Inspiration is a Dream

Almost every time I put my work on display, whether at gallery or art market, someone asks me where I get my inspiration from.

If you regularly follow my blog, you know that my inspiration can come from almost anywhere: a song, a news event, or even something that happened 100 years ago.  

This time, this piece, my work was inspired by a dream.

Ordinarily, I don't remember my dreams.  At least, I usually forget them within a few moments of waking, but this one stayed with me.  I'm not certain why as it wasn't particularly insightful or life changing, but stay with me it did.

It opens, as clearly as I can recall, with me interviewing for a job by Sandra Bullock.  It seems that she has a part in a movie in which she plays a mermaid.  To really get into her role as mermaid, she has adopted a pet dolphin.

She needs to go out for the evening so naturally she needs a pet sitter.  That is the job she wants to hire me for, her dolphin sitter.

She explains to me that the dolphin will shortly be arriving on the bus, but I need to be careful as the dolphin is not an ordinary dolphin.  

Apparently, her dolphin is difficult to deal with and has an unpleasant personality.

Fair enough. We greet the dolphin as it hops off the bus; her strange land hopping dolphin with a flat face that happens to be the size of  a small dog.

We take the dolphin inside and Sandra gives me a last minute list of chores.

Apparently, one of the tasks for her dolphin sitter involves chopping a ten pound ham into tiny bits and then feeding them to the dolphin.

She leaves and I get to work on the ham.  After I am about half way through, I decide to start tossing small bits to the dolphin in case it has become hungry.

Inexplicably, the small dolphin has turned into a dachshund. 

In my dream, this does not bother me at all and I start to feed the dog its ham. 

End.

On a slightly less bizarre note, I haven't been doing the usual round of art markets.  

The heat has just been too brutal.  

I simply cannot handle sitting out in the sun from 10 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon so I won't be in New Orleans this Saturday although I plan on being back next month and for the rest of the year.

Similarly, instead of being in Lafayette for the Farmers Market at the Horsefarm, I spent this past weekend indoors vending at Mechacon.

It was amazing fun.  The attendees were dazzling in their cosplay.  I loved every moment of it.

Now, I will be back at the Baton Rouge Art Market next Saturday (it ends at noon so I'm hoping the heat won't be quite as brutal earlier in the day).

Also, next Saturday night is "Flight 524".

There will be amazing music and fire dancing as well as spectacular art from local Baton Rouge artists (including mine!).

If you are going to be in the area, you should absolutely come out for what promises to be a fantastic time!

Much Ado In Baton Rouge

I've been having a lot of fun the past few weeks creating some gorgeous ladies a la Dias de la Muerte (Day of the Dead).  Instead of using the more traditional roses, I thought it would be fun to work in some antique Haeckel shapes from under the sea.

My time in my art studio has been very limited in the past few weeks.  I volunteered at my art association's summer art camp last week and then spent the weekend at the NOLA Time Fest in New Orleans.  What I have been really been longing for is a day off.

However, last Friday night, I heard about an exciting new development in the Baton Rouge art scene and it drove all thoughts of doing nothing right out of my head.

Talented artist, Michelle Elder, has been extremely busy at 524 North Foster Street helping to renovate the former Southside Motors building into an exciting new art cooperative in the heart of Baton Rouge's arts district!

The venue will feature ongoing events with local musicians and performers as well as art exhibitions AND the building features studio bays which can be rented out by local artists and craftspeople.

I am absolutely thrilled to be included n the preview party tonight!

I really just started a serious foray into the arts world about a year ago.  I took the Artist as Entrepreneur course through the Arts Council of Baton Rouge.   It really opened my eyes to how the art world works.

I learned about juried art markets and art exhibitions.   I applied to two immediately and was ecstatic to be accepted into Art Melt and then receive an Honorable Mention at the September Competition at the Alexandria Museum of Art.

Exciting, absolutely, but what happens next?

Apparently, group shows are the next stage if you're interested in pursuing a serious art career.

Beautiful synchronicity at work, I met Cindy Wunderbar who was creating an urban art house, Chez Fab, to host art exhibitions as well as a venue for performers and musicians.

I was thrilled to participate in Chez Fab's first group show as well as in their "BRothers We Love" show.

And, then, last week, I heard about Studio 524 and the upcoming preview show and party.

Another group show.  Another amazing venue.  Halfway through 2015 and I am absolutely delighted to watch as life continues to beautifully unfold before me!

Markets Markets Everywhere - Getting my Work SEEN

If you follow my blog, you may remember that I took a class last spring - "Artist as Entrepreneur" through the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.  I learned a great deal, including that I had been undervaluing my own work and its potential.

I learned about the competitive world of juried art shows.  I learned about taking your work directly to the world through local art markets and juried art festivals.  I discovered that there is a solid series of steps to follow if I want to work to place my work in galleries.  The potential is there.

So, I started walking the steps.  I applied to the Art Market in Baton Rouge and then the Art Market in New Orleans.  My setup for the markets was minimal and less than eye catching, but I started improving and upgrading.  

I had a tent, a few grid walls and some prints.  I soon realized that many potential buyers were walking by my booth without even noticing that it was there.

 I printed up some fabric hangings and a colorful banner and more people started stopping and noticing.  I realized though that, if I wanted to continue down the path of selling at art markets, I needed to upgrade to a more professional set up.

So, I finally broke down and upgraded my tent to my current set up.

It's definitely professional and my work is at the fore front.

As an emerging artist, I share the dream of most such artists, I want to make a living at what I love.  I feel as if I have something interesting, something different, something of significance to say with my work and I can best express that by being able to spend more of my time actually making art.

I am following the steps.  I am working on my website.  I am applying to and being accepted into juried shows.  I haven't been walking down this art path for very long so I know I need to be patient.  Most artists in my age bracket have been working toward success for decades.  Becoming established takes time.

So I making the most of mine!

If you are interested in seeing my work in person, I am currently selling at the Baton Rouge Art Market the first Saturday of every month;  the Lafayette Farmers and Artisans Market at the Horse Farm the third Saturday of every month, and at the New Orleans Art Market in Palmer Park the last Saturday of every month.

I also have work currently on display at the RRAA Depot Gallery in Gonzales as well as at the RRAA gallery at Houmas House.

Finally, I will be participating in an exciting art event in Baton Rouge which opens on the evening of March 7 - more information here!  

Adventure in the Swamp

Week in Review 8/4/2013

Ok.  I am sure you noticed that I haven't blogged all week.  

I don't even have a truly valid excuse, but I am here now and

ready to share everything that I failed 

to share in shorter posts over the course of the week.

On Monday, I took my two teenagers to a local thrift store.  They need 

various pieces for their cosplay costumes (we're going to Mechacon in August!)

While they were browsing through the clothes racks, I went to the back shelves.  

I've found some very nice vintage suitcases at this particular thrift store.  

On Monday, I was on the hunt for something completely different.

On the forums where I like to waste a little too much time, one of the members 

is organizing our second annual Monster Landscape swap.

We do a few swaps a year.  Each has a different theme.

We've done Christmas and Spring and Halloween and Thrift Store, 

but one of the best is the Monster Landscape.

You find an abandoned piece of art at your local thrift shop (google it 

to make sure it isn't secretly a misplaced Jackson Pollack 

or other unknown million dollar masterpiece.).

Then, you alter it by adding monsters and other things that go bump in the dark.

I found this painting of a magnolia flower for $3.99.  it's very big and I have 

no idea what to do with it, but I am hoping something suitably 

haunted and creepy will inspire me.

I also fond this charming ink drawing of a house.  I absolutely love this piece. 

 I googled the artist (Paul M Copeland) and can't find any 

other examples of his work.  Still, I think that for $1.99 

I made a very nice investment!

I spent the rest of the work week tinkering with my disassembled dolls.  

I managed to get most of the paint of them and I picked up 

some RIT Dye for a little experimentation.

I also played with some digital art, but I'll be posting those on my ProjectBunnyArt.com blog.

On Friday evening, I was excited to go to a pop up art gallery 

that apparently happens locally every month - Stabbed in the Art.

The interior is a little claustrophobic with all the art hung in a succession 

of very small rooms as well as in the main hallway.  The turn out (I went early at 7ish 

so it might even pick up later) was quite good.  The hallway was very crowded.

The radio station that hosts the pop art gallery provides wine and soda

 as well as nachos and creamy cheese spinach dip.  (I enjoyed a very cold 

coca-cola and a delicious bowl of nacho cheesiness.)

A lot of the artists are right there, in person by their hanging pieces to answer 

any questions you might have about their techniques or inspiration.

What impressed me, though, was the level of talent.  There was a lot of 

VERY good art.  My son was really smitten with some thick and

 luscious landscapes in fantasy colors   There were two very large, 

highly detailed ink pieces that particularly impressed me.

The variety was also impressive.  One artist had wire wrapped crystals as well as 

some really neat WORKING steampunk gadgets.  There were loads 

of beautiful watercolor and acrylic paintings.  One artist had some

 surreally complex digitally altered photographs 

with haunting religious  themes.  Another artist had some 

beautifully decoupaged vintage maps.

One piece in particular has stayed with me.  A woman in profile with streaming hair 

looking out into an abstract field of thick rainbow colors.  

Sadly, I didn't get the artist's name.

I am planning on setting up myself next month so maybe I will get lucky 

and that artist will be back.  I might have to invest in some art!  :)

I did spend a little time working on some new jewelry this week.  

Instead of making a few standalone sets, I started playing with some vintage style keys

 that I bought a few months back.

I've done necklace sets with a vintage key as the focal 

but I really wanted to do something different this time.

I spent some time wirewrapping the ends so that I can incorporate them 

more fully into the piece without a specific focal.  I didn't get any further 

than wirewrapping the keys and preparing some beaded pieces.

I have a sort of vague idea in my mind where I am going with these.  

I will post pictures when they are finished!