On going back for some inspiration
With the festivals I do, comes a bit of time in the booth where not much is happening (or, at least seems to be happening). So, I usually bring some piece of portable art to work on; even if I can't see quite as well as when I work under my 3 lamp set-up, I can do some very nice work.
For this last show, I chose to work on a re-do of an old piece of mine, "Clarinet-itus" , which I first did in 1994. It was a very good piece of work, so why do it again? Good question, glad you asked.
To some extent, I am replacing vanished inventory of originals that have sold (usually for too little!), and to some extent I am challenging myself to re-do the piece and do it better than I did the first time around. Usually, I succeed in this self-challenge. In this case, I'm working quite a bit larger, and I think my painting technique has improved over the years. I'll be relying less on line for this version, and more on watercolor. I'm also changing some of the colors, and I've added a new figure.
I also go through a lot of reproductions of my work for the festivals, mounting the copies on to fome core board, and covering them in mylar. I sell these pieces for $35, not a big sale, but I do tend to sell a fair amount of them. Moreover, when I'm viewing them, I am reminded of the body of good art work I've created, much of it colorful and fun. I treminds me of the original inspiration for my art: comic book covers of the 1950s. And, in being reminded I am once again inspired to create new, ebullient, colorful art. It's somelthing of a retrospective of one's own work, and it's fun to do. I recommend it to all artists out there who are not having a museum do a retrospective on them.
My body is still sore from this past 3 day event; I attempted to put up my canopy by myself, which was a big mistake. For this next one, I'll enlist the aid of the daughter of a friend, who lives in the area. And, I'll bring that re-make of "Clarinet-itus" to continue.
In the mean time, I went today to a new client who has been terrific, just to touch it up ever so slightly (they had made a minor error that needed correction), and did the small amount of work. I also made the decision not to charge them, as they've been quite generous with me - this is not necessarily characteristic of me, but I'm not going to fret about a few bucks here and there. Generosity begets generosity.
For this last show, I chose to work on a re-do of an old piece of mine, "Clarinet-itus" , which I first did in 1994. It was a very good piece of work, so why do it again? Good question, glad you asked.
To some extent, I am replacing vanished inventory of originals that have sold (usually for too little!), and to some extent I am challenging myself to re-do the piece and do it better than I did the first time around. Usually, I succeed in this self-challenge. In this case, I'm working quite a bit larger, and I think my painting technique has improved over the years. I'll be relying less on line for this version, and more on watercolor. I'm also changing some of the colors, and I've added a new figure.
I also go through a lot of reproductions of my work for the festivals, mounting the copies on to fome core board, and covering them in mylar. I sell these pieces for $35, not a big sale, but I do tend to sell a fair amount of them. Moreover, when I'm viewing them, I am reminded of the body of good art work I've created, much of it colorful and fun. I treminds me of the original inspiration for my art: comic book covers of the 1950s. And, in being reminded I am once again inspired to create new, ebullient, colorful art. It's somelthing of a retrospective of one's own work, and it's fun to do. I recommend it to all artists out there who are not having a museum do a retrospective on them.
My body is still sore from this past 3 day event; I attempted to put up my canopy by myself, which was a big mistake. For this next one, I'll enlist the aid of the daughter of a friend, who lives in the area. And, I'll bring that re-make of "Clarinet-itus" to continue.
In the mean time, I went today to a new client who has been terrific, just to touch it up ever so slightly (they had made a minor error that needed correction), and did the small amount of work. I also made the decision not to charge them, as they've been quite generous with me - this is not necessarily characteristic of me, but I'm not going to fret about a few bucks here and there. Generosity begets generosity.
posted by Rich Sigberman at
3:45 PM
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