Visiting an Art Fair

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I visited the Bellevue Arts Festival for the first time this past weekend. This is a large, long-running show that has a variety of different mediums represented. Technically it is three fairs rolled into one, 6th Street Fair, BAM ARTSfair and the Bellevue Festival of the Arts.

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Overall I was very impressed with the artwork, especially the work in the covered parking structure. I enjoyed seeing the mediums that I am not as familiar with, but I always gravitate towards paintings! The work was pricey, however most artists offered reproductions that were more affordable. I am not sure how well the larger pieces sell, but I did see a few blank spots on walls from where larger pieces sold.

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This show was defiantly about the art, and not so much the festival “scene”. Less live music and food than a festival setting in my opinion. Most artists seemed cheery and happy to be there, it was hot and people were keeping cool with fans. The thing that I felt was the biggest turn off from a customer perspective were any signs or displays that were not professionally made. Handmade “no photos” signs directly ON the artwork were not appealing to me.

Overall it was great to walk and scope out prices, booths, artwork, flow and location. I personally did not buy anything, but would had if I had more of a budget.

Upcoming Show at Fourth Corner Frames!

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I will be part of a group show for the month of August! 

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"A Member of the Family"

August 3 - September 1, 2018

Opening Reception August 3, 6-9 PM for Bellingham Art Walk

Forth Corner Frames Statement on the show:

"Bellingham abounds in artists, ...dogs, cats, horses, and ...well pets! At FCF we decided it was time to unite the two together. Examples of six artist's work will be on display. Participating artists will be here August 3rd during Art Walk! Coupons for framing any pet portraits are available during the show." 

 
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311 W Holly St, Bellingham, WA

 

360-734-1340     www.fourthcornerframes.com

Glad to be a part of this show with some amazing local artists! I have a few pieces that have not been seen before in the show. I should be at the show during Bellingham's First Friday Art Walk, I hope to see you there! 

Artist Signature

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Signatures are an interesting part of the creative process. It has a finality to it, once it is applied to a piece it usually is declared complete. At some point when I was first exploring art, I was told at some point not to sign the front of my artwork. Now that I think about it, I think was for anonymity when taking the AP Studio Art test back in high school. Or it could throw off the composition or something. Anyway I got into the habit of never signing my work on the front, all throughout college and into the beginning of my career.

K A

K A

More recently I have started always signing the back of my artwork but also having my initials on the front. I have never really felt that I needed my whole signature on the front as it is not too readable anyway. I feel that my initials do not detract from the work, look clean, and are individualistic to me, as I write the K and A in a small triangles.

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Hopefully this “signing” of the front is becoming more recognizable and can be associated with me. Although many think this isn’t enough in the long run to only use initials I think it works with the combination of the signature and date on the back.

What do you think about using initials as a signature on the front? Is it enough? Down the road people wont be able to know just from initials, but maybe with the invent of google image search it could be? 

 

How I Stay Focused on a Project

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Somehow I missed my post last week! Oops! Well this post is about staying focused and hopefully not missing a week like I did! Generally I tend to get detracted quite easily. However,  over the years I have found a way to stay focused on the project that I am doing. Here are three of the things that keep me working on a painting, design project or other task! 

Listening to a Story

I work maybe a little different than most artists. Many have music blasting to inspire their work and keep them moving. I always seem to need a storyline to follow. This is why I tend to either listen to audio books or watch TV shows. Looking back to when I used a shared studio space in college, most people did not work this way and opted to use music only.

Generally I don’t follow the visual aspect, but I do follow the story. So streaming services are great! With a combination of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu I can “watch” many shows. Audible and Libby (library audio books) are fantastic for listening to books.

I tend to get absorbed in the story and it actually allows for a looser more natural painting. I have worked this way for years, both when working in design and in painting.

Not Have Other Tasks

I find that I will get distracted if I have other chores or tasks to do. Generally I try to get the dogs walked or emails written before I sit down to work on a painting. Getting these daily tasks completed allows me the freedom to work on my paintings longer.

A sleepy dog! 

A sleepy dog! 

Have a Planned and Organized Workspace

Having all the supplies needed for a project ahead of time, such as clean water, all the paint needed, and clean brushes, all help in keeping me working. This obviously makes it so I do not have to get up to get these things once I have started already. This does not translate to a clean workspace for me however! I do try to clean and organize and it does help, but for some reason it does not seem essential!