23rd August 2009 - Who's made a mark this week?

Art and design bloggers go to Brussels for the day!

The big deal this week for me in 'making a mark' terms was getting a letter indicating two of my works had been accepted into this year's UKCPS annual international exhibition. This means I've now earned my signature membership of UKCPS - see Signature membership.

Here's a list on the UKCPS News blog of all the other people who got their work into the exhibition - Artists selected for the 8th Annual UKCPS International Open Exhibition. This year for the first time artists were allowed to submit up to four works and it's worth noting that four artists got all four pieces into the exhibition:

• Julie Douglas - who's just won one of the top prizes at the CPSA Annual Exhibition (Julie Douglas wins CPSA award)
  
• Patsy Lindamood PSA, AFC - an American artist who won the Chairman's Award in 2006
  
• Janie Pirie SBA, GM- who is a signature member of the Society of Botanical Artists and who earned her first RHS gold medal recently (UKCPS member Janie Pirie wins an RHS Gold Medal!)
  

Art Blogs

Art and Design bloggers go to Brussels

More from the day trip to Brussels - including the You Tube video which you can see at the top of this post - and yes I really do have my sketchbook out on every possible occasion! Violette looks like she's a dab hand at editing!

Part of the Grand Place in Brussels
pen and sepia ink and coloured pencils
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

• I wrote about A Little Art Break in Brussels and Exhibition review: Magritte at the Magritte Museum
• Mehrdad (Aref Adbi) posted about Street Art in Brussels
• Mo (Fresh Eyes on London) had Sun and Fun in Brussels
• This is Little Art Break to Brussels by Alex of 30gms - a Visual Digest
• Plus a barbie on the beach and other weekend adventures by David (davidthedesigner)
  

Lunch at Bruxelles Les Bains
pen and sepia ink and coloured pencils
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

But what I also want to focus on David's is second post are we connected? which provides an interesting reflection on the the trip and talks about the role of bloggers in the context of social communication, random connections and reviews. David in part focuses on the way the world has changed for him as an older blogger. Anybody else make a connection?

But here's the rub: ten years ago it would have been journalists being offered free trips with the aim of getting a feature into a Sunday supplement. But we all know what's happening to the newspaper industry, don't we? And so now we've reached a point where in order to make a connection with you, Eurostar no longer expects that to be via the Sunday Times or the Observer, but via this humble little blog, and others like it. So for any readers of my generation who might have got this far down this post: this represents the world that's changing before our very eyes. And yes, I know, it's harder for us, because we have to adapt: anyone under the age of thirty doesn't, because this is their world.
Davidthedesigner - are we connected?

Drawing and sketching

• I do agree with what James Gurney (Gurney Journey) has to say in Draughtsman - my feelings entirely!
• An interesting reflection by Ed Winkelman on people visiting art galleries Slowing Down to Sketch : A Flashmob Challenge. It's a comment on a piece in the New York Times At Louvre, Many Stop to Snap but Few Stay to Focus - recommended reading!
  
• Shirley (Paper and Threads) has joined the Central Park Sketching and Art Meetup Group. It has over a 1,000 sketchy artists and get around 30 people turning up to meetings.
• Roz (Roz would up) would like to see you all at the Minnesota State Fair Sketch Out on 1st September . MCBA Visual Journal Collective August State Fair Prep Meetingprovides some preparation and advice
  
• Plus here's what happens to you if you come with me to art fairs! Felicity writing about a few recent purchases in Books? Oh no, I don't need any more...
• Jana (Jana's Journal and Sketchblog) has been Sketchercizing My Errands.
• What happens when you decide to sketch a famous landmark - see Dumbo on Urban Sketchers for Tommy Kane's recent experience
• I loved Tommy's sketch of Berkshires on his own blog (Tommy Kane)

Coloured Pencils and Pastels

• There's a couple of posts about coloured pencil exhibitions elswhere in this post today.
• We're used to seeing pencil sculptures by Jen Maestre but this Telegraph slideshow reveals how she creates them. She also explains about the sculptures on her website
  

Fibre Arts

• Inspiration a nice post from Felicity Grace (Felicity's Philosophies and Other Curiosities) about how her family hijacked her desk, chair and laptop and inadvertently led to a change of working area and direction

Painters and Painting

• Painting today, painting last week and a paint box! is an intersting post by Marc Hanson (Painting My Way Through Life) who is trying out a new way of painting plein air.
• James Gurney has posted a a short video showing steps in a plein air oil study - Lehigh River Video

Dorset in Gouache
copyright Robyn Sinclair

• Robyn (Have Dogs, Will Travel) has got me inspired to try gouache with her lovely Dorset Landscape in Gouache- experiments coming up next week. Robyn has also been creating an Art Map - as indeed a number of us on Sketchercise have. I've still to get mine done and when I have there will be a post!
• We've all been inspired of course by Nathan Fowkes (Land Sketch) - I'm grateful for his Untitled demo - and would like to see more!
  
• Deborah Paris (Deborah Paris - A Painting Life) has had a Summer Skies project inspired by Constable's work. She wrote a nice piece about him last year A Natural Painter

Printer and printmaking

• Sherrie York (Brush and Baren) has finished the printing from her ditch linocut Ditch linocut finished! and is starting a new one Next up!. I just don't know here eyes keep going through the cutting!
  

Group Blogs

• the Virtual Sketch Date challenge has finished - for all the usual reasons of why things come to an end New Ventures

Art Business and Marketing

• Ed Winkelman (edward_ winkleman) has an interesting post about perspective in A Quick Word of Encouragement for Your Ongoing Project.
• a pep talk from Luann Udell

• TEN MYTHS ABOUT ARTISTS (That Will Keep You From Becoming a SUCCESSFUL Artist): Introduction
• TEN MYTHS ABOUT ARTISTS #1: Artists Are Born, Not Made
• TEN MYTHS ABOUT ARTISTS #2: You’re Not Good Enough
• Don't forget to vote in the Making A Mark Poll for August What's the MAIN way you have sold art in the last 12 months? (see right hand column for poll to vote)

Art and the Economy / Art Collectors

• Lindsay Pollack's blog Art market views is new to me - Lindsay is a journalist covering the art world. She reports for Bloomberg News and other publications including The Art Newspaper, ARTnews and Art + Auction.
• Peter Aspden had Lunch with the FT: Jeff Koons - in a carefully staged sort of way (a lot of of which gets repeated verbatim in Jeff Koons Opens Up at Lunch by Art Market Monitor! Copyright? I'm not quite sure this is what the FT meant by "share"), The FT article includes a neat synopsis of the life and times of Koons "From smalltown Pennsylvania to giant ‘Puppy’"
• A video by the Tate of
• Jeff Koons talking about his work
• Anthony d'Offay talking about Anthony d'Offay on Andy Warhol
• The Art newspaper advises that Recession fuels attendance of artist sites and historic homes in both the UK and USA. All part of the holidaying at home phenomena?
  

Art Competitions and Art Societies

• I finally posted about the CPSA - 17th Annual CPSA International Exhibition - 2009
• Here in the UK, for coloured pencil artists who skipped the top of this post - here's the Artists selected for the 8th Annual UKCPS International Open Exhibition
• The Summer Exhibition of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers has opened at the Bankside Gallery and I'm hoping to get to see this next week. I do wish this society would get a proper dedicated website for this art society - it's neither rocket science nor expensive and it could make a lot of differences to their members livelihoods! The exhibition runs until the 6th September.
• The inaugural show of the Women Artists of the West will be online until 30th September. There are four galleries: Signature and Emeritus;
  

Art Exhibitions and art fairs

• There's still time to catch the Dove O'Keeffe - Circles of Influence exhibition at the Clark Art Insitute until 7th September. If viewing via the website check the links - and note that there's an excellent audio tour. Nite Leland (Exploring Color & Creativity) says Dove & O'Keeffe not to be missed. I've also updated Georgia O'Keeffe - Resources for Art Lovers

From the outset of her career, Georgia O'Keeffe credited her introduction to modernism as deriving in part from a reproduction of a pastel by Arthur Dove she saw around 1913.

• UKStreetArt have created a special microsite dedicated to Banksy in Bristol
• Nice to see photos of Tracey Helgeson's Opening at Carrie Haddad Gallery. It's always good to see the pictures actuallyon the walls
• David Brickman reviews art exhibitions on Get Visual. Here's his review of Francis Bacon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Also there's an interesting article by the New York Times about the impact of the credit crunch on exhibitions And Now, an Exhibition From Our Sponsor

Traditionally museums have been loath to allow the sponsors of an exhibition a significant role in curatorial decision making — particularly when the sponsor is a corporation, given the potential taint of commercialization and artistic compromise. And most major museums still draw the line there......Given the economic downturn, which has forced the cancellation, postponement or prolonging of exhibitions across the country, more small and midsize art institutions may be increasingly open to ready-made shows (by sponsors with art collections)

Art Education / workshops / Tips and techniques

• An opportunity for you to sign up for James Gurney at LAAFA October 10
• R Garriott (R Garriott) has a tip about making plastic sleeves for paintings
• He also has tips for artists about using Photoshop proper
  

Art History

• On Thursday i highlighted smARThistory - an online resource with a difference
• Major image archives at London’s Courtauld Institute under threat according to the Art Newspaper
  
• A Forthcoming Frida Kahlo book denounced as fake

Art Studios

• Tracy visited the Pollock Krasner House on my break which accounts for how it's only showing up here now - do take a look at all the great photos in Visiting the Pollock Krasner House including the one of Jackson Pollock's monogrammed suitcase!
• Tina Mammoser (The Cycling Artist) has completed her studio move - Studio move - the very last box plus she's been making a few adaptations - this one is ingenious!
• Tracy Hegelson (Works by Tracy Helgeson) is now officially Cool!!

Art Supplies

• Great minds think alike! Roz has got hold of the same stool as me - but hers is more colourful! see Minnesota State Fair Prep—Part 1: The Heavy Equipment

Book reviews

I've started to transfer book reviews which I've done in the past on to Making A Mark Reviews - partly because I've got the LinkWithin Widget on that blog and it pops up relevant and similar items for any post you are looking at. I'm not repeating the reviews - just boiling them down to a summary!

• Book Review: Art - the definitive visual guide
• Book review: The Coloured Pencil Artist's Drawing Bible
• Book Review: The Art of Impressionism

Of interest to botanical artists and coloured pencils artists: Ann Swan (Ann Swan) announced this week - Latest News - that her new book is completed and should be in the shops next March.

Websites, webware and blogging

On Friday I posted about :

• a useful tool I've found on Making A Mark Reviews...... - see Webware review: SEO Analysis Tool
• and reminded people who've not already read them of the series of posts earlier this year about getting your website or blog into shape Techies: SEO for artists

Other useful posts I came across last week included:

• HOW NOT TO: Build Your Twitter Community
• Twitter Basics Twitter 101: Twitter Basics – The 5 W’s

and finally........

This is just weird - Ursus Wehrli tidies up art