Shaken Not Stirred

This week I worked on a couple of fun commissions for friends. Nancy wanted a leaves and vine piece for her new privacy gate. Her house is so lovely and she has grown the most incredible Hostas! I was happy to design and weld some artful leaves that fit into a panel at the top as well as ornamental leaves for a gate topper. In both pieces I welded the sculptures to “L” brackets and will get wood screwed to the 2x4 

frame. She hasn’t decided if she will let the steel patina to a natural rust or next year spray it a flat black. I think both would work. Several artist friends have confided in me that they are “rethinking” their careers as artists or how they sell (or don’t) their work. Even the

 Blogs I like to read have eluded to artists rethinking their artmaking. Whitney is one such artist who is considering major changes in her artmaking by not doing wholesale any longer. The artists I spoke with on the open studio tour echoed similar sentiments. As Gallery 

commissions and material expenses increase, I admit, I have also been rethinking how I sell my art, who I sell my art to and what will my “strategy” be for next year? More shows, less shows, to wholesale or not to wholesale, metal or clay or explore even more mediums (ha!). Mixing things up a bit is a good thing to keep art fresh, or at least its good to reexamine old ways of creating. For continued sales, I like to keep my art fresh for my loyal customers and sometimes that is easier said than done. I’d like to know the recipe or formula for what inspires me or gives me that jolt or spark that can kic

k out the art! After all these years as an artist, I don’t have a recipe written down anywhere, wish I knew what it was to write down and share. Keeping the faith that the inspiration will continue to flow takes a lot of dedication to my artmaking and for me, artmaking is emotional. I can’t have the incredible ups of creating without the downs or “creative blocks.” Thankfully, I have an extremely supportive family and customer base (*good to know for #’s 6 and 10 below!). I think it’s these emotions that artists have to slog through to persevere. I have been mentally stirring things up a bit but not sure how it will all shake out which is OK for now -the Fireweed hasn't gone to seed yet.

In the July/August issue of Art Calendar on page 16 there is a great article; Art Entrepreneur:
12 Ways to Survive the Recession
By Ligaya Figueras and Kim Hall

1. Stay positive.
2. Manage your budget.
3. Shop smart. (watch your expenses, especially on art supplies)
4. Focus your marketing. (don’t panic and spend loads on new marketing initiatives that won’t work)
5. Maintain and strengthen your brand. (your “brand” is the way people perceive you and your art)
6. Identify your best prospects. (reexamine where your focus has been, the best prospects are usually past customers/collectors)
7. Adjust your sales strategy. (pricing during these times is tricky, but don’t CUT prices, consider smaller pieces, or innovative ways to encourage sales)
8. Help your gallery. (keep those on their mailing lists informed, promote yourself)
9. Identify areas where there is a need. (offer classes, creative uses for your studio space)
10. Think local. (I love this one. Instead of taking that expensive cross country trip for a show, seek opportunities more locally, reconsider expensive shipping)
11. Seek alternative funding sources. (anything from grants, teaching art classes, scholarships to go back to school)
12. Manage your time. (if your trimming your budget, better define the way you spend your time to be the most productive at all you do)

I thought these were all GREAT tips, though artist Rae Dunn is probably saying it best!

Tick-Tock Summer's Clock

Summer’s clock is ticking. On our hike this weekend we saw that Mt. Alyeska had a beautiful carpet of Fireweed. Though beautiful, Alaskans know that the Fireweed is Summer’s clock and signals our lightening fast Summer is coming to an end. When the delicate petals of the pink flowers reach the top of the stalk and the flower goes to seed, winter is just two months away! When the Fireweed goes to seed, it forms a thin cotton like fiber that blows away with the Fall winds. I have been inspired to create metal sculptures of wildflowers as the Fireweed changes with our seasons. 

Native Alaskans have used the fireweed root for topical medicine and the blossoms as a dye. Many people use the Fireweed shoots in salads and to make yummy Fireweed honey. I like to capture images of flowers to use as reference during our cold, dark winter months. During the snowy winter at -20 below zero, it’s easy to forget how Alaska’s flowers look in their summer glory. The famous Bake 

Shop in Alyeska for years have hosted a Begonia and Dahlia show for locals and 

visitors. After our hike, I took a couple of pictures of the flowers before they are claimed by the wind and rain and eventually frost. We even noticed the top of Raven Glacier had a light dusting of snow… Our clock is ticking, and the Fireweed is a signal for all Alaskans 

to get out and enjoy the last bits of summer. For me it's a reminder to get busy creating while the Shop and steel are still warm!

El Gaucho

"El Gaucho" Gus at the Olympic Lavender Farm during the Lavender Festival last weekend in Sequim, WA

Supplies are low and production and motivation needs to be high. I didn’t feel the need to have large amounts of steel, wire and round stock on hand right before we left on our trip so I let my supplies run to an all-time low. Not such a good idea when you return and need to hit the ground running!

I’ve spent the last couple of days, getting pieces delivered, confirming orders, finishing up a large commission piece and generally trying to get back into the swing of things. I think my body enjoyed the time off with my family and the warm sunshine a little too much… Today I spent the morning at the steel shop getting base plates punched for mounting bolts on a large outdoor commission piece. “Dancers” will be a memorial sculpture at a local spiritual center and part of 

a new outdoor garden area. I’m also working on some new wind salmon, but had to get more wire and swivels. I love making these driftwood salmon. Hopefully I’ll have enough on hand for the next 

G Street Artist Fair I’m participating in on August 15^th. I'm keeping positive thoughts that there will be enough advertising on the Fair to let people know that the August 15th event will be the last one. I think I'll send out and post cards a couple of weeks before -yikes that's just around the corner(!)

Look at the flowers that bloomed in my garden while we were away! My boys (xox) did a good job of watering, especially during Alaska's record setting heat. The Dahlia’s are from tubers my Mom sent from WA to my best friend Pat this Spring and Pat planted a few of them in large pots for me! The pink and white Peonies are very old and were t

ransplanted from my Grandfather’s house several years ago. My Peonies and Dahlia’s are not even close in size to the ones my Mom can grow. When I was taking pictures of the flowers in my garden I couldn't help but look at the color palette in each of the photos. I would like to experiment and work with these colors either in painting, fabric, or even in glazes. Hmmm, sounds like I already have to start a "want to-do" art  list for this winter.

The High Cost of Doing Business

"For as long as space endures, and for as long as living beings remain, until then may I too abide to dispel the misery of the world." 

By Santi Deva

We are back home and unpacked. Back to the cool, beautiful and calm climes of Alaska. My mind has been stuffed with new inspirations and to-do's. I saw this t-shirt on a guy at the Purple Haze Lavender Farm. The Purple Haze was one of my mom and my favorite farms on tour. This image of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has helped to keep my mind calm. The guy wearing the t-shirt was tending the Lavender Margarita Bar under a huge Weeping Willow tree. As an estimated 30,000 people 

migrated into Sequim for the Lavender Festival over the weekend, I couldn't help but feel that the majority of couples were seeking answers to a change of scenery, or new life directions. Perhaps even urban escape. The ferries between Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula were choked full and wait times reached over 2 hours! Maybe this is normal but hard for me to adjust to.

Not only Lavender Farms were on tour during the Lavender Festival but so were Artists Studios. Pat & Coffee Miklos of Dungeness Studios are artisans in fine metal jewelry. In their former professions, both jewel smiths created high-end, fine gemstone jewelry featured in glossy, full color catalogs of collections. 

Most of the pieces were over $100k. now, Coffee creates in a large, custom outbuilding on their property near the beach in Dungeness and is making more than jewelry. Inspired by his surroundings, he also makes very cool custom wind sculptures with forged steel and copper components balancing beach stones that had a Calder-like form to them. I was envious of their Shop. The building was divided into the forging side and the finish side, or the clean area. In the finish area were two, custom work spaces for he and Pat. Coffee mentioned he wanted to start Blogging and hopefully I helped inspire the network of benefits of the Blog. At first glance, his work reminded me of another Blog I like to read called Stonz and encouraged him to check it out as well. Click here for a recent newspaper article on Coffee that shows a few of his incredible pieces of art. Don't miss the comment boxes paying him high praise as well.

It was refreshing (depressing?) to know that the common issues on the Studio Tour on the Olympic Peninsula centered around similar conversations I have with artists here in Alaska;

1. Rising Gallery Commissions

2. Finding the Time to Make Enough Inventory

3. Fair Market Pricing 

4. The Difficulties of Getting Their Art to the Right Market

5. The Struggles of Advertising and Marketing and the New Media

For space, I'll just give my two cents on the first issue. Commission rates are climbing higher to averaging around 50% now, up from when commissions averaged 30%. My argument is that Galleries who charge 50% are forcing artists to take WHOLESALE pricing for their art and that is NOT consignment pricing. The Gallery has virtually no risk and artists would be better off to sell their work in a wholesale/retail situation and receive guaranteed payment in net 30. As I sit here Blogging, I had needed to take a break from inputting my accounting into Excel. So I don't go into a tail spin or fall into a creative funk as I see the columns of retail prices versus my NET, less expenses and commissions, I can only focus on that guy's t-shirt at the Lavender Margarita Bar! Ohhhmmmmmm. 

TTFN & Bye, Bye WA

Sigh.... said goodbye to the sunshine and folks. The ferry ride from Bainbridge to Seattle was pituresque and the I-5 drive to Sea-Tac a bit gripping at times but all well worth it. There were three HUGE cruise ships docked at the Seattle harbor and Gus saw some dude para-sailing above the busy waterfront (he's in the picture with the Space Needle)! I've got some pictures of the Lavender Festival to post as well as I want to introduce metal artisans, Coffee & Pat Miklos who I met on the Open Studio Tour... more after I unpack (not the best part of a trip!). 

Sneak Preview

Cynthia Thomas 

My Dad first met John Dach at an arts council meeting. John is originally an organic apple farmer from California, turned metals alchemist and foundry purveyor. Cynthia Thomas, John's wife is a talented sculptor who generously opened their studio to the 2009 Sequim Art Studio Tour. B making an appointment, Dad and I were able to have a sneak preview of their shop and studio yesterday, and what a good decision that was. Over 30,000(!) people are expected today through Sunday here in Sequim for the annual Lavender Festival and Art Studio Tour! I wanted to get this post made this morning before we head off the the street fair,

other studios and lavender farms on tour. Because Dad had made an appointment we had over an hour of personal time with John and Cynthia -but Dad and I could have stayed all day as we were 

fascinated with all of the tools and processes that they both use to make their art.

John and Cynthia graciously met with Dad and I yesterday, though I knew they were eyeball deep in preparations for the upcoming open studio tour. Cynthia is one of the main coordinators for the e

vent with Sequim Arts. Overhearing a couple of phone calls that came in while were were there, I was reflecting on my volunteer work for coordinating the ABG Outdoor Art Show

 -only x 1,000 for Cynthia! John even had crab pots that were waiting for him to pull in, but they both opened their work spaces and shared their passions with Dad and I loke long-lost friends. John even gave me a set of the coolest little tools called a C.R.A.B. (cleaner, rubber and burnisher) for cleaning and burnishing metal. I was thinking this may be something for my friends Vicki & Rick... Each little rubber nib contains tightly compacted glass fibers. 

But hands down, one of the coolest BIG tools we saw was John's metal sprayer. The mention of this machine caught my Dad's attention during their first meeting at the arts council. Dad knew this was a machine I'd be interested in seeing when we came to Sequim for our visit. The commercial applications range form oil derricks to boats to what John and Cynthia hope to use it for, ART. The machine can spray aluma-zinc and copper by using different spools of wire. John is also a skilled foundryman (I'm not sure this is the proper title) and makes 

casts and bronze sculptures from Cynthia's amazing clay sculptures. Her Metamorphosis Series are very spiritual and her Horse sculptures are so lifelike that Cynthia said the sculptures have caused some to say she "must have been a horse in a past life!" What I also appreciated was John and Cynthia's team approach to the art. Her originals combined with his skill at casting, finishing detail and patina work are symbiotic and beautiful. 

Woops! got to go, everyone is getting in the car for the BIG TOUR! More later.

Rhonda at the Market!

Pike Place Market was wonderful. We filled our market bags with all kinds of treasures. One of the best surprises was seeing a friend of Derek and mine selling her cloisonne art! Rhonda has been making and selling her beautiful and original work at the Market since 1984. Look at the pair of earrings she gifted me! I bought my mom a lovely pair of moon earrings Mom just couldn't resist. The process for making cloisonne is quite detailed and involves bending tiny wires to hold the glass frit and several firings to achieve the finished piece. Not only is Rhonda an talented artist, she is an accomplished

horsewoman who does endurance riding. Check out her Blog and website.

One of my other purchases was a print by artist, Scott Lantz. I didn't have enough cash to purchase an original but would have in a heartbeat. His original acrylic paintings on masonite panel are fresh and vivid. The original I wanted was titled "Under the Clock." The painting was awash in natural light and captured the details of the Market clock on a sunny Seattle day. The print I purchased was similar to "Market Early A.M." because it reminded me of where Derek and I like to stay, The very romantic Inn at the Market and each morning we would dash across the street the glowing neon cup for our morning brew!

We helped Dad hang the Anniversary sculpture I made for them. It is a 45" x 45" circular seascape, plasma cut and welded steel depicting 5 Dungeness Crabs (1 for each grandkid) and Kristen's crab even has a little pair of glasses on! The two clay shells are my sister and I. The shells were cast from a giant Alaskan scallop and fired at ^o4 & 05. There are glass beads strung on copper wire and painted with exterior sign painters enamel. We hung it on the exterior of their house. I was inspired by their surrounding area near Dungeness, WA.

In the Land of Art

I never thought it would be possible, but can there be such a thing as being on visual OVERLOAD? Or at least I think I am on inspiration overload! Seeing so much work by the many talented Pacific Northwest artists has inspired me to want to get back into the studio, slab roll some tiles, sculpt some clay, heat some copper or pound and weld some steel! We spent yesterday in Port Townsend doing the Gallery walk, but mainly our destination was to see the Juried Collage/Assemblage Exhibit at the Northwind Arts Center. there were many Galleries and shops showing a variety of artists and mediums. What I especially enjoyed was seeing the diversity of mediums, and REAL art, not too many sailboat watercolors or shrink wrapped prints! 

The Collage/Assemblage Exhibit at the Northwind Arts Center will be on display july 3 - 27 and my Dad had two pieces accepted 

for display! The first piece that I have posted here, is "I am not a he, I am not a she" and is an assemblage piece using fo

und objects, vintage illustrations and cast components. The second piece accepted was titled "Opposite Attraction" using three elements; day/night, up/down, and circle/square. My Dad's latest work has been inspired by the work of Joseph Cornell, (1903 - 1972) who some say is the originator of Assemblage work. The picture at the top was taken (with permission) inside the Gallery exhibit and shows my Dad and Grandma on the left.

A few of the Galleries that I enjoyed in PT were; Artisans on Taylor, Earthenworks, Gallery 9, April Fool & Penny Too and the Port Townsend Gallery. There are many other hip shops with new 

and vintage items for sale along the main road in downtown. We had a yummy pizza by the slice at Bay View Pizza and a full lunch at the Public House where locals say "Hippies & Retirees Agree the best fish n' chips are at The Public House!"

My sister (she is a professional and dedicated Nurse in Anchorage) and niece head North to Alaska today but not before we spend the day in downtown Seattle as touristas (more

 art for me to see!). My niece wants to see the Space Needle and my sister wants to shop at Pike Place Market. This picture is of my sis and I at our parents Big Five-Oh Anniversary party Saturday. Our Aunt Cindy was pouring us Grey Goose Lemon Drops (with fresh U-Pick raspberries!) to quench our thirst as we "manned" the grille! Gus and I are lucky to still have this week on the Olympic Peninsula. We will be experiencing the Sequim Lavender Festival and Studio Tours Friday. The Lavender Festival makes me think of my "across the miles" friend Linda. More pictures to post soon!

The Big Five-Oh x2!

WOW! I have 100 posts (not THAT big of deal, but kind of cool -especially on this REALLY SPECIAL DAY), Alaska celebrates it's 50th year of statehood AND my Mom and Dad are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today! I'm taking a quick break from all of the festivities (!) to post this beautiful picture of my Mom & Dad, taken on July 11, 1959.

xOx

Happy 50th Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Art & Nature On the Olympic Peninsula (two of my favorite things!)

Public Art in Downtown Port Angeles.

"Art on the Town" is a year long outdoor art gallery featuring over 39 works of art. These were three of my favorite works. I LOVED the Sea horse! Those are reclaimed horse shoes running up the side of his body and he is about 10 feet tall.

I thought this local tree looked like the PERFECT Dr. Seuss Tree! 

We were exploring the Railroad Bridge Park at the Dungeness River Audubon Center. This is an abandon Hummingbird's nest that was on display. Look how tiny the egg is! I collect abandon birds nests and was able to see a wonderful display at the Center showing almost all types of nests of the local birds. It was so cool. 

12:34:56 July 8, 2009

(Above, Gus and I at Hurricane Ridge) While record temps are being set in Anchorage, AK, various members of our family are at different points in the North. Gus and I, along with my Dad, sister and niece hiked up Hurricane Ridge (where we saw lots of deer) in the Olympic Forest. Derek and Willie are experiencing a new meaning of "Baked Alaska" by surviving the record heat at home in Anchorage. Kristen is aboard the research vessel T/S Oshoro-Maru in the Bering Sea, some 800+ air miles from Anchorage. We were thinking of her last night as we watched the new episodes of the Discovery Channel's Alaska's Deadliest Catch which features extreme crews of crabbing boats out of Dutch Harbor, AK. I was so relieved to hear from her via an on-board Japanese e-mail account. While her UAF research team was docked in Dutch Harbor this weekend, she was able to send us a few incredible photos of her research adventures on the high seas. Kristen and I tried to i-Chat (video conferencing) but we had a bandwidth issue and ended up just calling each other and talking on the phone the old-fashion way. She has some great stories.

While the hubby is holding down the fort back home and taking Tauzer on her daily "walkies," Gus and I have a fun-filled slate of family activities scheduled the next few days here on the Olympic Peninsula. Other family members are arriving this week in preparation for my parents 50th Anniversary celebration on Saturday. Tough duty, but my Grandma made a pedicure and massage appointment for my sister and I today! I have never had a pedicure and it's been years since I treated myself to a massage. Our mom is taking our kids shopping and with the kids in good hands and our really cool Ford Edge rental car, I'm not sure my sister and I will come home, we're feeling a bit youthful -ha! Well, we'll want to come back because after our spa-spoil we're going to Graysmarsh Farm and take the kids to do the U-

Pick berries and Lavender. I'm really looking forward to going to the exhibit in Port Townsend this coming Sunday to see my Dad's assemblage pieces that were accepted in a juried show. I'll be sure to post pictures of PT and all of the great galleries there. Port Townsend is quite the artists town. There are also a couple of openings on Friday night here in Sequim I want to check out as well. We took a tour of the wonderful public sculptures yesterday in Port Angeles and then went beach combing. I had every member of my family gathering

driftwood for my Salmon Wind Sculptures! 

My dad told me that this afternoon there will be an unusual time and date sequence, 12:34:56 7-8-09. Cool huh? He's in a golf tournament and was trying to figure out how he can be on the right hole at the right time to enhance his score... maybe at 12:34:56 he should be on the 10th hole or be riding in the #10 cart?!

The bottom three photos are from Kristen, in Dutch Harbor.