Postcards

In my Ebay and Etsy store (and soon to be DPW), I have some postcards for sale. As an art form, I  like postcards.They are small, people often save them vs just throwing them when they get home, and is a reminder of fun things. Many art events use postcards to contact people. I was not an active postcard person when I got started with Postcrossing. I had a few from the past tucked safely away in a box. When we were cleaning out my in-law house - a house that her folks lived built and lived in first - I found a treasure trove of 100 year old postcards. That is what started me on collecting.

So, online I found Postcrossing.com. It is computer generated and they give you a name and you mail them a postcard. When they get your postcard they log it in and then somebody gets your name. You get postcards from all over the world. You can say what things you are interested in but cannot tell them what you  want. My husband likes trains so we get a lot of railroad ones. I say Art, castles, but am open to many things. I have done it for several years. I had a break for a while and just started up again this fall. Postage adds up and while I think they start you with just sending out a few at first, I am up to where I can have 20 traveling at a time if I choose. Many swappers tend to be stamp collectors also and load your postcard up with many wonderful stamps.

With the postcrossing I have to hunt for postcards to send. People like a lot of different things. Some like the map of your area. Some like food, or sports etc. I hunt for postcards to mail out. Here postcards can be hard to find so I have made some of my own. I keep bees so I have made a few beekeeping postcards that I sell with my honey and lotion bars besides online. I did the Leinenkugel's 150th Anniversary and to the artists that were chosen they stressed that people were coming from all over the world and would want souvenirs (not so much). I made and still have a lot of postcards of Chippewa Falls. I also made postcards of my paintings. These postcards I sell when I sell my art also. I have a spindle and rack and put out my postcards so I have a cheaper item at my art booth.

What is nice about postcards in general is the size. They are small, don't take up much room. If they are 4x6" they can go in a mat and you can frame them. I can paint on them to work out an idea or get some studies done on them for future artwork. They are a handy take along size. For awhile, I was in another online group that was called Swap Bot. In that one some of the swaps featured hand made postcards. You could choose which swap you wanted to do and some of the cards are pretty creative. There are also sites online for postcard artists and sometimes postcard contests.

Anyway, whether you are collecting others, designing and printing your own, or using blank watercolor ones for studies or small paintings, postcards are something to not be overlooked. They can document history as well as show your art.

Getting my Pieces Together

I have been trying to put the pieces together of my art business. I have tried different things through the years but now with the internet it is a game changer. I have to do more because there is more I can do. I don't want to drive myself crazy chasing things that might work for other people that might not work for me. This is probably the 3rd or 4th time I have done a website but am thinking that I am going to stay here awhile. I have a gallery on Daily Paintworks, can list on auctions there.There are contests and different things to help build your reputation and community. Sitting alone on my website in the past seemed kind of lonely unless you do a lot of promoting. This way people can see my art even if it is only other artists. I do see things getting sold there so that is a start. What I also like is that it is not just a stand alone site, but it also links to my Ebay and Etsy stores. I am hoping that all that connection pays off and gets my name out there.

So, my online things are DPW, Ebay, Etsy for now. I am on FB personally but not as a business. I also have a Linkin account but need to set it up and use it. I know there are friends on there too. With Facebook, I may post paintings, sales, interesting things and not get hardly any comments on them. My daughter says that she never got them so I know very little is getting through. I haven't looked at Instagram since my phone is a flip phone and I hardly use my tablet. So, for my online things I want to do some things but do them well. I need to clean up/  finish up my stores and have good headers and maybe actually have a picture of me on it. I am thinking of a separate Etsy account still using the Jules Art Stuff but abbreviate it to JAS and having Paintings, Prints, Postcards Plus. The plus maybe print on demand of the prints and possibly shirts, mugs, etc. I am hoping it will have a more professional look besides being sold alongside paper dolls and sheet music.

Once I have some of my stuff together looks wise, I will need to see how to link them from DPW so viewers can go between my sites. I also have set up on Bonanza, but that takes a lot of work to keep things synced and I haven't tried the Etsy side of it yet. That may be further down the line if I do it at all. My next step too is Seo, checking my wording, and then finally marketing, advertising and promotion. There are a lot of things with trying to launch an art career that take a lot of money. The website alone can cost a ton. One set-up I was looking at was nickel and diming you to get all the items you wanted. The one I just left, I couldn't find when I signed up how to pay month by month and got stuck paying for a year. When I went to cancel they won't refund since I paid for a year so I have to waste that money and just ride it out. I now have a domain with some art on it that I need to switch to my DPW gallery if I want it because it is paid up until the end of June.

To be honest, craft shows are cheaper and selling craft items are cheaper, but people don't always want to shell out for Art. My leap from craft to art is a big jump and the biggest is online. With online also there is a lot of competition for looks and sales. I know I probably will have to do more shows so I can develop a reputation and people can meet me so they will look online too. Right now, getting my ducks in a row - online, but while I am doing that, it is the contest, physical shows and plein air events.

My Love/Hate Affair with Plein Air

   Plein Air is a French term meaning to paint outside. There are Plein Air magazines and clubs. In Minnesota they just call their group - Outdoor Painters of Minnesota. You know exactly then what you are getting - outdoor painting.

I have painted outdoors and there are many benfits to it. You are matching your paint colors to what you actually see. You can see where the light hits and where the shadow is. I like painting outside when I can but I am a baby about it.That is why I am writing this blog. It looks romantic to see an easle set up and a painter painting along, or hear the story of somebody loading up their backpack with supplies with their easle on their back going into the remote places to paint but it is not as serene as it seems.

What I like about plein air painting - being outside. On a nice day it is a great place to be and can be relaxing. I prefer to be with somebody if it is not in my own yard - so there is friendship. I can see the accurate colors, shadows and light. A photograph does not always get those things right and you might miss the little details that are out there because they might not show up as well. It can be relaxing and sometimes at the end of your painting session you might have a painting done or mostly done so there is that sense of satisfaction. I can usually hang in there for 4 hours and then I need a break..

What I don't like about plein air painting. This is where me being a baby comes in. Being outside. I am mostly an inside girl and like inside things. There are outside things I do like - like gardening, occasionally shoveling or mowing the yard. I like to hike in a park but do not like to walk around the block. I don't like being too hot or cold. I don't like bugs, ticks and snakes.  I don't like wind - trying to keep my easle up and my canvas in place. I don't like people looking over my shoulder while I work (maybe my insecurity) - ok when I am done but I will talk to everyone.  Surprisingly, one of my part time jobs is working in a garden center where it can be cold or very hot. Some plein air artists are even painting outside in winter and other extremes in weather - that is just not me.

There are contests too. There are plein air painters that get together for an event with parameters of where they can paint. They have to have their cavases or paper stamped ahead of time so they know if a finished painting was substituted in. They have judging and prizes. There are also deadlines. There is a quick paint which is usually about 2 hours where you have to be in a certain area and the clock is on. It is like a race to have a painting done in that time. It then gets framed and turned in for judging. If they hold this event, there are usually prizes. I have a hard time relaxing during this time but usually get something finished.

When you look at my painting on my blog, I was painting with a group in Tiffany Bottoms. It is just outside of Durand, Wisconsin and close to the Mississippi River. It is a back water place where you need to take the "train" in. It is a train not in the usual sense but cars on rails, Usually the birders go on these trips. I took way too much that first time and have scaled back. I wore boots because of the ticks in spring but it worked out well because there may be snakes in that area but I was also able to walk in the water to check out a view. The place  chose was beautiful to paint but my easle kept sinking into the sand. It is at the beginning of May, so the morning starts out with frost but by the time you leave the spot you usually have shed some of your clothes.They did leave a potty car so you didn't have to worry about bodily functions while painting. In groups, it takes me awhile to set up and relax so I can get to work

So, even with this love/hate affair, I am still planning which ones I want to do this year. They will have to be close to home because I don't want to get a hotel. I am thinking under an hour and a half away at most. If I did one that I could camp at I don't know if I would have enough room in my car for both camping  and painting stuff  unless I cut back on both. This Spring, there are two of them that are the closest. I will need to juggle my schedule. I substitute teach and  school will still be in, I will have started my greenhouse job and  we have a baby due in the family.  You do what you can.

Maybe this year I can relax and do my best work ever!

Good Work Takes Time

   A lot of the things I do or have done take time. That quilt that took me 6 months to do could not have been done in a weekend and look the way it does now. That wedding cake isn't just the decorating. It is the hours spent designing, working with the customer, shopping for ingredients, baking the cake, delivering, and in previous times, practicing. I had heard the phrase "Good work takes time" from a friend who said her grandma would say that. It applies to many things that if they are "worth doing are worth doing well" (not sure who said that).

We live in an instant culture. Many expect things to get done fast and still be quality. We see on tv how a painting can be started and finished in a half hour segment. People go to the paint and drink events in the evening and come home with a finished painting. On the Internet you see somebody blast through their creation using high speed editing and cutting out the down time. Even the Plein Air events have a "quick paint" to challenge you to get a finished painting in 2 hours or less.

GOOD WORK TAKES TIME!

I really hate the phrases, "Artsy fartsy" or "slapping some paint around", because it seems to demean the creation aspects of art. On the remodeling tv shows they show people how "anyone can creat art" by having them slap some paint on a stretched canvas and hanging it on the wall. While there may be some with an eye for balance and color, they are saying that anyone can do it because there is nothing to art and no knowledge or practice is required. I had a framer friend who did not value water color paintings because she thought everything they did was fast and therefore was cheap or low value.

To me, Good Work Takes Time,  involves being honest with what was involved to do their creation. Usually there is a lot of practice to be able "to whip something off". There may have been years of practice, observation, mistakes to get to the point where you may be fast because you already have an idea in your mind, have already done the problem-solving, sketches and color studies. Last summer I painted Chippewa Falls, Wi. I think I have 4 paintings of the Glen Loch dam. The first one took a while because I was taking in all the details. After I painted that one I looked at it from different sides so I could see what the trees were covering up. I tried something I didn't normally do - painting with a palette knife. I did a close-up view and then did one abstracted with patterns. The final ones got faster because I had already worked out the problems. I have been painting for quite a few years but had a gap of not painting much because of family issues for about 10 years. I had to spend time getting my skills back. If I had just thought I could do this project and whip things off they would have looked very amateurish.

My bricklayer son-in-law reminded me that the things that are quality now will be quality in the future. Even if a piece of work takes longer than you would have liked it  will show that it was not rushed. While there may be some that do not take as long or your purpose was to have broad brush strokes and fill that canvas, it always has that bedrock of your studies experiements and time spent beneath it.

A Day to Work -Switching Directions

I am still working on getting my things on Daily Paintworks, Etsy and Ebay. It looks like it may take awhile. I have prints from my big event that I want to have online somewhere. When I do have a sale  then I can alter my quantity and take them with.

We got socked! We had a big snowstorm yesterday through overnight. We went out shoveling a couple of times and when we went to bed the decks, driveway and sidewalks were clear. This morning there was another 3" of  snow. I am not sure what we really got totally - 11-12"?  I think that maybe yesterday it was 8-9" but not sure how they count that heavy wet stuff.. That was on the bottom and toward afternoon the light and fluffy stuff came. I wonder if the wet stuff compressed and it would have counted for more. All I know is that it is a lot of snow! While shoveling yesterday you couldn't help be struck by the beauty of the snow blanketing the trees and bushes. I would have liked to take some photographs but like usual here - it was too gray. This afternoon the sun is supposed to be out and I will have to get some pictures before it gets too heavy and drop. Now it looks like a wonderland. I wouldn't feel this way if it were March or April and being totally sick of winter by then, but we haven't gotten much so far this year so it is a treat.

So, I am going back to listing my prints and whatever else I can between shoveling bouts. The photos originally were from when I had the prints made. I am going back and changing the dpi lower. I have read a lot of things online about people stealing designs. I can do a watermark too but those sound like they can be removed. I can disable the right click on my photos on some websites but they can do a screen shot. I guess if I lower the dpi and make sure my name is on the image somewhere that  is the best I can do.

I have had a website a couple of times and I have had my Ebay store since 2006? and Etsy store since 2012. I haven't been good at promoting anything but have still had sales - but only on Ebay and Etsy. Since 2012 I have been selling my mother-in-law's paper dolls and vintage sheet music. I always meant these stores to be for my art. Now I am adding them but wonder if I should have a separate art store for each. Time will tell and sales will tell too.

There are a lot of things I think about with promotion, sales, seo etc. Hopefully I can discover some of these things along the way and then share them with you.

Trying to Get Seen

I think  the goal of almost every artist is to get seen and sell art. There may be some content to give it

away, but I think that deep-down you want somebody to like your paintings enough to buy it. Even

my granddaughter at age 6 wants to have an art show and sell her art.  I have tried different things for

exposure and while I am still working at trying to get myself out there and things sold, these are a few

ideas I have done in the past. Very few are free.  Some are juried.

1) Join and art group. There may be member shows,  art crawls, different opportunities that you might not have alone. Sometimes they have contacts with hospitals, contests, coffee shops etc. You may enjoy the social aspect meeting and networking with other artists.

2) Check into membership at an art museum. Here, in Hudson, Wisconsin there is The Phipps. In July they have a call for artists for their museum but also for the local hospital and other things. They also promote the big art fair in the fall on the shore of the river.  There are other opportunities through them - their member shows, Holiday shows. They may have fees and commissions but they are cheaper than if you are not a member. They also are a nice place to find out about other opportunities. They offer space for classes also.

3) Fairs - County and State. - dependending on the state, to get to that level you might have to pass a lower one first. I think everyone can apply to the county fairs. Our country fair also has a market on the Saturday. While some things may be craftish, I may try that with art.

4) Libraries - some have galleries so they may have contacts  to share and contests and calls for art.

5) WRAP - in Wisconsin there is the Wisconsin Regional Arts Program. It is with the Extension service through the UW system. They have groups that have a WRAP event that is meant to help you build your art,business and network. You have 3 pieces of art on exhibit (# depending on location and room) for a month.There is a seminar by somebody and also it is judged and critqued to help you improve. I have participated in River Falls, Tomah, and  Barron County in Rice Lake. The top ones go to the Annual event for competing.

6)  Online shows and events. Right now I am trying out Daily Paintworks. They have a spot for your gallery but also offer an auction area that you can list in and also contests. I am new to this and stlll need to list more.  I have had my art on Etsy along with vntage items and may tweek that to a separate site. I am just starting some on Ebay. I know there are other contests, and events out there that you can find and research.

7) Art Crawls and Fairs - The fairs tend to be expensive. Some of the Art Crawls are through a group or location so it may not be as much to participate. The fairs require the photos of your work, display, etc and mostly a jury fee and space rental. Besides the fees you have the equipment,tents,and racks to display things. I would like to do this for hopefully better sales but the jump is expensive. Right now I have been doing more inside things because  I do not have a tent and and know cheap ones are just that - cheap. Some also require insurance.

8) Art and Craft Shows - This gets into the iffy area because people may not be looking for art. I have done craft shows for homemade paper and honey but may try a couple of the larger ones with a few paintings but some of my prints, postcards and cards. At those I can bring my lotion bars and it would be find if I let them know. I just need to decide if I want them touching my art stuff with still greasy hands. This is a maybe but only for a select few.

9) For painters - the Plein Art events. Not everybody likes to do this, but it is a way to meet people, paint, get known. There are awards and prizes, and often gallery showings and sales. Some people like going to see plein art. There also is the contact with possible customers as you are painting.

10) Flea Markets - don't go there if you are wanting to sell your nice things at a big price. They are looking for deals.

11) Open House at Home. I list this last for me because I have bees and that might put shoppers off. I may have to do the City Garage Sales with my granddaughter at her house because she wants a sale to sell her art.

Anyway, as I am getting back into it, it seems like once you get on some lists, people send you more opportunites to show your art. It makes it encouraging.

Finding Your Niche (Where do I belong?)

I have been working on my art for a long time. I began painting in High School. When I went to college it was with a major in Studio Art. I have taken printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, 2d and 3d Design. I love it all. Then you add all the needlework on top of it. I felt like I was spinning. In Art they taught you that you should do one thing and stick with it which is pretty hard. I have done different careers - cake decorating and floral design - besides my arts and crafts looking for my niche. Sometimes the reason I went the way I did was because of finances.

 In the last 20 years, finding and getting into shows has changed. When I began, you looked in magazines and had to do things through the mail. If it was Art, you needed to submit slides. That meant taking a lot of pictures, having the film developed into slides and praying you have at least on or two usable ones (the cameras were not what they are today). If you had money you could have somebody else take photos of your art. Then you had to submit your entry by the deadline and wait by the mailbox for your acceptance or denial. What hasn't changed is that a lot of shows are "pay to play". I don't know of any other industry that charges the hopeful entrance jury fees. If I were to go for an audition anywhere, I don't think I would be charged. These entries are essentially auditions of your art. For an artist to get into anything you have to apply and most of the time pay. There are sometimes the jury fee and also other fees such as space fee, advertising etc. Some places, like galleries and some shows, they take a 30-40% commission on your work that they sell for you. Some shows take commissions even if you are there selling it yourself!

So when times were tough I relied on the craft show route. I did crafts - crocheting, plastic canvas, quilts, homemade paper and at the end just honey, lotion bars and bee related items. It started out about just costing $20 but has gone up from there. There was no comparison to the Art Show route. I just could not afford to lay out hundreds of dollars for a show that might not happen for six months. I have done this besides the floral design at LeeWards and the Cake Decorating - wedding cakes and DQ looking for my niche. I really enjoyed doing all sorts of creative things but it didn't feel like my niche - somehow that didn't feel like what I should be doing.

So, I now I am painting. And making prints. I think of myself as an eclectic artist - does many different things. I get an idea and think about how it might work best. I am working toward exposure for myself and art in a community that I didn't grow up in and do no know that many people. You are getting to see part of my journey and I will be sharing my experiences with you. We are lucky to have the Internet and the ability to find and contact others. We are able to find the calls for art and network with like-minded people. I hope my experiences help you too.