A Year of Making Art: Day 28

May 17, 2007  Day 28

Yesterday evening we went to an art opening at King Ferry Winery in King Ferry, New York, about twenty miles north of us along Cayuga Lake.  My friend Stan Bowman was having a solo show there.

In general, I don't believe in exhibiting art in places like wineries, restaurants, banks, etc., because people go to wineries to drink, restaurants to eat, and banks to get money.  They are not going to these places to look for art.  It's hard enough to sell a painting in a gallery, no less a venue that is not designed to attract art lovers.

There are always exceptions, however.  First, for any beginning artist, these places provide an opportunity to show your work and to begin to assemble a resume.  Even for experienced artists, sometimes you'd just like to see your art in an exhibit somewhere.

Second, the quality of the exhibition space and attention paid to the art vary greatly from one winery, bank, or restaurant to another.  If the owner provides a separate gallery space and helps to promote the art, then the artist will have a better experience.

How would I rate the King Ferry Winery?  They definitely helped promote the artist, including providing food and wine tasting for a reception, but the exhibition space was just fair--better than many I've seen, but not great.  Perhaps that's because their main business is, after all, selling wine.

This morning I tried something different:  I listened to music while I made my drawing instead of working quietly like I usually do.  The cd was Old Friends by jazz musician Judy Carmichael.  The result is a much more improvisational sketch with a lot of movement.

  Drawing #27, 14" x 11"

Next, I continued to work on Canvas #9, carefully filling in the small shapes I'd drawn with washes in shades blended from yellow to deep red.  When I stopped for the day, I did not consider the painting finished, but I liked what I had so far.  Adrian thinks it is "done" and said, "You can try to improve it or ruin it."  I'll see what I think tomorrow morning.

(Note:  There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting because I had to give myself time to get ahead in case we travel and I'm not able to post.)