Preparing for Art Shows

During the last two weeks of February I was busy getting some of my paintings ready for an art display at our local Chamber of Commerce. I am sharing the space with 4 other artists but I still needed around 14 pieces to hang.

The first step is to go through some of my unframed work to see if anything strikes me as 'right' for this exhibit. Once I have a selection of paintings I need to find frames and choose mats that compliment the artwork.
I always do my own matting and framing as it helps keep the cost down, for me and for customers.

I don't have a fancy framing set-up but it does the job. One neat thing is the little gizmo in the left photo - the pale blue and Plexiglas item. Although it is hard to see there are holes beside the black squiggles on the Plexiglas. The item is used for marking the 'border' on the mat before cutting . The holes go up by 1/4 " and the device is reversible so I can quickly mark standard mat sizes from 1 1/2 to 4 1/4 inches - a real time saver that my husband made for me.

 I am lucky to have a nice large table where I can work at one end while a work-in-progress takes up the other end.

 I clean glass, put frames together, seal the backs of canvases, add wires and labels to the backs of all of my paintings and, finally, figure out what price to put on the display cards.

Rocks & Icicles

Full Moon

  Here are a few of the paintings I have on display  until the end of April.

Marsh Autumn

Exploring

 This year I will be exhibiting my paintings in a number of shows with other artists. I try to have something different for every display so I will be  doing the whole preparing thing over again at the end of April and again at the end of June.

 I guess I had better get busy and do some more painting!

A Creative Outlet

I have been thinking recently about looking for a new creative outlet. It is not that I am unhappy with painting but that I am running out of room. Almost every wall in my home/gallery has art and some rooms are FULL of paintings and the offshoots of my painting.

my studio

spare bedroom

laundry room

 
 I have tried many forms of creativity over the years but I am sure there are still new things to explore.

Also, since I started on Facebook and Etsy, I have seen so many really neat things that I think I would like to try. Like these charming fabric flowers and this lovely crocheted scarf/necklace.




There are so many interesting things out there that I want to try. Some people may say that some of these items are craft not art but I am not so sure. One of the definitions in my dictionary is: The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful...

Of course, things that I consider beautiful may not be thought of that way by others, just as things I consider art may be considered craft by others. It doesn't really matter what others think as long as whatever I do makes me happy and fulfilled.

Creativity has a different look for each person but most of us want and need a creative outlet in our lives to make us complete.