June 2008 Schedule

Finally winter is here! Brighten the dreary winter days with watercolour fun - join us for the Loosen Up Workshop presented by Ingrid Kolzing on the 21 June. Read al about this in our June 2008 Schedule.

The Opening of the New Signatures Exhibition is this Sunday, the 7th of June, at Norscot. Please support all our New Signatures by being there!

The Mystery of Indian Yellow

Many a time I have wondered where the strange and exotic names of watercolour pigments have originated - carmine, gamboge, caput mortuum violet, etc. If you have ever been curious about the paint in your kit, then travel along with journalist Victoria Finlay in her book Color: A Natural History of the Palette as she travels the world, trying to solve the mysteries contained in her paint box. The account of her search for Indian Yellow, was definitely the most intriguing.

For years the ingredients for Indian Yellow pigment were a mystery. Although many guessed at the contents, it was only in 1883 that the director of Kew Gardens, Joseph Hooker, could confirm that it was indeed made from the urine of cows force fed mainly on a diet of mangoes, almost like foie grass is made today. Thank goodness this wonderful rich colour is today produced synthetically, even though the colour's origin continues in it's name!

Are You Accidentally Damaging Your Valuable Kolinsky Brushes?

I got such a great tip from Gillian Condy, resident artist at the Pretoria Botanical Gardens, at our last mass demo painting: "Never ever wipe your expensive Kolinsky sable brushes on paper towels!" Paper towels are much too coarse and have the same effect as rubbing the delicate sable hairs against sandpaper - rather tear or cut a piece of material from an old cotton sheet, which is much kinder to sable.

 

 

The 6 Principles of No-Excuse Self-Promotion

1. You are in charge. You have control over words, prices, artwork, and your image. People will take as much power from you as you give them. Guard your power carefully. Accept 100% responsibility for your actions and make no excuses.

2. Connections are critical to your success. Ignore meeting new people and maintaining relationships at your peril.v

3. Life isn’t fair. The artworld isn’t fair. No one owes you anything. Building a successful career and reputation is hard work. There are no shortcuts, no easy ways out.

4. If you ignore the latest technology, you’ll quickly fall behind.

5. Your artwork doesn’t speak for itself. The right language can help you sell your art. Sure, some art sells by itself, but have you ever heard of marketing anything without words?

6. No one can promote your work better than you. No one believes in it more than you do. No one wants you to succeed more than you do. The motivation and ambition must start within you. Unless you are working with a coach or business mentor, no one is going to ask you to set goals. No one is going to tell you that you have to make a certain amount of money or achieve a certain level of success in order to be satisfied. You absolutely have to do this for yourself.

This is just an extract of Alyson Stanfield' new book on self promotion for artists: I’d Rather Be in the Studio! - also read the excellent advice Alison gives for all emerging artists on Deanna Woods blog, Emerging Artist.

I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion is for artists of all kinds. Painters, sculptors, ceramist, jewelers, photographers, and others will benefit from the easy-to-follow self-promotion practices in this book.

Author and art-marketing consultant Alyson B. Stanfield, of ArtBizCoach.com, focuses on sharing the artwork directly with potential buyers through electronic and traditional communication outlets—in a manner that is comfortable, not artificial. Artists match Internet marketing strategies with sincere personal skills to take charge of their art careers.

The book includes online worksheets and downloads.