10.12.06

Are These Prints or Posters???

Posted in Uncategorized, Bitching at 7:20 am by April

Well, the new gallery preview party is tonight. Am I nervous? Nah. Not particularly. Not yet, anyway. I have 12 hours to wrap up the last bits and pieces. Let me tell ya, I think this thing looks freaking awesome. Very museum-like. Very high-brow. Perfect… Well, almost.

One thing that bugs the hell out of me… There are two photographers that have pretty large completely unframed prints attached to the walls of their spaces with binder clips! That’s right. I said binder clips.

Now, let me ask you something. Say you’re an art buyer (which you very well may be reading this blog in the first place), are you going to spend $400 on a (limited even!) print that’s been attached to the wall like a damn poster? No. Of course not. You want a frame. And if it’s not in a frame, you want it in nice packaging with backboard, don’t you? Of course you do. Frankly, it looks shitty. I mean, it’s a good idea in theory, because the binder clips don’t puncture the work, but you don’t hang unframed prints up in a gallery… You package them and have them in a sort bin. Have I mentioned already that they look like posters? This is not your teenager’s bedroom. Plus, I noticed a couple that were already damaged!!! The gallery isn’t even open yet! See my point?

Come on, people. Get with the program. I know. I know. Framing is expensive. But let’s face the facts and realize that a photographer who deals solely in prints needs to have the proper presentation for said prints. If you’ve spent thousands of dollars on photographic equipment (which, by the way, is the standard, not the exception), I think you can spring for a few hundred dollars in frames. Then, by the way, you just tack that cost onto the cost of your prints. Art buyers know how much is costs to have stuff framed. They understand that.

Maybe I really should be a manager. Some people have zero idea what the hell they’re doing. Wake up artists… this is a business, and as such should be treated as one. If you want to be treated like a bohemian starving artist, you’ll never be anything else. If you don’t take your shit seriously, no-one else will, either.

I’m probably just a total bitch, but if I were in charge of the gallery, I’d tell them to get some frames or packaging or take their stuff home. Period. Okay, I’m done. It’s just tacky. That’s all.

Oh, well. What are you going to do? Less competition for me, I guess.

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10.09.06

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…

Posted in Good News, Calendar, General Business, Bitching at 11:10 am by April

For some reason I can’t get my photos to upload. I’m not sure why. Probably some bug with my blogging server. I just primed two big canvases and my hands are sticky…ick. It doesn’t seem to be getting on the keyboard, thankfully. Or maybe I just don’t notice it. Ah, who cares, really.

It’s getting down to the wire… the preview party for the Art Scene is Thursday night, (by the way, lots of art free wine and food! you’re invited… when they ask, tell, ‘em you’re with me! Broadway and Maple, North Little Rock, AR… check my calendar for the map!) and I’ve only got 2 or 3 paintings left to do to be comfortably prepared. I have to say, that’s pretty good for me. Thing is, though, that I also have a zillion other things to do for it as well. I’m not stressing over it (for once), mainly because the paintings are the most important thing, all the rest is really just fluff. I do need to get my new business cards soon, but other than that, everything else is pretty much optional.

The big thing is that I’ve been pretty creative the last few days, and I’ve really started to come up with some cool new stuff. (New stuff I wanted to post on the blog, but since I can’t upload it I’m out of luck…nope, still not working). I’ve been doing a lot of geometric abstraction (don’t know what the hell that means? I’ll get it posted soon… you’ll understand when you see it) which is, in my opinion beautifully simple, and a welcome change. As the customer who bought my first one (before it was finished, I might add) said, “the elegance is in it’s simplicity.” I love that. I just started this Saturday, which, I might add, was the longest day ever, but that’s a blog for another day. I don’t feel much like bitching (for once! ha!).

By the way, I did finish the feet. I’m quite proud of the way they turned out (again, I’d like to show you, but…). And thanks, Ms. Kieft, for the lovely comment!

Quick side note… everyone pleeeeeeease sign my map! Thanks!

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10.06.06

I need more ROOM!

Posted in Bitching at 7:34 am by April

At some point I’m going to need to either rent out a big warehouse space or have a several thousand square-foot building constructed. This whole lack of space thing is starting to become a bit of an issue. Galleries are wanting big stuff, (and when I say big I mean 5 feet tall) and when you have several of those babies laying around waiting to dry and be varnished, it starts to get cramped…fast. I finish a painting and my first thought is, hmm… where can I put this??? Oh, and let’s not forget putting the frames together and stretching the canvas. It’s not easy. I suppose this is where I should mention that my apartment is less than 1000 square feet. See my dilemna? Well, I suppose for now I’ll just have to deal with it.

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