In the past several wet, cold months I've put my basement studio back in shape and I've finally started painting again.
I went back to work on the two Mazatlan pictures I started in acrylics last year after we got back from Mexico. I oil paint on top of acrylics and use acrylics like gesso.
I finally made a place for my oils and have got them organized, including putting up a 4-bulb fluorescent light above my pallette so I can actually see what I'm doing.
And I've started a 3' x 4' canvas of Arches National Monument, where we just went a couple months ago.
When Judy Ekstrom saw the mess I'd made down there she asked the 2 pertinent questions that are the drivers for this blog:
"What are you gonna do with those new paintings? What are your plans to move the paintings you've got?"
I had to admit I had no plans at all, but it's clear that if I'm gonna keep painting I do have to make space to hang em.
And to hang em I'm gonna have to do something about all the pictures already on my walls.
So my immediate plan is to take my most recent picture and try to get it into a gallery. It's a view of Old Town Mazatlan.
Luckily, there is a local gallery only a few blocks away that has an opening for an artist. I'm going to try to join Arati Artists Gallery. They're going to look at five of my works, which I have to take over there tomorrow afternoon.
Arati Artists (http://www.aratiartists.com/) is well known to me, they're just a few blocks away on Colorado Ave, a pretty good location for them. They started in 1977 just as I was starting selling art, it was a recession and my heavy equipment operating job had ended, I was substituting in schools and scrambling for work. I joined them for a few months in '78 until I went to work for the National Carvers Museum. The fact that they've been open all this time is impressive.
Their commission is 25% and they charge $50 a month membership, in effect renting me about a 10' x 10' spot on their wall. In return they want me to man the gallery at least 5 half-days a month. For a fee they'll add me to their website. I'll find out after tomorrow if I can join.
8 comments:
Great painting! Hope all goes well at the gallery. So is this a co-op, with the membership fee and the mandatory staffing requirement?
Hi Jack,
I have just discovered your blog, and I'm so glad I found it! Your paintings are beautiful, I think your technique oil over acrylics is very interesting. I'll be back to see more!
--Jane
Good for you listening to Judy! My new paintings go into my Etsy and Red Bubble accounts and anywhere else I can find online to sell them. Also, there is a self representing artists guild (I don't have the address handy but you can Google it) that you might want to look into. I can't imagine manning my 'wall space' at a gallery so I'll be checking back in here to see if you get in and how it goes. Congrats on your first foray into blogging.
Gorgeous paintings. LOVE your use of color.
Good luck in your venture!!! I wish you the best!!!!
Color is divine! I'm visiting from Judy's blog. So glad to find you. Good luck at the gallery.
Judy sent me here via her blog and I'm glad to visit! Wonderful art & blog!
Wow, these are gorgeous, you are very talented.
Sent by Judy...really love the Arches painting...it reminds me of the illustrations by Peter Parnall in Byrd Baylor's books (children's books, but just lovely messages). it was a nice surprise to have a sudden and complete recollection of her books via your painting!
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