New Blog
Hello all, this blog is being closed and no longer updated... please see my new blog project at www.GaveThat.com . See you there! You can also follow me on twitter at @GaveThat.

Personal Plea - Write Letters To Your Grandchildren
This is one of my latest posts over at GaveThat.com, a personal plea for everyone to start writing letters to their grandchildren (including the ones who haven't come yet). This kicks off the Recession Proof Gift Guide.

Wouldn't It Be Nice To Give Yourself A Gift Everyday?
This is a really fun piece over at GaveThat.com > 50 Simple Gifts To Give Yourself. More updates soon!

Meeting Two Fantastic Artists This Summer

I wanted to point you over to one of my latest www.GaveThat.com posts > Children's Books which recounts two amazing artists I met over the summer.

Look for a relaunch of GaveThat.com this coming Monday where were start the holiday season count down.

Frida Kahlo In San Fran & Gifts for the Fridophile
See my latest post on Frida Kahlo at sfMOMA.

Art News : St. Petersburg Russia & Chicago

I wanted to send a thank you to Marlene Russum Scott and Svetlana Serebryakova for sending me news of two shows I've been included in. Svetlena also sent me a copy of the book for the show MAILARTISSIMO2007 which is amazing. MAILTISSOMO2007 ran from 12/21/07 through 01/30/08 at the A.S. Popov Central Museum of Communications in St. Petersburg Russia.

Marlene Russum Scott's book of 22 artists will travel with the Chicago Hand Bookbinders 2008 exbibit which will include the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Joan Flasch Artists Book Collection at the School of the Art Institute Chicargo and the Northwestern University Library.  Thank you both very much! 

 

Will Be Back This Fall

Hello everyone,

Thanks to a very warm start to June I have been able to enjoy the below already! Summer is crazy so I hope to be back this fall to blog. In the mean time you can find new articles at http://www.gavethat.com and news and updates here as they come. Wishing you all a safe and happy summer season!

 

 

-marie

http://www.anakee.com

The Flip Side of Alexander Calder
I just posted a new blog at GaveThat.com about Rediscovering The Jewelry of Alexander Calder and the ongoing traveling show (click for dates and pictures). One of the few I really want to see this year.

Shawn Marie Hardy - Honor With Art Project Featured on CNN's Nancy Grace Show
Shawn Marie Hardy of the Honor With Art project just contacted me about her being on the Nancy Grace show tonight at 8pm EST. The Honor With Art project has created a large book filled with art (including one of my koi paintings) from artists all over the world in the hope of bringing light to the plight of missing and exploited children. The altered book of art will be auctioned to raise funds for charities that advocate for the cause. For more information, updates and to view the art in the book visit: http://www.honorwithart.com/. Shawn Marie has been working very hard to bring this project together and it was amazing to see it featured on Nancy Grace! Click here to watch the clip on CNN online. Shawn Marie was also chosen as a finalist in Nancy Grace's Extraordinary Parents Contest with her Honor With Art project.

Robert Bruce Shares 27 Thoughts On Blogging For The Artist

I just read Robert's post 27 Thoughts On Blogging For The Artist and I say go right over and read it for yourself. It's so right on not just for blogging but for artists who wish to make art for a living in general.

If I made a list it would contain much of what he's said there. I would only add that in terms of blogging be more open and take the time to connect with readers. Don't just push your art (or what have you) up there and then ignore people who send comments and e-mail. Blogging is all about networking at this point. It's not a if you build it they would come sort of thing. There are so many blogs out there already that you run the risk of just becoming more white noise that is never seen by people who care. Sad but very true.

Some of the points by Robert Bruce I really liked and thought true:

1)"If you wouldn’t do it without an audience, don’t do it all." 

2)"There’s never been a worse time to be a working artist (if you’re not truly dedicated to your craft)."

3)"If you’re the real thing, you’ll be around in 30 years, still working. Most of these services and sites you now admire will not." (me: there are so many people I've known who have already given up, some because they ran out of funding and others because of #1.)

4)"You no longer need to live in New York or Los Angeles. See: Hugh." (me: Just like we don't all have to go to Paris anymore either. The Victorian's are all dead now. No one cares. I'm still at a loss as to why some people think they have to come to NYC in order to start their artistic life. This is just not true--you need to start now and where you are.)

Makes me think of the quotes by Mr. Plagens I posted here before.

Many people contact me about becoming an artist and art related things. There isn't any secret to learn or anything I can really pass on. All you have to do is work at it as hard as you can for many years (your whole life). A really great article in this area is at the  Happiness Project, What You Do Everyday is What Counts. If you're an artist or say that you're one, one would think art would be at the top of your list of things to do daily. Looking back at the greats in most cases they produced a lot of works. This makes me think about one of my favorite designers which I covered over at GaveThat.com (see Subversive Jewelry To Land at Target), Justin Giunta who posted a picture of his showroom at his website. The number of necklaces and other pieces of jewelry that he created was insane. It's hard to even imagine the amount of work that must have taken, the hours... this is what needs to be done. The painful and the unfun. Skirting by, tossing things up in shows with the hope people will be in awe never works. People always notice and in most cases show their true response with their pocketbook.

There was also a really funny comic in Pink Magazine that showed a woman looking at art with the artist standing next to her. She asks him, "so, how much do you think this will be worth after you're dead?" You really can never know so why do things with that in mind? Do it because you must or do it because you love it.

More soon. -MAM