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Nov132009
POSTED AT 10:11 PM
They’re here, they’re here! Earlier this week on Ebay, I bid and WON the bidding on a vintage 132-stick set of Grumbacher pastels in a wooden case. Today they came in the mail. YAY! Why am I so excited about getting a really old, used set of pastels? Well, I’ll have to give you a little background first and then you’ll understand.
Back about 40 years ago when I started taking art lessons from a woman in South Holland IL in her basement, I first started my lessons using only a charcoal pencil and a kneaded eraser. That’s how everyone started when they took lessons from Julia Van Kley. I learned how to draw just about anything you can think of before I was introduced to color. It’s called learning by the classical method and even though at the time it seemed tedious to me, I’m really glad that I was taught that way. I firmly believe that drawing is the foundation for all forms of art, and I know that if I hadn’t had such a firm foundation in drawing at the outset, then my artwork wouldn’t be at the level it is today.
Anyway, when I FINALLY was ready to use color (according to Julia’s standards), my mother was instructed to purchase a starter set of Grumbacher pastels. That’s when I received my little box of 40 half stick Grumbacher pastels. According to pastelists back then, the ONLY pastels in the US that were worth buying and using were Grumbachers. They were highly pigmented, of uniform consistency, and they had a nice range of unique colors.
So my very first experience with producing a colored piece of work was with Grumbacher pastels. Imagine my excitement when I finally got to use color and with such brilliantly colored pastel sticks! Since those many years ago the Grumbacher company was absorbed by another pastel maker and, sorry to say, the original high quality Grumbacher pastels are no longer being made. So, the only place one can find them is on Ebay when someone finally decides to dust off an old set of them and sell them as ‘vintage’ pastels.
Over the years I have sparingly used those original half sticks, but alas nothing lasts forever, and many of my half sticks have been used down to little crumbs. So I’ve kept my eyes open for a set of Grumbachers on Ebay, and low and behold this past Monday I found the perfect set—132 mostly NEVER-BEEN-USED vintage Grumbacher pastels. YESSS!
After the sale was finalized, I found out through email that the seller’s mother was a pastelist and had originally owned them, and that the seller had hung onto the case for many years thinking that she’d someday get around to using them. But she finally decided to sell them, hoping that someone else would “get as much joy out of using them” as her mother did. Man oh man, I LOVE THEM and will get much joy out of using them. I feel like a little kid again on Christmas morning having just opened the gift I REALLY wanted. Such fun.
Nov072009
POSTED AT 12:12 PM
 I need to take the time to advertise my framer—Framing Concepts of Chesterton, IN (www.framingconceptsonline.com). They are my very best friends when it comes to making my work presentable.
If you are an artist and you don’t frame your own work, you need to develop a good working relationship with a local framer. Pat and Ken Baur, and Brian know me on a first name basis at Framing Concepts. I have gone to them with my artwork for years. What has happened over the years is that they not only are able to help me with finding just the right combination of mat and frame, but since they are familiar with my style of artwork and know my decorating tastes, they can steer me to just the right thing in a very short amount of time. In fact, when I need to have a standard size limited edition print matted, I can literally walk in, hand them the print, and walk out because they have all my information already recorded as to my preference for the type of matting I use and what size window opening I’ll need.
I actually frame my own work once I have the frame, mat, glass, and foam core cut and on hand. Framing Concepts has been happy to work with me in that regard. I’m also a perfectionist when it comes to presentation. So are they. And I will never have to worry about my work yellowing someday because they only use the highest quality archival materials.
What is especially nice for me is that since I am a loyal customer and a local artist, they consistently give me a discount on all my mats. That’s VERY nice.
Has there ever been a time when I’ve changed my mind about something they’ve already cut, or something isn’t quite the right size? Yes only very occasionally, but if it’s their mistake in measuring they immediately fix it, no questions asked. If I change my mind about something, we come to a mutual agreement about the additional cost for the new order. It’s a win-win situation.
Pat knows that I need to keep my mats as light and neutral as possible for entering my work into competitions, so when I come in with a new piece of work, she’s ready with the appropriate light color mats. She NEVER tries to twist my arm into purchasing something I don’t want. And she’s also one of my biggest art fans, which is nice. She actually looks forward to seeing what I’ve been up to at my easel.
Yes, I might be saving a little money if I regularly went to a chain store’s framing department, but I just can’t see doing that. Presentation is half of the equation when it comes to putting our art out in the public eye. Why settle for second best?
Nov042009
POSTED AT 10:22 PM
I just had to share with you my excitement about a new pastel surface that I tried for the first time yesterday. It’s called Pastelmat. I received a very small sample of it in the mail last week from www.fineartstore.com. The sample is sienna colored and measures only 3 x 4 inches. Rather than just swiping a few pastel colors across the sample, I decided to try painting a whole landscape scene on the tiny surface so that I could give it a REAL try. The result? I love it! I’m calling this finished piece, Autumn Brilliance. It’s definitely the tiniest painting I’ve ever done.
OK, what did I observe? First, it feels a lot like a velour surface, not like a sanded paper. But it grabs the pastel just like a sanded surface, not like typical velour. Second, it can hold several layers without any problem. Third (and most noticeable, in my opinion), the pastel colors applied to its surface are brilliant! They just glow. It must be something about how the light catches the pastel bits on its surface. Whatever it is, I LOVE IT!
I just ordered several large individual sheets of it this evening from fineartstore. It comes in 8 different colors. I ordered the sienna, lt gray, buttercup, and white. Now I’m anxious to try another pastel painting with this stuff….but a bit larger next time. : )
Oct302009
POSTED AT 09:01 AM
So, it’s 8:00 am on a typical Saturday in Chesterton (May through October) and it’s time for business at European Market. What do you find? Lots!
Of course, there’s art:
There’s also produce:
gourmet cheeses:
clothing:
baked goods:
purses:
flowers:
unusual and unique things—tutus!
entertainment:
and sometimes even some impromptu dancers:
It’s always a fun time with new items every week. But ultimately the most important component is the customers. My favorite part of the market is visiting with people--other vendors and customers alike. The time passes so quickly and there’s always a festive buzz of excitement in the air.
But at 2:00 it’s time to pack everything up and head home. Everything gets dismantled and put away in my car, hauled home, and then unpacked. Again, my hand cart is my most important tool for this task.
Once at home with everything unpacked, I make a careful inventory of all my work by checking off what I’ve taken back home, compare that with my sales receipts so that I can account for everything, count my money in my cash box, and head off to the bank to make my deposit. Happy ending.
Sep132009
POSTED AT 11:52 PM
So what happens when my car is all packed and ready for European Market? I get to bed early because I have to be at the Duneland Chamber’s parking lot to meet Anita BY 6:20 am!
First thing out of my car is my tent…..for obvious reasons. I own an E-Z UP tent and it’s actually not that easy to set one up all by oneself, but with two people we do OK. (I leave my weights, bungee cords, and tent sides in my car for easy access when necessary due to rain, wind, or unremitting sunshine). I also usually set up my print rack and use it as a lean-to or to place things on temporarily. That’s especially handy when I’m setting up in grass and it’s wet from dew or rain.
Next to set up are my screens and portable table. My screens are made by Graphic Display Systems. They’re the kind that come apart across the middle of their 6 ft. height which makes them very convenient for storing and transporting. I LOVE THEM because they’re very lightweight. I also have beautiful vinyl mesh screen covers that I only use at fine art fairs. I'll discuss them in a future post. My camp table is from Target and it folds down to fit into a canvas bag only as big as a sling chair bag—really nice. I also use my table for temporarily setting things on at first.
Next it’s time to hang my artwork. I use small drapery hooks. Anita uses small S hooks. Both work fine. I take some time to hang work that looks good together size and color wise. Generally speaking, large dark frames go best down low while light colored small pieces look best higher up. Otherwise things might look top heavy. There’s always the exception to that rule though, so I fuss and fool with things until I’m satisfied….or until I’m out of time. Next I put my tablecloth on my table and set up my basket of note cards, business cards, and any small items. I also fill my print rack with prints.
Last I clean up my side of the booth and put empty boxes either under my table or back in my car.
My side
is ready.
Anita's is too.
Anita and I have taken time in the past to discuss traffic flow in our booth and to make sure that customers won’t feel crowded in any way while browsing. For that reason whenever possible, we sit outside behind our booth rather than in it. We also take great pains to make our booth look presentable and attractive. That first impression is all important in a very busy marketplace.
It's 8:00 am
and we're
ready for
business.
Next post--a typical day at Chesterton's European Market.
Sep112009
POSTED AT 08:34 AM
My friend Anita Johnson and I are the founding members of an artist cooperative called Lingering Expressions. Here's the process I go through to participate with Anita in a typical European Market on a Saturday in Chesterton, IN: First, I do a careful inventory of all my artwork, recording EVERYTHING I plan to sell along with its price. I refer to everything by its title and I categorize and group things together (example--Originals, Small prints). This takes quite some time so I usually do it the day before. I put a price tag on everything with an attractive homemade tag on framed work, and a simple sticker tag on prints and note cards. I take my inventory book with me to the market. That way, if a sticker or price tag falls off, I know just how much it should cost. I also take along extra price tags for last minute replacements.
Then it's time to load my artwork. This is not the only way to load up a bunch of artwork, but this way works for me. Over the years I've saved and accumulated quite a few large pieces of cardboard. I use them to stand up between my pieces of artwork in cardboard boxes. I stack my artwork fronts to fronts and backs to backs with cardboard between all my artwork. None of my frames get dinged or gouged this way. If it's raining when I have to load or unload, I just fit a large garbage bag upside down over the top of each filled box. When I finish filling a box I start filling another one. For my side of our market booth, I can usually get everything, including my matted prints and a small basket of note cards, into 2-3 large boxes. My friend Anita slides her artwork into bubble wrap sleeves and then packs them into large plastic bins with covers. That works well too. I remember to also pack (some things not shown here) my tent, display screens, screen parts box, print rack, tabletop easel, Lingering Expressions sign, sling chair, small portable table, tablecloth, merchandise bags, cash box, receipt pad, inventory book, lunch, water bottles, camera, and sunblock.
Then it's time to load up my mini van. Mind you, this is still all done the day before the event. It would take WAY too much time to do any of this the morning of the event.
Hands down, my all time best tool for doing an art event is my hand cart. I bought it at our local Ace hardware store and it's made by Ace hardware. It's a gem. It folds flat when not in use, one of its two sets of wheels pivots for ease in turning, and it holds a lot! I load boxes of stuff onto it and wheel it out to my mini van, unload, and do it again and again until everything's loaded into my car. It's the last thing I load into my car and the first thing I take out when I get to where I'm going.
Here's my car packed to the gills and ready to roll. I folded my middle and back seats flat. My screens and tent always go in first. Then other stuff goes in around and behind it. Large pieces of artwork that don't fit into my boxes can lay flat on top of my screens with cardboard between them, or they can slide in on the floor standing up behind the driver's seat. I then back my car into our garage, lock it up, and I'm ready to roll for the next day.
That's all for today's
post. Next post,
setting up at
European Market.
Aug302009
POSTED AT 09:55 PM
I am an established professional artist from northern Indiana. I have been pursuing my art career in earnest for the last ten years. So when I first started ten years ago, did galleries, art fairs, and customers regularly start calling and emailing me to ask me to show and sell my work? Hardly. No, I've had to do tons of self promotion for many years, and I continue to do so every day.
I started by purchasing business cards, entering local juried art shows, and 'blowing my own horn' to build up my reputation and to keep my artwork in the public eye. I joined my local art center and an art co-op to exhibit my work with them. I started teaching art classes. It was slow going at first and not too many people knew of me or my artwork, but I've kept at it diligently for the last ten years.
So now do galleries, art fairs, and customers call me to inquire about my artwork? Well, yes occasionally. But I'm still working at it. I've sought out regular venues for showing my work such as in Chesterton's European Market, an outdoor market that runs on Saturdays from May through October. Just this summer I designed a new brochure about my art to give to gallery owners. I regularly take art classes myself to better my skills, and I network, network, network with other artists, gallery owners, and merchants through Facebook, emails, and phone calls.
I read several years ago in an art magazine that a professional artist has to spend almost as much time promoting themselves as they do on their artwork. I thought at the time that this must be an exaggeration. Sorry to say, it's not. People in other professions spend a great deal of time advertising their businesses, so why should it be any different for artists? I set professional goals for myself years ago and I'm not there yet. Each day I work a little bit more to achieve those goals.
Final note: A woman recently entered my booth at a European Market and introduced herself to me. She was a local resident and told me that over the years she had seen my artwork in many shows and newspaper articles. She commented, "I would recognize a painting or drawing of yours no matter where I see it. You have a distinctive style and I love it. I've always wanted to own a Mary Ann Pals original and today's the day." THAT was music to my ears. It made all my years of self promotion worth the time and effort.
(If you would like to take a series of Art Business classes from Mary Ann or schedule her to give an Art Business workshop, please make inquiries on the 'Contact the Artist' page of this website).
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