Pulling out the ART

Have you ever just pulled out all your art and looked at it as a grouping.. It really gives you an idea of what you have available and what it looks like as a whole. I did this not too long ago.  I pulled my art out to see what I have and how it's looking.  I wanted to make sure none of my pieces are damaged.  I'm looking for thick plastic bags of various sizes to store my art in.  I have a few, but would like to find more.

I pulled my art out because I was in the process of organizing my spreadsheet of all my art.  I have all my art organized for quick review.

I number all my pieces; the number is a combination of a few things.

1. order of when it was painted

2. month it was painted

3. year it was painted

So a number might look like this: 2210614 (221 painting I did in June of '14). I had an artist friend tell me to do it this way because it makes for easy reference down the road. When you think about years from now, you might not remember when you painted something or if it was before/after another painting.  I have found this system a great way to stay organized.  

I have a spreadsheet with: a thumbnail of the painting, title, size, price, who I sold it to, where it is located.  This has been great for quick reference when someone has a question about a certain piece of my art.  The trick is to write the information down as soon as you finish your painting. Don't save it for later-later never seems to come.

Art Maui 2015

Schaefer International Gallery at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center is currently displaying a juried art show  'Art Maui'.  I submitted two pieces into this show, and one was selected. I had a friend who is an Art Critic help me pick which pieces to enter.  He picked two pieces, both of which I wouldn't have considered entering.

He suggested I enter two very different styles of my work.  The idea being if the juror doesn't care for one style, I have another option to show the them.  I had researched this juror online, checking out what type of art he produced. I also read what he was looking for in this particular show.  Interesting process looking through all of my art pieces and deciding which would be best for this show.

There were 325 artists who registered 511 works. 110 works, by 99 artists, were selected.  During the opening event, I walked around and saw the diversity of pieces displayed.  Even though this show is held in Maui, the work shown could be from anywhere- L.A., San Fransisco, east coast somewhere.  To have my work picked felt like such an honor!

Watching people look at my art piece was fantastic.  Having people aproach me and ask about my art, where I have traveled to bring such bold colors to my palette was fabulous.  Having my art in this show is just the beginning of many more shows.  I know that if I hadn't entered this show, it's like I was given a 'No' already.  Just try, enter shows and build up the list of people who recognize you!