Business Plans

In my 7th week of unemployment/being an artist I have started to get over the initial shock and nasty  depression. I apply for jobs but companies aren't hiring in visual effects, not cg hair groomers with little knowledge of commercial software anyhow.  On top of that, the lovely Los Angeles summer will start to fry my brains soon so I better get some things done before that happens. Los Angeles in summer is hell and don't let anybody tell you otherwise.  I need to pull myself together and go for it, basically. I need commissions, sales, workshops, marketing....I need a business plan.

So a lot of ideas have been gathering steam. Ideas to save money (materials, framing!,  website and marketing would be good places to start, not that I do that much marketing at all but I need to start.)
Ideas to make money. Ideas to promote myself. Ideas to educate myself.  In the meantime, I've been painting, applying for events, doing some commissions which I can't post because the people that commissioned them haven't given them as gifts yet, sigh.

"Eden Roses" painted at Roger's Garden's. 12'x9"

Options:

Framed $700.00 USD Unframed $600.00 USD

Options:

Framed $700.00 USD Unframed $600.00 USD

One thing I've done is visit two local artists that I admire a great deal. Junn Roca and Eric Merrell. Junn Roca makes a living out of painting, period. His wife Frannie is his devoted promoter and cheerleader. They have put 4 kids through college. All on art and scholarships mind you. That , I think, is being a professional artist. No arguments. On top of that Junn and Frannie are extremely nice people and Junn makes a coffee that could wake up the mummies in Egypt. My visit to his studio was eye-opening. We talked about the business and hard work of art.

Eric Merrell. Well, I'm seeing him tomorrow so I'll just say that he is an awesome artists that builds his own frames and seems to have quite a calm and well tuned demeanor that I admire. It shall be interesting to know a bit more about him.

I also befriended Ezra Suko. A young artist recently back from Iraq where he was stationed. He already has three galleries representing him and is painting full time. Now that's the way to go. 

Some good news as well. I got a  big nice commission I'm working on and I became a signature member of LPAPA and I finished my series of classes at Willard Elementary as part of the "My Masterpiece" program of PSUD and the California Art Club.  That was a very satisfying experience. So not all is waste and wow-is-me.


In the meantime, I did paint. Here are some things that I produced. I scheduled a few shows locally and I'm keeping busy.

"Jacaranda Glow" 8"x10" Pasadena

Options:

Framed $500.00 USD Unframed $400.00 USD

Options:

Framed $500.00 USD Unframed $400.00 USD

"San Pedro Bluffs' 8"x10'

Options:

Framed $550.00 USD Unframed $450.00 USD

Options:

Framed $550.00 USD Unframed $450.00 USD

"Garden Gate" SOLD.

I've even decided I might need to start my own business with a friend. But that's also very preliminary so I won't talk about it. What I have decided is to make a Business Plan so that everything is taken into account as much as possible. And to stir things up a bit I am reading Leslie Saeta's 30 marketing ideas in 30 days  to get things moving. She is a slick operator Mrs. Saeta.

"Mauve Clouds" 8"x10"

The essential part is this: My art adventure is now real. Whether I fail or succeed is entirely up to me and what I am sharing in this blog now is "the thing", not tips, not digressions on composition and beauty. Like Voltaire's Candide, I'm over this being the best of possible worlds but I'm leaving Eldorado. (what did I just say about digressions?, I guess I can't help it.) BUT, the first thing I'll share is my new spanking business plan for everyone to tear apart. Keep you posted.

Time is your extra medium.

Phew, if it is not one thing, it is another. I am lucky to be in good health this year because I have over-committed myself in every way. Of course there is my job which always takes precedence due to a thing called bills. But then there are all these shows and events I am involved in. So once the year is over I am going to start phasing out a few things and streamlining others. With time so scarce, it becomes invaluable. Moreover, I need time not just to paint but to paint well.  I am a fast painter according to friends and I can "crank them out " as my quick-draws would attest but time is a mental thing a well. Driving, scouting new places, carpooling, framing, meetings, ...it can get so messy that by by the time you pull out your brush, your mind needs to travel from outer space to look at what you are doing. It rarely works.

"Barn and Silo" 9"x12" Sonoma. A quick painting due to weather.

-Choose two or three organizations you'd like to work with and work with them. Aspire for the best, the most difficult to get into or the ones that touch a nerve with you (they are local, you have many friends...) . Do not expect them to do all the work for you.  If you don't feel you are selling enough (while you are selling with others) or can't be bothered to volunteer a couple of times, it's time for you to leave .

"Veranda Breakfast, St Regis Hotel" 10"x8" An example of enhancement of a venue  through art events.

- Community events are nice and helpful but they are a LOT of work, ArtWalks, Demos, Fundraisers and such. These are events that want artists to enhance the community/organization so they are counting on you to make them look good. That's perfectly fine. But if you sell nothing, well, you just added to the excitement. This might be worth your while if you actually live in that community but if you are an outsider it might be too small a reward.

"Sworks, Eagle Rock" An example of a painting done quickly due to dwindling light.

-Painting plein air doesn't need to be a solitary event but painting alone allows you to not be tied up buy others people's schedules. If you paint with others, scout beforehand,  be ready to  accept physical limitations  and people with different schedules. Plan lunches and other buffers, you could even drive separately. Workshops are a different thing, the more the merrier.

On Perfection.

Last Saturday  Laurie Hendricks and I went for a critique and painting session organized by the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association . The host was Michael Situ.  We managed to arrive quite late but I think the light was incredible regardless.  I did the above 9"x12" study of some cliffs.
Lately, it seems my painting has stagnated a bit. I used to get very worried when I noticed this stagnant periods. Now I feel this months of insatisfaction are  more like pregnant pauses, sometimes even long pauses. I know I am comparing myself to other artists or using the same old tricks again and again or, worse, I am not connected with the joy of painting because I set to do other things, like paint for a specific show or try to finish in two hours.

We have a saying in Spain: "The Perfect is the enemy of the Good". This doesn't mean one shouldn't strive for perfection but that one must know that it is the striving that constitutes the goal, not perfection itself. How many good paintings have I  crushed in frantic overworking. How many times have I changed course mid-painting because I saw someone hit the nail in the head  or deplored mistakes that became such a big deal (when they needn't be). The joy of painting is sucked out of it when this perfectionism finally backfires, when one tries to be in many places at  a time mentally and physically. Even very tight and careful painters experience this. May be even more than loosey-goosey artists.

I will try to apply a remedy that has worked before for me: breathe. Yep. Remember to breathe. If I had a camera I'd see myself frowning and grabbing that brush like one grabs a handle in a roller-coaster when I am in the negative zone of "it has to work". I'll take five minutes or twenty before I dive in.  Contemplate. Make a tonal study. No rush, no goal besides getting an idea down on paint, whatever idea you like, wherever down is, on paint. Let the painting breathe  as well poor thing.  Let it paint itself . Aren't those the best?

And here, just for kicks. A picture of Richard Schmid talking to Tony Pro  with Daniel Keys close by at the California Gold Medal show of the California Art Club.  Ok, so perfection *is* possible in a few individuals. But just so that you never ever feel completely satisfied.

 

Publish Post

Calvin Liang's workshop. Day 3.

The "Overseas Painter from China" a.k.a Calvin Liang performed a looser demo today at Heisler Park in Laguna Beach. By the way, that "overseas" alias is the title of his published monography . A book worth having for sure but whose title is either badly translated or claims Calvin as a Chinese national a little too strongly or both. Was Picasso the "Overseas painter from Spain" ? or Chagall, the "Overseas painter from Russia?"...but I digress.

Besides hammering down "form, color, value and edges" today Calvin had an inspired moment. Pointing to the tip of his brush he said all four elements are contained in every brush stroke. Aha! So every brushstroke counts. I also realized today that what he means by "detail" is not what us westerners would consider as such per se, that is busy work, branches an pebbles. Rather, it is the just as precise and just as deliberate blending and enhancing of the initial masses.
Different today was the palette as well. Just because he demonstrated how he keeps three premixed piles of color, one cool, one warm (made of whatever is left he said) and a neutral grey one. Calvin winces when I say my colors are dirty. He believes it's all in the greys anyway. He also demonstrated the use of black ....in the sky nonetheless.

The use of covering a canvas quickly has become very apparent to me as light kept changing and shadows moving in the cliffs. I post here a bit of my evolution throughout the workshop in the shape of my three pieces. The first one looks quite tentative and confused, the second one of Crystal Cove looks a bit dirty but the basic methods are there, specially in my "Calvin cloud" in the upper corner right ha ha. My third piece -and may be- my most accomplished at this stage- took a lot less time and paint because I finally slowed down enough to become quicker, that is, less mistakes make a faster painting. Even Calvin liked it. He had some awesome suggestions I'll keep to myself.

I really focused on the "form" part today . And it made quite a difference When you think "form", and design, things start to slow down. You want to create forms in the most organic way possible, no parallel strokes or repetitive moves.

And that's that.

Calvin Liang's workshop Day 2.

Oh look! Our dehydrated and roguish group!


Day 2 of Calvin Liang's workshop took place in Crystal Cove State Park. Calvin set up for a morning view of the cliffs below: Calvin used his "cover the canvas" approach again but he was a lot more detailed than during day one. He traced his usual charcoal design. He carefuly laid the pigment being quite accurate in his color and shape choices. He didn't leave so much detail for the end as in his first piece. Again, he started with the darkest darks, the fence climbing up the left in this case.
But for me it was all about the edges. One thing I noticed is how cleanly Calvin applies the painting and chisels his edges. He was deliberate and very careful. One would expect a slow process and yet, his painting was done in no time, no messing around, no mistakes.

Some quotes from Calvin (in my own words): 1) When you apply a color, do not look at the area you are painting, rather look at any other area. You are constantly comparing and looking for how color compares, not what color it is.
2) It is good to cover the detail in a sort of clockwise move, going from one area to the next and then coming back, it's difficult to make decisions without knowing what's around the corner.
3) Top of the sky is cooler. Bottom is warmer. But we knew this , righ?4) Again, form, color (and color temperature), tone and EDGES. Here is a slightly more colorful puddle. This is -all_ the color Calvin used in his 1 hr, 30 mins painting which is shown at the bottom.

Calvin Liang workshop Day 1

Thanks to the Laguna Plein Air Association, I received a scolarship to take a workshop of my choice. So who happened to be teaching close-by but the master Calvin Liang. I've always admired his rich luscious masterpieces so I took (even more) time from work and took myself to Newport Beach.
- I will try to synthesize some basic points of his amazing demo.
-For starters, Calvin doesn't use expensive or sophisticated materials for his plein air work. His setup feels comfortable like a pair of old slippers. It's what he is used to. There is a message here, it's not the materials that make the painting. His palette is limited outside, but in the studio he confesses to using a wide palette of up to 23 pigments.I took a picture of his setup and his palette for reference. Nothing fancy. However, Calvin was adamant about one necessary ingredient: "You can't start a painting without a clear design." A concept if you will. It is good practice to have a design in mind before even touching a brush. Then comes the question of form, color, tone and edges. The only things that can go wrong are those four components and any error can be traced to them . "The only trick is no trick" he answered when queried about that deadly question people always ask.... what color is that?. ... A color is the result of the colors around it and there is definitely no recipe. Calvin basically used the same puddle of color for the whole demo hat took aprox. 1 hr an 30 mins.


Calvin showed us his color wheels, some fine examples of his design work and examples of his oeuvre in books and magazines. But soon it was canvas time. First he did a soft charcoal design to be certain of where the elements of the design would be. After the drawing, he applied some dark shapes outlining some foreground boats and deep darks. But he had no hesitation moving on to a thick paste for the rest of the canvas. No liquin or turpentine. Lying the shapes thickly as if applying tile. The goal is to cover up the canvas and create unity.


Calvin never looks at "things", just shapes. And he creates the shapes with an incredible lack of detail initially. He believes, and I agree, that the detail practically paints itself once the main shapes are laid out. In this demo, there were two clear phases. An initial phase when he just lays and covers color to achieve unity. The brushwork has bravado and variety. No reviewing or massaging colors around. Barely a paralel brushtroke.

The second phase is methodical and "fun" according to Calvin. One segment at a time, detail is added. But detail is not a reason to look at things "in detail" . Detail now will be kept together by the fact that the whole canvas is thickly covered. Mind you, some of the canvas peeks through in places.One thing Calvin avoids like the plague is the creation of lines or edges by tracing them with the brush. When he needs to paint an edge, he kisses with paint and "overshoots" the color. Then , with the background color, he picks up the edge and creates a very distinct and clean edge where the one layer of paint overlays another in the right places.


I have to say Calvin is incredibly deliberate and quick because mistakes are few and far between. When he makes one, he mixes back the color, and covers it up to redo the area until he is happy. No matter how many times. It's a "schoolboy" approach that I find attractive since it is common to believe everything we put down is precious.

Back on the saddle

After my trip to Spain and my move to an apartment and what not, I've decided to regroup. I have started scheduling the rest of the year ( a dangerous task fraught with self-deception) and apply some of the lessons of past seasons. I signed up for Tony Pro's "Understanding the color of light workshop" of which I will post my impressions. I also intent to do larger pieces and delve a bit more into watercolor. Not to mention updating my marketing materials. Phew, I am tired already. One step at a time. I went out and forgot about it all painting this slightly overworked "Shakespeare Bridge" in Silverlake.

Thomas F Riley Wilderness.

I got an unexpected vacation so I wasted no time scrambling to find painting opportunities. The Laguna Plein Air Painters had organized an outing with Michael Obermeyer at the Thomas F Riley Wilderness by Coto De Caza (can you say $!) . It was rainy and it was far but I was desperate to start being productive. I got there and it was ...closed. Due to the rain. Fortunately, fellow Pasadenian and european artist Mathias Fischer pulled right behind me on his car with the same disappointed look and so together summoned the courage to jump the fence. Just to find everyone had gotten inside ahead of the closure. It was a wet morning but I soldiered on until the sun gave us the most amazing clouds in the afternoon. No flower masses bur extensive green meadows and some challengingly "simple" compositions. I did three pieces.

San Fernando Valley (V)

Found time to do two more vies of the San Fernando Valley. Sherman Oaks at sunset and a dim light in the Sepulveda Dam, Van Nuys.
Typical winter weather in Los Angeles, my favorite season here for sure. While the rest of the country is wrapped in storms, this weather makes you want to cry it's so beautiful.

Ribbons, ribbons

After all the October events and having a bit more time in my hands due to vacation, I started reconsidering my painting direction. Armando makes me reconsider it *every day* but that is another story :). When I get in this kind of "funk", I find it useful to go stroll in a museum or a good exhibit to stay enthusiastic and even though I have no ego problems, humble and conscious of the way ahead. I also find it helpful to enter smaller events and socialize with artists and people interested in art.

So

a) I visited the Laguna Plein Air 2009 event and let my jaw drop in front of the Ray Roberts, Calvin Liang, Jennifer McChristian, Greg La Rock, Ken De Waard , Bryan Scott Taylor and J. Budicin masterpieces among others. I also took a peek through the "Pasadena, City of Trees" organized by the California Art Club.

b) I entered some paintings in the San Gabriel Fine Arts Fall show -that is where I got the ribbons in the pictures- as well as the Craftsman Weekend in Pasadena where my gallery Jose Vera had a booth. I also entered the miniature show at the Segil gallery which afforded me the opportunity to talk with Jason Situ and Laura Segil for a while.




Here are Tania Verafiled and myself at the Masonic Temple in Old Pasadena during the Craftsman weekend. My paintings separate us, figuratively speaking.


So many questions bubbling in my head. One is the matter of size. Painting bigger and not in just one session as I usually do. I am not a subscriber of bigger is better but it would be interesting to see a painting through in a larger scale. The other is the question of the physical studio. Part of the reason I don't tackle certain projects is a lack of appropriate space. I need to work on a solution and quickly. And of course the question of "quality". That I don't expect to ever solve.... fortunately.