Meeting Notes, March 16, 2017

At today's meeting Loretta, Diane, Anna, Tim, Thomas, Joanne, Za Jeanie, Elo, Geri, Susan, Tedd, Eunice, John, Kristina, Tom K, and me Celeste.


Today's suggested table topic: Editing your own work --do you have strategies for editing your work? Do you have standards for deciding what to put on your website, blog, Facebook or in juried shows?

Celeste: It seems with experience you get better at deciding what to submit for juried shows. It is a matter of experience. I know I am better at it now than I was in the beginning. I can pretty much tell what is good and what is bad. However, sometimes I am surprised with feedback from Facebook. I am showing recent paintings.

Eunice: I have to give this some thought because at the end of March I am going to be in a show. I have to get ready, sign things and varnish things. I have to cull the paintings I no longer want. In the future I will be uploading paintings to Facebook.

Tedd:  The first time I posted on Instagram I got two comments immediately --one from Tokyo and one from from Berlin! It would seem that Instagram is better than Facebook in the amount of exposure that you get. It is positive to be able to reach people all over the world. I have been drawing lately and this is a recent drawing.

Geri: I know that there have been times I put something on Facebook and it was a real bomb! (Laughter)! Generally, I do think Facebook is good for feedback. Carol Marine's book had a passage about getting rid of your (bad) paintings. She called it an Art Destruction party and made a social event of it! I am showing a recent drawing.

Susan: I like my studio. But I like it to have plenty of room, so I have had to throw things away. I have become more detached from my work than I was in the beginning. It is now easy for me to get rid of all work that has no use any longer. I use social media all the time. Recently I was contacted by someone who suggested that I teach a pastel workshop in Provonce France! I am looking into it. Last weekend I had my Pastel Intensive workshop at OSA. It was successful.  Facebook is a great communication tool. I am showing two demonstration paintings from the workshop.

John: I am going on a trip and I will be taking my sketchbook. I have also set up my studio at home finally! I will have work to show you soon. I do have to deal with my cats that want to jump on my table! (Laughter)!

Kristina: For me it is sometimes challenging to judge my paintings. I think that the painting is successful if my vision matches the outcome. But! this doesn't always jibe with what others think. I have asked my husband for his opinion. I have regretted that on occasion! (Laughter)! I am showing a painting that I did for the lavender festival. I made some changes to it and I know that I improved it.

Elo: I know when something is good and I know when something is bad! I sometimes have to post things "anyway"-- because of daily painting challenges. (Laughter)! What I have found very helpful is when you take a photograph of the painting. Once you take a photograph of it you can see all sorts of things that you didn't see before. Maybe it's because it smaller or maybe just because you're seeing it in a different way you see it in a new way. I'm not sure at all that Facebook is a good place to get feedback. Facebook is not honest! It's all of your friends telling you how great you are (Laughter)! I think Instagram is more honest. My family will tell me the truth. It seems to make a lot of difference about where you are emotionally when you paint a painting. I am showing a recent painting.

Jeanie: I have consulted an associate at the small business development office. She has picked out what I should submit on a couple of occasions and she has always been right! I'm going to continue to ask her in the future for her opinion.

Tom K: I will pass on this topic

Za: This is a very interesting topic! The more experience you have the better you get at filtering your work. It is important to understand that you are where you are at at this very moment! And further, you are always changing. It is good to find an unbiased person for an opinion. Whatever you submit you should like it yourself. And it has to be current! It has to be your best work. When I was back east a friend asked my opinion about her wall at a Gallery. I was honest and told her her work was a mishmash. There was a lot of inconsistency. It is ideal to be consistent with so that people will clearly understand your "voice". Try to work in themes of some sort, so that your work has consistency. Finally, I must add ---remember, have fun! I'm showing a painting that I did in a life painting session.

Tim: The trick to all of this is to set the bar really low (Laughter! applause!)  I have recently learned about "Holi" in India. Holi marks the end of winter and the beginning of Spring. During the ceremony they throw color on each other!  I painted this painting for "Holi" (My way of throwing color on you).

Diane: I don't paint for shows I paint just to learn.  If I am studying ellipse I concentrate on that. When I study reflections I'm just thinking about that. I did submit recently to a show and I chose what I submitted based on the composition and "big shapes".  I am showing two recent paintings.

Anna: Because I have been doing so much still life I am recognizing that I "edit" constantly when I am painting by moving things. I do the same thing with landscape --I move that great big tree and put it over here (in the painting) instead of where it really is. I recently submitted some early work to a show and then midstream I realized that I should replace it with current work. It was a good decision. I am showing recent daily paintings.

Joanne: I made a list while I was at the dentist office.  I take on the role of a judge --a real judge when I look at submitting work. I look at what the competition is doing and make and make an analysis about how I fit in. I think it is important for all of us to get things on the walls. It is great to pass things around like we do in these meetings, but the real test is what does it look like when it is on the wall? It's great to get it on the wall with other artists in a show...and then you can really evaluate how your work stands up. For myself, I require a strong emotional response from myself for the work that I've done. Paint quality is very important to me too. I am showing a recent painting that I did in a life session. (Editors note: Joanne's list in a photograph below).

Loretta: I don't go into shows but I do evaluate my work. I really have a lot of fun painting! With distance and time some of my early work doesn't look good to me anymore! (Laughter)! I edit those things out --I get rid of them. The most important thing to me is to satisfy my vision of what the painting should look like (to me).

Elo: I would like to add --try googling your name and see what comes up! You'll see the work that is associated with you when anyone googles your name. (Kristina interjects: yes and other things could come up too!! (Laughter)!

Thomas: Joanne really summed it all up. I would add ---are you curating your work? Curators decide what is in and what is out. You can do the same. Because I travel so much and do so many events I post things that aren't top-flight (but I have my reasons). On Facebook it is true you can get a lot of likes and happy faces. The thing I really look for is the shares. When you get a lot of shares of a painting that means it resonates with people. I might take a cue from that to submit that popular painting into something. One thing about me is once I've painted it --it's over and done for me. It's history. I like the "firehose method"--  paint a lot of paintings! I am showing a painting study that I did recently I have some horses. Not easy! they move constantly I just got the information down.  I didn't have any agenda when I painted this --it was just a great experience.

Announcements:

Thomas Kitts workshop in Tuscany September 9-16. Other workshops are in the works and will be listed on his website: http://www.thomaskitts.com/p/blog-page_22.html

Friday life session at OSA with Joanne Kollman 1- 4pm  $20 the model is Tessa
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1695576667380902/

New! Paint fresh flowers on Saturdays at OSA (with Joanne Kollman) 10am to 1pm $20
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1695576667380902/

Max Ginsburg workshop (a few spots left) http://allaprimaportland.blogspot.com/2017/02/max-ginsburg-american-master-teaches.html 

Art extravaganza Susan Kuznitsky and others April 22
http://clackamasartsalliance.org/programs/art-extravaganza/

Anna Lancaster reception this Saturday 6-9pm at the Marilyn Affolter Gallery
MarilynAffolter.com

Kristina Sellers Sotheby's First Thursday, April 6  1321 NW Hoyt Portland, 5-8pm
http://kristinasgallery.fineartstudioonline.com

Za will soon start teaching weekly classes (Beaverton)! Stay tuned for further information
https://www.yerzavue.com 

You have till Monday March 20 to submit to Maryhill Museum: Pacific Northwest Plein air 2017 here is the link to the prospectus
https://onlinejuriedshows.com/Default.aspx?OJSID=10792 

Lavender Festival Call to Artists (July)
http://www.wvlavenderfestival.org

Upcoming Workshops with Eric Jacobsen, Joanne Radmilovich Kollman, Karen Whitworth, Terry Miura, Sarah Sedwick, Paul Zegers, Mike Rangner and others: https://www.facebook.com/groups/408762309299376/?ref=group_cover

Next Meeting, Thursday, March 23, suggested table topic: Equipment and palette "hacks" --do you have any clever equipment "hacks" to share with us (i.e.: ways to make plein air painting easier)? Have you changed your equipment around to suit you somehow? Tell us how and why.

Joanne's notes click to enlarge







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