Indefinite ether

Today is what the man calls Black Friday and tomorrow will be Small Business Saturday and then Sunday is still just Sunday (some PR team hasn't figured out a good phrase for it yet) and then, of course, we'll have Cyber Monday.

I have used these terms in the past as I have eeked out a living by selling my wares online. However, I think those days are numbered. I tried not to use these words this year and instead have had a pretty gentle "Studio Sale" over in my shop the past few days. Six art patrons have got in on the action so far. Thanks, patrons! You always make me smile and do a little happy dance.

This will be my last big online sales hurrah for a good long while as I am pretty sure my Etsy shop, Artmaven will be going on hiatus by midnight on Monday (so you still have plenty of time to get your cyber on).

In my Tuesday Studio Visit Video, I went into depth concerning my Etsy shop, as it relates to being represented by more galleries here in Scotland and the conundrum it presents. Here's the video if you missed it.



So here we are. I would like to send my shop off into the indefinite ether with a bang. There are still many affordable pieces available. Snap one up for yourself or as a gift. As always I am thankful for all my patrons near and far -- past, present, and future.

Oh and as far as culture and the larger art world go, you might enjoy these videos (there are two so far) about women (or the lack thereof) in the art world. After watching, vow to become part of the solution.

Here's a cool fact. Every gallery (Union Gallery, The Velvet Easel, The&Gallery) that has shown or will show my work so far in Edinburgh is owned by a woman. Right on! I feel very fortunate!

Take care until next week and keep fighting.

Link salad and a STUDIO SALE!

Let's have a cultural catch-up: I am listening to Wire's Ex-Lion Tamer on my headphones as I type. I have been listening to their album Pink Flag along with Entertainment! by Gang of Four a lot lately for some reason. It's amazing that the music of my youth still sounds so fresh, so vital, and that it still has the ability to spur me along. To borrow from this energy is a wonderful thing. 

I have been reading Armistead Maupin's memoir, Logical Family. I am scared to dive into it completely because I want to make it last. We are watching the Tales of City series again for what seems like the billionth time. The characters are as familiar as dear friends and the program comforts me. 

In more serious cultural pursuits, we just watched the documentary, Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold, a profound and moving film by her nephew Griffin Dunne. Put it on your list.

I've also been of course painting and making "mistakes." You can hear more about that in my Tuesday Studio Visit Video. 

In other news, the Out of the Blue Drill Hall, where my studio is located, won't be holding open studios this holiday season. I love this event and the sales that result from it are of course very helpful to me. Rather than fret about it, I have decided to have my own digital open studio/sale for the next two weeks over on my Etsy shop, Artmaven.

It is quite probable that my wee shop will go on hiatus in December. I have scoured the studio shelves looking for bargains for you all. There are discounts already applied in many sections throughout my shop and lowered and free shipping on many items too. Please use this coupon code ART4ALL to get an additional 10% off everything in the shop, until December 1st. Thanks for supporting my work. Until next week, you know what to do. 

These boots are made for walking

The Pink Tunic
Tamara de Lempicka
1927

Hello Lovely Readers! 

I hope you have had a good week. I have thought about art, talked about art and looked at art. I have had a few ideas for a couple of new series. I even sold a small $10 piece this week from the sale section of my Etsy shop. 

I have also felt like I am not doing enough, making enough and especially not selling enough. I have gone down a spiral of doubt and shame surrounding my art career at present. I have questioned myself, my worth and the viability of being a self employed artist. Just another week in the studio.

The highlight of the business week was having one of my pieces featured on the front page of Etsy for an hour, which drove several hundreds of views to my shop which felt really great but there were no sales as a result of the excitement.

It is hard not to take personally or to wonder where things went amiss or what I could be doing differently besides working more, putting on an even braver face or learning the ends and outs of whatever the latest marketing tool that is hot right now on the interwebs. Part of me just wants to start over with a different business model in this new economic climate.

And maybe that's just what I'll do...

Today, I will leave you with some work by Tamara de Lempicka that has been inspiring me this past week.

Nude with Dove
Tamara de Lempicka
1927

The Orange Scarf
Tamara de Lempicka
1927

Tamara de Lempicka
Nana de Herrera
1928/1929

The Green Turban
Tamara de Lempicka
1929

Detours caused by teapots

This week I took a bit of a break from all the galleries and museum type places. I decided that so much of what I was seeing was just rushing past me, that I wasn't absorbing or allowing the art to impact me. However, I still walked all over this lovely city again this week and I did stop into a few small art galleries and boutique art shops. I was on a quest for a tea pot, but there is always a little time for art...

The first place I visited this week was a print shop gallery, Edinburgh Printmakers. I liked the way things looked in the window and I fancied getting myself a small piece of souvenir art to mark my journey. As we entered the small shop, the old door loudly rattled shut behind us, but that did not cause the attendant to look up or greet us. I walked through the shop and browsed the beautiful prints they had for sale but the one I liked by John Heywood sadly had no price and the gallery attendant still hadn't acknowledged our being only five feet away from her at any point. I decided not to hassle her and did not purchase work from the shop.

Upstairs at this same gallery was an exhibition by one of the artists that I mentioned last week, Kirsty Whiten. If you recall, she did a piece called "prayer monkey" that I was taken with. In this new solo exhibition, Breeder Badlands, the artist portrays her friends naked with their children. Mothers with babies and complete family units naked, napping, and protecting the clan. Rendered as obviously modern people but in either isolated color field backgrounds or with painted prehistoric or a jungle-like theme behind them, the exhibition of original paintings and hand made prints was an interesting take on the psychology of family and our place in the world, and the familial instincts carried over from our ancestors. It was one of the most put together and well executed exhibitions I have seen in this city yet. It fit the gallery perfectly and was a captivating exhibition.

The next notable gallery I stopped in this week is The Red Door Gallery. It is a small cute shop filled with art, hip crafts, and has a distinct flavor. This little shop made me feel the hope of Spring. It is that kind of place, well designed with funky prints, pillows, tea towels, cards and other ephemera of the day tastefully flooding the little light filled shop. The place makes me want to live in a little apartment with just the right things, such as an owl pillow, some framed cassette prints, even my coin purse would be cute in this world. The Red Door Gallery is like the best of Esty but in the flesh. I am sure I will return. I was also pleased to see one of my favorite etsy artists, Olivia Jeffries prints available for sale.

So, those were the two most notable stops this week; there were other shops, design studios, magnificent buildings and views this week too, of course. There was some great curry had and another nice meet up with some other members of the blipfoto community as well. It was a good week.

Also this week, I created ten more original small works on paper and restocked my etsy shop again. All the small pieces I made last week sold! I am so grateful as my small affordable works are supporting me currently while I am away. If you haven't checked out my etsy shop since last week please do and consider buying a small work for yourself or a friend or sharing my work with your friends. I really appreciate every one's support. Thank you!




Until next week, keep fighting. I have a city to explore and more art to make and a teapot to find!

wander into the sea...

 

wander into the sea, mixed media on paper 5x7"
© 2012 Megan Chapman, sold
http://www.etsy.com/shop/artmaven

There was more art viewed in the lovely city of Edinburgh this past week as eight commercial galleries were visited. We started with the lovely Union gallery as I wanted to catch the Winter Wonderland exhibition before it closed for the month. Stewart and I both had work in this group exhibition and I have to say it was quite a thrill to see my work in a gallery in Scotland. My work has been many places around the nation and now the world, but rarely do I get a chance to travel with my work and see it installed. So this unique experience was very important to me. The work looked lovely next to Stewart's.

Next we visited, Open eye gallery this gallery was showing some works by Frank Stella and Josef Albers. We then visited The Gallery on the Corner, which was a lovely little space, showing work by individuals with "a physical or mental health condition or those from a disadvantaged background." It was a comfortable and cute gallery and the range of work was quite good. I can stand behind a project gallery such as this, art is so important on so many levels. I am glad this gallery exists.

Next was Axolotl a gallery with several different shows on at once. One room contained large drawn portraits on huge sheets of paper crinkled to provide the wrinkles and facial structure to the faces rendered. The size and use of paper was impressive. Sadly for the artist, the view out the window was equally so. I can imagine much of the art viewed in this gallery looking better in a different space. There was also a room of resin worked that I liked but again I wanted to see it somewhere else. There was a giclee print that really touched me, of a monkey. It was called prayer monkey by Kirsty Whiten. I went back for a second look at this piece.

There was Colours gallery with burlap walls that lent a 1970s feel with a wide selection of colorful art and nice man running the place. We also visited Flaubert gallery and this gallery stood out for me. It was a large gallery and I liked a lot of what they had on display. They were playing jazz and offered us an espresso while we looked. Friendly, nice atmosphere and good art, a winning combination! I was particularly taken with the work of Claudia Massie.

There was the small Rosie Mckenzie gallery and what I remember most was a small space and a sweet gallery dog. We also visited Scotland Art a mid size gallery, with creaky wood plank floors and a spiral staircase that takes you downstairs view the art on the lower level.

I also visited the National Museum of Scotland, which is more of a natural history museum, but on the art front, notably I saw works by Andy Goldsworthy and Hiroshige .

So as you can see and read I have taken in a lot of art in the past two and a half weeks. It really has been amazing. I love the different spaces, the way the work is handled, the way one is greeted or not. It all comes together to create this "art world."

Also this past week, I got to meet many of my friends and acquaintances from my blipfoto community. As some of you know I keep a daily photo journal at blipfoto and that is how I met Stewart and why I am in Scotland. Well this past Sunday, we had a closing meet and greet for the Winter wonderland exhibition at Union Gallery. Many of the important players of blip came out to say hello, including the founder Joe Tree. I was pleased that my fellow blippers could see my art as well. It was a fun Sunday afternoon and I feel I have more than a few real friends in this city and surrounding area.

Besides all this art and culture viewing and community building, perhaps even more notable on a personal level, I actually created art this week! Yes!!! With few supplies and only a kitchen counter studio space I made nine new small works on paper and listed them in my shop on Etsy. Four pieces have already found homes! If you are enjoying my travel stories I hope you will consider buying one of the small works that I create while here. I will be making more small works this week, but until the new ones arrive, please consider visiting my shop and snapping up one of these.


After all that, yesterday I spent the day at the North Sea! It was just what I needed; the water is peace, the colors are art, and the sounds make me feel alive.

Until next week, keep fighting, the world needs your art.