Work of Art: Season 1

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The following article was published on Bravotv.com .

Bravo’s latest stroke on the reality canvas brings Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Sarah Jessica Parker and her production company, Pretty Matches, together with the Emmy-nominated Magical Elves (Top Chef, Project Runway) and Eli Holzman, to produce Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, an hour long creative competition series among contemporary artists. Work of Art: The Next Great Artist will bring together fourteen aspiring artists to compete for a solo show at a nationally recognized museum and a generous cash prize.

Click here to read the entire article.

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Social Media 101

Jane Hart, Art Business News Contributing Writer has written an interesting article on the effective use of Social Media. According to Jane, “Social networking can boost brand awareness, enhance sales and become an important asset in a business marketing plan. But, pitfalls exist when connecting online. It is important to remember that effective networking requires time-management skills, patience and discretion.”

Jane identifies the following five pitfalls to avoid when using social media, along with tips for being creative and cautious when networking: Poor Time Management. Lack of Focus, Impatience, Indiscretion, and Too Much Volume.

You can read the entire article here: http://artbusinessnews.com/2010/02/24/social-media-101-2/

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Gem Faire Comes to the West Coast

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The largest gem and jewelry show on the West Coast features more than 150 exhibitors, gemstones, beads, jewelry, minerals, fossils and meteorites. Classes and demos will be held throughout the weekend.

The fair is open Fridays from 12:00 noon – 7:00 PM, Saturdays from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, and Sundays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. $5.00 weekend passes are available.

www.gemfaire.com

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Art Shows: The Costs Add Up

Image by shyb via Flickr

By Don Schraier

So, you’re thinking of attending an art show and you’re wondering about the costs involved. There are many factors to consider, not the least of which is the location of the show in comparison to where you live.

If you are considering a local show, then your costs will be transportation, space rental, canopy (if needed), signage, display racks, food, and the cost of the goods you are selling.

If you are traveling out of town, you’ll need to add in freight, set-up, and, quite possibly, union fees for everything from electrical, to tables and chairs.

Following are some cost ranges that you can expect:

* Booth Space – $500 to $10,000
* Signage – $200 to $500
* Displays – $200 to $500
* Flyers – $100 to $200
* Business Cards – up to $250
* Transportation – anywhere from $100 to $1,000
* Hotels – about $70 – $200 a night
* Food – about $70 a day
* Freight – Maybe $150 (depends on weight and distance)

These figures vary depending on how far you travel and how expensive the city is which you’re traveling to, but any major city Arts and Crafts show will average at least $5,000 according to available figures.

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Ukraine’s Got Talent: Kseniya Simonova

This video shows the winner of “Ukraine’s Got Talent”,  Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II.  Her talent, which admittedly is a different one, is mesmeric to watch.

The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about $130,000.00

She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.

It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears.

She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.

This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.

In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.

The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine, resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.

Kseniya Simonova says: “I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there’s surely no bigger compliment.”

How to link your Great Artisans Booth to your online store

Image via CrunchBase

After you setup your account, a unique web site or “booth” is automatically created. For example: http://greatartisans.com/booths/ your-name. This is where you will add your artistic creations to sell.

We offer the ability to setup and sell direct through Great Artisans via Paypal.  But what if you already have an eBay or other online store? Do you really need both? The answer is simple – easily link your store items to your Great Artisans site. You will benefit by not only saving time, but also by creating links that help build search traffic to your online store!

Just follow these four simple steps:

1) Highlight item and select Add item under My Stuff

2) Fill out the Title field, Price (Sort Price), and Description – can be brief , as you are linking to the store item including any description, weight, etc. But be sure to mention, “click link below for purchase” to better alert customers.

3) Browse and select jpeg image of item – you can use the same one from your online store/ shopping cart.

4) Open the actual item up in your web browser from your eBay store and copy and paste the URL into the Link field in your great artisans page. Be sure to hit the SUBMIT button and test the link. If you have auction items in eBay, you may have to update the link (just repeat this step) after each auction.

Why do artists date their paintings on the front of the canvas?

Image by JohnnyRokkit via Flickr

By Tom Pergola

In my 30 plus years in the fine art world, I’ve asked many artists this question and the usual response I get is “I don’t know, I see it on other paintings”.  Personally I don’t see any reason for it.  All it tells the potential buyer is that it hasn’t sold in 2, 5, or 10 years or whatever the case may be.

The customer really doesn’t want to hear that nobody has been interested or purchased it for a long period of time.  Why do they even have to know when it was painted.  What’s the difference?   They may ask themselves, “Why hasn’t this painting sold yet, am I doing the right thing?”  This might turn him or her off and ruin the sale.

If an artist does insist on dating their paintings I suggest they do it on the back so it’s not in plain sight.  The only thing that should be on the front of a paint is a clear signature.  Some high end artists now even feel that it’s “cool” not  to put a signature on a painting or possibly on the back of the canvas only.  It’s the new trend.

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Functional Art: Understanding What Buyers Want

Image by jrubinic via Flickr

If you are wondering what type of artwork buyers are looking for today, consider the following word: functional art.

The January 19th, 2010 edition of Art Business News reports that, due to the current economy, many buyers are looking for artwork that can enhance their practical lives. According to Sara Levine  Petroff, BFA, BID, owner and curator of Petroff Gallery, art buyers are on a noticeable trend.

“Right now, when people are buying, they want to make sure they have the option to also use the piece,” says Petroff, whose gallery is located in Toronto, Canada. “Functionality increases a piece of art’s marketability and desirability and expands a person’s options when purchasing works for a gift. It also expands the gallery’s options.”

Many gallery owners seem to agree with Ms. Petroff’s observations, noting an increased interest in what they call “functional art”.

Both downsizing in living spaces and hopes for a higher return on investment appear to be driving this trend.

To read the entire article, click here: http://artbusinessnews.com/2010/01/19/what-buyers-want/

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Featured Artisan: Michael De Medina

This month’s Featured Artisan is Michael De Medina.

Michael De Medina is a sculptor, jeweler, and craftsman, who has designed and produced sculptures and gifts for corporations such as GM, Max Factor, Sperry Rand, Phillip Morris, AT&T, 20th Century Insurance CO., Mattel Toys and Fluor Corp. His pieces range from jewelry in precious metals to architectural sculptures, to life-size bronze portraits.

Michael was commissioned to produce the 14k gold pins that were worn by President Reagan and Chairman Gorbachev at the 1987 Washington, D.C. Summit as well as Medallions to commemorate Pope John Paul II visit to the U.S. and Mexico in 1999. Recently, in 2007 he has been selected to redesign the Minerva Award.  He is currently available for commissions for portrait sculptures and oil paintings

Located within the Los Angeles area, Michael has also designed and created sculptures and movie props for such films as Ghostbusters, Dead Ringers, Rat Race, and countless T.V. commercials.

His hobbies include cosmology and philosophy.

You can view Michael’s art pieces at: http://michaeldemedina.greatartisans.com/booth/michael-de-medina
Michael De Medina
818.727.0009
art@michaeldemedina.com
http://www.michaeldemedinastudios.com

Coming Soon: Featured Artists

We, at Great Artisans, are all about helping you promote both your art and your business. To that end, we will soon be featuring member artists in both our blog and newsletter. Both the blog and newsletter are distributed across the Internet and reach tens of thousands of viewers each month.

If you are interested in becoming one of our “featured artists”, simply send us an email and we’ll get back to you with information on how to participate.

~Scott