textile paintings
Virginia Greaves
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Home page: http://www.virginiagreaves.com
Posts by Virginia Greaves
Marketable Subject Matter
011 years ago
Inviting Art Marketing into the Studio
Last year, I made a conscientious decision to make more marketable work. Every time someone would see Beach Guardians — I would often hear — “one day I want to commission you to do a piece of my grandchildren/children.”
I made Beach Guardians because it was from a picture I had made of my children at the beach. I owned the copyright — and it inspired me. At one point I had a price tag on it — but my husband soon told me that I couldn’t sell a piece of our children. It was going to stay in the family.
Which is fine — but making portraits of friends and family wasn’t taking me where I really wanted to go.
I knew I could make portraits of people — but I also knew that the few pieces I had sold in the past were animals. Anyone that has ever owned a bull dog will look at a bull dog piece of art and say “that looks just like my dog” — and want it. Now.
So after Lincoln, I stopped making portraits of people. I made an angel (arguably a person but a piece that was abstract enough that anyone could relate to it AND it was religious), a dog, a bird, a rabbit, an abstract piece, and then another dog. And then Lincoln won a prize at Houston — and why hadn’t I made any more people?
But the answer was easy — the first dog (Firecracker), the angel (The Bowl Judgments), and the bird (The White Raven) all sold.
Although — I did come home from Houston wondering what in the world I was going to do next. I felt like I should make another person — and I became inspired by a photograph by Dorothea Lange of a woman and her three children. It felt natural to make people again and it flowed through my fingers easily. This is where Worry came from.
But I felt anxiety creeping into my mind — was I making a marketable piece? I suppose only time will tell.
And since I’ve finished Worry, I made a small piece — The Cardinal — for a local square foot challenge. And then I was stuck again — in my head — wondering what to do.
I think I spent a week second guessing myself. In the end, I started a piece — again inspired by a photograph by Dorothea Lange (a great deal of her work is in the public domain). But in my head, I still have this desire to find what is marketable and what is not — because honestly, you spend the same amount of time on the piece — it might as well remain on the wall than be pushed to the back of my closet.
One of my FaceBook Pages that I follow is Humans of New York. A photographer goes out into the city every day and takes pictures of the people that he meets. One day a couple of weeks ago, someone told him that he knew what the art world wanted (although I’m not certain he does but we’ll take his word for it) — and it wasn’t random people on the streets of New York — better to photograph only nudes.
I don’t know many people that will let me take pictures of them with their clothes on — much less off — so I don’t see that as an option for me. I could hire a model, but there wouldn’t be much construction challenge for me in that.
I do see some appeal to taking pics of people on the street in Atlanta — like the photographer in New York. I do, however, understand that there is a lot of hostility given to random photographers — and I think that this guy has worked hundreds of hours building a reputation so that people are delighted to be included in his project. In most situations, people do not want to be put under the microscope of a random person they don’t even know.
At one time, I made several portraits of friends, and one day, I asked an elderly gentleman at church if he would mind if I used the photograph I had taken of him to make a textile painting. He said yes — but only if he could have it when I was done. It doesn’t work that way. A picture takes seconds — my textile paintings take 100+ hours usually. I can’t work myself to the bone for so little appreciation — let alone for free.
Luke Haynes, a textile artist from NC currently living in LA, does full figures on very traditional backgrounds. He’s done a few friends but also several of himself — and Fossil Watches just contracted with him to make a piece of himself. He has effectively branded himself — which is great if you’re 26. Youthfulness is always marketable. I can’t say that I still resemble that demographic however.
I came across this painting recently on someone’s blog — yes, it’s a painting, not a modern graphic — by John Baldessari, 1966-1968. More food for thought.
Tweek!
011 years ago
This week has been spent at the computer in design mode. After I finally stepped up to the plate and fixed the bleeding red on the Cardinal — which I’ve just realized I still need to make a Page for — I stepped up and started working on a new pattern. My value study took several days — but it’s ready and with any luck, I’ll finish the drafting tomorrow.
As usual, I’ve kept an eye out for good articles on art and motivation and shared them on my Twitter feed. This is my weekly summary — but if you’d rather follow me in real time, you can find me @vsgreaves — or click the Twitter icon in the upper right hand corner above the menu. The Facebook icon next to it will take you to my Facebook Page where I share pics of work in progress from the studio.
If you didn’t see this article last week about a mother making paper dresses with her 4 year old daughter (nickname Mayhem) — it’s well worth seeing. After the Oscars tonight, I’m sure they’ll have new dresses coming out this week — check out #fashionbymayhem on Twitter. I was blown away by the inspiration of this young girl.
Future fashion designers — watch out! http://tinyurl.com/knwfjdz @HuffPostParents @2sisters_angie #fashionbymayhem
It’s official — the US Congress is discussing Droit de Suite which would give artists a percentage of profit on the resale of their work (although it has to fall over $5k to be subject to these rules).
“Congressmen Propose National Resale Royalty Act for Artists” http://feedly.com/e/58Xsz6-I
This discussion of success by astronaut Chris Hadfield doesn’t disappoint: “you need to honor the highs and the peaks in the moments . . . but recognize the fact that the preparation for those moments is your life and, in fact, that’s the richness of your life . . . ”
“Don’t Aim For the Finish Line: Astronaut Chris Hadfield on Success” http://feedly.com/e/Bovgdw3M
As a textile artist, one of the blogs that I follow is by Terry Grant — and she wrote this amazing article about abstract versus representational art — a subject that my mother (an oil painter) and myself have discussed many times over the years — so I was interested to hear another point of view from an artist that successfully does both:
“Abstraction and Representation” #terrygrant http://feedly.com/e/BGzAEfw8
This is another hot button issue. I believe a few weeks ago I highlighted an article (by Edward Winkleman I think) discussing how good art may never see the light of day if the artist doesn’t have an MFA — but an artist with an MFA may have a successful career with not very good art because he (or she) has the right contacts in the “art world.” This article doesn’t discuss whether or not the artist has an MFA but does discuss how popularity affects exposure. In this NPR article, Alix Spiegel follows an experiment in which teenagers are exposed to music songs in different virtual worlds to see how much social influence affects their reactions to the music.
Does art rise to the top because it’s good or because it’s popular? A case for the latter http://www.npr.org/2014/02/27/282939233/good-art-is-popular-because-its-good-right … via @MorningEdition RT @abstanfield
This is another self esteem builder — but good reminders for every one of us nonetheless:
15 Things That Emotionally Strong People Don’t Do http://elitedaily.com/life/15-things-that-emotionally-strong-people-dont-do/ … via @EliteDaily
I grew up watching Mr. Rogers on television but I don’t know that I’ve ever considered his positive influence. Reading this article of quotes published on the anniversary of his passing, I realize how truly inspiring he was:
“Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.” http://tinyurl.com/l4rogn9 via @RELEVANT
And that’s a wrap!
Make It Work
011 years ago
Last week, I finished the cardinal and put it in water to soak.
I had a thoughtless moment where I put synthrapol in the washing machine while the bin was filling with water. I thought to myself — that’s a mistake — I should empty the tub and start over. But then I thought — it’s so small — it shouldn’t matter.
If I had been really thinking, I would have reminded myself that red is bad to bleed — but I wasn’t thinking so I threw the piece in the water with a Color Catcher on top (I wasn’t totally brainless).
But of course, as you can see, the reds bled onto the background. This is what it looked liked after spraying it with Shout and washing it with OxyClean in cold and hot water — many times. I couldn’t get out any more of the red from the background. (I was able, thankfully, to shrink it a little. It was just over 12″ square — and for the exhibit I made it, it needed to be 12″ square — which now it is.)
I have had this happen before — with Beach Guardians. Thankfully, the background wasn’t printed so painting it with fabric paint should work. At this point, it was my only option left.
But I put it off — and worried — and procrastinated. No one wants to ruin something in the final stage with paint. I had spent almost two weeks on this piece — and I wasn’t looking forward to that going down the tubes if it didn’t work.
I took my fabric paint and mixed it on my palette — and got really close to where I needed to be.
I thinned it with water and blended it into the background.
I think it works.
I compared it to my picture of the piece from last week before I put on the binding — and the background looks less green. That is really only a difference in lighting. It’s almost scary how big the color shift is. This time, I used a side light — and last week I didn’t — but I couldn’t go back & re-take the pic with the bleeding — so I just kept it like this so you could compare apples to apples.
You may have noticed that I used a binding that matches the background. I almost always use black for binding — but as I said — I was trying to make this piece a specific size — and my cardinal just barely fit in the space. The best way to give him some breathing space was to use a binding in the same color as the background. If I had used black, he would have looked squeezed on there.
Did I mention I don’t like making something to a specific size requirement?
Tweek!
011 years ago
This has been a frustrating week. I washed my latest small piece — the Cardinal — and the red has crocked onto the background and isn’t coming off. (I’ll have to get brave and paint it.) Possibly because of that frustration, I’ve spent hours trying to find inspiration for my next piece — and I haven’t accomplished anything more than wasting time on the internet. And today we were met with news of the sudden death of an old family friend. Sometimes I’m just happy to still be here — and I let that be enough.
So while I want to be working, I don’t have direction and I’m having a hard time finding my way. It’s not uncommon — I’ve been here before. It’s just frustrating.
I did post some on Twitter this week. If you want to follow me in real time, you can find me @vsgreaves — or hit the Twitter icon in the upper right above the menu. You can also find my Facebook Page link next to it — I post about work in my studio there.
Artists are constantly being asked to donate their time — which only devalues our work:
Time and Skill Cost Money: Don’t Be Cheap Jerks: http://buff.ly/1gK2avF RT @ArtsyShark
This is not about art but it is about perseverance. A South Korean that was in his 30’s aged out of the Korean Olympic Team — so he moved to Russia to compete for them — and came out of last week with a gold medal. If they’re smart, the Koreans are reconsidering their ageism:
The Koreans learned the hard way that you can still win a gold medal even if you’re older. http://tinyurl.com/mzdqvyt @nytimes
Luke Haynes is a fellow textile portraitist who has aligned with the watch company Fossil — which is a boon to the perception of art quilts in the eyes of the general public:
http://blog.fossil.com/luke-haynes-fossil-a-creative-collaboration/ … #lukehaynes #fossil
With the Ukraine in complete chaos, Orthodox priests have been donning their chasubles and providing prayer between the military and Ukrainian citizens. Stunning photographs.
Orthodox Priests Pray On Kiev Frontline http://huff.to/1eN7Hkg via @HuffPostRelig
Visualization is important to moving your mind forward (definitely what I need to be doing):
“Stuck? Try Drawing Your Ideas” http://feedly.com/e/hdUzrht1
In my search for inspiration, I found this artist who makes the most stunningly realistic paintings — in PASTELS no less:
Realistic Pastel Paintings By Spanish Artist Ruben Belloso http://fineartblogger.com/realistic-pastel-paintings-by-spanish-artist-ruben-belloso/ … via @eexploria
This is a little kick in the pants that I need to think about as I try to work myself back into the studio:
Check out my latest post on Lifehack ‘7 Basic Rules of Creativity You Should Know’ http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/7-basic-rules-creativity-you-should-know.html RT @FortheCreators
Tweek!
011 years ago
A frigid week but a good one for reading. Here are all of my tweets for the week.
If you’d rather follow my tweets in real time, I’m @vsgreaves or hit the Twitter icon in upper right above the menu. The Facebook icon is next to it & will take you to my Facebook Page where I post about my studio and what I’m working on.
I’m developing almost a study on what art is more likely to sell. There is not as much published on this subject as I would like:
The Most Popular Subjects For Art That Sells http://artyfax.squidoo.com/popular-art-that-sells
Another artist had put this pic of a painting on her blog. It was painted by John Baldessari 1966-1968 and looks more like a modern day JPG — but it’s actually a painting — and it offers some suggestions for subject matter:
“Tips for Artists Who Want To Sell” by John Baldessari http://tinyurl.com/lzw53j6
Is it OK to make work that is not that good? Of course! It takes time for your work to match your taste. You need to make a large volume of work to close the gap.
In Just 2 Minutes, This Video Will Make You Feel Silly For Ever Having Doubted Yourself http://huff.to/1exd3ki via @HPGoodNews
I am beginning to contemplate my taxes and my successes of last year have some bearing on what I might need to do differently on my taxes. This list gives some helpful tax advice for artists.
Great tax info, checklists, and worksheets for #artists http://www.artstaxinfo.com/artists.shtml RT @abstanfield
It’s hard to miss the coverage of the Winter Olympics going on now in Sochi — and there was an incredible moment last week when Shaun White DIDN’T win a medal — and came out a real winner:
“The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.” RG Ingersoll http://tinyurl.com/laxwsa7
There was also an female snowboarder at the Olympics who used a board with an artist’s work on the back:
“Artist Judith Braun Finds Her Work Part of an Olympic Medal Win” http://feedly.com/e/v8qAvERD
This was yet another example of a corporation taking an independent’s artist’s work and using it on their products without prior agreement — very similar to what happened to Lisa Congdon. The end of the story, however, is good news — JCPenney has given the artist a contract to pay her for license of her work:
Winnipeg artist’s work taken from website, sold at J.C. Penney http://tinyurl.com/pdvw4md via @DaleAnnePotter
Setting the Mood
011 years ago
by Virginia Greaves
in Design
Today I escaped from my house to the fabric store — the one closest to me — Tiny Stitches. If you remember, this is what I started with — a yellow green. The more I looked at it, the more I didn’t like it. It’s too yellow for me.
This piece really relies on the background to set the mood — and this yellow green takes too much away from the cardinal.
So I went back to my color wheel — and found something strange. I have two color wheels. One says that the opposite of red is green — the other one says that it’s cyan. The plot thickens.
So I pulled this light cyan from my stash. It’s not quite right either.
So I went to the store — the batik section — and started laying bolts on the ground and then laying my appliqué on top. I’m fortunate that it’s so small — I can’t usually carry my appliqué work in a folder.
This is nice but feels urban to me — not what I’m going for. It’s just a little too distracting.
And this is the green that should work — except it doesn’t.
This one is a little better — but it still doesn’t make the bird sing.
And then I pulled out this blue green. I liked it a lot more. It’s a good value change and sets off the cardinal nicely. So I carried this bolt around for a while and started walking through the aisles — because sometimes you can find interesting things in places you wouldn’t think to look — so it helps to go exploring.
Wow. A print. It is also a light blue green.
This is the same pattern in a darker color — too dark for the cardinal.
So at this point, I looked at all of the pics on my phone and I really loved the blue green print — but I thought I should try one more green batik. No — it just doesn’t work for me. It’s the right value and the print is the right proportion — but it isn’t for me.
So I lost a couple of days — but I now have the right background — the light blue green print. Better to change it now than wish I had later.
Cardinal Longing
111 years ago
After I finished Worry, I had no idea what my next project would be. I get so involved in one project that I don’t tend to think ahead to the next — can’t really split my focus. I concentrate on one thing to the exclusion of other things.
But when I was done, I decided to make a small piece for the SouthEast Fiber Arts Alliance (SEFAA) Square Foot Fiber Art Pin Up Show. No theme — the piece just has to be 12×12 or smaller. I don’t usually work in this small scale — but I needed a rest and working on a small piece seemed like a good way to do that.
I had seen many pictures of cardinals in the snow being posted on Facebook — and I think that this is what I had in my mind’s eye when I began — a piece of hope flying across the frozen tundra (a little melodramatic, but we’re currently iced in for the second time in a couple of weeks and this southern girl is more acclimated to sunshine than snow.)
So I searched through all my reds and picked out a decent range. I wasn’t really happy with my first value — but then, what could I do? The weather was too iffy for me to risk a trip over to Marietta to pick out fabric — so I was limited to what I had on hand.
Just as I was getting ready to iron my WonderUnder templates down, I had the funny realization that I had paid for both sides of my fabric (obvious, I know, but a fact often overlooked) — so I ironed the templates to the front — so the back would show — which was exactly the shade I needed for the first value.
This is the second value — you can begin to see the outline of the cardinal.
The third value gives you even more — although I should have added to the lighting in the room before I took my pics.
The fourth value was all I got done before I heard that the news was telling me (I had the TV on while I was ironing) that I might lose power for several days — and I realized I needed to add a few things to my pantry. It was at this point that I ran out the door with fading daylight before the roads became truly impassable the next day (and they did).
I returned to this yesterday and added values five and six — the sixth one being black. Not bad but I really miss the eye.
Again, other blurry shot. I think the ISO on the camera I was using was way down — but you can see how I built up the eye in a similar way to the eye on The White Raven. I did add a larger highlight than I usually do — this guy has a small eye and the light coming off it gave the impression of the dimension of the eyeball.
Once he was done, I added the branches. I thought about adding a bunch of detail and then decided that it was so small, it made more sense to let the fabric do the work for me — so I found a brown wood batik and fussy cut it so I roughly had highlights and shadows where I wanted them.
And finally, I added his claws. They are really similar in tone to the branch — and I decided to stay with that. I used a purple with a lot of gray in it — but they are obviously the same value as the branch. I’ll define them more with texture in the quilting stage.
The last part is to add a background. This was my first pick. It’s a really bright acid green but it makes the cardinal pop. I tried other greens from my stash — but the greens with more gray in them make the cardinal more sedate — more like it’s a common wildlife scene.
And I could try something other than green — but the color wheel shows the green is the best choice — and holding up colors — it’s the one that makes the most sense visually — even if I did originally imagine more white and gray blues.
I’m not sold on this yet. I would love it if I could go to store and see if I could find something better — or validate my choice here — but there is still too much ice on the roads. I may go ahead for something to do. Sewing is a good antidote for cabin fever.