Some Thoughts on Art and Life
Square Dance #1 ©1999 14"x 14"
Miscellaneous Stuff in Random Order
- This week I received Alyson Stanfield’s new book in the mail - I’d Rather be in the studio! It’s beautifully designed and full of tons of useful promotion ideas and strategies for artists. I definitely recommend this book, and not just because I’m quoted. I helped Alyson by looking over the chapter about having an online presence and she turned one of my comments into a quote. Okay she had me write a quote in relationship to something I said about blogging. Check out page 112 for my brilliant comment.
- Super talented artist Deidre Adams has started a blog. She photographed some artwork for me and in exchange I showed her how easy wordpress is to use. So now we can all enjoy Deidre’s Blog.
- Today the last of my 450 postcards to promote my solo show Markings: Repetition and Pattern arrived. I order from Vistaprint - in several small orders (it’s the cheapest way) so they’ve been trickling in the last week. Tomorrow I’ll print out labels and stamp them and get them in the mail. I’m very happy we now have self adhesive stamps.
Making Room for the New
I’ve been listening to Cheryl Richardson on CD recently and she reinforces something that Christine Kane talks about in her retreats and eseminars. That of getting rid of things to make way for creativity and passion. I made a detailed list (what a surprise) of all the clutter in my house and I’m slowly tackling each corner, ruthlessly purging piles of stuff that I no longer need or want or that drains my energy.
One thing I’ve decided to do is sell most my older artwork. Much of it is hidden in a closet and serving no purpose. I’d love for it to find a home in this world if it speaks to someone. I hadn’t hit upon how to go about doing this but the other day when photographing artwork for some reason I grabbed this piece and added it in. I think the universe was telling me to just do it and stop thinking I had to have the perfect plan.
Beads
I love all of the work I’ve made in my path as an artist. I used to not feel this way, and hence it’s hiding in the closet. Sure some is better than others but all of it shows my growth,choices and progress. There is nothing to be ashamed of and there are some really cool pieces lurking in there.
I went through a phase where I was obsessed with beads. Bought tons of them. Thought I’d sew them on all my quilts. Instead I made just 2 or 3 embellished pieces. I then moved to the next thing in my development
[side note - the last year or so I got back into some beading work and when I finish the piece I’ll post it. I still love the beading - I just love the type of work I do now more. That’s a topic for another day - why I choose to narrowly define my focus with my artwork.]
The piece here, Square Dance #1, was started in a workshop with David Walker many years ago. I quilted it and added the beads later, completing the piece in 1999.
Detail of beading:
I’ve thought about listing these pieces on ebay or etsy but decided to list them on my website for now. As I work on the redesign to incorporate them I’ll list a few here on the blog.
This artwork is for sale and is $50 Sold. It’s signed Lisa Leutenegger on the front (as are all pieces made before 2001) and I’ve resigned it on the back with my birth name (Lisa Call).
Posted by Lisa in: Art Marketing
Tagged: Alyson Stanfield, Art for Sale, Beads, Christine Kane, Deidre Adams, solo show
Cherie said,
February 9, 2008 @ 7:53 am
Lisa,
I always look forward to reading your blog. You give so much useful information and ideas. As you are decluttering your house and you come across a pile of your hand-dyed scraps, if you need a place to send them, please let me know! My house needs more hand-dyed clutter. ;) I wish I lived close to you. I would love to see your show. I hope you post pictures after the event.
Cherie
Deidre said,
February 9, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
Lisa, thanks for the shout-out. Hey, I was going to ask you if you wanted my bead stash. I went through a very short beading phase until I realized that every time I put beads on something I was just putting lipstick on a pig. Now I have no use for them, at least on my own work. It’s great for those who know how to do it properly.
-d
lee said,
February 9, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
I almost thought I had the wrong blog when this page first loaded! The quilt is so surprising to me, I love the colors and motion, but you have come a long ways away from that.
melissa lanitis gregory said,
February 9, 2008 @ 6:41 pm
I like this older piece too… maybe because I went through my own “put beads on everything” phase…
Your insight on older work showing our growth and progress is so true. Thanks for pointing that out. I recently posted some older work on my blog, because looking at it again made me appreciate them from this different place and time. And I liked it!
Robin Ferrier said,
February 10, 2008 @ 1:47 pm
I’m all for simplifying and am glad to hear others think as I do too. How are you going to list prices for your small works? Are you going to just put a price or will you have people e-mail you if they are interested? It will be neat to see how this plays out for you because I’ve been thinking of trimming down too.
Alyson B. Stanfield said,
February 10, 2008 @ 4:12 pm
Lisa, thank you for the mention. I’m really glad you’re pleased with the book. And I’m glad to see you cleaning out. It’s so freeing! I’m a big thrower-outer/recycler/giver-awayer, but I’ve had the urge lately to do even more–like getting rid of lots of keepsakes that are boxed away in the basement. It’s a tough call.
Lisa Call said,
February 11, 2008 @ 10:01 pm
Cherie - I ran out of time this weekend to do the scraps - soon - I promise. And yes - I’ll post pictures of the show.
Deidre - I’d love your beads.
lee - I know - I sometimes look back at the road I’ve traveled and it seems pretty amazing. More on that in the fear post.
melissa - isn’t it amazing what time and distance can do for perspective?
robin - I’m not sure yet - still thinking about how best to approach this. Good luck with your clearing out also.
Alyson - I’ve faced almost all of those keepsake boxes now. Most are empty. I decided to cherish my memories other ways than keeping mementos locked away in my basement. It was a lot simpler task than I anticipated once I understood my intention of clearing out anything that drained my energy.
NatalyP said,
February 19, 2008 @ 1:09 am
you can also print your postcards on http://www.dcp-print.com (they also offer free business cards) and there you wouldn’t need to divide it into few small packages
Lisa Call said,
February 21, 2008 @ 9:56 pm
Thanks for the pointer Nataly