What is a Bio?

BIO?
WHAT’S A BIO?
DO I REALLY NEED ONE?


Yes you really need one.

It is what you hand in with your job, grant or gallery
application. It is a necessary part of your portfolio.

Your bio…

is your résumé in paragraph form. It is written in 3rd
person.

Take…

the highlights from the dates and bullet points on your
résumé and make a story out of them.


Here's an example of an easy 3-part artist's bio.

1. Opening Paragraph…

Start a bio with a one- or two-sentence summary of the
artist statement…

This lets the reader knows immediately about your
current work and gives context to what comes after it

2. Middle Paragraph(s)…

They could be…

like your résumé--in reverse chronological
order or according to importance.

Don't highlight…

something you did thirty years ago and leave it at that.

You want to…

sound vibrant and relevant today.
Aim for a paragraph or two in this section.

3. Closing Paragraph

Mention your education, where you've lived, where you
reside, your birth location and---if desired--your year of birth.

Please pass this on to another artist.

Marilee Stockman
Art Coach
www.artcoaching-galllerymarilee.com
artcoaching@artcoaching-gallerymailee.com

Ultimate World of Warcraft Guide

Dugis Unltimate World of Warcraft Guide

New!! Best Guide yet!!

World of Warcraft GURU With Over 7680 Hours Played Time Experience..
Exposes Secrets To Making Millions Of Gold, Power Leveling 1 - 80, And How To Dominate in PVP

View the Testimonials.

Click Here!

cake decorating

Have you tried cake decorating? Here is a guide to professional

cake decorating:The Art of Cake Decorating.


Click Here!

New Exhibit

Hello! I am going to have an exhibit featuring my horse series during the month of Sept. I will have sculptures and paintings of horses. I will also have my plein air paintings and other sculptures on exhibit too.

The exhibit will be in the Corner Gallery, Huntington Beach Main Library located at the corner of Talbert and Goldenwest. The reception will be Sept 12 from 6-8pm.

Hope you can attend!

sculpture demo, sculpture, horse, clay

Hi! Reminder that I will be demonstrating at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, CA tomorrow, Wed Aug. 5 at 6 pm. Come and see a portrait of a horse being created.

Artist Statement

DO YOU NEED AN
ARTIST STATEMENT?
HAVE YOU TRIED
WRITING ONE?


An Artist Statement is your expression
of how you feel about your artwork.
It gives your prospective clients a feeling
about your creative process.

IS IT EASY? NO!!

The most difficult thing for you to
do is to express yourself about your work.

But….

The Artist Statement is also very important to
you. You also need to know what you are
feeling about your work. It will give you as an
artist a complete feeling about your artwork.

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT?

The statement must be in first person. That’s you!

But…

How can I say good things about my art that makes
sense to other people? Will I sound egotistic?

How…

Can I do this when I don’t know how I feel
about my work?

Write…

Sit down and write the first things that come into your
mind. Just words not sentences or phrases. What words
come to mind when you think about your process?
What inspirations do have? What feelings do you have
while working?

Tired?….

Stop and pick up later. Maybe more will come to
you then. Keep looking for words that say what
you feel.


This process will help the statement to come together and
you have something that you really feel good about.

NEED HELP?

I have more exercises and hints as to how to write your Artist
Statement. It does not need to be a frustrating process.

(Please forward this article to another artist.)

Marilee Stockman
Art Marketing Coach
949-689-8982
www.artcoach/gallerymarilee.com
artcoach@artcoaching/gallerymarilee.com

Art Marketing Coach

Hello! Well I have finally finished my Art Marketing Coach website. To get to the website: www.artmarketing/gallerymarilee.com

I will be giving information on my coaching program and new events as they come up. I will also be posting articles of interest. Here is the first article:



ARE YOU AFRAID TO TALK
ABOUT YOUR ART?
DO YOU WANT TO SELL
YOUR ART OR HOPE IT WILL
FLY OFF THE WALL?

I was just like you when I decided to put
my art out there. It was a big step to expose
my hard work to the public.

What if no one likes it? Am I charging too
much after all I am not well known. Oh well
my art should sell itself. Yeh!

I probably had more excuses, anything to not
take that big step forward. Well, I took the big
step of starting to go to art fairs. I would put up
my paintings on the grids and settled into a seat.

I was waiting…
for the customers to roll in. They did, they
walked by looked at the paintings and left.
No sales! Not one nibble!

WHAT WAS I DOING WRONG
OR NOT DOING?

My mistake was that I didn’t engage the
customer and connect them to my art. I
watched my next-door neighbor, seeing the
people walk away with his paintings. Was
his work better than mine? No I don’t
think so.

Wait…
He was talking to his customers.
Me…
What can I say to them?
Courage….
It takes courage to go up to a total stranger and start to talk about your art.


But that’s what I started to do. Now
when someone comes near my booth
and looks the least bit interested at
what is hanging on my grids,

I start a conversation….

You do not need to start with
the price, or even talk about
the painting.

You need to build a relationship
with that person. You can ask
them if they are enjoying the
festival.

What…
had they enjoyed the most?

What…
kind of paintings they like.

Since the time is short that they
will stay in your booth, you
can now look at the painting they
have been admiring.

Tell …
them the story as to how and
where you painted it. Why you chose
that subject matter, and maybe the color
scheme.

Now I greet my customers whether at
an art fair or at my gallery. I encourage
them to sign my guest book. I make
sure they have my business card or
brochure, usually both.

You can improve your sales by
building a relationship with prospective
customers simply by saying ‘Hello”.
Of course following that up with
some simple conversation.

Learn to not be afraid to be positive
about your artwork. You need to
show your passion and energy for
your work.

GO PRACTICE!



(Please forward this article to another artist.)

Marilee Stockman
Art Marketing Coach
949-689-8982
www.artcoach@artcoaching/gallery.com

Art Marketing Coach

Hi! I am announcing my new career - Art Marketing Coaching. I will help you artists out there to promote your career. I will help you to create a presentation portfolio for galleries and for any other venue you may need. I will help you plan exhibits, write press releases, and other marketing needs. Send me an email at artylady65@yahoo.com to receive tips by email and to contact me for more information on the coaching. Oh yes, I am offering the first session free! Don't wait any longer to get your career jump started!!

Event

I had the opportunity to work with children at our ‘Hands On’ event for the Imagination Celebration on Sat. afternoon. The Orange County Fine Art Association holds this event every year in the Artists Studio connected to the Showcase Gallery in Santa Ana, CA.

We have ages 12 and under to participate. There were 5 artists participating this year. We had rock painting, mixed media, block printing, watercolor and clay. I of course, did the clay. It was special for me this year because my grandsons, ages 4 & 5, were able to attend.

The kids made what ever they wanted. It is usually a little slow at first as they look at the lump of clay. Then one starts and the others get into it. I don’t think some of them had ever played with clay before. They asked if the could squeeze it. One of them started to make a cup, and then others followed. The boy not only made a cup but a teapot too. Fortunately as the afternoon wore on there were animals, figures, etc. Since this was terra cotta clay I needed to tell them to let it dry and then paint them, making sure I told the mothers that they couldn’t play with them, as they would break.

A good time was enjoyed by all.

Preparing Clay

This the third of the Clay series.

PREPARING THE CLAY

KNEADING

Kneading clay is important to squeeze the air out of it. The clay will not have a chance to have air bubbles when fired and will not break during the firing.

The process of kneading is the same as kneading bread. Cut a chunk of clay and roll into a ball. Using a board to place the clay on, roll the clay back and forth. Use the palm of your hand to push and fold the clay over and toward you. Then repeat the process several times.

SUPPLIES FOR KEEPING THE CLAY MOIST

While working with the clay you will want to keep it moist at all times. You will want to work with your sculpture and be able to leave it for another day. When you return you will want it ready to work on again without it drying. A clay sculpture in progress can be kept pliable for as long as a year if you make sure it is moist at all times.

Supplies you need for this are: 1. a cotton cloth to cover the piece

2. plastic bag

3. spray bottle

In order to keep the piece moist, you need to first spray it with water all over. Then wet the cloth and drape it over the piece, then put the plastic bag over this and make sure it is all covered so no air can get into the piece.

Clay

This is the second in the series on clay.

TOOLS FOR CLAY MODELING

Clay comes in blocks in a plastic bag. When it is opened, the clay should be moist to the touch. If the bag has a hole in it, the clay may be dried or starting to dry. It is good to check the clay when you buy it. For sculpture a clay with grog in it is best for sculpture as it is best suited for support of the piece. Slay for pottery is called stoneware and clay for very fragile detailed pieces is called Porcelein.

As you decide if you will be sculpting or pottery, you will discover which tools fit your needs. Basic tools used in most clay work are:

1. Wire cutting tool. You will need this to cut sections off the block of clay.

2. Small boxwood modeling tools. These have one side that is flat and the other pointed. There are several types and sizes.

3. A large wooden modeling tool.

4. Wire tool with wire on the ends used to shape the details.

5. Wire strip tool for hollowing out the piece.

6. Calipers used for measuring.

Zorro' horse in 1947-50 movie

I am doing a story about one of the horses from the Zorro movie and what happened to it. I heard the story in the early 80's about the horse being rescued. I am looking for information about who rescued it and it's history. Since this was in the 80's the movie had to be one earlier than that. If anyone had any information please let me know.

Clay

Hello! I am working on another segment on clay and working with it. I will be discussing the properties and how to work with it. If you would like to know something in particular about working with clay, let me know.

Keep checking for the next edition!

Clay

Have you wanted to work with clay or wondered what is made from? Well, I have decided to do a tutorial on clay and how to work with it. This is the first installation about clay. I am starting with the explanation of the formation and types of clay.

I hope you find this interesting and informative. I will be adding sections to this blog as I finish them. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments, please send them to me.

CLAY

Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained minerals, which show plasticity through a variable range of water content, and which can be hardened when dried or fired, according to Wikipedia. The clay that is used in pottery is weathered, decomposed granite and consists mainly of alumina and silica.

Different types of clay, when used with different minerals and firing conditions, are used to produce earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. One of the earliest artifacts is a drinking vessel made of sun-dried clay used in prehistoric times. Clay tablets were used as the first writing medium inscribed with a blunt reed called a stylus.

Kaolin clay is considered primary clay, and it is found at the original source of formation. It is in a protected area shielded from the elements. It is white in color and the main component of porcelain clay. All other clays have been moved from the original location by water and the elements, collecting impurities., such as other minerals, including iron, and other organic materials.

Stoneware clay has grog added to it and is plastic for formation. Grog is fired clay that has been broken and crushed. When fired stoneware is gray or pale pastel in color. A glaze is usually added then fired for color.

Red earthenware clay has high iron content. It is very plastic and usually smoother to work with that the stoneware clay. When fired it has a red color called terra cotta.