My first unofficial show

gakinme · #1 08-01-2012, 01:28 AM

I want to thank everyone here particularly at the oil pastel forum for their encouragement on the pieces I've done so far.

I have joined my local art association and they do a cirulating show of 8-12 pieces art at businesses and this month, in addition, I get to place around 30 pieces at our local senior center.

It's not so much that there would be buyers but to be brave enough to show my art finally after these few years of practice and to step back and see what works and what doesn't work on a long continuous wall, it was very educational as we hang each piece up.

Because it is informal, I brought along all my assortment of frames and mats of mix and match and now I learnt that pieces have to be big enough to be visible. At least 8x10 inch if not more.

It has to have wide rim and wider mats. Double mats are much more elegant as Alan said.

Decorative rim is just too decorative and cheap frames is plain cheap.

Black mats could be too dark for many subjects. White or cream would be better.

I'm sending this video clip of the majority of the pieces I put up to my collegues to ask them to choose one favorite piece so I could focus on 8-10 pieces of stronger ones for the city halls down the road.

Half of these are soft pastels, and the other half are oil pastels. Tell me which piece you like most too. It would help me.

The guys seem to like the three strong portraits and the cars and the canyon with the burro rider. Cute animals don't seem to tickle them and sceneries really didn't attract their attention.

http://youtu.be/k4-_u2J9RnY

CandAlArt · #2 08-01-2012, 01:39 AM

Fantastic news! I posted at your video. Congrats! Beautiful finished pieces. I'm jealous!

gakinme · #3 08-01-2012, 08:27 AM

Thank you, Candace. You could do it too! Join your local art association.

halthepainter · #4 08-01-2012, 11:10 AM

Sandra: great show. I like your sense of humor.

You want your center piece to be the first one that grabs your eye when you first walk into the room. If all your paintings are small, it'll be the one most colorful, with the greatest value range.

If you're in a show with a number of artists, you want a piece that will be noticed from across the room and draw the viewer to your section of the wall.

Your portraits are quite nice. I quite liked your dramatic sailing vessel with it's strong value range. It's an eye grabber.

Some of your work on the black surfaces (in my opinion) don't have the value range that they could have to make them pop. Landscapes don't stand out unless there are stong value ranges. If the painting is all medium values, it can be accurate and wonderful, but it won't grab the eye. Your burro in the canyon comes to mind. While charming and delightful, it isn't an eye grabber.

Sandra take my opinions with a grain of salt. After all, I'm just a hack art fair artist.

gakinme · #5 08-01-2012, 08:06 PM

Thank you, Hal, for the wonderful advice. I have never thought about a large value range in a piece but now that you talk about it, it does make sense. No wonder why so many of my colleagues chose the shipwreck one at once. Now I understand it a bit better. The burro one is an overkill of colors definitely. Thanks for taking the time to explain the strategy of attracting attention.

At the moment, the ladies chose the 2 nudging horses, the shipwreck, the first seascape, the koi fish, the dragon copy of Da Vinci.

No one chose the animals against black background even though they are some of my favorite pieces.

A lot of food for thought.

Dragoon · #6 08-01-2012, 08:51 PM

Hello Sandra!

Great job!!

You win for Miss Diversity! Thanks so much for providing the link to your show, I really enjoyed it!

I watched it twice, and I am very impressed by the oil rig in the storm, it has great composition, colors and emotion. I think I'd pick it 'best', though a close runner-up would be the portrait of Jang Don Jin. I have no idea how good the likeness is, but you captured a lot of feeling. He looks pensive, and deep in thought...

But since I am fearful of water in general, I wouldn't pick the sea storm if I were a buyer, to hang in my home...I'd pick the pelican or the dragon! I like the roundness of the overall shapes, the boldness of the lines, and the colors.

Are the pieces people pick out as 'best' also the ones they'd want to own? Has anyone ever addressed this question? It strikes me that it might often be two different things...hmmm...

Best wishes for your future shows!
D.

**alangraham** · #7 08-01-2012, 09:33 PM

Sandra,

Awesome Job! Your stuff looks great, and I loved the video on youtube. I wish you all the luck in the world

regards,
Cory

gakinme · #8 08-01-2012, 10:26 PM

Dragoon, one colleague wants to buy the horse - Tiny - immediately because it was her friend's horse and she wants to buy it for her wedding gift. But my colleagues don't buy a lot of art so that's another matter. Glad you like the oil rig piece. I like that piece a lot out of all my waterscapes.

Thank you, Alan. I learnt a lot from your framing and show threads and now having seen mine on the wall, compared to yours, I think there is definitely the need for uniformty for my next ones.

I'd dread if someone asks me to do portraits. It's the hardest thing on earth I think in drawing/painting but these three portraits stood out too for a few of my colleagues, especially Jang Dong Gun's. To be honest, against a wall of sceneries and funny animals, these portraits' emotional content stood out so well. Even I had to admire them from the collection.

The organizer said that one month, an artist had one wall completely filled with soft pastel dragons and the other side was oil painting sceneries. And of course, the dragons took all the attention.

I'm thinking perhaps there must be some drama or subject in a landscape for it to draw interest. But then, there are buyers who want only peaceful serene looking landscapes so they could imagine themselves in and an extraneous person/drama might be intrusive.

CandAlArt · #9 08-01-2012, 11:31 PM

Good point Sandra: "I'm thinking perhaps there must be some drama or subject in a landscape for it to draw interest. But then, there are buyers who want only peaceful serene looking landscapes so they could imagine themselves in and an extraneous person/drama might be intrusive."

As to what people love vs. what they buy for their home... I bought art in the past (before I got back to making my own) that was very peaceful- good term. I wanted nice pieces, but calming scenes. BUT when I create now, especially in sketchbooks, I do a lot of drama or expressions of my anxieties, and such.

I like to view and keep it, but not so much on the walls all day. I can see certain public/office settings could use drama and wilder stuff for decor, moreso than a person might want all evening in the living room.

I think Dragoon mused- do they love it / but not want to buy it if too bold?

I do have a venue I can display in - the Senior Center where I go to portrait group. I shall look into it now that I have a bit more in frames.

**Pat Isaac** · #10 08-02-2012, 05:35 PM

Congrats, Sandra. Waht a nice venue for your show and it's great that you are able to get your art out there. The presentation is very professional. Good luck. The portraits are my fav.

Pat

RainySea · #11 08-02-2012, 06:01 PM

WOW, very cool Sandra. Big congrats to you! That is awesome.

gakinme · #12 08-03-2012, 12:41 AM

Candace, yes, do hang your art at the senior center. It will give your confidence an added boost. Totally true what you said about what one likes and what one would buy.

Thank you, Pat and Rainy. Today, a colleague asked me to paint her dog. I'm flattered but I've never really done dogs before. Hope I could pull it off. One other asked me to copy a calendar page of summer alley filled with flowers and sunshine. That might be easier.

**Flycatcher10** · #13 08-14-2012, 08:55 AM

Hi Sandra:

Congratulations on your first show - only the very best wishes are being sent from Texas!!! It must be thrilling to see your work hanging in an exhibition - regardless of the setting, it's a step I haven't ventured in yet.

The others gave you some really good advice, so I won't go there - especially w/no experience. Thank you for sharing your Youtube with us, I loved seeing all your pieces.

I do like the storm w/oil rig - it has that wow factor, and your portraits capture a full range of emotion that I agree with draw the viewers in.

I'm probably late in getting this reply out to you, sorry about that. Congrats! Please let us know how the show went.

talinka · #14 08-19-2012, 05:10 AM

Hi Sandra,
Congratulations! I haven't realized how diverse your subjects and techniques are. Very nice!

gakinme · #15 08-19-2012, 11:55 AM

Thank you, Mary, Tali, for watching the slide show. Mary, if it hadn't been your help, I wouldn't have been determined to do waves a bit more studiously. Thank you.

Tali, I dabble in so many styles and subjects that I'm neither here nor there in skills. Still developing everyday.

Finally, I'm experimenting again in more developed pieces these couple of days but more in colored pencil art.

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