Herb and Dorothy

Earlier this week my Salon 11 buddies and I watched a delightful documentary called Herb and Dorothy. It's the story of Herb and Dorothy Vogel, that legendary New York librarian and postal worker who have managed to amass a literally priceless collection of Minimalist and other late 20th-century art on an extremely limited budget. They sacrificed so much to build their collection but they're completely devoted to collecting.

Not too long ago, the Vogels donated--that's right, I said donated--their collection of nearly 5,000 pieces to the National Gallery of Art (where, incidentally, they spent their honeymoon!). Because the National Gallery can only display a small fraction of the collection, the pieces are being divided up and distributed to museums in all 50 states in the U.S. Herb and Dorothy feel that because they were able to collect art using income from their government jobs, it's only fitting for the collection to return to the American people. Their generosity is almost incomprehensible.

But perhaps even more striking is the Vogels' connection to the artists they have collected. The Vogels have as much passion for art as any artist I've ever known. When they become interested in an artist, they get to know that person personally. They discuss the work, encourage the artist, and provide support with their money and enthusiastic feedback. Of course, the gallerists don't like the way the Vogels buy direct from the artists, often at lower-than-gallery prices, but the artists all want to be in this acclaimed collection.

The film is fantastic and so uplifting. It's a love-of-art story. It made me wonder if there are more great stories about collectors out there. Please share your thoughts.

PS The Vogels did not want to accept money for their collection, but the National Gallery insisted on providing a monthly stipend for them so their retirement years could be more comfortable. But the Vogels aren't interested in taking vacations or moving to a bigger apartment. They're using the money to buy more art!

Gallery News

I just wanted to share some great news with you about a couple of new galleries. First, there is a new gallery opening in the O'Bryonville area of Cincinnati called Greenwich House Gallery. I'm very proud to be represented by this wonderful and spacious new gallery, so I'll let you know when the official opening happens. It should be sometime in the next month or so.

If you happen to be in Union Square in Manhattan, there's an exciting new gallery there, too. The Sankofa Gallery is a beautiful space right on the square, featuring exquisite work by painters Sam Adoquei, Jeanette Christjansen, Usha Sharma, Musette Morgan, Cidny Klein, and Nao Otaka. As you may recall, Sam recently published a truly thoughtful and inspiring book for artists--How Successful Artists Study--so now you can see even more of his work and that of several other talented artists. Find out more at http://www.sankofagallery.com/.

New Work

Okay, dear friends, I'm ready to share some of my new work. Although in some ways these are a continuation of what I've done before, there are some aspects of the work that are new to me. And because of that, I'm finding it challenging to evaluate it. Please let me know your thoughts.

Finding Time to Work

I have a day job. I have to do something to pay the bills, and I'm thankful to have the job I have. But lately, in addition to my day job, it seems that I've made a million other commitments to do other things as well. The result? No time or energy to paint, no new paintings. And I'm really ticked off at myself because three people have asked me for my portfolio in the last couple of months, and I have nothing new to show!

I'm in conflict. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

This happened once before, and my solution then was to institute Sacred Saturdays. I put everyone on notice that I was not available to do anything on Saturdays because I would be in the studio. It worked beautifully. People just automatically started inviting me to do stuff on other days, and I felt good about claiming my own time.

So it's high time for me to bring back the Sacred Days, but this time I'm going even further. I'm putting my friends and family on notice: Saturdays and Thursday nights are now both sacred. Come summer, Saturday mornings will once again be devoted to plein-air painting and Thursday evenings to studio work.

This is it. I have to get serious and put my studio time first, just like it was a "real" job... which it is!!!

How do you handle time conflicts?

Art and Climate Change

I'm thinking about doing a project, and I'm looking for artists who make art that addresses the issues of climate change and global warming. I'm interested in all kinds of art -- two- and three-dimensional, traditional to conceptual. If you know anyone who might fit the bill, please let me know. Thanks!

Competitions Worth the Fees

Skimming through Facebook the other day, I came across an artist complaining about the high cost of entering competitions. Like many artists I've heard, he felt that art competitions are scams--a way for the organizers to "rake in the cash." Having been the organizer behind many such competitions, I want to assure you that most competitions don't make money and really aren't organized for that purpose. Quite often, they barely break even.

This may come as a surprise to some artists, but competitions actually cost the organizers quite a lot of money to run. There's the cost of advertising the competition to artists. There's the cost of paying the judges, maybe even flying them in, putting them up in a hotel, and feeding them for a few days. There's the cash awards. If there's an exhibition with an opening, there's usually promotion fees, invitations, caterers, valets, and more to pay. If there's an online component, there's a web designer who'll want to paid for his or her services. The list goes on and on. And the organizers are committing themselves to paying for all of these items before they've ever collected a single entry fee!

Now that you've seen the flip side of competitions, you may be thinking that a $10 entry fee is actually quite reasonable. But what about those competitions with big $25, $50, or even higher fees? Well, the organizers often use the entry fees to communicate a message. A $10 fee says all artists--pros and amateurs alike--are welcome. Higher fees are often used to let artists know that the contest is for professionals only. And there are a variety of valid reasons why organizers might want to limit the participants in this way.

When all is said and done, a competition is an invaluable chance to see how your work stacks up to your peers' work. If you get accepted into a show, it's a fantastic opportunity to gain exposure. If you win an award, you walk away with some cash in your pocket and a huge bonus to add to your resume. And if you're really lucky, you might even find a new gallery representative or land some other major coup. So how much is that worth to you?

The Finished Project

Look - it's art as furniture. I needed a headboard so I created one by painting, and I'm much happier with this second attempt than my first try. I used acrylics and beads. Finding objects around the house that I could use for stamping was the most fun part!