(for a larger size, click the image to view on Flickr)

Technorati Tags: collage art

I’ve decided to build the frames first, then make the art to go into them.

One of the problems with using old windows as frames is that it takes a lot of work to make them ready to accept artwork. I have to remove the old caulk with a chisel, which takes the most time. In order to avoid having to do that, this time around, I am cutting the windows apart and re-assembling them. When the pieces of the window are single sticks, removing the caulk becomes easier.

However, one of the problems with re-assembling them, if I don’t want to put them back together exactly as they were, which, often, I can’t, is that each side of the window is often not the same size. In order to have mitred corned, all of the pieces must be the same size.

With the windows that do not have the same sized sides, I’m not worrying about mitred corners.

Last night, I learned that glue does not adhere very well when it’s cold outside. When I took the clamps off of the frame I was building, the thing fell apart.

The frames with the mitred corners are easier to assemble, and are preferred.

I’m using the window frames for my art, but have decided only to do this with my collage. With paintings and photography, the windows are the focus, and they should not be. With the collages, the windows become a part of the art, and they look right.

I’ll post some pics of the framed pieces later this week.

Technorati Tags: process, art, framing

Last night I committed murder. I killed the motivation murdering monster. I wrote about how to do this last week, and now I’m finally getting around to doing it. Feels pretty good.

I started by emptying out all of the drawers full of scraps of images that I’ve collected over the years, and throwing away images that were too obviously “marketing”, getting rid of things that no longer work for what I’m trying to say, and putting the images into logical piles.

The entire process took three hours, and I didn’t even lay out a sketch of a collage yet. The good news is that the creative juices are flowing, and I have an idea for three new collages.

Thankfully, I also found some as-yet-never-before-seen-in-public pieces that will work for this show.

While a show should have some sort of cohesion or theme, I’m not sure
yet what that will be. That is part of the fun and excitement of
collage, though, for me. I basically have a week to pull all of this
together, so it will be a wild ride. Hopefully, I’ll have a total of
ten pieces in the show.

This week, I’ll share with you the process as I work towards building this show, slated to open March 2 at the new location of Burley’s Mercantile in Missoula. Expect to hear me share ideas on how to price artwork, how to inexpensively prepare for a gallery exhibition, checklists for opening night, writing an effective artist statement, and how to mat and frame your own work.

If you have specific questions for me as to my process, or if you’d like to hear me talk about something specific, please let me know in the comments.

Today I’ll be tied up fixing this place up and then doing some work out in my studio. It’s my turn to listen to the advice of others instead of doling it out.  With that in mind, I wanted to pass on to you an interesting post from The Happiness Project:

“One of my struggles is to allow myself to spend time on activities that don’t pay off in some direct way. Creativity often involves play, digression, exploration, experimentation, and failed attempts; it doesn’t always look productive.”

The Happiness Project — Eight Tips for Sparking your Creativity

It’s winter, you know this is a perfect time to work on that piece of art you’ve been meaning to get to for a while, now, but you just can’t seem to motivate yourself to work on it. Or maybe you haven’t made any art in a while and have been putting it off for whatever reason. Now is the time to get to it.Before you can “get to it”, it might be helpful to brainstorm why you’ve been procrastinating for so long. What if I’ve lost my edge? you might ask yourself. Or you might tell yourself I can’t think of anything to paint/write about/draw/sculpt/compose.

The “What If’s” and the “Cant’s” are some of the Motivation Murdering Monsters all of us have been familiar with at one time or another. Everyone has his own unique brand of Motivational Murdering Monster, but What If and Can’t seem to be all of their parents.

Let’s dive into five ways that you can destroy overcome any motivation killer.

1. Turn off your computer (and cellphone, and Crackberry). Unless you use your computer itself to make your art, shut it off for a while. Give yourself a specific timeline for how long it has to be turned off. The computer can be as big of a time-black-hole as television, so discipline yourself and turn it off. If you must leave it on, install and run some kind of distraction-killing software like the free JDarkroom for writing. Lifehacker has a complete list of free or low-cost distraction-killing software from which you can choose.

2.Tell others about the project you’re working on. It’s surprising the sense of responsibility that comes with telling others what you’re up to. When you tell others about the new sonnet you’re writing, the new painting series you’ve begun or the symphony you’ve started, they will naturally ask you about it when you see them. This helps you to work on said project because you want to be able to report your progress to your friends and colleagues.

3. Give yourself a deadline you can’t get out of. Some people work best under pressure. If you’re one of them, maybe this tip is the one for you. This is my tactic of choice lately. I have been spending so much time working on making this site what I want it to be that I’ve been neglecting making art. I have committed to a gallery exhibition opening in March, so I need to get cracking.

4. Play. Feeling stuck? Can’t figure out what you want to make, no matter what? Give yourself permission to make some really bad art. Stuff that would definitely make it into MOBA. Experiment with new mediums, color on the walls. Do something artistic that is outside your normal routine. Play for a specified amount of time, be it ten minutes or one hour. Then immediately begin working on your project.

5. Show Up. Just start. Start your painting (yes, I know paint is expensive). Start the next chapter in your novel. Throw some clay on the wheel and just start working. Whatever you do, just do the work, even if you don’t feel like it. Sometimes the most surprising things can happen when you just start making some art.
How do you break through the motivation blues? Let me know in the comments.

Technorati Tags: Art, How To, Process

1. Looking at art is interactive and engages your brain. Looking at others’ art might help you to become unstuck on a problem you’re trying to solve in your own work. The particular stroke of a brush, or the way a rusted shred of metal is applied to the larger might give you an Eureka! moment.

2. Because viewing art is usually a public event, you will expose yourself to members of your community. Knowing others in the community accomplishes many positive things including, on the selfish end of the spectrum, exposing yourself to others as an artist; and on the altruistic end of the spectrum it may reveal to you opportunities to become more involved in your community. Spending time with others looking at art also gives you a sense of what type of art your community enjoys.

3. (When viewing online) You will be exposed to a diverse amount of art that would not be possible in real life. Viewing art online is also a chance to take a break from any work you might be doing, while still extracting value from your activity.

4. You will have an opportunity to introduce yourself to the proprietor of the establishment in which the art is being displayed. By doing this, you are laying groundwork for establishing a relationship with this person, thereby enabling you to more easily suggest that your work be shown in this venue at some point in the future.

5. You will begin to develop a more clear idea of how your art should be displayed in a public space. Even if you have been displaying your work for years, another artist may choose to display his work in such an effective way that you may want to adopt that style as an experiment the next time you show your work. If you’ve never shown your work publicly before, or are just beginning to display your work, you might learn about what is expected when displaying your work. Think about things like framing, matting, and the actual hanging of the work, as well as artist statements, guestbooks, and price lists.

6. You can learn what NOT to do. Let’s face it, sometimes you walk into a place and think to yourself, How in the world did this person ever get a show? Maybe you think that because the artwork is terrible. Maybe you think that because the work is poorly matted or framed. Whatever the reason, you can learn from others’ mistakes.

7. Go to gallery openings and learn how the host artist is expected to behave. If you are just beginning to display your work, you are going to be nervous at your first few shows. I’ve been displaying for years, and I’m nervous after ALL of my shows. Attending the opening night of an exhibition of an established artist can teach you how to behave (or sometimes how NOT to behave) when others are praising (or insulting) your work.

8. You will be inspired. Often, when I am feeling listless and unmotivated to make my own art, I purposely go to an art gallery with a blank notebook and an open mind. Sometimes, I see art that makes me want to make art because I know I can do it better than what I’m looking at on some wall. Other times, it challenges me to explore new themes that I may not have explored before.

9. You can learn by copying. Yes, it seems almost juvenile, but copying someone else’s work can help you to learn. Walk into a gallery, and if they allow photographs, snap a few photos to take home with you and copy later. The photos don’t have to be perfect, just enough to give you an idea of what you’re trying to get at. Most galleries will let you take non-flash photos. If they don’t, draw a quick sketch in your scketchbook for later reference.

10. Because it’s fun! And inexpensive.

Do you go to art galleries or look at other people’s art online? Why do you go to galleries. Or why do you view art online? Do you do both? What are some of your favorite sites online to view art? Let me know in the comments.