Starting on January first I began to create monotypes every day. I challenged myself to continue every day until May 7, my birthday. That would be 127 days and quite a few more monotypes than the number of days. Actually, I completed more than 500 monotypes for the project. And if you are wondering, I did work every day including the days we were away from my studio.
I thought that once I was done I would create a book showing the works. Now I see that I have to rethink this. Now that I have completed photographing and editing the works. I think I’ll take a dozen or so from each month and link them on this page. That way I can see and you can see what I’ve done.
But first, let me explain a bit about my process. I DO NOT use a press. I don’t own one though I wish I did. I create my prints by inking (acrylic paint, Printing inks, and Chinese ink) on a glass plate. I mostly use an 8 x 6-inch plate glass base mounted on a piece of wood. The wood support has two additional pieces of wood, one horizontal and one vertical, to be used as a basic registration tool. That way I can create with different passes. I print on 9 x 12-inch Bristol, watercolor paper of different weights, hand-made paper when it’s gifted to me, and a linen resume paper that I found at a Fleamarket. I have on occasion also printed on larger paper, usually 14 x 17 inches for which I created a larger plate. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did producing the works. And please let me know what you think of the pieces.
If you’re interested in collecting one or more please contact me at Donaldkolberg.com
Not only is it a daunting task but It’s confusing when you start out looking at galleries. There are enough questions to stop you in your tracks.
Where do I find galleries?
How do I know if they take new artists?
Is my work right for them
If they want my work what do I do?
There is a way to successfully contact galleries
You are probably already on the right course for finding galleries that will want your work. In fact, you have a resource in front of you, besides your computer. Will get to that in a minute.
If you look around, you’ll find an art magazine of some kind. It doesn’t need to be current. It doesn’t even need to be in good shape. Inside you’ll find advertisements for artists having exhibitions. Guess what, they list the gallery name. And then there’s the stories. If you looked at the magazine because you liked the work of an artist in it, do a search for their website. On the sites they probably list galleries that represent them. The artists also have lists of galleries where they have shown their work.
A little bit of work goes a long way
So now you’re collecting gallery names. A good start. Take a piece of paper or a pad or if you really want to get started, open your sketch book. It takes a commitment to use your sketch book so writing in it goes a long way toward your success. My sketch books are filled with artist names, gallery names, cut out images from art magazines, quotes from artists and even a sketch or two.
Let’s look behind door number #1
You are now ready to knock on the door of galleries, figuratively that is. So, let’s fire up the computer and get started. (Too corny, oh well). Not having a computer is not an excuse. They have a bunch at the local library. Look up one of the galleries from your list. Take some time to see if your style fits with the artists on the site. Now click on the About page. Scan it for a link that says Submission Guidelines. If it’s not there and the gallery doesn’t specifically say they are not reviewing artist’s work, go to the Contact page and click there. If they are looking for new artists, there should be a link. Don’t be disappointed if they don’t want you. Online art sales in 2018 was well over 4 Billion and the number of art galleries and museums in the U.S. alone is over 49,000. So there are lots of chances.
They want me. They want me!
Okay so you found a gallery or two that are looking for new artists and the work seems to be a good fit for you. Now What. Remember the post about Never Missing an Art Call Again. If you prepared your files for an art call you are also ready to send the file to a gallery. Create an email and simply state that you feel you would be a good addition to their gallery and remember to attach the file. Also make sure you do what they say. They get tons of emails and you should respect their criteria for contact. If you have questions about this process feel free to contact me.
This blog is devoted to open dialogue, interviews and exhibition of emerging and established artists. Please subscribe. It provides up to date information about my current projects, discoveries, book reviews and art information from around the web. You are welcome to join the conversation by contacting me atDon@DonaldKolberg.com
I’m sitting in a bookstore leafing through an art magazine when I see a ‘call for art’ due tomorrow. And the art they want is just like mine. I copy the information and race home to send in my work.
Don’t miss another opportunity
This is a chance to show your work. Here’s the problem. You can’t find the images on your computer. you have them, you know they’re on the list …somewhere. They’re edited and ready to go. You’re just not sure what folder they’re in. It’s frustrating.
You’ll be ready for every Art Call
There is a way to never feel that lost. To feel like you are in control. To solve this problem, one step is to develop what I call a “Contact_(Folder)”. Do this when you create a New Folderon your computer. This will give you access to your downloaded camera images (jpegs). You change the name (Folder) to give you better control. Folders give you access to the right images. After all, sharing your work is part of why you create art.
Never miss a breakthrough opportunity
Let’s look at the most common mistakes made when saving images
to folders.
We think saving to a folder with a date is
smart. It is, as long as you can remember when you finished the artwork.
First it was 2019 ART
Then it was Summer 2019 ART
Then it was JULY 2019 ART
But what art did you save in which folder?
Create a process that’s easy to follow
You need to have a process or a naming protocol for saving your work. This is the heart of success for delivering the right work to the right gallery. And it should be separate from your other art folders.
Let’s say you’re a Landscape painter. The knee jerk response
is to name your folder Landscapes. Great at first but what happens when you
create abstract landscapes and then get interested in realism or meadows or
just skies or trees. See where we’re going.
Create a Contact_Folder that is separate from the
others. Make it reflect the most important element that you see
in the work. Remember these edited jpegs (images) should be the best example of
individual artwork. Without being too nerdy, remember not to put them in
a subfolder.
Don’t create a folder inside one of those above folders
Keep folders where you can see them
After I edit my camera images, and I’ll talk about this in a future post, I go to my computer and create a folder that reflects what’s important.
In this example I create Contact_Landscape replacing the (Folder) name with Landscape
When I open file exploreron my computer this will be at the top level of my list. It tells me without any fanfare that it is my contact folder for galleries, and that it is my landscape paintings.
A Folder is a box with good stuff inside
The contact folder is like a box. Inside, I find my 10 best landscape paintings without frames. Each one has a title. The jpeg folder is ready to be emailed but don’t forget the rest. The art call also asks for a list of the images with sizes, mediums used and prices. Most galleries also ask for a CV and an art statement. These are word documents that can also be saved to this folder. If this is new to you, don’t worry. The coming post will have information to help you with these.
There you have it. A file that you can send to those most important Art Calls. A no fuss way to be ready. What you put in this box will change as you grow and evolve. You might even need multiple boxes, Contact_(Folders) for all your growing art projects.
This blog is devoted to open dialogue, interviews and exhibition of emerging and established artists. It provides up to date information about the my current projects, discoveries, book reviews and art information from around the web. You are welcome to join the conversation by contacting me at Don@DonaldKolberg.com and please share this post with your friends.
To be successful in contacting a gallery let’s look at some simple tasks
Choose artwork
Take good pictures
Create special files
Know your galleries
Create a CV
Write an Artist statement
You never know when an opportunity will show up so be ready!
Choose artwork:Take some time and choose 10 unframed works that you believe represent a cohesive art style of what you do. Don’t make yourself crazy with trying to work out if they are your true voice. My experience has shown that an artistic voice will change and grow over time.
Take Good Pictures:With the improvements to cell phones allow you to get some great low resolution shots that work with a variety of social media sites. But honestly, you’ll need good images of at least 300 DPI. This is a common request from many galleries. Check out this episode of the SavvyPainter.com podcast hosted by Antrese Wood; Fine Art Prints Q&A, with Jake Hawley from Picture Salon. There is lots of great information about taking pictures.
Create Special Files: Establish what I call a Contact folder. On your computer create a sub folder in File Explorer. Create names that look like this;
Contact_Landscape Contact_StillLife
You can get as specific as you need to with the name. Now that the end of the year approaches, I add a date; 2019Contact_Floral. It also puts the file at the top of my computer list. Numbers come before letters in the file lists. Once these files are created you can fill them with jpegsof your chosen work
Know Your Galleries:When I was the art editor for The Woven Tale Press I would pour over art sites and art magazines looking for inspirational and interesting subjects for a large diverse audience. What it also allowed me to do was research galleries that I thought I would like to contact for exhibits or representation. Over the years I developed a strategy that has been very helpful. If you see an artist that is similar in style to your art, click on their website. Find the gallery websites they are in and click the link. Providing the art you see is within a familiar concept, go to the contact page and see if they have a submission link. There are thousands of galleries so don’t be disappointed if they do not accept new work.
Create a CV:This is a basic listing of your background in art and where you have exhibited or been written about. While this is an older post from thepracticalartworld.com it does a good job of addressing new artists with little to no art references
Write an Artist Statement:This is your opportunity to tell the gallery about your excitement in painting. What inspired the work. Was it influenced by some other artist’s style. Is it part of a series. What medium did you use. An Artist statement is an overview of your interpretation of your painting. If you are having trouble with thisclick herefor a site that could help
By putting this all together, you’ll be ready to contact galleries anywhere
Watch for future posts where I will go into more detail of each of these subjects
Since the recent tragedy of losing my son I have had to struggle to make sense of my expressions in art. To be successful in this journey I turned first to the quietness of Chinese brush painting and Haiku. This allowed me to express my emotions in straight forward line, brush strokes and simple words. As I started to produce works I became aware of my own interpretation of an artistic voice and language for my mark making. The Black of my mourning has become the color of my art as I go beyond black, ‘Outrenoir’, to use the words of painter Pierre Soulages.
I am intrigued by the notion that while black is supposed to be the absence of color, its reflective and absorptive surface actually presents a variety of hues. I use different densities of black color derived from hand ground Chinese Ink, carbon, mars and ivory acrylic black and thickened onyx house paint. The resulting matte surfaces and reflections of light mix with the intimacy of the paper to create an endless depth. I mix this with a variety of textures and geometric forms to establish an organic motion. Occasionally I use acrylic reds and golds or gold leaf in the process. The layers in my work are structures and forms of emotions. They are part of our individual consciousness, waiting to be touched and expressed.
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