What are you working on?

[Artyczar]

I have been off the Artist's book for a couple of days. I did a long trip into LA yesterday to pick up and drop off art, plus I've been getting my garage ready for the open studio event for October. I also picked up a set of drawers at Ikea that are like mini flat files that will help me organize smaller pieces. They were only $130. Not bad considering how much true flat files really are.

I also got word that my next solo show at my gallery will be next fall (a year from this coming fall), so I will have a good amount of time to make new stuff. They want lots of desert work, which is all good by me.

I am really hoping I can finish at least one book by the time the open studios happens. I know I can't sell any (they will be too expensive), but maybe I can at least show one to some interested people. I am so close to being finished with them.

EDIT: On the way to LA, it's always fun to stop for gas at this place that have life-size dinosaurs that you can walk inside of. They frequently paint them. As a matter of fact, this one was wearing this I heart CA t-shirt, but when we drove back, a guy was painting a new orange t-shirt on him.

 

[Iain]

I can only reiterate the above. Beautiful.

Edit. This is in response to Jocelyn's painting.

 

[Iain]

I love that landscape behind Trex! It is out of my world! I look forward to following you through preparation for the show.

We visited a dinosaur park in Portugal.

 

[snoball]

Joselyne, this really turned out good. I like it a lot.

 

[Artyczar]

Oh yeah...thank you Iain. I wasn't sure if you were looking forward to seeing the prep for my show next year, or my open studios thing. I've been working hard on trying to get my garage ready, but I think it still looks just awful. I mean...it's a garage after all, not an art space, and this bothers me to no end.

Organizing the mess has been one thing; figuring out how to place art is another, since I have no wall space. I am not using the side of the garage with the door that leads into the house (by the flat files). I'm only using the little hallway on my art storage side where the HVAC is, and the very front of the garage (when the big door will be open to the street). ...Does that makes sense? I'm blocking access to this other side in these first two pictures, but am going to organize it at least. People will still be able to see back there, but a table will block them from walking through it.

I don't know if I showed these pictures of what I've been dealing with, but here's what I stared with. And this is after six hours of trying to put things away, etc.:

This is the side of the garage I'm using for my guests. One side will have some art hanging on shelves and the other side I'll have access to all the art that is still wrapped. This was still day one:

Anyway, that was ten days ago. I've been in there most days trying to make it acceptable and "welcoming" for people to visit and look at art, but I just don't know. It's no Taj mahal.

Here's what I did today--pinned drawings and prints to the wall (inexpensive stuff). I'm using my giant drum case to display smaller paintings on easels, as well as some Artist's books, hoping that will be interesting. It's a hodge-podge of everything...

As I said, I need access to this side of this little hall space, so I put down a couple of rugs. Is that more cozy?

I'm hanging bigger work on hooks from the rack shelves opposite my storage shelves in hopes I can hide all the household storage junk. It still looks funky as all hell. And you can still see all the duct work from the HVAC. There' no way to really cover that up except putting a couple of big paintings on easels in front of it. I only have so many easels and no really large paintings here right now. I guess I can lug my big easel in from my studio out there and put another 36 x 36-inch piece on it. Ugg! But at least you can get the idea of what I'm trying to do here, right?

Is it as awful as I think? Acceptable? I will also have portfolio books of works on paper on a couple of card tables close to the front of the entrance. People can flip through them.

I do not have any prices posted as of yet...should I tag everything with a price you think?

Here is the website for the event, which has not yet been fully updated: Hwy62ArtTours.

Sorry this was so stinkin' long! I guess I'm nervous.

 

[Iain]

Well, that last pic with your paintings lifted my spirits. I haven't looked at the event website yet, but as they are there to see the art, I would display as much as you can while leaving as much space as possible for the group not to feel too hemmed in. It would be good if it were possible to display your work outside, or some of it. I was thinking of the Lisa Sanditz video where she held a "guerilla exhibition" during lockdown and the paintings were displayed along a fence. Actually, I cannot think of a more apt backdrop to your art, at least the latter art, than the flora and fauna of JT. Easy for me to say, but I should not worry about the garage space. I mean, you have given over the conventional studio and followed your inspiration to the high desert.

 

[joe1It]

Artyczar
it's nice, viewers will be able to take a journey into your art, from canvases, drawings, books, then the various media, you are having a taste of everything, many different works, and they will see them
and admiring them in the place where you are working, where you are making the magic happen. so many reasons why he will like to be there.

 

[Desforges]

Joselyne, this really turned out good. I like it a lot.

It is very inspiring to see how well organized you are. Just amazing.
Thank you, Ayin , for the comment on my last rabbits.
I actually worked on them some more. It needed details. It looks cleaner. I was thinking of printing my rabbits on cards.
Will look into that.

 

[Iain]

Speaking of print, I was thinking of your narrative approach in book /chapbook format.

 

[snoball]

Arty, you are making remarkable progress in what looked overwhelming at first. I applaud you!

 

[joe1It]

Joselyne,
it's an even more beautiful painting, an extraordinary work, I love it,
your printed rabbits would be a cool idea, your rabbits in any art form, material would be wonderful, there could never be too many Desforges rabbits in the world, there are always too few.
even though rabbits are famous for multiplying.

seriously, your works are a joy for the eyes, even without rabbits but it's nice to find them, I love your works with them so much.

 

[Artyczar]

Thank you Iain, Joe, sno, Jos...

Jos, I like your painting even better. It seems neater, cleaner, and more vibrant. It's really an awe-inspiring piece. What is the size again?

sno, thank you for noticing how much work I've been doing. It's been hell kinda, but in a lot of ways I think I like dealing with it and getting somewhere.

Iain, I would hang things on a fence outside like Lisa did, but 1: I don't have a fence, and B: I'm in a very high-winds area. Even with the big garage door open, it could be a problem near the entrance. It will be a 50/50 chance of high winds, or maybe more. October is particularly more windy in the highlands, and we're talking about three full weekends. Fingers crossed.

I think the oil paintings are just there to cover the junk, more or less. I don't think people will be interested in them or really walk up to them much, IMO. I think the main thing will be the portfolio books on the tables with works on paper they can afford.

So what do you guys think of posting prices on everything? That would be a giant undertaking to do actually. I'd have to mark every page in the portfolio books, not just the drawings on the wall. The prices might also seem very arbitrary to people, as some things are originals, some are limited editions prints (some less limited than others), some are A/Ps, some are fine etchings, and some are simpler prints like letterpress or block prints, etc. I may have explaining to do. Maybe I should just wait for people to ask for each thing they might be interested in. Nothing is "standard" or grouped together according to price.

I'm a lot less organized than meets the eye.

 

[Iain]

It will be worth labelling if, like me, you find financial interactions distasteful.
I have, on occasion, shot myself in the foot on pricing. Oliver Hardy hopping up and down on one leg....

 

[john]

IMHO this one is great Arty. Like wow. And the electric line painting which I thought would be great. Which BTW we haven't seen a good look at yet since it was done? Is it somewhere else?

As for me, I'm now transitioning from hectic boring summer John to a more sedate contemplative hopefully artistic winter-time John. I must be on some kind of seasonal hormone therapy or something.

 

[snoball]

Personally, I like to be able to see prices without having to ask. That's just me, but many people will not ask if they don't see a price. More work I know, but put a tag that says Original $***** or Print $****

 

[Artyczar]

Good idea sno! I think I might just do prices on the wall pieces because the portfolios would take forever. The wall prices might give people a good idea of what my prices are in general. Maybe they wouldn't mind asking at that point (I don't think) if they are interested in something. There are probably 30 pages per portfolio and I have four.

John, thank you so much for the compliment! Wow. I don't know what you mean about the electric line painting though. Do you mean the one that is still wrapped? That is an old one. I just put that there for a sample for putting paintings in front of the HVC unit, but I think I'm going to pull my studio easel into the garage to help cover it up more. I'll use another 36-inch painting and hopefully that will help cover it.

In other news, I just finished the last watercolor sheet for my new book! I will take a pic as soon as the sun comes up and post it in the bookarts thread. I can't believe I'm done with all the pages now. Unbelievable.

 

[snoball]

Large paintings serve that purpose well Arty. This painting is hiding a huge breaker box.

 

[Artyczar]

A beautiful way to hide it!

 

[snoball]

Thanks Arty. It has an ornate gold frame on it and you'd never know there was anything back there.

 

[joe1It]

I remember the photo of the rose in its frame, it is a fabulous painting, and its placement is also brilliant and artful then.
having no experience in the field I was undecided whether to write, however, assertively, I think like Snoball, I like to see the prices, and without it I would prefer not to ask