It's Good to Have Friends

Hi there. How are you? 

Being an artist can be an isolating experience. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my solo time in the studio, but it’s also important for me to have interactions with other likeminded artists. That’s why I love Thursdays.

For almost 4 years now, I meet with my artist pals over breakfast every Thursday at Cristaudo’s in downtown Carbondale. We always sit at the same table. We eat, we talk, we brainstorm and strategize. It’s not all shop talk, but if I have a design, business, or creative question, this is the time to ask it. I look forward to this time each week. Actually, I think all four of us do.

We took over.

Cristaudo’s holds monthly art exhibitions and a while back, it was suggested that the Thursday breakfast crew should do our own show there. We all were up for it and now, it’s hung!

“Hey! That’s our Table!” features new work by Emily Kircher, Karen Fiorino, Heather Smith and me! Emily is showing her recycled collage art, Karen created a new series of ceramic platters, and Heather has mixed media collage on display. I completed my "Ebb & Flow" series and it’s all framed up and included in this show.

Here’s a taste of the show:

Emily Kircher, (EKRA) created a series of recycled paper collages on canvas.

Karen Fiorino (Clay Lick Pottery) made a new collection of ceramic platers for the show.

Heather Smith (Merchop) is exhibiting her mixed media collages. (This is my fave!)

My Ebb & Flow drawing series is finished, framed an on display at Cristaudos.

I don’t think I would have created this new body of original work if I didn’t have that push from my friends and an occasion to make it. I owe Heather, Karen and Emily a big huge thank you!

When you hang the work of four very different artists who created the pieces totally independently of one another, there’s a worry that it’s not going to mesh when it’s all hung together. That is certainly not the case! I am so proud of our exhibition and so glad that Heather gave us the push to do this.

The work is on display now until April 28. You can stop by anytime Cristaudo’s is open to view and/or purchase. (Most of the pieces in the show are for sale.)

Are you local? Come to our “Opening!”

We're having an "opening" reception this Friday, April 12 from 7-9. There will be finger food and a cash bar. (Yep, Cristaudo’s has a liquor license now!)

We hope you will come and support our artistic endeavors. Just don't sit at our table!

A Lovely Evening for Some Coloring

Hi there. How are you?

Last week I took a trip back to my hometown to host an adult coloring party at the Rockford Art Museum. What a blast!

I hosted an adult coloring party on May 12 at the Rockford Art Museum. So fun!

The setting for the coloring party...Right in the middle of the main gallery!

A Lovely Setting

The party took place right in the middle of the main gallery at the museum. The current exhibition features work by Stephen Warde Anderson, a nationally known "outsider" artist and Rockford native. It's really delightful! Do try to catch it before it closes on May 30th.

 All of the guests got a copy of Elegant Abstracts, my newest coloring book.

Coloring and wine go well together

Each guest received a copy of my new "Elegant Abstracts" coloring book and the museum supplies lovely Prismacolor pencils for them to use.  I shared a couple of colored pencil techniques and then we drank wine, socialized, and colored!

Here are some snaps from the evening:

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Thanks to all who attended. I had a blast and hope you did too!

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Would you like to hold an adult coloring party?

I'd love to host more coloring parties like this. Would you like me to come to your home, your library, or your event and lead some coloring? Do get in touch!

Until next week. Ciao!

Learning how not to take failure personally

Hi there. How was your weekend?

I participated in a local holiday art & craft fair this past weekend. I was really excited about this one....I attended this show as a shopper last year and was impressed by the large crowd in attendance. The show was so busy that it was almost hard to shop! I like my odds at those kind of events. I really thought this was going to be a good show for me.

If you read the title of this post, you've probably deduced that my experience as a vendor this year was not what I had expected....In fact, it was awful...I didn't even make enough money to cover my booth fees. It was the worst show I've ever had! Ouch. 

It's so easy for me to work myself into a funk after I've had a bad show....I take what I do very seriously and very personally.  I wonder,  "Is what I make sub-standard? Do I really have talent?  Is it time to hang up the "artist" towel and go back to teaching?"

After a little pouting, I put on my "critical thinking" hat and tried to figure out why this show went so wrong. I quickly deduced that my lack of sales had little to do with the quality of my work.  It had more to do with the venue and my placement in it. My booth was placed in an almost hidden portion of an immense show. At any point during the show you could walk into the main area of the show and be met by throngs of people, while only a trickle would make it back to my locale. The numbers were against me.  Had more people seen my work, I'm quite confident I would have been more successful. 

 I jotted this down in my sketchbook during the show.

 
This will be my goal in the coming months.....I need to find that target audience, and maybe it's not at the local craft show. Maybe I have to think bigger and beyond local.  All I know is that I'm not giving up. Creating is a part of me. I will make and eventually...the buyers will come more readily than they are today.

So my fellow maker friends, how did you connect with your target market? Any advice for me?

Thanks for reading. Ta-ta for now.