that could happen, right?
In the meantime, I've got such big plans for next year. I'm gonna produce so much stuff, and it's gonna be beautiful stuff, and it's gonna sell so well. People are gonna be begging for my stuff. It's gonna be yooge.
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