The One Where I Try To Avoid the TV Cameras

Well, I had quite a weekend! The Harvest Festival was wonderful and VERY well attended. The Beekman Boys estimated that there were at least 5000 visitors to their little town in the last few days. I don't think they ALL came by my booth but I sure did have a lot of people stopping by.

So last week was totally crazy getting ready for the festival, but I managed to get almost everything finished. Julien (my son and assistant):
and I got up at the ungodly hour of 5am on a Saturday morning to get ready, finish loading up the car and get over to Sharon Springs by 7am. Set up actually went quite smoothly; he carried everything and I told him what to do. It was perfect. Heh.

I went with VERY simple for the booth. I had tried to figure out a way to build some sort of easel on the table so that I could hang all the small paintings on that, but it seemed too complicated and then time was running short so I put that idea aside. Anyway, I kept thinking that they always look so appealing in my flat file drawer:
so I thought that just laying all the paintings down flat on a table would be the best way to display them.
I had also planned to hang a few larger panels on the walls, but after we Julien put up the back wall, the organizers told us that no one was allowed to have walls up on their booths because they wanted the whole area to feel very open, which made perfect sense. So I just settled on putting one large painting on an easel at the front corner of the booth and a medium sized piece on a tabletop easel. I had an area where I put out a sign up sheet for my mailing list, a pile of postcards that I had printed up (image on one side, my contact and gallery representation info on the other) and my book that contains info about me such as my resume, statement, bio and a few articles that have been written about some of my shows.


Things were kind of quiet for the first few hours so we had time to settle in and go over writing up sales receipts and things like that. Soon though, things picked up and by early afternoon it was fairly hectic. It got even busier when The Beekman Boys (Josh and Brent) came through surrounded by cameras and a crowd of people who were watching the taping.

They stopped at several booths and talked to the vendors and while they were doing that I was totally panicking. Even though I certainly wanted my work to (possibly) be seen on their show, ultimately my natural self-conscious-ness won out and although I had spruced up my make up and hair just in case, I started to wish for them to NOT come to my booth. I even had an escape route all planned out! I was both relieved and disappointed (but mostly relieved) when they didn't come by my booth.....

But. At the end of the day, Julien and I had started to pack up the paintings (didn't want to leave them there overnight) and I looked up and there was Rosie O'Donnell standing in front of my table. I squeaked out her name in surprise, even though I had heard rumors that she was up for the event, I was still completely shocked to actually see her. And suddenly there was a camera on my face. Sigh. She and her girlfriend asked me about my process (they both paint and I could tell that based on their questions) and luckily I hadn't had enough time to get nervous so I managed to do ok, no stumbling over my words and I managed to stop myself from babbling. Unfortunately though, the camera eventually got me flustered and they left before I could remember to give them a card (I had given a card to every single other person who stopped by my booth). I had no idea how I did during the exchange, but Julien said I was fine and that as they walked away, Rosie said "they are beautiful". I didn't hear her say that because I was internally flipping out by that time!

Sunday was much quieter, it was overcast, but no rain at least. There were not as many visitors so I had more time to walk around and meet some of the other vendors. The people across from us were selling logs that grow mushrooms and I heard them explaining it so many times that I am now an expert at growing mushrooms too, heh. I learned more about growing garlic from my next door neighbors and I also discussed buying my next batch of meat chicks from them as well, as they have a small chicken hatchery. I met Austin who makes the absolute best chocolate that I have ever had in my entire life and I talked to him for quite awhile. I bought some beautiful yarn from a couple who raise sheep and I made some excellent trades with Suellen a glass artist

and a and Sierra, a fiber artist who makes boiled wool accessories like hats and purses.

And a few of my real life friends came by too so there was much chatting. It was also really nice to spent both days with my son, we had fun playing pool and some strange game involving archery on his iPod. And a big thank you to Karen who loaned me her tent, it was SO nice not to have to buy one.

Oh! I also met Doug and Garth, the owners of The American Hotel who were actually very happy to meet ME! They had 'won' one of my paintings in a fundraiser in Cooperstown about a year ago and someone had stopped by my booth on Saturday and told me that they were that couple, which I had not known. Doug and Garth logged a lot of time in front of the cameras on Saturday as they play a strong supporting role in the Beekman's tv show but I was happy to be able to chat with them while the cameras were NOT around and plus I can still recall our conversations quite clearly. Heh.

I sold eleven paintings in all (certain people bought THREE, thanks Brian!) and I am very pleased with that, it definitely covered my expenses. But more than that, it was a really fun and social weekend and I was able to be involved in an event that supports local farms and craftspeople and that also brought a lot of attention, enthusiasm and revenue to a charming upstate town. Josh and Brent have done a really wonderful thing for the area and I am very happy to have been a small part of it.

PS. I think I may have lost Rosie to the alpacas. It is tough to compete with alpacas who snuggle with each other, heh.

Online Art Galleries

Quintet, 6x6, Oil on Gessobord, available here.

Today's post comes courtesy of Sharon Butler (phew, three down now, twenty-eight to go), who sent me a press release the other day announcing the formation of a new online marketplace for art launched at the Bridge Art Fair Miami. Obviously, the internet has been affecting the way galleries do business in the last several years, but it looks like this crappy economy will serve as another nudge to shifting the art business even further towards more online art galleries.

The relevant links to our recent project (smooth how I got that into the post today, huh?) are here and here. I frittered a good half a day browsing through these sites and while I enjoyed looking at the art, I did get my computer overuse headache in record time! These sites are probably most useful when one is looking for something or someone in particular.

I am off to paint now!

Palo Alto, Calif. And Miami Beach, Fla. (December 2, 2008) - The New York Art Exchange (www.nyaxe.com), an online marketplace for buying and selling of contemporary fine art, launched officially today at Bridge Art Fair Miami. The New York Art Exchange (NYAXE) is enabling the art community to capitalize on new digital mediums through technology by connecting artists, gallerists and collectors via the World Wide Web.

"We are thrilled to debut the launch of the New York Art Exchange online ecommerce platform at the Bridge Art Fair Miami event," commented Catherine McCormack-Skiba, CEO and founder of NYAXE. "It's been my vision for years to make great art accessible to a broader audience through technology and the internet. I'm excited that we can empower gallerists and artists to expand the awareness of their fine art and help them connect with a new audience of buyers on a global level."

Today's launch of NYAXE will connect collectors, artists and gallerists together, allowing buyers to quickly search through thousands of works of fine art on the site and navigate through numerous curated pieces of works.

Gallerists and artists can create a personal and customized branded online gallery storefront to begin selling on the NYAXE marketplace. The storefront gallery allows artists and gallerists to sell the following: an original piece of artwork, a digital version of the work (e.g. jpeg), or an on-demand version of the print on merchandise (e.g., poster, note cards, Giclee for example). Storefronts can be organized into categories such as watercolors, original works, sculptures, to make it easy for art collectors to find what they are looking for.

"Having a store where I can connect to collectors and appreciators is very exciting," remarked Mark Enger, artist. "I live in a small town and with my NYAXE gallery storefront I can reach collectors of my work in cosmopolitan areas that are thousands of miles away from me. NYAXE empowers me to reach buyers I would not otherwise have had an opportunity to reach."

There are five different levels to choose from in building a NYAXE gallery storefront. A basic storefront is free for the first five listings, and each level provides more advanced features and marketing capabilities and cost effective pricing structures. The various tiers of service are designed to enable artists and gallerists to try their hand at ecommerce to build a basic store at a low cost. Artists and gallerists subsequently can upgrade to higher tiers if they wish to expand their offerings. Subscription fees for NYAXE sites are very affordable and storefront pricing tiers.

NYAXE also offers a Trust Escrow/Buyer Satisfaction program -- NYAXE collects the cost of the funds from the buyer and distributes the shipping money to the artist to send the item first. Once the buyer receives the item, the buyer must be satisfied with the purchase, or a full refund less the shipping costs will be given.


The New York Art Exchange and myartspace partner with Bridge Art Fair

The New York Art Exchange and myartspace, both owned by parent company CatMacArt, and Bridge Art Fair collaborate and partner at the Bridge Art Fair Miami event (December 2 - 7).

Myartspace, the premier online venue for contemporary art and a social networking site with more than 50 thousand users, is co-sponsoring an artists' competition juried by a world class panel from Bridge Art Fair, SF MOMA, San Jose Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of Art. Fifty finalists will be selected and three winners will have their work represented at the Bridge Art Fair at the Miami event.

"We are delighted to be partnering with myartspace on this juried competition," said Michael Workman, director and founder of Bridge Art Fair. "We look forward to having selected winners' artwork displayed at Bridge Art Fair Miami and believe myartspace and the New York Art Exchange is offering the art world a fantastic opportunity to enter the new digital medium art space.

In addition, NYAXE and Bridge Art Fair are sponsoring a media lounge and digital gallery at Bridge Miami Wynwood. Designed by Greenlab Studios, the sleek lounge features a digital collection of select NYAXE's art work displayed on high-resolution screens installed throughout the lounge. NYAXE invites fair?goers and media representatives to available computers, create online galleries, check email, network, rest, and enjoy a complimentary beverage in the contemporary and exclusive surroundings. You can find the NYAXE media lounge and digital gallery at the Wynwood hotel.

ABOUT NEW YORK ART EXCHANGE

The New York Art Exchange (www.nyaxe.com), the premier an online marketplace for selling, buying and exploring contemporary fine art, is a complete ecommerce solution that empowers artists/gallerists to reach new customers and extend their brand and presence around the world via the internet. Nyaxe.com is created and run by CatMacArt Corporation. www.catmacart.com.

ABOUT MYARTSPACE

Launched in 2006, myartspace (www.myartspace.com ), the premier online venue for contemporary art, is one of the fastest growing and diverse communities on the internet. Its members include more than 50,000 artists, collectors, galleries and other art enthusiasts around the world. Membership is free and artist can upload an unlimited amount of work including images, music and video. Myartspace is created and run by CatMacArt Corporation. www.catmacart.com. Come visit us at the Bridge Art Fair Miami event (December 4 - 7) at The Catalina Hotel, booth number 108.

ABOUT BRIDGE ART FAIR

Bridge Art Fair, the Independent International Exposition of Art and Visual Culture, is a transnational art fair organization currently staging events in Berlin, Miami, New York and London. Bridge Art Fair currently presents a combined total of nearly 300 galleries and over 2,000 artists at four expositions throughout the year. Visitors will discover a truly global selection of contemporary work from every imaginable medium, including but not limited to painting, prints, photography, sculpture, installation, drawing, film, video, new media, and conceptual art. In the short time since the premier of Bridge Miami Beach in 2006, total sales of nearly $30 million and more than 100,000 visitors have confirmed Bridge as a leading voice in the global art market.

What I Learned This Weekend

City Street at Dusk, 2006, Oil on Panel

Ok. These are things I have learned since last Friday.

1. Always make a back up plan when planning to travel. Especially when traveling from upstate NY anytime between October and April. Kids at home on a snow day can really mess things up!

2. I am more ambitious than I thought. I stopped in to visit with my gallery in Hudson (on the way to the train station) and we were talking about their experiences at the art fairs. The Affordable Art Fair came up (they are going this year) and I took the opportunity to brag mention that I did really well there last year. She added me to the roster and it looks like I am going!

3. I may be losing my mind. At the train station I spent about four minutes reading a newspaper while waiting for the train, during which time I evidently set down my bifocals on the bench. By the time I realized that I didn't have them, I was on the train and it was moving. The thing is I don't remember actually putting them down, usually I slip them into my bag if I take them off.

4. I really need those glasses, especially while at Penn Station. I was to meet Doug by the board, but somehow I ended up on different level, next to the LIE board. We talked on our cell phones to each until he saw me. I couldn't see him until he was right in front of me.

5. After looking at the above painting, which has been tucked away at Doug's store, I realized that I should do some more city scene paintings. I enjoyed doing them a few years back, before the landscapes and barns entirely took over my life.

6. Ed Winkleman is very nice. Doug and I headed to the Pulse show first thing and went to say hi to Ed before the "show daze" set in, which can make conversation nearly impossible. I chatted with Ed about blogs, art and he gave me some very helpful advice about pursuing new gallery representation. Oh and we especially liked the black licorice pipe, although I was nervous that I would bump into it and knock the whole thing off the pedestal.

7. Not having my glasses at an art fair is actually a good thing. Not being able to see clearly from a distance allowed for a lot of filtering and I was thankful for that, especially after the first half hour.

8. There is not a chance in hell that my current work would EVER be shown at Pulse. I am ok with that.

9. I MAY have a shot at someday showing at the Red Dot Art Fair. There were a few galleries there that I thought might be the place for me. And in fact, I even did that thing you're not supposed to do-I told one exhibitor that I was a painter and that I wanted to give them my info. I couldn't help it, the words just flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. Anyway, he was very nice about it and suggested I email him this week. He very smartly did not take my name. Heh.

10. It is very disconcerting to see expensive, fine art in mediocre hotel rooms and bathrooms. I am used to seeing the other kind of art in hotel rooms (the last hotel room I stayed in actually had two copies of the same print on the wall). But it was less tiring than going through booths in the larger show environments.

11. The Armory Show is very popular! I had no idea. It's like I have been living under a rock or something. The line was probably a mile long outside and it was packed inside. We walked the entire show, although after awhile everything looked the same and I didn't see much that I could connect to. There were a few things I did like, however I didn't have the energy to take any photos and was in such a daze that I can't remember anything now anyway. Sorry.

12. And why, for the love of god, did no one tell me that if one plans to walk through three art fairs they should train as if they were going to participate in a marathon? My feet still hurt today, even though I wore my most comfortable shoes, (which are coincidentally my most unfashionable shoes). And the shin splints! Bah!

13. My 51 year old husband is in better shape than I. After the Armory Show, I went back to the hotel and took a nap. He went to see one more show, The Dark Fair. He said it wasn't as good as he thought it would be.

14. Eating an amazing, candlelit dinner at 11pm, surrounded by beautiful, fashionable, and seemingly very happy people at a crowded restaurant in Soho, makes life seem totally fabulous.

15. All of this activity can have the same effect as an evening of a weekend drinking binge. Instead of leaving the city by 9am, as planned, it was more like 11:30 before we got it together and bedtime on Sunday night was very early.

16. And some kind citizen was kind enough to turn in my glasses to the Amtrak office at the train station. I picked them up on the way home on Sunday.

17. I think that looking at art in this context is not for me. At dinner on Saturday night, Doug tried to discuss what we had seen and all I could do was look at him blankly. We did find that we had very different opinions about the shows though. He didn't like Pulse; I thought it was ok. He didn't like Red Dot; I liked it more, mostly because there were so many paintings, which is more my thing. He was totally into The Armory and I couldn't think clearly after about ten minutes there.

But it was a great weekend. I did retain a few memories of art that I liked, most notably paintings by Ben Aronson. I got to spend a few days alone with my honey and I got to feel like a city girl, however briefly.

PS. If you want a good rundown on the art fairs, go look at these blogs over the next few days. They are clearly much better at writing about art and art fairs than I.

Art Vent
C-Monster
Art Fag City
Two Coats of Paint
Joanne Mattera
Edward Winkleman

These bloggers did a panel discussion on Sunday morning at the Red Dot Art Fair, that I forgot about in our hungover haze.

Everything Is Fine

X Doors, 2008, Oil on Panel, 9x18

Thanks everyone, for the encouragement over the last few posts. Taking a break was good for me, the imaginary conversations have quieted a bit! And I had a very productive day in the studio yesterday, so I think things are getting back to normal. Well, whatever that is anyway. I would like to add though, that I think this internal questioning that I periodically go through concerning my work and its place in the art world is ultimately good. I don't really intend on being categorized by others (even if I am) and when I occasionally categorize myself (which I do) I need a little drama to stop. Plus, every once in awhile various forces converge and throw everything off, which is also what got me, I think. Usually, I can work through all of that stuff, but not always, I guess.

However, I do get another short break. Tomorrow, Doug and I are off to spend a few days in the city. I would like to wander through a few Chelsea galleries, and on Saturday we are planning to visit the Red Dot Art Fair and maybe Pulse as well. A number of my dream galleries (ones I hope will consider me someday) will be exhibiting at both of those fairs and I plan to do a bit of reconnaissance work. Heh. And I am looking forward to checking out this whole art fair thing, it's something I haven't had the chance to do before now. You know, because of the whole kid/farm/chickens/traveling husband thing.

I will be back on Monday at oh nine hundred with a full report.