Art World Experts

Martha Castillo on keeping your eye on the ball

martha10-06.jpgMartha Castillo's life reflects many facets of the arts. Starting with classical ballet as a young girl, she later discovered a home in her high school's art programs: theatre, ceramics and mixed media. In college she earned a BFA in theatre arts, and later, a Master's degree in Art Therapy.

By the mid 70's, Martha had embarked on an exploration of ceramics as a sculpture medium, and continued her studies in England where she lived for seven years. In 1993, Martha returned to California, and collage-making. Her art form shortly morphed into mixed media, with heavy use of acrylic paint and found objects. During her investigation into fine art printmaking, she was introduced to Mitch Lyons and his innovative technique of clay monotype.

Now working almost exclusively in this medium, she sets some time aside for teaching. In addition to gallery representation, Martha shows in alternative spaces, including her own studio. Martha's paintings have been compared to Richard Diebenkorn, and Hans Hoffman, among others. Martha Castillo's artwork is represented in public & private collections in US, Canada, Mexico and Europe. "Pay attention to detail, be professional in every aspect and respect your Career. This means respect yourself, your materials, your mentors and teachers, other artists and gallery contacts. Never take anything for granted. Know what you don't know, and never be afraid to ask for information or help. Give yourself time to absorb, and credit for what you do. And stay curious." www.marthacastillo.net

 

Jane Chavez on tracking your success

JaneChavez.jpg"Keep track of your successes and revisit them often. Think about what made these successes (hard work, advertising, contacts, etc.) and how you can reinvent these experiences in new settings. Sometimes we are successful and we don’t even know it until someone points it out to us – believe in yourself."

Jane began to develop her unique coiled basket style using horsehair and sterling silver in 1993. She has shown in galleries throughout the southwest and her baskets have received a Trademark Design from the United States and Patent and Trademark Office. Several articles in prestigious craft and fiber magazines have been written regarding Jane and her artwork. The November 2003 issue of The Crafts Report featured a two page article in their Craft Scene: News, entitled "One Artist’s Step to Trade Marking Her Work." In the January/February 2004 issue of the Fiber arts magazine an article was written regarding Jane’s artwork and her pursuit of a trademark design. The article’s title was "An Artist’s Mark: A Long Horse Tale."

 

John. R. Cherry on taking charge of your art career

Cherry-Photo3.jpg "You can be one of the best artists in the world today, but if you do not get serious about the business of fine art then you are not likely to find financial success or recognition. Most artists cannot afford to hire a marketing manager to handle those pesky business details, so success as a professional artist means you have to have a business system. Whether you use a note card file or an online system … you must find a business system that works for you and then work it."

John R. Cherry, III is Founder & Co-Chairman of the Board, The National Fine Arts Title Registry. Please use this link for registering your fine art and help build ACTs of generosity, our scholarship fund. www.FineArtsTitle.com/0374



Scott Erb on creating art for your own pleasure

ScottErb.jpgScott Erb loves creating art for his own pleasure. His love of beauty and light are evident in his figurative work. If he did not have to make a living from his art, that would be more than enough to keep him going. Being a true professional, Scott understands that a thriving art career depends on many people, but the results produced are all driven by his actions.
“I am a sole proprietor. It's all on me all of the time. I have help, support, and a plan. But I have to make it happen...I got in my own way. I needed to get organized and didn't know how to do it. I had a very bad attitude and needed to change. So I told other artists I knew what I wanted, needed and I found out others were feeling that same way. So we joined together and figured out we needed help. And we got it. It’s all about your outlook on things. You can make things happen for yourself if you work for it. Set goals and figure out how to make these things happen.”  www.erbphoto.com

 

Margaret Danielak on successful people

margaret_danielak.jpg“Successful people have several traits in common. They have definite goals and develop habits to achieve those goals. They are focused. They are not easily discouraged, and are willing to take risks. They locate mentors, and heed their advice. If a visual artist wants to become successful, he/she should do the same. Successful people love what they do. Even after others say they’ve ‘made it,’ they discover something new and keep on working.”

Art Representative Margaret Danielak, Owner of Danielak Art and author of "A Gallery Without Walls," represents seven talented artists. Daughter of a painter, and former production coordinator, Margaret see possibilities where others see nothing.

 

Pat Fiorello on the myth of the Starving Artist

Pat-in-Studio.jpg“Too many artists buy into the myth of the ‘starving artist’. If you believe opportunities are limited, that’s what you’ll find, but if you see that opportunities are truly abundant, that’s what you’ll experience. If you have a positive attitude and take appropriate and focused actions, you can make a living doing what you love.”

Pat Fiorello brings a unique blend of both the business and art worlds. For 20 years she worked in the corporate world as a marketing and general management executive. She received her M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and has been Vice President, Marketing for Coca-Cola and Nabisco. She left her “first” career to more fully pursue her passion for art and has been doing so successfully for over 5 years.  In addition to selling her original paintings, Pat’s artwork has been accepted into over 60 juried shows, featured in over a dozen solo exhibitions, and licensed for greeting cards and home decor products. Pat is recognized as a Signature Member of the Georgia Watercolor Society. She has helped hundreds of artists develop their business skills through her work with arts organizations, workshops and private coaching. Pat has served as Chairman of the Atlanta Artists Center and President of the Georgia Watercolor Society. www.patfiorello.com

 

Helen Golden on why we make art

HelenGolden.jpg"Regardless of how I make the art, my goals are the same. I seek to make images that will engage, provoke and cause the viewer to reflect and go beyond the surface representation of the work."

Helen Golden’s digital mixed media images are products of a synthesis between traditional methods such as monotype and photography and new art-making technological tools. A pioneer in the digital art realm, she has received substantial media coverage, is a founding member of 911 Gallery, The Main Gallery and the pioneering digital art collective Unique Editions. Her images are exhibited in virtual and real galleries and are in private, corporate, and museum collections including the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

 

Ami S. Jaeger, J.D. M.A. on Copyright

Ami%20Jaeger%20Photo.jpg “You automatically have copyright on your work. You can give some or all of it away with the work. When you display, give or sell a piece, you must have an understanding, and preferably a written statement, of what you are retaining and what you are giving away.”

Ami S. Jaeger, J.D. M.A., a principal with BioLaw group in Santa Fe, New Mexico, provides legal services for artist and galleries, with an emphasis on copyright, trademark and licensing.

 

Sarah Kahn on reconnecting with your creative voice

Sarah Kahn graduated from Bennington College with a double-major of Early Childhood Development and Art. She earned her M.S.W. from N.Y.U., and pursued post-graduate training in Couples and Family Therapy from The Kantor Family Institute, Somerville, MA. Sarah is also an adjunct faculty member at The Creative Arts in Learning Dept. at Lesley University, Cambridge, MA. supervising art-education students.

Sarah’s psychotherapy practice in Newton Centre, MA.specializes in creativity for visual and performing artists. Using a powerful model of combined coaching and hands-on art exercises, Sarah’s methods enable the artists to re-connect to their creative voice. Homework assignments are specially-designed to meet the artist's particular goals. Often periods of inertia are re-vitalized and the artists feel productive again! After a series of sessions, artists feel a sense of fluidity and progression in their artistic pursuits.

 

Ron Kent on fun

RonKent.jpg“We're in this for the FUN of it. If money is your main goal, there are lots of better ways to make it. That said, forget the "starving artist" balderdash. There's nothing wrong with making money."

Ron Kent is a wood artist living and working in Honolulu. In his other life, Ron was vice-president at Paine Webber and founder-manager of a mutual fund.

 

Philip Koch on attitudes for success

philipkoch.jpg “We need a creative attitude towards our careers as artists, in many ways just like the attitude we need as we work in our studios. We have to aim high and at the same time keep our eyes wide open to clearly see the opportunities and the problems as they are developing. Our persistence and will power has to be joined with a genuine vision for what our art means and how it can bet be shared with the world. I really believe any artist can grow their work and grow their careers.”

"Like your artistic career, you simply cannot afford to put your financial future entirely into the hands of agents or representatives. Even with your best interests at heart, nobody else can or will ever be as interested or as knowledgeable about your financial needs, tolerances, and goals Even so, you can STOP WORKING FOR YOUR MONEY! Instead, LEARN HOW MONEY WORKS. Get the training you need, enlist the kind of help you deserve, and MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU."

 

Suzanne McBride on your financial future

SMCB-HeadShot-small.jpg"Like your artistic career, you simply cannot afford to put your financial future entirely into the hands of agents or representatives. Even with your best interests at heart, nobody else can or will ever be as interested or as knowledgeable about your financial needs, tolerances, and goals Even so, you can STOP WORKING FOR YOUR MONEY! Instead, LEARN HOW MONEY WORKS. Get the training you need, enlist the kind of help you deserve, and MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU."

Suzanne McBride has direct experience with the positive and negative realities of money - from the effects of personal beliefs about money, through the mechanics of wealth accumulation/growth, investment management, preservation of capital, and selection of professional advisors. Teaching from personal history and years of study, Suzanne highlights common errors in financial training and individual behavior, as well as ways to correct those errors in order to build the financial future you desire. www.smcb.com

 

Darryl Mix on exhibiting your art widely

DarrylMix.jpg“You may exhibit in many non-traditional venues, but galleries still have an important place in ambitious artists’ career plans. In this class, you will learn from our guest Darryl Mix, of SA Contemporary Art in San Antonio, Texas about how to prepare for working with galleries. Artists who work with galleries want to exhibit their work to certain kinds of buyers, arts writers, and museum curators. You have to know who is interested in your work and where they go see art.”

Darryl Mix is the Director of Art SA, a commercial art gallery located in San Antonio Texas. Art SA is still in its infancy - after only 10 months in operation. Darryl's focus as Director and Curator is to successful fulfill the gallery's promise to its audience, to "Discover The Art of San Antonio."

Darryl's current role as the Director and Curator for an art gallery is a second career. For more than 17 years, Darryl worked as a fundraiser, marketer and public relationsist for non-profit health and arts organizations in Southern California and San Antonio. Darryl liberally applies the principles of "affinity marketing" and "collaborative outreach" that have proven effective in the non-profit sector to the "art world", a ubiquitous segment of the "for profit world."

 

Toni Scott on defining success

ToniScott.jpg “Defining Success was difficult. When I was younger, success meant fame and fortune. As I matured, success became a vision to create art that was meaningful. Not art for art’s sake, but art for humanity’s sake. Success to me now is when someone looks into my eyes and tells me that they are sincerely touched and inspired by my work. That my work moved them. The sale of a work of art is not the end result, but rather meeting souls, human element, touching sprits, touching lives. Success now means inspiring someone.” Toni is represented by Art Rep Margaret Danielak, and author of "A Gallery Without Walls,"

 

Benny Shaboy on getting money

Benny_Shaboy72ppi.jpg

“Unless you get lucky, being financially successful is extremely difficult. But that's actually to your advantage, because 95 percent of the other artists aren't willing to work as hard and as smart as you are. And the smarter you work, the luckier you'll get.”

Benny Shaboy studied sculpture and drawing at The University of the Arts and The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Founding editor/publisher of studioNOTES (1993), he is currently editor/publisher of "Art Opportunities Monthly," author of "The studioNOTES Treasury” and "The Art Opportunities Book: Finding and Winning," as well as numerous articles.

 

Lee Silber on self-promotion

Surf_Lee_200.jpg "Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just create great art and everything else would simply take care of itself? Unfortunately, we need to sell ourselves, our work and in some cases, our decisions. It’s called 'Self' promotion for a reason. If we don’t do it, nobody else will."

Lee Silber is the award-winning author of eleven books including the popular title Self-Promotion for the Creative Person and his latest book, Organizing from the right Side of the Brain. Silber also is a radio talk-show host, the founder of five companies and an amazing self-promoter with over 750 articles/and media appearances to his credit.

 

Constance Smith on the long view of success

constancesmith.jpg“Last year, I was invited to an Artist Residency in Japan and had the time of my life. This is a golden opportunity to experience Japanese art and culture. It will consist of art and crafts exhibitions (three locations), demonstrations, and home stays as well as the exchange of ideas, friendship and participation in joint art projects. Selected Berkeley and other East Bay artists will be invited to exhibit their work, participate in demonstrations, and visit Sakai next spring.”

 

Synthia Smith on balancing life & work

smithpic2.jpg"Synthia Smith is my friend, mentor and business coach. She has been my best source of resilient thoughts, behavior and actions for over ten years now." ~ Aletta de Wal

Synthia helps you find the effective, natural leverage points to balance your life and work. Synthia has been a Professional Coach since 1995, serving hundreds of clients located across the US, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. In addition, she brings over 25 years of Fortune 500 and independent business experience in training, human resources, geoscience, management, project management, and consulting. Synthia suffers from an incurable love of meditation, exploration, great conversation, and learning.
www.themitragroup.com/id4.html

 

Brenda Swenson on being gifted

Brenda_Swenson.jpg “I have often had people say, 'It must be nice to be so gifted.' And to this, I always have a little laugh. Yes, talent is nice, but it won't get you very far unless you develop your skills.”

An active participant in the arts community, Brenda has served on the board of directors for the National Watercolor Society and Watercolor West. Her paintings have been featured in Watercolor and Classic Truck Magazine. She has also received numerous awards and is frequently in demand to demonstrate her watercolor techniques to groups and to teach watercolor workshops.

 

Whitney Vosburgh on golden opportunities

whitney.jpg“Last year, I was invited to an Artist Residency in Japan and had the time of my life. This is a golden opportunity to experience Japanese art and culture. It will consist of art and crafts exhibitions (three locations), demonstrations, and home stays as well as the exchange of ideas, friendship and participation in joint art projects. Selected Berkeley and other East Bay artists will be invited to exhibit their work, participate in demonstrations, and visit Sakai next spring.”

Whitney paints with pigments, plastic, photographs and light. His work has been shown in Japan, London, New York, Santa Fe, New Orleans, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and is in public and private collections. Whitney graduated with a BFA from Parsons School of Design in New York City, studied at the International Center of Photography in Paris and New York, St. Martin's School of Art in London, and the Art Students League in New York City.

 

Michael Woodward on what art buyers look for

MichaelWoodward.jpg “Any artist wishing to license their work must firstly have a grasp of how art directors choose artwork. The biggest mistake artists make is not understanding what art buyers look for and how product ranges are produced. Over 90% of the submissions we get are totally unsuitable for licensing. 'Knowing what the market needs' is therefore key to starting a licensing program.”

Michael has been in the industry for over thirty years. He formed one of the first Art Licensing Companies in Europe in 1979 representing artists, illustrators and photographers working with national and international manufactures and publishers. He has a vast experience in many aspects of licensing from character merchandise, animation as well as fine art publishing both in limited editions through the galleries and mass market publishing via high street retailers. He has licensed over $600 million in retail products in his career. He now lives and works in Florida where his company Out of the Blue represents a diverse assortment of talented artists, designers and photographers. Art Licensing 101 was published with the express purpose of educating artists to help them understand the way the industry works and has become an essential tool to anyone entering the industry.

The Licensing Course contains much of the "basic knowledge" that licensing agents have known & used for years. It also contains the "inside knowledge" of how to get good deals and how to negotiate a fair royalty as well as an advance in many cases, something that most artists find difficult. Knowing how to present your work as well as which shows to attend are all part of the learning curve. Targeting the right kind of companies is often overlooked by many artists. Researching what kind of products they produce is a key factor in ensuring you are producing and sending the styles of work which 'fit" their needs. Get more info here.