Tuesday, April 19, 2016

First in a Series on the Solo Show - THE WHY (It Matters)

By Sandi Parker

Many of us have done it, most of us have considered it, some of us have just dreamt about it: mounting a solo show. This is the first in a series of posts about the nuts, bolts, dos, don'ts, lessons learned, opportunities missed, psychological trauma and euphoria of mounting a solo show; the why, where, when, what and how.


THE WHY

There are many reasons an artist chooses to mount a solo show of their work, and many of them are not good reasons. Making money just might be the worst reason. If you are considering a solo show because you're behind on the the utility bill and want to make some quick cash, the process will not be an enjoyable one. You are automatically putting stress on yourself - a stress that will hinder your creative process as you produce work for "quick sale" rather than for the sheer joy and creativity you would normally bring to it.

All artists have learned throughout their careers that predicting what will sell is a near impossibility. Just when you think you have the art buying public figured out (you've sold 6 of those gorgeous seascapes, or 4 in a row of those cubist masterpieces), suddenly you have a studio full of paintings that aren't moving. You'll never figure out why - it could be that you are cranking these paintings out to sell and they aren't your best work, or that the same buyers are visiting your venues and you've saturated that market. More than likely though, it's a mystery.

So deciding to mount a solo show and assuming - or even hoping - that every piece in the show sells, or half, or a third sells - is setting yourself up for possible disappointment. This is where the psychological trauma comes in; setting goals that might not be possible to meet.

Another reason in the "don't doom yourself to disappointment" category is going into a solo show with the goal of obtaining press attention. The "art press" - if there even is such a thing in this online age - is notoriously fickle. Getting press for your show is based less on your talent and more on a writer or blogger filling space, timing, deadlines, your being in the right place at the right time, knowing the right person, and myriad other factors largely out of your control.

So why do it? The success of your show doesn't have to be measured in dollars or press. The number one reason you should mount a solo show is - in a word - passion. You are excited about your current body of work; you want to have all your pieces done around a certain theme shown together to familiarize friends, relations, patrons, contacts - and those who have never seen your work - with what your are currently doing. You want to share your enthusiasm for it.  If this is the attitude you go into a solo show with, then you will not feel you have failed, whether you sell pieces or not. This attitude will translate to the work you produce for your show; your excitement and pride in your current body of work will show in the creativity and energy you bring to the work. You'll spend more time at your reception eagerly talking to guests about your process than mentally counting pennies and the stress involved with that.  Sales and commissions may well result - but they will be the icing on the cake.




For more information about having a solo show at Gallery Underground, please visit our website: http://www.galleryunderground.org/about/show-opportunities/.

Next in the series: THE WHERE - location, location, location

Sandi Parker is an artist who works in both traditional oils and abstract acrylics. She is the Co-Director of Gallery Underground and has mounted 3 successful solo shows: in 2007, 2010 and 2016.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

From Philosophy to Alkyds: The Stunning Work of George Bowles

Artist George Bowles
George Bowles is known for his highly realistic and meticulously detailed portraits, landscapes and still lifes, in alkyd. His work has a museum quality to it, bringing to mind the classical art of the 18th century. Viewers are frequently stunned at the photorealistic quality of the work, which is painstakingly done over time.

First of all, what is alkyd? 

According to Bowles, who swears by this medium, alkyd resins are composed of complex fatty acids and alcohols which are derived from natural plant origins. These ingredients are heated and combined with oils that are resistant to yellowing to form an extremely stable synthetic material referred to as an oil-modified alkyd resin. Once the oil is combined, it is no longer a free oil, but a completely bonded oil which will not separate from the resin. An alkyd resin is highly adhesive; pale and transparent; soluble, when wet in turpentine or mineral spirits; tough, flexible, and resistant to solvents when dry. Additionally, alkyd resin dries more rapidly than the linseed oil that is used as a binder for most oil colours, but more slowly than the plastic resin that is used as a binder in acrylic colours. Alkyd colours are less prone to darkening, embrittlement, and cracking with age than traditional oil colours. Given the timeless quality of Bowles's work, it is easy to understand his desire to use a medium that does not yellow, or otherwise disintegrate over time.

Roses in a Glass Pitcher by George Bowles (alkyd)
An Iowa native, Bowles trained first as a philosopher, receiving a BA from the University of Denver in 1966, and a PhD from Stanford in 1970; he taught philosophy for over twenty years, publishing several articles on logic.  Having drawn and painted from childhood, and having done several commissioned portraits, animal paintings and landscapes, he has been painting at least since 1958.  After his academic career, he went in 1996 to the Bougie Studio in Minneapolis to get a rigorous four-year art education modeled on the French ateliers of the 19th century. 
Antonios, portrait by George Bowles (alkyd)

In a typical understatement, Bowles says of his work: “I aspire to create well-composed and, when possible, beautiful paintings." Most would agree, mission accomplished!

Light and Shade in Arlington Forest by George Bowles (alkyd)