Friday, 18 February 2011

Artist's Marketing Materials - Samples

This blog is specifically for Artists In Our Midsts (AIOM) group in Vancouver with whom I am working with this year on the marketing team, however, any artist may find these visual examples of artist marketing materials useful.

All AIOM members are invited to bring forty original colour pieces of their personal marketing piece of choice to the next AIOM general meeting or to my home studio Friday March 18th between 4 - 7 PM. Examples of potential media are shown below.

We, the AIOM marketing team will then personally deliver these to our media list contacts in radio, TV, and print in preparation for our upcoming art show and open studios event and to promote YOU.


April 2011 AIOM upcoming art show and open studios event
  • Roundhouse exhibition Thursday and Friday April 28th and 29th 2011 at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre in Yaletown.
  • AIOM Open Studios Event Saturday and Sunday April 30th and May 1st on the West Side of Vancouver.

Here are some examples of artists promotional media to inspire and support you in your own marketing efforts.

Business cards


Postcards


Poster (81/2 x 11 size)




Write up with visuals (81/2 x 11 size)


A special thanks to my Old Foundry Building studio mates Heather Craig and Rojia Dadashzadeh for providing examples of their marketing materials.

Tuesday, 15 February 2011

Studio visit with Vancouver Abstract Painter Lisa Ochowycz


This January 2011 I had the absolute pleasure in spending the morning with Vancouver abstract painter Lisa Ochowycz. We had such a great conversation the time flew by and later, Lisa took the time to answer some of the questions we talked about together so I could share them here with you! (Lisa's studio portrait is taken by photographer Rachel Boekel.)

Lisa thank you so much it's so cool meeting you and thank you for sharing yourself, your studio and your work to inspire myself and others!


Deb: What's your favorite art piece of yours?

Lisa: I am very excited about my Crosstown Series. There is just one piece so far,
but it hints at the relationship between painting and sculpture.

Deb: your favorite painting of another artist?




Lisa: I am absolutely in love with the work of Jean-Francios Provost and
plenitude-du-vide-44 is one of my favorite pieces.





Deb: What 3 pieces of advice would you give to other artists?


Lisa:
1) Remember that an artist career is three dimensional. It contains a
multitude of levels and activities.

2) Build "just for fun" time into your daily routine. Whether that’s
experimenting with a new type of medium, taking your self to an exhibition,
or running around the sea wall. It took me years to figure this one out.

3) Bring a sense of gratitude to your practice.



Deb: What do you do to nourish your soul?

Lisa: Yoga, meditation, good food, and listen to music.




Deb: How would you define success and what has been a key factor in achieving
your success?



Lisa:

Definition of success, could also be know as a "recipe for success"

Simplify - thoughts in your mind, colours in your tool boxes, purpose
Understanding - relationship between objects and oneself
Curiosity - for your environment, for your peers, for learning
Courage - to step beyond something that is working but not fulfilling
Excitement - and enthusiasm for experimentation
Sharing - ones knowledge, passion, and gratitude
Shaking it up - turn your music up and dance!

Key factor in achieving success.

Three things come to mind:

Generosity (finically and emotionally) from others, the desire to constantly
challenge my understanding and my skill level, and a constant desire to
paint.



Deb: What recent or upcoming shows/and or gallery representation/events can
readers look out for to go and see of your work?

Lisa:

I have a joint show with Mary Anne Tateishi at Britannia Community Centre in
July.

A solo show at the Barristers Lounge from May 22-June 25th.

I am also really excited about my "klein" initiative. This is a series of
small and delightful work that I donate 20% of the sales to youth arts
organizations across Canada. Check it out here: http://store.lisaochowycz.ca




Deb: What the best thing about being an artist?

Sharing my paintings with others, that and waking up excited everyday to
head into the studio to paint.



Deb: What's the most challenging thing about being an artist?

Lisa: The pressure to constantly be working usually brought on by financial stress.




Deb: What do you do when your stuck or blocked?

Lisa: I write. I have a special book, pen, and then I just sit down and let it
flow. No sentence structure, no grammar, just writing.

Deb: me too! :)

Lisa 's studio is in the Mergatroid building part of the East Vancouver Culture Crawl and right down the street on Vernon Drive from the Old Foundry building Studios. As close as it's been all year, I a little embarassed to say this was my first time in this super cool buidling. Which by the way also houses Vancouver made Krhoma paints (link) which are made here too. who knew!


The sun came out just around noon and we had a view of the studio roof top building - all the light was fantastic - what a great studio space!

Lisa uses those metal things you put up to hang shelves ( what are they called again?) and covered them with foam and plastic to separate paintings. What a great idea!






Thank you Lisa!


Tuesday, 1 February 2011

Featured Artist of the Month for Artist in Our Midsts

Artists in Our Midsts Featured Artist of the Month – Deb Chaney, Contemporary Abstract Artist

Here is the unedited interview with Artist in Our Midsts, Vancouver. I am grateful for this opportunity to be featured on the group website. Thank you!

Which artistic media do you prefer to work in and why?

I work in mixed media which for me is a base in acrylics and then on top of that nearly anything goes - from thick polymer mediums such as moulding paste and pouring medium to create depth, to collage including tissue papers and corrugated cardboard for texture, so earth materials such as sand for colour and texture, and finally to artist quality pens and pencils such as Lyza pencil crayons and PITT india ink pens for detail and fun.


With which past or contemporary artists or artworks do you, as an artist, feel a connection? What is it that draws you to them?
Mark Rothko - big bold paintings, his application of colour....
Helen Frakenthauler - staining techniques, her tenacity and art making spanning decades
Michelle Y Williams - my favourite modern artist, I own one of her original p ieces and would give my right arm to study with her!
Michel Keck - her business acumen and her ability to really succeed as a contemporary abstract artist in the marketplace. I admire this tremendously.
Eve Leader - the quality beauty and mystery of her work is amazing.
Sabrina Ward Harrison - her freedom, rawness, venerability in her journalling and art making capture me and I appreciate her risking it all to share her thoughts and words with the world.

What process or technique in art-making interests you?

What intrigues me is creating thick paintings that have thick multi layered encaustic wax-like effect, yet no wax has been used, instead the layer are accumulations of acrylics and mediums.. The process of applying and layering acrylics and mediums, scraping away paint, and doing so without leaving brush marks intrigues me.

What technical challenges do you face in the process of making art?

Trying to re-create Serenity! I did this painting a couple of years ago and have been trying to figure out how I get to my end result and emulate that in other pieces...no such luck so far but lots of fun along the way! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/debchaney/5228182902/)

What in your artistic training do you value most at this time?

My ability to share what I know in an inspiration and organized format in my workshops. http://www.debchaney.com/debchaney/Workshops.html

How much of a role do accident and control play in your work?

Making art is an interplay between careful thought and planning and pure unbridlged passion and accident.
It's like the juggle bewteen right and left brain, push and pull. There is a component of both control and accident tthat I experience in my work. Often the more I let go the better the resulting piece!

What are some of your artistic challenges at present?

Prioritizing the plethera of oppportunites available today for artists such as for art shows, competitions, grants, artist and resdientces,...it can be daunting and it makes a big effort to set goals, be clear on my values and stay on track...

What are some of your artistic accomplishments at present?

Participating in the 2010 Vancouver East Side CULTURE CRAWL with my fellow studio mates.
Working as a consultant for Rainmaker, Inc in Vancouver doing some commission art for one of their movies.
Selling two pieces from my Kerrisdale gallery ( now closed).
Teaching workshop independently every month since August 2010.
Being a mentor for a Director Studies art student with the University Southern California Santa Barbara.

Can you share three things you’ve learned as an artist through your own art?

1. Keeping the three 3 C's in mind help make the process of art making easier. C- content ( be clear on what you're communication), C - composition (have a solid design as your foundation), C- colour ( know what colour scheme you're using).

2. Three Secrets that make an abstract painting "Wow". That is, having a sense of breathing space in the piece. Having something unique - a variation in the piece. And, having an area of strong contrast in the piece.

3. When it's not working, put it aside!


When you need inspiration, how to do you get it?

Sit and wait and let it come.
Walk in nature.
Stop painting and take break.
Paint when I don't "feel " like it and let the inspiration come to me...
Hang out with other artists.
Look at art online.
Go visit a gallery or see a coffee shop art show.
Look at children's art - always so free and inspirational!
Look at art books and magazines.

When you need to learn more as an artist, how do you do it?

DVDs, workshops, talking to other artists, asking questions, looking at art, reading, art magazines, teaching- they say you teach what you want to learn, i agree, I've learned so much about my own art making process by sharing it with others!

What is exciting on your artistic horizon?


A Possible Art show in San Francisco summer 2011.

A Possible New York show March 2012

An upcoming trip to visit Santa Fe, New Mexico and to check out galleries!

What is it about this artwork (self-selected work shown) that led you to choose it for this feature? What specific challenges did you face in making this artwork?
These are some of my favorite pieces over the span of the last 3-4 years. I chose some small 9 x 12 pieces on canvas because they represent the work I do while I'm teaching and demonstrating. I chose to show some of the pieces with many layers of mixed medis, sand and collage elements as its the springboard to where my work is leading me currently.

Selected work for AOM is on flicker at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debchaney/


Thank you very much for this attention and honor. Sincerely, Deb Chaney