Sunday, February 23, 2025

Consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence ENDS TUESDAY

I'm extremely late to this topic so this is a wakeup call for anybody else like me who did not realise this consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence was happening

The consultation ends on Tuesday 25th February i.e. YOU HAVE TWO DAYS LEFT TO COMMENT. You have two days left if you have a view on how this might impact your career or your income. (I may update this post)
  • You can access the consultation here. Responses are by way of a survey of questions. (https://ipoconsultations.citizenspace.com/ipo/consultation-on-copyright-and-ai/)
    • respond to the questions in the survey
    • say how it would affect you
    • or send a letter saying what you want to say via an email
  • You can also submit your response by email to: copyrightconsultation@ipo.gov.uk
  • The deadline to respond is 11:59pm on Tuesday 25 February 2025.
Cover of the formal Consultation Document published by the Government
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-5330-5, E03259461 12/24, CP 1205
PDF, 1.23 MB, 40 pages

The consultation arises because of what has been characterised as
pressure to amend the UK’s copyright laws to make it easier for predominantly American tech companies to train their AI models on other people’s creative work without permission, acknowledgment or payment. Creative industries are among the UK’s crown jewels – and AI is out to steal them | The Guardian
Below you can read about
  • what the government has said
  • how to respond - according to DACS and AOI
  • places where you can find out what others are saying
What I RECOMMEND YOU DO is read carefully the recommendations of how to respond from both 
  • DACS (a "not for profit" set up to maximise and collect copyright income) and the 
  • Association of Illustrators (AOI) 

What the Government has said

Saturday, February 22, 2025

About Mokuhanga - Japanese woodblock printing

Following on from Thursday's post, which highlighted two unusual media used in Heat 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2025, this post is about Mokuhanga - Japanese woodblock printing.

The other new media was alcohol inks which was covered in yesterday's post Alcohol Inks - information and WARNINGS about use!

Mokuhanga - Japanese woodblock printing


Image of tools used in the production of Japanese Woodblock printing
courtesy The Japanese Gallery article about woodblock printing

What's different about Mokuhanga

  • best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre of single sheets
  • widely used for text as well as images
  • various woods can be used, but the preferred wood is cherry wood 
  • uses water-based inks and Nori Starch paste, rather than oil based inks (which are typically used for woodblock printing in the West)
  • inking is done with a brush rather than a roller.
  • the baren used to press the ink into the paper is made from bamboo leaf and paper
  • it produces more subtle prints rather than the bold coloured prints associated with oils
A team of people were usually involved in the production of japanese woodblock prints. These were:
  • the publisher (who usually had overall control of the process), 
  • the designer/artist, 
  • the block cutter and 
  • the printer.

How does it work?


This is a very nice video of a Japanese Woodblock Printmaking Workshop - A Printer's Tools and Workspace - by a nice Japanese lady with very good English subtitles

I managed to translate one word - baren! ;)

 

Essentially, the process is....

Friday, February 21, 2025

Alcohol Inks - information and WARNINGS about use!

I'm guessing that after this week's LAOTY Episode (see Review: Episode 5 Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 - Dinorwic Slate Quarry) there's going to be a fair few people dashing out to buy and try alcohol inks.

What I didn't realise is that this programme should have come with some health and safety warnings!

I went looking for more information about acohol inks as I was sure that others, like me, wanted to know more about them

I'm very glad I did - because this post about ALCOHOL INKS now includes some significant WARNINGS!!

Below ARE my quick jottings of what seem to me like decent sites providing more information about  alcohol inks.  I looked at a lot of different articles and snaffled a few words and phrases from some of them i.e. I am NOT an expert

If you know more and/or better, please let me know

Alcohol Inks

Alcohol Inks - what makes them different?
Photo by noah eleazar on Unsplash

What are they?

Interestingly, there isn't an article on Wikipedia about them! Despite the fact they are both toxic and dangerous!


BOTTOM LINE: DO NOT USE THEM ON A WHIM: I've learned enough to now know that you need to know a LOT before using them. 

DO NOT LET CHILDREN WORK WITH ALCOHOL INKS

Alcohol Inks - the UPSIDE

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Review: Episode 5 Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 - Dinorwic Slate Quarry

We were back in the Welsh countryside this week - but with an industrial angle!

I don't think the view selected for Heat 5 of Landscape Artist of the Year 2025 could be called "attractive: . More like a manmade scar on the countryside....

LAOTY 2025: Heat 5 - artists lined up to hear the results of the shortlisting

Episode 5: Dinorwic Quarry


This review - of Episode 5 of Series 10 of Landscape Artist of the Year - follows the same format of my other reviews and considers.
  • the location and weather
  • the artists' profiles
  • themes arising during the episode
  • who was shortlisted and who won
The programme is available to view on Sky Arts on Sky/Freeview/NowTV.

Location and Weather


The view of the Dinorwic Slate Quarry from the pods
the vertical slate seam to the left and the slag tips to the right

The location was the old Dinorwic Slate Quarry located between the villages of Llanberis and Dinorwig (formerly Dinorwic) in North Wales.

The two largest slate quarries in the world at the beginning of the 20th century were both located in North Wales. Penrhyn was the largest (which is the one I know) and this one was the second largest. It opened in 1787; at its height of production it employed 3,000 people and it closed down in 1969 and became the site of The Slate Museum.

The artists had a view of an imposing and monumental view of the vein of slate, which is very nearly vertical and hence there is a very vertical quarry. Vegetation is growing again on the hillside. To the right was more of the quarry and the slag heaps.
An actual landscape and a nice, meaty challenging one at that!
Interestingly the pods were split into two rows of four - either side of the vertical scar - and I'm guessing that was to allow the wildcards to see it too.

The split pods - with wildcards behind.
Is this going to be repeated in future?

Tai thought it was quite ugly and very difficult to do. He highlighted how the scar in the hillside goes in so that the shadows will be constantly changing on a sunny day - as it was.

Another comments was that the hillside was scarred and those scars had been inflicted by humans

I found it unattractive and also very difficult to make look interesting as most of the day it was all one tone. It seemed to me the only way to make it look interesting would be via mark-making or exaggeration.

The heat was filmed on a very hot dry day in June 2024.  People were using their umbrellas and protective tents to shield themselves from the sun!
"It's very hot so it's going to be a challenge!"

 

The Artists in the Pods


Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Analysis of Sales at The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2025

After the annual exhibition of the The Pastel Society (PS) and my review of the exhibition comes my metrics post!

  • Which price ranges achieved the best sales? 
  • Is this the same for members and those selected from the Open Entry - or does it vary?

This is another of my regular posts reviewing sales and prices after the annual exhibition. It covers:
  • General commentary on 
    • sales of artwork and how and when art is sold
    • Buyers at the Mall Galleries - where the PS hold their annual exhibition
  • Sales at the 2025 Annual Exhibition of the Pastel Society focusing on:
    • the number of sales and 
    • the prices that pastel artwork sold for 
The reason I'm writing this post is because I'd like to see:
  • more artists do better
  • more artists make sales
  • more artists improve their annual income from their artwork
  • THROUGH more intelligent pricing of their artwork
Bottom line, the most realistic price for your artwork is the price which enables a sale. Otherwise, why bother pricing at all?

General Commentary on Sales of Artwork


How and when art is sold


These days art sales are typically generated in one of three ways
  • the associated online website for the artwork - and the fact this goes online before the exhibition in the gallery opens
  • sales at the Private View - where it's a common expectation that a goodly proportion of artwork will be sold given this is an opportunity for artists to be nice to collectors!
  • sales while the exhibition is open to the public.
In the past, art societies used to have Buyers' Views for people:
  • who were known collectors and/or
  • had previously bought at the exhibition.
Art Societies don't seem to be doing these as much these days. Maybe because of the online exhibition - which is published well in advance of the exhibition opening and the fact people are more used to online sales. It's certainly the case that artwork regularly sells before an exhibition opens

Nevertheless, I still think there's a case to be made for the "pampering time" for previous art buyers/collectors when they don't have to fight for space with the legions of "friends of the artist" and can actually see the work properly.

I don't go to as many private views as I used to, mainly because to my mind they should be artists and buyers and "influencers" in the absence of a private view. 

I left this one early because of the crush - see Review: The Pastel Society 126th Annual Exhibition (2025) 

It's nice to have an event for friends of the artist BUT if it creates such a crush that it causes people to leave and/or deters sales, then that is a problem. 

My solution would be to introduce a constraint for all members and those selected via the open entry of strictly one friend only at the PV.

After all, friends can come any time, but artists typically only come once and it's on PV day! Plus buyers and collectors do like to meet the artist - and I see precious little effort by art societies generally to making sure that can happen. 

On the day of the PV, it's perfectly possible to stage manage a different focus at different times eg buyers at lunchtime; members getting together in the afternoon and friends allowed in the evening. That way we might actually get to see some art. I find I always have to go back if I go to the PV - just to be able to look at the art properly.

Sales have also been less than usual due to the constraints on people's budgets in the last couple of years. It seems to be easing slightly - but sales are still not yet back to where they used to be - and it's worth thinking about how to help them along....

Who are the buyers at the Mall Galleries?


Essentially annual exhibitions at the Mall Galleries are about AFFORDABLE ART for most of those who visit, view and buy art.

This is about my well known mantra characterising buyers at the Mall Galleries. 
Typically they are essentially "middle class, middle aged and middle income"
They typically like buying artwork priced at less than £1,500 - and they like it even more if it is priced at less than a £1,000.

You should bear this in mind as you review the charts and commentary below and as you check the profiles of the price ranges of artwork sold in the charts below

Sales at The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2025


This is a chart of the sales at the recent Open Exhibition 2025 of the Pastel Society.
I got my numbers by going through the data on sales available from the online exhibition.


Analysis of the number of artworks sold by price range
in The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition 2025


The Pastel Society exhibited 382 artworks and sold 84 paintings (22% of the hung artwork). 

This is a marked improvement on the 2024 performance (see below).