Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I just discovered the work of Katie Turner. Below is my current favorite and very applicable I must say. Check out her site. Buy something. Enjoy.
"Boyfriend Criteria" - Katie Turner
"Boyfriend Criteria" - Katie Turner
Monday, August 23, 2010
| CLAY ON THE WHEEL - All Levels | |
 with Gina DeSantis Mondays 6:30 - 8:30pm, 6 weeks Session I: Sept 13, 20, 27, Oct 4, 11 & 18 Session II: Oct 25, Nov 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 Class fee: $150 Class fee includes: 25 lbs of clay, glazes, firings Registration deadline: Session I Sept 7 Session II Oct 19 These classes are offered at Art House in Cleveland, Ohio. Call 216.398.8556 to register today! | |
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Florence +The Machine - Drumming Song
New Obsessions....
You need to hear Florence and the Machine. This CD has been on repeat for months now. Totally inspiring. Enjoy.
You need to hear Florence and the Machine. This CD has been on repeat for months now. Totally inspiring. Enjoy.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Hand Building with Clay. All levels.
These classes are taught at my studio in the Lake Erie Building (AKA The Screw Factory Artist Studios). Sign up soon. Spots are limited.
This 4 week class is perfect for beginners or more seasoned students. Basic methods of hand building including slab building, coiling and pinch pots will be covered along with decorating techniques. Students are encouraged to bring ideas to class. Demonstrations will be given at the beginning of each class then students will work independently on their projects. Its a small class therefore you will have a lot of one on one instruction.
Cost $105.00. Payment must be made to secure your spot in the class. Cancellations will be refunded minus a $25.00 charge for supplies up to one week before the class. No exceptions.
Class minimum size is 3 students. Maximum is 8. Sign up early to secure your space! Please note there is no air conditioning in the space. It can be toasty sometimes. If for some reason its too hot to hold class I will provide multiple make up times.
Email artzy_grl@yahoo.com for more information.
Times/Dates: Wednesday evenings from 7-9pm.
Session 1: Aug 25, Sept 1, Sept 8, Sept 15
Session 2: Sept 22, Sept 29, Oct 6, Oct 13
***no classes will be held in Nov or Dec due to my holiday shows.
These classes are taught at my studio in the Lake Erie Building (AKA The Screw Factory Artist Studios). Sign up soon. Spots are limited.
This 4 week class is perfect for beginners or more seasoned students. Basic methods of hand building including slab building, coiling and pinch pots will be covered along with decorating techniques. Students are encouraged to bring ideas to class. Demonstrations will be given at the beginning of each class then students will work independently on their projects. Its a small class therefore you will have a lot of one on one instruction.
Cost $105.00. Payment must be made to secure your spot in the class. Cancellations will be refunded minus a $25.00 charge for supplies up to one week before the class. No exceptions.
Class minimum size is 3 students. Maximum is 8. Sign up early to secure your space! Please note there is no air conditioning in the space. It can be toasty sometimes. If for some reason its too hot to hold class I will provide multiple make up times.
Email artzy_grl@yahoo.com for more information.
Times/Dates: Wednesday evenings from 7-9pm.
Session 1: Aug 25, Sept 1, Sept 8, Sept 15
Session 2: Sept 22, Sept 29, Oct 6, Oct 13
***no classes will be held in Nov or Dec due to my holiday shows.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Rethinking.
I have just completed the Lakewood Arts Festival. Its my last big show until November. The weather was perfect and the crowd was steady. They were there to shop although the one thing missing from shows the past few years have been large sales. The kind of sales that pay for your entire booth in one big swoop.
My frustrations are mounting with sales this year. I do not rely on my art sales as income. But I would be lying if I said I didn't hope that these sales could provide a steady secondary income. On the bright side I have a healthy inventory for holiday shows so I don't need to panic and crunch to make work. Just have to crank out some ornaments. This means I can experiment and work on the wall pieces some more.
It also means I can focus on grant applications. I just invested $150 in a new backdrop and light tent. I think its worth the investment in the long run to have a reliable set up for portfolio and website shots. I hate photographing my work and frankly I think I'm really really bad at it. Well lit photos are what I need to get some $$$.
But as always I'm sitting here wondering how long it will take me to get a return on my investment...
I have just completed the Lakewood Arts Festival. Its my last big show until November. The weather was perfect and the crowd was steady. They were there to shop although the one thing missing from shows the past few years have been large sales. The kind of sales that pay for your entire booth in one big swoop.
My frustrations are mounting with sales this year. I do not rely on my art sales as income. But I would be lying if I said I didn't hope that these sales could provide a steady secondary income. On the bright side I have a healthy inventory for holiday shows so I don't need to panic and crunch to make work. Just have to crank out some ornaments. This means I can experiment and work on the wall pieces some more.
It also means I can focus on grant applications. I just invested $150 in a new backdrop and light tent. I think its worth the investment in the long run to have a reliable set up for portfolio and website shots. I hate photographing my work and frankly I think I'm really really bad at it. Well lit photos are what I need to get some $$$.
But as always I'm sitting here wondering how long it will take me to get a return on my investment...
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Lakewood Arts Festival. Saturday, August 7th. 10am-6pm.
I hope to see you there! Its my first year in the show. All the info can be found here.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Craft Show Booth Merchandising 101
A very very very long time ago I worked in retail hell. While I hated it for the most part (the bad pay, the mean customers, inevitably getting sick right before Christmas every year due to exhaustion) I learned a lot of things that have helped me as an artist. I was a Visual Merchandiser in home furnishing so it lends itself to ceramics. I never intended to be a Merchandiser nor did I go to school for it. I fell into it and as it turns out I was quite good.
When I go to art shows I sometimes cringe. Its hard to set up your booth at first and every show becomes a trial and error. Here are some tips that I hope help in merchandising your work effectively.
1. Always have finely pressed tablecloths that extend all the way to the floor. No matter how great the rest of your booth looks seeing boxes under the table can totally distract the eye. Wrinkles are messy and make you look lazy. You spent a lot of time preparing for the show and making new work. Take a few minutes to make sure that is exemplified in your booth.
2. Color block. This is soooo important. I have brightly colored work. If I kept all of the mugs together, all of the plates together, etc it would be a bombardment of the senses. If I organize the work by color suddenly the eye can rest easy and the shopper can easily target the colors that appeal to them.
3. Make sure your displays enhance your work rather that distract from it. One great example is a local artist that uses cigar boxes to show off his jewelry. His style is clean, masculine and has a weathered antique look. The boxes create varying levels of height and accentuate the work. His displays garner just as much attention as the work but you can resist his pieces because of how it draws you in.
4. Don't set all of your work on the table with no varying degrees of height. Work should pyramid towards the center of the table if using one table. This helps draw the eye. If you are in a 10x10 booth space you can place with this idea a bit more. It just takes some time.
5. Have some of your work at eye level to attract customers. Simple and effective. Try putting your best sellers there first. Once they are gone experiment to see how product moves from show to show.
6. Have enough work out to fill the table but don't over or under crowd. Too sparce and it looks like that's all you have left leaving the customer will little options. Too much and it looks quite simply like a mess. You can replace pieces as they sell. Or if I have 8 mugs in one style I only put 4 out at a time. If a customer inquires I can tell them I have more if they wish to see them.
7. Make sure all work is price tagged but try to put it somewhere that isn't distracting from the piece. I try to keep my tags low towards the foot of the piece. Also price tags don't have to be huge. Its all about the work. Keep it that way.
8. Experiment from show to show until you figure out what works with your wares. I know through years of practice (and screw ups!) that some pieces sell themselves. No matter where I put a mug or coasters I sell them. But other items move slow so I experiment with their placement.
9. Be original. This is hard especially for jewelers. The standard displays for necklaces, etc are great but when you are 1 in 60 at a show a unique presentation can help bring attention to your work. If your display is original chances are your work is as well.
10. And finally if you have a 10x10 space try to make it inviting to the customer. Play with table arrangements so that a few customers can move around freely.
A very very very long time ago I worked in retail hell. While I hated it for the most part (the bad pay, the mean customers, inevitably getting sick right before Christmas every year due to exhaustion) I learned a lot of things that have helped me as an artist. I was a Visual Merchandiser in home furnishing so it lends itself to ceramics. I never intended to be a Merchandiser nor did I go to school for it. I fell into it and as it turns out I was quite good.
When I go to art shows I sometimes cringe. Its hard to set up your booth at first and every show becomes a trial and error. Here are some tips that I hope help in merchandising your work effectively.
1. Always have finely pressed tablecloths that extend all the way to the floor. No matter how great the rest of your booth looks seeing boxes under the table can totally distract the eye. Wrinkles are messy and make you look lazy. You spent a lot of time preparing for the show and making new work. Take a few minutes to make sure that is exemplified in your booth.
2. Color block. This is soooo important. I have brightly colored work. If I kept all of the mugs together, all of the plates together, etc it would be a bombardment of the senses. If I organize the work by color suddenly the eye can rest easy and the shopper can easily target the colors that appeal to them.
3. Make sure your displays enhance your work rather that distract from it. One great example is a local artist that uses cigar boxes to show off his jewelry. His style is clean, masculine and has a weathered antique look. The boxes create varying levels of height and accentuate the work. His displays garner just as much attention as the work but you can resist his pieces because of how it draws you in.
4. Don't set all of your work on the table with no varying degrees of height. Work should pyramid towards the center of the table if using one table. This helps draw the eye. If you are in a 10x10 booth space you can place with this idea a bit more. It just takes some time.
5. Have some of your work at eye level to attract customers. Simple and effective. Try putting your best sellers there first. Once they are gone experiment to see how product moves from show to show.
6. Have enough work out to fill the table but don't over or under crowd. Too sparce and it looks like that's all you have left leaving the customer will little options. Too much and it looks quite simply like a mess. You can replace pieces as they sell. Or if I have 8 mugs in one style I only put 4 out at a time. If a customer inquires I can tell them I have more if they wish to see them.
7. Make sure all work is price tagged but try to put it somewhere that isn't distracting from the piece. I try to keep my tags low towards the foot of the piece. Also price tags don't have to be huge. Its all about the work. Keep it that way.
8. Experiment from show to show until you figure out what works with your wares. I know through years of practice (and screw ups!) that some pieces sell themselves. No matter where I put a mug or coasters I sell them. But other items move slow so I experiment with their placement.
9. Be original. This is hard especially for jewelers. The standard displays for necklaces, etc are great but when you are 1 in 60 at a show a unique presentation can help bring attention to your work. If your display is original chances are your work is as well.
10. And finally if you have a 10x10 space try to make it inviting to the customer. Play with table arrangements so that a few customers can move around freely.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)