Opening Night at Quail's Roost Gallery

We had a great night at the opening to my show as the feature artist at the Quail's Roost Gallery at the Rustico Winery in Oliver, BC. Left to right; Donna Cooke (my aunt), me and Mike (my manager and husband).

Family and friends gathered to celebrate with me.

Special guests (artists) included Cameron Ogilvie, Shannon Ford and Leza Macdonald. Plus many other local artists were in attendance!

All in all, it was a great night and I was a bit overwhelmed with how many attended!

A big thank you to Sally, Arvie, Donna and Bruce for making this all happen for me! I am truly blessed.

There are many other artists in this gallery and my work will be up until May 30th, so there is plenty of time to wander in over the next few days.

Plus, tomorrow, May 27th is the "Half Corked Marathon" which is sold out at 700 entries! They are expecting up to 1000 people to wander through the local wineries as this group of marathoners make their way from winery to winery here in Oliver! Should be something to see! I heard that there is a contest for best costume!

I will be at the gallery tomorrow afternoon to meet those who want to venture upstairs to the gallery (Quail's Roost). I look forward to meeting you!

The Stereotypical Artist

Rambo - 8" x 10" oil on board. $210
Click here to buy on my DPW page.

Okay...I just read a blog post from Carol Henderson, who often writes for "Fine Art Views", a newsletter I subscribe to. She writes about how artists are perceived in society (and in movies/tv) compared to what she has discovered herself over the years. I really like their newsletter and find their writers to be up on what's going on in the big picture of the art world and tips on selling art online, shows, galleries etc. Lots of good information and the ability to discuss and interact with other artists around the world.



So, back to today's blog post; here is the excerpt and link if you wish to read the entire post. I find Carol to be quite articulate (often more than I) and she backs her words up with her own research.

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The Tough, Sensitive Artist

by Carolyn Henderson

It’s an odd stereotype we propound – this tenderly sensitive, fragile, batty creature who produces ugly art others swoon over, and while myth is often grounded in truth, it’s time we tore off our berets, crumpled up the smocks, and realized that, while artists are different, they’re not necessarily weird. [...]

Read the rest of this article at:
http://fineartviews.com/blog/42974/the-tough-sensitive-artist

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This excerpt appears courtesy of FineArtViews Art Marketing Newsletter by FASO,
a free email newsletter about art, marketing, inspiration and fine living for artists,
collectors and galleries (and anyone else who loves art).


For a complimentary subscription, visit: http://www.fineartviews.com

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I know this is not about buying art online...like I promised, but with the time restraints I am under right now...Carol has stepped in to help me out! What she has to say about what it takes to be a 'real' artist pretty much sums it up. It is what I have also experienced over the past few years both in local art groups and online art groups.

I promise... next post will be about where to look for art online.

Why Invest in Original Art?



Get in on the action! Don't miss out on this piece currently being bid on at Ebay.ca SOLD!



 

 

WHY INVEST IN ORIGINAL ART?

 

The most obvious reason to invest in art should be enjoyment: do you like the work?

Beyond enjoyment, there is the consideration of making a wise investment. By definition, an investment should have the capacity to appreciate in value.

Compare a bare wall with one that features, carefully chosen and correctly hung original fine art, and you quickly realize that art can bring your home to life!

How to begin to collect art can be daunting...at least it seems so at first. Let me help you with that...start with one.

Go on a search; a quest for your first piece.

Firstly, you need to know where to look. Well...you are beginning your search at one of the best times in world history; to not only be able to find original art easily, but to have the opportunity to purchase directly from the artist!

We are no longer kept outside of the artist's studio by the gallery owners (gate keepers), but can find a limitless amount of access to art on the world wide web!

Yes. I hear your trepidation. Internet = scams, illegitimate, scary!

Yes, you do have to know where to look and do your homework about the source and the artist advertising online, but I must tell you...this is the way of the future, whether you like it or not and the Internet offers opportunities never before available to us common folk, when it comes to collecting art!

Did I mention affordability? Did you know that 'Art Galleries' charge up to 60% mark up on the works they sell in their galleries? Yes there is definitely some great benefits to buying art from a gallery; they only sell art that is collectible and selling, they often offer instant framing of your investment, and there is a certain amount of security in your investment.

But if you a) don't have money to burn and b) want access to thousands more choices of artists and their art. and c) you are more concerned about whether you actually love the piece..the Internet might be your better choice.

So....where do you start?

I will continue this series on buying art online by taking you through a journey with me...'pretending' to buy a piece and what I would do if I were just starting out to collect.

We will peel back the layers and see what we can see; to see what it is that art can bring to our lives.

BTW...I have started collecting some small pieces through Ebay and local artists here in South Western Ontario (local art shows, fairs).

Watch for my next blog on finding your first art piece online.

 

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

 

"In my art I have tried to explain to myself life and its meaning. I have also tried to help others to clarify their lives".

Edvard Munch

 

 

 

The Big Five Oh!



Cowgirl Saddle - 16" x 20" acrylic on artist board, gloss varnish.
With frame- $450
Without frame- $390
S & H included
Contact me to purchase.

No...I'm not turning 50! And even if I was do you think I would announce it on the world wide web???

Why 50 then, you ask?

Its just my 50th blog post!

My blogger stats state that I had 30 visitors to my blog just yesterday! Wow!
And I just snagged another follower in the process... up to 17 (yes, including myself and there is method to my madness; that means every post is automatically forwarded to my email, so I can then forward to anyone on my email list from there...I know...genius right?). ; ) Actually...truth be known, I accidentally stumbled upon this when setting up that widget.


More sneak peeks into my sketch book;





Sketching out ideas in my sketch book...
the writing on the left are notes from one of the online
 'webinars' I have taken on painting landscapes.

On a mission. I have been inspired to paint a series of works that I hope will bring awareness of the world food shortage. This is something the Lord has put in my heart and it has slowly developed over the past year from being one or two big paintings to a series of smaller paintings to tell the story (a narrative) and to just bring it to the public's attention. I know its happening, yet we see nothing in the news about it, nor do I see a collective effort by anyone to tackle this issue. Governments of the world are more worried about energy sources than feeding the people. I don't want this project to be about bashing world powers, but to bring awareness and hope for the future.

Why Mona Lisa?

Our Gallery at home.

I was thinking, today, about the famous painting; the Mona Lisa by one of my all time favorite artists, Leonardo Da Vinci. I came around to thinking about his particular painting as I was remembering how many great paintings I had seen while living in Paris, France back in the mid 80's. I visited Louvre several times, sometimes staying for hours at a time, looking at these huge (and I mean huge) oil paintings on the walls. I was young at the time, just out of high school. Although I was keen to learn about Art History, I was still very naive and just a 'small-town girl' who did not understand what it was I was looking at (at a deeper level). I did, however, understand it on a level beyond most girls my age. It was what I was interested in and learning it was easier than most other things (namely algebra).

But I do have one small regret. I never did get a good look at this 'Mona Lisa' painting. This painting is in a room, off the main great hall in the Louvre and this room was always packed with people (like sardines) and since I have never been good with large crowds, I decided it was enough to be able to just catch a glimpse of it on the wall. I remember thinking to myself; what is the big deal anyways? It is so small, and what are all these people hoping to see in viewing the 'original' painting? I mean, we are talking about one of the most reproduced paintings of all time! I am sure they sold cheap poster prints of it in the gallery shop if you really wanted to see it that badly! But...I can say that it was in fact there...I did see it briefly, from afar, and that seemed to satisfy my curiosity at the time. I just could not see what all the fuss was about in seeing "the real thing"!

Jump forward 25 + years and here I am, thinking to myself, with all my rekindled fire in art, I was so close! Why oh why did I not take an extra 20 minutes to get in line and get up close to that particular painting? Now that I understand more about what it represented and my appreciation of the artist himself has grown over the years, I really must admit, I am a bit disappointed in my 18 year old self!

Lesson; do take the time to notice the small things in life. There are great things in small packages. Don't live your life with regrets because you didn't take action! Make that extra effort, take that extra time and have a closer look at those little gems!

Mona Lisa - by Leonardo Da Vinci

To read up on this little gem; click on the link here.