Total Art Soul - for artists

I'm delighted to finally have my paintings hanging at the gallery in Moulins, here in France.  Preparations for it seem to have gone on forever.   The exhibition was in fact first organized for May but just 5 weeks ago I received a phone call from the gallery owner asking me to bring it forward to February. This threw me into somewhat of a panic because a lot of my larger paintings were still in Belgium from a previous exhibition.  I worked like a mad woman, managed to rework some of my older works and finally got together 20 works.

2 days ago we were there to hang all the works.  I always find that nerve wracking and I come away thinking maybe I should have hung them differently.  Dream of Beans was definitely a eye catcher and the lighting generally in the gallery was superb.  It really brought out all the colors in my paintings.  It was lovely to see them take on a different life.

The show opened yesterday 1st February but the vernisage is on 9th February.  By this time, a friend of mine has gone to Belgium to collect my paintings which means I will have my paintings back so that I can replace some of the smaller works.  Phew, glad that worked out.  Let's just hope that it is well received.  The local paper will be coming on 9th February and will do an article on me so hopefully that will bring in some more visitors.  I intend to take more photos later and let you all know how it went.

The exhibition is open from 1st - 26th February - 9.30am - 12 noon and 14.30 - 18.30 Tuesday to Saturday.  It's at 34 Place d'Allier, Moulins, France. Tel: 0033 975 41 22 90.

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I've had a really big realization. No, really, this is serious. ;-) I've met a whole bunch of new people recently and almost all of them have wanted me to do them a painting.  Good for you I hear you say.  But, the reason I mention is is that I did not even try to sell them a painting.  I honestly never even mentioned it.

I have often said that to sell as an artist, you have to have face-to-face contact or have some kind of relationship with people.  I've lived in a busy place where I exhibited a lot, held private shows and received many commissions.  I didn't have to try hard, it just kind of happened.  I thought it was coincidence, that maybe times were good and that maybe people were just trying to make me happy.

Then I moved to a very isolated place.  My only contact with people was mostly online.  My exhibitions stopped, I could no longer do private shows as there was no one to invite and my commissions dried up.  This is also a very poor area with mainly agriculture.  Very beautiful, a wonderful place for holidays but not great if you need to have a career.

Suddenly, out of the blue, I met a whole bunch of new people.  Some in person and some online going way back in my past.  I suddenly began to get commissions again and sold some paintings.

To further back up my theory, if you look at some famous artists and how they lived or live, you'll see there is much to this theory.  Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Tracey Emmins were/are real social creatures.  Andy Warhol spent most of his life partying. He was always out and people were strangely drawn to him because of his strange dress sense and peculiar manner.  Tracey Emmins today is a total social butterfly.

What I've learned over the years is that selling art is as much about the personality of the artist as it is about the art.  Andy Warhol, by his own admission said it was easy to copy pictures so why would he do something original since he was successful at copying.  Personally, I would like to have a bi more integrity as an artist but you get my point.  He was successful mainly because of his personality and because he was 'out' there.

I think it's so easy as an artist just to lock yourself in your studio and immerse yourself in your art and never come out. The key is that you have to be able to go to these extremes. You have to be able to lose yourself in your work, be solitary to think creatively but at other times, you have to be the total opposite and be out there and show yourself to the world.

This is clearly why so many famous artists lived or live in cities.  Tucking yourself away in a rural part of the country is all well and good if you want to create but it's useless if you want to show off your work.  Much as it pains some of us, it's the ability to show off that gets you noticed. It doesn't come easy to me. I'm always filled with self-doubt. If I want to sustain a life as a full time artist, I have to push myself in this direction and come out of my comfort zone.

It made me realize that if I lived in a more populated area, just sat in the local cafe drinking coffee all day and talking with people, I would sell paintings!  I would not have to try, people would be naturally curious to know what I did just like the people that have just come into my life.  How easy it is! Now I really can't wait to move!! Anyone want to buy a house in France? ;-)

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With most of Europe having glorious weather, I'm sure many of you will be having the obligatory bbq's and garden parties.  It stays light much later but when we're having fun, we soon stay outside well into the night.  These are a wonderful way to be able to add sparkle to your party and not difficult to make.  I love the fact that they are made from recycled tins and you don't need to paint them if you don't want to.  This tutorial comes courtesy of Crafts for all Seasons

Materials Needed:

• Empty vegetable or soup cans, cleaned out and labels removed
• Water
• Nail
• Hammer
• Scrap paper
• Ruler
• Tape
• Spray paint in red, white, and blue

1.  Begin the tin can luminaries by filling the cans up to the top with water, then place them in the freezer until the water is frozen solid.  This will allow you to hammer a nail into the side of the can without the can denting.

2.  Next, think about some designs you want to punch into the sides of the can.  I chose to punch the letters USA, a star, and some fireworks.   Cut out your templates, place on the can, and trace around them with a permanent marker (or draw freehand).

3.  Continue making the tin can luminaries by using a nail and hammer to punch out the design.  Start at one end of the pattern and place the nail along the line.  Gently pound the nail in with a hammer.  The nail will go through the can into the ice.  Continue working around the pattern until the design is punched out.

4.  Allow the ice in the can to melt, and dry the can completely.
5.  Next, you can paint the cans if you wish although I think they look great plain silver too.  Spray the bottom portion of the cans blue with the blue spray paint.  Protect your work surface with newspapers and use good ventilation (preferably outdoors like I did).

6.  When the cans are completely dry, cut a piece of scrap paper to wrap around the can.  Make it 1/3 the height of the can.  The cans I used were 4.5 inches high, so I made my first strip of paper 1.5 inches.  Wrap the paper around the bottom part of the can, covering the blue painted area, and tape it closed.

7.  Now take the cans outside again and this time give them a good spray of the white spray paint, and allow the cans to dry well.  When they are dry you can remove the paper strip.

8.  Next, make another paper strip 2/3 the height of the can.  In my case, I made the strip of paper 3 inches wide.  Secure around the blue and white portions of the can, leaving only the top portion exposed, and secure with tape. Take the cans outside again and this time spray the top section with the red spray paint, and allow to dry.  Remove the paper strip and you will see the pretty red, white, and blue stripes.

9.  If you want to further decorate the tin can luminaries, this is the time to do it.  If you would like the designs you punched to show up better you can paint them a different color, such as black.  When you are ready to illuminate, add a little sand to weigh down the cans and add a tea light candle.  Your guests will love them!

For tutorials on how to market yourself online, go here.

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