"Walk With Me" Show Poster

I cannot believe that I hang my show next week!  For me, one of these shows is like planning a wedding.  You work hard for what seems like forever and the day comes and its over in a flash.  

Why a show Poster?  While the Loft Gallery, Art Center, and studios take up the entire top floor of a block in Occoquan. VA, we don't have a street level display window.  So we hang a framed show poster outside the front door.  Jan Moffatt designed our posters for all of us for many, many years.  She just retired and Janet Flickinger has taken over as our new poster designer.  Poor Janet.  One of her first clients and I had a heck of a time deciding between 2 designs.  
 
Which one would you have picked?  I took a poll with family and friends and got lots of great feedback on the reasons to use or not to use on each poster... what I found interesting is it was a split decision, pretty much 50/50.  So my choice was BOTH!  The one with the tabby is the large poster that will hang outside the gallery and I have a smaller poster with the black cat ("Coffee NOW") for my studio. 

(FYI: If you are designing a poster for an event, Jan discovered a few years back that Costco prints posters.  They look good and better yet are great prices AND you can get them in a number of sizes.  If you don't have access to Costco, I think Walmart and other stores with photo services make them too.)  

Show dates: June 7^th - July 3^rd 

Meet-The-Artist Reception

Saturday, June 11^th, 1PM-4PM

Enjoy the holidays in Occoquan VA

November 20th - Annual Occoquan Holiday Open House

If you live near Historic Occoquan, VA. don't forget to make your calendars for the annual Christmas tree lightening... its a must!  Its beautiful to see after dark.  It is truly an old fashion Christmas in a town over 250 years old.  Santa and carolers will be roaming the streets on Friday Nov 20th. and the tree will light up at 8:00.  The Loft will be all decked out for the holidays so please make sure you stop in and say hello and enjoy hot cider and other treats.  The Loft's trees, counters and tables will be adorned in original miniature paintings for our annual "minis" event.  

 

There will be drawings at 8:00 with prizes totally $2000. 

August Hot Wheels - Loft Gallery

I'm having a show next month.  "AUGUST HOT WHEELS" runs from August 5 through the 31st at the Loft Gallery, 313 Mill St., Occoquan, VA.  My 'Meet the Artist Reception" is on Sunday, August 10th from 1 to 4 PM.  

I'm very excited (and stressed) to be the artist of the month at the Loft Gallery for August.
At a co-opt gallery the artist is a one man show and is in charge of everything dealing with the show (hopefully with help from your friends at the gallery).  I have a check list which feels a mile long. The shows always sneak up on me.  It always seems like it is so far down the road, but you have deadlines a couple of months out for ordering things like your postcards, frames, creating a write up for publicity and the list goes on!  

  Tips: Just some of the things to think about if you are having a show: 

Photograph all your work.  You'll need that for your postcards and advertisement, plus once its purchased you won't have the opportunity to do it!  If you forget until the last minute chances are you won't do it or it will already be varnished or behind glass so it will be harder to get a good photo.  Also, arrange to photograph your work once it is hung.  

Order frames about a month before a show.  Framing takes time to order and then to actually do the framing if you are doing it yourself.  Take extra hardware and tools when you go to hang, just in case.  You don't get to your venue and realize you've forgotten to attach the hardware or a wire! 


Besides frames what kinds of things do you need to order?  Letters for wall signage? Postcards?  Postcards need to be mailed out a couple of weeks before the show.  

There will be things you will need to make or have done....posters, labels for your work, a list of your work for the front desk, certificates of authenticity, etc.  Decide your pricing.  Include your prices when you post them online for the show.  Will you have your prices on the labels or on a inventory sheet for people to pick up? Decisions, decisions!

Labels: Include Your name,  title, price, medium and size.  Some people can't visualize size so that helps if they have a specific place they want it to hang.  I've certainly bought something and got home and found it was just a little too big.  I like to attach a label on the back so your patron will have all that information about the painting when they get home.  

Email your photographs to whoever is in charge of the venue's webpage. Do they have a Facebook page?  Make sure you are on it too. 

Check to make sure you've signed all your work.  You'd be surprised how often you'll find at least one you've somehow missed and have the person buying it point that out to you.  

Do you have the supplies you need to transport safely?  Those expensive frames are so easy to nick up. 

Measure the space where you will be hanging ahead of time.  If you haven't hung a show, I would suggest you guesstimate how long you think it will take, then double that.  Don't forget you will be working around the show that is coming down.  Find out if you may need to touch up the walls.  If so, you'll need time for the paint to dry.  I would suggest that if you have the luxury of having the space at home or in your studio to lay out your work before you go to the gallery and create a diagram to help save time.  


...and we haven't even started to think about the reception!! 

Gas Dock on the Occoquan River

Gas Dock 12x12 oil on canvas (sold)

The theme of one of our Loft Gallery art shows was anything about the town of Occoquan. 

The Loft backs up to the Occoquan River & I love reflections in the water so it was easy for me to pick a subject.  Once decided, I made a quick trip down to the docks to see what would catch my fancy.  Believe it or not they've planted palm trees near the boat ramps.  Somehow palm trees & Virginia just don't work for me, but I really liked the gas dock.

I think reflections make paintings interesting.  I try to include them whenever I can.  Of course a lake or river are the most obvious for adding reflections, but you can add them to still life or put a puddle in some paintings if it works with the composition.  I've even added some in my museum paintings.  All you need is a shinny floor.  

     Frank & Ernest

Created by Bob Thaves

Big ART Sale - Loft Gallery Occoquan, VA

The Loft is having it's annual sale.  If you are looking for fantastic original art this is a great time to check out the Loft.  There is art from floor to ceiling!  

Tony & Joe's Restaurant

Tony & Joe's 20x16" oil on Canvas (sold)

If you haven't been to Tony & Joe's restaurant in Georgetown, in Washington, D.C., I recommend you try it the next time you are in town.  If the weather's nice its great to dine outside along the Potomac River. 

Close up of the Table

Loft Gallery, Occoquan, Va.

ART TIP - Using Digital Photo Frames

Many of you may already have a digital photo frame at home, but if not, they are inexpensive to purchase.  I've seen them advertised recently for as little as $49 for an 8" screen.  I've had a number of friends say they or a family member got one for a gift and either its still in the box or they don't use it anymore.  Well its time to pull it out and put it in your studio.  

If you don't paint plein air, you know the colors from your printed photographs will be different with every printer you use.  One way to get a bit closer to nature, from the comfort of your studio, is to view your photographs on a monitor.  I didn't have a digital frame and never thought about using one for art until I saw Loft artist Karin Sebolka (who is a great watercolorist) using one in her studio to display her photo reference.  She showed me all the great things it could do including zooming in on something for a closer look.  Best of all it was inexpensive, so a great substitute for my laptop starting to get covered with paint spatters.

The frames are easy to use.  You can use a thumb drive/flash drive or just transfer your pictures using a thumb drive to the frame's memory.  A good idea if you're always hunting for your hard copy reference photo. 

One thing I would suggest if you are going to buy a frame is to get one with at least an 8" screen if possible.  You don't need an expensive or fancy one, but make sure it has zoom capabilities. 

Full size photograph - landscape view

The color is much more true to life in person

Zoom feature for closer look at the details

You can turn the frame if your photo has a portrait orientation