Jessica Grace Bechtel
( art )
Blog
In the Midst of it all
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The things we fear most in organizations -- fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances -- are the primary sources of creativity. -M.J. Wheatley
The art business has had to tighten its belt like everyone else lately. I've had so many people ask how things are going for me. I greatly appreciate the support and concern. I also greatly appreciate having a day job.
For all the bad news that is out there, the good news is equally present. Manifest Gallery recently extended their exhibition schedule to a full year. A friend of mine is starting a new gallery space and others are popping up. Artist friends and colleagues keep telling me about new work they're involved in. The creativity and resourcefulness seems to do well under pressure.
My hope is that this challenge will be met with those gifts and tools, and will be carried out beyond the gallery walls. (I guess that's always my hope)
More Friends doing Stuff
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Two of my friends...
Beth at B Bell Designs, fine art lettering-greeting cards-custom invitations, http://www.bbelldesigns.com
Heidi @ Flying Spider Monkey, web-brand id-print-hosting-other design services http://www.flyingspidermonkey.com
Beth at B Bell Designs, fine art lettering-greeting cards-custom invitations, http://www.bbelldesigns.com
Heidi @ Flying Spider Monkey, web-brand id-print-hosting-other design services http://www.flyingspidermonkey.com
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So for many years now I have not looked at commercial galleries to show my work because of the exclusivity clauses they carry in their contracts and the 50% commission they take. But I'm just little me, I've been hoping that one day a big shot artist star would think the same thing and find a better way. Below is an excerpt from an article about just such a situation. Viva La Change!
"British artist Damien Hirst's bold strategy to bypass his galleries and take his art to auction paid off Monday night when Sotheby's in London sold £70.5 million ($127 million) of his pickled animals and polka-dotted canvases. The sale, which surpassed its £62.3 million high estimate, underscored the resilience of the art market despite woes in the broader financial markets.
The artist broke his own record at auction when his pickled bull with golden horns, "The Golden Calf," sold to a telephone bidder for £10.3 million. In June 2007, one of his medicine cabinets, "Lullaby Spring," sold for £9.6 million at Sotheby's in London. A tiger shark floating in a black steel tank, called "The Kingdom," also inspired a lengthy battle between a pair of telephone bidders, eventually selling for £9.5 million, well over its £6 million high estimate.
All but two of the 56 artworks offered during the evening sale found buyers, with the sale achieving 96% of its potential value. At least three lots sold for more than £5 million, and 18 lots sold for more than £1 million.
Wealth Report
Luxury Marketers Brace for Wall Street HitThe result validated Mr. Hirst's populist assertion that art collectors might want to join in the bidding for his new work rather than buy from his art dealers. The direct-to-auction concept was considered risky in part because no living artist had ever tried it before. A swath of unsold works might also have undermined buyers' confidence in the overall contemporary-art market.
Luxury Marketers Brace for Wall Street HitThe result validated Mr. Hirst's populist assertion that art collectors might want to join in the bidding for his new work rather than buy from his art dealers. The direct-to-auction concept was considered risky in part because no living artist had ever tried it before. A swath of unsold works might also have undermined buyers' confidence in the overall contemporary-art market.
But art buyers evidently felt safe putting their money into Mr. Hirst's work: Sotheby's says at least 21,096 people viewed the sale's offerings in person in the past two weeks, with 650 attendees packing into its salesroom last night. Sotheby's had shopped the works across several continents to give the sale a blockbuster atmosphere."
Mexico
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Have you ever heard that James Taylor song about Mexico? There's a line, "I've never really been there so I don't really know." Well now that I've been there I want everyone to know. Ask me really, I have so many stories to share. One of the people I traveled with kept asking, "are you going to do a painting of that?" Thanks for the positive peer pressure, Beth. My plan is to begin work on some new paintings from this trip (as well as a collaborative project based on some images from Uganda).
The organization we partnered with in Mexico is call Back 2 Back. They're at http://www.back2backministries.org
The organization we partnered with in Mexico is call Back 2 Back. They're at http://www.back2backministries.org
links
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I've recently reconnected with some artist friends. So as I come across their websites in my sketchbooks (if the links are still good) I'll post them here.
Julianna Boehm, photography, http://www.juliannaboehm.com/
Jenna Bischel, painting, http://www.jennabischel.com/
My friend and fellow artist, Kathleen Deyer Bolduc, has included one of my paintings on her website. http://www.kathleenbolduc.com/
This website has been super helpful. I learned how to make paneer (indian cheese) and simple syrup. http://www.wikihow.com/
Julianna Boehm, photography, http://www.juliannaboehm.com/
Jenna Bischel, painting, http://www.jennabischel.com/
My friend and fellow artist, Kathleen Deyer Bolduc, has included one of my paintings on her website. http://www.kathleenbolduc.com/
This website has been super helpful. I learned how to make paneer (indian cheese) and simple syrup. http://www.wikihow.com/
"it's a good story, but I don't want to live it alone"- metric
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So I'm a sucker for a good story. I sit at this picnic table with my coworkers and listen to all their stories from the ridiculous to the heart-wrenching. I like hearing our family's stories about how people met, the disasters of fondant creativity or how they cleaned the tar off my grandpa when he was a kid. It should come as no surprise that I'm now addicted to the radio program This American Life. They stream on the internet at http://www.thislife.org. Some of my favorite Espisodes- The Super, Blame It On Art, and Shouting Across the Divide.
A few Artists whose stories I admire also are Vincent Desiderio, Hung Liu, Jenny Saville. What's your story?
A few Artists whose stories I admire also are Vincent Desiderio, Hung Liu, Jenny Saville. What's your story?
another woman's treasure
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So in my continuing search to be a good steward of my resources, think creatively about materials and support generally good things...I've stumbled upon Building Value.
http://www.buildingvalue-cincy.org They are a non-profit building supply resale store (basically, the thrift store of hardware). I'm so excited about having a way to find second hand materials in my artwork.
I lugged my new finds and a few rolls of canvas a friend gave me (which they found helping a neighbor clean) to my friend's studio. Combining resources, sharing ideas and momentuem are all benefits I've discovered working in community with other artists. Borrow, barter and receive- ideas that don't get much face time lately, but really freeing.
http://www.buildingvalue-cincy.org They are a non-profit building supply resale store (basically, the thrift store of hardware). I'm so excited about having a way to find second hand materials in my artwork.
I lugged my new finds and a few rolls of canvas a friend gave me (which they found helping a neighbor clean) to my friend's studio. Combining resources, sharing ideas and momentuem are all benefits I've discovered working in community with other artists. Borrow, barter and receive- ideas that don't get much face time lately, but really freeing.
taking names
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So as you may have noticed I've been doing somework to the website, partly because I can upgrade things, but also in preparation for new work. This is my attempt to make the site more engaging, more interesting and maybe more effective. There are a few things that I just don't know where to put, so onto this they go. For your browsing pleasure and my memory, I'm going to include in these entries the galleries I have good experiences with and the artists whose work I respect and enjoy. I'll start of with two.
Gallery: Manifest - http://www.manifestgallery.org
Artist Rebecca Weller- http://www.rweller.com
Gallery: Manifest - http://www.manifestgallery.org
Artist Rebecca Weller- http://www.rweller.com
