Category Archives: VICKIE MARTIN ART

IT IS TIME TO GET ORGANIZED!!!!!!!!

As painful as it is to admit, I need help! My studio and my office at home are just out of control. So, I signed up to take a class from Alyson Stanfield, The Art Biz Coach. Organize Your Art Biz which started yesterday.

The first thing I am doing is making an assessment. I just keep pulling things out and I’m not putting anything up. Somewhere along the way, I lost the place where so much STUFF belongs! So – as embarassing as it is – here are some pictures of my studio today.

The top of my work table

This table is 4×8 feet. This is the first thing I’m going to do, clean this off and put everything on the top where it belongs. I don’t want to keep shuffling things around!

The next thing to do is organize my paper and collage material. Because the collage material has gotten so disorganized, it is piling up EVERYWHERE!!!! It was so organized at one time! Honestly!!!!

Here is a long shot of my studio. Trash trash trash. It is time to clean this out and up!!!!!!

Here is my shelf with gunpowder (yes, I do use gunpowder in my work). There is something symbolic about having these bottles, but I’m not going to give in and just blow the whole room up just yet!

Small steps – a little every day. I will post pictures when I feel I’ve made progress. And, then I’ll start on my desk!!!!!

REFLECTIONS – The Year In Review – BLOG CIRCLE

Every month I participate in a blog circle. A group of women around the globe posts a blog with a common theme, and we link to each other. After reading this post – jump over to Jennifer Vitale‘s blog and read about a charming Christmas tradition.

This month the theme is reflections. In looking back over the year, it has been an amazing year, and I feel it was the true beginning of a new journey and a new direction in my life. I am starting out 2013 with a better plan than I have before.

As we move towards the end of the year, it is always good to look back and reflect.

As Kiekegaard said “life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards”.

The past year has been an amazing journey, and I feel it is still beginning. What have I learned and what do I need to really work on?

The two most important things I learned in the past year – I have to learn to deal with the stress my job creates, and I have to focus on my art life. Short and to the point.

How am I going to do this? I’m going into 2013 with a better sense of well-being. I have to take better care of myself – both my physical and spiritual beings. I plan to start my holiday time off by exercising and meditating. Spending time on a daily basis reflecting will help me relax and thus sleep at night (as I write this at 4:30AM!)

Recently, I was asked what gave me joy – without hestitation I said I good night’s sleep! As I think and reflect upon that statement, I realize I have to DE STRESS – and I will be better able to FOCUS – which is my word for 2013.

“I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest.” Dalai Lama

As it has been said – if you focus on results, nothing will change. Results happen when you focus on change.

Now – hop on over to the blog of Jennifer Vitale, and continue the circle around the world!

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W IS FOR WARHOL, THE A TO Z’s OF ART

Andy Warhol

I don’t know what you think of Warhol, in fact, I’m not sure what I think of Andy. Everybody knows his name, and outside of Dali’, no artist has been better at marketing art.

Coming from the world advertising, I ask when does self -promoting hurt your art? I don’t know the answer.

I talked to a gallery owner in New York, and he felt Warhol would come to “a door if it was opening”.

What does 15 minutes of fame really mean? It was interesting to find the saying has a Wikipedia page – here

I have read the books – here are the links

The Andy Warhol Diairies

Popism, The Warhol Sixties

Edie, An American Girl – my personal favorite

Then there are the movies – how many actors have portrayed Warhol? Actually seven to eight depending on where you look. Here are my favorite movies.

Another personal favorite – David Bowie – in Basquiat

Guy Pierce in Factory Girl

Crispen Porter in The Doors

Who was the best Warhol?

Guy Pearce

David Bowie

Crispen Porter

The images of Crispen Porter and Guy Pierce as so similar I had to quadruple check the images! Who do you think was the best?

What is your favorite Andy Warhol painting? Marilyn, Jackie O, Campbell Soup Cans (which I bought the limited edition at Target)

S IS FOR SURREALISM, THE A TO Z’S OF ART

Max Ernst

What is surrealism? Well, there isn’t a simple definition. Briefly, the surrealist works will have elements of surprise with unexpected and very illogical things together. Andre’ Breton, the founder of surrealism called is “pure psychic automatism in it’s pure state”. He went on to write the Manifesto of Surrealism.

The Surrealists were interested in children’s art, folk art, and outsider art. They were also very interested in the insane. They were tired of trivial every day living, they loved exploring dreams, magic and the subconscious. In fact, the movement really began with literary men exploring automatic writing.

They loved to play games, one of which was called “exquisite corpses”. This was a verbal game where three or more people were assigned part of a sentence, usually the subject, verb, a predicate and so forth, which was unknown to the rest of the group. The game got it’s name from the first sentence produced in this method “The exquistie/corpse/shall drink/the bubbling wine”. The visual artists did much the same game by drawing and folding the paper so the next artist could not see what was drawn already. The Surrealists loved chance, and as Breton said “they stood for something that couldn’t possibly be the work of a single brain.”

This is a very simplified version of what surrealism is – there have been tomes and tomes written about it. Not wanting to bore you, I thought I’d just share some examples of surrealist art. From left to right, the artists are: Valdimir Kush, George De Chirico, Joan Miro, Yves Tanguy, Rene’ Magritte, and Salvador Dali.

: Max Ernst

R IS FOR REMBRANDT PART 1, THE A TO Z’s OF ART

Frankly, I am extremely tired. I spent the day car shopping and actually purchased a car. You must understand, this was a big step, I haven’t had a car payment in 21 years! I wasn’t going to post anything, even though I am committed to the Blogtoberfest and posting every day in October. I already knew I was going to write about Rembrandt, but I don’t have the energy to tell the interesting facts about his life. So, I thought I’d post some of his self portraits. After all, there are at least 40 paintings and 31 etchings as well as some drawings.

Q IS FOR QUILL PEN, THE A TO Z’S OF ART

ink and pen

I didn’t know quill pens had such an interesting history!

First used around 600 AD in Spain, they were the main writing instrument until the mid 19th when the introduction of metal introduced the metal nib.

They are made from the stiff-spined flight feathers on the leading edge of a bird’s wing. And for you bird lovers, they were feathers that were discarded by birds during their annual moult. There were only two or three feathers found per bird.

Goose feathers were most commonly used, with more expensive swan feathers used for larger lettering. However, only in the USA feathers from the crow, eagle, owl, hawk and turkey were used.

To construct a pen, the shaft of the feather was cleaned, carved and then sharpened, with a slit cut at the point making a nib.

On a true quill pen, the barbs are completely stripped away. Later, some decorative barbs were left on the top. In short, the fancy plumed quill pen is an invention of Hollywood. (A barb is defined as one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather.)

Thomas Jefferson actually bred geese to make sure he always had a supply of quill pens handy.

AND, to this day, 20 goose-quill pens are placed at the four counsel tables each day in the U.S. Supreme Court while in session: and it is said “most lawyers appear before the Court only once, and gladly take the quills home as souvenirs”. This has been done since the beginnings of the court. Historic documents written by a quill pen include the Magna Carta, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

Now – my FAVORITE fact, pens for right handed writers come from the left wing, while pens for left handed writers come from the right! (I am left handed!)

As noted below, artists used the quill pen also. However, Rembrandt favored the reed pen.

Wan to make your own quill pen? Click here for directions! If you make a quill pen or use one, leave me a comment, let me know.

View of the Alcantara bridge (Toledo) Nobility Section of the National Historical Archive, Toledo © Ministerio de Cultura

OCTOBER GOALS

The Garden Sun, on paper unframed

As I previously mention, I am committed to blogging everyday as part of Blogtoberfest, and as of this writing, there are 231 people signed up for this!

I think the best place to start is listing what I feel needs to be done – both artwise and personally. So – here goes.

1. Finish the 50 pieces that I will send to the Art-O-Mat, an organization that refurbishes vintage cigarette machines and fills them with original art. I can’t wait to find out where my work will end up!

2. Research aspects of FIRE – for a new series that has been rattling around in my head for awhile.

3. Work on my idea for Coolage Parties – this means starting a brochure, organizing my supplies, putting together templates.

4. Clean out my studio – organize collage material, throw away old paint, finish anything I have begun.

5. Get comfortable using a video camera and start using it in posts.

6. Leave a comment a day on a blog – minimum.

7. Find a car – I haven’t had a car payment in 21 years. It is time I get a decent mid-sized car. The last car I purchased is a small car that I managed to trash!

8. Get the title of my car – see above.

9. Get a phone – I have the antique flip phone. I want a phone so I can get the SQUARE for credit cards – and I can take pictures with!

10. Take my lunch to work a couple of times a week.

11. Work out 3x a week minimum.

12. Lay out my clothes for work the evening prior!

13. Post a blog every day -I considering a series The A TO Z’s of art. I’ll start with A – for acrylic and alcohol. I’m not going to post the list in advance, as I’m sure my inspirations will change over the course of this.

14. I have to come up with something else – I can’t stop at 13 things on my To-Do List! – so I will blog about some books I’ve read – most recently, The Creative Habit, Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp.

15. Keep a notebook with me to jot down ideas as they come to me!

I’m sure I left a few things off, but I think this is a pretty good starting point.

Tomorow – THE A TO Z OF ART! – I will go through the alphabet with a new posting every day with something art related!

COOLAGE PARTY – OR HOW A SEED WAS SOWN

I recently spent a weekend helping about 80 people make collages at the Atlanta Art Festival. Also, I’m part of an online group led by the ArtBiz Coach called the Artist Conspiracy designed to help artists take their art career to the next level. Recently I signed up for another online class called Flying Lessons taught by Kelly Rae Roberts. I feel my participation in these two groups has put my mind into overdrive and I’m seeing possibilities in places I never noticed before.

I helped four college girls put together collages at the Atlanta Art Festival. As they were leaving they asked me if I ever hosted “collage parties”. I’d never thought about it, but a seed was sown that might not have sprouted at another time in my life. Later, several girls, ages 6-10, wanted to do a collage of a “fancy” dress. I drew a template in the shape of the dress below and helped them pick out paper to make their personal “fancy” dress.

Needless to say, the girls were thrilled!

What else can I do? I also had several boys ask for help on a collage of a dinosaur or car. The possibilities are endless.

Right now – ideas are coming – next step is to work out the logistics. It is important to keep watering this seed while keeping the weeds of self doubt out!

Do you think this is a do-able idea? Do you think it is worth pursuing? Coolage Party is just a working title – any ideas?

MARILYN UNVEILED!!!!

THE MARILYN PROJECT

Doesn’t she look great!!!!! This is the end result of what The Atlanta Collage Society called The Marilyn Project. In celebration of what is commonly considered the 100th year anniversary of collage used in fine art, we put together this collage last week at The Museum of Design in Atlanta in conjunction with The Art Partners – High Museum of Art .

The collage measures 8 ft. x 8 ft. and is made up of 841 individual collages mounted on a 3×3 inch canvas. There were approximately 70 people involved in this, ranging in age from 7 to 70!

While this “performance” was only for one evening, we are sure Marilyn will make other appearances around town!

IS SOCIAL MEDIA REALLY IMPORTANT TO ARTISTS?

Helen De Ramus on Social Media

I was honored to have been asked to sit on a panel for the Women’s Caucus for Art of Georgia . This was organized by Corlia Kock, and consisted of artists Marilynn Brandenburger, Anita Stewart and Helen De Ramus.

Because of my background as a media buyer, I have been researching this for awhile, and I no longer consider social media a phenomen, but it is here to stay! I decided to use this approach for my portion of the afternoon. The following are some statistics I found after researching for a couple of weeks. Because the research is varied and is changes from day to day, I would approach these numbers as estimates. (To prove a point, when I began this, Coca-cola was the most popular brand on Facebook with 31 million fans, it is now over 49 million!)

FACEBOOK – this is the most visited website on the planet, it hit ONE TRILLION views on 6/30/2011. More people are on Facebook than there are cars on the road.

The average posts has a lifeline of three hours
Most people spend 20 minutes or less at a time on Facebook
50% check in daily
There are 2.7 billion “likes” each day (and I found some statistics that had this over 3 billion!)
20 million apps are installed a day
23% check in at least 5x a day
average user had 130 friends, and likes 80 pagesthere are 30 billion pieces of content shared every month

TWITTER

There are 190 Million tweets each day
11 new accounts are created every second, over 1 million a day
59% of users have been on less than a year
76% of users post, in 2010 it was only 47%
Average user has 115 followers

Marilynn Brandenburger giving her presentation

I gave statistics about Pinterest and You Tube also. But, some other statistics I found interesting were the fastest growing segment is 45-54 year old, and 33% of all Americans over the age of 55 are on social media.

Also, 57% of people that talk to people online would rather talk to them online than in person!

What does this mean to artists? I believe it is something to learn and take seriously. I believe the recent Olympics are a testament to this, as the word “Olympic” was tweeted 4 million times in the first week of the Olympics, and NBCOlympics.com had 1.1 billion page visits the first 10 days!!!!

The internet is full of articles regarding the power of “like” (read one I wrote in 2011 here), the power of sharing – there is alot out there about this!

I will follow up this blog with another blog about the power of like, and the importance of your “about” page!

Vickie Martin

Mixed Media Art