BUSINESS OF ART TRAINING, B.O.A.T. inc

ARCTIC EXPEDITION FUNDRAISER 2019 LARGE

2019-03-19T15:27:00.001-04:00

Thank you for your comments.
To make a pledge click the link and view my entire kickstarter site.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sandrahawkins/arctic-circle-2019-arts-and-sciences-expedition-re?ref=creator_nav

My Arctic Circle 2019 Arts & Sciences Expedition Residency, Svalbard Norway

For this once-in-a-lifetime artist's residency, I'll spend nearly 3 weeks on the tall ship, Antigua, sailing Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, only 10-degrees from the North Pole. In addition to having to pay to participate in the residency, I’ll need to raise funds for travel, special arctic ice boots and art supplies.

I am committed to pay for the Expedition Residency fees and book the Ottawa to Svalbard flights by March so am launching my Kickstarter immediately!! My goal is CA$7,500. If I don’t reach this goal, I will receive nothing.

I've created a list of Donation Pledge and Thank You Gift (rewards) levels focused on adding my art to your collection. My Thank You Gifts are inspired by Arctic Circle experience whether created during or post residency. Learn more at: https://sandrahawkinsarcticexpeditionjourney.wordpress.com/blog

and http://www.sandrahawkins.ca

What is the Arts & Sciences Expedition?

This unique artist residency is a program of The Arctic Circle and has been sending artist to the Arctic Circle since 2009. Visit The Arctic Circle's website for more details. http://www.thearcticcircle.org

An artist residency is typically located outside of the participant’s everyday distractions.

Why is this important at this time?

I believe my art contributes to climate change discussions individually and across organizational structures. Ocean levels are rising due to melting arctic ice impacting global coastline habitations. This residency is important to my art because it offers collaborative strategies to deal with the uncertainties of climate change. As an artist, I want my art to challenge socio-political perceptions at the same time as evoking intimate resonance around the uncertainty, loss, memory and identity.

ART SALES, SOCIAL MEDIA & POP-UPS

2017-02-07T15:51:00.002-05:00

Using social media to sell artworks is no longer a new phenomena. That said, I recently have tried an on-line auction with ArtBomb.com (http://www.artbombdaily.com). Distribution is across Canada. There is a one time $75 administration fee, and a 50% commission on all sales. The starting bid is established by the artist. Something to consider is whether the amount reflects the fair market value that your previous clients have paid for similar work. I've noticed while researching what sells on-line that artworks are often smaller and less expensive. The dimensions are clearly stated. However, all thumb print image sizes have the same visual impact when viewed on a digital screen. In addition to third-party social media marketing, several of my fellow artists are successfully selling from their Facebook page. Each time an artwork is sold, no matter the venue, it is announced with great excitement on the artist's social media pages, effectively contributing to a dynamic artist image, encouraging curiosity and interest about their work, and perhaps more sales. For some artists, social media works more effectively than the traditional bricks-and-mortar gallery approach. Speaking of which, the pop-up gallery is another alternative some artists are embracing, and there are many variations of this idea too. I'm beginning to explore these alternatives. As a long time visual/media artist having had an exhibitions career, and occasionally represented in bricks-and-mortar galleries, I've accumulated a lot of artwork in storage spanning a life-time. Its no longer practical to deal with galleries concerned with the date a work was created. In my view, if its good art it should transcend the test to time.

WORKSHOPS JAN 8, 9, 10 - 2016 OTTAWA

2015-10-25T23:46:00.000-04:00

The "Business of Art for Visual Artists Workshop" is organized to facilitate participants ability to connect the dots that are relevant to identifying and accessing their audience. Hands-on activities with role-play exercises. The open workshop structure welcomes all levels, mediums and stages in career. Its a great start to the new year! While we cover all the topics listed, we focus on the priorities of the participants and the starting point of their particular needs.

Contact Sandra: shawkins@rogers.com to register by December 31st, 2015.

BENEFITS TO PREPARING FUNDING PROPOSALS

2014-01-11T08:31:00.001-05:00

With little amounts of funding available for individual visual artists and hundreds of applicants, the reality has become that being selected feels like winning a lottery. Jurors have more excellent proposals from which to choose than are funds available.

Reasons to apply, assuming the artist meets all the requirements are:

1. Helps the artist to organize and articulate their thoughts about the project on paper.

2. Forces the artist to step back, review their visual support documentation in relation to their proposed project, make selection, and order for presentation impact.

3. Preparing a budget gives the artist insights to the economic feasibility of their project

4. Educates a "peer jury" about the breadth of the artist's practice, and the project for future opportunities if not selected this time.

5. Your ideas are out there and you have no control of how they might be interpreted, or used.

6. Finally, while most artists feel their proposal should be selected by the jury, the reality remains that there are more good applications than there is money so a priority list is created. If your proposal is number 6 on the list and there's only enough funding for 5 applicants, then you are out of luck.

7. We say, "good luck!" for valid reasons. Any winning artist is probably well deserving, and there are more also that may be deserving. By the luck of a moment in time, when a group of jurors try to rationalize an order for decision making, can determine a "successful" candidate.

ARTISTS RESIDENCIES 2014

2013-12-27T20:35:00.002-05:00

Planning for 2014 has already produced an invitation by the Vermont Art Centre, Artist Studio Residency Program in Johnston Vermont U.S., March 30 to April 25. I'm grateful to be selected for this residency opportunity to exchange with international artists from different disciplines, geographies and cultures. I've been assigned a beautiful painting studio to allow the space for unknown possibilities. Having a research-based practice, I work across medium and disciplines investigating the fluidity of memory and ecology of narrative space.

This will be my fourth artist residency: Gibraltar Point Toronto Islands 2002, Hungarian Multicultural Centre Budapest Hungary 2007, Banff Centre Alberta 2009 and now Vermont U.S. in 2014, about 5 years between each.

When researching an Artist Residency for application, I'm careful to study the appropriateness of their mandate, the interests and professional backgrounds of program leaders and those of previous artist attendees. In addition, whether the organization will provide financial assistance, and specifically to me. As I will have to seek additional assistance from Canadian arts funding agencies, the Residency's international credibility with these agencies is also important. As a world traveler, I also consider geographic location for inspirations. The Vermont Art Centre Studio Residency Program meets all my criteria and is within driving distance from Ottawa cutting transportation costs. My research preparation during the next few months is to conceptualize an open-ended project with room for shifts in direction influenced by the actual residency experience.

BUSINESS OF ART BOOTH @ OTTAWA ARTPRENEUR CONFERENCE

2013-10-18T20:56:00.001-04:00

The "Business of Art Training Inc./B.O.A.T. Inc. will have a booth at the Ottawa ArtPreneur Conference Saturday October 19, 2013, 8:30 am to 5 pm. There will be key note speakers, workshops and demonstrations with the intent to help artists in business.

The Business of Art Training Inc. booth is contributing to this event with free business of art tips, sign-up for workshops, and the latest publication, "Business of Art - Visual Artists in Canada 4th ed." available for purchase. The 3rd edition book will also be available at a reduced price.

Workshops being offered are:
1. Getting Started - 6 hours - $125
2. Mid Career - Seminar Format - 6 hours - $125
3. Comprehensive - 12 hours - $250

Workshops are intensive with presentations, demonstrations, discussion and role-play exercises. The groups are kept small to encourage optimal individual attention for specific needs.

Where? Shenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Boulevard. Ottawa, On K1E 0A1 www.shenkmanarts.ca - Tickets are available at the door, $45.00. (remember this is an eligible tax deductible business expense.)

Conference Description: The overall Conference program will feature inspirational and successful key note speakers, real-world experience workshops, relevant product demonstrations and numerous networking opportunities. This is a collaborative effort between AOE Arts Council, Ottawa School of
Art, the Shenkman Arts Centre and Wallack’s Art Supplies. The aim is to promote entrepreneurship in the creative industries and become Ontario’s leading business conference for artists.
I'm pleased to participate in the third Ottawa ArtPreneur Conference this Sat. October 19, 2013 at the Shenkman Centre Orleans all day. Our motto, "helping artists in business". Tickets available online at: eventbrite.ca, or at the door.

Sandra Hawkins - Arctic Return (Atrium Gallery) - Video Interview by Liana Voia

2013-09-23T16:47:00.001-04:00

Thank you for your comments.

Interview re Adventurous Old White Woman Artist, On-loan Human Library event, Sept. 21, 2013.

2013-09-22T15:45:00.001-04:00

Thank you for your comments.

LOST & FOUND INNOCENCE.mov

2013-09-12T22:38:00.001-04:00

Thank you for your comments.

PREPARING FOR ART EXHIBITIONS

2013-07-27T13:42:00.000-04:00

"Melting", acrylic, 30 x 30 inches, c. 2013, by Sandra Hawkins.
From the Arctic Return 2013 - Ecology of Memory exhibition.

Getting ready for a painting and photography exhibition of one's art is more than creating the work. And if it's painting, it must be completed well in advance of hanging to allow time for drying, especially if its oil. And if its photography, allow time for the printing. The following to-do list gives insights to the wide range of skills required by the independent visual artist above and beyond the skills and knowledge required to create the artwork.

Historically, many artists do not have the writing and oral skills to promote their art, nor the extravert personality. If they don't have a "champion(s)" (family, friend and/or arts professional) to do this for them, few attend the exhibition. The artist's career is constantly below the radar of public awareness reducing further opportunities. This may have nothing to do with the actual quality of the artwork being shown. Everything in the list below costs the artist money, above and beyond art production, for which they may or may not be compensated depending upon purchases made at the exhibition.

Installation of appropriate hardware for hanging as per the unique requirements of the specific exhibition space.
If framing, selection of frames and mats that will enhance visual cohesion of the overall exhibition.
Write artist/exhibition statement and the artist bio.
Prepare a list of art being shown: Title, Medium, Year, Dimensions, Price.
From this list, prepare exhibition labels to be place beside each work.
Design and produce exhibition invitations in digital format for printing.
Design and write exhibition catalogue in digital format for printing.
Research professional printers for the best price and quality, provide them with a digital file, review a proof, and pick-up the final work.
Prepare invitation list making sure to include individuals and corporations who have shown interest in previous exhibitions. This is the value of have a guest book that has a column for contact information.
Write exhibition announcement for media, and distribute according to their deadlines, Eg. Magazines, 1 - 2 months in advance. This requires research.
Create a Facebook event, blog or other that has "public" visibility to reach a wider audience.
Obtain media interviews regarding the exhibition for yourself, or for someone knowledgable about the art to be shown.
Package the artwork and arrange for transporting and unloading at the exhibition site.
With an exhibition theme already established, arrange the selected artworks on the floor if the exhibition space where they will be hung.
Hang the artwork according to the gallery's rules.
Adjust the lighting so that each artwork has a crescent of light just above.
Prepare reception food and beverages, or have it catered. Few artists can afford the latter. If serving alcohol in a public space, a license must be obtained at least 2 weeks in advance.
Prepare for an artist talk, including a powerpoint slide presentation if possible.
Throughout and following the exhibition seek feedback as to visitor comments and interest in purchasing.
While visual artists don't charge an entrance fee the way a musician or actor would, they are dependent on sales of their artwork. Although a visitor may not make a purchase, their knowledge of your work may lead to future sales from them or their contacts.

THE CULLING OF ARTWORKS IN STORAGE

2013-05-30T12:14:00.000-04:00

Two paintings were painted over for new works.
I photo documented and digitized the paintings.

Business of Art - Visual Artists in Canada, 4th ed. 2012

Most established artists in any medium have accumulated a backlog of their art stored in nooks and crannies of their life. My motivation to do something about it is both physical and psychological. As in life, letting go of one's backlog of art requires the ability to make a decision. Whether visual or digital media artworks, it's not because its bad art that it remains in storage. It might be that the aesthetic no longer represents what this artist is doing. Before making any decisions, check that photo documentation exists of all the artworks. If not done immediately after creation, this is a good time to do so.

Here are suggested steps to get started.
1. Bring all the artworks together and organize them into categories and subcategories. For example medium, practice exercises, portraiture, landscapes, size, framed and unframed, media works for digitization.
2. Identify which artworks may be appreciated in categories of those for sale and those for donation or gifting. For example, family portraits to family.
3. If donating, identify organizations that have some meaning to you where you would feel good about your art being owned and shown. Knowing which pieces go to whom and why makes this easier.
4. If donating, make a proposal. If accepted, provide a letter of appraisal for fair market value. This can be obtained from galleries where it has shown. Or, show proof of sale amounts for similar size and medium that indicates the fair market value for a tax receipt.
5. Decide which artworks are for recycling. Categories may include those with materials that could be used in creating a new body of work such as good canvases and stretcher frames, or sculptures to be melted down, or art installation electronic or furniture elements for selling.
6. Seriously consider which pieces are to be thrown out as something you would not want anyone to see or have. Then do it.
7. For matted and framed works on paper, deconstruct into categories of frames and glass by size, mats, and the artwork. Create appropriate archival storage for the paperworks being kept. Either give or throw away the rest. Decide which frames and mats to keep, and which to either sell or give away.
8. Works on paper may also be recycled into new artworks, greeting cards, etc. Packaging them in a mat and plastic protector bag makes them more affordable for potential purchasers and easier for storage. Storing framed works on paper does not guarantee protection. Better to store flat with archival tissue separating each piece.
I've found once I was on a roll with letting go it got easier, and in fact was a liberating experience.

For more information on all aspects of the Business of Art - Visual Artists in Canada, the fourth edition is hot off the press and available for purchase at www.businessofart.ca

BENEFITS OF A PROJECT STUDIO

2013-04-01T22:28:00.001-04:00

The benefits of a project studio outside the home include fewer distractions that have nothing to do with the project. This is the case for me at the City of Ottawa owned Gardener's House at Britannia Beach, March 1 to August 31, 2013.

A month in, I've reviewed my recent 700 Arctic Return research project photos, experimented with new materials and techniques across medium, and at night had some wild dreams that I think relate to my aesthetic concerns.

During the first week I confidently committed with another resident artist that we'd be at the studio everyday by 9:30 am. Instead, its more realistic for me to be at the studio each day by afternoon. This way I can make my appointments in the mornings and avoid breaking my creative flow, when it happens. No internet at the studio is a great benefit for me.

The City has freshly painted the walls and sprayed for spring carpenter aunts. In between everything, I've set-up the studio with materials and equipment. I'm lucky I have lots of space and great light, and very compatible fellow artist residents.

There are a few experimental prints and paintings on my walls. However, I still feel like I know nothing, and wonder if and when it will come together. Its good having a specific place to go, like this project studio.

CREATIVE STUDIO PRODUCTION

2013-02-26T17:12:00.002-05:00

Creative Studio Production, as can be seen at my website, is not new to me as a visual/media artist. Given that I work on a cyclical project basis, I am thrilled to recently be awarded a City of Ottawa studio space for the next 6 months.

Anywhere one travels in the world, artists talk about problems of availability and appropriateness of studio space. Artists living in the Kitikmeot Hamlets in Nunavut from where I just returned also struggle with lack of ventilated carving studios. They tell me carving studios are crucial to avoid respiratory illnesses related to ingestion of fine stone dust, sometimes contaminated with asbestos.

Rex Goose, Carver at Ulukhaktok Art Centre, Holman

Island, Northwest Territories works on an antler

carving of a muskox using communal tools.

The carving studio shown at left is a positive example of what can be done inexpensively for proper ventilation. This is the Ulukhaktok Art Centre in the Inuvialuit Region of the Northwest Territories, where I also visited in January/February 2013. Even when a carver works at home, they must wear a mask to prevent respiratory problems.

Taluq Design Centre of Taloyoak/Spence Bay, Boothia

Peninsula Nunavut, Canada

The Taluq Design Centre artists of Taloyoak Nunavut (shown) have successfully combined a place for creative production and sales. Local fibre artists create wool sculptures unique to Taloyoak which are priced at standard corporate rates. On the other hand, most artists in Kitikmeot as everywhere, work out of their homes. The difference in Nunavut is artists sell door-to-door in a climate that dips to -50c wind chill, pulling an antler sculpture or wall hanging from under their parka before a quick sale is made.

An artist studio is anywhere one works and can be in or outside the home. My new project studio space is idyllically located outside but near my home, and a short scenic bike ride to my sailing club.

An inspirational setting in which to muse, my recent arctic memories intermingling with Ottawa River spring and summer seasonal fragrances. The abundance of my photography and journal research in the Inuvialuit NWT and Kitikmeot Nunavut during January/February 2013 surrounds me, now in a contrasting southern geography. This alchemy of production includes experimental techniques and medium. My studio practice is research based. As in my writing, my visual/media practice is autobiographically inspired and positioned within larger contemporary aesthetic and socio-enviromental discussion on the dynamic of memory where the present recreates the past, and implications for fluidity in identity.

WHEN DOES MY ART BEGIN AND END?

2012-12-14T14:24:00.000-05:00

Kugaaruk Nunavut inukshuk in distance,
New York City children on crosswalk.
Photomontage by Sandra Hawkins, c. 2008.

"When does my art begin and end?" At what point in my process is it called "making art" or is the entire process "making art"? For over a year, I've been conceptualizing and planning the Arctic Return 1981 - 2013 Visual Research Project. My project is a rare longitudinal visual research of five Kitikmeot Nunavut communities, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak and Kugaaruk; and Ulukhaktot, NWT. It spans 33 years of photo technologies, changes in political jurisdictions, and socio-cultural and environmental changes. There's been much time given to conceptualization and logistical administration including e.g. grant and exhibition proposal writing, sponsorships, liaison with officials at several levels re visiting scenarios, publishing of brochures, books, images, and arranging air travel. For me, it's all an important part of the creative process and integral to my art making, every step of the way influencing the other.

Quick Background: I first photographed these communities in February 1981, never expecting that they would become an inspiration for me in a contemporary visual art practice. In 2008, I rediscovered my original prints, so carefully labelled in the family album, and my journals of each day the photograph was taken. Contemporary digital technology made it possible to scan, restore and reposition these in a contemporary aesthetic and socio-environmental discussion on the dynamic of memory and ecology of narrative space. The resulting 2-part series of photomontage prints create a visual tactile opportunity for viewer interpretation and contemporary meaning. Images of different arctic community landscapes and New York City streets, vulnerable to flooding by melting arctic ice, are juxtaposed in a socio-environmental and aesthetic discussion on the ecology of narrative space. I also use my spidery journal hand writing to veil these arctic landscapes, thereby inserting myself across time. The photomontage prints have shown widely in Canada and around the world. According to media coverage, these art images resonate with viewers regardless of their geo-political location or culture. There has been a Part 3 and Part 4 to this body of work. The Arctic Journal Reading Performance (20-minutes) was at the Banff Centre's Other Gallery, 2009; and the photo-based and performance video installation, Ecology of Identities, was shown in Toronto in 2010. Each work explores the idea and my feeling of a displaced personal experience and voice across time. The only way for reclaiming them as mine and part of my identity is through reinvention of these memories within the context of the present.

KNOWING YOUR ART FOR VISUAL ARTISTS

2012-10-23T15:21:00.003-04:00

Knowing Your Art - Pushing Your Boundaries! WORKSHOP: Arts Court 2 Daly Ottawa ON, Sun Nov 4, 2-5pm. Registration by October 31st, $50. shawkins@rogers.com http//:www.sandrahawkins.ca/workshops

Knowing your art is the first step to confidently being able to locate and market to the appropriate audience. More importantly, the process for understanding the unique authenticities within one's art research, creation and production can be key to the artist's confidence and ability to push their aesthetic boundaries. This is an ongoing process and not something someone else can do for you. Here are five strategies for better understanding your art.

1. Look for trends in your art over time, noting shifts in direction.

2. When looking at art by others, analyze aspects that resonate, and ask one's self if there is a relationship to one's own artistic concerns.

3. Keeping a journal while in the studio or in unrelates situations can provide inspiration and deeper understanding of everyday influences and philosophies.

4. Photographing your artworks allows distance looking through the camera lens, as if through another's eye.

5. Exhibiting the artworks is an opportunity for feedback and for the artist to observe connections within the body of work.

Business of Art Training inc. gives hands-on workshops like this to assist the visual/media artist to access the appropriate audience while maintaining artistic integrity.

Knowing Your Art is also the first chapter of the Book, The Business of Art for Canadian Visual Artists, by Sandra M. Hawkins. It can be purchased at the workshops, at Wallacks Art Supplies Ottawa $36.25, at http://www.sandrahawkins.ca/book, and at Amazon.ca http://www.amazon.ca/Business-Art-Canadian-Visual-Artists/dp/0973104910

A HARD DAYS NIGHT - SELLING YOUR ART

2012-04-25T01:02:00.003-04:00

The history of visual arts is interwoven with the woes of visual artists' trying to make a living. Most combine their career as an artist with teaching, or some other activity that pays the bills. This sounds worse than it is, because everyone knows that the market-place chugs along based on the theory of supply and demand. If there's no demand, it doesn't matter how much the supply is. However, if there is demand created through advertising then there could be demand by the market place despite amount of supply. Human nature being what it is, if the demand is greater than the supply, people will pay more for the art.
A hard lesson can be that economic accessibility is crucial to creating demand. Here lies the first rule of marketing. #1 Price it right. Rule #2 Locate your audience. I know it sounds like selling real estate! Shocking!!

These simple facts exist whether the artist is dealing with the public galleries and international biennale exhibitions industry, or the commercial galleries and auction houses. Only the naive believe that if the art is 'good' it will sell, and if not, it won't. Again we know from art history books that this is just not correct.

No, the art will not speak for itself....unless it is put out there. Through connections and networking, an artist can find an audience. Lucky is the artist who is "discovered" by an admiring agent with good connections who deems his art "important". It is really no more important than another, but the agent/dealer has an investment to promote and so, like the stock market, drums up buyer investors. For the artist in this kind of deal, however, the increased demand insists on supply, and to the the tastes of the buyer. This can be at odds with the creative nature of the artist who would like time to pursue an aesthetic outside what is now expected due to marketing and increased demand.

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NEXT TORONTO SABBATICAL- OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011

2012-04-06T16:08:00.000-04:00

Toronto here I come!! A chance to housesit for 3-weeks in Metro Toronto at the architecturally famous Tip Top Tailors Lofts is a fantastic opportunity to check into my favourite big-city with all its art, parks and the nicest people. In 2010 blogs I gave tips on strategies for art networking, keep it loose and flexible. The result included three exhibitions, art reviews, and lots of new friends in the art world. Thanks to networking with arts writer, Betty Ann Jordon, my solo exhibition, Ecology of Narrative Space at Reference project space next to the art savvy Drake Hotel, was included in her Queen Street West Art & Design Walking itinerary held the last Thursday night of each month. Many more people saw my work than otherwise would.

ARTIST LIVE-WORK SPACE DEVELOPMENT

2012-04-06T15:54:00.001-04:00

The unique aspect about developing artist live-work spaces in Ottawa (and probably elsewhere) is that the location has to be zoned for both commercial and residential. In 2011, City Council approved the Arts and Heritage 5-year Renewal Plan which supports the development of Artist Live-Work spaces as a Pilot Project. Further, this type of live-work space for artists rated as one of the top-four priorities by participants of the City organized November 2011 Open Ottawa Libre City (OOL). At this meeting, I volunteered to organize the first information meeting which we held March 14. The next Visioning meeting is April 11, 2012, working with a certified professional facilitator. Essentially, those who attended the first meeting are a combination of potential users and/or committed to the concept.

While the concept is a true innovation for Ottawa, there are many economically successful artist live-work properties throughout Toronto and Vancouver. In the case of Toronto Artscape it is an arms-length type of corporation with the City of Toronto. It plays an interface role between artist users, developers, funding agencies and governments. Check it out. http://www.torontoartscape.org/

Where do we start in Ottawa? I propose Ottawa needs a not-for-profit arms-length Artist Live-Work Development Corporation with paid professional employees to find and work with a developer, City staff, community groups, architects, funding agencies, etc, etc. Artist-users are already overloaded with all the aspects of their business of art, nor do they necessarily have the skills and professional contacts to bring the project to fruition. Their commitment is demonstrated by organizing and attending monthly meetings to discuss their needs and aspirations. They could provide input to an arms-length interface corporation toward fruition of projects.

Toronto Artscape, which is this type of interface non-profit corporation, has put their DIY (do-it-yourself) step-by-step information on their website. In my opinion, key professional players in Ottawa need to cooperate to incorporate such a not-for-profit organization to develop turn-key-like artist live-work properties while consulting with artist-user groups.http://www.torontoartscape.org/learn-how-we-do-it

It amazing to me, now that I'm looking, how many possible property types there are in Ottawa, ranging from reclaimed abandoned city owned buildings to new high-rise developments.

APPLAUSE!!

2012-02-28T14:08:00.003-05:00

APPLAUSE

Not many visual artists are accustom to applause in Canada. Yet it happened to me this February. I have a little exhibition, Global Forces - Intimate Spaces, showing downtown Ottawa in a church hall. One Saturday, when I dropped in, a large group called Conversations in English for New Canadians, had just returned from their annual Winterlude skating on the Canal for hot chocolate. As I entered the hall, it was announced that I was the artist of the prints on display. Everyone stepped forward and applauded. I looked behind me, thinking the applause was for someone other than me. What a great feeling when I realized it was for me! This must be what performing artists enjoy, as well as the money from tickets sold. Well enough said. I'm sure many visual artists can relate to what I'm saying. How special it is in Canada to receive applause. And yet, I'm reminded how when I have had exhibitions outside of Canada, the cultures applaud the visual artist all the time, and indeed show caring reverence, as if we are treasures.

Global Forces - Intimate Spaces Exhibition 2012 is showing at the Church of the Ascension Hall, 253 Echo Dr. Ottawa, parking available. I've selected eighteen photomontage archival pigment prints from my Arctic Crisis Part 1 (15) and from Ecology of Narrative Space Part 2 (15) in which the aesthetic discussion relates to the ephemeral nature of time, space, memory and identity. I'm giving an Artist Talk Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the same location. However, my inspiration begins thirty plus years ago when I worked in the Central Arctic Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, then the Northwest Territories. Browsing my photo album, my eyes landed on my yellowed 1980's prints, their faded appearance reinforcing my senses a long ago identity. Simultaneously, their spatial aesthetic and concern with delicate light reminded me of a life long research concern with human-environmental dynamics. As a contemporary visual artist many years later, its natural for me to reposition these memories, using digital photomontage techniques, within a contemporary aesthetic and global socio-environmental discussion. Come to the talk if you want to know more and to discuss your interpretations.

TORONTO SABBATICAL, JOURNAL 2011

2011-10-21T13:10:00.001-04:00

Oops! Drafter this blog 6 months ago and only publishing now. Hope there is something in there for the reader today.

Ottawa based artists are geographically well positioned to access both the Montreal and Toronto larger and more varied markets and resources. Starting this weekend, I'm back to Toronto for a relatively short three-week sabbatical as compared to the 2010 three-month sabbatical which I've discussed in previous blog entries but will briefly summarize.

During the 2010 visit, I accomplished three important exhibitions. A solo exhibition, Ecology of Narrative Space, was installed at Reference Project space next to the Drake Hotel , and received exceptional public exposure thanks to Art Critic, Betty Ann Jordon including it on the Queen Street West Art & Design Walking Tour itinerary. The Toronto School of Art's Launch Project Gallery exhibited my work as part of the CONTACT Photography Festival. Gevik Gallery in Yorkville had represented my paintings in Toronto since 2006, and during my sabbatical there they featured my paintings along with my photomontage Arctic Crisis series which was covered in the popular Slate Art Gallery Guide. Further increasing awareness of my art in the Toronto area and internationally, the well respected art critic, Andrea Carson, featured my art in her excellent blog View on Canadian Art, a blog that receives a daily 2000 hits.

For this October/November 2011 Sabbatical, just as in 2010, I have some ideas but no fixed expectations prior to my visit. With only three weeks, perhaps it will be enough to just soak up what's going-on, attending some lectures at the Power Plant where I had presented my work to a curatorial clinic last years.

During the past year, while waiting for creativity to strike, its been nurturing to be engaged with the arts and culture community through volunteer civic commitments such as the Arts, Heritage and Culture Advisory Committee for the City of Ottawa, supporting arts fundraising gala events, participation in a Research in Art Reading Group with other artists, and giving a presentation of my art practice to the Arts Salon (26) organized by Petra Halkes in her home (photo by V. Tytor). Especially nurturing is having fun with family and friends, and by myself, learning new skills such as Britannia Yacht Club sailing, snowshoeing and hiking with the Rideau Trail Association, Yoga at the YWCA, home entertaining and going out more.

I return feeling no urgency to achieve anything. It may happen that I attend drop-in yoga classes to keep-up with something new I started this year in Ottawa. I've noted a few exhibitions and lectures I'd like to attend, including the Fogar Residency (Newfoundland) exhibition at Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) in which my friend Marian Wahik will be showing her work (we met at our Banff Residency in 2009). My friend, Barbara Mitchell, a mover and shaker in the Toronto art community as professional art Appraiser, Curator of the Arts and Letters Club collection, President of the Women's Art Association, promises we'll get together for dinner. I'm hoping to do so with several more friends during the three weeks. Maybe I'll visit the Gibralter Point Art Centre on Toronto Islands where I did an artists residency in 2002. Some people from Ottawa have said they might be in town. Whatever happens, when away from home in Ottawa, I seem to approach life more as a delightful adventure, undistracted by "maintenance" issues.

I'll keep you posted.

GETTING UNSTUCK

2011-07-19T20:43:00.000-04:00

Water overflowed a small strip of eavestrough beside my garage door. Propelled by indignation with this 'improper' drainage, I mustered the energy to haul out the step-ladder. Defiantly, I climbed, my balance uncertain these days. Precariously teetering at the top, my hand blindly felt for the blockage. Seemingly in one swoop my hand closed in on marshy debris, flinging it to the ground, the sound of gushing water, then an emptied silence.

Perhaps a metaphor for how to become 'unstuck', blindly grab hold of what's there and fling it out? But then what of the "emptied silence"? And this is where I hesitated before climbing back down the ladder, dutifully putting it back in storage. The job done.

During the past year, the channel for my creative energy has shifted. And I'm not sure what to do. I'm standing at the top of the ladder, and it is silent. Meanwhile I am happy with my life. I am not the stereotypical frustrated starving artist. Rather, my life is full, overflow taking paths of least resistance. And I am still an artist.

Channeled energy is thought to be essential for efficient production and results in Western societies. What is missing in this paradigm is consideration for the uniqueness of the being of the artist. And this is why artists need to get away. To rejuvenate their authentic source.

NOTE: In this blog we discuss aspects of the business of art for visual artists from the unique perspective of the independent artist who is creating first, and then after the fact locates the audience that will most appreciate their aesthetic. However, the discussions might be useful or amusing to anyone.

RESEARCH IN ART

2011-04-16T11:12:00.000-04:00

Colleagues and friends often ask me what I'm doing in regards to my art practice. Usually, I would answer with a specific exhibition or project. The many back-to-back exhibitions during the last several years has been great exposure, bringing regional and international recognition for my artwork. Artist Resumé.

In 2011, space is needed to review these experiences, to read, to think and experiment. I've joined an independent Research in Art reading group with other artists and curators in Ottawa. I'm interested in theoretical readings on thingness, phenomenology and environment, relating these to specific art practices and exhibitions.

The location of my own visual/multimedia practice in theoretical discourse concerns how memory works as constantly shifting, a position that challenges traditional notions of a series of fixed points along a linear narrative line. I'm also concerned with the simultaneity of experience with environment, perception and consciousness.

However, my creative process is more intuitive than analytical. My art is inspired by scraps of personal video and photographs captured over a lifetime. These are intuitively altered and combined digitally as memory is reshaped by present experience. When creating I am in the flow of being.

Note: See blog entry: 11/23/09 Riding the Wave

CURATORS: DIFFERENT STROKES

2010-06-01T20:51:00.000-04:00

Visual/Media Arts Curator Versus Project Coordinator are different roles. The Curator comes up with the exhibition concept, theme, and selection of artworks and artists. A project coordinator would ideally assist the curator with logistics of implementation.

Comparing Curatorial Approaches includes many variations according to individual philosophies, educational backgrounds and institutional mandates. At one end of the continuum the Curator has a theme, and selects artworks that not only they view will contribute, but in which the artist's stated overall creative intent reinforces the theme. This Curator works closely with the artist being careful to not impose meaning on work that is at odds with the artist's intent, while at the same time locating it within a broader discussion. At the other end of the curatorial continuum is the academic who has a theme into which artists' work is selected regardless of any intent of meaning by the artist. The benefits for the artist to this approach are insights from another perspective, but can also create mixed-feelings of being misinterpreted.

CURATORIAL CLINIC

2010-05-20T23:52:00.000-04:00

What is a Curatorial Clinic? According to the Power Plant Gallery in Toronto, it is an informal opportunity to discuss one's work with members of the Curatorial Team, and not an evaluation or appraisal service. Members of that gallery can make a fifteen-minute appointment on Fridays. I was inspired to take-up this opportunity when recently Toronto Art Critic, Andrea Carson in her blog, View on Canadian Art - VoCA referred to me as an excellent artist doing lovely, sensitive work about place and memory, but who was "off-the-radar".

Preparing for this type of brief presentation forces the selection of visuals and quick explanations for inevitable questions from the curatorial team. The fifteen-minute time constraint could have been bumped to thirty. However, with everyone around the table being art junkies, a time constraint is necessary. From the perspective of the the artist, its an opportunity to listen to informal response by gallery's curatorial leadership and support. Based on this experience, I would recommend the Ottawa Art Gallery provide curatorial clinics for their artist members.

TORONTO CREATIVE RESEARCH SABBATICAL JOURNALS - #2

2010-04-10T21:42:00.000-04:00

When I first announced to someone I would be in Toronto for a couple of month they suggested I would be "on sabbatical", thereby naming my time away. Wikipedia provides definitions of types of sabbaticals, including some with biblical roots in Genesis 2:2-3 in which God rested after creating the universe. In modern terms, one usually takes a sabbatical to fulfill a goal. For example, in my case it was to gain understanding of how things worked in the Toronto visual art network of players, galleries, publications and media; the ultimate goal being increased visibility for my art. The following are a few things I learned.
Learn the rules, but intelligently play your own game. During the initial rounds to a few galleries, assistants suggested that the owner, over time, would watch and become aware of an artist's work; and to send exhibition invitations to the gallery's "info@.....com" email addresses. Given the combination of being at a mid-career level and at a mature stage in life, I knew this waiting-game approach wasn't going to be practical for me.
Working within a two-month time-frame facilitated a certain efficiency in quickly reviewing, selecting and acting on viable options. When one idea didn't work out, I quickly moved-on, picking up on other related opportunities as they were presented.
Maintaining communications with new contacts that can't help you in one way can often be helpful in another instance if you have developed a rapport.
Visibility depends upon taking action.
If they won't give you an exhibition, stage your own so there 's at least a starting point for discussion and visibility.
Study the scene by attending exhibitions, artist lectures, art auctions, curatorial clinics and networking with the players.
Having a very clear understanding about your art and its aesthetic location imbues confidence, and a thick skin. Know why what you are doing is "important".
The easiest artists for a dealer to work with are "dead artists", and it would seem the more established older galleries are at this stage and with this kind of reliable clientele.
There are millions of people claiming to be "art consultants". I've learned most don't know as much as I do about art, nor do they have the clientele they claim. One such consultant emailed interest in specific works requesting prices, not stating his location and listed a website that was "under construction". Beware of these kinds of so called art consultants who become defensive when you ask for their credentials. With our world-wide internet visibility, artists are vulnerable to art scams.
Its prudent business practice to ask third-party consultants/dealers for their credentials when they are suggesting a possible business relationship. Follow-up on their references.
The unexpected is inevitable, so be mentally prepared. While the Mount Sinai emergency wrapped my broke and swollen right-hand in a splint, I made the decision to grow from my experience. This meant overriding any fears of rejections and asking for help with staging the upcoming exhibition at Reference Project gallery space. It was also heartening when people came forward without my having to ask.
Sometimes people can be presumptuous about who I am based on my appearance, and say the rudest things. When in a foreign land, dependent on the good will of people, I've learned to just suck-it-up. Probably should do more of this at home too.