13th June 2010 - Who's made a mark this week?

On Friday I went to Patchings where my friend Gayle Mason (Fur in the Paint) had a stand for the first time.  Gayle is an animal artist and an experienced exhibitor but at shows more focused on animals rather than artists.  Vivien Blackburn (Paintings, Prints and Stuff) and I had never been before so it was interesting to see what it had to offer.  You can read my review in today's blog post over on Making A Mark reviews....Patchings Art Festival

My overall conclusion was that it provided a good day out for people who belong to art clubs and local art societies and also offers the opportunity to take your car and fill it up with arts and craft materials!  I think it's possibly less successful for those trying to sell large original art in frames (unless very well known) and probably works better for artists selling fine art prints/cards and less expensive, smaller original art and items linked to learning about art.

As always happens when I start taking a closer look at something new, I'm always amazed at how few websites there are which provide the information and advice for those doing this for the first time.  I've started an information site which aims to pull together the most useful information about art fairs on the Internet.  I've already got some resources listed on existing "resources for artists" information sites which I'm going to extract and reassemble on a new site. 

How you can help people new to art fairs

I'm also very interested in hearing from:

• any of you who know of a website or forum thread which in their opinion provides good advice for those EITHER visiting art fairs OR exhibiting at Art Fairs and Festivals
• arts and crafts bloggers who have written one or more blog posts providing checklists or usefu;tips or anything which you think might be useful advice for those new to art fairs

Please leave a comment and a link to your blog post or a forum thread which you have found useful

Art Blogs and websites

A few more 'proper' websites this week which I don't normally include.

Drawing and sketching

• New York Times - Drawing Fire: Into Ubaydi a pun on the words - Michael D. Fay drawing as a Marine Corps artist in Iraq
• Nina Johanssen has posted her Sketching gear covering her basic stuff, pens and painting gear! 
• As does Mary Byrom in The Gear for Sketching & Watercolors on the Run

Do you think we should have some sort of award for best sketch done while watching the World Cup? ;)  Or NOT watching the World Cup even though it's on the television in my case.  Maybe one of the advert which came on the HD version broadcast by ITV while England scored last night? :D  Anyway, if you see a good one do let me know.  This is World Cup from the corner of the sofa

Coloured Pencils and Pastels

• Two coloured pencil artists I came across this week who are both new to me are Julia Randal and Eileen Nistler
• plus Pauline Longley and Lesley Sharman have both won a copy of Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils by UKCPS member Ann Swan SBA GM in the competition which ran on UKCPS News during May.

Graphic Novels

• Why graphic novels are more than picture perfect and the Jonathan Cape/ Observer Graphic Short Story prize 

Painting 

• BCA Galleries present Indian Contempoarry art on a ning site
  

Sculpture

• How Gormley’s latest work is very big news in The Times Online explains how Gormley's latest work Exposure is going to be even bigger than Angel of the North

The figure reaches 25.5 metres (84ft), 5 metres taller than the Angel of the North. It weighs 60 tonnes and together the 547 nodes (the Meccano-like atoms that are pieced together to form the shape) combine 8,500 lengths of metal, requiring a further 6,500 or so angle joints.

Art Business and Marketing

• The Artists Network (a-n) provides a knowledge bank of articles for all those working in the visual arts.  However it looks like there was a lot of activity in 2008 and not a lot since so review all articles in the light of changing economic circumstances.  It's also not free with a number of articles requiring a subscription.  The problem with most sites which like to store their knowledge behind a paywall is that many of us like to see a bit more evidence of what I'm getting before I pay up.  It's the equivalent of flipping through a magazine in the newsagents.  I'd like to see an index of current items - and when they were written and by who.
• Thanks to Daniel (Art Markleting Secrets) who highlighted that Tara Reed recently wrote a great article on the subject of YouTube Marketing Videos For Artists. This is a must-read if you are thinking of creating video to promote your work. He also had a post about 12 Tips To Grab Galleries With Your Artist Website.  (I really don't like the intrusive sign-up pop-up though which deters me from vsiting his website)

Art and the Economy / Art Collectors

• Bloomberg opined that Battling Russian Billionaires Push London Art Auctions Up 90%

Collectors from emerging markets such as Russia and China have selectively bought the best examples of their countries’ art heritage at recent sales.

Art Competitions and Art Societies

• The Royal Academy of Arts' Summer Exhibition 2010 opens to the public tomorrow.  Here are some links to the reviews:
• This ugly old beast wants putting down The RA hasn’t been relevant since 1829, says Waldemar Januszczak>, as he endures yet another Summer Exhibition
• The Telegraph has a slideshow of works in this year's show Summer Exhibition 2010
• In addition,  BBC2 has The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2010: A Culture Show Special which is broadcasting at different days and times depending on region and HD delivery (click the link to get the right time for your area).  Most will be able to see it on June 17th
• Plus you can read Stephen Fry's perspective on art, artists and viewing exhibitions which was his speech given at the opening of the exhibition.  It's a good read - and recommended

Art Exhibitions

I get a fair number of private view invitations but getting one this week from somebody I didn't know for a PV that evening led to my blog post on Tuesday about Dos and Don'ts for Invitations to a Private View

...in the UK

• Newspeak" British Art Now (Part 1) is currently on show at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea until 17th October.  It will be followed by Part 2 from October through January 2011.  Adrian Searle searches for a theme at the puzzling Saatchi show in The good, bad and indifferent  while Sean O'Hagan scans the show for rising stars
• Renowned art critic Martin Gayford has written a good review (Paris Hilton, Jackie Snapped by Voyeurs at Tate) for Bloomberg of “Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera” at Tate Modern in London - although I rather think he's not responsible for the ungrammatical title.  It includes some of the less sensational photos which other reviews have tended to focus on.  The exhibition continues until 3rd October.

...in the USA

• The National Gallery of art in Washington currently has an exhibition of American Modernism: The Shein Collection.  You can review the exhibition highlights online.

This exhibition explores the advent of modernism a century ago through twenty important paintings, sculptures, and drawings by the first-generation American avant-garde.

• Picasso Looks at Degas is on view at the The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute June 13 through September 12, 2010; it will be presented at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona in the fall of 2010.

Art fairs

• ArtFair Calendar is a site which provides you with lists of art fairs around the USA.  Their blog Art Fair Insiders is actually a Ning site which is very much oriented towards the practical issues of attending an art fair. They also have a page on Facebook

Art Education / workshops / Tips and techniques

Art videos

• Michael Chesley Johnson (A Plein Air Painter's Blog) has a set of lowpriced short art videos about Plein Air Essentials available to download from Lulu.  Plus you can see video demonstrations and step by step demonstrations on his website

Tips

• James Gurney (Gurney Journey) has been writing some more about how light works: Fall-Off

Workshops

• Michael Chesley Johnson has a workshop on The Maine Landscape in Pastel or Oil at the end of September at the Acadia Workshop Center on Mount Desert Island, Maine. 
• At the same location Lois Griffel is Painting the Impressionist Landscape at the same location this October.  She's the author of the book of the same name
• While Lori Woodward Simons is scheduled to teach a workshop next June on Landscape Painting

Art History

• Fascinating article in Antiques and Fine Art about Picasso looks at Degas - a recommended read (see exhibitions)
• Andrew Graham Dixon - who I'm beginning to like/respect more and more - has been journeying through the The Art of Spain  on BBC4.  Here are the links to
• The Moorish South in which he travels from Cordoba to Granada looking at Moorish art.
• The Dark Heart in which he investigates Spain's Golden Age of art of the 16th and 17th centuries.
• before he shows us how the north of Spain has produced some of the most dazzling art of the modern age in The Mystical North

Art Supplies and Services

• For those who want slides produced of their artwork, Slide Scanning Pros offers a service for slide production.  What I particularly liked about this site - apart from the range of services on offer - was the comparison with other producers of slides in different countries

Book reviews

• Not a book review so much a link to a digitized version of an old art instruction book - see The American Drawing Book

Opinion Poll

• 57 people have responded to Do you subscribe to a magazine for artists? and some 68 have voted for their favourite art magazine (see right hand column of this blog). Plus I've had one enquiry from an editor wanting to know why their magazine was not listed! 

Websites, webware and blogging

Apple fans

• After three months of using my new iMac I've written Journal of an iMac Virgin #3 and those who followed me are saying the same things too!
• David Hockney enthuses about the iPhone and iPad and his work for the RA Summer Exhibition in The apple of my iPad: Hockney hails ‘visual tool’ that will bring art to the masses

Browser Security

• PC World reported on Sneaky Browser 'Tab-napping' Phishing Tactic Surfaces - recommended read if you keep lots of tabs open. I may be moving to Chrome as a result!

Social Networking - twitter etc

• Edward Winkelman writes amusingly - Too Much Internet Can Ruin Your Ability to Focus on Other .. .Oooo, a New Twitter Alert.  Only 37 times an hour was my first reaction!
• This week I stopped following Art Calendar on Twitter (artcalendar) because of excessive tweeting.  A barrage of tweets, all at the same time, and every few minutes is just not cool! Automated tweeting is so inconsiderate when done like that.  I want to make it clear that I like Art Calendar. It has some really good articles.  What I don't like is the behaviour of the person they employ to tweet on their behalf who thought it was a brilliant idea to blast out huge numbers of tweets within a matter of a few minutes.  If it was genuine mistake and won't happen again I shall 'follow' once more - otherwise I won't be reading any more tweets from Art calendar.
• You can use http://twilk.com to put your Twitter followers on your Twitter background.

Static websites

• When was the last time you checked out your website - for out of date notices about exhibitions and workshops which need taking down and/or artwork which really needs to be archived.  Just a thought.  I had it and now I'm passing it on! ;)

and finally........

I have friends who jumped up and down and cheered when they heard that One of "Painter of Light" Kinkade's Companies Files Bankruptcy (plus Thomas Kinkade's production firm had filed for bankruptcy. 

Pacific Metro, Thomas Kinkade's artist's production company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in San Jose a day after losing a four year legal fight with Village Gallery, Inc.  Chapter 11 is intended to allow companies faced with insolvency to reorganize. 

Some - such as the Wall Street Journal's Bankruptcy Beat - can't resist the scope for puns.  See Thomas Kinkade Company Finds Itself Painted Into a Corner

The phrase "production firm" actually just about sums up why my friends and I are not fans of the Thomas Kinkade method of making art. For those who never understood the machine like production of his "signature artwork" try reading Thomas Kinkade: Profit of light.  Learning about the significant fraudulent practices of his companies which merchandised his art to licensed galleries - recently aired in and now recognised by the courts - only served to the distaste.

My personal view is that any gallery which chooses to sell art made in that way really should not be surprised to learn that there were further deceptions in the way the business was sold to them.  "Buyer beware" is an axiom which applies to galleries just as much as the end consumer.

I wonder what would happen to Google results if everybody searched for "Thomas Kinkade bankruptcy"