Went to this BCB seminar which was great for a couple of reasons. It helped me think about what I want to do and I'm open to the idea of workshops but the people who attended are actually people who I'm recognising as being my own artist support network. Eve Liz, Will and Laura (current and past Staffs Fine Art students) all came along. Had a conversation afterwards about studio space and possible ideas to pursue to secure a location in Stoke on Trent.
Made me consider my own approach to money and pricing. I'm not motivated by the accumulation of money but I'm strongly motivated by the fear of not having money.
This seminar also led to a conversation between me and Laura about how we felt about liz covering the degree show as a sponsor - and we both feel we should budget a professional fee for her. I have the prices from Jenny Harper to make a comparison so we're going to look at the fundraising budget next week.
REFLECTION:
Making some art print sales and seeing what interests people commercially and which work is more suited to the exhibition is useful.
'Sausage cat' and 'dead sparrow' attract a lot of general attention. 'Sausage cat' is a bit of fun and I'll paint another version to see if I can generate some income from it, and dead sparrow has an aesthetic that people seem to like. 'A shadowy stroll' is more contemporary and feels more like an exhibition piece than something to run prints from. (I know I could do both with an exhibition work) Had a similar conversation with Laura about the work that she is happy to make prints from and the ones that are personal, which feel almost like a betrayal to sell.
We're up to £537 online.
Had a play with paint can, an app recommended by an artist. I think this could be really useful.
MATERIAL PROCESS/ SUBSTRATES
I picked up some frames today from the charity shop to change into canvas frames. They have much better quality wood than the softwood cheap canvas - The canvas's in the works and hobbycraft are not actually cheap - they're really expensive for the horrible components that they're made from, the surface is awful and the tension is generally a bit rubbish.
You just have to find the right shaped frame (bevelled in the right way so that the canvas doesn't touch but it has an edge)
I like to think I'm saving the materials from something unwanted and making something that's better quality. And I'm donating to a good cause ( the YMCA today)
They cost £3.50 each but they're solid wood, a good size and shape and I can reuse the glass as a pallete. (This approach is also where my current glass surface that I mix on in the studio came from.) I do consider sustainability. I prefer to use the reclaimed wood from dissembling the picture frames and attach my own canvas. I know that oils aren't especially environmentally friendly but I try to use and clean them responsibly.
My prints for the pop-up sale were plastic-free (no protective slip) if someone purchased one, I made cardboard envelopes available for the journey home to keep them clean and flat.
Reusing frames is something I've been doing since foundation. I picked up some charity shop pictures in frames in my final days of freedom before the lockdown in 2020 and used those frames throughout the foundation to test and make work. I've just evolved what I'm doing with them to suit my practice. Before I was painting over the backboard, mount and frame - now the frame is the support for my canvas.
Underestimated the strength of the corners of these frames - they're good wood but the tension from the canvas stretching made one 'give' and I had to reinforce it with staples.
It's the second time I've made a frame that's been ruined in the process of stretching the canvas - I effectively made an hourglass shape out of one and donated it to my son's art.
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