My Etsy shop is currently updated to include my new Spring collection pieces. Just in time for Mother’s Day!
Feel free to share with friends and family. My next show is May 21-22, 2016 at the Canton Festival of the Arts, Canton, GA. Come and see me!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/reflections1?ref=hdr_shop_menu
My winter hiatus has come a bit early this year, as I didn’t book any shows for the late fall/Christmas season. Ah well, my choice and now it is the time for updating my skills, continued learning, and participating more actively within my field. Specifically for me, that is metal clay art. A new group has organized that makes me very excited. It’s called the IMPACT Artist Project and here’s their mission statement:
“IMPACT Artist Project–The International Metal Clay Project Advancing Creativity & Talent is a non-profit Metal Clay arts community building and outreach program. The mission of IMPACT and its philosophy stems from a generous attitude of giving and sharing which is overtly present in the Metal Clay arts community. We have a developed a “team-like” program where IMPACT members, guilds, teachers, teaching facilities, and business work in conjunction to advance and strengthen the creativity, talent of its artists, and support healthy thriving businesses within our international Metal Clay community.”
What a great beginning to a form of organization and purpose. I have often found that within the world of art, there are very few (beyond guilds) standards, guidelines and professional guidance as one would see in a business setting. I think that artists are underrepresented because they have no unifying voice. I am thankful that the metal clay community is attempting to change that for our form of art.
I will continue to make this blog about my journey with metal clay and as a show circuit artist. I love to share and teach and I hope that I will be more diligent is this task. If you are a fellow metal clay artist, check out the website for IMPACT at http://www.impactartistproject.org and see how you can contribute or benefit from.
I am busy keeping my Etsy shop full for any Christmas shoppers and am also working on some custom pieces for Christmas gifts. I love the challenge of custom work and hope that what I do pleases everyone involved.
Also, a task I don’t look forward to during winter hiatus, is the continued research and learning about upcoming shows and to schedule for 2016. It starts early (as in right now) for many of the spring shows and even some fall and winter shows for 2016.
Well, it’s been a long summer and as we head into Fall, there are thoughts I’d like to share, specifically about the show circuit. My experience is pretty wide and pretty long when it comes to working on the show circuit–I’ve been active now for about 18 years and have attended many shows across the southeast. Craft shows, Art shows, Art and Craft shows, indoor and outdoor, juried, non-juried–they’ve all been a part of my journey as an artist. My niche is the Fine Art shows with judges and strict juries. My work is quite unique and most of the time well appreciated in those circles. I attended one such show this Fall with a judge and strict jury. The quality of the show was fine and the expectation was given that the judge would visit each booth. We were not guaranteed a conversation, but a least a look. By the time the judging ended I realized the judge never even visited my booth.
Should that be a problem? Should I feel neglected, or at least a little bit miffed that I was left out of his scrutiny? Well, to say the least, I felt frustrated and a bit angry that I was treated with little professionalism. Many of my experiences with judges is for them to pass me by since I’m “just another jewelry booth” which is far from the truth. While I appear to be “just another jewelry booth” my work is most distinctive and there are very few metal clay artists let alone enamelists.
So, I casually asked the show director if the judging has ended. My underlying purpose was to make sure the director knew that we had not been given the courtesy of a viewing from the judge. I had also watched as the judge spent over 20 minutes in the neighboring booth from me. She was insistent that he had indeed come by, but said she would bring him by again. Well, she at least pointed my booth out to him as they stood across the street from me. Yeah, I was watching.
That little stunt brought me even more frustration as the lack of integrity and fairness. I have come to learn that many of these juried shows are done locally and have focused mostly on the local artists–a clique is already in force for the awards. However, it was never as blatant as this was for me.
The results? Yeah, the guy in the neighboring booth won Best of Show . . .hmmm, could be they were able to spend time with the judge and talk about their processes as an artist. Obviously, my sense of professionalism kicked in and I was just done with this show.
It is disheartening when you work so passionately and put all your energy into your art and to be ignored. While I’ve gotten used to the jewelry categories rarely winning any awards, I still think professional courtesy should never be ignored. It is truly a level of respect for all artists. Many promoters have a bad reputation because they are just selling real estate to fill their shows, but many of them show respect. This show director didn’t know the meaning of respect during the judging portion. Needless to say, I won’t be attending or recommending this show again.
Which is sad, because it was one of my least expensive shows to do. But you can’t put a price on integrity.
There is still hope out there for my work to be recognized. It has been awhile since I’ve had a ribbon but I also know that the awards I have earned in the past were legit and that my customers are my ultimate judge when they buy a piece. And it is good to remember that I did win “Best of Show” in a juried art show where there were three judges scoring independently. In fact, one of the judges shared with me that one of the reasons I won was because of my passion. Many artists were pleased as jewelry rarely nabs the top spot.
Honesty, transparency and fairness are still out there–we just have to find the right shows for our work!
Last weekend marked my return to the show circuit after missing out this past Fall season. I appreciate all the warm prayers and comments regarding my health–I’m slowly on the path to full recovery. Blessed by my CEO (hubby who Carries Everything Out), I am able to get back to my love for creating fabulous and joyful pieces to wear. Lots of new ideas coming for the late Spring/Summer collection. Winter in Georgia has been rough and unpredictable so I’m ready for warmth and sunshine! Please continue to check my evolving show schedule for 2015.
I would also love to start a gallery of my customers who love their piece. If you are so inclined, please send me your picture! I meet several of my return customers last week and they shared with me their continued joy of having one of my pieces. Sometimes, though, because every piece is unique, I forget the exact look or what the piece was. So, help me out and send me a few pictures.
Here are a couple of ladies from last year:
I will also continue to share some of my knowledge with this blog. I believe that all artists should share their techniques and methods to inspire future artists. Also, it’s always fun to see how your piece was fabricated and made special!
. . . Black! Yes, I am very pleased with my test shots for the gradient black backgrounds. Much more polished and professional, which is important for securing a spot in a juried show. Most juries have only 4 to 5 shots of your work, so it must stand out! I struggle with showing juries my work in just 4 slides due to the fact that my work is extremely varied and unique. While I’m happy with the black backgrounds, I still need to work on correct lighting. My silver pieces seem washed out and they reflect easily. Ways to reduce reflection include making a white poster board to house your item and cut a hole in it to allow your camera lens to “see”. I like using the diffused light from the Modahaus Tabletop Photo Studio and their Steady Stand Kit. These pieces are simple in design, yet ever effective. You can learn more about their products at www.modahaus.com
Here are a few of the successful shots from this week:
You will probably note some of the various lighting attempts. I will continue to hone these skills and play with natural light as well. But, I love seeing the pieces against the black. It works well for all the metal clays.
Reflections by Robin 