Author: Michelle

This was the third in this library program series that I attended with Joyce. She spoke about various famous artists and their work, as well as her own experiences. Next, she educated us about the ways artists make money from selling their work.

First, Joyce repeated her quote: “as we think, we become,” and reminded us that “actions will follow thoughts.” She said that Theo Van Gogh supported his brother Vincent’s art. She mentioned the book Dear Theo by Irving Stone. This also reminded me of when I read the YA book Vincent & Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman. It makes me want to give that one a re-read. It was also apparently made into a movie, upon further research.

Marc Chagall was a painter who blended this sense of purpose and his spirituality with his art. He made stained glass and murals. I love the quote that Joyce shared from Alexander Calder: “Above all, art should be fun.” I went to this talk, even though I don’t really plan on selling any of my current art. Who knows? Maybe I will in the future.

Joyce told us how Jackson Pollock’s wife, Lee Krasner, promoted his art. Pollock had the highest selling painting at $8,000 which was really great because it was before 1950. Lee Krasner faced sexism, being called “Mrs. Pollock,” and never promoted herself when Pollock was alive. Lee then created the Pollock-Krasner Foundation through Pollock’s estate, and gave back once she could. You can visit it at PKF.org.

Yayoi Kusama was a very interesting artist to me, because she was a Japanese artist who dealt with mental health issues, and saw dots. She then created most of her art with dots. She’s also met with sexism and racism. A male artist copied her and got three times the money and got very famous for it. However, in the 1980s, she was the highest selling female artist at the time. She’s also known for doing a collaboration with Louis Vuitton.

Alma Thomas was an African American woman who did the painting “Resurrection” in 1966. She started her career in her late 60s. She has a one-woman show at the Whitney Museum at the age of 81.

Here are some ways for artists to make money from their art:
-Have an art rep who can sell your work to collectors
-Get public commissions/grants with the state/locality
-Ask for help to approach or negotiate with people
-Artists have a second job a lot of the time such as being a teacher/professor of art

Art Galleries
-Commercial
-Artist-run gallery (co-op)
-Vanity gallery
-Exhibition spaces (non-profit)

Exhibition Spaces
-Restaurants
-Community centers
-Libraries
-Etsy
-Social media
-Studio visits

Marketing
-Email list
-Website
-Social Media
-Networking
-Word of mouth
-Printed materials
-Advertising
-Art rep
-Document/photograph your work
-Artist statement
-Resume/CV

Agreement With Gallery
-Get it in writing
-Read it carefully
Hire a lawyer when needed
-Get it signed!

Two last inspiring quotes from Joyce:
“Art can transform great pain into great prosperity.”
“You don’t have to be a trained artist to sell art!”

This was the second session of this virtual library series that I attended, and it was great! First, the presenter, Joyce, gave a talk on modern art and tapping into your inner life using art. We discussed expressing what’s inside yourself, your feelings and emotions and your inner child. Joyce said what you create mimics what’s within.

The first artist we examined was Van Gogh and his famous “Starry Night” painting. In it, he exaggerates emotion and projects his inner turbulence. Then she also pulled up “The Scream,” by Edvard Munch, whose painting was ridiculed at the time for being too dark. Joyce mentioned that artists play with the theme of perception, and that we see everything from our own lens.

We also examined the works of Picasso, Marc Chagall, children’s author and illustrator Faith Ringgold, Frida Kahlo, and Andre Masson. Joyce also mentioned Dali, Roberto Matta and Hilma af Klint, as well as Pollock and Krasner.

Joyce then invited us to pick a technique (such as surrealism, impressionism etc.) and try it out for ourselves.

Below is the drawing I made during the program, and I call it: “Anger.” I made it using the “automatic drawing technique,” where you just let the art flow from your pencil.

Reflection:
I personally love Georgia O’Keefe’s art, specifically her colors, and I plan on getting some art books out of the library so I can look at them more closely as soon as I can. This is my favorite painting of hers:

Dried Flower Bookmarks

I went to a dried flower bookmark making program at the library. We used card stock for the bookmark canvas, and put dried flowers onto the card stock. We could also add stickers or draw on the paper. Then we put contact paper over it so that it stayed together and had the shiny look of a bookmark. We also were able to add tassles to the bookmarks using a hole punch to attach them.

I made two bookmarks, one long and one short, and I did dried flowers on one side of each, and flower stickers on the other side of each.

Reflection:
This program was simple yet brought out the joy of the spring! Some people made a few bookmarks, and intended to give them as gifts to their friends and family. I never did this before, and don’t think mine came out that good, but I think it was still fun.

Mindful Art Workshop

This was a very chill art program with all kinds of art supplies. I used writing tools called “gelatos” and they were kind of like crayons, except more creamy. You could spread and blend them with makeup sponges and also add water to make them like water color paints. I thought it was very cool! We spent a good hour doing that, and I came away with two pretty art pieces, if I do say so, myself.

Reflection:
I thought this program was very relaxing, and I’m thinking about buying myself some gelatos and sponges so I can do this at home whenever I want.

I signed up for a virtual library program series called “Creative Wellness Using Art” and this was the first one I attended. I thought it was great! It was about making vision boards, which I’ve done before and love. Here is one I made recently on Canva:

First, the presenter, Joyce, gave a presentation and spoke about Jackson Pollack and his wife Lee Krasner as inspiration for our vision boards. She also spoke about Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, superstar Beyoncé, and activists Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks as inspiration as well.

I thought Joyce herself, an artist, was an inspiration! She kept saying things like: “I’m a strong believer in the power of thought,” and ” thought creates future,” and “as we think, we become.”

To begin, Joyce asked us to become quiet, restful, relaxed and to slowly inhale and exhale. She asked us to say to ourselves: “I’m filled with peace.” I thought that was a great practice to do before creating our vision boards.

In addition, she asked us to answer the question/think about: “what is my vision/mission for me today/my life and how can I be of service to myself and others?” while making the creation. The goal of my vision board/collage was to find more positivity in life, and I tried to show that here.

Below is the collage that I made – it’s not really done, but it’s what I got done in the 20 minutes she gave us to make a vision board/collage. She said we could either write out our vision using words, draw it, or create it. I used scissors, magazines and glue and used my notebook for the canvas, as you can see.

Reflection:
I thought this was a great program, although I wish we had more time to work on our collages and to share them with the group. Not everyone got to share because of time constraints. It was only an hour program, after all. I thought Joyce was a great presenter, and I look forward to attending the next program in a couple of weeks.