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Happy Holidays! Wasn’t it just Christmas? What a year! I finished up the “2008 Workshop Tour” in two of my favorite places: The Mendocino Art Center and Art of the Carolinas in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mendocino is always a joy - feels like a real Artists’ Retreat. This past month we did two short workshops - three days of Collage and then a weekend of Abstract Figure Painting. Below are a couple of photos - informal classroom clothesline shows! Mendocino Art Center is a very special place to take a workshop www.mendocinoartcenter.org. I am usually there six weeks a year. Check my schedule for dates!
Jerry’s Artarama sponsors a big Artists’ Materials Convention, Art of the Carolinas in Raleigh every year - two weeks before Thanksgiving. I taught all day and half day workshops in a variety of subjects, all sponsored by Holbein Acryla Acrylic Paints. Event coordinator, Sharon DiGuilio took great care of all of us!
I have the honor of jurying Arizona Edges, a national, juried, all media exhibition for the Tubac Center of the Arts in Southern Arizona. The deadline is fast approaching - click HERE to download a prospectus Exhibition dates: Jan. 9-Feb. 16, 2009 May 5-7, 2009 (Tuesday-Thursday) Product Spotlight We are so excited to have my latest limited edition giclée print ready for the Holidays. Make Things… is part of an ongoing series I am working on - of messages in type on my paintings. The first version of Make Things… was created for the 2008 Central Coast Wine Classic. It was etched by Candice Norcross on a very large bottle of wine! Both the wine and the painting were auctioned for charity. Make Things… available in two sizes, 11.5x11.5 (100 only) and 17.5x17.5 (50 only) canvas only. Click HERE for pricing and ordering information. New Size - Just in Time for Christmas! Our most popular, holiday-lovin’ Party Animal! 5 x 7 inches, limited edition Giclée print on paper, edition size: 250. Click HERE for pricing and ordering information. Don’t forget to use your subscriber discount! click HERE. Workshops in the Spotlight 2009 starts off with a bang! Our new Workshop season begins in Palm Desert, California at The Art Colony. I’ll be working in a mini-trade show atmosphere with full day and half day classes. We have another One Day Art Marketing Workshop planned in San Luis Obispo, California on Saturday, January 24, 2009. Contact Karen Kile, Executive Director (805) 543-8562 www.sloartcenter.org AND--- If you are looking for in-depth Art Marketing, our eight-week credit course starts at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California on Tuesday, January 27, 2009. We meet weekly, on Tuesdays from 6:30-9:20 pm. Students can complete their portfolios along with pricing, inventory, photography, copyright, promotion during the time it takes to attend the course. Interested? www.HancockCollege.edu Another great place to go in January is Santa Barbara! You want to Loosen Up, and still paint LARGE? Check this out... January 26-30, 2009
For more of my workshops all over the county, check out my workshop schedule, www.RobertBurridge.com Recommended Book
If you are a painter, this book is for you. If you are a Plein Air painter, this book is for you. This easy-to-read book is full of questions most painters ask with intelligent answers by who I consider a landscape painter at the top of her game, my dear friend Elizabeth Tolley. She surrounds herself with other respected painters in the field and they share tons of information. This book is everything you need to know to paint your next best landscape. Her work and accomplishments are stunning and enviable. I could go on and on about her excellent painting examples, but I would sound like a groupie! I can assure you that you have asked all the questions presented in this book, but received conflicting answers. Elizabeth Tolley’s book is so concise, direct, full of information and is probably the only book you will ever need on the subject. Follow her suggestions. You will paint better and with more confidence. DVD Review
By now, ArtsyFartsy News subscribers know I enjoy nonfiction, especially when it comes to artists’ biographies, the history of painting, color, artists’ materials, etc. And - I like movies! Put this all together and get it all from The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance. It is a four hour docudrama that is both educational AND entertaining. The Medici family, using their charm, patronage, enormous wealth and eventually, their power initiated the start of the Renaissance. You know - like Michelangelo, Botticelli, da Vinci, Galileo and many others. The back story is equally fascinating as well. By sheer power, the Medici family was able to “produce” two popes, bankrupt the papacy and use money to “purchase redemption.” The Medicis held court for over two hundred years. There’s a lot of art history: David, the Pieta, Medici tombs, The Sistine Chapel frescoes plus more “inside stuff” to further your appreciation of how we still revere this art today. This richly photographed and acted spectacle will be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates history and art. Excellent gift for yourself as well! Empires - The Medici - Godfathers of the Universe So... Do You Want to Go with Bob to Tuscany and Paint?
Yes-- we are going this fall to the land of my dreams! We are sponsored by the Sedona Arts Center - Here’s the info: September 12-19 and Sept 19-26, 2009
Contact Sedona Art Center (888) 954-4442 or (928) 282-3809. Click HERE for more information. Ask Kate about Art Marketing
Ann from Maplewood, Minnesota asks: I would like to have my work copyrighted. I know I can submit a bunch of my works at once and get them all copyrighted (and only pay that fee once). So, I think I'll submit all my 2008 works in Jan of 2009. And now the question: What do I need to submit? Will a simple spreadsheet containing the name and date of each of my paintings suffice or do I need to submit images of my works as well? Also, what additional information is required for each painting? Dear Ann, Thanks for your question! First of all, I want you to know that you already own the copyright of your work, just by virtue of the fact that it’s your work, created by you and you’ve signed it. You don’t need to do anything else. As soon as you sign your work, you own the copyright forever, plus 78 years after your death. On the other hand, to gain legal financial protection, you can register the copyright of your work. It’s a terminology thing... The Library of Congress is the organization that will accept your registration application. Here is the link to the copyright office: www.copyright.gov Copyright is a fascinating subject with a great deal of gravitas! Seek out articles by Joshua Kauffman, Esq. of Venable, Attorney’s at Law. You can read some things he has to say on the Art Copyright Coalition website www.artcc.org Thanks for writing and I hope this helps. Joan from Lakewood Ranch, Florida asks: The gallery where my work hangs charges 40% but they do offer a reception, they provide the wall tags and they send out email that identifies me as an exhibitor. They provide a gallery portfolio where each artist can insert hard copies of their bio, photo and images of their work. Last year I had one of my images on their website and this year they are charging $20/month to be on their website. That price may come down if more artists participate. I do not have my own website so this is a plus but isn't that a stiff charge? What would be an appropriate annual fee for my image to be on their website? Hi Joan, Great question! I am going to answer your question and make comments on your situation in stages, so bear with me! Gallery Website - I’m surprised they charge you since you are a “gallery artist” (we feel that should be part of the 40% commission), however, I also feel that since you don’t have a personal website, the $20/month would be money well spent. We call it “cost of doing business.” You absolutely need a presence on the web and this will be your interim website. In the meantime... also register your work online with your local arts commission, art organizations, weekly entertainment newspapers, etc. Most of these groups have a website that artists can join as part of their membership. The more different ways people (buyers) can find you and see your work, the better --Exposure Equals Success and Unseen is Unsold! Hope this helps Joan! Thanks for asking! Special Note: We have updated the “How to Photo” Notes in our Hot Art Marketing Workbook. We collaborated with our pro photographer, Forrest Doud from San Luis Obispo. This new section includes more up-to-date info on taking digitals. If you would like to update your book with these notes, please send us $5.00 and a Self-Address Stamped Envelope (42-cent postage) Thank you!
For more info, click HERE to check out our Hot Art Marketing Workbook. Thanks for asking Kate!
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This is my second feature on successful color combinations using my Goof-Proof Color Wheel. Last month was Yellow as my dominant color. I have received many emails from you who tried last month’s color combos and told me their paintings sold in a week. Whew! -- and congratulations. Here is this month’s color combo that works for me Just a reminder - I am painting with Holbein Acryla acrylic paints and use their paint names. If you are not painting with Holbein Acryla, I suggest you simply match my color wheel system as closely as possible with your own favorite brand. Decide on a Color Combination and a Composition.
Step One: I cover the entire canvas with various reds. I never use just one color here. I mix it up in a loose abstract approach.
Step Two: Having already decided on my composition design for this abstract painting (the cruciform and asymmetrical) I place the focal point color, Compose Blue #1, right where I want the eye to go. I put the focal point down immediately so everything else will support the focal point. This holds true whether you do abstracts or representational paintings.
Next, the two spice colors… Cad Green Light and Katsura Blue. These two colors are placed around and near the focal point color. These are pure colors at first. Soon afterwards I’ll “gray down” these spice colors and use them elsewhere throughout the painting. (To gray down a color, mix in a small amount of its complement.) Pure colors stay around the focal point, however. Whatever your style or technique, always start loose, wet and abstractly. As I often say, “Under every good painting is a good abstract painting.”
Here is an example of my Red Dominant painting. I started abstractly, with an asymmetrical composition and finished with the blue focal point color. •Flame Red is the Dominant color  The Burridge Color Wheel is Printed and Assembled in the USA. Try this Assignment In last month’s ArtsyFartsy News, in this “Try This Assignment” section, I wrote and demonstrated my take on a Rembrandt painting. I “borrowed” his expertise of light and dark to perk up my latest paintings. Your response was overwhelming - thank you! So here are some more recent examples of a gradated background, using the lightest light (focal) next to the darkest dark.
I’m liking this drama and punch, along with my goof-proof color wheel technique. It works for me whether I paint abstractly or painting a “subject.” As you can see, I practice this concept over and over in my early morning multiple warmups. For me, it’s a matter of deciding whether I want my painting to be dramatic and powerful or quiet and elusively gentle. That is the only time I even think of the gray scale. So, referring to a value scale - the gray scale... one to ten. Any color straight out of the tube is the darkest it’s ever going to be. We give it a value of one on the value scale (see illustration). No matter the color, out of the tube it’s a one. As you lighten it with white (or water) the value goes from one all the way to ten (pure white). Stay with me on this... having said that, I prefer a simpler method: Instead of assigning numbers to different gradations, I refer to the tones as Black, Dark Gray, Middle Gray, Light Gray and White.
So now, if I want a dramatic and powerful painting, I might use a dramatic contrast, like Black against White (think chessboard). If I decide on a quiet, gentle painting, I’ll use less dramatic contrast and use a Middle Gray color next to a Light Gray color (think white clouds on a sunny day).
Here’s the kicker - I use only three values in my work: The darkest dark, a midtone and the lightest light. Anything else is accidental. Don’t start sending me emails - this is how I paint. And this is not meant to be a complete painting lesson - there’s a lot more to all this. Studio Tip Most paint tubes or jars will indicate somewhere on the label if the paint is either transparent or opaque. Different manufacturers use different ways to tell you. The most obvious way is to label the paint as transparent or opaque. Golden brand, however, shows you. A swipe of the color is placed over three little black bars on the label. If the bars are still visible, it’s a transparent paint. If the bars disappear, the paint is opaque (duh!). The Holbein Acryla acrylic label shows us a clear dot or a black dot on the back of their label. Can you figure out what the black dot signifies?
All this is helpful info if you need to cover up an area in your painting or if you are color-toning an area in your painting. Just thought you’d find this stuff interesting! Product Review I love all my sketchbooks. I try different sizes, brands and manufacturers all the time. Some are spiral-bound, others are hard bound and this month’s recommended version is more of a conveniently acid free pad. Convenient for travel and paint/sketching on location, in Tuscany or anywhere else you want to go! From my favorite paper company, it’s the Fabriano Watercolor Studio acquarello watercolor pad.
I use the 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 and larger sizes for watercolor on location. It’s a very absorbent, twenty-five page cold press pad, found in most art stores. If you can’t find it, go to SavoirFaire.com for a store location near you. Cheap Joe’s online catalog www.cheapjoes.com also carry all kinds of pads and sketchbooks. Try all of them!
Now here’s one more thing I do - get ownership of your sketchbooks by painting on the hard bound covers. It helps me keep track of them. I also use them for sketching, painting and writing in ideas, journaling and basically emptying my head. I write my painting goals in my sketchbook before creating a painting or series of paintings.
•Don’t just have one - have lots of them everywhere! Music to Paint (and Move!) By More music! My taste in music is rather eclectic. In my studio and during workshops I play many different styles - classical, world, jazz, lounge… Below are a few more of my favorites. •Thievery Corporation/Various •Paris Combo •Brian Eno For more music, click HERE and it will take you to my favorite Workshop Music -
Doctor Bob’s Advice Column •Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb… that’s where the fruit is.
Copyright ©2008 Robert Burridge. All rights reserved. Click HERE to sign up for the ArtsyFartsy News.
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