INTRODUCING
LaunchPad Artist
Renuka Adhav BUSINESS SMARTS for Artists
THREE-DIMENSIONAL The Season’s Best Sculpture Exhibits
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DECOR The Pros of Polystyrene
History of Frames, Part I Start a Frequent Framers Club
Ok Seo
CONTEMPORARY ART Artexpo New York | Booth# S400 April 14–17, 2016
+82 10 4750 3019 1 310 997 7411 seok2121@hanmail.net okseo2121@gmail.com https://okseo.see.me A Song of Oblivion I Acrylic on Canvas 90cm x 135cm(35.4” x 53.1”) 2016
Talieh Kesh, Migration, acrylic on canvas, 36” x 48”
Uwe Arendt, Arrogance, mixed media, framed 35” x 43”
Dani Olivier, Pointillism, archival print on dibond, 32” x 48”
Manss Aval, Pesci Rossi, oil on canvas, quadryptich,, ~80” x 80“, (each panel 40” x 40”)
F I N E A R T M AY A
v isit us at : Art Exp o, N e w York
C O N T E M P O R A R Y
B o o th # R 2 1 4 / R 2 1 5
F I N E
A R T
B o o th # 4 3 9
R e d D ot , Miam i
S a n D i e g o , C A , by appointment, 8 5 8 - 6 0 5 - 0 8 8 7 F a x 8 5 8 - 6 0 5 - 5 8 8 4 s a l e s @ f i n e a r t m a y a . c o m w w w . f i n e a r t m a y a . c o m
LYSAKOV
Art Company
Portrait Of A Mature Young Man
Walks Of A White Peacock
Victor Lysakov lysakovartcompany.com
Fabian Perez painted Pope Francis “Pope Francis inspired me to paint him because of his sincere humility and immeasurable compassion”… Those were Fabian Perez’s words related to his decision of painting a portrait of the pontiff, coincidently both from the same country, Argentina. The artist finished the painting in 2014 and it was his goal to present it face to face to the Pope. In August 2015 the dream come true and Fabian Perez is invited from the pontiff’s right-hand to the Vatican City. Perez flew to Rome within five days of hearing the news for his encounter with the Pope. He attended to the Papal Audience where the painting was presented. Francis walked up to Fabian and expressed: “When I see this painting, I see a reflection of myself”. According with the pontiff’s private secretary, Francis was so fond of the piece that he did not hang it in the Vatican collection as originally planned. Instead, he wanted it all to himself. A real rejoicing for Fabian Perez and another example of the strong essence the artist is able to paint onto a canvas. To learn more about Fabian Perez, visit his website www.fabianperez.com Contact Information: perezstudio@sbcglobal.net / fabianperezstudio@mac.com
TM
Black Phone III
Fabian Perez Studio
Now represented by
La HerrerĂa Art Studio LLC www.fabianperez.com
English Rose VII
Inquiries and Info: perezstudio@sbcglobal.net fabianperezstudio@mac.com
CLAUDIA RAMOS
FINE ART ARTIST
RALPH BENEDICT CERAMIC DESIGN Ralph Benedict | 920-290-1940
www.ralphbenedictceramicdesign.com
www.claudiaramos.com.mx ramos.realtype@gmail.com
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SPRING 2016
erik laffer Solo Booth | S204 APRIL 14 - 17, 2016 | NYC | PIER 94
518.424.5396 | info@eriklaffer.com | www.eriklaffer.com
Diana Cummings IMPRESSIONIST ARTIST DianaCummings.com 619-920-8557
ARTBUSINESSNEWS.COM
Booth #S106
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“The image does not emerge mechanically from the camera, It happens stylistically from the mind of the artist”
AN EXTRAORDIN ARY VIEW OF THE ORDIN ARY 954-817-8870 | www.michaeljoseph.com | mj@michaeljoseph.com
A R T F A I R S
M A G A Z I N E
B O O K S
G A L L E R Y
www.artblend.com
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954-817-4893
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info@artblend.com
LIANE CHU Our world is beautiful. Do you realize it?
If A Tree Falls Collection
As a young artist born in the late 90s, Liane wanted to use her artwork to reflect the environment we live in. She has “Hope Faith Love” towards the world and wish people realize that the world is slowly dying, as it is a global Issue. Having lived in Hong Kong, Shanghai and New York and traveled across the world, her charity projects, different cultural experiences and her values has shaped her work. Liane latest collection “If a tree falls” uses a combination of crackle paste, ink, gesso, acrylic to create an unique style reflecting in the texture and movement within the painting. Liane is currently selling her painting as she donate portion of the profit to charity to help girls in Africa for better education.
Visit www.Lianechu.com
There has been a revival in interest in antique Japanese bird and flower scroll paintings. With growing demand and decreasing availability prices are up.
The original scrolls were painted on rice paper mounted on silk. Our archival inkjet prints are on extra strong fine grained canvas, hand mounted with traditional wooden rods.
Simultaneously there has been a revolutionary change in computer enhanced simulation of flat painted, detailed, colorful original paintings, particularly suited to Japanese scrolls.
Our scrolls measure five feet long by two feet wide, about two thirds the size of the originals, making them ideal for the modern home. They are easy to roll and store in a special reinforced card board tube, which comes with each scroll.
McGrath & Laverge have applied this new form of representation to a selection of 18th century master pieces, making these rare treasures available to todays buyer at reasonable cost.
For further information visit our website:
japanesescrollpaintings.com
MOZER
ARTEXPO NY • APRIL 14 - 17, 2016 BOTH #154; DW 18 & ARTBLEND GALLERY WWW.MOZERART.COM
Kristina Chkhan
Artexpo NY Booth #S201
oil painting landscape/seascape artist
www.kristinachkhan.com email: kristinaart.c@gmail.com
DINETT HOK GALLERY OF FINE ART
EMPTY EMPTY NEST NEST
Kalin Luy Ken, Kalin Luy PeruKen, Peru
HOPE
HOPE Karen
Karen Cauvin Eustis, Cauvin USA Eustis, New Orleans
DEFIANCE | Dinett Hok, Panama
Frandy Jean frandyjeanart@gmail.com
1-864-FRANDYJ
BOOTH #266
For more information on Katherine Austin, her artwork, events, and ENitsua Foundation for The Arts, please visit www.enitsuafineart.co Contact : inquiry@enitsuafineart.onmicrosoft.com
L ARISSA ROMANOVA
WWW.LARISSAROMANOVA.COM ROMANOVALARISSA@GMAIL.COM
Amber Grise Art
AMBER GRISE ART • NEW HAMPSHIRE WWW.AMBERGRISEART.COM • 603.660.4829
QA &
with Litsa
HOW DO I ADVANCE MY ART CAREER? Litsa Spanos, President of ADC, Art Design Consultants and Founder of Blink Art Resource, is an established art consultant, award-winning gallery owner, educator and artist advocate. Her goal is to use artwork to create enjoyable, energizing and inspirational environments from the home to the office and any space inbetween. In this issue, Litsa answers artists’ most commonly asked questions and gives quick and easy tips to get you ahead in your art career. Be sure to check out the opportunities she and her team offers to artists, and visit ADC/Blink at Artexpo New York in booth #109.
“At Art Design Consultants and Blink Art Resource, we believe in inspiring and empowering artists to continue to do what they love, create art!”
310 culvert street, cincinnati, oh 45202
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1.800.439.2960
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w w w. a d c f i n e a r t . c o m
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS QUESTION: What is the best way to get my work into galleries? LITSA SPANOS: Do you have a beautiful website featuring current work that has been professionally photographed? Do you have a cohesive body of work that represents your signature style? If so, you’re ready to start approaching galleries. TIP: Do your homework! Research galleries to make sure what they sell is comparable with your style of work. You wouldn’t want to take your nonrepresentational abstracts to a traditional gallery. Q: Are art fairs worth my time and money? LS: Yes! Local and national art shows get your work in front of the people you never would have had the opportunity to before. But plan in advance. Save your dollars, create a strong body of work, rest up, and roll up your sleeves. Trade shows are not for the timid!
TO ARTISTS
$250,000+ IN AWARDS
gallery contracts purchase awards and much more!
WHEN Artist entries open FEB 22, Awards JUNE 25 WHAT ACA is an annual, juried national arts competition and exhibition open to artists working in any medium and style. It connects private and corporate art collectors, design professionals, industry experts, and artists. HOW www.adcfineart.com
do what you love better
TIP: Choose these shows like your galleries. It has to be the right fit. Even though they are expensive realestate, don’t be tempted to “over-stuff” your walls. Doing this actually turns off buyers and no one wants that. Q: How do I connect with the right people? LS: Getting your artwork out there means YOU getting out there, so people can associate your artwork with a face. Exhibition openings and art crawls are a great way to meet gallry owners and to see what type of artwork they show. Attending local and national interior design shows and conferences builds your knowledge of what designers and trade buyers are looking for and what’s selling.
Success Summit WHEN MAY 13th & 14th WHAT Go beyond the brush to learn the business tools and knowledge you need to be competitive in gaining industry recognition and financial sustainability, ultimately to have a rewarding and successful art career. HOW www.adcfineart.com
TIP: Set aside a marketing and advertising budget. Treat your art career as a real business. Q: Is social media worth it? LS: Absolutely! Write a weekly blog, create a monthly newsletter, and post new works and recent achievements. It’s important to tell your story. Be consistent and make sure to use great visuals and meaningful content. TIP: Make it habit to post on a regular basis. Pick a time of day that you know you’ll be free and to post every day, or if you’re in and out of the studio you can schedule posts in advance.
MORE QUESTIONS? EMAIL litsa@adcfineart.com
WHEN The 2016 print publication is SOLD OUT! Opportunities for online and expo representation still available! WHAT Blink Art Resource puts your art at the fingertips of trade buyers through our annual catalog, online artist portfolios and national exhibits like Spectrum Miami, Artexpo New York and more! HOW www.blinkartresource.com
RUSUDAN KHIZANISHVILI Rusasan17@gmail.com +995 555 42 17 41 2015 - Solo Exhibition: Mauregard Gallery, France 2015 - Group Exhibition: Andly Marhol Gallery, Brussels, Belgium 2015 - Solo Exhibition: Vienna, Galerie Am Roten Hof
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2015 - Group Exhibition: CFCC’s Wilma W. Daniels Gallery, NC, USA 2015 - Group Exhibition: winner in Call For Chelsy, Chelsyw, NY, USA 2015 - Solo Exhibition: Makowski Galerie, Berlin, Germany
“Photography and Street Art in a new way ”
for more information about limited edition prints,original pieces and custom commissioned work.please contact GL Wood.
www.wolfeyescreative.com
213 804 8449
wolfeyescreative@gmail.com
2015 - Crawling Border: Participant of Georgian National Pavilion on the 56th Venice Art Biennale 2015 - Group Exhibition: Artist’s Book, Georgian National Museum of History, Tbilisi, Georgia
SPRING 2016
CONTENTS 54
FEATURES
54
SELLING ART SUCKS
Ann Rea has learned how to cash in without selling out BY JACK HAMANN
58
ARTEXPO NEW YORK
28
CONTRIBUTORS
32
INSIDE THE FRAME
News and notes from the art world
38
Pointillism artist Jonathan Brender
44
ART BEAT
Tips to be a better businessperson
PIECE OF WORK
BY P R I SC I L L A TA L L M A N
15 MINUTES BY LEE MERGNER
Spectrum Miami 2015 was one for the ages
Kris Gebhardt on the connection between physical fitness and artistic success
PERSPECTIVES BY ERIC SMITH
SPECTACULAR SPECTRUM MIAMI PHOTOS BY ROBERT J. HIBBS
68
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A sneak peek of the 2016 AENY event PHOTOS BY ROBERT J. HIBBS
62
COLUMNS & DEPTS.
BY L AURA Z ABEL
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CANVASSING THE LAW
Using art as collateral for a loan BY AL A N E . K AT Z
72
THIS SEASON’S SCULPTURE
Top places to view 3-D art between now and September BY MELISSA HART
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MAKING THEIR MARK
LaunchPad artists Brittany Segal and Renuka Adhav BY ISABEL THOT THAM
111 ADVERTISER INDEX 112 PARTING SHOT Check out the DECOR section on p. 91. On the cover: “Oil and Water,” Renuka Adhav. This page: “Marin Melts Dusk,” Ann Rea.
“Untitled,” Brittany Segal
PERSPECTIVES KEEPING COOL AMIDST CHANGE
W
hat an exciting start to 2016 we’re having here at Redwood Media Group. With two new acquisitions and an upcoming show premier, we’ve got our hands full in the best possible way. As I think back to the whirlwind that was 2015, I’m amazed at the challenges we overcame on the path to producing our fan-favorite shows and further expanding our repertoire. It all started with the unexpected news that we would have to move Spectrum Miami to a new location. After the initial shock wore off, we tackled our seemingly endless to-do list: Notify all 165 exhibitors and countless attendees, reprint VIP passes, revamp all our marketing materials, and purchase more advertising. In essence, we had to do everything necessary not only to fi x the issue but also to meet and exceed everyone’s expectations. It worked. Spectrum Miami was a huge success, with solid sales and more than 30,000 collectors in attendance. Moving to a new location proved to be a positive thing because the new venue was closer to hotels, had improved parking, and drew larger crowds. (Read more about Spectrum Miami’s success on page 62.) Shortly after the show wrapped, we signed the contracts on two new acquisitions, Art Santa Fe and Red Dot Art Fair Miami, which we’re thrilled to add to the RMG lineup. We’re also launching Spectrum Indian Wells in March and our first-ever [FOTO SOLO] in April at Artexpo New York. Speaking of Artexpo, exhibitors and trade buyers will be happy to know that we’re adding an all-new VIP lounge to the show, replete with a champagne bar and comfy furniture, offering a quiet place to ink new deals. We hope to see you at all of our events this year! In this issue, you’ll find a host of thought-provoking and informative articles, including Priscilla Tallman’s profile of Kris Gebhardt, a proponent of physical fitness and proper nutrition for artists, on page 68; Lee Mergner’s interview with pointillist painter Jonathan Brender on page 38; and a comprehensive guide to spring’s best sculpture exhibitions on page 72. That’s just a little taste; we hope you’ll enjoy those pieces and many more. Here’s to another productive year, full of exciting developments and continued success! With appreciation,
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Spring 2016 Phone: 888-881-5861 Email: letters@artbusinessnews.com Web: artbusinessnews.com CEO/Publisher Eric Smith Editor-in-Chief Megan Kaplon Managing Editor Linda Mariano Copy Editors Nina Benjamin, Fran Granville Contributors Jack Hamann, Melissa Hart, Alan E. Katz, Lee Mergner, Priscilla Tallman, Isabel Thottam, Laura Zabel Editorial inquiries: letters@artbusinessnews.com Art Director Mike O’Leary Senior Designer Lizz Anderson Advertising Rick Barnett Managing Director, Exhibitions & Media Sales Email: rick.barnett@redwoodmg.com Phone: 831-747-0112 Ashley Tedesco Director of Media Marketing Sales Email: ashley.tedesco@redwoodmg.com Phone: 831-970-5611 Rosana Rader Director of Sales & Exhibitions Email: rosana.rader@redwoodmg.com Phone: 831-840-4444 Operations and Finance Geoff Fox COO/CFO Email: geoff.fox@redwoodmg.com Laura Finamore Sales Administration Email: lfinamore@madavor.com Subscriptions Subscriptions to Art Business News are available to U.S. subscribers for $20 for one year (4 issues). Call 855-881-5861 or visit us online at artbusinessnews.com. Art Business News is published four times per year by Madavor Media. The name “Art Business News” is a registered trademark of Redwood Media Group. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form whatsoever without express written consent of publisher. SPRING 2016
Copyright © 2016
Grapes of Wrath
Still Waters
Scratching the Surface
Bubblegum Alley
topcontemporaryartist.com
CONTRIBUTORS Jack Hamann is a writer and documentary producer. He is the author of On American Soil, and a frequent contributor to The Writer magazine.
Eugene writer and teacher Melissa Hart is the author of Wild Within: How Rescuing Owls Inspired a Family (Lyons, 2014). Her website is melissahart.com.
Alan E. Katz is a partner in the New York City law firm Greenfield Stein & Senior, LLP, where he specializes in art law, real estate law, and software licensing.
Priscilla Tallman is a freelance writer passionate about fitness and health. She stays active by doing CrossFit, yoga, and tennis and believes life is truly lived better in motion. Isabel Thottam is a freelance writer and social media strategist who writes for Monster’s Career Blog and the Equifax Finance and Identity theft blogs and manages social media for Batch Nashville. Laura Zabel is executive director of Springboard for the Arts, which operates Creative Exchange, a platform for sharing free toolkits and resources for artists and communities. 28
SPRING 2016
RIYASHARMA
PHOTOGR APHY
RIYA SHAR MA lives and works in Kalol (N.G) Dist.Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. She holds a professional press card from the New York Institute of Photography and is an official photographer for their PhotoWorld Magazine. Riya Sharma’s Story Published in UK Two Biggest Selling Newspaper ABPL Group Publication: Asian Voice London and Gujarat Samachar London on 16th January 2016 for Exhibiting in The Brick Lane Gallery ( London) January 2016. As the First Indian Artist. Riya Sharma was honoured by Lions Club of kalol ‘CIA’, Lions Club of Kalol MAIN, Lions Club of CITY & KALOL & NAGRIK SAHKARI BANK LTD with certificates n gifts! Riya Sharma was featured in Divya Bhaskar Newspaper ( India ) twice for her work in June 2015.“ Her one of The black & white shot Taken by Mobile Phone is being published in Worldwide photography group official Facebook page under album Precious shots.” one of the artwork name Pious Devotee of Riya Sharma’s was selected by lens culture editors and featured in Exposure Awards Competition Gallery 2015. Riya Sharma is the First Indian To be graduated in Travel Photography and Professional Photography under New York Insitute of Photography (NYIP). Her Interview was Featured in Business of the Week on 20th November 2015. Riya Sharma at the age of 21 is Selected as first Indian Artist Agora Gallery (NewYork ) April 2016 and SPECTRUM Miami 2016 a juried, contemporary 5 Day Art Show/Fair.
contact@riyasharma.in • contact@riyasharma.net www.riyasharma.in • www.riyasharma.net
INSIDE THE FRAME New Exhibit at ArtsWestchester Explores Femininity OPENING MARCH 15, the exhibit SHE at ArtsWestchester in White Plains, New York, features 11 local artists examining and questioning what it means to be a woman in contemporary America. The artists use a variety of media to explore the themes of body, self-presentation, and gender roles. An opening reception will take place on Sunday, March 13, from 3 to 5 p.m., and the show will run through June 25. “Vir Domesticus,” Tricia Wright
GLOBAL FINE ART TO REPRESENT PHILLIPS AND VOJVODIC Global Fine Art Inc. recently announced the addition of two European painters to its family of artists. The South Bend, Indiana, distributor will now represent UK postsurrealist painter Frederick Phillips and Serbian landscape artist Vladimir Vojvodic. Global Fine Art will manage the gallery representation of these two artists and connect their work with collectors throughout the United States and North America. Prices for Phillips’ original works will range from $12,000 to $40,000, and prices for Vojvodic’s will range from $5,000 to $15,000. From left: “Coming,” Vladimir Vojvodic; “Synthesis,” Frederick Phillips.
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SPRING 2016
Alliance for Young Artists and Writers
Names New Assistant Executive Director
THE ALLIANCE for Young Artists and Writers—a nonprofit group that seeks to identify students with exceptional artistic talent, showcase their work, and provide scholarship opportunities—recently welcomed Debra Samdperil as its new assistant executive director of programs. Samdperil previously served as associate vice president for nondegree programs at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In her new role, Samdperil will lead the outreach efforts for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, for which the alliance serves as administrator, and she will work with the external-relations team to develop and sustain other projects and partnerships. At the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Samdperil led the regional scholarship submissions for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
ARTBUSINESSNEWS.COM
Holtzman Gallery
Played a Big Part in Claridge Hotel Resurrection Atlantic City, New Jersey, has until recently had a bleak narrative. Casino closures and a dwindling number of visitors have rocked the local economy. However, a few stories of innovation and resurgence have emerged to revive hope for the future of this East Coast tourist destination. One especially uplifting story is that of the Claridge Hotel. Built in the late 1920s, the “skyscraper by the sea,” as it was known, was once the tallest building in Atlantic City and featured a 20,000-square-foot casino. The hotel’s famous and infamous guests included John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Al Capone, and Frank Sinatra. But in 2005, all gaming operations at the hotel ceased, and things didn’t look good for the Claridge. However, since TJM Properties purchased it in 2014, the story has changed. The newly renovated 1920s-themed boutique hotel now boasts a restaurant and a theater, and the casino space that
sat empty for almost 10 years features a fine-art gallery. David Holtzman owns and operates the gallery, which he touts as the one of the largest independent fine-art galleries in the world. The gallery at the Claridge is Holtzman’s second gallery location; his first is in Ventnor, New Jersey, which he opened a few years earlier. The Holtzman Gallery at the Claridge—which is dedicated to Alex Holtzman, David’s late father, who was an avid painter and art collector—showcases the work of more than 50 artists, including Anthony Quinn, Burt Young, and Francis Mesaros in a museum-like setting. Since opening its doors in March 2015, the Holtzman Gallery at the Claridge has hosted jazz nights, cocktail receptions, and meet-the-artist events, and in March the gallery plans to host a fashion and art show, which it says will be the first of its kind in Atlantic City.
Clockwise from top left: “God’s First Touch,” Francis Mesaros; “Zorba, A Self Portrait,” Anthony Quinn; The Holtzman Gallery at the Claridge.
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INSIDE THE FRAME
ART FOR THE BLIND JOHN OLSON, a former Life magazine photographer, has pioneered a way for blind people to experience art. Olson’s company, 3DPhotoWorks, converts 2-D images, including paintings, drawings, collages, and photographs, into 3-D products that have texture and depth and that include sensors that play audio clips when a user touches them. From left: A young child explores the 3-D version of Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze’s “Washington Crossing the Delaware”; John Olson poses with the 3-D versions of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Vincent Van Gogh’s “Dr. Gachet.”
Last of Stolen N.C. Wyeth Paintings Recovered In October 2015, an anonymous third party returned to authorities the last two of six stolen N.C. Wyeth paintings. The six paintings were stolen from the Portland, Maine, home of Joseph Soley in 2013. Four were subsequently recovered in December 2014 at a Beverly Hills pawnshop. Lawrence Estrella, a New Hampshire man with a record of previous burglaries, was convicted of illegally transporting the final two paintings across state lines. The value of the two paintings recovered in October, “Go Dutton, and That Right Speedily” and “The Encounter on Freshwater Cliff,” has been estimated at hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. The Portland Museum of Art recently featured all six recovered paintings by the New England native in a special exhibit. No one has been arrested for the theft of the final two recovered paintings.
N.C. Wyeth circa 1920.
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SPRING 2016
ATELIER BALL FIGURATIVE SCULPTURE www.atelierball.com
ARTBUSINESSNEWS.COM
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TRANSITION Oil on Canvas, 4’ x 5’
HER EARTHLY VISION Oil on Canvas, 5’ x 4’
BETWEEN THE LINES Oil on Belgian Linen, 3’9” x 5’3”
www.susannmccolloughart.com susannmccolloughart@aol.com | (251) 967-7677 Artexpo NY Booth #242
H. ALLEN BENOWITZ Fine Art Photography
H. Allen Benowitz, a selftaught photographer, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and a graduate from the Interboro Institute of Business, migrated to Miami, FL, in the 1960s, where he currently resides. As an evolution from the accomplishments of his professional court reporting, legal videography, and videoconferencing career, the camera became a natural segue to photography, awakening an earlier passion from childhood.
To purchase art, contact:
H. ALLEN BENOWITZ 1800 NE 114 Street-1710 N. Miami, FL 33181-3412 305.586.1181 H-Allen@gate.net www.H-AllenArt.com Viewings by appointment
Mr. Benowitz has been invited by His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, to photo journal his country’s Moussem de Tan-Tan annual festival. 20,000 tribesmen and foreign dignitaries met for a cultural and professional exchange mission south of Casablanca in the Sahara Desert. It has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage for Peace and the Humanities. Mr. Benowitz also
returned from Cuba on a humanitarian mission where he photographed “Life in Cuba.” A preview of his new work from his 28-day trip to Asia has been well received. He has exhibited and/ or lectured in Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and New York. More recently, his work has been on display at the Louvre in Paris, Fr. His photo subjects include Nature, wildlife, people, architecture, and adventure travel.
15 MINUTES BY LEE MERGNER
POINT MAN
JONATHAN BRENDER FINDS INSPIRATION FOR HIS SIGNATURE STYLE IN THE POINTILLIST ARTWORK OF ABORIGINES
V
enezuelan-born painter Jonathan Brender’s bright pointillism pieces have made him popular with collectors in the United States and Europe. The South Florida resident, who first received his artistic education in ceramics and sculpture, spoke with ABN contributor Lee Mergner at Spectrum Miami, where he contemplated light, inspiration, and the changing nature of art as a career. ART BUSINESS NEWS: Do you remember your first piece of work that others recognized? JONATHAN BRENDER: I do remember. The beginnings of my art were from a trip I took to Australia in the back country where the Aborigines live. I stayed there for two months learning their art of pointillism. They used to do big faces with a million dots—aborigine faces, maybe kangaroos. I was so amazed at their patience and how many points [it took]. I started modifying that art into [portraits of] modern icons. My first [pointillism piece] was a face of Bob Marley, which had immediate success in my exposition in London. Then I knew I had something going on,
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something different from other artists. I started pursuing that, and, in two years’ time, I started attending Spectrum and other shows, and it just skyrocketed. I can only make 10 to 12 paintings a year because it takes that much time, and physically it takes a toll on my shoulders and on my fingers. Once I started selling out all my yearly productions or collections, I knew that I really had something special and different. ABN: What drew you to that form? JB: I think it’s the time-consuming aspect of each painting. I need that time consumption to maintain my mind in the same way. For me, working eight hours, 10 hours, 12 hours a day for a month and a half doing only points … keeps me from going insane. ABN: For most people it would be the opposite! Do you listen to music while working? JB: Yes, only classical and jazz. And, [contrary to] what people might think, I can’t drink a drop of alcohol when I’m painting because I cannot have my hands shake even just an itty bit. When I’m painting, I’m at my most sober time.
ABN: How has your work evolved over the years? JB: I’ve been doing this for 15 years. It has evolved, first of all, in the number of dots I do. When I started out, I did 20,000 or 25,000 dots. Now, I’m up to 180,000 dots. Also, I’m incorporating a few UV tints and inks that work only in darkness or with a UV light. I’m also doing some geometrical forms that you can see only from far away, and, from near you can see only the dots. I think I’ve come a long way. ABN: What is your relationship with the people who buy your art? JB: Usually, nowadays, I don’t even meet my clients. When I started out, I sold them personally to each of my clients. Now, it has become somewhat of a real business, where my PR manager takes care of all the sales. It’s really strange when I meet the real buyer. And they’re mostly from Europe. I really don’t get to meet them personally, which is something I really would like to do. ABN: Why has Europe been a better market for you? JB: I was born in Venezuela, but I’m an American. The place to be historically for
SPRING 2016
“Untitled 4,” by Jonathan Brender
art, besides Europe, is America. I collect pop art from American artists, which is hugely collectible. But Europeans, I think, buy more art. I think Americans buy more expensive art but fewer pieces. But Europeans like the emerging artists. They’ll buy an entire collection of one emerging artist. It’s a different market. It’s really interesting—the chemistry between the European buyers and the American buyers. It’s totally different. ABN: How has technology changed the business side for you? JB: That’s something I’m still trying to adapt to. A hand-painting artist [like myself] doesn’t have the time for this
ARTBUSINESSNEWS.COM
new media—Facebook, Instagram, and whatever. You get to the point where you have to hire somebody to manage that. But if you don’t have sales, then you can’t manage that. So you’re without an arm or a leg. Thank God I do sell out my collections each year, so I have two people to take care of that. It’s a really important part of being an artist in this day. ABN: Technology has changed things for the galleries, as well. JB: Nobody walks into a gallery now unless they have bought from there before. Now you go online and you have 100 pages—Saatchi, Amazon, whatever—that specialize in handmade art. Now you
don’t have to walk through three or five or eight galleries. Now you just go online and find whatever you’re looking for. People who buy art … have something on their mind that they really want to buy. They have to research. The technology now goes like the left hand with the right hand for the artists and their paintings. ABN: But it’s hard to really experience the 3D and tactile aspects of art online. A JPEG is very different from a piece of art. JB: On my website, you can see my paintings, but you can’t really appreciate each of the dots I do because it’s a digital image. You have to look at it closely.
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Clockwise from top left: “Untitled 1,” by Jonathan Brender; Brender at Spectrum Miami; “Untitled 5,” by Jonathan Brender.
“Art is supposed to be seen in real life and in the real light. But you either modify, or you die. You either keep up with the times, or you wither. It’s a fight between the old-school art that we love and cherish and the new age.” For me as an artist, it’s hard that people like to look first at the work on a computer. Art is supposed to be seen in real life and in the real light. But you either modify, or you die. You either keep up with the times, or you wither. It’s a fight between the old-school art that we love and cherish and the new age. ABN: Light is a big issue for all art, but how does light affect your work? JB: I only work with yellow light, and, interestingly enough, I can’t work with light hitting directly on the canvas. I need light to be from any of the sides, so I paint on a light shadow. It’s really different from other painters, who need natural light or white light. I need yellow light and [to be in the] shadows.
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ABN: Why is that? JB: It makes me measure the dots and the position of the dots better. ABN: Like the filmmakers’ magic hour? JB: Yes, I actually start at 7 a.m., and when the light gets heavy, I can’t paint anymore. ABN: What was the last piece of art you saw from another artist that inspired you or struck you? JB: I can’t think of any emerging artists that really wowed me recently, but I would say that my favorite artist in history is Jackson Pollock. At that date he started doing his style, it was a revolution. No one dared to do that. And
the colors he used. It was so simple but yet so shocking. I think the first painting I saw of his was No. 203 or something. I remember my first paintings. I didn’t put names; I put numbers. He was my biggest influence, although my technique has nothing to with that. He was so bold and so risky. And I also identify with his personal life [laughs]. ABN: What do you get from coming to a show like Spectrum Miami or Artexpo New York? JB: I have a great connection with Spectrum and with Artexpo. First of all, the organization is incredible. The friendliness, for it being an art event, is unbelievable. The networking I see here is really difficult to find in other places, mainly because the ambiance here is not that of old-school galleries. Everybody here is young. There are new galleries. Everybody is on the same page. Nobody thinks they are bigger or better than anybody. Everybody here is the same. This attracts me the most [to] the Redwood shows. ABN
SPRING 2016
Sydney Wellman • Purple Barn Studios purplebarnstudios.com • purplebarnstudios@gmail.com • 412-996-8607
HUA YUAN origins of oriental cultural legacy
polished by the sands of time
the silk road huayuan
历久 弥新
Huayuan seeks to present the legendary cultural heritage of the ‘Ancient Silk Road’, and is dedicated to enhancing the influence of Dunhuang art's historical and miraculous legacy in the world.
Mogao Cave 57 - guan yin
mogao Cave 428 Buddha
gautama buddha
maijishan121 - wispering between buddha and disciple
silk road cutural heritage thangka・ suzhou embroidery・ lacquer painting・dunhuang art from THE ANCIENT SILK ROAD
Thursday 14th to Sunday 17th April 2016 | at Pier 94 www.huayuanus.com ｜ 1 (212) 574 4579 ｜ 424 BROADWAY 6FL NEW YORK NY
Blabber Mouth
When No One is Looking
BessetteArt.com
ART BEAT BY LAURA ZABEL
SHARPEN YOUR BUSINESS SAVVY
5 TIPS FOR BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST, BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND FINANCIALLY
M
aking a living as an artist is an expansive, ever-evolving challenge. However, artists have found ways to make it work for centuries, pooling income from sales, patronage, teaching, grants, fellowships, and day jobs. New opportunities for artists have recently opened up through digital platforms, social media, and licensing, and knowing which business opportunities to take on can be overwhelming. But, just as the practice of fundamental creative techniques can make artists’ work better, artists can practice fundamental business techniques that will make their professional work stronger. Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists, a free digital toolkit from Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota, guides artists through those business practices. It covers career planning, marketing, legal considerations, business plans, and more. The toolkit is based on a series of professional-development workshops that have been delivered to more than 5,000 artists in 80 communities. The toolkit includes 12 units with activities and templates to use in planning your career goals and strategies, as well as a series of videos of artists sharing their experiences and best
business practices. Here are five tips to get you started from the Work of Art toolkit; think of them as the business equivalent of stretching your canvases and sharpening your pencils before you get ready to start your masterpiece. MAKE TIME TO MAKE ART You can’t make a living as an artist if you’re not making art. But life can be complicated, and distractions are everywhere, so making time for your work requires setting goals. Use the S.M.A.R.T. (simple, measurable, action, relevant, and time-bound) framework to clearly articulate your goals and get your art going. GET YOUR PORTFOLIO IN ORDER Getting your work out into the world is a key part of making a living and a life as an artist. But what work should you be introducing? And how do you make sure that the work is right? Use the “Portfolio” module in the toolkit to clean up your artist statement, résumé, and work samples. The pieces you exhibit to the world should be your best work and representation of you now and historically.
The Springboard for the Arts Work of Art toolkit; A cartoon from the “Time Management” module of the toolkit.
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SPRING 2016
A Springboard for the Arts workshop; Laura Zabel, executive director of Springboard for the Arts.
PRICE YOUR WORK RIGHT Selling work can be a daunting challenge for any artist, and setting the price can seem like a high hurdle. Depending on your arts practice, you may have material or studio costs, labor costs for your working time, overhead costs for getting your work to market, and a profit that you want to make. If that challenge sounds daunting, don’t worry; the “Pricing” unit walks you through the steps to help you nail your price point. PROTECT YOURSELF Artists face many issues around the use of images, copyright, intellectual property, and work for hire. The “Legal Considerations” module helps you get up to speed on legal terms and covers the questions you should ask to protect yourself in contracting. It also includes a sample cease-anddesist letter template, just in case you need to use it. FIND YOUR CIRCLE Whether your practice is solo studio time or communityengaged creation, you put in the work to make it better. The same is true for your business practice, and it’s even better if you have a circle of support. Work with other artists to share information, opportunities, and support. ABN Laura Zabel is executive director of Springboard for the Arts, which operates Creative Exchange, a platform for sharing free toolkits and resources for artists and communities.
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art by Ancizar
(954) 628-2827
www.artbyancizar.com
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PATRICIA RIEGER / COLD SONG, SHE, 2014 / ARTSPOT
JEFFREY BISAILLON / ZEN / JBIS CONTEMPORARY
PREMIER CONTEMPORARY ART SHOWS From Redwood Media Group
A Year’s Worth of Art & Design SPECTRUM INDIAN WELLS
ARTEXPO NEW YORK
[SOLO]
[FOTO SOLO]
ART SANTA FE
ART SAN DIEGO
RED DOT ART FAIR
SPECTRUM MIAMI
March 17-20, 2016 Renaissance Indian Wells Resort spectrum-indianwells.com
July 7-10, 2016 Santa Fe Convention Center artsantafe.com
April 14-17, 2016 Pier 94, NYC artexponewyork.com
November 3-6, 2016 Balboa Park, CA art-sandiego.com
April 14-17, 2016 Pier 94, NYC newyork-solo.com
Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2016 Arts & Entertainment District reddotmiami.com
April 14-17, 2016 Pier 94, NYC newyork-fotosolo.com
Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2016 Arts & Entertainment District spectrum-miami.com
Discover Redwood Media Group’s cutting-edge art exhibitions, art marketing events, and more. WWW.REDWOODMG.COM I INFO@REDWOODMG.COM
BRIAN GOODMAN / PRISMATIC EXPLORATION 1
JEREMY THOMAS / GT 750 ORANGE, 2015 / CHARLOTTE JACKSON FINE ART
DARIAN RODRIGUEZ MEDEROS / ESTIGMAS / CONDE CONTEMPORARY
EXPERIENCE THE EXCITEMENT AS ART SANTA FE & RMG JOIN FORCES
JULY 7–10 I SANTA FE CONVENTION CENTER I 16TH EDITION
Contemporary Artwork by 50+ Galleries Special Events & Entertainment Signature Programming Interested in exhibiting or attending? Contact us today. WWW.ARTSANTAFE.COM
CANVASSING THE LAW BY ALAN E. KATZ, ESQ.
BORROWING
WITH ART AS COLLATERAL CREATE ADDITIONAL INCOME WITH YOUR ART
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SPRING 2016
serazetdinov/Shutterstock
“A
booming art market has many investors viewing their collections in a new way—as cash machines.” So reported The Wall Street Journal in an article by Andrew Blackman from June 14, 2015. Blackman notes that, with art prices rising, many collectors realize that the value of their art collections has increased substantially. However, collectors have many valid reasons to keep their art rather than sell it if they want to tap into that wealth. A collector may prefer to use the proceeds from a loan, rather than a sale, to purchase additional artwork, raise cash, expand a business, invest in a new business, refinance debt, diversify an investment portfolio, or fund life events, such as a divorce settlement or estate taxes. Why has the art lending market become so hot? From the art collector’s perspective, numerous reasons exist for borrowing against, rather than selling, art. For example, the sale of art involves significant transaction costs and taxes. The federal long-term capital-gains tax on profit from the sale of art is 28 percent. Adding state and local taxes can result in a total tax bill of 40 percent or more on the gain, depending on the seller’s legal residence. Furthermore, the negative publicity that may result from selling a trophy piece of art, particularly through an auction house, in which the sale is well-known to the public, could lead the collector’s peers to assume that the seller is in financial distress. Both major banks and smaller specialist lenders offer art-secured loans. Private banks typically offer loans ranging from $1 million to $10 million, with the loans generally not exceeding 50 percent of the appraised value of the art that the seller pledges as collateral. There is sometimes also a minimum value of $100,000 to $200,000 for each piece of art
in the collection being pledged. Specialty lenders often deal with loans starting as low as $100,000. Lenders offer a variety of loan types in today’s market. They can be term loans for as long as 10 years, structured as interest only; partially amortizing or fully amortizing facilities; lines of credit to fund short-term cash needs; revolving-credit facilities to fund recurring cash needs; recourse loans; or nonrecourse loans. In recourse loans, the art serves as collateral for the loan, but the borrower also must give a personal guarantee of repayment. If the borrower defaults and the art that has been pledged as collateral is of insufficient value for the bank to recover the full amount of its loan, then the bank can make a claim on the borrower’s other assets. A nonrecourse loan does not require the borrower’s personal guarantee, and the lender can look only to the art that has been pledged as collateral. Some banks offer art-secured loans at interest rates of only 2.5 or 3 percent to ultra-high-net-worth collectors, such as hedge-fund manager Steven A. Cohen, whose art collection is reportedly worth an estimated $1 billion. In contrast, some small specialty lenders, such as Borro, can charge interest rates as high as 59 percent on an annualized basis in California and 47 percent in most other states. Most private bank loans are in the high-single-digit to low-double-digit range, however. Even with these sky-high interest rates, the art-lending market is estimated at $9.6 billion a year, according to the Deloitte Luxembourg and ArtTactic Art & Finance Report from 2014. However, when you consider that global art sales that year were estimated at $63 billion, it is clear that only a small percentage of the art market is taking advantage of the benefits of borrowing against one’s art. Art lenders have concerns that are specific to art as collateral. For example, the value of art is subjective and may fluctuate to a greater degree than other types of collateral. Art is relatively illiquid, and the provenance and authenticity of art present unique challenges to a lender. To establish provenance, the borrower must provide the lender with proof, such as purchase documents, exhibition history, and sales history, and must state whether any catalogs have included the artwork. Authenticity issues, on the other hand, relate to whether the artist alleged to have created the artwork did in fact do so. Certain types of artwork carry other risks that the lender must consider as well. Art from ancient civilizations faces the possibility that the gov-
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ernment of the country of origin will try to recover it. The borrower must convince the lender that he or she is the legal and beneficial owner, that no other ownership claims exist, and that the artwork is not war booty or stolen goods.
Art lenders have concerns that are specific to art as collateral. For example, the value of art is subjective and may fluctuate to a greater degree than other types of collateral. In the United States, the lender will secure its interest in the collateral by filing a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) financing statement, which in effect tells the world that the lender is the holder of the security interest in the artwork. This mechanism is generally not available to lenders in Europe. The lender must file the UCC financing statement in the state of the borrower’s principal residence. If the borrower has multiple residences, it is good practice to file in all such states. Because the value of art can vary significantly over time, the lender will often claim that it has the right to do an annual appraisal of the art at the borrower’s expense. The loan-to-value ratio usually cannot exceed 50 percent; if the appraisal indicates that the value of the art has declined, then the borrower may have to repay a portion of the loan, reduce the size of a revolving credit facility, or pledge additional collateral to the lender. Generally, the lender will permit the art to remain in the home or warehouse of the borrower. In some circumstances, however, the lender will require that the art be stored in a warehouse, where the lender would have unfettered access to reappraise or seize the art in the event of a default by the borrower. The lender may permit the borrower to loan the art to a third party, such as a museum or gallery, but may insist upon an agreement with the third party establishing the lender’s rights to access or seize the artwork. Using art as collateral for a variety of loans, while in most cases maintaining the ability to continue to enjoy the art, has great appeal to many art collectors. ABN
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“Take the road less traveled on a lush tropical drive on Maui and see this diamond in the rough.” TurnbulL STUDIOS
– Maui’s No Ka Oi Magazine Meet a family of sculptors that showcases only island art. Enjoy a stroll through the sculpture garden and an experience that will last forever.
“Serpentine” by Steve Turnbull 20"x 22"x 80" Native Hawaiian Ohai wood
Gallery and studio open daily 10am to 5pm • Private appointments & events welcome www.turnbullstudios.org • www.steveturnbullsculpture.com
LESLIENOLAN•THOMASDODD•ALFREDOPALMERO • STEFFENFAISST• NIHALKECECI • BRYANGROSE •JULIAHACKER•ISAOTOMODA
GALLERY NK • 321 K STREET, NE WASHINGTON DC | www.galleryonk.com | info@galleryonk.com
LENA MEDEIROS Enigma 42"
Adam Tramantano “What you see isn’t just what you see, it’s what you feel, it’s what you try to think and try not to think. It’s the entire experience of life as you are seeing. It is the presence.”
website tramantano.com email tramantano@gmail.com instagram adamtramantano
www.lenamedeiros.com • 201.963.3472 52
Originals available at https://www.artfinder.com/tramantano
SPRING 2016
P R I N T
ST U D I O
Fine Art Prints from Artist Tim Parker
Purchase online at Art2Dstudio.com For Information call 239-595-9369 or email: info@Art2D.com
ARTBUSINESSNEWS.COM
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Selling Art
SUCKS
HOW ANN REA MAKES BOTH ART AND MONEY B Y
JAC K H A M A N N
“Drifting,” by Ann Rea 54
SPRING 2016
Ann Rea was once one of those artists. Stuck in a cubicle. Staring at a screen. Collecting modest paychecks for work entirely unrelated to the five years it took her to earn an art degree. And hating every minute of it. “I had to pay back a student loan,” Rea recalls. “I had to pay a mortgage. I had to pay for adult life. Art just wasn’t a practical option.” These days, however, Rea’s art is more than practical; it’s downright lucrative. Gone are the cubicle, screen, and static paychecks. In their place are paintings, patrons, and the joy of a career that more than pays the bills. Except that, as Rea tells it, art is not a career. She points to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, which in 2014 listed only 3,300 fine artists employed in the United States. “There are no jobs for fine artists,” says Rea. “If there are no jobs for fine artists, then there are no careers for them, either. “If you want to make art and make money, then pursuing an art career is a dead-end road,” she says. “Successful artists run businesses.” They didn’t teach business at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where Rea focused on industrial design, graduating in 1987. Art school left her with student-loan debt and the impression that artistic success depends on pursuing permission from the art establishment. For Rea, that strategy was toxic. She grew up in what she says was an alcoholic household. A relatively brief marriage ended when her ex revealed his own drinking issues. Relentless ennui and sadness plagued her unhappy years at various desk jobs. At the urging of a friend, Rea pulled her brushes and a canvas out of storage.
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“I started painting again as a way to alleviate my own anxiety and depression,” she says. “I had no intention of actually selling my work at that point or even showing it.” The more time she invested at her easel, the better she felt. The better she felt, the more her art blossomed. “Anxiety is a preoccupation with the future, and depression is a fixation on the past. When I paint, I’m able to be 100 percent in the present,” Rea explains. Rea had talent enough to enter the world of galleries and representatives, but that move proved a poor pairing. Looking back, she says, she felt that the art establishment had abused her in ways that felt like abuse at the hands of her family, her ex, and a lecherous former boss. “As soon as I recognized that, I said, ‘Well, hell no. Why am I doing this? I don’t like it that I’m not getting paid. I don’t like it that people lost my art. I don’t like it that they sent it back damaged. I don’t like it that I have to wait for a show. I don’t like it that they’re asking me if they can discount my work and have me eat the discount. I don’t like that. It doesn’t work for me.’” Rea reached a turning point. She says she “fired” the galleries she worked with, relationships she now describes as “pretty lame.” “I don’t want to work that damn hard for permission to just show my art so it might sell, and they keep half or maybe more. “I’d much rather cultivate a relationship with a patron. Get paid up front. Not allow any discounting. Keep all of the money. And through that relationship, get repeat purchases and referrals to their friends and family. That’s a smarter way to go.”
Ann Rea’s 10 Signs
You’re Approaching Your Art as a Hobby, Not a Sustainable Business 1. You’re using Etsy as your primary distribution channel. 2. You display your résumé on your website instead of communicating clear benefits to your target market. 3. You have “poverty consciousness,” and you take some pride in it. 4. You have a website versus an e-commerce site. That’s like having a store without a cash register. 5. You proudly display inventory that you’ve already sold. Think about it. Would Tiffany’s display a diamond engagement ring in the front window if it were not for sale? 6. You spend more time hoping versus planning daily focused action. 7. You do not have an up-to-date onepage business and marketing plan. 8. You do not have professional photographs of your inventory or yourself. 9. You enter art contests for validation. (Please tell me you don’t pay to enter these contests.) Selling—not showing— your art is validation. 10. You don’t have a mentor who has accomplished what you want to accomplish. 55
“Rushing Home,” by Ann Rea
Remembering San Francisco In 1905, Henri Matisse visited Collioure, France, near the Spanish border. His paintings of the village’s churches are among his most respected works. Other artists, including Pablo Picasso and André Derain, also found inspiration in the same small village. More than a century later, Ann Rea visited Collioure with one of her mentors, landscape painter Gregory Kondos. She was struck by a particularly stunning view of the Chapel of St. Vincent, but her easel was unavailable. An hour later, she saw a Matisse drawing of that same scene in a museum. That vivid interpretation was the most memorable moment of her French adventure, and the memory of the chapel was stuck in her head forever. Returning home to San Francisco, Rea considered how landscape paintings can evoke powerful memories and emotions. She has focused the idea into a new business, Remember San Francisco. “People come from all over the world to experience San Francisco, and they get herded to the usual places,” she says. “I’ll offer an artist’s tour, perhaps three per season, where a visitor can go and experience the city from an artist’s unique perspective.” Visitors to her new e-commerce site, RememberSanFrancisco.com, will receive geo-coordinates to her favorite, often hidden, spots. When visitors reach the venue, they’ll have a chance to use her website—and, soon, a smartphone app—to hear or watch Rea describe the site’s artistic and emotional appeal. If her customers find their own inspiration at any of the locations, they can purchase a fine-art print of that spot. “A friend of mine had a medical condition and faced certain, imminent death,” says Rea. “When he and his wife reminisced about their many years together, they talked mostly about the places they had traveled. Travel memories are among our most powerful, and fine art of places we remember offers unique value.”
Living near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Rea grew increasingly confident painting landscapes bathed in the Bay Area’s hazy warm light. Rea reached out to the region’s renowned wineries, where she’d paint a permanent reminder of a memorable setting. In her first year painting vineyards, Rea earned more than $100,000—far more than she’d ever made in her office jobs. As word of her business model spread, Rea took the next step: teaching other artists what she had learned. Rea created the website Artists Who Thrive and copyrighted the phrase “Making Art Making Money.” Her online seminars made her a minor sensation, and an interview with podcast guru Alex Blumberg introduced strangers to some of the darker chapters in her life’s journey. “Most of my closest friends had never heard those stories,” she says. Those dark chapters, however, are central to her curriculum. First and foremost, she tells her students to find their personal purpose. “Look at the three most painful moments and three most joyful moments in your life,” she says. “Ask yourself: What was the lesson in each of those moments, and what was the lesson in all of it? That’s your purpose, because, if you look at the most painful moments in your life, they stand in stark contrast to your most deeply held values.” For Rea, those values were financial and creative independence. Armed with that insight, Rea tells her students, “You don’t want to sell art. Why? Because selling art sucks. You want to create value above and beyond your art and sell that.” In her case, accompanying clients to a favorite spot and creating a memory they’ll hang on their wall and cherish
SPRING 2016
“Leaving Summer,” by Ann Rea
is added value beyond the art. Her patrons see more than art; they remember an experience. For some, Rea’s approach is simply too commercial—a sell-out. Rea, however, insists she is selling art without selling out. “If you want to truly deliver unique value and a passionate mission that will resonate with other people, you cannot sell out. You have to absolutely stand firm in who you are and what you stand for. And know your values. And never, ever compromise. “When you submit to the art establishment and try and figure out [its] crazy rules, that’s more of a sell-out.” Recently, Rea’s easel time has had to take a backseat to her seminars and
ARTBUSINESSNEWS.COM
consulting. But at the start of 2016, she says she’s determined to bring her art back to the fore. The sudden death of two close friends has added new urgency and perspective. “Life is precious—and short,” she says. Even so, she’s not ready to cede the bully pulpit. She recently relaunched her Making Art Making Money website with a renewed determination to free fellow artists from a wait-to-bediscovered mindset. “The new creative class of artists is leveraging the Internet to reach [its] target market and delivering a unique value proposition. That’s the type of artist I can help. “Artists need to take their power back. It’s long overdue.” ABN
“You don’t want to sell art. Why? Because selling art sucks. You want to create value above and beyond your art and sell that.”
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ARTEXPO N E W YO R K 2 0 1 6
A DON’T-MISS EVENT PHOTOS BY ROBERT J. HIBBS
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FOR 38 YEARS AND COUNTING, Artexpo New York has been changing the way people buy and sell art. An annual juried art show, Artexpo brings the biggest publishers, galleries, and collectors face-to-face with hundreds of established and emerging artists. It is exactly what it claims to be: the world’s largest fine-art marketplace. There, many of the world’s most renowned artists, including Andy Warhol, Peter Max, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Indian, Keith Haring, and Leroy Neiman, launched their careers. Which artists will get a chance at fame this year? In 2016, Artexpo will host more than 400 innovative exhibiting artists, galleries, and art publishers from across the globe, showcasing exciting original artwork, prints, paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, ceramics, giclées, lithographs, glass work, and more—all under one roof. The show will take place from April 14–17 at Pier 94, New York City’s hub for art, fashion, and design events. Each year, thousands of art-industry insiders flock to Artexpo New York in search of the art and artists that will shape trends in galleries worldwide. Annually hosting more than 28,000 avid art enthusiasts, it is also the largest international gathering of qualified trade buyers, including gallery owners and managers, art dealers, interior designers, architects, corporate-art buyers, and art and framing retailers.
ARTBUSINESSNEWS.COM
Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Aisle upon aisle of artwork delights the throngs of show attendees; Exhibitors brush up on business skills during Artexpo’s Topics & Trends seminars; Surveying the fine paintings of Anna Art Publishing.
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THREE SHOWS IN ONE As in past years, Artexpo, a juried collection of global galleries, art publishers, and established artists, will colocate with [SOLO], a juried exhibition of innovative, independent artists from around the world. This year, Artexpo will also include [FOTO SOLO], which features collections of fine-art photography from the world’s finest abstract, contemporary, and realist photographers. [FOTO SOLO] thus echoes [SOLO]’s philosophy of supporting the career opportunities of independent artists.
ARTEXPO NEW YORK EVENTS This year’s show is jam-packed with fabulous parties, live demonstrations, helpful seminars, and more. Thursday’s VIP Opening Night Preview Party from 4 to 7 p.m. will kick off the weekend and will include complimentary beverages, hors d’oeuvres, and entertainment, as well as the unveiling of the 2016 Poster Challenge winner. The soirées continue with Friday Night at Artexpo from 5 to 7 p.m., with more libations
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and chances to mingle with artists and gallery owners. Throughout the weekend, attendees will have a chance to get up close and personal with the artists during exclusive meet-the-artist events and demonstrations, and with thousands of artworks on display, they’ll be sure to find the piece of art they’ve been looking for.
TOPICS & TRENDS EDUCATIONAL SERIES Alongside the three shows, the event features four days of cutting-edge Topics & Trends, seminars and conference classes offering expert perspectives on art and the economy, small-business management, art marketing, social media for artists, and other subjects. Free with admission, the series once again promises to be jam-packed with valuable information and ideas. Topics & Trends has something on the slate for everyone, with artists sharing experiences and expert advice in Art Talk sessions and industry experts giving practical advice on art licensing, event marketing, color trends, and design ideas.
SPRING 2016
Artexpo New York 2016 Hours & Location
VIP Opening Night Preview Party Thursday, April 14 4 – 7 p.m. Open to all attendees
EXHIBITORS: RETURNING FAVORITES AND NEW FACES Favorite exhibitors will be in the halls again this year. Mattson’s Fine Art, Art Design Consultants, Progressive Fine Art, Smart Publishing, and Artblend return with some of their most popular artists as well as new artists and collections to excite you. Favorite artists will include Socrates Marquez, Samir Sammoun, Brad Robertson, Louise Cutler, Nick Paciorek, James Paterson, and John Napoli, who will be there to greet attendees with their new collections. And you won’t want to miss the new [FOTO SOLO] extension of the [SOLO] pavilion, where some of the best fine-art photographers will be showcasing their amazing work. Put it on your calendar. It’s always a don’t-miss event, and this year won’t disappoint. It’s an unrivaled opportunity to see and buy great art, meet the artists, learn their stories, and enjoy all the excitement Artexpo has to offer. ABN
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Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Examining the whimsical work of James Paterson Sculpture Gallery; Picasso pieces at the Masterworks Fine Art booth; Artexpo’s bustling registration desk; An inspiring Art Talk with glass artists from Mattson’s Fine Art. This page: Two attendees take in the work of Florencia Aise at the Wynwood 28 booth.
Show Hours Thursday, April 14 noon – 7 p.m. Trade-only day Friday, April 15 noon – 7 p.m. Saturday, April 16 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday, April 17 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Show Address Pier 94 711 12th Ave at 55th Street and the West Side Highway New York, NY 10019-5399 61
S PECTA
SPECTRUM From international art collectors to Miami Art Week fashionistas, Spectrum Miami 2015 attracted art lovers of all kinds to its five-day fine-art extravaganza in its amazing new location in Miami’s Arts and Entertainment District. More than 29,000 people attended the world-class contemporary art show, which took place Dec. 2–6. Throughout the week, throngs of people enjoyed Planet Fashion TV’s “Art Loves Fashion” show, Life Is Art’s live Artplay creation, and the extraordinary Art Lab Illumination Project that lit up the tent and the night sky over Spectrum Miami. The electric energy that the show promised and delivered was a magnet to attendees, who reveled in the city’s palpable Miami Art Week buzz. Take a look at some of the highlights from this year’s amazing show and read interviews with two Spectrum exhibitors. 62
SPRING 2016
MIAMI
2015
CUL AR Photos by Robert J. Hibbs Interviews by Lee Mergner
Clockwise from top left: A dreamy original from the Kevin McPherrin Gallery watches over the showgoers; Max Zorn attracts a crowd with his innovative packing-tape art; Spectrum’s “Light the Night” Art Lab illuminates the show entrance; Bold bursts of color fill the Tanner Lawley Group booth; Mingling at the Opening Night VIP Party.
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AS HEARD AT SPECTRUM MIAMI
Q&A with artist MAX ZORN ABN: How did you come upon
on my window and put the video up
ABN: But you’re able to work
your unique technique of creating
on YouTube. I was gone for a week to
around it?
art with packing tape?
surf, and I came back to something
MZ: Sometimes when the day is
MZ: It started with the idea to do
like 3,000 emails, and I thought I
over, I do peel some pieces off
street art in Amsterdam. Amsterdam
must have been spammed. I didn’t
that are really in places I can’t use
has these beautiful old streetlamps,
even read them. But then I thought I
them. Other than that, I can usually
and I saw so much street art in the
should check that video, and maybe
cut them to make them part of the
daytime, but no artist was using
I’ll have 20 or 30 clicks on it. I had
artwork. Most of the time, it works.
city lights and streetlamps as a
over 100,000 in the first week and
canvas. I started with little sketches
on up to over a million soon after.
ABN: What do you get from that
with colored markers on Plexiglas.
People asked me for artwork, and
interaction?
And one night I put up one of these
people asked me to events, and I
MZ: It was born first out of necessity
sketches with a piece of brown
was totally not ready for it. But it was
to have people understand what
packing tape. It was the first time I
the moment when I had to decide,
these works are made of. We
saw how the packing tape interacts
“Do I take that chance, and do I start
had them at exhibitions, and
with light and creates the sepia tones
working and diving into that crazy
people liked it, but there was no
that remind us of old photography.
pool and start swimming?” I decided
understanding between the artwork
I thought that was interesting. The
to do that. I had all day to develop
and the audience. So, I thought,
next morning I still had that roll of
techniques. Every day of the week, I
“All right, I have to just show it.” I
tape. I started on my kitchen window,
was taping. It gave me the chance
didn’t like it at the beginning. It was
unrolling strips, and I cut it with my
to develop myself and my skills with
like a math teacher looking over
sushi knife and layered it a little bit.
that medium, which is great.
your shoulder when you’re taking a
People asked me for artwork, and people asked me to events, and I was totally not ready for it. But it was the moment when I had to decide, “Do I take that chance, and do I start working and diving into that crazy pool and start swimming?”
test—like I was being observed and not in a good way. But it’s something I pulled through with, and now I really love it. It’s a cool thing to show people the process to an artwork, not only the finished result. Art in the making is what fascinates me.
It stuck nastily on the window and
ABN: How long was the original
ABN: How do you deal with the
it looked pretty ugly, but there was
video in real time?
business side of being an artist?
already some potential to be seen.
MZ: I think the actual process was
MZ: I have a manager. She takes care
something like five hours. I took some
of the business side, but she’s an
ABN: How long has this journey been?
breaks, drank some coffee. It was
artist in spirit, so we don’t fight often
MZ: That was about five years ago
nothing planned out. It was the key
about things. We have very clear
when I had the idea to do street
to transport what [my art is] made
ideas about what we want to do. It’s
art. It was not a big thing. I liked
of to the public that was not even
a gut feeling. If we don’t want to do
it, but it was nothing that I even
so interested in art. YouTube isn’t
something, we don’t do it. It’s not
showed people much. But it got
necessarily for art lovers. But that
about the money so much. We have
popular in Amsterdam where I live.
was the bridge to the audience.
enough money for the both of us to keep going and do what we both like.
People would write me emails, asking me, “How do you do this? I
ABN: Here at the show, you’ve
don’t understand how this image is
been handing people a piece of
ABN: Do you do a lot of art shows?
made of tape.” At one point, I was
tape and asking them to place it
MZ: I did about six this year and
just really sick of answering these
on a canvas.
one or two solo exhibitions. It’s a
questions because I really couldn’t
MZ: It’s a dangerous game, I’ll tell
lot of work to show, but I enjoy the
satisfy anybody with my answers. So
you, because they can drop them in
attention, and it’s very fulfilling to
I filmed myself making a little artwork
weird places.
connect with the audience.
Clockwise from top left: RMG’s Rick Barnett interviews Max Zorn in front of a work in progress; A wide variety of mediums are showcased at Spectrum Miami; Discussing a piece from Work of Art Gallery; Provocative works at the Blink Group Gallery booth; Taking in a piece by Natasha Kertes.
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Clockwise from above: Attendees stop to admire paintings from Work of Art Gallery; Tanner Lawley of Tanner Lawley Group with RMG’s Linda Mariano; Nonstop crowds filled the booths during the show weekend; Excitement and intrigue at the Max Zorn Gallery booth; There was something for every attendee to enjoy at Spectrum Miami.
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SPRING 2016
AS HEARD AT SPECTRUM MIAMI
Q&A with artist & gallery owner TANNER LAWLEY ABN: How did you get into the
was “LOVE” right across the middle.
artist [who works in] San Diego.
business side of the art world?
And I started building background,
He’s got great scale, proportion,
TL: I went to college for business
background, background. I use
[and] color theory. He does these
and got a degree in business
high-energy music when I paint,
city scenes, but he puts living-room
administration with a concentration
like electronic dance music, and
furniture in the middle of places
in finance. When I got back to Dallas,
as I was painting that heart on the
you wouldn’t expect it—out under
I got a job working as a handyman
piece, a song by Calvin Harris came
an oak tree or in a vineyard or in
for a fine-art gallery. I became the
on, called “How Deep Is Your Love?”
Times Square. It’s really nice high-
owner’s right-hand man. I mixed his
While I was painting the heart, that
designer-type furniture—couches or
paints, I built the studio, I hung the
song was just jamming, and, when I
chairs. I’ve got [his work] in my front
artwork, I painted the walls, I sold
finished the heart, that song ended.
window, and every day someone
the artwork, I delivered the artwork,
Knowing that “LOVE” was the first
comes in and looks at it. His stuff
I installed the artwork, [and] I ran
thing I painted on there months ago, I
is so hot right now, I can’t keep it
the staff. I was the utility player. He
thought that was the perfect name for
in the gallery. He’s shipping me 11
[gave] me the fire. One of the first
the piece: “How Deep Is Your Love?”
new pieces because I’ve sold out his inventory just in a matter of two
pieces I did was an itty-bitty one. It was terrible. I didn’t know what I
ABN: How have your experiences as
months. He would be one of my
was doing. I didn’t understand the
an artist shaped your approach to
artists to watch.
medium. He looked at it. We had an
running a gallery?
honest relationship, and he said to
TL: They’ve made me a better gallery
people that have blown my mind,
me, “Tanner, I don’t think this is your
owner. [Artists] want to get paid a
and it makes me realize just how
strength. You don’t really have a
fair wage. We want people to deal
little I am in the world of art. But I’m
talent for this. You can’t learn this. It’s
with us honestly. When [galleries] sell
OK with that. I’m only seven years
something you’re born with. You’re
something, let us know—those types
in. I haven’t been doing this forever.
very talented, and you can do a lot of
of things. I’ve made certain rules
That’s what I love about coming
things, but this isn’t one of your things.
because I represent my friends who
to a show like this. I’ve seen a ton
You’ll never be an artist.” He didn’t
are artists, and I pay all of my artists a
of artwork that I would love to sell,
know me and my God very well. I am
higher percentage. They get between
and, before the end of the show, I’m
a very faithful person, and I believe
55 and 75 percent of the sale. I share
going to talk to some of the artists.
in positivity. Faith is believing that
my gallery list with them, so whoever
I may not know them yet, but I’m
things that haven’t happened yet are
owns their work gets a copy of the
going to get to know them. You see
going to turn out in a positive way.
invoice, so they know exactly who
that level of expertise at this show.
Fear is the exact opposite: Things that
has it. I love for them to be able to get
I’ve heard over and over that this
haven’t happened yet turn out in a
in contact with those people. I pay
show compares with any of the big
negative way. I always choose to look
them immediately. Those are three
shows out there. People seem to
for the positive and believe that I can
simple things that I think are a big
like this one more. It’s more for us.
do anything that I put my mind to.
deal in the art world.
It’s more for the residential buyer.
I pride myself on being a gallery
Here in Miami, I’ve seen so many
It’s more attainable. Having all the
ABN: Tell me about your painting
for the working artist. Every one of
artists here makes a difference. You
“How Deep Is Your Love?” that
these artists is out there hustling and
go to a lot of those bigger shows,
has attracted a lot of attention
working. I know their families. I’ve
and the artist isn’t there. That’s very
at this show.
played with their kids. For me, that’s
important when you’re purchasing
TL: This one was a big 5-by-5 [foot]
my motivation.
or acquiring artwork for your home. You want to get to know the artist. It
canvas, and, for three months, I took all the paint that I could scrape off
ABN: You were an Artist to Watch in
makes such a better story. It makes
the other paintings as I was painting
Art Business News in 2010. Who would
it something that they’re going
them, and I would put it on the
you name a current Artist to Watch?
to pass down to their kids’ kids
background of this piece. The very
TL: A guy whose work I’m selling a lot
because they have that personal
first thing I painted on this piece
of is Pete Tillack. He’s an Australian
connection. ABN
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68
SPRING 2016
PIECE OF WORK K
ris Gebhardt is a piece of work— literally and figuratively. His art reflects the winding road that led him to the canvas; his body reflects the daily dedication to training that led him to physical health and mental stamina. “I don’t consider myself an artist but more of a reporter. All my art is tied to my unique life experiences,” says Gebhardt. Those unique experiences have taken him all over the world and through several phases of his life. Even with setbacks and injuries, his passion for physical fitness and health has never wavered.
OPPOSITE PAGE: “MIGRAINE,” BY KRIS GEBHARDT. THIS PAGE: GEBHARDT AND HIS DAUGHTER ALEXA WORKING OUT BEFORE THE SPECTRUM MIAMI ART SHOW.
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KRIS GEBHARDT KNOWS THAT PHYSICAL WELL-BEING PLAYS AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN AN ARTIST’S CREATIVITY AND CAREER SUCCESS BY PRISCILLA TA L L M A N A member of the Ball State University football team in the early ’80s, Gebhardt was living the student athlete life until he endured a careerending knee injury in 1984. Without the structure and discipline collegiate sports offered, his physical and mental game suffered along with his health. “I ballooned up to 250 pounds,” he says. “I was a washed-up jock.” But he didn’t wallow for long. Instead, he quickly found himself a job as a member of the personal security team for Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza Corp., and worked himself back into shape. He stayed fit, running five or six miles a day and, at the urging of his boss, started training to become a pizza-franchise owner. With franchisee training nearing completion, however, he realized he
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was more into fitness than he was into selling pizza. In 1989, he moved to Indianapolis to begin life as a fitnessequipment sales rep. Again, Gebhardt got restless; he believed it was more important to show people how to use and be successful with the equipment, rather than just sell it. In 1990, he settled on personal training. “Nobody took fitness seriously back then. It was personal training before there was personal training,” says Gebhardt. However, he took it seriously—so seriously that he put pen to paper and published his first fitness book, Body Mastery, in 1992. Gebhardt is now the author of four books about fitness and health. In 1996, he began training high-profile rock ’n’ roll legend John Mellencamp, who had suffered a heart attack several years earlier. Mellencamp needed a fitness program that would get his heart healthy and his body ready to begin touring. For six years, Gebhardt traveled all over the world on three rock tours with Mellencamp. As the years of touring came to a close, Gebhardt developed a passion for art and began experimenting with photography and mixed media. But instead of booking shows in the United States, he quietly started showing his work online and overseas under the name “Kristian” in an effort to gain confidence. In 2005, Gebhardt booked his first stateside show in Louisville, Kentucky, and then booked several in Miami, New York, and at various private exhibits that could hold his 80-by-84inch pieces. One of these shows, Art Basel Miami, featured two things with which he was intimately familiar: fitness and rock ’n’ roll.
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“All art is physically demanding; if you are physically clear, it stirs creativity. If someone comes in to buy a piece of art, they are buying you,” says Gebhardt. It’s no surprise, then, that Gebhardt combined his varied life experiences and made the natural connection between physical and mental fitness and selling art at art shows. Selling creativity, Gebhardt believes, takes stamina. Artists’ financial investments in their booths, their creativity, their travel, and their work should also reflect their investment in their health. A neglect of one’s physical self, Gebhardt says, reflects in the artist’s presentation of his or her work. But the converse is true, as well: Being fit and having the mental and physical stamina to work big art shows gives the artist an edge. An edge, Gebhardt believes, that is available to anyone who chooses it. “Our outer shell is a reflection of our inner being, how you are feeling, and the painting you give to the world,” says Gebhardt. As an artist and a businessman, Gebhardt believes that a daily training regimen is vital for producing and selling his best work. With art shows and gallery openings around the nation, Gebhardt says the following things can affect how you sell art and your overall experience at any art show.
restocks each morning. Gebhardt’s hard rule is “no fast food.” If you plan your meals beforehand, eliminating fast food is easy. Remember that the best food at a venue is usually gone by noon, so having a plan for nutrition is paramount.
NUTRITION: “Don’t leave your food up to someone else. Take your nutrition into your own hands,” says Gebhardt. As soon as he and his wife, Angela, arrive in the city where they will be showing art for the week, they hit the deli. The couple brings a small cooler with snacks, snack bars, sandwiches, and waters for the day and
WEIGHT TRAINING: “Moving blood brings oxygen and nutrients to parts of the body. Blood is life,” says Gebhardt. Weight training creates demand on the body to move blood to your muscles, and your muscles in turn move the blood throughout your body. Weight training releases endorphins and oxygenates the body and mind. In essence,
HYDRATION: Pack water to bring along and drink plenty of it throughout the day. The venue may sell juice drinks, but they are full of sugar and will leave you depleted of energy in the long run. If you are well-hydrated, you will likely need to take some bathroom breaks. Use these breaks to stretch your legs, take a quick walk around the venue, and get your blood flowing. EXERCISE: A full day of travel can be rough on your body. “On the day you arrive, go right to the gym. It’s critical that you exercise every day; it helps with jet lag, revives [you], and gets blood going to move out toxins,” says Gebhardt. Most hotels offer enough equipment for you to get daily exercise, and, if not, you can always take a brisk walk to get your heart pumping. Daily movement and exercise are also good for your posture. Good posture communicates confidence, and confidence helps sell art. Poor posture and visible exhaustion may cause you to miss an opportunity.
SPRING 2016
Clockwise from left: “Our Battles Choose Us,” by Kris Gebhardt; Gebhardt poses with his painting “Tribulation”; “Play the Fool,” by Kris Gebhardt.
it clears out the cobwebs and helps you focus your mind and body. MENTAL STAMINA: “Mental stamina is a byproduct of [your] focus on the whole body,” says Gebhardt. When you combine nutrition, hydration, exercise, and weight training, you will have a clearer mind and more confidence to deal with the emotions inherent in exhibiting and selling art. When you go up against the biggest and best artists in your space, people will judge you on
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what you create. If your mental game is off, it may show up in your posture or energy levels. Having a fitness and nutrition regimen will help your body recover from physically and emotionally draining days and keep you energized longer. GEBHARDT ADMITS that it’s emotionally demanding and mentally taxing to put your career on the line at a big art show and expose your creativity. But throughout his life, he’s seen the ability of health and fitness to counterbalance
the intense and varied feelings that come with the territory of selling art. Though he no longer trains rock stars and billionaire business moguls, Gebhardt is still passionate about getting his message to those who are willing to make a change. You may experience several career paths or experiences, but you have only one body. “Keep going for it; you have to celebrate these things. [My art] looks like my life. Our scars are so important; my career is full of them,” says Gebhardt. ABN
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The Season’s
Sculpture 72
SPRING 2016
Q&A with sculptor Eric Shupe MAMMOTH, MINIATURE & ONE-OF-A-KIND BY MELISSA HART
SCULPTORS this season promise whimsy, color, and endless surprises in the form of a giant metal sculpture of a rock topped by a sheet of paper and bisected by red-handled scissors, a 6-foot leopard-print stiletto trimmed in red fur, or a couple of professional tennis players forged from a family’s heirloom silverware. This curated list of the season’s top sculpture exhibits takes lovers of 3-D art across the country, from Theodore Gall’s fantastical bronze busts in a Beverly Hills park to Ai Weiwei’s towering installation of 42 steel bicycles at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Prepare to be amused— and amazed. Opposite page: “8 x 12,” Hema Upadhyay; “JK632,” Jae Ko. Right: “Runner,” Eric Shupe.
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ABN: Why did you choose silverware as your medium? ES: On walkabout with my father as a child, he only took jobs to which he could bring me. He’d hand me a 2-by-4 and a pocketknife and tell me to whittle. He planted the seed that developed my three-dimensional mind. Later, I went into the Air Force. When I came home, to center myself and feel calm and creative, I’d go out in my garage and fool around with silverware. I think about how many people have had those spoons and forks in their hand—thousands of people— and different stories about each one. It’s not just a piece of metal; someone raised children with those spoons. They fed someone, took care of someone. Each piece is someone’s life. ABN: How long have you been working as a professional sculptor? ES: I’ve been sculpting for 17 years. Three years ago, a woman came to my house and said, “Where did you get these sculptures? They’re amazing.” She’d been doing art shows for 30 years and hadn’t seen anything like my work. The next week, she filled out an application and brought me a tent and said, “You have something special and unique. I paid for this art show in Ormond Beach, Florida, and I want you to go to it.” I flipped out a plastic table, and I won the show. ABN: Your sculptures include everything from horses to mermaids to athletes. How do you choose your subject matter? ES: I love to capture the explosion of energy. For one piece, I watched my daughter run track over and over to see all the movement, to find the spot where you can see all the muscles on the back and the arms. I’m doing a show in Indian Wells in March, and the last two days of the show coincide with the first two days of the [BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament], so
I’m sculpting two tennis players. Some people will come to me and say, “I have my grandmother’s silverware. Could you create a sculpture to pass down like a family heirloom?” One woman whose daughter had passed away inspired me to create “Mary,” a sculpture of a mother grieving the death of her child. Some people could care less about a box of spoons and forks; as sculpture, they become a powerful statement about family. ABN: What current trends do you notice in sculpture? ES: People are gravitating toward handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces. They really appreciate being the only one in the world to have a particular piece of art. They don’t want to buy a reproduction or something that a factory has created. That’s why I find appreciation for my work: I get so many compliments from people telling me that it’s rare to find an artist who creates that one-of-a-kind, classy piece of art. ABN: Where can we see your work this season? ES: I’ll be exhibiting at Spectrum Indian Wells, March 17th to 20th; the Indian Wells Arts Festival, April 1st through 3rd; and at the Melbourne Art Festival in Melbourne, Florida, April 23rd and 24th. 73
Clockwise from above: “Selections, Force of Nature, 白 Shiro,” Jae Ko; Thea Djordjadze installation in progress; “Black Mesa,” Kevin Caron; “Feeding the Fishes,” Genesis Breyer P-Orridge. Far right: “It’s the Shoe That Makes the Woman,” Heidi Loewen.
Endless Line: 3-D Printed Work by Kevin Caron Feb. 5–27, 2016 Walter Art Gallery, Scottsdale, Ariz. Kevin Caron specializes in large 3-D-printed sculptures. A 3-D printer will run during the opening of the show, offering a close-up look at how the artist creates his vibrant resin forms. Genesis Breyer P-Orridge: Try to Altar Everything March 11 – Aug. 1, 2016 Rubin Museum of Art, New York, N.Y. This exhibit of paintings, sculptures, and installations examines
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the influence of Hindu mythology and Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley on P-Orridge’s work and interests in devotion and ritual. Visitors will have opportunities to interact with the artist, whose work also explores physical alteration in the service of creative gender identity. Spectrum Indian Wells March 17–20, 2016 Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa, Indian Wells, Calif. The newest addition to the lineup of Spectrum art shows, this Indian Wells event will feature a sleek, gallerystyle exhibition space
and an outdoor sculpture garden for 3-D pieces. Eric Shupe, Jim Keller, Time McClendon, and Nonos Gallery will be some of the highlights. Jae Ko: Force of Nature, 白 Shiro Through May 1, 2016 Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Township, N.J. Jae Ko creates paper-relief sculptures by soaking rolls of adding-machine paper in water infused with Japanese inks made from wood ash. The undulating sculptures stretch to as long as 80 feet and as tall as 14 feet. Grounds
SPRING 2016
Q&A with sculptor Heidi Loewen ABN: Why did you choose porcelain as your medium? HL: I started working in clay when I was 2. My parents were also phenomenal landscape artists; everything they did on the weekends was in the garden, and I loved to play in the mud. When I turned 10, my mother asked if I’d like to take a clay class and learn how to do pottery on the wheel. I absolutely loved my class and my teacher. When I got into Skidmore [College in Saratoga Springs, New York], I took classes in painting, drawing, jewelry making, and welding, but my favorite was ceramics. ABN: How long have you been working as a professional sculptor? HL: In Santa Fe, 22 years ago, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when my child was young. I started off teaching, and then I took over a friend’s space downtown near the Georgia O’Keefe Museum and opened a gallery. I’ve never looked back. It’s the most hilarious and fun job I’ve ever had.
for Sculpture is also home to 270 permanent works of art. Projects 103: Thea Djordjadze April through Summer 2016 MoMA PS1, Queens, New York Berlin-based Georgian artist Thea Djordjadze presents sculptural ensembles using basic construction materials, such as plaster, wood, wire lath, metal rods, glass, and fabric. The site-specific installation reflects the building’s unique architecture.
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ABN: What drew you to sculpting shoes? HL: I love shoes. Stilettos mean you’re ready for fun, adventure, action, and a great time ahead. I was producing wild and crazy sculptures with my porcelain; then, several years ago, I decided I should take a break and do something fun just with my fingers. I took a small block of clay and started modeling; the first thing that came was this fabulous little stiletto shoe. I decided I’d add my love of everything—lace, fabric, fur, gemstones, feathers, and gold and silver leaf. I display them on Plexiglas cubes. The back is a mirror, and the floor is a mirror, so you can see the sole. The shoes are approximately 6 inches long and up to 12 inches tall.
ABN: A much larger version of one of your shoes appeared at the entrance of Spectrum Miami last December. What was the public’s reaction? HL: I cast it in Thailand and created a 6-foot aluminum stiletto covered in sparkling, candy-apple red automotive body paint and completed the inside with white marabou feathers and opalized quartz crystal up and down the back. The thing that got me the most excited was watching people’s faces as they came down the aisle; they saw this crazy big shoe and got the biggest grins on their faces. ABN: Who are your favorite sculpture artists? How have they inspired you? HL: I love what Kevin Box has done. He has no fear, knows no boundaries. He’ll work in aluminum, in stainless steel, in bronze. For his piece “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” he uses a real rock. Native American artists will often add turquoise or coral or various kinds of bones. I love it when people do anything out of the ordinary. ABN: Where can we see your work this season? HL: I have a gallery in Santa Fe where I show my work and offer private ceramic wheel work and sculpture classes. My only requirements are that people have a sense of humor and say only wonderful, uplifting things about their own work. 75
Clockwise from above: Installation view,“Joel Shapiro: New Work,” Joel Shapiro; “Voyage,” Theodore Gall, Beverly Hills artSHOW; “MasterPeace,” Kevin Box, Origami in the Garden; “Forever Bicycles,” Ai Weiwei. Far right: “Three Graces,” Ira Reines.
Megacities Asia April 3 – July 17, 2016 Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston Representing Asian megacities with populations of more than 10 million, this exhibition features 14 large sculptures and installations. Works appear in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery and throughout the museum’s campus. Joel Shapiro May 7 – Aug. 21, 2016 Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Shapiro explores geometric form through complex composition. Along with key works from Nasher’s
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permanent collection and an array of drawings, the show will feature multicolored shapes suspended in the gallery at various heights and angles. Beverly Hills artSHOW May 21–22, 2016 Beverly Gardens Park, Beverly Hills, Calif. Near the center of Beverly Hills, Beverly Gardens Park will showcase the work of 30 sculptors. Among the highlights are Jeff Davis, who will show free-form metal geometries welded from industrial parts, and Theodore Gall, who will
display bronze sculptures inspired by film and fantasy characters. Origami in the Garden May 21 – Nov. 13, 2016 Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus, Ohio Sculptor Kevin Box has created more than 20 giant metal sculptures inspired by the Japanese art of folding paper. The collection includes collaborative works with Jennifer Box, Robert J. Lang, Te Jui Fu, Michael G. LaFosse, and Richard Alexander.
SPRING 2016
Q&A with sculptor Ira Reines ABN: How long have you been working as a professional sculptor? IR: I’ve been sculpting since age 5 [and] professionally since age 15. I’m self-taught. At 21, I began collaborating with Art Deco artist and designer Erté. I transformed 69 of his two-dimensional designs into bronze sculptures and turned them into the Erté Sculpture Collections, pieces of which appear in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian.
Sculpture in the Park Aug. 13–14, 2016 Benson Sculpture Garden, Loveland, Colo. This celebration showcases 2,000 pieces of sculpture created by 160 sculptors worldwide. Year-round, the Benson Sculpture Garden is home to 148 permanent pieces of sculpture displayed around a lagoon and surrounded by trees and flowers, with the Rocky Mountains in the background. ABN Melissa Hart teaches nonfiction for Whidbey Island’s MFA Program in Creative Writing. She’s the author of two memoirs and a children’s novel. melissahart.com.
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ABN: Much of your work explores mythological figures, such as “The Three Graces,” a trio of largerthan-life figures that you combined into one 8½-foot-tall piece and unveiled at the Peninsula Shanghai last October. What draws you to sculpt heroic-sized characters from mythology? IR: I discovered my own voice in the year 2000 through loss; my parents had passed away and a long-term relationship had ended. For the first time, I was completely alone. It was a devastating experience; I found myself completely broken open as a person and as an artist. Through my work, I was able to heal my soul. My work is a spiritual statement; I’m really sculpting the spirit of the ascendant human form. The unveiling was astonishing; my gallery representors stood on one side of a 20-foot curtain covering the sculpture, and I was on the other side with my publisher. A beautiful opera singer from Shanghai sang a piece from Madama Butterfly before the curtain came down. The moment remains frozen in my mind as an example of aesthetic purity.
valuable and desirable to collectors who want to buy something that has worth as an investment. ABN: What project are you currently working on? IR: It’s the largest thing I’ve ever done, called “The Gates of Creation,” with 11 30-foot-tall figures. I use beauty as a metaphor for divinity. I have places in my sculpture that are extremely refined and smooth, which represent perfection of the soul and, in the same piece, places that are raw, showing the more elemental state we come from as human beings. For an artist to have his dreams and visions realized in bronze [is] an amazing feeling. ABN: Where can we see your work this season? IR: You can see my work at the Marcus Ashley Fine Art Gallery in Lake Tahoe, California, and at Midtown Artery in Greenville, South Carolina.
ABN: What current trends do you notice in sculpture? IR: We’re doing more one-of-a-kind pieces; with our editions limited to nine pieces, they become more 77
MAKING THEIR
MARK LAUNCHPAD ARTISTS BRITTANY SEGAL AND RENUKA ADHAV B Y
EVERY YEAR, Redwood Media Group’s LaunchPad Program selects two upand-coming, unrepresented artists—one from San Diego and one from Miami— to exhibit their work at Art San Diego and Spectrum Miami respectively. The selected artists get an opportunity for which many young artists strive: to present their art at a site-specific exhibition. Ann Berchtold, founder and executive director of Art San Diego, created the program in 2011. After Redwood Media Group bought her company, the LaunchPad Program expanded to Spectrum Miami, one of Redwood’s other contemporary art events. The program also has the potential to be included in future Redwood shows, such as Spectrum Indian Wells, which premieres this March, and July’s Art Santa Fe, Redwood’s latest acquisition. To date, the company has named seven artists as LaunchPad Artists. In 2015, Redwood selected Brittany Segal and Renuka Adhav to be the sixth and seventh members of that prestigious group. Segal, 27, studied fine-art sculpture at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and has recently gained recog-
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nition for her small, detailed drawings. From abstract oil paintings to acrylic graphic works, Segal’s art includes purposeful and haunting illegible writings and intricate, small designs. Adhav, 28, has an associate’s degree in radiography and a four-year certificate in nuclear medicine and is a practicing nuclear medicine technologist. In 2012, she took time off from her fulltime job to pursue a bachelor of fine arts in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. After graduating, she moved to Miami for a job in nuclear medicine, but continues to paint and sell her work.
THE SELECTION PROCESS Selecting artists for the LaunchPad Program is based on a set of criteria, says Linda Mariano, managing director of marketing at Redwood Media Group. “We look for local artists in the communities of Miami and San Diego that are at a point in their careers where they are being recognized … in the media and have done a few local shows at galleries, museums, or private venues,” says Mariano. “They need
I S A B E L T H O T TA M
to show a dedication and a commitment to becoming professional artists. Both Brittany and Renuka fit that profile.” Part of the process for selecting the LaunchPad Artists is finding candidates and determining whether they would be good fits. Segal appeared on Berchtold’s radar, and, after finding out more about her work, Berchtold decided that Segal would be a great candidate for the program. In Miami, Redwood works with Life Is Art, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting and highlighting art in the Miami area. Life Is Art put out a call for applications for the LaunchPad Program, asking applicants to create profiles and submit their artwork. James Echols, cofounder and executive director of Life Is Art, and Redwood’s Mariano then reviewed the submissions and narrowed down the pool of more than 100 candidates to 10. They then selected one of those 10 as the artist who had the unique opportunity to paint live during the Miami show. “What stood out [about] Renuka was the developed level of her work—the quality and the distinctive nature of it,” says Mariano. “The material she uses, the
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Clockwise from above: “Untitled,” by Brittany Segal; “Untitled,” by Brittany Segal; “Untitled,” by Brittany Segal; Art San Diego LaunchPad Artist Brittany Segal.
Clockwise from left: “Elegant Abyss,” Renuka Adhav; Spectrum Miami LaunchPad Artist Renuka Adhav stands with her painting “Insert Here”; “Parallel Universe,” by Renuka Adhav.
“What stood out [about] Renuka was the developed level of her work—the quality and the distinctive nature of it. The material she uses, the media, and her approach to creating a canvas are unique, and that is what drew us to selecting her.”
media, and her approach to creating a canvas are unique, and that is what drew us to selecting her.” BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM The LaunchPad Program gives emerging artists the opportunity to gain a wealth of exposure. The program can be a catalyst for emerging talent—from those exhibiting at Art San Diego or Spectrum Miami to social-media coverage, press releases, and emails to a long list of collectors. “We hope what happens is that they are already on the edge of becoming career artists,” says Mariano. “The artists we choose already understand the importance of being in a venue like Art San Diego or Spectrum Miami. Brittany had the opportunity to exhibit at the show, and Renuka was painting live during the show. This [ability to exhibit or paint at the show] maximizes the opportunity, and it’s a key benefit.” RENUKA ADHAV Adhav recalls first learning about the LaunchPad Program through a friend and fellow artist who had exhibited at Spectrum. “I never thought I’d be able to get … into the show since I had just moved down from Atlanta,” says Adhav. “But my friend encouraged me to try it out and see what happened.” Adhav describes her work as surreal, imperial landscapes. The South Florida community is more receptive to her contemporary work than Atlanta was, she says. “South Florida has more culture and diversity. There are people from all over the world who bring their art here, and people are more welcoming to their ‘crazy’ pieces,” Adhav explains. “[In Atlanta], they did not seem interested in collecting contemporary art.” Adhav says that finding out that she won was a surreal experience, especially because it was her first show. She exhibited paintings from her series of surreal landscapes. She uses oil on some pieces but also enjoys working
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“My mind runs in all sorts of directions at times, and my pieces reflect that chaos in a very calming way. It is as if my paintings put to rest [my] internal chaos.” with nontraditional media, such as polyurethane wood stain. “I like to experiment and see what happens when you mix these materials together,” Adhav says. “Sometimes, it takes time to work and see how it will look the following day. It’s a lot of layering and building up on the surface. When pouring things onto the surface, I’m exploring and building it up into something; I start to envision a landscape as I do this. It starts to resemble something, and I let the idea formulate as I paint.” Adhav believes that the LaunchPad Program has had a tremendous impact on her career and that it has expanded her potential. “Being a part of this [program] gave me a confidence boost that I had not felt before,” she says. “It made me feel like my work is worthy of these shows and that I should keep trying. It helped me learn how to price my work, to be ready for any opportunity, and to be appreciative of everything.” BRITTANY SEGAL Though she has been painting since she was young, Segal entered the professional art field only about three and a half years ago. She credits her father, an architect, for encouraging her to engage in creative activity. After a few years of working full time in a more traditional job, Segal decided to go full-force with her art. “Since becoming a full-time artist, it has been a crazy, wild ride and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says. Segal says her art is very emotional; she draws her inspiration from the people and interactions she has in her daily life. Segal uses these inspirations—from relationships and love interests to people she has met only briefly and those who are close to her—to fuel her work.
“I use a lot of texture in my work to evoke movement, which then evokes emotion,” she explains. “I paint with oils on canvas. All of my work is completely abstract. I find something very freeing about abstract art; it allows me to be perfectly and imperfectly me.” Segal also has a pen series, which she calls her “love letters.” They are illegible to the viewer because she contorts the letters in each word so drastically that only she knows the meaning. The reader is then left with only the emotion that stemmed from the experience she wrote about. “My mind runs in all sorts of directions at times, and my pieces reflect that chaos in a very calming way. It is as if my paintings put to rest [my] internal chaos,” says Segal. At Art San Diego, Segal showcased an assortment of her mini-pen series of ink-on-paper artwork. She also showed two of her large love letters on canvas: one softer and more whimsical and the other stronger and more defined. An abstract green and neutral oil painting hung at the back of her booth. This piece was from her Idaho series “The Detailed Terrain,” and she says it is one of her favorites. She also showcased an all-olive-green painting for which she used scraping techniques to provide texture. Segal is currently working on several large commissions from private clients. She also has a few ideas for her next collection. She says that her time in the LaunchPad Program was unforgettable. “The LaunchPad Program was amazing. I met so many people over the course of the weekend and throughout the buildup to the event,” she explains. “I definitely found that it created a space for my art in the San Diego scene.” ABN
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BLINK BY BILL SHERWOOD
OPHID BY MICHAEL SHEWMAKER
Discover Spectrum Indian Wells—a contemporary art show in the heart of California’s Coachella Valley. Featuring an international slate of artists and galleries, Spectrum Indian Wells is where exceptional art meets an equally stunning backdrop. Join us for an unforgettable four days of cutting-edge art, entertainment, and special events in our in sleek, gallery-style exhibition space at the Renaissance Indian Wells Resort. Taking place during the last weekend of the world-renowned BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Spectrum Indian Wells offers an exciting opportunity for visitors from around the world, hungry for arts and culture after the matches, to experience contemporary art at its finest.
WWW.SPECTRUM-INDIANWELLS.COM OPENING NIGHT PREVIEW
SHOW HOURS
SHOW LOCATION
Thursday, March 17: 5–9PM Be the first to preview stunning artwork from top galleries, see live artist demonstrations, witness the unveiling of innovative Art Labs, and much more.
Friday, March 18: 12–7PM Saturday, March 19: 12–7PM Sunday, March 20: 10AM–5PM
Renaissance Indian Wells Resort 44400 Indian Wells Ln Indian Wells, CA 92210
R O C K
‘BURN’ The piece is 48” x 36” and is mixed media on canvas
brianrockart.vpweb.com • (575) 956-5125 • Indian Wells booth #111
SOUREN MOUSAVI PAINTINGS
“ Wisdom of Silence ” ( Watercolor & Ink ) Souren Mousavi
In this painting Souren has captured the innocence of beauty and the depth of wisdom that reflects womanhood. She has used an organic abstract movement to represent creation and the ebb and flow of life. Red gold and yellow are elemental and the calm serenity of the girl’s silence gives an answer to all life’s challenges.
Souren is an award winning international artist and her work has been featured by the BBC in the United Kingom and by Reuters in the Middle East. Souren hopes each of her paintings will seize the imagination of her audience and bring them closer to her cultural heritage. “ Mousavi`s work is already full of intensity, emotion and bravery which, as a teacher, I always encourage my students to follow. Mousavi`s determination is to take her far, but mostly represents hope” Francesco Simoes
305-586-0124 | www.sourenmousavi.co.uk | miracleartlife@yahoo.com
NONOS
pure joy of life nonos.at
Francesca Saveri
Spectrum Indian Wells Booth #408 art@francescasaveri.com March 17-20, 2016 www.francescasaveri.com
JIM KELLER
ELIZABETH DUNLOP studios
Jimkeller.foxfire@comcast.net www.jimkeller-foxfire.com | (281) 467-2866
BOOTH 313
Opus - Bronze SCULPTURE IN BRONZE, WOOD & RESIN
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GLASS & METAL SCULPTURES www.elizabethdunlop.com Mesa, Arizona | 602.448.9480 | edunlop@cox.net
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www.danielletaylorart.com Whitefish, Montana
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SPRING 2016
The Rich History of Framing Part One BY LYNN ROBERTS
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Why You Should Give Polystyrene a Chance BY ED GOWDA
Start Your Frequent Framers Club BY PAUL CASCIO
Time Management Tips BY CLAIRE SYKES
SPRING 2016 decormagazine.com info@decormagazine.com ______ CEO/Publisher: Eric Smith Editor-in-Chief: Megan Kaplon Managing Editor: Linda Mariano Copy Editors: Nina Benjamin, Fran Granville Contributing Editors: Paul Cascio, Ed Gowda Art Director: Stacy Dalton Senior Designer: Lizz Anderson ________ Advertising Rick Barnett Managing Director, Exhibitions & Media Sales rick.barnett@redwoodmg.com 831-747-0112 Ashley Tedesco Director of Media Marketing Sales ashley.tedesco@redwoodmg.com 831-970-5611 Rosana Rader Director of Sales & Exhibitions rosana.rader@redwoodmg.com 831-840-4444 _______ Operations & Finance Geoff Fox geoff.fox@redwoodmg.com ____ Subscriptions Visit decormagazine.com for subscription information. _________ DECOR serves all segments of the art and framing market, including art and framing retailers, picture framers, interior decorators, artists, home-furnishing providers, OEM/volume framers, gift retailers, photo studios, suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers. The magazine features articles and columns from longtime and well-known industry experts and top art and framing retailers.
Cover Image: “Adoration of the Shepards,” by Domenico Ghirlandaio
Team Notes SPRING 2016 Each issue, our Team Notes column offers an inside perspective on art and design, featuring stories and recommendations from members of the RMG team. This issue, we wondered: What is the best piece of advice about framing and arranging art you’d give to a young collector who is just starting to acquire artwork? “Don’t skimp! Framing can make or break a piece of art. Seek the advice of a professional framer and use quality, conservation products for longevity. Keep in mind that art is something that can be passed on through generations. In terms of arranging or hanging art, don’t hang it too high. The general rule is that 66 percent of the artwork should be below eye level.” — Eric Smith, President & CEO “When in doubt, create a template the size of your artwork and place it where you think you might like to hang your picture. This will give you a sense of space, centering, distance, and height that will allow you to avoid holding up large, heavy artwork. To hold up your template, you can use artist’s masking tape, which is less sticky than standard masking tape and most likely will not remove wallpaper or paint.” — Ashley Tedesco, Director of Media Marketing Sales “Framing should complement the artwork, not overpower it. The safe bet is to use black for contemporary art or metal tones for traditional art. Floater frames have remained a popular choice for showcasing contemporary canvas works as well as photography. Also, when hanging a collection in one area, staggering the work and mixing sizes adds interest. In our home, the gathering of work in a specific area tells a unified story. It’s always fun to share the backstory of each piece with friends when they come over.” — Rick Barnett, Managing Director, Business Development Group “When framing, don’t forget to use a great mat or liner to complement the artwork. This sets it off and makes it more distinctive—and can help the art fit with your decor. A mat or liner can also be changed much more easily and less expensively than a frame should you decide to change where the artwork is hanging.” — Linda Mariano, Managing Director of Marketing
D E CO R M AG A Z I N E .CO M
INDUSTRY INNOVATORS
The Moulding Market NEW COLLECTIONS FROM SOME OF THE BEST IN THE BIZ
DELTA
Delta Picture Frame Company’s newest offerings—3 ¼" sculptured scoop mouldings available in five finishes—are ideal for clients seeking to frame large works of art with high-quality yet understated materials. deltapictureframe.com
BELLA
Bella Moulding’s Winter 2016 release features 68 new items, including the Malecon and Marcello Collections. Giving every framing project a boost of texture, the synthetic leather mouldings that make up the Malecon Collection are inspired by Havana, Cuba, and are available in 16 shades. The Marcello Collection channels the panache and black-and-white color palette of classic Italian cinema, deriving its name from Italian film star Marcello Mastroianni. bellamoulding.com
R724
3 1/4” W
R725
3 1/4” W
R724
3 1/4” W
R725
3 1/4” W
R724
3 1/4” W
R725
R724
3 1/4” W
R725
3 1/4” W
R724 R724 R722
3 1/4” 3 1/4” WW 3 1/4” W
R725 R725 R721
3 1/4” 3 1/4” WW 3 1/4” W
R722
3 1/4” W
R721
3 1/4” W
R722
3 1/4” W
R721
3 1/4” W
3 1/4” W
R722
3 1/4” W
R721
3 1/4” W
R722 R722 R723
3 1/4” 3 1/4” WW
R721 R721
3 1/4” 3 1/4” WW 3 1/4” W
R723
3 1/4” W
DeltaPictureFrame.com R723 DeltaPictureFrame.com R723 R723 R723
3 1/4” W 3 1/4” W 3 1/4” 3 1/4” WW
DeltaPictureFrame.com DeltaPictureFrame.com ROMA DeltaPictureFrame.com DeltaPictureFrame.com Roma Moulding released its 2016
Winter Collection on the first of the year, adding 54 new mouldings to its already extensive selection. Fitting into two lines—Simply Roma and Roma One—the new products are all authentic wood. The Winter Collection also includes 25 new photo frames. romamoulding.com
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THE GUERRILLA FRAMER
REWARD Your Customers A rewards program accelerates growth and increases customer loyalty
Do you want to increase customer loyalty and motivate your customers to buy more frames more often? If so, starting a frequent framers club can help you do it. A frequent framers club is a rewards program for your customers that tightens the bonds of loyalty. I like to think of it as “guerrilla glue”; it holds your customers tight and keeps them coming back by rewarding them for their loyalty. A frequent framers club is similar to the rewards programs that airlines, hotels, and many other industries offer. The difference is that the program is for framers’ customers, and it directly addresses two of framers’ biggest business challenges: getting customers to buy more frames and getting them to do it within a specified time. Those in the framing industry are fortunate because their customers tend to be fairly loyal, but a bit of extra glue can’t hurt. Your frequent framers club boosts not only loyalty but also sales by giving your customers an incentive to buy more frames more often. 94
One of the keys to a successful rewards program is to make the reward attainable by setting the bar low enough that most of your customers can visualize themselves cashing in. Many rewards programs tend to benefit only the business, but those that fairly reward customers will benefit the business owner a lot more in the end. A pizza shop near my home has a rewards program, but it’s not very good, in my opinion. You need to buy 25 pizzas before you get a free medium cheese pizza. I love pizza, but if I have to buy 25 of them, the prize needs to be bigger—a lot bigger. Say, for example, free heart bypass surgery. When the goal line is so far away that it’s almost invisible, customers won’t care and won’t be motivated to spend. In a program with an attainable goal, almost all customers should feel like they can reach the goal line; otherwise, they won’t bother to try. If the pizza-shop owner were to set the reward bar lower—perhaps requiring the purchase of 10 or 15 pizzas— and make the prize a large pizza to provide
greater incentive, the program would be more attractive to the customers. In turn, the business would benefit more, despite the fact that it would be giving away more free pizzas. In addition to providing incentive and attainability, you also have to create a sense of urgency. This tactic will bring in customers more frequently and within a shorter timeframe in order to attain the reward. This accomplishment is especially significant for a framing business, in which getting customers to purchase more frequently is a constant challenge. To create urgency, give customers a limited yet reasonable amount of time—I recommend two years—to reach the goal line. You want to encourage customers to think of custom framing as something that is not just for decorating, but also for gift-giving at weddings, birthdays, graduations, and more. With these goals and requirements in mind, consider the structure and rules of a frequent framers club that will help D E CO R M AG A Z I N E .CO M
Halfpoint/Shutterstock
By Paul Cascio
increase sales from your customers at minimal cost. The basic structure of your frequent framers club will stipulate that if a customer buys five frames within a twoyear period, the sixth one will be free. You should calculate the allowed amount on the free frame on an average of the five previously purchased frames. This strategy prevents customers from framing five 8-by-10-inch pieces and then bringing in a 48-by-96-inch wall mural for free framing. Now, consider the math so you’ll fully understand what you’re offering and what the customer will receive. On the surface, it appears that you are offering a 16.7 percent discount to customers who purchase six frames. In reality, the discount is always somewhat smaller, unless all six pictures are the same size and are framed exactly alike. Some customers, despite their effort and good intentions, will not reach the goal in the allotted time, further reducing the discount. In evaluating whether this rewards program is something you should do, first SPRING 2016 EDITION
ask yourself: Would you accommodate a customer who asked for a 16.7 percent discount on six items to frame? I would, and I would encourage you to do so also. If many of your customers bought six frames from you over the next two years, even at a 17.5 percent discount, your net profit would be almost certain to improve substantially. Consider how many of your current customers have purchased six or more frames in the last two years. I doubt you would be pleased with what you find. If you want to increase sales—and who doesn’t?—a frequent framers club is a great way to maximize sales from your customers and give them something back as a reward for their continued patronage. ® Paul Cascio is the lead instructor for The American Picture Framing Academy (pictureframingschool.com). Cascio also provides business and sales training and consulting. Contact Cascio at pdc@pictureframingschool.com.
Reasons to love the frequent framer program It increases existing customers’ frequency of purchases, especially if you send them email reminders pointing out how close they are to earning a free frame and reminding them that the clock is ticking. This tactic also gives you a good excuse to email your customers. Free membership in the frequent framers club helps strengthen the bond of loyalty your customers have to your business. Customers tend to make their next purchase more quickly when they are trying to reach a rewards goal. The next time your customers need to purchase a gift, they’ll be more likely to think of custom framing, since that purchase will get them one step closer to a free frame.
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OP-ED
DEFENDING
POLYSTYRENE Give this budget-friendly wood alternative a chance By Ed Gowda A lot of framers have low opinions of polystyrene mouldings. exposed, unfinished surfaces on the front, back, or inside due to That’s OK. We all have products that we just don’t like, but I want wood’s absorptive properties. Polystyrene, on the other hand, is plastic and can be more easily disinfected. to make some arguments for the use of poly. Polystyrene is also easy to cut on a guillotine chopper. These First, polystyrene has always been a low-cost alternative to wood. Some customers don’t want to pay the cost of wood choppers kick up less dust than saws, use no electricity in many mouldings, and polystyrene is an option that allows you to cases, and are relatively inexpensive pieces of moulding-cutting make the sale to a customer who would otherwise walk out equipment. Cutting poly on a saw, however, requires a little more the door. Small independent framers sometimes have trouble practice. The saw blade tends to melt the poly, so the material must competing with big-box stores and high-volume online deal- pass through faster than is necessary with wood. ers, which receive a discount on wood mouldings. The price Joining can also be much easier with polystyrene than with difference between polystyrene and wood. If you use the correct glue, the join wood moulding could make up for sets up in about 30 seconds, giving you Technology and those discounts that are inaccessible a perfect corner without using vises and techniques have been to the average mom-and-pop frambefore you have to use an underpinner. advancing in the use of ing shop. I have had great success Although the glue creates a strong bond, plastics. Plastics users with advertising low-end diplomaI recommend that you also use v-nails. I and jersey-framing packages using usually use Plastibond 1500 glue. I have have been demanding polystyrene frames to reduce costs. improvements in plastics heard that polyvinyl-chloride glue for Customers have been pleased that I use in plumbing projects also works, but manufacturing, and can offer what they consider to be the my experience is that it needs at least 24 manufacturers are same thing that my competitors offer hours to dry. That requirement comfor a much lower price. If you don’t pletely negates one of the most important meeting or exceeding have an issue with competition, you benefits of using polystyrene: the speed of these demands. can charge the same retail price for project completion. Those who are accuspolystyrene as you do for wood and just increase your profits. tomed to using wood and have not used polystyrene should take Polystyrene is also considerably lighter than the average wood care to avoid getting polystyrene glue on the face of the moulding. moulding of comparative size. This feature gives you some versa- The glue works by melting the plastic, so even the smallest amount tility in situations in which weight might be an issue. will discolor or disfigure the surface of the frame. Some health-care facilities, such as hospitals, must meet new Wood moulding also attracts parasites, such as powderpost regulations requiring that their facilities do not use wood that has beetles. These beetles have become increasingly concerning for 96
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Polystyrene frames can look just as nice as more traditional wood frames framers, especially in southern states where there is no hard freeze to kill them. Beetles reportedly do not spread from the wood from which they hatched, but the emergence of just one beetle could cause enough damage to lose you a customer for life, and, as we all know, bad news spreads faster than good news. Polystyrene, on the other hand, has no such drawback; powderpost beetles have absolutely no interest in plastics. As I discussed in my last column, one of the major complaints that I have heard from framers in the industry is that the quality of wood moulding has been on the decline in recent years. The exact opposite is the case for polystyrene. Technology and techniques have been advancing in the use of plastics. Plastics users have been demanding improvements in plastics manufacturing, and manufacturers are meeting or exceeding these demands. A lot of industries need lighter and cheaper materials of good quality, and plastics perfectly fill this need. Framers often must use materials that are unique to framing. This type of restriction lowers demand, increases cost, and can stifle innovation. Having allies in other industries who will join framers in the demand for better plastics will help move this part of our industry in a more positive direction. When framers first began using polystyrene for picture moulding, concerns arose about off-gassing—the release of gas
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that is dissolved, trapped, frozen, or absorbed in some material. Polystyrene has now been in use for more than 20 years, however, and the plastic material doesn’t seem to be any more destructive than wood. I hope that this information offers reassurance, but even if you still have concerns, you may want to consider using a more suitable material for items that require an extreme amount of conservation. Don’t get me wrong. I am not calling for framers to abandon wood; wood frames still account for most of my sales. I just think it might be time to stop badmouthing a viable alternative. Manufacturers have made great strides in polystyrene-moulding production. Some of you may remember those early plastic-looking poly frames and have the impression that that is still all you get from this medium, but some great-looking options now exist that convincingly mimic the look of high-quality wood mouldings. I encourage you to give them another look and consider whether they might be a good addition to the lines that you carry. ® With three Framing Palace locations in Maryland, Ed Gowda has specialized in custom framing for more than 25 years. One of his passions is to share information and ideas within the industry. Contact him at framingpalace.com. 97
Wrestling
WITH TIME MANAGEMENT It’s already 3 p.m., and you still haven’t gotten back to one of your customers about that framing order she requested. Your to-do list is a mile long, and your inbox is spilling over. You’d like to shut your office door so you can tackle those emails and invoices, but you don’t want to shut out your employees. So tonight you’ll be working late—again. How can you get your work done and still work with others? Just as important, how can you get your work done and still have a life? Time management. It’s not only for managers; all of the employees at your framing business can benefit from it. And if you’re a one-person show, then good time management becomes even more important. Time management is important because time is so valuable. Unlike money, even with proper investment, time doesn’t grow. It’s not a renewable resource, and it can’t be recycled. You have to cherish it and spend it wisely. The ultimate key to time management is balance. It’s wise to take deep breaths and frequent breaks along with all the work you have to do. By pacing yourself throughout the day, you replenish yourself. And when you’re fresh, you make better use of your time. 98
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elwynn/Shutterstock
Get more out of your business and your life by being conscious of how you use your time By Claire Sykes
u KNOW HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME The first step toward managing your time effectively is knowing how you use it. How do you spend your time? Monitor yourself and find out. For one week, keep track of what you do during each day. 1. At the top of a sheet of paper, write the categories of activities you engage in: phoning in orders to sales reps, waiting on customers, paying bills, answering emails, planning advertising, holding employee meetings, and even chatting with staff at the water cooler. SPRING 2016 EDITION
2. Jot down how much time you spend with each activity. 3. At the end of each day, add up the time for each category. You may be surprised! When you keep to a routine, you can better regulate how much time you spend on your daily tasks. However, if you like variety in your life, periodically look at the things you’ve accomplished and determine whether you’ve allotted the right amount of time to them. If not, adjust.
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u KEEP A TO-DO LIST AND SET PRIORITIES Respond productively to the tasks that await you by doing these things: 1. Each day, write down what you want to get done. 2. Rank your tasks by their level of importance: 1 – most important (can’t wait); 2 – somewhat important (can wait but may hold things up); and 3 – of little importance (can be delayed). 3. Cross off tasks as you do them, beginning with those of highest priority. 4. At the end of your business day, put any tasks you didn’t finish—or didn’t have a chance to start—on the to-do list for the next day. List them as top priority. It may be helpful to keep three lists: monthly, weekly, and daily. Then you’ve got a constant reminder of what needs to be done immediately and in the near future. u ORGANIZE YOUR SURROUNDINGS The better organized you are, the more productive you’ll be. When you keep an organized store, office, stockroom, and warehouse, you know where things are, and you can quickly and easily get to them. You save yourself the time of fumbling through a pile of unsorted papers looking for that important catalog. Keeping your space organized tends to keep you more organized. To a degree, your surroundings shape your habits. Give everything its place, and always return things to where they belong immediately after you’re finished with them. When you receive invoices, either pay them or file them right away. And don’t let your emails stack up, either. Read and respond the same day, if possible. But let’s get real. Some days, it’s just impossible to deal with all the paperwork, 100
emails, and Facebook messages. In that case, arrange them by priority and designate a to-read section on your computer and your desk. Then make sure to attend to what’s in the folder or pile at least a couple of times a week. u DON’T PUT THINGS OFF Even though we all do it, try not to fall victim to procrastination. Head if off before it hits you. Be aware of how and why you want to put things off. • Does the task seem too large to handle? If so, break it down into smaller jobs and delegate some of them. • Are you afraid of failure? Often, you can diffuse the fear by discussing the project with a partner, business consultant, spouse, or friend. • Have you already put the task off too long that the pressure of a deadline locks you into inaction? Well, act! You’ll suffer more by not doing anything about it. • Do you find the task too boring and find that your procrastination comes down to simple laziness? Pick yourself up and do it anyway (if you can’t delegate it). • Do you imagine the tasks will take too long? Once you break down how long a task really takes, you’ll probably find that you most likely do have the time for it, and you’ll be more motivated to dive in. Things get worse when you postpone action. Being aware of this can be a great motivator to overcome procrastination. Giving yourself positive reinforcement after doing a task can also help to outwit the tendency to avoid that task. Promise yourself a special coffee drink, a bouquet of flowers, or a dinner out after you’ve accomplished what you know you should do—and are glad you did—during the day. Even with self-administered rewards, there’s no easy way around procrastination. Unless you move right through the middle of a dreaded task, it’s not going to disappear. The more time you spend fighting it, the less time you have for other things.
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Things get worse when you postpone action. Being aware of this can be a great motivator to overcome procrastination. Giving yourself positive reinforcement after doing a task can also help to outwit the tendency to avoid that task. u DELEGATE, DELEGATE, DELEGATE Just because you’re the owner or manager of your framing shop doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. If you have quality people on staff—people you can depend on to do their jobs well—you’re better equipped to delegate tasks to them. Whether or not you delegate well, there’s probably at least one more thing you could turn over to someone else, thereby giving yourself more time. Granted, it may not be so easy to let go and give someone else responsibility for something you’re accustomed to handling yourself. It may take you a while to get used to the idea of delegating. The easiest way may be to have so many things to do that you finally realize you’re paying people to sit around while you work 12 hours a day. Successful framing-store owners know how to delegate effectively. If you can give anything on your to-do list to someone else, do it. u PACE YOURSELF Retailers who are successful know how to avoid excessive overtime for themselves and how to balance work with family, friends, and fun. So take on only as much work at your framing shop as you can realistically handle. Know when to say no to yourself and others. Saying no can also mean saying yes to time for yourself. Try getting up earlier in the morning and spending a couple of solitary hours at your business without the distraction of employees, customers, and a ringing phone. Then, make sure you shave off a couple of hours at the end of the day, so you can spend time with people you enjoy, play a little golf, or work in your garden.
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When you balance work with recreation, you’ll likely produce more during the hours you spend at your business. u CONTROL YOUR MEETINGS People spend—and, too often, waste—lots of time in unproductive meetings. To assure yourself more efficient ones, consider the following: • Schedule your staff meetings. The spontaneous meeting on the spot can be productive, but don’t count on it. Avoid drop-ins by refusing to see employees right then. Instead, schedule a meeting time with them. When you plan meetings and stick to the allotted time, you can better control the meetings’ content and length. • Come prepared. Write an agenda for the meeting and email it to employees beforehand. Plan ahead for what needs to be discussed and address the most important items first. • Limit meeting time. Give each agenda item, as well as the whole meeting, an allotted time and stick within that time. • Know how to end a meeting. Give a five-minute warning or, when you decide time is up, simply stand up, signaling that the meeting is over. u MAKE TIME TO VALUE YOUR LIFE Time is what you make of it. Time management never works if you try to accomplish too much too fast. Instead, go for quality in your minutes, hours, and days. If you’ve managed your time reasonably well and you’ve set out and done the things you want to do concerning your business, then you’ll have more time to do the things you value and cherish outside the business. Only then can you make the most of your framing business—and your life.® Claire Sykes is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. Her business management articles appear in dozens of retail trade publications. She also writes about graphic design, photography, the visual arts and music, health and wellness, and many other topics.
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HISTORY OF PICTURE FRAMES SERIES: PART I
From Ancient Egypt to 17th Century France BY LYNN ROBERTS
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Picture frames can be beautiful, functional, and historically interesting objects, but have you ever wondered about their origins? Rooted in twodimensional art, picture frames began as flat borders on walls, urns, or any decorative item requiring a margin to separate one space from another. More than 4,000 years ago, Egyptian wall paintings were using lines and, later, geometric ornaments to articulate scenes, but frames as we now know them came much later. The forebears of modern carved wooden frames appeared around the 11th century. Painted altars like decorated boxes with raised, ornamental protective edges later gave way to framed paintings on top of the altar, and these eventually became more vertical, like a church in silhouette. Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Rucellai Madonna, painted in 1285, is a good example. During the 14th and early 15th centuries, patrons, artists, and woodcarvers exploited this likeness to a church, making the frames into the cross-sections of great Gothic cathedrals. These frames symbolized the Celestial Church, and showed scenes of Christ and the saints as if they were visions appearing in the naves, aisles, crypts, and towers of the cathedral. These paintings with multiple panels (polyptychs) were so large and complex that, like buildings, they required buttresses to support them. The craftsmen who produced them were deemed equal in status to the painters. ••• During the Italian Renaissance, classical influences diffused through architecture, and Greco-Roman temples replaced Gothic altarpieces with their pointed arches, finials, and gilding. Single
LEFT: Lorenzo di Niccolò, “The Coronation of the Virgin,” made for San Marco, Florence, in 1402, and now in San Domenico, Cortona, in its aedicular Gothic frame SPRING 2016 EDITION
Above: Domenico Ghirlandaio, “Adoration of the Shepherds,” 1485, Santa Trinità, Florence, in an aedicular Renaissance frame rectangles also replaced the polyptychs. The rectangle, or quadro, was a painted scene in which the saints and divine figures seemed to be interacting in a realistic space (the sacra conversazione or sacred conversation). The temple-like, or aedicular, frame functioned as a classical door or window opening onto these scenes, giving worshippers the sensation of looking through it to a sacred event that was occurring before their eyes. The frames were also removable, and no longer part of one integrated structure. They were decorated with various embellishments: carved ornament; parcel-gilding and painting; sgraffito, patterns scratched through gilding to the paint layer beneath; engraved or punched designs; raised motifs painted with liquid gesso; and moulded decoration. Again, the craftsmen were highly regarded, and some, including Giuliano da Maiano, Antonio Manetti, and Giuliano and Antonio Giamberti San Gallo, were well-known architects. Some altarpieces had inner borders of carved ornaments, and these, along with the frames of small sacred paintings, influenced the appearance of symmetrical frames for secular works. Portraits and history paintings acquired movable frames such as those that we recognize today. One of the earliest and most enduring frame styles was the cassetta, or little box. It comprises an outer or top
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LEFT: Cornelis Jonson van Ceulen, “Cornelia Schade,” 1654, Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede, in its Netherlandish Auricular frame, one of a pair
moulding, which over the years became increasingly complex; a flat or convex frieze, which could have many kinds of decoration; and another moulding at the inner, or sight, edge. Just as every country produced variants of the Gothic and Renaissance altarpiece, every country also developed versions of the cassetta frame. ••• During the 16th century, artists and architects such as Michelangelo began to play with the proportions of objects and the balance and harmony of compositions. This trend, which became known as Mannerism, originated as a reaction to the harmonious classicism and the idealized naturalism of High Renaissance art in the late 15th century. Mannerist architects, designers, and carvers produced distinctive patterns of picture frames. In Italy, for example, such frames distorted classical motifs, piling them together and elongating structural lines; they used exaggerated 3D ornaments and contrasting colors, such as those displayed in the flamboyantly scrolling “Sansovino” frame. In contrast, British Mannerism developed flattened, curvaceous, and gilded “leatherwork” frames, with curling foliage and highly stylized marine ornaments, such as the “Sunderland” style. The pattern takes its name from the second earl of Sunderland, of Althorp House in Northamptonshire, where the collection of 17th century portraits is framed mainly in this style, though the term itself is probably a 19th century one. 104
Netherlandish Mannerism is another variation. Frames in this style are known as “Auricular,” after the earlike cartilaginous motifs, which may relate to British leatherwork frames and to contemporary Dutch interests in anatomical studies and marine symbolism. Auricular ornament seems to have been developed primarily in the court of Rudolph II of Bohemia, the Holy Roman Emperor, to which artists and craftsmen were drawn to work and exchange ideas. Among them was Paulus Van Vianen, a Dutch silversmith. His work in silver influenced both his brother Adam and his nephew Christiaen. The melting and fluid qualities of these auricular ornaments, which were perhaps easier to achieve in metal than in wood, have a strikingly illusionistic effect when imitated on picture frames, reflecting the great skill of the master carvers who made them. Along with these elaborate and idiosyncratic patterns, carvers also produced much plainer frames, including simple cassetta styles, which might be painted in one color, gilded without other ornament, or made of a decorative wood that could be polished. Italian framemakers usually used native walnut, a wood that darkens to a warm brown and complements paintings. In the 17th century, however, trade with New World colonies introduced to Europe a variety of more exotic woods, including ebony, amboyna, and rosewood, and materials such as tortoiseshell and ivory. Amsterdam in 1606 had only one sawmill; by the mid-17th century, however, there were more than 50, and the offcuts supplied the picture-frame trade.
Right: Guido Reni, “Bacchus and Ariadne,” 1619-20, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in Italian Baroque bolection frame D E CO R M AG A Z I N E .CO M
The melting and fluid qualities of these auricular ornaments, which were perhaps easier to achieve in metal than in wood, have a strikingly illusionistic effect when imitated on picture frames, reflecting the great skill of the master carvers who made them. Cabinetmakers rather than carvers produced these frames, along with furniture, and made them with plain mouldings like those on cupboard doors or decorated them with the first machinecarved ripple and wave mouldings. ••• The organic, natural motifs which had begun to appear in some Mannerist frames gradually took precedence over classical and architectural ornaments, and the mouldings of frames became increasingly theatrical and sculptural, characteristic of the Baroque style. Baroque architecture uses light and shadow to sculpt the façades of buildings, using bays, columns, and niches that are stepped outward or recede. Baroque frames work in the same way, using combinations of boldly projecting convex mouldings beside deep concave mouldings, or scotias. The popular bolection profile raises the picture surface out from the wall, with the frame sloping backward from it, focusing on the painting within by pushing it toward the spectator, and highlighting it against the opulent interiors of the Baroque age. The designers of Baroque frames tended to concentrate the decorative emphasis of the frame on the corners, and often the centers, drawing an imaginary web of optical lines in the minds of spectators and thus reinforcing mass and line in the composition of the painting. This trend is evident in 17th century Spanish frames, which feature panels of fluidly carved, large curling leaves, along with polychrome finishes with gilded patterns like brocaded fabrics. Contemporary French frames also mimic the dramatic profiles of Baroque architecture, with leaf ornaments following the contour of the frame, and frequently highlighting its corners and centers as well. During the 17th century, Paris increased in power and influence as an artistic center, and the work of French craftsmen increased correspondingly in SPRING 2016 EDITION
Above: Velasquez, “Don Pedro de Barberana,” 1631-1633, Kimbell Art Museum, in Spanish Baroque polychrome frame sophistication and skill. Frames produced during the reign of Louis XIII combine bold convex, concave, and ogee mouldings with garlands of bunched bay leaves and oak leaves, undulating vines, or acanthus leaves lapping across the width of the rail, all carved in exquisite and detailed naturalism. This produced an effect of contained richness which complemented the art of the period—now the art of kings, rather than the art of the Church. ® Lynn Roberts is a picture frame historian who has worked as archivist, researcher, and author at Paul Mitchell Ltd. and for the frame section of the National Portrait Gallery website. She is now an occasional archivist at the National Gallery, London. She also founded, runs, and edits the online magazine The Frame Blog. theframeblog.com 105
Seattle’s Young
FRAMING TALENT HILLARY GORE IS A ONE-WOMAN OPERATION AT LUCKY RABBET IN SEATTLE By Elise Linscott
Hillary Gore is only 32, but she’s worked in matting and framing for more than half her life. Framing is the only career she’s ever had, and she is the proud owner of her own frame shop, Lucky Rabbet Custom Framing & Artistry, which she opened three years ago in the Columbia City neighborhood of Seattle. There are dozens of frame shops in the city, but a few aspects of Gore’s business make it stand out. For one thing, Gore runs the whole operation by herself, in the loft of Columbia City Gallery, an artist-run cooperative gallery. “I do all the things from website management to bookkeeping to all of the production and assembly, carpentry, 106
everything,” she says. “I’ve learned through trial and error.” Many of her core business practices, including an emphasis on customer service and investment in repeat customers, came from Gore’s grandparents, who were also small-business owners. Keeping the Lucky Rabbet a one-woman operation helps Gore stay competitive and keep overhead costs low. Those principles, paired with a fine-arts degree that gives Gore a true understanding of all the possibilities and limitations of framing, have made her tiny shop a success in the neighborhood. “I was a huge art nerd in high school,” Gore says. “I was a member
of the National Art Honor Society. It was like art club on steroids. I started cutting all the mats for our local and regional art exhibitions, and I enjoyed it. When I turned 15 and wanted to get a part-time job, my dad thought it would be a good idea for me to do something relative to the field I was interested in, so I started working at Michaels.” In the following years, Gore worked at a few different frame shops near her hometown in Georgia, and she began to learn the industry. She also discovered a family tie; one of her frame-shop bosses in Atlanta used to work for her great-uncle in his frame shop a few decades earlier. D E CO R M AG A Z I N E .CO M
“I want to run this business like things were run in the ’50s. I want to develop a relationship with my customers; I want to make sure they’re fully informed about anything they’re buying from me.” Gore says her family has been influential in the formation of her business practices and philosophies. “There’s a big family identity associated with appropriate customer service and SPRING 2016 EDITION
doing things the old-fashioned way—thecustomer-is-always-right kind of thing,” Gore says. “I want to run this business like things were run in the ’50s. I want to develop a relationship with my customers; I want to make sure they’re fully informed about anything they’re buying from me. I want to invest in repeat business rather than a single sale. Basing business [on] mutual respect is something you don’t see much these days, especially with millennials. I’m in that age group, and I hope I represent that it’s not a wholly lost cause.” Gore has a sense of humor and is friendly and warm, but her passion comes through when she talks about her business and her love of art. She’s
also humble—not a whiff of bragging or boasting as she discusses her business and background. Making sure each customer leaves happy and informed is her top priority, and her fine-arts and printmaking education gives her a great understanding of art, as well as a great respect for the work. She never wants to frame a piece in a way that undermines the artist’s intent. She also does amateur dissection work, figuring out the makeup of a piece and what media were used. For example, some customers will bring in a painting thinking it’s oil when it’s actually a watercolor, or they might mistake an acrylic for an oil painting. 107
“I like being able to educate people what I’m going to do with the work is not and make sure it lasts as long as possible.” about how things are assembled and what a mystery,” she says. “Being able to do all Gore recommends the archival the medium is they’re working with,” the work from start to finish gives me approach to framing to ensure that the Gore says. “Being able to figure out if the ability to be completely informed and artwork will last and can be brought back it’s an acrylic or oil on canvas to its original state, and to guaraffords me a little bit of extra “I like being able to educate people antee that the customer has to information. A lot of framers about how things are assembled and frame the piece only once. have an art background, but “The frame doesn’t care what the medium is they’re working many of them are more limited what goes in it; you could put in what their field of study was. with. Being able to figure out if it’s an cardboard and Plexiglas in acrylic or oil on canvas affords me a there as far as it’s concerned,” I’m a little bit more of a renaissance lady as far as that goes. I Gore explains. “It’s still going to little bit of extra information.” have experience with sculpture, be a $300 frame. If you spend printmaking; pretty much every medium to share that information with the cus- another $40 on the glass and another I’ve had my hands on once or twice.” tomer. Especially with artwork, even if it $10 on foam core, the frame is now $350 Gore also tells the customer exactly is replaceable, even if it it’s not a piece of and will last as long as you’re alive. It’s what can or cannot be done. fine art … it’s still important enough to not a huge [financial] impact. Usually, “Any information they want about you to spend the money to treat it well when I’m quoting prices, I’ll default to all
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archival materials. If we want to [move] back from there, we can, but at least for pricing things out, we’re assuming we want it to last.” For Gore, Lucky Rabbet is a sixday-a-week operation, but she reserves Sundays for spending time with friends and family—one of the benefits of owning your own business, she says. Her shop is open Wednesday through Saturday; she reserves Mondays for bookkeeping and Tuesdays for labor. The items Gore has framed run the gamut. Some of her favorite have been 3D, requiring shadowboxes. “Shadowboxes are usually the most interesting because you’re getting physical artifacts,” Gore says. “Right now, I’m
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working on a piece for a new customer—a shadowbox of a pair of vintage silk panties. I’ve also done locks of hair, jerseys, kids’ art—the list goes on and on.” Gore doesn’t spend any money on advertising. A sandwich-board sign sits out front, and a label hangs on the gallery door, but most customers find her business through Google and Yelp. Gore may someday hire another young framer like herself. She would prefer to hire someone young so she can train that person to frame the way she thinks is best. But her life has a few moving pieces at the moment; for one, she’s getting married this summer, so she’s holding off on hiring another employee just yet. One other aspect of Gore’s business
that she’s fiercely passionate about is its location. Gore loves her Columbia City neighborhood, where she’s lived since she first moved to Seattle six years ago. She’s gotten to know other local business owners and residents by spending time in the cafés and restaurants. She’ll even modify her trip home to deliver finished work to customers if they’re close by. “It’s my little home here,” she says. ® Elise Linscott is a freelance journalist based in Seattle. A Massachusetts native and Western New England University Grab, Linscott previously worked as a staff reporter for a newspaper, and she loves getting outdoors, meeting new people, and exploring.
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Sócrates Márquez
“Too Bubbly to be Blue” – Mixed Media - 84” x 54” - 2015 - Detail
@socratesmarquez Facebook: socratesmarquezny Top Emerging Artist 2014 – Art Business News
info@socratesmarquez.com www.socratesmarquez.com
ADVERTISER INDEX ADVERTISER
PAGE
Adam Tramantano
52
Japanese Scroll Paintings
11
Agnese Melbarde
53
Jim Keller
88
Amber Grise
19
Jonathan Brender
51
Art2D
53
Kristina Chkhan
13
Artblend
9
The Laffer Gallery
7
Art by Ancizar
45
Larissa Romanova
17
Art Design Consultants
20
Lena Medeiros
52
ArtTour International
18
Liane Chu
10
Atelier Ball
35
Lysakov Art Company
Barton Studios
23
Mary Johnston
Bessette Studios
43
Michael Joseph
8
Bettie Grace Miner
35
Mina Mokhtarzadeh
7
The Blue Azul Collection
83
Nonos Gallery
Brian Rock
84
OK Seo
Carini Arts
3
Chris Kihlstrom
90
Claudia Ramos
6
Danielle Taylor Diana Cummings Art
89 7
2 22
86, IBC IFC
Palette Art
27
Purple Barn Studios
41
Ralph Benedict Ceramic Design Redwood Media Group
6 46, 82
Riya Sharma
29
Dinett Hok Gallery of Fine Art
14
Robin Swennes
28
Dominique Riviere
90
Roda Padilla
89
Eastern Culture Corp/Hua Yuan
42
Rusudan Khizanishvili
22
Elizabeth Dunlop Studios
88
Sergey Mozer
12
ENitsua Fine Art
16
Sheetal Shaw
35
Fabian Perez Studios
4
Shewmaker Sculpture
87
Fine Art Maya
1
Smart Publishing
30 110
Francesca Saveri
88
Socrates Marquez
Frandy Jean Gallery
15
Souren Mousavi
85
Gallery NK
52
The Susan N. McCollough Gallery and Studio
36
Turnbull Studios
50
Wolfeyes Creative
22
Graphix Integrated
6
Gryphon Fabricators
BC
H. Allen Benowitz
37
“Take off your shoes and wash your hands,” Subodh Gupta 111
PARTING SHOT
“Southern Light,” Kelly Fischer
This acrylic on canvas painting comes from the “Scaffolding II” series by Swiss artist Kelly Fischer. “There is a deeper concentration devoted to smoothing over the rough edges and to beautify,” says Fischer of the series. “By combining colors that represent both the Northern Lights and Southern Lights, my intention is to present artwork that offers an entrancing, dramatic, and magical display that fascinates.” Fischer is represented by Contemporary Art Projects USA, and her work can be seen at Spectrum Indian Wells in March. For more information about Fischer and her art, contact info@contemporaryartprojectsusa.com.
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SPRING 2016
NONOS pure joy of life
Design made in Austria. With their NONOS the two sisters and artists Mercedes and Franziska Welte have created a unique brand. Their sculptures combine pure joie de vivre with aesthetic forms, dynamic dance and evxtravagant sensuality. The vibrant and elegant NONOS are known to design aficionados all over the world. The list of international exhibitions contains places like Berlin, New York, Shanghai, Malta or Vienna as well as Florida and even Taipei. In Europa the handmade unique items are highly valued. See more of NONOS at nonos.at