Put yourself on the map

If there is one thing that artists need to do is to be visible and accessible.  This means finding ways that people can access your information, your work and your studio, if you have one.

I have done a couple of things to help people locate me besides the usual blog and website, business cards and gallery representation.  I’ve added a couple of electronic markers that help collectors and artists find me locally and you may like to do the same
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The first is by creating a place on Facebook that marks your studio location.  I know some people are hesitant to do this especially if their studio is also in their home.  However, if your art is your business, why wouldn’t you want people to know where it is located and “check in” when they visit?  You can add opening hours, contact information, website, etc.  And anyone using a smart phone, iPad or iPod can check in if its in their area.

My location is Jeanette Jobson Fine Art Studio which is located in Flatrock, NL  Here’s how you add your own studio location in Facebook.  Have fun!

Second, you can add your physical location visually through Google Earth or Google Maps or Street View.  I chose Google Earth View here as because I’m off a dirt road, my exact location is not shown visually, only to the end of the paved road, which you can see here.

Its very easy to do.  Download Google Earth and search for your location. Make sure you find your exact location as the program can be off a bit in marking a specific number of a house for instance.  When you have your location, add a new pin and label it with your studio name to mark the location.  This will show up on the map similar to mine at the top of this pos,t where my pin locates the driveway to the property.

You can use this on your website to help guide people to your studio.  As you can see I live in the woods pretty much, with 16.5 acres of land around me, my buffer zone to the world.  Just to give you the relationship between my location and the Atlantic Ocean, I’ve included this image, zoomed out, to show the distance.  I am about 5 minutes from the ocean.  No wonder I like water so much!

I hope you’ll use these tools to get more exposure and encourage access to your work as an artist.
And for the curious or alarmists who are wary of putting information out there and attracting the wrong people.  I have a very good alarm and recording system in the rare times there is no one at home.

Crimson

Crimson

12" x 16" oil on gallery canvas

Available for purchase from my website

Its been a long weekend in Canada, and has been horrible weather-wise.  Unseasonably cold and wet which makes everyone cranky and housebound.  However, the benefit of that is lots of studio time which I put in and was productive.

I'm working my way through old canvases, obliterating previous work and reclaiming it for new images.  I'm also working with a palette knife and lots and lots of paint.  There is something quite satisfying in applying oil paint like butter to a surface.  

Mixing colours in advance is key to me so that I don't lose the flow, or have to go back half way through to try to recreate the same colour.   A variety of palette knives is essential to enable me to create angles and small details.

The drawback is that the process, for me, becomes messy.  I always seem to end up with paint all over me.   The drying time is also an issue, with pieces taking a month at times to dry enough to be able to ship them.  And yes, paint consumption is higher, but I'm never one for hoarding tubes of paint to just look at them or eke them out.  They're there to be used as tools towards the final image.

Of course the technique makes me work more from instinct and apply paint freely instead of trying to lock down detail.  And the speeds up the process a lot with a large canvas being completed in 3 or 4 days as opposed to 3 or 4 weeks.

You may recall a smaller painting in a higher key, similar to this done a few months ago in acrylic, now available from Spurrell Gallery.  I enjoy revisiting an image and changing size, colour and medium to see what happens.  

Artbomb

 No, don't run for cover, its safe, just an explosion of colour that you'll love!

I'm thrilled to announce a new venture with Artbomb.  What is Artbomb  ?

Artbomb is a carefully curated, subscriber-based daily online auction featuring artwork by Canadian art stars. Launched in December, 2011, Artbombdaily.com is a brand new, successful way for artists to market and sell their work to thousands of potential buyers.

Artbomb is a service that delivers one email featuring one to three artworks into subscribers’ inboxes every morning - seven days a week. Bidding opens with a starting bid at 6 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m. at which point the highest bid wins the piece. All works are delivered ready to hang.

Artbomb is coast to coast across Canada with outstanding curators in each region working hard to find the stars of the local scene. Through their experienced eyes, Artbomb highlights an incredible array of exciting new pieces everyday: paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, drawing and mixed media.

It's Artbomb’s goal to make it easy to access incredible, fresh, relevant Canadian art. .

On Monday, May 20, 2013, one of my paintings, Dragon Gate, will be available for bidding on Artbomb.  May 20th is a holiday in Canada, all the more reason to celebrate Victoria Day!  As an artist herself, I'm sure Queen Victoria would approve.

Dragon Gate is a 15" x 30" custom framed multimedia piece using layers of tissue, gesso, gold leaf and oil paint, giving lots of depth and a true "watery" feel that I hope you'll enjoy.

There is an old Chinese legend of the Dragon Gate in which koi fish swim upstream in the Yellow River, through waterfalls and other obstacles to reach the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain was a point called "Dragon Gate". The legend says that when any koi succeeded in climbing the falls and reaching Dragon Gate, it would be transformed into a dragon, one of the most auspicious creatures in Chinese culture. Based on that legend the Koi became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.

I don't recommend anything that I don't believe in and I do believe that Artbomb delivers in quality and reliability.  With curators across Canada choosing new art daily, you can't go wrong.  I encourage you to test it out by signing up for their daily email  and get the benefit of new available artwork direct to your inbox daily.  If you don't enjoy that burst of colour, light and creation daily, you can easily unsubscribe. (but I think its a bit addictive to see fresh art daily...)

Make a note to watch out for Artbomb on Monday, May 20th and perhaps this unique piece could be on your wall soon!  Artbomb is also on Facebook  and Twitter  if you'd prefer to find them there.

I'd love to hear what you think about Dragon Gate and the Artbomb concept for making art available.

PS: If you've missed the auction and would like a print of this painting or a note card,I've made that option available online. Simply choose your size and support and order direct.