Xanadu’s ‘Starving to Successful’ Workshop and the $60.00 blog post.

Today I received an invitation to attend a workshop in San Antonio. “Starving to Successful, a one-day, intensive workshop where you will learn everything you need to know to get into galleries and sell more art”  I watched the teaser video for the workshop and I have to say, he had a couple ideas that I was surprised by. I opened up the link for the ‘mini-workshop’, thinking I would be bored to tears.  I'm not saying I know everything about this market but at this point I feel like I have enough experience in art history, marketing (corporate and small business), technology and customer service to really have a firm idea of a healthy representation and marketing plan for visual art.  I have created two websites over the last 9 years and a slew of visual representation aids for prospective buyers and galleries.   We have talked with two galleries and both of them want to show Gordon’s work.  His work pretty much sells itself, but still, I think I can pat myself on the back a little for being mostly self-taught.  By the way, if you are going to school for a BFA thinking you will learn much about  pimping out your work, think again.  I think we had one class at Webster, but…..remember it, I do not.  I learned more from reading just one of the dozen or so marketing books I have read.  I don’t blame them.  Most who graduate with a BFA go into teaching eventually anyway, with art production as a side.   This is our first time really creating work for show outside of an academic setting too! 

So, thirty minutes ago, I was sure I probably wouldn’t attend, now I wonder if this four hour workshop isn’t worth the $59.00 price tag.  As always, before I really wonder that, I think about all the people I could meet at the workshop.  What experience they will have, who they will know…..$59.00 networking event might be different.  If nothing else at all….it would be great to blog about!

What really interests me is the workshop is being presented in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Austin.  The speaker is from Scottsdale, AZ (very near and dear to my heart) and travels all around the country doing these four hour workshops.  Austin and Dallas I understand, but apparently he finds San Antonio a valid enough market to expect a good turn out to his event.  I want to know what he knows that would lead him to believe this workshop will be welcome and attended. I know its a great emerging market, I love it and I see the potential and the need for the knowledge he will be professing (obviously, vis-à-vis this blog) but I would love to know/see what he is looking at or who he knows out here.  Maybe I should ask him……

Updated Website

www.Nomadsculptor.com

It took some time, but I think it looks great now and very easy to view.  As they say in real estate, it shows well…. 

New Video and Photos

Here is detail from the painting coming in the house from the studio.

Here is the video of the new horse….I think I have posted the other videos.

Our First Show in San Antonio is Scheduled!

Today I confirmed our very first show in San Antonio! 

Being very involved in my nonprofit passions at school and IRL during this little hiatus from paying work has really been a blessing in many forms.  A few weeks ago I was very lucky to meet Jaclyn Friedman.  Jaclyn is a leading lecturer, writer and innovator in the effort to change the rape culture in the US, an effort that I am just now getting into with my own nonprofit (which is in the embryonic stages).  It was very much by chance that I was able to see her because I happened to contact her while she was visiting San Antonio (from Boston).  The next evening I attended her discussion and book signing at  C4 Workspace.  While I was there I was impressed by the creativity and freedom of the people around me.  The space is large and friendly and I absolutely love that neighborhood.  A few days after I saw the space, I visited C4 Workspace’s website and simply emailed the ‘contact us’ page about getting some of Gordon’s work in there.  After some emails and a conversation with Debbie Curtis, we have the show date and book signing on October 1st! 

Gordon hasn’t seen the space yet, but I know he will love it.  When we go down there on the 7th of May for a reception for the artist of May, I hope we get to spend some time walking around the neighborhood.   It’s full of lovely old mansions and art communities.

In the meantime,…we have paintings and sculpture coming out of our ears.  Gordon is working on the second horse sculpture, adding the resin, and told me this afternoon that we have to move the large painting out of his studio.  We need a large room of the house just to archive the paintings and sculpture.  I really like the painting he just finished and I will post a photo later today.  Also, we have made a commitment to ourselves to post more video to YouTube.  I found that I can create ok video with my phone camera and downloading to YouTube via RealPlayer couldn’t be easier, so hopefully I can take another video tonight. 

Blue Star Contemporary Art Center

I got word back from Blue Star Contemporary Art Center today.  I will go ahead and outline the submission guidelines, to save a step for any SA artists thinking about the space. 

Emily Barker says artists need to send a CD of 10-12 images, a resume/CV and anything else pertinent to the concept of the show to: Blue Star Exhibition Committee, c/o Meredith Dean, Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, 116 Blue Star, San Antonio, TX, 78204. According to Emily shows are scheduled several years in advance.  I should be able to put that together to mail out on Saturday. 

I am still waiting for news back from Gallery Nord and in the meantime, I think I want to speak with the gracious woman I met at C4 Workspace regarding hanging a few pieces there.   Though they aren’t a ‘gallery’, they have some decent wall space and good window exposure.  Plus, there are some really good people working there and it would be nice if we could make their day a little brighter by putting some nice big work in there.   

In the studio Gordon has been working on the new horse.  I spent about three hours working on the website to update and make some aesthetic I had been meaning to for a few weeks.  I am happy with the result of my tinkering and there are some good new pictures of his current project, despite the lack of a quality camera.  On that note, I decided to take my brother’s advice and try using my old 35mm Cannon Rebel EOS, letting the processors print a CD/DVD rather than paper.  It wont work for video, but that is my best camera, and it will probably be great.  Here is a new video of the new carousel horse:

Sunday Ramble

Gordon is working on the second horse today. I took this photo a few days ago, since then it has changed a little. It’s going to be a large one. It’s over six feet so far.

In the meantime, there isn’t a lot happening in the city. I’m going to C4 Workspace tonight to meet Jaclyn Friedman (very excited), so for the first time I’ll get to see that space. I haven’t yet talked to anyone over there or really looked into a show there, but I’m sure I’ll find out tonight.

I have been having really dismal thoughts about the future of art and artists. I was sure when the world became as divided as it has that we would see art about it. Is everybody numb? This period of time deserves a movement, a manifesto, an art revolution. 14 years ago I started looking toward the next art revolution. Something politically driven. Maybe the catalyst is coming…..(?) I hope so. Maybe it’s happening right now, under our noses. Maybe it has nothing to do with paint or wood or clay. Maybe it has nothing to do with paper, bicycle wheels or video tape. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe all that is dead. Maybe that’s the revolution. See where the dismal attitude is coming from?

I don’t really see a market for new art now. And lets face it; people are much less inclined to do things that aren’t necessary for their survival or their ego. Like writing this blog with nobody out there to read it…….must be an ego thing. ;-) Where is the artist’s incentive to express themselves? Gordon works full time in a career completely counter-intuitive to the creation process. How he manages to spend another 20-30 hours a week in the studio, is amazing. Such a polarity isn’t easy. It does take a toll.

Testing out Windows Live for easier posts

I’m testing out Windows Live for the first time with this blog post.  The main reason I haven’t been posting recently is because I’m just not satisfied with the quality of the blogger write window.  It’s just not friendly for someone posting a lot of photos.  It was taking more time to edit the entries than write them!  ;-)  So, testing this out and hopefully, many more posts to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So far, so good.  This is a photo of one of the rosary Gordon has been making.  The piece at the end is a meteorite.  Okay, loving instant spell check.  ;-)

Once again, our website: NOMAD SCULPTOR

That was too easy.

The video I posted a few weeks ago on YouTube:

Awesome.  Windows Live pulled it automatically from YouTube.

Well, so far, I’m in love.  Maybe I will write more often now.

Maps are a little tweeky, but I can get used to it.