The Importance of Being Social

This morning I am driving down to Denver to do one of my favorite things: joining up with my art peeps for a licensing club meeting. The artist's life is by and large an isolated one. My studio is my favorite place to be in the a whole world. It is a haven, a sanctuary. But I need the interaction with other artists too. One of the managers at Hallmark, where I used to work, had the opinion that when artists left the company to go freelance, their work became stagnant because of the lack of interaction with fellow artists. I made it my goal that it would never happen to me!

My job is kind of weird, I know that, and other artists understand the peculiar struggles that this career entails. I go to the meetings to cheer on my friends' successes, and seek answers for my (many) questions. I get inspiration from seeing their beautiful work, the colors, the compositions. It's all so exciting! I also belong to a couple of online groups for licensing artists. I usually spend a part of each day "chatting" about the issues facing us. Most of these discussions are business oriented: dealing with clients, legalities, making presentations, that sort of thing, although there is also a lot of cheerleading too!

Speaking of getting inspiration from other artists, there has been a lot of discussion in the art community lately about plagiarism and copyright violation. I think for certain parts of the community, it is very easy to get swept up in your admiration of someone else's work. You might think, "I want to do that!" when you see that someone's success. But the thing is, the key to having really appealing artwork is to have it come from your own mind and heart. My agent and I talk about this sometimes. We'll see art that maybe isn't as technically proficient as the piece next to it, but it is so much more beautiful because of the heart that shines through. It's been said before, but the real answer is to just be yourself.

Now I'm off to hit the highway!

It's Time For....

How do you divide up your time? That is a question I have been struggling with. As a self-employed artist, I don't have a boss who sets a schedule for me. It is up to me to try and figure out the most productive use of my time. Time, there's never enough! How do you balance creating paintings that you are pretty sure will sell, and making time to try different, more experimental works? I know it is important to do both. If we all did the same thing year after year, we'd become pretty bored and stagnant. Yet the clients are always asking for the "same thing you did before that sold so well, except give it a fresh twist!" And are you like me, with a head that is just absolutely bursting with ideas that are crying out to be captured on paper? My agent says I should learn to paint with both hands at once!

More Gift Show Chat

Here is a picture of me in Atlanta at the Legacy showroom with my Lodge calendar. This is my favorite show for so many reasons. All the manufacturors that I would like to work with are there, and it is so exciting to meet them, see their products, and find out how I might fit in. So many of my "art buddies" are there too, and so there is always a few minutes for socializing! The show is huge, though, and by the end of the day I am feeling pretty overwhelmed from all the sensory stimulation.

This year the License and Design section was in a new location, right in the middle of the action. Here is a picture of our booth, and my agent, Debby Leggat. For those who are interested, the booths are $25 per square foot, which is much cheaper than Surtex. I think this section will grow and develop. The space we were in was a little cramped (and hot), but the section has only existed for about three years, so there are still growing pains. The manufacturors sure seemed interested though. Of course, it will take several months to see what materializes. The clients can get so excited when they look through your portfolio, but then when they get home they drag their feet!

Here is my Lodge tabletop line in the Highland showroom. This uses the same images as my calendar, and shows the most important aspect of licensing: if you hold on to your copyrights, you can use the same images on multiple products. That means multiple royalty statements! (at least, we hope so!)

Atlanta Gift Show

Just a quick post with a picture of me 'n' my peeps at the Atlanta Show. It is always so great to see my art licensing buddies! It was a really good show, with lots of positive meetings with clients, and I came back so inspired! (and with hints of fun new things to come, too!)

I'm back!

Okay, I didn't actually go anywhere, but I certainly haven't been in the blogo-sphere for a while! I have been preparing for the Atlanta Gift Show, and combined with the holidays haven't had many spare minutes. But now I'm back with something exciting to share: my new fabric line! Ta-da!

These are only a few pieces, just to give you a taste. The line is called Wilderness Park and will be available from Wilmington Prints in the spring. Seeing my art on fabric is such fun!

Sample Time Again

Kind Jane Shasky sent me some photos of my Evergreen designs that she saw in her local gift shop. I was very excited to see them! I get to see samples as they are introduced, of course, and I see the royalty statements, but other than those two (very important) things, I really don't know much about what happens to my work. So it is always very nice to see the pieces out in the real world!

Speaking of seeing samples, this is a new stained glass design that is available from Amia. I am always happy with how their pieces come out. Right now I am working very hard getting ready to go to the Gift show in Atlanta next month. I want to have all new work to knock the clients' socks off!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is just a short blog post to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope today is filled with the people you love and lots of pumpkin pie! I'll be making my mother's special pumpkin chiffon pie recipe. I have modified it a bit, so it doesn't use raw eggs.

1 cup cream

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

powdered pastuerized egg white to equal 2 egg whites

1 pre-made graham cracker piecrust

In a double boiler, stir in cream and pumpkin. Add gelatin, mixed with 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until gelatin has dissolved and mixture is starting to thicken (about 8 min). Remove from heat and chill until cool, but not set. Mix up the egg white powder with water (as directed on package, to equal two egg whites) and beat until it holds soft peaks. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, beating until peaks are firm. Fold into pumpkin mixture, blending well. Pour into graham cracker crust and refrigerate until set.