Dear DeDe

Answers All Your Art-Related Questions

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by DeDe Sorensen
Professional Artist, Arts Business Author & Host of Outside the Frame on BHR Radio

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John A. Barandon (http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-scupture) writes:
Dear DeDe, I’ve been a metal sculptor for 30 years. And over the course of those years. Became so disappointed with all the rejections from Art galleries and shows. That I just flat gave up on ever becoming an artist. For the last 10 years haven’t so much as made a phone call to a gallery or anyone else. For the last couple of years I’ve been painting. And I have contacted a coffee shop in midtown Atlanta about displaying some of my paintings. This coffee shop has artist showing their work on a monthly time frame. Kinda like a gallery or show. I feel like it would be a perfect starting point to try and begin showing my paintings. I’ve, been by the shop many times. Have seen a lot of different work there over the years. Some good. Some not so good. I have a strange feeling about this. And I don’t like this strange feeling. But I think it’s a true feeling. My feeling is this. And that is if I am rejected out of this venue. Then the painting is over. I just will not go though what I went though for 20 years with the metal sculpture. It kinda makes me feel like I shouldn’t be setting myself up for another fall. I think this will be my 1st success or my last failure.
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Dear John, Rejection is a fundamental part of the art business and it is difficult for many artists to avoid personalising rejection. There are a number of reasons as to why a particular work is rejected and rarely is it an indication as to the quality of the art.  Few galleries exhibit large-scale sculpture due to the sheer size of the pieces and the difficulty in moving them within the gallery and either back to the artist or on to a buyer.  This may be the reason for your early rejections.  Another reason may be that you were simply approaching the wrong galleries.  However, don’t let those rejections discourage you from trying to show your work.  I think you’re moving in the right direction with the coffee shop and I encourage you to pursue display opportunities.  Remember with any submission, you have a 50-50 chance of getting a yes.  You increase those odds significantly by targeting the right venue for your work.  Success is a gamble but certain is the path that leads to failure when one chooses not to try.
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Mira M. White (http://www.miraMwhite.com) writes:
Dear DeDe, I have a goodie for you… For adding collage elements onto and part of an oil painting, what adhesive will really work?
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Dear Mira, My extensive research led me to this product; E-6000 Craft Adhesive which has been manufactured and sold as a high-performance industrial adhesive for over 25 years.  It adheres to painted surfaces and most substrates; dries clear and when cured can be painted.  Safe for cloth and fabrics can be washed and dried plus it won’t harm photographs.  Always test a small area before full use on any project to ensure proper application technique and dry time. Be sure to follow all product instructions.  You can find E-6000 Adhesive at Lowes or Home Depot and some large craft stores.
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Alston (http://www.artscuttlebutt.com/alston) writes:
Dear DeDe, Given the economic situation, do you think emerging artists should price their artwork for lower prices to encourage sales?
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Dear Alson, Rather than reducing pricing, I’m much more in favor of expanding purchasing options.  Utilize print-on-demand and product-on-demand via the Internet to provide lines of your art on products with a lower price point to appeal to a larger buying audience.  Fine Art America, RedBubble, Zazzle, and CafePress should be explored for these types of opportunities.  Another option is to offer payment plans and interest-free layaway on your original artwork to make it affordable to budget conscious collectors.  These are just a few suggestions. I’m sure that if you were to think about your economic situation creatively, you will find a better solution than to simply slash prices.
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Sherry Vockel (http://www.thebeautyofpets.com) writes:
Dear DeDe, My question concerns the fragility of using velour paper with pastels.  Is there any way to adhere the pastels on the velour surface so the image will stick.  Whenever I’ve used velour paper, if I tap the back of the painting most of the pastel falls off.  It seems that the pastel lays on the top of the velour and any jarring will dislodge the pastel. Thank you!  I hope you can use this question!!
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Dear Sherry, Whenever I use velour paper, I start with an underpainting first blocking in the basic forms using broad strokes of soft pastel and thin washes of alcohol; either rubbing alcohol purchased at a drug store or denatured alcohol purchased at a paint store.  Once dry, which is fast because alcohol evaporates, I spray the underpainting lightly with workable fixative or Aqua Net Hairspray to give the paper some tooth to grab the pastel. I like to work in layers this way — applying pastel, tapping, then spraying lightly with fixative between layers. On the final layer, I add the fine details and highlights but I do not spray this layer because I do not want to darken the colors.
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Lucinda Pyatt from Columbus, OH (no website address) writes:
Dear DeDe, I work in pastels. Framing and matting become expensive making it necessary to set my prices at $250 or more to cover the cost. Since I am an unknown and sell only at local exhibits. I sell very few and would like to sell more. What would you suggest?
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Dear Lucinda, Working in standard sizes enables you to buy standard-sized mats and frames that are less expensive than custom sizes.  Smaller paintings are less expensive to frame than larger paintings.  You could buy a mat cutter system (I purchased a Logan system for around $99) and cut your own mats that again would be less expensive in the long run.  For exhibits that allow for bin works, I sandwich my pastels between foam core and double mats then wrap in archival art wrap like prints or watercolors.  Be sure to have a high enough profile on the double mat (may even need to triple) to ensure that the pastel surface doesn’t come in contact with the art wrap as the pastel will start to cling.

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[Send your art-related questions to Dear DeDe at deardedesorensen@gmail.com Questions can be about anything art-related such as tools, supplies, techniques, pricing, business and contract issues; anything and everything as long as it is art-related.  Be sure to include your full name, valid email address, and website URL.]

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Tags: art business, Art Galleries, Becoming An Artist, Bellsouth, Bellsouth Net, Bhr, Business Author, Coffee Shop, Dear John, Dede, Metal Sculptor, Metal Sculpture, Midtown Atlanta, Phone Call, Professional Artist, Rejection, Rejections, Scale Sculpture, Scupture, Sheer Size, Strange Feeling

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 18:22 and is filed under An Artist's Life, HELP FILES, Q&A With DeDe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.