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| June 2010 - Vol 3, Issue 4 | ||||||||||||
| Notes from the Studio | ||||||||||||
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Rebuilding This newsletter marks a recommitment to my artwork and my art career. The past few months I've been battling issues with depression, fear, and relationships. I've now righted that boat, through friendship, talk therapy, running, sunshine, acupuncture and lots of yoga. [As you can see from the photo above, I've been a long time practitioner of yoga. I'm 7+ months pregnant with my son in the above photo. He's now almost 18 and headed off to college in just a few short months.] It feels good to be back creating my life vs. reacting to the things life dishes up and with nearly 2 months of recovery under my belt I'm feeling pretty solid and ready to tackle the world. Tonight I decided to start with my studio newsletter. As a result of my art break earlier this year, I have much information to share with you: from new art, to new shows, new prices and another new artist. Enjoy, and as usual, thank you for subscribing and supporting my art and sharing my journey. ---lisa PS: If you'd like to keep in touch more than through my newsletter, please check out these locations:
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New Big Art
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Dream #41 In May and June, I revisited artwork from my solo show Dwelling, adding additional texture to the surface. Shown here is Dream #41, one of the textile paintings inspired by my trip to South Africa. The deep rich earth tones of this artwork bring back wonderful memories of my adventure so it was a treat to rework this piece to bring more depth to the image. Detail Image: 
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News from the Studio
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Color Improvisations
The show opens in less than 2 weeks and I'm sad I won't be at the opening, so if you attend, I'd love to hear what you thought if it. Just in time for the opening on July 11, 2010, there will be a 144-page catalog with photos of every exhibition piece. The catalog, printed in German and English, will include both full and detail shots, information about each participating artist and plenty of inspiration for all art lovers. Details on where to purchase the catalog will appear in the next newsletter.
Controlled Explosions
We're working out details for me to teach a workshop on my quilt construction techniques and I'll be announcing that in the next newsletter.
Whip Up Mini Quilts
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New Collectible Small Art
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I love these small South African inspired houses and am contemplating making some in brighter colors next as there were lovely homes in mint green, turquoise and pink dotted across the South African landscape. These smaller works are a great way for those with a smaller art budget to own original artwork.
I made a few new western style Home mini textile paintings also. Probably the last of these for a while as I'm planning slightly larger homes next, 4"x4" and 6"x6".
Note from a Collector: I received my ACEO yesterday and I truly love it. The stitching is amazing! and of course I love the house image. I showed it to a quilting friend and she was awed by the stitching. She thought I was bringing it in for an ACEO show that I am curating in our work space and I said, "NO, no, no This one is for me. I bought it as a birthday present for myself". I plan to mount it on stretched canvas or panel which I've painted first. I'll send you a picture when I finish doing that. I know you like to see your work in it's new home. Thanks again for the beautiful piece of art. I will treasure it always. Sincerely, Liz
*ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. Also known as an ATC for Artist Trading Card. The primary rule for an ACEO or ATC is they measurer 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" - the size of a trading card. They are created in many different mediums and are collectible, trade able and affordable art for everyone. My ACEOs are made using the same techniques as my larger textile paintings with my hand dyed fabric, batting and thread. In essence they are miniature quilts, although due to their size and the density of my stitching they are rigid like a trading card. |
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Thoughts from the Studio
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Pricing Ask just about any artist and they will tell you that setting prices is one of the hardest parts of being an artist. I'm no exception. There are a lot of issues involved when pricing artwork: self worth, value of our time, what the market will bear, value of our art, supply, demand, etc. There are also a bunch of rules. Don't price too high. Don't price too low. Don't price differently for different markets. Don't increase your prices too much. And certainly never ever lower your prices. Add in all of our limiting beliefs about money that we carry with us from our life experiences, and pricing artwork becomes a daunting task. In early 2009 I raised my prices. I went from a non-sustainable pricing structure to prices that I felt very comfortable with, and that would translate into an income that could and would support me. I had a marketing plan and was set to move forward implementing my ideas. Then life had other plans for me and I got sidetracked. Art took a back seat for the last year. As a result my plans didn't quite work out. I'm ready to start creating my life again. So, I asked myself, now what. How do I get this train back on the track and running smoothly. The answer I came up with was to lower my prices a bit and get a running start at my plans. Ignoring the rules and the voices that tell me I can't do something as it will ruin my art career (those are just limiting beliefs that don't serve me), I am now lowering my prices again. Alhtough not down the crazy low levels where they were in late 2008, when I was selling my art faster than I could make it. As I ramp up The Plan again, the prices will rise again, although a bit slower, probably over the course of 2 or 3 years. With a goal that by 2014 (or sooner) my prices will be right back to where they were a few months ago.
My new price structure is simple. My artwork is $450 a sq ft, with the exception of smaller textile paintings. For this artwork the prices are as follows: Want to see the new prices in action? Check out my collectible small art webpage with my smaller textile paintings for sale at these new prices: Collectible Small Art. As always, if you'd like to purchase a piece of art but would like to arrange a payment plan please email me and we can work out the details. PS - one of the fears of lowering prices are that the collectors who purchased art at the previous higher prices. I've worked with everyone that was impacted by this decision and we came to an agreement as to how to handle the price change. All is well and everyone is satisfied with my decision. Thank you all for your support. |
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Introducing - Art by Nemo
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Elephant Nemo has a unique drawing style. Circles. His drawings are simply fabulous. The concept is inspired and versatile and I love his artwork. Nemo explains how he works: " I use various line weights combined with multiple styles of circles, spirals and swirls to compose the subject. The entire image is drawn freehand with number two pencil and an accent of colored pencil on vellum drafting paper. I choose my subjects due to their beauty, but for me the real beauty is found in the complexity of details made with the most primitive of tools. " As an textile artist that keeps my process simple (I do traditional pieced quilt making to create my art - a technique that has been around hundreds of years), I can definitely relate to his thoughts. What Nemo can do with a pencil and a circle is amazing. I think there isn't much (if anything) he can't draw. I can't recall when I first "met" Nemo online, but I think it was through his blog not long before he moved to Colorado. I now enjoy is lively daily updates via twitter and facebook and hope to meet him in person before he leaves Denver for a multi year art tour around the country with his wife in their new van. This weekend will be my best opportunity to do that, as Nemo will be selling his wonderful drawings at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. If you are in Denver, definitely look for his booth, #114, at the show. You can see more of Nemo's artwork on his website: Art by Nemo. -- Each month I introduce my readers a new artist. I enjoy learning about new artists and also love sharing with my readers the talent of the amazing artists I know and admire. |
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Images and Text Copyright © 2010 Lisa Call. All rights reserved.
Comments or Questions? Email me at lisa@lisacall.com Visit my website at www.lisacall.com You are welcome to forward this email to a friend and can do so easily using [FORWARD]. Lisa Call: Studio News is sent only to subscribers. Sign up here. |
