Abstract Art

Getting Close to the Finish on this Abstract Painting

I had liked a lot about this canvas, but could not yet call it a finished abstract painting:

  Canvas #54, 48" x 48"

So I went to work, filling in some of the drawn shapes with solid colors,  and generally emphasizing the colors already there in order to more clearly define the composition:

  Canvas #54, 48" x 48"

It feels "close" now, but I'll put it aside to look at another day.

Myth: An artist can't go wrong by getting more exposure.

How many times have you heard contemporary artists say that getting exposure for their art is a good thing, no matter what it costs?  I'm afraid I've heard it too often.

Unless you were born wealthy or recently won the millionaire jackpot, you do not have unlimited funds to spend on exposure.  That means the real question is, what is this exposure worth compared to other options you might have?  And when considering the cost, don't forget the value of your time.

Artists today have myriad ways to get exposure for their art, but maybe "exposure" is the wrong word.  If you change it to "advertising," "marketing" or "promotion," you may have greater expectations for payback.  It is one thing to be happy with an admiring audience, another to expect sales or commissions.

It is confusing out there, especially for new artists.  When you're starting out, you might need to show your work in restaurants, libraries, and banks, even if no sales result.  You may need to pay $25 for the right to enter a juried show, and then if you get selected, pay to ship your work back and forth, even if no sales result.  You are building a resume. 

Or perhaps you make your living other than through sales of your art, and have no desire to "make art that sells."  In this case, an appreciative audience may be all you're looking for. 

But any artist who hopes to live by selling her art will need to carefully evaluate the cost and probability of success for each opportunity that comes along promising "exposure." 

The vulnerabilities of contemporary artists: scams and bad deals, part 3

Some of the most disappointing deals I've gotten involved in when trying to sell my contemporary paintings have been through honest, well-meaning people.  Just because someone loves your art and thinks they can sell it, does not mean it is going to happen that way. 

A few years ago a very nice retired couple from Canada drove to my studio to see my art after viewing it on my website.  They were planning to immigrate to one of the islands in the Bahamas, where the wife would become a designer and sell art.  She was also planning to manufacture handbags with printed images of art, and she was in love with my paintings.

Obviously this woman was over her head with these projects.  The fact that she thought my art would "sell like hotcakes" on the island, and that her handbags would be a great success, meant nothing.  She had no experience selling art or handbags. 

These were lovely, well-meaning people, but I wasted a lot of time and energy shipping my art back and forth, preparing images and promotional materials, etc.  I was very fortunate that I did not lose actual cash, and that I received my paintings back safely at the end of the failed experiment.

No matter how much someone says they love your art, think carefully before getting involved if they do not have a track record selling art. 

The vulnerabilities of contemporary artists: scams and bad deals, part 2

Those of us creating contemporary art art in this computerized age need to be skeptics.  When you get an email from someone in Nigeria (this one is obvious by now), or perhaps London or anywhere else in the world, stating that the sender wishes to purchase your art, it is natural to think you have a real buyer out there.  But often, you don't.

Here are clues that should help tip you off about an email scam:

• The grammar and/or spelling are awful.
• The sender wants to pay you a larger amount than the art costs, and have you send a refund.
• It is obvious the sender doesn't know anything about your art, doesn't name a particular piece he is interested in, etc.
• The sender says she has her own shipper or agent.

If you are ever tempted to follow through on any of these, and actually receive payment of some kind, don't assume that  your bank's acceptance of the payment means it is good.  Find out what period of time it actually takes to completely clear the system, or you may end up shipping the art and owing the bank the full amount. 

After you've received a number of these scam emails, you'll become better at recognizing them.  After all, you don't want to inadvertently turn away a real art buyer! 

The vulnerabilities of contemporary artists: scams and bad deals

If you are attempting to make a living selling your contemporary art, you are vulnerable to all kinds of scams and bad deals.  The artist who can least afford it may be the most likely to seize one of these "opportunities" out of hope and desperation.

Paying for representation by a brick-and-mortar gallery, an online gallery, or other art rep:  If a gallery or other rep is able to sell your work, then they will make a living off the commissions from sales.  If, instead, they charge artists for exhibiting, that's the way they are making money, not by selling art. 

No matter how much you are tempted to pay for representation, do not pay a penny until you have : (a) googled the organization to find out what other artists' experience may have been; and (b) personally spoken to other artists the organization represents.  If they won't give you the names of their other artists, that's a red flag.  Do not go there. 

In tomorrow's post, I will continue my list of scams and bad deals. 

Moving from one abstract painting to another

Instead of working on the same canvas each day until it's finished, I've been moving from one abstract painting to another, depending on which one I want to tackle at the moment. Today I felt like tackling Canvas #57:

  Canvas #57, 48" x 48"

I knew it was going to take a lot to make this work.  The bold cobalt blue and white, applied with a palette knife, stood out from everything else and would be hard to integrate. 

I began slowly by painting in some of the dark red areas with a bolder cadmium red deep, and adding sections of bright blue. Next, I brushed over some areas with a thin yellow wash for emphasis. Then I got the crazy idea of outlining areas with white lines, after which I thought I'd ruined the whole thing.  But  adding more lines with a Prussian blue, and then dry-brushing all the lines, I felt I'd brought everything together fairly well:

  Canvas #57, 48" x 48"

Next stage in new abstract painting

I've been working on 4 canvases recently, but here is the next stage in my newest abstract painting:

  Canvas #55, 44" x 44"

Previously, it was much too ephemeral, so I applied some bold orange to give it more oomph, as well as touches of yellow and washes of dark brown and white.  Here's what it looked like before:

  Canvas #55, 44" x 44"

Contemporary Art Studios

Contemporary Art studios range from temporary use of a kitchen, bedroom, or porch, to glorious lofts with high ceilings and huge windows. When I first moved to Ithaca, New York, in 2000, my studio was a small apartment in the walk-out basement of our house.  It was better than the small bedroom I painted in as a teenager in my parents' house, but the idea that it was a basement always bothered me.

Maybe it was my arachnophobia?  Basements do tend to get more spiders, but it was more the idea of being partially underground that didn't feel right. 

Three and a half years ago, we built a house with a new studio attached, and I was able to arrange for the windows to be on the North side for better lighting.  We didn't have an unlimited budget, so this studio is not as glorious as every artist would like their studio to be.  But it sure is an improvement over the basement!

Two Stages of an Abstract Painting

I started another 48 x 48 canvas this week, beginning with a very loose abstract painting style:

  Canvas #57, 48" x 48"

I felt this canvas needed something bold to startle it into a new direction:

  Canvas #57, step 2

Now it will never be the painting it began as, but something entirely new. 

Abstract Canvases: Stage Two

After beginning two new abstract paintings in a very loose style (see previous posts), I worked on them again, continuing to be spontaneous and free. I worked in an overall manner, first with a brush and then by drawing lines from a tube:

  Canvas #55, 44" x 44"

  Canvas #56, 44" x 44"

I kind of like Canvas #56 just the way it is, which is not good because I won't want to ruin what I have!  But Canvas #55 obviously needs work, so this one will be easier to tackle next.