Donna's Cave Paintings Blog - by Donna Liguria Art: Post 322: Fall Art at the Mill Art Show - A Nice D...: Fall Art at the Mill Art Show - A Nice Drive to Millwood Over the river and through the woods, to Millwood, Virginia we go! Sandra McClelland Lewin...
PWAS Member Michelle Baker is also showing at the Mill - are there any more PWAS members at this Fall Art at the Mill show?
More pictures and information available on Donna's Cave Painting blog
The Prince William Art Society meets monthly on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center on the corner of Cotton Mill and Hedges Run in Woodbridge, VA. (The pool house, sort of). We had the BEST guest artist this past meeting, Kathleen Best Gillmann. She is currently showing at the Lorton Workhouse among other places.
Ms Gillmann walked the members through several of her artworks, describing and answering questions about how she created them, using pastels and colored pencils. Everyone enjoyed her artwork and had a bunch of questions!
The Artistry Spin Blog post found here describes Kathleen's background https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2023/08/post-385-pwas-meeting-guest-artist.html
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
Photography tips from PWAS Member Otis Stanley, whom you will often see snapping photos. This tips are for photographing people
Art Tips is a series of blog posts with around 10-12 tips per post. See the rest of the Art Tips Series on this page for more tidbits of advice: https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/p/art.html
Send me YOUR art tips too or drop them in the comments below. AND let me know if you find an art tip here that you LOVE!
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) is a group of artists and art lovers located in Prince William County, Woodbridge, Virginia. The group has been meeting and creating art for over 50 years. While this blog has only been in operation for a couple of years, we have a lot of artists that we like to show off occasionally and share what they do and think about art.
For this blog post, I asked the PWAS members what they are currently working on along with 2 other questions/opinions.
Let's see what the responders say....and click on the picture to see a larger image.
Here are two recent (this past week) works of mine in soft pastel on UArt pastel paper. Both are 12x9 inch
The best advice I’ve received from other artists is to never get discouraged from comparing your own work to other art. Just keep trying to be the best you that you can be, and if you must compare, compare your own work to work you did years ago. There is a good chance you will see improvement in your work over the years, and this will help you remain encouraged and hopeful about your work.
Thank you for this opportunity to share, and for all you do. - Leora LaGraffe
“Art Appreciation”. I was at the OSA desk one evening and saw this young girl playing games on her mom’s phone while surrounded by art. I was struck and amused by her focus on the little screen, ignoring all the creativity around her. We ALL need to LOOK at the world around us more often.
Art Education…a complicated topic. Having a ‘teacher’ is important, whether it’s in school, workshops or teaching yourself. For some people going through a structured curriculum is very important (or essential): Being shown/told which way to go, these are the rules, ‘how it’s done’, ‘how it should/must look’. I think too many artists get trapped in standard approaches and their teacher’s ‘style’. Some are better off self-taught, sometimes called “Un-taught”; exploring things on their own without rules, traditions and preconceptions. Being your own teacher can help you see and do things in a different way…not a bad thing. Classes and mentors can save lots of time, perhaps years, getting to a ‘professional level’, but we run the risk of our work looking too mainstream or standard.
In the end we are all, more-or-less, self-guided in our journey through artistic expression. We make choices, whether it be college, workshops or the trial and error of being ‘un-taught’ (my personal choice). There are myriad directions to choose, and we can change course, or not, whenever inspiration prods us. Probably the most difficult part of art education is knowing how to recognize when, or if, to chart a unique individual course deeper into art that only you can explore and experience so you can create YOUR art, not reflections of someone else’s.
I'm almost finished with this painting of Raglan Castle in Wales. One of my ancestors married Sir William Thomas who did the major building of the Castle in central Wales in the early 15th century. Fortunately, a distant cousin did all the hard work of finding our origins in Brecon, Wales and the history of my 10X great-grandfather who came to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the early 1600's.
1. Currently working on: (attached) It is 48" X 48" acrylic on canvas. It will be titled "Grateful Company". It is based on a photograph by Irwin Penn in the 60's.
2. Best art advice ever given was by the late Artist/professor Félix Bonilla. He said that the potential for a masterpiece was a creation of "something that was never done before, universally understood and that would teach something"; also that the best pieces of art will always include a "dominant, a subdominant and a subordinate"...
3. Art education is a wonderful opportunity to progress and go beyond the normal, nevertheless, there are extraordinary, wonderful and amazing artists that have never had an Art Education.
16x20 Acrylic Working on black stretched canvas.
Best art tip given to me was "free your mind and your art will follow".
Painting miniatures almost feel like a painting frenzy. The 3x4 mini canvases that I show come with a mini easel and are quick works in acrylic and markers, that I hope are enjoyed by all that see them. This week I have so far done 24 of them. Yep, 24. And started another painting called "The Marshes of Harkers Island, North Carolina" 16x20 Acrylic on canvas. Maybe it could have an AKA as "Morning Glory".
I am a mostly self-taught artist but I can certainly see the value in an art education...but is it needed? An absolute must? No, I don't believe so. If you have a creative soul and the desire to learn, see the absolute need to practice, I think an artist can do wonderfully well.
As I am the writer of a LOT of my weekly art tips, I can just point you to the entire series and you can find them listed on this page: https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/p/art.html
It will be wonderful to see the finished artwork once these artists are done, won't it?
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
A person may be at a busy arts and crafts festival and wander past an artist sitting in their booth, surrounded by beautiful artwork. After glancing at the art hanging there, the person may think to themselves, "Art is too expensive", and move along to the next booth. Or, a couple of people walk into an art gallery and spot some interesting art, take a look at the label and gasp at the price. This article tries to walk the reader through what it actually took to create a painting.
In all actuality, often that artist sitting in their booth, hears the person say, "Why is that art so expensive?" talking about their art!
The truth is, artists rarely get a fat check for their art, especially when starting out. It can take years to make a name for themselves, if they ever do. And they typically do NOT pocket all of that price on the label. Yet their art is wonderful. And even when they receive their check from the sale of their art, there are LOTS of costs and fees that affect what their actual profit is.
Let's take a look at some artwork sizes and some prices, which may give a better understanding of why the price is what it is...
A - D is pretty straight forward in my example, and as anyone knows, any of these prices based on size can vary up or down greatly. (You wouldn't find a Picasso in these price ranges, correct?) What is someone willing to pay for a piece of art is whatever catches their fancy and within their budget, or needs, also called subjective. I'll even venture to say that it may also be based on their perceived value in the piece as well.
The prices are scaling up as the size of the artwork goes up in the examples. This is based on the fact that more supplies go into the work, the greater the size.
E - J is more the unknown costs that the potential buyer will not know. These are samples of the artist's costs that come out so that their artwork can be shown - sort of the leasing or rent of the wall space where it is hanging.
In other words, the art show, art group, the art gallery - the all take a commission which is deducted from the artist's price for the piece. Then they send the artist, the remainder.
And/or the art group also has a fee to join to display artwork, and they take their cut off the artist's price before sending the check. How else will the gallery or group make their funding?
Now, in K through P, we get into the other costs that the artist spent to create the artwork based on the art size A.
K is the surface, what the artist's cost is for the canvas the artist painted on. If the artwork is a print, or on watercolor on quality paper, any of these prices will fluctuate.
L can also vary greatly if the artwork has a frame. Frames can be quite expensive. Some artwork MUST have a frame and possibly glass, like watercolor and pastels. Oil and Acrylic paintings on a gallery wrapped canvas don't necessarily have to have a frame, it depends on the artist and the gallery.
Some artists and buyers, feel like the art isn't finished unless its framed and some galleries only want framed artwork. If you have ever gone to one of the framing stores, you get the idea of how costly it can get. The artist must recoup the costs of the framing fee for the piece.
M is harder to configure, but it is the price of the medium, techniques, and finishing process for the artwork. The canvas should have a layer of gesso, layers of paint, possibly including extenders, and layers of finishing varnishes to help protect the painting.
Quality paints, specialty brands, mediums, solvents, etc can add up quickly. And I haven't included any info here on the use and costs of the brushes or knives used.
N is the potential entry fee the artist may have paid to show their artwork (on top of the commission fee, after the artwork is sold). At many art shows and galleries, there is an entry fee when a Call for Art goes out and the artist may enter 1-5 pieces for that fee. Occasionally there are monetary awards given, but not always.
Of greater cost would be what the artist paid if this were a booth at a fair or festival (along with all the equipment used to display there - tent, gridwalls, tables, print stands, etc).
O is another hard to calculate cost. Much like a home office someone works out of, a home art studio has the utilities including electric and water, or other cleaning materials, which are other calculations for the artist. As they say, no free lunch.
Artwork that doesn't sell, must be stored properly as well, and hopefully there is space in their home. If the artist pays for an art studio space somewhere, that has to get paid for, right?
Then there is the gas to go buy the art supplies and to go get it framed. To then to get the artwork to the show. Possibly a hotel or food costs if the art show or fair is far from home.
Websites cost the artist a monthly fee, any promotional or advertising fees, as well as the business cards or postcards that are offered up to the visitors.
P can be hard to calculate the total cost of supplies and equipment to create artwork, but you can see how it all adds up.
Q shows that the check given to the artist in J has the costs of supplies and fees deducted from P to come up with the total in Q - where we are considering as the profit.
R is showing an estimated amount of time that the artist spent creating the artwork. Some artist can spend a ton of actual time on one piece - probably based on a lot of variables, including their experience and whatever the subject matter is.
Finally, the last row is the Cost per Hour showing that if you take the estimated hours to create the item in A, and divide hours R into Q, this is the estimated hourly wage to create the purchased art.
That isn't so impressive is it?
Sure, artists create art (most often) for the love of it. Some artists are hobbyists, some make art because it is their career, and maybe more often, many artists are making art because they would LOVE to make a career of it. They need to make a living from their art sales.
Food for thought: I asked a friend one time, after I had spent about 40 hours on a painting - obviously equivalent to one of their work weeks and asked why should I expect less than what you make in a week?
Typically, the cost is based on time and the artist's experience, possibly their artistic training as well. A self-trained beginner artist often does not usually ask the same hourly rate as a beginner art-educated person. Over time and as sales add up for either artist, the pricing on their paintings will go up.
I heard this story one time (true or not, read the link provided),
"It always reminds me of the story about the woman who approached Picasso in a restaurant, asked him to scribble something on a napkin, and said she would be happy to pay whatever he felt it was worth. Picasso complied and then said, “That will be $10,000.”
“But you did that in thirty seconds,” the astonished woman replied.
“No,” Picasso said. “It has taken me forty years to do that.” - https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/01/14/time-art/
I'm not comparing my work to Picasso of course, but I do want to make a reasonable hourly rate so that when the commissions, fees, supplies, and misc. costs are deducted, my profit is satisfactory. Wouldn't you?
Let me know what you think of "Why is Art So Expensive?"
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
Call for ART - Open until Saturday, September 2, 2023. Artists need to be 18 or older. Additionally, the artist must live in Prince William County OR be a member of a Prince William County art group or photography group.
September's call to art titled show is Honor Your Heritage. You are invited to submit your work between August 25, 2023 - September 2, 2023.
Recognition will be given to artwork that highlights Hispanic culture. Submissions from other groups that contribute to the story of the richness of our American heritage will be accepted for jurying..Please submit quality work that has not been juried in or displayed during the past three shows at Open Space Arts Gallery.
While our focus will always be on Prince William Art Society and Prince William County Arts Council members, we are extending this event to outside artists as an opportunity to showcase the exceptional artists who reside in Prince William County. Photography works for this exhibit are also welcomed. There are some glass-topped display drawers that can hold small pieces such as jewelry and small ceramic pieces. We are highly interested in 3-D sculptors and artists who use other media as well. Please note the size requirements for the different areas of the display areas listed in the entry form.
There is NO entry fee, but artists that are selected to show are expected to volunteer at the gallery. Read the submission form for further information.
All work must be for sale.
All work will be juried into the show.
Contact Penny Shaw for the submission form! All artwork is submitted as attachments to shawonesent@gmail.com. Remember your submitted work should show the best imagery possible with cropped out background, frames and squared images in the photo.
NO FRAMES in the photos and NO BACKGROUND
The next Call for Art is for Threads, October 18 - November 12, 2023.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
Usually, in the PWAS Art Tips post we have 12 tips. This one has 16 because they are all part of a class PWAS Member Tom Payne held once.
If your intention is to take a quality photograph with a mobile phone or DSLR, consider the following tips:
Art Tips is a series of blog posts with 12 tips per post. See the rest of the Art Tips Series on this page for more tidbits of advice: https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/p/art.html
Send me YOUR art tips too or drop them in the comments below. AND let me know if you find an art tip here that you LOVE!
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
