Newsletter & Member

www.womencontemporaryartists.com / wca.swfl@yahoo.com

   Winter 2009 Issue

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Message from the Prez ~ Barbara Schicitano

A roster of new members was sent December 1st email.  Please contact Joanna Coke if you did not receive it.  Also, updates and corrections are in this newsletter so please correct your copies

The transition continues from Board run to Committee run and the Committee Heads are doing a great job.  By the time of my resignation in April, everyone will be "on the same page" to run our organization.  Rules and Regs remain the same so you will see little to no change.  All is well in WCA land!

Visit the 'contact' page for details on Committee Heads.

From Bernice Gaines, Retreat Coordinator:

The WCA 2008 Annual Retreat once again exceeded everyone's expectations.  Many who have attended our retreat in the past, as well as “first-timers” expressed their excitement over the total experience.

Two workshops  were  offered:  Fine Art Dolls with Sally Sloan and Brushless Painting led by Judy Lyons Schneider.   All workshops were optional yet almost everyone  participated in each of them.

The evenings were spent watching art related films, working on your own projects or simply spending time with fellow artists. Noshing and liquid refreshments were always appropriate.

My sincere thanks to my committee: Helene Hirmes,  Rosalie Silver,  Marge Bennett, Charlotte Lee and of course the presenters of the workshops.

           Bernice

NOTICES and BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Newsletters will be posted in full on the WCA website on:

October 15 (info to be to Kris no later than Sept 15)

January 15 (your info by Dec 15)

May 15 (your info by Apr 15)

Kris Parins - kris.parins@gmail.com

You can peek ahead at the newsletter page in progress but it won't be completed until each date above.

If you have new WCA photos that you would like included in the photo album, please email them to me and I will post them.  Please be sure they are good resolution. http://www.womencontemporaryartists.com/scrapbook.htm

Your personal announcements are limited to up to five lines of pertinent info.  Editor will not be able to edit long announcements; therefore they will not be included.  

Your Personal Announcements (NOT INCLUDED IN THE NEWSLETTER) are your responsibility and you are free to use the WCA email list for this purpose. 

EXHIBITION NEWS:

Please remember that it is not appropriate to enter classroom work in an exhibition.

Don't forget to look at the Current Exhibition Page  http://www.womencontemporaryartists.com/Upcoming-Exhibitions.htm and Previous Exhibition Page http://www.womencontemporaryartists.com/PreviousExhibitions.htm.

We hope you all visited this beautiful gallery to see the show.

Our next Exhibition is Project 4 x 6 at Manatee Community College Fine Art Gallery. Only those who are on the list as having picked up their assigned canvases may enter this show.  Canvases purchased elsewhere will not be accepted.

Click here for the Prospectus ...  http://www.womencontemporaryartists.com/prospectus.htm. 

Please read it carefully as there will be NO exceptions at receiving.  WCA and MCC policies will apply. 

NOTE: Your artwork must be on the surface of the canvas ...

no protrusions or dangling doo-dads from any side. 

The sides must be gallery wrapped or painted.

MEMBERS' ANNOUNCEMENTS & AWARDS:

Your news articles and published publicity should be given or snail-mailed to Genevieve Perkins for the books on WCA history and Media scrapbook.

NAME BADGES will be sold at the Lunch Bunches.  Genevieve Perkins will take the orders.  Details will be on the Member Info Page.

Please correct the following on your rosters:

Nadine Carle's phone number is 321.1946

Graciela Giles' address is 923 13th St W

Barbara Schicitano's email is BArtist@creativeartdecor.com / phone 941.799.7188

Abby Karish's phone is 941.927.8728

Wendy Dickinson's new email is Wbdickinson@aol.com

Maddy Ginsberg's new email is maddy7528@msn.com

Lee Libro was left off of the member roster. Her new address and phone:

14235 Sundial Place

Lakewood Ranch, FL   34202

new phone: 504.7458

LeeMom123@aol.com

Please add her info on to your member roster

Photography Exhibition at the Dancing Crane Gallery.  "Lucky Seven: A Photographic Invitational"  featuring seven local and well known photographers including our own  JUDY KRAMER, TRISH ROBBINS, and MARGO LOVE STORY.  Reception is on February 6th from 6 to 9.  1019 10th Ave W.  Bradenton. 744.1333   www.dancing-crane.com.

BARBARA SCHICITANO won Second Place for Mixed Media "Awakening" in the Windsor Annual Invitational, Lakewood Ranch..

JOAN PETERS won a Third Place ribbon for "Scull Box" in the Day of the Dead art exhibit, Village of the Arts.    

AMY WEBBER will be teaching "RAKU pottery" classes at Venice Art Center, Monday evenings, starting October 20, 2008 and ongoing at 5:30 PM. Come and join the fun of working in clay and doing something different! Newcomers welcome along with the seasoned artists. Call VAC at 485.7136

ANITA SARNO had a one-woman show at the Greenwich Bank and Trust through November, in Greewich, CT.  Eleven works in oil were shown.  This show is sponsored by the Greenwich Art Society.

KRIS PARIN’S painting “I Saw the Light at 44th and Broadway” was included in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America Exhibition held in Bloomington, MN, Juror John Salminen. Kris’ painting “Steppin’ Out” was awarded second place Watercolor Wyoming, qualifying her for signature status in the Wyoming Watercolor Society. Kris is the featured artist in the Venice Gulf Coast Living Magazine  in January 2009.  She is teaching classes in advanced watercolor at the Venice Art Center in 2009. Visit www.krisparins.com to see her other workshops.

ELLEN MASON won the Faber Birren Color Award at the Stamford Ct. Art Association.  Nora Lawrence, Assistant Curator at MOMA was the juror.. 

JOANNA COKE is having 2 solo exhibits of her paintings in pastels, acrylics and mixed media of beautiful abandoned buildings still full of life:

Shelters   Feb. 4 to Mar. 3, 2009

Reception:  Feb. 24th from 5:00 – 6:30

Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota FL

Gallery hours:  Monday – Friday 8:30 – 4:30 and weekends during concerts and events

Shack n’ Up   April 3 - 25, 2009

Opening Reception April 3rd 6:00 – 9:00

Dancing Crane, 1019 10th Ave. West, Bradenton FL

Gallery hours: Thursday – Saturday 11:00 – 4:00

See Joanna’s Winter 2009 classes, demos, and workshops at www.joannacoke.com

CAROLYN RITTER'S paintings of local plants and animals are featured in her solo exhibit “Tropical Celebration” at Comcenter Lakewood Ranch, 9040 Towncenter Pkwy, Bradenton FL, December 15, 2008 to February 6, 2009. Information ArtCenter Manatee 941-746-2862.

SUE TURCONI will give a talk and slide presentation at the Venice Art Center on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 11:00 am titled “Judging and Being Judged.” No charge. She will exhibit with the Manatee Community College faculty, opening January 19, 2009 at the college.

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

Should You Market Your Artwork Through A Gallery?
A Message from Eric Rhoads, Publisher, Artist Advocate Magazine and Fine Art Connoisseur

The great debate rages on. Should you, as an artist, sell direct or through a gallery? As I consult many friends informally, I'm always asked this question, and I always have an opinion. The answer, of course, has a lot to do with you.

Reasons To Use A Gallery For all the downsides I hear artists complain about, I'm still a big fan of partnering with art galleries. True, there are some scoundrels out there, but most galleries I know are paying on time, promoting their artists and taking good care of them. Here are some reasons you may want to consider a gallery:

1. They are professional sellers. Galleries are in business to sell paintings. If they affiliate with you, they want you because they believe people will want to buy your work. They know how to present paintings, how to promote them, and how to close deals.

2. They have an existing client base. Most galleries keep a database of customers, buyers, big buyers, etc. and they promote to them constantly through e-mail, mailers, catalogues, phone conversations, events, and shows. The more they do, the more you benefit -- directly or indirectly.

3. They know the art market. Galleries know what is selling, what is not, who is buying, what people want. They can find a way to fit your work into client presentations based on this knowledge. You may not have your ear to the ground as much when it comes to meeting trends.

4. They know good and bad and can give you valuable advice. A good gallery has excellent taste. Chances are they won't touch you if you're not a fit with the taste of their inventory, but they also have years of experience and can give you tips on how you can improve your work to make it sell. They also know what is selling -- what sizes, what styles, what subjects.

5. They are actively marketing (or, at least, the smart ones are). Even if they are marketing other artists, they're bringing new customers to the gallery, which increases your odds of selling more paintings.

6. Galleries can MAKE an artist. Many galleries have taken unknown artists and turned them into big brands. They can boost your career when they get behind you. They have credibility with customers, and if they are promoting you, you win.

7. Galleries can increase awareness. A good gallery will promote artists to its customer list, to gallery visitors, and in advertising. They will touch more people than you can on your own.

8. You gain credibility by affiliation. If you're selected by a well respected gallery, being represented by them increases your credibility. Some galleries are known to be choosy, and these are the best galleries to have. Their affiliation is a stamp of approval that you cannot easily get by marketing on your own.

9: They can increase your prices. A good gallery will want to get the highest price the market will bear. It's in their best interest to increase your prices, and they will do so when they see an opportunity. Most artists are underpriced and need someone else to manage the price of their work.

10. They can free up your time. Time you spend marketing and selling is time you're not focused on creating.

11. Galleries have infrastructure. They already take credit cards, have accounting systems, and have shipping and access to framing. As an artist, you should focus on creating paintings, not infrastructure.

How To Get A Gallery. Unless you're promoting heavily, most galleries will never know you exist. Expecting them to discover you is expecting the near impossible. So one option is to blanket galleries with portfolios, but that's often not well received. Gallery professionals are inundated with so many artist portfolios that those portfolios are often stored away for future review -- and lost. Phone calls to gallery professionals are usually forgotten, since you're one of dozens they receive every week.

Reasons NOT To Use A Gallery If you're selling enough work on your own. That's pretty much the only reason not to partner with a gallery. If you are selling every painting and don't need additional sales or increased prices, if people are buying your work online or at shows, or direct from you, stick with what you're doing. There are many very successful artists who have their own galleries or their own website galleries. But most spent many years with galleries that launched their careers, marketed them, and built their reputations. Doing so on your own is time-consuming and costly, and typically very slow.

How to Self-Publish a Book of Your Art At Lulu by Bob Bissett

In the November issue of Art Calendar magazine, Diana Moses Botkin wrote about self-publishing a book of your art. Here, as a supplement to the printed piece, artist Bob Bissett shares his experience with self-publishing through Lulu.com.

I recently published a book of my art at Lulu.com. In this article, you'll find how to use lulu.com' s print-on-demand Web site to publish the art book you've wanting to do. It's a great way to impress friends, family, collectors and galleries. While there are many print-on-demand companies out there, Lulu is one of the most popular with artists.

PROS of Lulu: No upfront costs, no inventory, no requirement to buy copies; no orders to fill, and you can revise any time. They also put the books up for sale on their Web site, and give you an ISBN option.
CONS of Lulu: Each book cost more than if you order a run of thousands elsewhere. If you must have the highest quality publishing Lulu, is not for you. You need good computer skills. There are limited sizes and formats.
The Concept: Unless you are a professional book designer, find a book you really like and borrow the layout. Modify as needed. Do a search on Lulu for art books: some are very nicely done.
The Tools: I used MS Publisher 2002 and Paintshop Pro PhotoXI. Do some research to find the best prices. Publisher is easy to learn and easy to use. MS Word will work, too. Paintshop is way cheaper than Photoshop, and you will still be able edit your images very well.
The Web site: Before you start, spend some time reading theinfo on lulu.com. This is a DIY project, and Lulu has a huge amount of information to help you. Start on the "Help" page. You’ll see links for the "First Time Visitor," "Top Questions," "Lulu Support Forums" and many others. You don't have to sign up or log in until the time comes to publish. Lulu has service providers that can help with every step for a fee, if you need it.

My Example: Last summer, I published a 78-page book of my paintings. You can go to lulu.com and search for "bissett" to see it. The hardcover is priced at $40, of which Lulu gets $28. Thepaperback is $20, with $15 of that for Lulu. The pdf version is downloadable at $3; Lulu takes 25 percent or $.75. I could have made the PDF free, if I chose.

There is also a free low-resolution preview. I laid out the book as an 8.5” x 11” landscape format. Then I found out it had to be portrait format. Since all the text and images were finished, it didn’t take long to redo. A hardcover is either casewrap or dust jacket. The actual size of the layout should be 8.25” x 10.75”. The cover will be a little bigger and the pages a little smaller. If you have trouble with that odd size, lettersize will work.

Options for binding a paperback include perfect binding, coil or saddle stitch, the full sheet size.

Cover art must be uploaded as a separate file. You’ll need professional quality photos of your work. You can do that yourself probably with the digital camera you already have. They suggest images be uploaded at 300 dpi. I assumed they meant 300 ppi and that worked okay, though it may be overkill. Use your photo editing software to adjust the size of each image in inches, as required for your layout. Then insert it into the document. Some of my pictures were taken with a Nikon D70 at 300 ppi and some with a Canon S1 IS at 180 ppi. The 180’s I resized to 300 ppi with bicubic resampling. I can see no difference between the two. I suspect 100 ppi would be enough.

Bottom Line: The books are well made, and the pictures are a good representation of the originals. Allow a couple weeks for the paperbacks to arrive, and three weeks for hardcover.

Lulu offers a pretty good product for the price and convenience, and the company is good to deal with. In my case, an order of five paperbacks did arrive damaged. It looked like the box had been dropped from 10 feet, right on the corner. However, I filed a claim, sent in pictures of the damage, and they sent five more. This time, though, they arrived with streaking on the covers. I filed another claim and sent pictures. They said if I would change the color of the cover, they’d send five more. I guess gray is the hardest color to print successfully. That’s why the paperback has a different cover.

Overall, I'm pleased with the books, and I like to have them available for sale at shows. I also make sure major collectors have a copy, as well as galleries. Bulk discounts are offered on orders more than 25. A 50-book order saves seven percent; order a hundred and save 11 percent. Shipping for one paperback is more than $12. For about a dollar more, you can ship five books.

Be sure you download the free 300-page "Self-Publish on Lulu" guide. The first time you make a book, it can be confusing and frustrating. Exercise patience; it will work.

TAX TIPS FOR ARTISTS - Start Planning now ... http://www.artcalendar.com/article.asp?ID=133