Blogging is fun.

Most artists have multiple revenue sources. It makes more sense-especially in an economy like our current one. I am happy to share that I am now writing for the KnightArts.org Charlotte blog. (This is both a little extra income and a chance to be regularly inspired and challenged by the work being created in my own back yard!)  
 
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is a national foundation with local roots. What started out as a mission to fund journalistic endeavors has grown to also encourage and support the transformational power of the arts. In a nutshell, the Knight brothers set up this foundation in the major cities where they owned newspapers and it has taken off from there. It is very encouraging that they have put their money where their passions lie and are serious backers of innovative projects that have impact on the larger society. 

I hope you will stop by and check out my writings (twice a week) about some of the cool art happenings in my own home town. Although in a city the size of Charlotte, writing a couple times a week will barely scratch the surface, it does present me with a great opportunity to highlight some of them!

A few things I have learned as a self employed artist

There are a few things I have learned as a self employed artist. Two of the most important are unless you are already generating a lot of income, you should have multiple revenue sources and you should surround yourself with experts, especially in the business fields.

Multiple revenue sources also means creating more passive money making scenarios... like selling a product online while you sleep. I do think we should not overextend ourselves, and that these different things bring us more pleasure than not. (Meaning the work fits us.)

Finally, we should really educate ourselves as to how business works... and I mean learning from people that are successful. If you can't hire someone or are not in those circles, then read Art Calendar Magazine or other business materials. There are numerous books and programs for artists. But, stick with it. We should all have some consistency to our business practices the same as we do with our craft!

One of the cool things about being an artist in Charlotte, N.C. is we have great resources here through our North Carolina Arts Council (www.ncarts.org) and our local Arts & Science Council (www.artsandscience.org). They both offer excellent professional development in the business of art!

This economy is rapidly changing. Look at what is already working for you and what is not... and think about why. When we learn from the good and bad and others who have gone before, it seems we get "there" quicker. I hope we all get there soon!

Next stage...

Here they are closer to the end... the orientation has changed, I added more pastel and will paint with metallic acrylics (with some pumice) a bit more over this stage... then hopefully, the finishing touches in pastel tomorrow.












Sometimes you have to finish work for deadlines. This is no surprise for an artist.

But this experience has been so interesting because of the very atypical painting style and subject for me. However, this diptych, inspired by the Mint Museum Uptown collections is really born out of my summer residency at McColl Center for Visual Art.

I was an Affiliate Artist there for from mid-April to mid-August (2010). I had an amazing studio and was able to pursue some bodies of work and do some media exploration that just wasn't happening for different reasons in my home studio!

I will post pics of the final paintings and if you're in the Charlotte, NC area, I hope you'll be joining in the Mint Museum Uptown Grand Opening this weekend. It officially starts at 5PM and runs 24 hours straight... ushering in a new season for my favorite city in the South!

Mint Museum Uptown-inspired diptych (In process)

[I don't post but once a month for quite awhile and then three in one
day!]

Anyway... here is where my basic composition is coming from... for my Mint Museum Uptown inspired diptych painting. (Diptych means two panels... in this case two 16x20" pastel boards.)

Below is an in-process pastel painting, standing alone as a work in itself, from the photo of my model with tulle. The composition for Mint Museum Uptown inspired diptych painting is derived from this. But, I am hoping it to be more abstract.












Below is a-bad-picture of my rough compositional sketches for diptych panels. I will post more as it evolves... as well as invite you, if you're in the Charlotte, NC area on October 2, 2010, to stop by and see my paintings in person. It is FREE. (And, of course, see the AMAZING new Mint Museum Uptown:-)

Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte, NC

The youtube link below is some pictures of several artist's responses to NEW Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte, NC...

"Eleven area artists were challenged to create an original work of art in response to the opening of the new Mint Museum Uptown, and as part of the Community Grand Opening. The artists toured the new facility and collection galleries, with sketchbooks in hand. Watch the slideshow for a sample of pieces in progress. The artists and their works will be at the museum during the opening celebration on Saturday, 2 October. Stop by and join in the dialogue!"

www.youtube.com

(And, again, the link to Mint Museum website with Mint Museum Uptown Grand Opening DETAILS... www.mintmuseum.org/grand-opening)

Mint Museum Uptown Grand Opening in Charlotte, NC

I am very excited to be creating a diptych painting inspired by the NEW Mint Museum Uptown! I will finish it during the Grand Opening weekend, working on it Saturday, October 2nd from 10AM to Noon in the 2-D studio. I do hope you'll mark your calendars for this momentous event in the history of Charlotte, North Carolina!!

Saturday's events are FREE! (BUT, it will be a crazy busy uptown with both the Grand Opening and Race for the Cure going on at the same time:-o) Here is a link to find out DETAILS... www.mintmuseum.org/grand-opening

After accepting this invitation to create a new piece of work inspired by the new Mint Museum Uptown, I was treated to a private preview of most work installed up to that point. The Danny Lane commission was almost complete and WOW is it incredible.

I also saw their American Art Collection literally in a new light... they have conserved ALL these paintings and many look like new works, with their details and colors exposed!

SO... following is a peek into my process... I'll write some brief explanations and will post more later.

I am inspired by Chuck Close, Julie Heffernan, Romare Bearden, Eric Fischl and Danny Lane among many others in the New Mint Museum Uptown collection! For the grand opening celebration, I am painting a diptych inspired by these artists, compositionally based on a photo of a woman and fabric in water (seen at the top area of this photo below... along with a smaller pastel painting of this image).














1) Above you see my pencil sketches from the original paintings in the Mint Museum Uptown Collections... and one 16x20" painted pastel board underneath.











2) Here (above) you can see my process... acrylic paints in palette (with pencil sketches from actual works of art in the collection and dark pastel board).














3) Above you can see my process of first painting layers of acrylic metallic washes that will peek through the final pastel layers. (I will then hand brush a layer of clear pastel medium over to give surface some "tooth" to hold soft pastel.)











4) Above is a detail of an experiment with Hosho paper & acrylic paint. Underneath is a glazed pastel board.

5) The two final photos are also details of experimentations with various acrylic washes and metallic paints on this same Hosho paper. (I was thinking I would collage some of these-Bearden style-to the pastel board.... then, cover them with pastel medium and add pastel on top, BUT the thin paper did not collage too well.)