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My first gallery show
ontrose69 -
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 10:07pm
Copper Art | gallery Wow! I honestly never thought I would be featured in a gallery. I have been told by some metal artists that my work is very good, but I am my worst critic. I see the flaws in my work, yet others love what I do. Am I the only one that feels this way about their own work? Back in December, shortly before Christmas I was going into the local galleries and enjoying the different artists they had. I went into the Arts Prescott Gallery and was greeted by a very nice artist named Robert. It came up that I was a copper artist and Robert suggested I need to apply to be in the gallery. I took an application and went home to think about it. I submitted my application and was told that it can be a month or more for the gallery committee to decide. One month went by and I figured that I was not good enough to be in the gallery and dropped the thought from my mind. Two months went by and I had forgotten all about the gallery application I had submitted. Well... a couple of days ago I received a call from Robert at the gallery asking if I would like to be the guest artist for a month long show in the gallery. I was floored! I couldn't believe that I was being asked to be a featured artist in a gallery! Today I went back to the gallery to look over the space. I had been told that I would have about 15 feet of wall space and roughly 3 feet of space out from the wall for my art. Well... I have more like 25 feet of wall space! I met seven or eight of the other artists in the gallery and they were all very welcoming! I am still in shock that other artists think that my work is good enough to be displayed in a gallery. At the moment, I don't have enough artwork to cover the entire space that they are providing me. So I will be frantically creating new art in the next month to get ready for the show! Now for the quandry I'm in. I am already in two fine arts shows during that time period and I have several other shows in the month following. How am I going to create enough pieces to cover not only the gallery, but enough for the shows I'm already committed to doing? The shows have potential for high dollar sales for me. And, to top it all off... I have an injured shoulder once again. It has really slowed me down and hurts really bad. There are days that I cannot go out to my workshop and do anything. What to do...  Hey Rich, I guess I should
ontrose69 -
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 11:08pm
Hey Rich, You are probably right about rushing at the last minute. I do fairly well under time pressure, but I don't want to have anything that isn't up to my standards. I would rather have fewer pieces for the gallery that are my best work than many pieces that looked like the quality wasn't the same. The problem for me is that this is how I make my living. I don't have another job. Chris  Which is why I strongly
Rich Waugh -
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 11:55pm
Which is why I strongly caution against trying to do a bunch of stuff in a rush - you'll be looking at more surgery for sure. I understand your dilemma as this is how I make my living, too. A few months of no work and four day a week therapy to fix a severe tendinitis problem taught me something valuable. Rich  No time
warren -
Thursday, March 11, 2010 - 11:37am
Chris, too bad about the sore shoulder, time to learn how to work with the other arm? Yes it is nice to get into a gallery, but the thing with a gallery is how many will see your work in that time and who will be buying. I look at galleries as a winter storage. I hate having my work tied up in a gallery for a few months. www Metalrecipes -- heat and beat to the desired shape, repeat as necessary. |
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ArtMetal
That sore shoulder is
That sore shoulder is telling you something and you need to listen to it or you could end your metalsmithing career permanently. At a minimum you should immediately see a sports medicine doctor and get some therapy lined up. At the same time, you need to look at your ergonomics and kinesiology to determine what you're doing that causes the inflammation so you can adjust your habits to reduce that.
As for the shows, you might have to gracefully decline one or more of them if you don't have sufficient work to fill them. Work that is slammed out at the eleventh hour to meet a show deadline usually looks like it and pulls down the caliber of the whole show. Not always, by any means, but usually. Not a good way to start off with a new gallery or clientele. Much better to come off as elusive and/or reluctant than to come off as a hack. To say nothing of the fact that you'll likely ruin your shoulder so badly you require surgery to repair it after doing all that rush work. Just not worth it.
Probably not exactly what you wanted to hear, but there it is - you asked.
Rich