A Look at Art & Design

Dragonfly Blu Design, Lisamikulski.com and ArtLOOK Redesigned & Refined

Hi All. It seems that whenever things get busy here at DFB the posts on ArtLOOK slow to a near halt. I'm sorry about that. Spring is the busiest time of year for not only the art business but for design as well. Despite the onslaught of work here at the studio, it was a priority to update and redesign my own design house.

Please meet the new Dragonfly Blu. DFB has a brand new ID and look. It is a bit more edgy and bold but also decidedly feminine and clean. New portfolios contain updates to recent work, photography, and the new Client and Designer Bill of Rights. Feedbacks from my recent email campaign has been great so thank you all for those comments and kind thoughts.

I've done some organizational work here at ArtLOOK as well. You will see that the blog has been divided into 3 columns. Recent posts and categories appear at the top of the page for easy reference. Websites, blogs and resources have been combined simply into Design Resources and Art Resources. Only the best resources appear here. Outdated or unmaintained sites and blogs will not appear in this list.

Lisamikulski.com has also been redefined. Expanded art management and marketing services for Artists and Galleries include:

• Identify and develop outreach goals


• Serve as contact for business and media relations


• Work as liaison to galleries, suppliers, buyers, and collectors


• Marketing and advertising in print and online


• Portfolio creation in print and online


• Inventory Development


• Marketing and PR materials creation - graphic and web design


• Email campaigns and direct mail


• Development of mailing lists


• Development of press releases and feature articles


• Copywriting


• Exhibition support, Event planning and PR

MakeFive :: New website connecting people through opinions and preferences

My friend, Eric Karjaluoto over at SmashLAB and ideasonideas wrote to me today announcing his new pet project MakeFive (honestly Eric... where do you find the time?) The site was launched yesterday and is based on a simple notion: share your opinions by ranking anything/everything and meet like minded individuals in the process.

After having browsed the new site I thought I'd post a little something here to give a bit of PR to the hard working folks at SmashLab but hmmm... how to I set a category for this post (or even multiple categories) without checking off everything from Art to Zebras? MakeFive has been created to accommodate nearly any subject you can imagine...including design related topics such as Most Influential designers of our time, Best design blogs, Best type families, Great books for entrepreneurs.

It can allow users to do so much:
- Learn about amazing new books
- Share their worst first-date experiences
- Opine on the most relevant news story of the year
- Document what things one wants to do before dying
- Find out about great restaurants they hadn't yet heard of

There is a lot of fun stuff here... one of my favorites is "What George W. Bush could do upon leaving office." My favorite answer : Take an English Class.

Visit MakeFive... and hey Eric, BTW... why do you call it MakeFive?

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween All. Sorry for the long delay in posting. Things at the office and construction around the house has kept me away but... we're back on track and I look forward to being back among you. Meanwhile, enjoy some scary movies tonight and keep the candles burning.

Thank You Designers

I want to send a huge THANK YOU to all the designers who responded to my yelp for help in my recent post Tomorrow is Not Always an Option.  You are an amazing group of people.  Despite heavy deadlines, and grueling workloads many of you took the time to write me emails offering your hand and shoulder for support. The design industry is a competitive place but it's also filled with compassionate and caring people who demonstrate that they aren't above lending a hand to a fellow designer. Eric Karjaluoto of smashLAB wrote a very helpful comment and offered some great practical advice. Some like Veerle Pieters and Cat Morley of BODO even posted their own blogs with companion articles. Veerle wrote eloquently her thoughts about how "Deadlines Kill Inspiration" and Cat at BODO offered suggestions for dealing with the on slot of deadline madness in her post titled Business Choices: The Next Level. I'd also like to acknowledge the readers of Veerle's Blog and BODO who wrote insightful, and sometimes fun, comments on this topic. Thank you all.

ALERT :: Email Scam Targets Artists and Artwork

Artists beware: Email scammers are slick! This is not something we didn't already know, right? However, I want to alert you to an email I received this morning in several of my art email accounts. This type of thing is quite common on the Internet but I want to alert those of you who might be unfamiliar so you don't get involved with this. The title of the email reads "ARTWORK WANTED". The message goes on to say:

Hello Seller, Good Day.. My name is Ade jo. I saw your artwork in the list address and am very much interested in buying your (artwork) I will like to know the actual amount of the art and i will prefer to pay with a cashier cheque/money order. And about the shipping I know a good shipping company that I am using that can come for the picking up ,kindly get back now with the price and if you have the picture send it to my mail box to see.Are you a private seller?Do you accept chasier cheque/money order as my method of payment? I will want you to email me back with your website and last offering price. Best Regards

This email has all the hallmarks of a scam. The email expresses interest in your artwork and requests jpg's of the work and your price for selling. The sender says he prefers to pay with a cashier cheque or money order...sounds pretty good, doesn't it? He also says that he knows a good shipping company.

Ok...here is how this works. The guy (or gal) sends you money via an international check but he/she overpays you. When you notify him that he has overpaid, he'll request that you send the overage fees to the shipper to cover costs. This, of course, you'll agree to do but not before you find out the international check they have sent you is bad. Now you've paid money from YOUR ACCOUNT to the shipper. TA DA... you've lost money, allowed a scammer to know your banking information and you might have lost the painting or piece of art as well.

Edward Winkleman has a post on this very subject entitled Art Scam?, with a good deal of informative comments from his readers reqarding this type of fraud. Some of Edward's readers have also listed websites where you can report this activity to authorities. I HIGHLY recommend that you read Edward's post .

There is also a website called Art Scams - Tips to Protect You which I also highly recommend reading. This website offers several tips and resources for protecting your interests.

I know several artists who have had great success in selling art work via the Internet so please don't let this discourage you...just know who you are dealing with and do some research on your part.

Art On Groton Bank

Come to the Left Bank...Groton's Left Bank: Art On Groton Bank's second summer event was a success! With almost 50 artists participating and a fine showing of public support, artists enjoyed a lovely summer day at the Thames River bank. A good deal of artwork was sold and according to one participant "This is a wonderful event. I sometimes spend $400 to enter a show, and do nowhere near as well... plus there is no hassle here - and everyone is so nice."

Artists enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, French ambience and the ability to not only display art but also to work on the grounds if they so desired. Artist John W. Malenda says "I haven't done an outside show for about 10 years and I sold enough and made contacts to justify doing the remainder of the series. Please put me on the list for the August show."

A recent addition to the AOGB was the welcome presence of recent Lyme Academy College of Fine Art grad student, Adam Peiffer and friend Kelsey. "What a painter." says AOGB organizer Audrey Heard, "I'm so happy he sold some pieces and he's coming back."

Summer festivals and art fairs are a great way for art lovers to view works from local and "up and coming artists" and to purchase some lovely pieces at reasonable prices. According to the Wall Street Journal "With [art] prices rising faster than ever, savvy collectors are shifting their strategies for nabbing deals." And one such way to nab a deal is by attending local events such as Art On Groton Bank.

Art on Groton Bank is a continuing festival of fine arts on the grounds of the Bill Memorial library. Upcoming events are August 18, and September 15 from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M. Painters, sculptors, graphic artists and photographers are invited to work on the property or to exhibit. Families and art lovers are invited to come and make a day of it by exploring the grounds, picnic in a lovely setting, watch an artist at work or purchase a beautiful original piece of art. Sponsors include The City of Groton, The Bill Memorial Library, The Art Guide and Dragonfly Blu Design.

Visit the website for additional info. www.artongrontonbank.com

Charlestown Gallery New Website

Dave Gilly Gilstein and Renee O'Gara are lovely. Talented in their own right as artists, designers and photographers, their Rhode Island gallery reflects their fine eye for art that embraces abstract work, landscape, seascape and photography. This summer will see several openings and exhibits at the gallery. Artists include David k. Anderson, Jeanne Tangney, Antonia Tyz Peeples, Burl
Dawson, H. Gray park IV, Joseph Keiffer.

Check the Charlestown Gallery's brand new website for openings and shows, an extensive artist portfolio and contact information.

Zero Tolerance

While the conversation over at the Copyright Law post is a hot topic, and I'm so happy to see discussions of this nature taking place here at ArtLOOK, I feel I must place a notice here to those entities who are trying to place their spam and porn links on this site via the comments and trackback options. This is not tolerated at ArtLOOK and for each attempt at commenting with spam links on various posts at ArtLOOK, please know that your IP, comments and links have been reported to Typepad as spam and then promptly deleted.

Call For Artists :: Art On Groton Bank

The Bill Memorial Library and the City of Groton are sponsoring Art on Groton Bank, a continuing festival of fine arts on the grounds of the library on June 16, July 21, August 18, and September 15 from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M.

We are thinking Paris, of the stalls along the Seine, the artists’ work lined against the walls on the Left Bank. We are bringing the sense of that greatest of art cities to Groton Bank.

Time is getting close. The committee has walked the grounds of the enchanting Bill Memorial Library to lay out the sites along the fences, and in the middle of the Great Lawn.

Artists are invited to set up at 7 a.m. and exhibit until 3 p.m. A $20.00 fee will cover the cost of a site of approximately 100 square feet per event.

If artists would like to paint the beautiful vistas on and around the library grounds during the show, it would be a wonderful diversion for visitors, who love to watch artists create. Often, the visitor will say “Combien?” and a sale is made. Painters are not required to paint, but it is a great opportunity. And fun!

SIGN UP TODAY!

Uncover/Discover by Biore + Gen Art::Call for Artists

Calling all undiscovered female artists, Biore Skincare + Gen Art are looking for you.  Submit your best work by May 31, 2007 for a chance to be in the spotlight and win a $20,000 grant, gain exposure and pursue your dreams. Categories for submission include visual art, music, fashion and film.

Uncover/Discover Competition