I am truly thankful for

[Bartc]

Thankful for the opportunity to write a column weekly "Bart on Art" in our regional newspaper, the San Mateo Daily Journal.

Combining my twin pursuits of art and authorship, I get to explore more of the local scene than I would normally do and share it with thousands in our community.

This and next month my columns promote experiencing and buying art locally for the holiday buying season. I'm hoping those mentioned or featured in the articles are smart enough to spread the word around, because prior columns have produced attendance and sales for those I have highlighted.

The one I published last weekend was very highly received because it covered a local art collective's work to benefit and brighten a domestic violence shelter. My next two will cover local art collectives with holiday member shows who also provide art instruction and supplies to local schools and senior centers. These allow me to continue my life career with nonprofit human service and educational agencies too.

I'm really jazzed about this and on this Turkey Day feel I have the right to crow a little, as they say (as long as I don't have to eat the latter.)

Happy Holidays to you all!

 

[Jade]

Well done Bart and happy Thanksgiving! Bravo for spreading the word on art

 

[Joy]

Oh, wow, that is really fabulous news! You are a shining example of how one person can make a positive difference to so many.

This is an odd query, but your writing experience may help answer this. I've noticed that using the article "an" preceding a word that starts with a vowel often is not the norm. Of the numerous art videos I have seen, and TV baking competitions (which I watch for the creative artistic decorations) the speaker will say "a egg", "a orange", "a art class", etc. They pronounce the article like the letter A in the alphabet. Language does evolve over time, but is that considered acceptable now?

 

[Bartc]

Yes, the article "an" is properly used before vowels, as I was taught too. But these days the language seems to have devolved. Don't get me started!

 

[Joy]

Devolved says it all! And if I really want to rant, don't get me on about the (mainly) young people that have no concept of math principles. Before everything was cashless, my husband says I confused every cashier in town by giving them an odd amount over the total purchase, as I was in need of a quarter or dime change instead of a few pennies. Listening to customers trying to figure out their cost for an item that is a percentage off the usual price is almost comical.

 

[Joy]

Thought you would appreciate this; I always get a chuckle of out it. It dates back to 1994 and is even more relevant now.

Candidate for a Pullet Surprise​

by Mark Eckman and Jerrold H. Zar

I have a spelling checker,

It came with my PC.

It plane lee marks four my revue

Miss steaks aye can knot sea.


Eye ran this poem threw it,

Your sure reel glad two no.

Its vary polished in it’s weigh.

My checker tolled me sew.


A checker is a bless sing,

It freeze yew lodes of thyme.

It helps me right awl stiles two reed,

And aides me when eye rime.


Each frays come posed up on my screen

Eye trussed too bee a joule.

The checker pours o’er every word

To cheque sum spelling rule.


Bee fore a veiling checker’s

Hour spelling mite decline,

And if we’re lacks oar have a laps,

We wood bee maid too wine.


Butt now bee cause my spelling

Is checked with such grate flare,

Their are know fault’s with in my cite,

Of nun eye am a wear.


Now spelling does knot phase me,

It does knot bring a tier.

My pay purrs awl due glad den

With wrapped word’s fare as hear.


To rite with care is quite a feet

Of witch won should bee proud,

And wee mussed dew the best wee can,

Sew flaw’s are knot aloud.


Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays

Such soft wear four pea seas,

And why eye brake in two averse

Buy righting want too pleas.

 

[Bartc]

Just published my latest column encouraging folks to buy locally produced art. Made sure to mention all the area's art collectives that have open house/studios this month and suggested they send out the link to their mailing lists. About the best I can do for our folks around here with "free advertising" they could never afford to pay for. Hoping folks do read it today (Thanksgiving) and tomorrow (Black Friday.)

 

[stlukesguild]

I have to laugh at just how horribly my studio partners and I flubbed our participation in one of those holiday open studio tours. My one partner, an older Jewish guy whose artworks combined elements of Anselm Kiefer with Robert Rauschenberg… all very large… dealing with the Holocaust signed us all up for this tour without asking. Another of our partners painted huge (often 15+ feet across) abstractions combining aspects of Jackson Pollack with Anselm Kiefer… again. And then there was me with my 7 foot+ tall nudes. Of course we didn’t sell a thing. The first above-mentioned partner was actually surprised and upset. But here was an audience looking for inexpensive decorative gifts for the season which we didn’t offer at all.

 

[Bartc]

Yeah, polling my friends around here at various galleries, most of the sales are for cheap gifts at best. Not the best sign for the art market at the lower end this year. People have zipped their wallets shut (though not their mouths) due to the uncertainty in the economic and political spheres.

I was ahead of the game for the year with my cheap spot at one gallery. But I wasn't satisfied as sales had dried up and it was a struggle to get folks to even look at my section of wall, since it was literally the last area you would see upon leaving the gallery. As I hosted I watched the traffic pattern and it was abundantly clear to me that our last 25% of wall space was always largely missed or ignored by visitors.

So I sprang for more than double the cost for a space closer to the start of the visitor's movement through our gallery. Double the space to display as well. Now I'm down to break even for the year and if I don't start selling it will go negative, so my hopes are up.

I also marked my unframed originals for $50 off in hopes that might generate sales to cover costs. But I do not do reproductions, cards, miniatures, etc. So no souvenir types to sell cheaply.

It's a gamble.

Most of my paintings - all originals whether pastels or acrylics or whatever - are priced about $400-600 depending upon size. Unframed are under $300. A few smaller watercolors $100-175. So there's a range. And as local art goes, I'm priced correctly for quality and size, but in the end it's what sells that counts, not what I or any of the other artists think nor need to make for our efforts and materials.

I do have some much larger works that would logically sell for $1-5K, but good effing luck with that!

 

[pcj]

Yes, the article "an" is properly used before vowels, as I was taught too. But these days the language seems to have devolved. Don't get me started!

Here's one of my pet peeves. Nowadays they don't seem to know the difference between the word bring and the word take .
They use the word bring when the word take would be appropriate.

 

[stlukesguild]

When I was in art school the school organized Christmas/Hanukkah art sales right before we broke at the end of the first semester. The glass, metals, and ceramic majors all made a good chunk of cash selling lovely decorative plates, mugs, vases, silverware, etc… Us painting majors? Absolutely nothing. If we had more sense we might have churned out a few watercolor landscapes or small decorative acrylic paintings… something that could be rapidly churned out. But damn it! We were serious artistes!

 

[stlukesguild]

Yes, the article "an" is properly used before vowels, as I was taught too. But these days the language seems to have devolved. Don't get me started!

Could just be AN honest mistake.

 

[stlukesguild]

Here's one of my pet peeves. Nowadays they don't seem to know the difference between the word bring and the word take .
They use the word bring when the word take would be appropriate.

Oh don’t even get me started on there, they’re, and their or it’s and it’s.

 

[Joy]

Could just be AN honest mistake.

An is (supposed to be) used preceding words starting with vowels or vowel sounds.

Oh don’t even get me started on there, they’re, and their or it’s and it’s.

It also grates on me when I see these used incorrectly. Same with to, too and two. And the common practice of using the "green grocer's apostrophe" to form the plural of a noun.

I have seen incorrect signage in our local library. When I called it to the librarian's attention, she did not want to offend the person that wrote the sign, so it was not corrected.

 

[Bartc]

An is (supposed to be) used preceding words starting with vowels or vowel sounds.


It also grates on me when I see these used incorrectly. Same with to, too and two. And the common practice of using the "green grocer's apostrophe" to form the plural of a noun.

I have seen incorrect signage in our local library. When I called it to the librarian's attention, she did not want to offend the person that wrote the sign, so it was not corrected.

Had never heard of that greengrocer's apostrophe.

OK, since this thread has been hijacked already, some of my pet peeves in language perversion are already so widely accepted that I have to hide my gritted teeth. Forgive me if I offend any of you with my elderly regional American English stuff regarding the use of prepositions.

You "wait on" tables; you "wait for" the guests to arrive at those tables.
Different "to" is different "from".
"By accident" my kids incorrectly say "on accident".

And no matter who you ask, it's all acceptable. That includes some of the supposed "dictionaries" of usage, BTW, which (or that but not who) claim languages evolve and anything goes.

Except buying paintings, which don't seem to go out the door past a cash register.

 

[Joy]

Apologies for starting down the "grammar police" rabbit hole when I asked about your professional opinion on articles. Different to is commonly used in British English, vs. from or than in US English. (We watch oodles of British shows.)

At least no one in this thread has commented, "I could care less."

 

[Jade]

I'm always confused when people say that, Joy!