I have been working on smaller collages lately. This one is 5" x 5" and fits perfectly in this frame and mat I bought at Michael's (50% off to start, then 40% coupon, total about $5.) It's one of the few square mats and frames I found. I really like the mats, too. There is a small spacer between the two of them so that the outer mat stands out from the inner mat. And this shot also gives you a glimpse of my paint table. . . the pink insulation sheet on sawhorses covered by plastic trash bags with paint splatters everywhere. I kind of like the effect. . .
Here is a close-up of the collage. The piece in the upper left corner is the result of a Citra-Solv application to a National Geographic page. I am drawn to this color combination, the blue, beige and white. You will be seeing more of it in the future.
My etsy shop has had some lookers, but no sales so far. I really don't know what to expect, so I'm trying not to anticipate anything. However, if any of you readers have any tips on how to get this shop going, please let me know. Do you think my prices are too high? Should I spend the extra money to get it in a showcase or whatever those things are called? I don't know why I would expect anyone to spend money on my art, when I don't spend any money on anything but the bottom-line essentials any more. The way I look at it is at least I will have kick-ass art on my walls when potential house purchasers come through after I have had to put the house on the market.
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5 comments:
Mary,
I can't help you with advice about ETSY and selling, but I can say that I love the colour combination and the framing of your new piece.
When you use processes like Citra-Solv do you think what you create is archival? I'm always concerned about this when I stray away from my tried and true photo-transfer process using acrylic mediums.
I'm a loser when it comes to selling art - I just seem to make huge amounts of it, but since I don't make pretty art, it pretty much stays here, so can't help on that front, but I truly like your work - geez, I thought your prices were too low!
Margaret: I don't know the answer to your question. I "stray away" from almost every technique I discover at one time or another, and the archival quality of the results is always in the back of my mind. I will say that the piece of paper in question in this collage is not only attached to the collage with Golden gloss medium, but covered with it, saturated with it, encased in it, which should help. I also think that perhaps the size of the piece of paper, as well as the size of the piece of art, is a consideration. For instance, I probably wouldn't use something I didn't think was archival in a piece that was much larger than these small collages.
Jeane: I seem to make huge amounts of it, too. . . good thing I like most of it, because I get to keep it. Pricing my art is not one of my talents, for sure. I have looked around etsy and I am amazed at some of the prices. . . way too much, in my opinion, in some instances,and other times so low it wouldn't make sense to even sell it.
A second comment to Jeane's about your pricing. I also thought it was on the low side. Pricing is tricky and dependent on many factors including what the market can handle, the process used, where you are in your career etc. I have researched this and given it much consideration when pricing my own work and I've developed a method of pricing that works for me. Interestingly enough, if your prices are too low, people think your work is not good! I've heard more than one artist say that no piece created should be priced for any less than 100.00. I would sell a small collage piece e.g., 5 x 5 on cradled panel for $200. Check out the pricing of my work at The Leyton Gallery, link on my blog. I look forward to hearing your comments Mary.
Margaret, what an interesting discussion this is. . . I completely agree with you that pricing a piece too low is as harmful as pricing a piece too high. We walk a thin line here, I think. When I priced these things, I must admit that "whatever the market could bear" was foremost in my mind, considering the current economic mess. Other factors included the cost of materials, my time, the size of the piece, and the price of similar items on the etsy site. Not to diminish these little collages, but I consider them to be a sideline to my painting, a reprieve of sorts, a time of rest and experimentation to gear up for more painting. Although I had a surprisingly good year in 2008 selling my art, since October I have sold nothing. And I did not sell any painting, no matter the size, for less than $100. As to where I am in my career. . . well, who knows? I'm self-taught, just beginning, not well-known at all, and still developing my own style. Some feedback I received was that these etsy pieces needed to be matted and framed. Obviously, I could not afford to sell them at $45 with free shipping if I did that. It's a puzzle to me, for sure. But I truly appreciate your comments, both on the archival qualilty of the papers and the pricing. You and Jeane flatter me.
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