A Look at Art & Design

You Send It :: For sending large files

I was recently reminded of that great little website called YouSendIt. A fantastic way to send those large files which are too big for emailing. This is extremely useful for sending graphics, photos, and portfolios. Sign up is free and you can send and receive up to 100mg files. The files are available on the YouSendIt server for your clients to download for 7 days. Includes address book and enhanced options with upgrades for a pretty decent price.

New Graphics for The Art Guide

The Art Guide webmaster (yours truly) has created two graphics for use on your website or blog. Please feel free to download either of these graphics (or both) and link to The Art Guide website at www.theartguide.com.

The Art Guide publishes a beautiful monthly print publication (in addition to the website) with art exhibitions, a calendar of events, articles, and resources for artists, galleries and collectors.

Support the Art Guide!

We'd love to hear from you at the Art Guide.

Making Connections in the Art World

When I was at the airport during Christmas holiday, I went into the bookstore to pick up something to read for the flight.  Being that I'm usually heading into or out of jet lag, I certainly didn't want something too loftly so I opted for a little black book entitled (of all things) Little Black Book of Connections, by Jeffrey Gitomer, 65 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships. An easy and fun read yet full of great tips and reminders.

In the art industry we could go to a gallery opening or artist reception every night of the week...sometimes even 2 events a night if we wanted.  It's important to attend these functions, and for those artists out there I certainly hope that you are taking advantage of these opportunities to network and market yourself.  But sometimes it's also hard for some of us to screw up our courage and attend a gathering where we might not know anyone. Or perhaps you're thinking "I'm an artist not a social butterfly. I don't go to openings."   Well please think again.  It is extremely important to your career to be able to make connections and keep those connections.  It's important for your career (and frankly a part of your job) to get yourself "out there!"  Let's face it, there are times when you just have to get out of the studio and go meet with the people because it is the people who will be buying your work, and can help support you.  Besides...it's alot of fun.

Gallery openings are one thing but what about the other avenues open to us for networking... dinner out, lectures, workshops, concerts, wine tastings, ball games, the golf course.  Sometimes even just going out to the post office can be an opportunity to meet a new contact...you just never know.

Having rather enjoyed Gitomer's book, I thought I'd do a four part series of my own on making connections.  These next couple of posts will focus on different ways for artists to make connections, feel good about making those connections and perhaps even make some friends for life in the process.

Five Things You Don't Know About Me

Good Lord...I've just discovered I've been tagged by Cat at Designer's Who Blog for the 5 Things meme. I'm sooo out of the loop and tomorrow I resolve to catch up on all my blog reading which has escaped me since my return from vacation. (And Cat...I haven't forgotten about the The Fill in the Blanks Initiative (FitBI) going on over at The Design Encyclopedia)

Ok, so here it goes:  Five Things You Don't Know About Me.

1. While at home I talk to my cats...a lot!  Ummm...these are actual conversations.  And yes, I seem to do this on a regular basis. Sometimes I even make up "kitten jingle" songs for them. (Is it official now?  I'm a little nuts?)
2. I love Godzilla movies.
3. I have to sleep on the side of the bed which is furthest away from the door.
4. I have an obsession with great handbags.  Love them, have to have them.
5. I can't cook to save my life (seriously... things explode and catch on fire) but recent events have inspired me to appreciate the sensual nature of food and great wine, and I'm resolved to learning more about those tools in my kitchen.

It's my turn to tag five people now so:  Debbie Millman, Jan Blencowe, Jari Loisa, Nikki Heery and Igor Polyakov ....You're IT!

Successful Women in the World of Commercial Art

I just came upon an interesting article in the The Guardian entitled Space Women.  Author Alice Rawsthorn profiles 7 highly successful women working in the world of commercial art and explores why it is that women succeed in contemporary art dealing.  While the article was published back in October of 2006 it is definitely worth a read.

I came upon this article via Kathy Tyrrell's Squidoo Lens Artbusiness.  Check out Tyrrell's Lens which is full of great resources for artists.

Glass art :: Glass blower Jeff P'an

Last Friday I drove out to Prescient Studio at the Velvet Mill in Stonington Connecticut to interview Glass Artist Jeffrey P'an.  I'm quickly becoming a big fan of glass art and getting a behind the scenes look at the process only served to heighten my interest and appreciation for the art form.  In fact, I purchased a lovely wine goblet created by P'an in which to sip my Cabernet while writing the piece for INK Publications.  I must say I think that the wine glass enhanced the whole wine drinking experience not to mention served as great inspiration while writing.

P'an follows neither the Venetian style or the Swedish style of glass blowing.  Having studied in Venice Italy, he admits that the colored mosaics he uses are a hallmark of the Venetian tradition but instead he prefers to develop his own style, creating something more modern and contemporary.  P'an's focus is on clarity and design.

I'm thrilled to be writing for INK Publications.  Jeff Lilly, publisher of INK, sent the talented Caryn Davis out to photograph the story so I'm sure the piece will look fantastic in the upcoming edition.  INK can be found in many art galleries, fine dining establishments and boutiques around Connecticut.

Prescient Studio is on 44 Meadow Ave in Stonington Connecticut.

The Broad Art Foundation

"Contemporary art challenges us...it broadens our horizons. It asks us to think beyond the limits of conventional wisdom."  Eli Broad

"The Broad Foundation strives to build a collection of importance for the study of art of the last quarter of the twentieth century. The artists in the collection, most of who came to prominence in the 1980's or later, engage a wide range of media including painting, sculpture, photography and installation. Distinct among most public or private collections, the Foundation acquires deeply concentrated holdings of works by individual artists so that the full depth and breadth of their work is represented and updated as their endeavors progress. Among the artists represented in depth are Jeff Koons, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cindy Sherman, Jenny Holzer, Eric Fischl, Charles Ray, Leon Golub, Anselm Kiefer, Robert Therrien, David Salle, Philip Taaffe, Ross Bleckner, Terry Winters, Sharon Lockhart and Andreas Gursky. The collection acquires, on average, 50 artworks per year, many of them large scale or multi-part installation works."
The Broad Foundation

Visit the Broad Art Foundation Online

Today is Stupid

It takes me some time to recover from unexpected or unforeseen events that interrupt the course of my day. Running a business and functioning as a single mom requires a lot of organization and planning. When a cog gets stuck in the wheels of progress, I have a very hard time recouping my day. I can’t seem to just spin, pivot and find my original pace again.

I had three appointments today. Along the shoreline there was an interview with Jeff P’an, Glass Blower; a meeting with David Black, Artist and another appointment way up in Rocky Hill CT. Knowing that I would be onsite and out of the office all day I prepared for the road. Yesterday I filled my gas tank with gas. I checked my digital voice recorder to ensure it had batteries and was in proper working order. Checked my digital camera in the same fashion. Put together files and notes for the various meetings and figured out the times of departure/arrival etc. At 11:45am I gathered everything together, got into my car and… the car battery is dead! This comes as a total surprise to me. I’m stunned and in disbelief. I turn the key again. Yup, it’s dead for sure. The lights (to my knowledge) were not left on. All the doors were closed shut. Who the hell knows how or why this has happened but one thing I do know as I sit in my dead car is… MY DAY IS SHOT! I’ve just wasted the time of my clients, and the rest of my week will be affected by this one stupid event because now these meetings (and the work schedule for the next few days) will all need to be rearranged.

I wish I could just come back into the office and hit the ground running. I’m thinking many of you could just seize the day and take advantage of the “free” time just acquired. And eventually after regrouping that is what I’ll do, it just takes me some hours to do it. I usually start slowly by calling everyone I’ve just dissed and explaining and rescheduling appointments. I’ll throw in a load of laundry (just to trick myself into thinking I’m doing something productive.) I’ll maybe sit down and answer email or make phone calls, read some feeds and perhaps write a post (just like this one) and by that time I’m usually back in “work” mode and can move forward and salvage something of my day… but it’s already 3:15pm and in order to stay somewhat on schedule I know I'll be working until 8:00pm.

I’m sure Merlin Mann of 43 Folders could give me some good advice on how to cut this regrouping time in half. Perhaps help can be found in David Allen’s book Getting Things Done.

Have you experienced this? Can you recover quickly? If so I’m interested in knowing how you handle these little setbacks. What’s your secret?

10 Things I Hate/Love

Things I hate:

1. When my Ipod battery dies
2. The sound of sirens
3. Fighting
4. Paperwork
5. Stupidity
6. When my Internet connection won't connect
7. Having to search for a half hour for the proper tool before I can do a job that should only take 10 minutes to do
8. Not having cookies when I want them
9. Fear
10. Driving

Things I Love:

1. Music
2. The smell of grass
3. My boyfriend's laughter
4. Really great, kick butt creative inspiring amazing design
5. Being quiet
6. Rain
7. Naps
8. Confidence
9. Pillow talk
10. Driving

Runaway Train :: Soul Asylum

Bear with me....a little self indulgence

Runaway Train ::  Lyrics

Call you up in the middle of the night
Like a firefly without a light
You were there like a blowtorch burning
I was a key that could use a little turning

So tired that I couldn't even sleep
So many secrets I couldn't keep
I promised myself I wouldn't weep
One more promise I couldn't keep

It seems no one can help me now,
I'm in too deep; there's no way out
This time I have really led myself astray

Runaway train, never going back
Wrong way on a one-way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there...