Blooms

 Summer, glorious in all its steamy heat and languid nights, is full upon us.  Greens in deepest shade are darkly purple, midnight blue, cooling our sun-shot eyes and bringing a moment's respite of breeze through the leafy canopies.  Salmon pinks, coral reds, butter yellows, cadmium orange with lemon and glaze of alizarin in riots of poppies, hibiscus, roses, honeysuckle, daisies, and lilies in a myriad of variety fill us with love for  this season of endless visual delights.  We breath in the perfume of summer wishing we could store it to warm ourselves come those cold November nights.  I am compelled by blooming Nature.

Gourd Translations

The Celebration of Fine Art gets so many visitors from all over the world that I often find myself at a real loss when describing the material from which I do my sculptural vessels.  So, here is "gourd" in a wealth of languages!  And some pictures of fine art gourd sculptures I now have at the Celebration.

Full Bodied

Red Red Poppies

In A Poppy Garden

Translations of 'gourd' Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary

Sense 1: a type of large fruit, or the plant on which it grows.  gourd in Afrikaans: komkommer, karkoer  gourd in Arabic: يَقْطين، قَرع  gourd in Bulgarian: кратуна  gourd in Brazilian: cabaça  gourd in Chinese: 葫芦  gourd in Croatian: sušena tikva  gourd in Czech: tykev  gourd in Danish: græskar  gourd in Dutch: pompoen  gourd in Estonian: pudelkõrvits  gourd in Finnish: kurkkukasvi  gourd in Farsi: هر گیاهی از تیره کدو  gourd in French: gourde  gourd in German: der   Flaschenkürbis  gourd in Greek: (νερο)κολοκύθα  gourd in Hebrew: דְלַעַת   gourd in Hindi: कद्दू के वर्ग की सब्जी  gourd in Hungarian: (dísz)tök  gourd in Icelandic: grasker  gourd in Indonesian: labu  gourd in Italian: (frutto delle cucurbitace  gourd in Japanese: ひょうたん  gourd in Korean: 박과(科) 열매의 총칭  gourd in Latvian: (pudeļveida) ķirbis  gourd in Lithuanian: moliūgas  gourd in Malay: labu  gourd in Norwegian: gresskar  gourd in Pashto: اونورو شيانو په حيث كار ځ  gourd in Persian: هر گیاهی از تیره کدو  gourd in Polish: dynia  gourd in Portuguese: cabaça  gourd in Romanian: tigvă  gourd in Russian: тыква бутылочная  gourd in Serbian: tikva  gourd in Slovak: tekvica  gourd in Slovenian: buča  gourd in Spanish: calabaza  gourd in Swedish: pumpa  gourd in Taiwanese: 葫蘆  gourd in Thai: น้ำเต้า  gourd in Turkish: su kabağı  gourd in Ukrainian: гарбуз  gourd in Urdu:ی پیٹھا، گھیا، لوک  gourd in Vietnamese: quả bầu; quả bí

Images of 'gourd' Inappropriate image?

Working Hard In the Studio

dThought it was time to unveil the yearly hysteria in the studio as I get ready for the 2012 Celebration of Fine Art opening in Scottsdale, AZ Jan 14 - time to confess to how messy it is to be an artist (at least that's my excuse!).  And just one more thing - if you enjoy this blog I would so appreciate it if you would forward it to your friends - word of mouth is the best for artists!

3 waiting for varnish

    

Beginning a sculpture

Early stages of standing Salmon Poppies

Primula in process

Waiting to Become

Artists Working with Commissions

Final touches on Loretta's Poppies - a 2011 commissioned work

Our show in AZ, the Celebration of Fine Art, is coming to a close on Mar. 27.  Many of the artists are finishing up commission work to be delivered by the closing.  Others are just finalizing designs on to be completed during the year.

For a variety of reasons, some artists dislike working on this basis, preferring instead to sell only what has already been completed.  Others of us enjoy the challenge and the conversation to balance and coordinate our ideas with that of our client.

What contributes to getting a commission? (And here I am speaking only of private commissions, not public or corporate ones.)

Final touches

Listening is the first and, I think, most critical factor.  We listen for that which impresses the viewer, because, after all, it has to be more than just a “that’s nice” reaction to our work to interest them in a specially made piece.  Each artist has a gut feeling about the strength of his own work.  Is it born out by the viewer?  Or, can you hear a potential problem – perhaps, “I love that piece, but not the colors” or “Beautiful colors! Too big, though.”  There are hesitations to listen for, and tones, and casual comments – “Hmmmmm” and “That would look great in your bathroom, Alice,” and “Good colors, but not so much for the bedroom, do you think, Honey?” or “Hmmmm, not quite.”

So is a positive comment always a positive?  And is a negative one always a negative?  No, to both questions.

Loving someone’s work doesn’t automatically mean anything.  It is, however, an invitation to ask your own questions.  “What is it about the piece that you most like?”  (Appreciate that they may be in awe and inclined to burst out with “Everything!” but encourage them to be more specific.)  Now here is the place where sales books tell you to begin inquiring about their home and “qualifying” them.  I HATE this approach. I’m not a car salesman.  This person who is standing in your booth or studio or gallery is most likely responding to your work on an emotional level.  For me, that is the signal that we have a place where we might relate to one another. Instead of assessing her shoes and asking, “Do you collect original art?” I might ask if she gardens (because she is staring at my garden painting) or “Are you from here?  Are you watching for the hummingbirds to come back?” (because I have some in another piece).  

Take a few moments to find what moves this person, because what moves her in her role as viewer, as potential client, is what may move you, motivate you, inspire you.  A piece of your self, your being, your soul can make a difference in a client’s life.  Learning a bit about who she is as an individual can open the door to the possibility of a long and successful artist/client relationship.  Finding spaces for relatedness connects both ourselves and our art to other human beings.  Relatedness never happens in isolation

Similarly, “Nice colors, but it won’t work,” may sound negative, but in actuality is not at all.  Acknowledging their appreciation of your colors is the open door.  “Thanks – I’m glad you like my colors!  But what is it that won’t work?  I’m always interested in people’s difficult spaces.”  Your interest in their space is personal and caring.  I have had this conversation many times in my career.  Sometimes the resolution I see requires a different kind of artwork, and I am able to suggest artists who might be a better fit.  Often it is just an issue of position or shape or pattern – basic design principles of which they may not have a working knowledge.  It’s a great feeling to see their eyes light up when they see the possibility of one of my suggestions working for them.  And what better way to develop trust but to help in a generous manner without agenda.  If you don’t get the immediate sale, I guarantee that you will see the benefit down the line as they tell their friends all about you and your work.

After you have developed the seeds of a relationship with your potential client, what comes next? 

Instead of announcing that you do a lot of commission work, why not suggest looking at their problem space together – maybe try a few pieces in the space to see what kinds of shapes/colors/sizes might work?  “Perhaps we’ll come up with some fresh ideas – then we can go from there.  I’d love to be part of the solution!”

Artists have good eyes.  That means if we use them, it is easy for us to take in a great deal of visual information, assimilate it, and generate many possibilities to solve spatial and design problems.  Are you approaching commission work with your eyes wide open, or are you just looking for a quick sale – no fuss, no muss?  It’s perfectly ok not to be interested or inspired by collaborating with the client.  If this is the case, just be clear about it within your own mind, be generous – give the client some artist’s names who might better be able to meet their needs.  Be clear about boundary lines –“I can incorporate this idea of yours, but not that.”  

But, if you like this type of problem solving, then enter their home, eyes open to the myriad of details in their surroundings.  Why is the problem area a problem?  Listen to why they think it’s a problem.  Are they looking at your sculptures which are clearly not going to fit into the 4” deep niche?  Should they be considering a painting or shallow wall sculpture instead?  Can you see a place where they might be able to place your large sculpture?  Suggest it.  Perhaps you are a painter and they like garden paintings but have four broad-view garden paintings already in the room.  Suggest to them that perhaps they would like to consider a close up of the iris – one bloom in fine detail – to set off their wonderful collection of garden paintings.  Do you hate the other paintings?  Do not be insincere, but look at their home from their viewpoint.  After all, you are not the one living in the home.  They have paid you the compliment of loving your work.  Respect their other choices.

Listening. Seeing the fun in problem solving. Respecting your audience. That's my mix for getting commission work.  Require 50% deposits and gurantee your work (they will be less anxious and, after thirty years of being an artist, I’ve never had to return anyone’s deposit).

Just the Beginning...

Good Morning Everyone, and a gorgeous morning it is here in Scottsdale, AZ!  The Celebration of Fine Art opened its doors last night for the opening night party and, though all the artists were breathing hard from the four days of fourteen hours constructing their studios and getting their work hung, the guests seemed only to marvel at the result (and enjoy the delectable offerings of Cafe Laredo).  Seeing old friends/clients who are always interested to see each artist's new work is food for the artists, and the appreciation feels like a real pat on the back for the efforts we make.

I hope to do something a bit different this year with my blog, posting each day about what's happening at the show, but particularly to acquaint you with our artists.  This is my fourteenth year at the show and I have seen so much remarkable work that I wish I had told more people about - now I have this great vehicle to do so.

For now, I'm off to our first official day and to shoot some pics for an overview to share with you tonight!

Poppies for Auction

Coming up this Saturday, Sept 25, Winston-Salem, NC - "Going Once, Going Twice" auction to benefit Piedmant Craftsmen. I can't be there - doing the Common Grounds Art Birmingham show in MI - but I'll be hoping they do well on my latest gardenscape, "Poppies". It's 24" x 30", acrylic on board, in simple clear ash frame.

Poppies for Piedmont

Gorgeous House in Savannah for Sale

OK, I'm not the real estate agent and have NO vested interest in this house, BUT I do know the house and it is to die for!  The owner is a friend of mine and her taste is impeccable, creative and she and her husband have made this home like stepping into an art film, and all with a pinch of Scandanavian flair - while still having a universal appeal.  The location is right next to a gorgeous old park, complete with the moss hung oaks and old iron fence!  If you have any interest in moving to Savannah, don't miss this opportunity to live in a dream!  You can call Gail Levites - Selling Real Estate with Keller Williams Downtown Savannah, 912-232-8580.

On other things....here in NC the days are still hot in the 90s, but the nights are wonderfully comfortable and we can sleep with all the windows open again.  I'm at work on a group of four 24" x 24" paintings called Echos.  I hope to get the pics up tomorrow - varnish drying today on two.

For those of you near Winston-Salem, I will also be posting the pic of the gardenscape painting I did for the  Going Once, Going Twice auction for the Piedmont Craftsmen to be held Sat, Sept 25 (coming right up). Check on this site tomorrow for the pic.

Gotta run for now...time's galloping by!

"Summer Rain" acrylic painting on board

I decided to have a giclee made of this piece. I've never made prints of my work before, but this painting is so joyful in color and image that I want to make it accessible to more people. I did the color check with the printer last week and it should be in my studio at the Celebration of Fine Art today.

New Work

Pushing the medium again, moving more into the sculpture realm - but never leaving the color behind. Looking forward to showing the new work at the Celebration of Fine Art, Scottsdale, this year. http://www.celebrateart.com/

"Seven Poppies"

Here is one view of the finished Poppy piece. It's debut will be at the Loveland Invitational Sculpture Show & Sale, Aug.8-10, Loveland, CO. I hope you'll get a chance to see this breakthrough work. This is, of course, a one of a kind piece. There is no mold of it and it will not be cast in anything. The beauty of working with gourds as material is that they give inspiration by the very nature of what they are. I choose to honor that by valuing each piece for its individuality.