Friday, August 17, 2012

Framing and getting started in showing your work.

I know it's been a little while since I posted here, trying to get my life back in order after the trip to France took a little while.  I have much to post here so look for several up coming with a few France trip Plein Air pieces and newly finished work.  But first I had a question from a student asking about framing for just getting started in showing or competing with your work.  By the time I answered her I had what looked like a good blog post so I'm copying my answer here for anyone alse who may want to know.  I wrote to her:

Framing and getting started in showing your work whether it's in competition shows or galleries, or for jurying into art groups, can be one of the most difficult decisions for an artist. I've done it myself and many other artists start the same way.   You first frame things for yourself/home/friends.  Then if you enter a competition or jury process, you have to take into consideration what their requirements are.  Many have distinct regulations, such as the CPSA (Colored Pencil Society of America) and other large shows require plexiglass for glazing to minimize breakage issues.  They also stipulate simple lines for frames or no heavily carved ones.  Neutral matting, suggesting a minimum of 2"  margin with 3" being the norm and other criteria. 

At BAAA (Bon Air Artists Assoc. my local art group) some on our jury team believe you should have all 5 pieces in similar or like framing, along with the simple lines and neutral matting.  I believe many artists jurying in for the first time are not going to reframe something on the chance they get in to the group, especially if this is their first jury in attempt.  But in laying out your display for the jury process or show, you can place like frames together and group the display.  Like if you had some gold frames, then some black with gold trim, and then a dark chocolate/expresso frame may make the layout look OK. 

If you have a piece that was done say in a purple mat for a special room but a basic frame, I would re-mat the piece with an off white or neutral mat to jury in or show.  I've been on the jury committee and this person had a bright green matted piece and purple mat one mixed in with others, well lets just say it didn't go over well with the committee. 

Many of us start out with a mixture of finishes, or styles that change over time.  Richmond for some time now has been a gilded frame town.  But things are changing here to match other areas of the country.  Many of my professional artist friends along with myself, reevaluate our framing frequently.  Most can't afford to completely redo them so we figure out a way to make a gradual conversion to a switch.  And of course it never fails, I'll find a great frame I'm changing to, only to find out the company has discontinued that style or color/shade.  As starving artists or new to selling, we may buy on sale at local shops, as we're testing our worth in the art sales arena.  But eventually we learn to standardize and realize you can't frame for every taste.  Neutral in all realms works well for a client, judge or gallery to evaluate the merit of an artwork.  Letting the art speak for itself is my motto.  But I do believe on not skimping on quality when it comes to framing.  I try to give my clients a good value quality frame.  Except if they specify a certain frame or ask for it not to be framed, although I do not like to sell unframed work at shows.   I have given a frame away just so the sold artwork had a safe vehicle in which to be transported to a clients home.  

Besides the fact that many clients choose to re-frame a piece for their decor, working in standard sizes for mats and frames makes this framing thing much less of a daunting task.  Sometimes you can pop one out of the frame and pop it into another more suitable if you work in standardized sizes.  Of course I learned how to cut my own mats and do my own framing to keep the cost of framing a piece low and the value high on a finished work.  Do I like to cut mats NO, but hey it's all part of owning your own business as I see it.  Or until you make it big with high sales volume and big prices tags $$$$$ then you can have it all professionally done.   One of the reasons I have moved to working almost exclusively on Ampersand pastelboard is the no mat, no glass is needed.  They hang like oil paintings making self framing easier and allowing for quick frame changes.   Inevitably a frame can become damaged by dragging it to shows or in shipping to competitions so then it's always good to re-frame in a your new style keeping your exhibit cohesive. 

I do have a few high priced framed pieces in my private collection that I may never sell or that I will re-frame should I decide to enter in a show or to sell. 

Oh by the way, she also asked if it was OK to use complementary colors for a mat.  Since we have talked in class about using complementary colors I needed to make sure what her understanding of complementary was and to be clear on my answer to her I asked her what she meant.  For the rest of you I thought I'd make clear the differences. 

The dictionary definition of complementary is: 
complementary |ˌkämpləˈment(ə)rē|
adjective
1 completing; forming a complement : backyard satellite dishes and the complementary electronic components.
• (of two or more different things) combining in such a way as to enhance or emphasize each other's qualities : three guitarists playing interlocking, complementary parts.

While the definition of complementary colors is:  
complementary colors
plural noun
colors directly opposite each other in the color spectrum, such as red and green or blue and orange, that when combined in the right proportions, produce white light. The effect is not the same when mixing paints.



If she meant "this compliments you artwork in like colors".   Neutral usually does show well, off white, white, tan, light grey, black, brown, etc....are good choices.   If she meant complementary as in the first definition above my answer is the same.  I hope she didn't mean complementary colors as in the second definition.  Although this might work for a decorator or in a special room this would not be a good choice for framing if exhibiting in shows galleries or for a jury in process.

Well there you have it, framing per Gloria.  Have a colorful day!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Last day in Paris and Monet's Home and Garden

 Claude Monet's garden is about 1 hour 15 min., from our hotel via our special tour bus, and was everything I had hoped it would be and then some.  The artist's home is inviting with the rose arbors lining the garden side of the house.  And the gardens it over looks are so filled with blossoms you hardy knew which direction to look.  My only disappointment was it was so busy (we got there when it opened) there really was not a place to even do a quick sketch.  And we only had 2 hours to see it all.  Inside no photos are allowed but for those who have not seen it, it's decorated to the exact duplicate of the photos displayed inside. With replicas of his paintings hanging in his studio. My favorite part of the house was the blue and white kitchen.  His bedroom was a cheery space that's windows opened up onto his magnificent garden.       
The bridge view today is much the same as in some of his famous paintings but appeared to be lower than I expected.  I suppose it's because he painted from his boat in the water, giving it a higher angle and view.  But again many crowds to contend with thus no drawings ala Plein Aire.

We concluded our afternoon with a trip to the Musee de l'Orangerie  on the grounds of the Louvre gardens.  Containing a tribute to Monet's Water Nympheas series that took over 4 years for him to paint. They fill the walls of 2 long oval rooms. The link here will give you a teaser. www.musee-orangerie 

So that was a good ending for our Monet day.  
Au revior,

Gloria


Sunday, July 1, 2012

The Louvre's Mona and the Eiffle Tower from my hotel room tonight.,


 At the Louvre to see Mona, my Italian mother's favorite painting.  Hectic and crazy today because Sunday's are free admittance to museums in Paris.  Wilma and I had a great time on the Batobus (a river boat that transports you to many of the sites all day along the Seine River.  Unfortunately we did not get to see the Museum D' Orsay due to extremely long lines.  No drawing or painting today it was our free day and art appreciation day.     
After a lovely dinner that cost way too, much we're back to the hotel and our rooms view of the Eiffel Tower at night.  Now to get a good nights sleep before our painting day and tour of Giverney tomorrow.  (our last day in Paris and France).

The one thing I've learned on this trip to France with other media Plein Aire painters is that the still life artist in me and the vignette lover in me has much to practice in my landscape cp work to feel comfortable.  I did stick to my guns and worked small the whole time 5 X 7 or 4 X 6.  A few I've shown here or will how in the next few weeks to come.  So stay tuned for more.

Gloria        

Saturday, June 30, 2012

We left Bonnieux very early for Paris today, arriving at our hotel very near the Eiffel tower by 2:00 pm.  A bus tour of the city's highlights prehotel check in.  Hotel internet here is free but very spotty for access and slow so uploads of email are taking forever.  I will try to send you a photo from Paris when I can.  Tonight will be an early one as we are tired.  Dinner first-and a brief walk around on our first evening here.

Au revior,

Gloria

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Provence Plein Aire - Roussillion

View of Roussillion, France and it's Ocher  pigment in the mountain.





Yesterday was our trip to the perched town of  Roussillion, where the ocher pigments
My beginning for the view of Roussillion.
were mined, in all shades.  Finding the town which is only about 15 min. from Bonnieux was a little tedious as 2 of the roads were washed by mud slides.  So the third option 25 minutes later panned out.  Climbing in switchbacks the whole way up "Bubba" our new vehicle made the trip up smoothly.  Such a change from the vehicle I started out with.  Thank you Hertz!  
Lavender fields in many areas were out (not as much as farther south) and proved good photo ops.  As the driver I had to stay in the vehicle so I'm waiting for the copies my car mates ran out to get while I hung on to the edge of the road.  Look for them in follow up posts when I get back.  Being the designated driver has it's downfalls as I can't shoot so many of the quick shots of this wonderful landscape while driving, like my car mates can.  
As you can see my start for the view of the town was slow to develop.  The Mistral winds were at first a thankful gift for this hot day but soon became.a force to be reckoned with.  As the ochre colored sand and dust blew across the parking lot where I sat in the shade, I soon had more grit in my eyes and teeth than I could stand.   Here I'm working on a 5 X 7 piece of green ampersand pastel-board. laid out initially with 10 % french grey.  The drawing needs corrected some but the various little buildings are at varied angles which I observed first hand while in town.   This is as far as I got in about an hour and 15-20 minutes.  It was difficult to not loose your place while doing the sketch, while holding on to your supplies n the wind.   I hope to add some more to it from my photos.  More to come.  
Have a colorful day! Au revoir,
Gloria
Le Clos du Buis's garden by the pool inspired this drawing as the Luberon hills an Mount Ventu beyond the inner hedge roll out beyond the outskirts of Bonnieux. This very large glazed urn filled with their version of red geranium (has very tiny blossoms)looks out on the pool level before the grounds fall away into the lower garden.  I worked o this two afternoons in my multimedia sketch book.  No wc cp under-painting 100% cp.

The day before we went to Arles (a 1.5 hour trip) to see the Van Gogh Museum and had lunch at the Cafe name after the painting he did of it at night.  I had the Van Gogh salad and it was as colorful as his paintings. The museum was closed and with the warning symbol written in French on the Peugeot I was driving (saying "Get your engine fixed now!") had us having a difficult day..  We located a Hertz office in Arles which had us driving to Neems airport (farther west) to exchange it for a brand spanking new Chevy Captiva.  Ya!!!!!! American!.  It drives so much better but is so much bigger that we named it Bubby.  I'm the largest car in our hotel parking lot..  Scary to drive these perched towns with when you meet a bus/truck or fast driving car in your lane but it handles the mountainous country roads so well with our foursome.  As the appointed driver I am the one who has to maneuver these roads but without Kathy our only French speaking artist navigating for us we might never get there.

Oh, and I am now along with my car mates working on finding the best sorbet in Provence.  So far the best has been here in Bonnieux with the tea shop down the street and at the La Flambe restaurant..  The tea shop has Lavender sorbet which pared with raspberry is lovely., La Flambe has Cassis (Kir liquer) flavor and paired with lemon or citron sorbet is the best palate cleanser after a meal.

There you go one post to catch you up and another one yet to come with yesterday's trip and drawing.  Have to charge both the battery on the notebook and by tummy.  Have a colorful day!

Gloria 
.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Our Hotel/B&B "Le Clos du Buis" front view.  Today we recovered from several sleepless nights, jet lag and scoped out Bonnieux our temporary home town.  A hilltop village is so picturesque, friendly  and so  quintessentially French.  As typical, the streets are narrow and busy, but the pedestrian streets may offer some good set up areas for Plein Air painting tomorrow.  Or at least the quaint doorways along it were easy painting targets.  Lunch at a terraced brasserie was a salad with small crispy tomato pizza on top, looking over the Luberon valley below.

We were invited into a home with a rental apartment in it which was 12th century and part of the original ramparts of the walled town.  Most of the place was below street level (down 3 levels), the rooms were catacomb like and a cool earthen temperature.  The woman/owner had the cutest little Jack Russel terrier was very interested in our group of painters.  Her rear balcony overlooked the valley and the hill-town across named Lacoste.  A view to savor with a cup of morning cafe'.       

So there you have it my first full non travel day in Provence.  Dinner tonight is at the Hotel, family style with all 20 of us and the kitchen is smelling wonderful.  Garlicky yummy! Mmmmm.  I think my all day walking up hill has made for a good appetite.

Au revoir my followers,

Gloria  
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...