Autumn 2014
On the worktable … Art Junkie: Scott Bulger Studio Insider: Wheeled nippers Intellectual property rights… yes, it’s a real thing
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Musings I think I'll file this under “Lessons Learned”. In my last issue I opined the pace of modern summers, reminiscing about the languid, happy summers of childhood. No real responsibilities, nowhere to be, days on end stretching out before you, ripe with possibility. A superstitious person would say that in making it seem like an impossibility in the modern world, I may have actually contributed to turning this particular summer into a whirling dervish. No sooner had I published that issue than I began the process of finding a new home (in Asheville, close to my new studio). As chance would have it, that meant having to coordinate a move at the same time as a scheduled vacation, finding a new home for our dog, holding a huge garage sale (moving from a 3 bedroom house with garage and a yard to a 2 bedroom condo!) aaannd.... searching for a new car after mine decided to more or less give up the ghost.
of a mosaic sitting alone in the studio for 2 months, wondering why I don't come back. Things will get back on an even keel, they always do, but in the meantime, I'm a little scattered and absent-minded. Once I get settled after this household move, I plan to spend a lot of quality time wandering the shores of the French Broad River, breathing deeply the scent of the water, the leaf mold, and listening to the purr of the breeze in the trees. And then, I promise, I’ll get back into the studio rejuvenated and rarin’ to go!
Lee Ann
The result of all that instability means I have no new work to show you, only the sad beginnings
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Contents On the Worktable ●
The Three Graces
p. 4
●
The Saltmarsh
p. 6
News and Events ● Journeys of Women Art Exhibit
p. 8
● Women of the Palette @ Johnson City Country Club
p. 8
● Class schedule
p. 8
Art Junkie Scott Bulger
●
p. 10
Studio Insider ● Wheeled nippers
p. 12
Angst and Issues ● Intellectual property rights…yes, it’s a real thing
p. 13
Miscellany ●
Guess where?
p. 15
●
On the town
p. 16
●
Riverview Station
P. 17
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On the worktable
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The Three Graces As a bit of a break from the huge piece I just finished, Italian Carrara marble. I alI began this 18” square mosaic of three white calla ways found it transcendent, blossoms. for reasons I still can’t quite explain. It may actually have It took me awhile to come up with a title for this one, something to do with the fact which is actually unusual. I sometimes have a title that the sculptor’s name is before I have fully developed the idea for the design. unknown. For some reason I But one afternoon, while stepping back to check sense a drama and a terrible proportions and shading as I worked, it evoked a wrong involved in preventing memory of a sculpture that had captivated me as a his or her name from reaching youth. us. Growing up near Indianapolis, one of my favorite haunts was the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The museum was built on the grounds of the Eli Lilly estate, Oldfields, donated by Eli Lilly’s great grandchildren. The Lilly home and its park-like grounds are still part of the complex. On those grounds is a sculpture entitled The Three Graces, of exquisite
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The background on my mosaic will be an abstract of intense colors, which is inspired by the book by Ann Blockley The book has a nice preview on Amazon.com where you can get a sense of what I have in mind.
On the worktable cont’d…
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The Saltmarsh This piece is being returned to the worktable after a hibernation of several months. I began this in late winter/early spring as an interpretation of a poem I adore by H. H. Munro (aka Saki). The poem is titled
Newly hatched dragonflies are called nymphs, so I am illustrating this poem with a dragonfly with green glass beads threaded on silver wire at the top of the wings. I had put this away because I felt that I was not going to be happy with the whole thing done in mosaic, but I wasn’t sure where to go next. In searching for alternatives, I ran across by Nancy a book called Reyner. This is what I was waiting for! I will finish the reeds in glass, then use some of the unusual techniques to finish the piece with acrylic and possibly some silver leaf.
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News and Events Journeys of Women Art Exhibit The McKinney Center in Jonesborough, TN will again host the annual Journeys of Women Art Exhibit. I have been invited to participate, and have offered Bellafiore and Poire et Vin Rouge. One or both may be on display during this show that runs from October 30 through November 15, 2014. The show will be open Monday thru Thursday 9 a.m. 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Fall Studio Stroll The River Arts District fall Studio Stroll is November 8 - 9, 2014. Don’t miss the carnival atmosphere and amazing art to be seen. A majority of the studios in the district will be open for the weekend, with a free shuttle to take you from one end of the arts district to the other!
This show is sponsored by the Tennessee Women’s Fund, Women’s Fund, a fund of the East Tennessee Foundation that raises and awards grant money for nonprofit organizations helping low-income women and girls.
More info at www.riverartsdistrict.com/studiostroll2nd-saturday.html
Women of the Palette exhibit We will have a one night show at the Johnson City (TN) Country Club on November 6, 2014 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Of course, there will be some fabulous art on display, but if you need another reason to show up, there will be wine and finger food and a cash bar.
Workshops and classes Upcoming workshops and classes through the end of this year are posted on the website at www.MosaicArtbyLA.com/workshops. You may register online or by calling (828) 772-5522. Class size is limited so register soon!
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Art Junkie
Scott Bulger
Artwork that resonates with me, from current artists or from artists of the past, presented without commentary to allow you to develop your own response without prejudice.
www.scottbulger.com
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Studio Insider If you make mosaics with glass, you already know about wheeled glass nippers. You also know that with time and use, those wheels get dull, giving you ragged cuts that send glass splinters all over your work in progress. How can you get the most of your wheeled nippers before investing in replacement wheels? Loosen the wheels and turn slightly to rotate them away from the dull section. In order to keep track of where you started and how far you turn them each time, place dots with a paint pen near the center of the wheels when you put a new set on. Then, each time you turn them, move to the next dot. See the video for details. Click the picture below if reading on ISSU to view the video on Youtube, or visit www.youtube.com/user/lapetropoulos.
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Angst & Issues Intellectual property rights….yes, it’s a real thing.
One of my favorite artists is William Morris. Not for his paintings, not for his textile design, not for his lectures, not for his poetry, not for his legacy in manufacturing, not for his concern for the welfare of the craftsmen who produced the functional and fine art of his time. I adore him for all of these things. There may never have been an artist more suited to the term “Renaissance Man” since Leonardo DaVinci. What I find most interesting about him and his life is the consistency of his philosophies of art and of life. No matter the arena, his desire to see that care was taken in the production of the arts, his concern for those who produce them, and his lack of respect for those who didn’t properly appreciate them remained constant. Much of what he wrote and spoke about reflects a visceral horror regarding the change he saw taking place in how art is produced, and how (or if) it is appreciated. He also, prophetically, understood the implications of the destruction that was taking place in the environment because of the conversion to mass production— wanton consumption of raw materials and pollution of the landscape was already a demonstrable problem. In the late eighteenth century, the production of beautiful objects had begun to transfer from the local craftsperson to factories with a noticeable decline in quality. We still hear the same laments about the lack of quality and attention to detail and design in mass produced products. Why, though, after 150 years, do we still purchase this rubbish? We could most certainly change the landscape of available products by refusing to buy such poor quality crap. But not only do we purchase it, we proceed to bitch about it’s lack of quality and endurance, thereby perpetuating a cycle of unhappy consumerism and burgeoning landfills.
I believe this issue of cheaply produced art has a multi-faceted effect in our culture. Firstly, the artist is not regarded as someone whose efforts are worthy of respect. When the end product is of low quality, it reflects poorly on the originator, even if the design was flawless. As a corollary to that, it encourages a lack of respect for the intellectual property of an artist. Even those who would never license their art for mass production on cheap, poorly constructed products find their images stolen and used to make a profit— , of course, for the original artist. Case in point: Lillian Broca’s recent discovery of an image (poorly reproduced) of one of her
mosaics on a butt-ugly shirt. And yet, for those not familiar with the original mosaic, would they not assume that the quality of Lillian’s work was fairly represented on that shirt? (See the real beauty of Lilian’s work at www.lilianbroca.com) This demonstrates beautifully the issue with our culture’s lack of regard for intellectual property rights. It’s not unusual for an artist to reproduce their images for mass consumption, but they control how that is done, so that they can be
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assured their name will not be associated with poor quality work. When an artist has no rights to the work and the images taken from it, there is no way to control how those images are used. They might be cropped badly, digitally manipulated, reproduced in a resolution that destroys the integrity of the work, or diminished in any number of other ways. Then again, we have to ask: Would someone unfamiliar with the original work then view the artist in a favorable light? Keep in mind that I don’t object to the For many artists, especially emerging artists, idea of reproducing their reputation has a very heavy weight. Many the image on a tare coping with scanty income in the hopes shirt, and I don’t that, as they become better known, they will care about cutting finally earn enough to make a living at what into their profits on they are good at. To be represented in an that, because as I said, I would love to see this unfavorable light through something over which organization get off the ground and be successyou have no control can set a career back ful. I told them that as long as they used an substantially. image that I provided them and credited my Recently, I discussed the possibility of doing a name on it, they could do that without further commission for a local organization. The organi- compensation to me. In fact, I told them to add zation is young and not well established, but it a clause to the contract stating as much and I is one whose concept I can really get behind would approve it. I said this on two separate and I wanted to help out in whatever way I occasions. could. I said I was willing to accept some future promotion by this organization in exchange for some of the cash on the project. Everything went very smoothly until they received the contract and saw that I require keeping the copyright on all my work. They balked. They said they might want to reproduce the image on t-shirts to sell at some point and didn’t want me to come back to them down the road and demand part of the profits. Well, as you might imagine, the first thing that popped into my head was the photo of the butt-ugly shirt on the previous page.
I haven’t heard back. You know what is most upsetting to me? It felt as if I was being accused of being greedy and possibly even deceitful. Even though I was willing to accept promotion in lieu of part of the payment and agreed to approve a clause stating that I would require no further compensation, they hemmed and hawed and said “we’ll get back to you”. And then they didn’t. This type of situation is why I write this column. The general public just doesn’t understand the kinds of things that artists are coping with. However, they would understand that if they ask a free-lance IT person to design a software program that tracks their inventory, they could use it but would have no right to sell it to others for a profit. It’s really no different.
Beyond the issue of poor quality images, is the fact that I might want to reproduce a part of the image for resale as prints or greeting cards. I can’t do that if I don’t own the copyright. Even though the mosaic would contain the name of the organization, I could use a detail of another section. As an example, I did this with my I suspect it is the high prices commanded by I cropped the bird from the the upper echelons of the art world that skews mosaic the impression the public has of art in general. entire image to use on greeting cards. I met a neighbor a couple of years ago who,
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upon hearing that I was an artist, spent 10 minutes telling me why he didn’t appreciate art. It was a rambling speech that seemed to revolve around the recent sale of Munch’s for an obscene amount of money. That’s equivalent to walking up to the part-time teller at your bank and saying that because the CEO makes an insane amount of money, you have no respect for what she does.
For more information about intellectual property rights:
Artists Rights Society - copyright information www.arsny.com/basics.html
Copyright Basics for Graphic Designers www.aiga.org/copyrightbasics-for-graphic-designers
I also think there is some confusion about the difference in business models between fine artists and graphic artists. Graphic artists license their work to their clients, or sell the rights outright. If you don’t use their work on your website, promotional materials, etc, no one will ever see it. But the licensing of images to the client commissioning the work is not a common practice among fine artists. Nor should it be. At any rate, I will always keep the copyright to any mosaic I create. If that’s a problem for a potential client, then they will need to find another artist to work with. My hope is that more artists will begin to think seriously about the implications of copyright infringement on their own practices, and begin to articulate clearly to their clients (and other unscrupulous artists) why intellectual property rights need to be protected.
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Guess where? Be the first person to correctly guess where I am in Asheville in this photo and win a set of 5 assorted greeting cards with my mosaic images on the front. Email me at mosaicartbyla@gmail.com
On the town Boy, howdy, does Asheville have some amazing places to fill your belly! As one who has a tendency to prefer to return to the familiarity of a well-loved restaurant over culinary adventure, this town is a real quandry for me. My husband and I both have birthdays in the fall, so when our daughter Alex was visiting recently from London, she wanted to take us out for a joint birthday celebration. After about a day and a half of dithering, we chose Zambra, in part because we have never walked by there when it wasn’t hopping, and in part because we love tapas. Oh. My. God. Even Alex, who has dined in cosmopolitan cities all over the world (including Madrid and Barcelona where the tapas surely can’t be beat) said it might have been the best meal she ever ate. The only downside would be that you could easily lose track of how much food you have ordered since with tapas, you start with a little of this, a little of that, sharing everything, then order more as the evening goes along. It’s a fun way to dine – sort of like picking up the sushi plates from a conveyor belt — but before long you realize you’re going to have a big bill to match your belly at the end of the night. Even so, all three of us would highly recommend it. In addition to having wonderful food and an exotic atmosphere, Zambra is a supporter of the Asheville Sustainable Agriculture Project. They use all natural meats and source local organic products when available. See their website at www.zambratapas.com for the menu and hours and
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Riverview Station A little history, and why it matters
In last Sunday’s Asheville Citizen Times there was an article that outlined the planned improvements for the River Arts District. Some of the improvements are already funded, some aren’t, but it seems that all of them pertain to the other end of the River Arts District from Riverview Station. Because we have a great venue full of fascinating artists and gorgeous art, I am beginning a column to bring all the goodness that is Riverview Station to your attention, lest we be forgotten down here on the south end of the district!
front of the northernmost building. The next year, the additional property was sold off and torn down. The building we now know as Riverview Station remained a manufacturing site through the 1980s.
In 1990, sisters Helaine Greene and Trudy Gould were searching for a larger site for their candle making company. They began by renting 7,000 square feet, but by 1996, their business had
The building that is now Riverview Station was constructed in 1902 and originally housed the Hans Rees Tannery, which produced leather belts for industry. The property at one time included an additional property that extended to the rail yard. In 1955 Ness Brothers, Inc. bought the building as a textile remnants processing plant. The ghost of the “Ness” logo is still visible on the
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grown so large they decided to purchase the building. In 2004 Helaine and Trudy sold the candle business and named the building Riverview Station. Renovations and upgrades made the building attractive to a wide variety of artistic and entrepreneurial tenants and established it as one of the pioneering properties of Asheville’s blossoming River Arts District. Today’s Riverview Station houses the studios of oil painters, jewelry makers, fabric artists, basketry, interior design, a giclee printer, a dog obedience school, and of course, mosaics! That’s not even a complete list! In addition, this spring, Jonas Gerard opened his second River Arts District location — a stunning gallery near the south entrance to the complex.
In each upcoming issue I will bring you profiles of two occupants of Riverview Station – a peek at their work and a bit of biographical info to help you understand why they do what they do, and why we appreciate them. I hope you’ll come visit us and see for yourself what makes this place special.
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Prints I am very pleased to be able to offer high quality, archival prints of some of my work produced for me by the amazing Jim Daley at Fine Image Artistry. These are printed on acid-free paper with archival pigment inks, not dyes. These pigment inks have been tested to last at least 100 years without fading. Sized to fit in an 11� x 14� frame, image size will vary according to the proportions of the original. Visit studio #221 at Riverview Station, 191 Lyman St., Asheville to see the selection of currently available prints. Online availability through www.MosaicArtbyLA.com coming soon!
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Links and Contact
Website www.MosaicArtbyLA.com
Blog http://mosaicartbyla.blogspot.com
Email mosaicartbyla@gmail.com
Phone (828) 772-5522
Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LeeAnnPetropoulos
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/lapetropoulos/
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iPhone cases, mugs and miscellany with my images available at
Society6
www. society6.com/leeannpetropoulos
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