How long did it take you to make that?

Years ago, my income relied on gallery sales, summer art festivals, and holiday bazaars.  At some point, commissions began to pick up and I was getting into more exhibitions, and I found that it was no longer cost effective or satisfying to make a ton of "affordable" artwork on the off chance that someone would buy it.  And I was missing out on a lot of weekend and holiday activities with my family in exchange for a few hundred dollars here and there.

My booth at an early art festival.

These days, I'm doing more large commissions throughout the year, with time between to make art for fun.  Some of my projects are for our house, and others are set aside for the next show.  Without current gallery representation or regular art festivals, I've collected far too much work that I really need to sell, so I'm looking at art fairs that might be a good fit for me.

But there is one question I hear over and over, usually from non-customers (those folks artists call "looky-loos.")  The questioner looks at the price tag on the item, skeptically eyes the artwork, and asks, "How long did it take you to make that?"  I try to give my best estimate: "Ten weeks?"  "Two days?"  The person dons an expression that conveys that it is too expensive.  Commonly, I get, "Hmm."  And they walk away.  I'm pretty sure all artists have gotten used to this, and have learned to just keep smiling and focus on the next potential customer.

Here is what I would like people to know:
An independent artist has far more overhead invested in a single piece of art than the hours spent making it.  First, I can make ten pieces before one sells.  When the work is not commissioned, you just make what you like and hope someone out there will agree, and that you and that person will somehow find each other.  So often, when someone buys a larger artwork from me, it is after having seen it in local shows for 2 or 3 years.  They tell me how it spoke to them, they thought about it a lot, they saved the money and finally felt ready to buy.

Me with a very early piece about climate change; Memory of Ice.

In addition to that time put in, there is overhead.  There are materials to buy.  People sometimes question me because I salvage my materials - so why is that a factor?  I can only salvage a portion of the materials, and there are always adhesives, grout, hanging hardware, etc. that give the piece structural integrity.  Also, salvaging takes a lot more time than simply purchasing items new.  I've driven two hours to Portland to go through a glass stash before it was tossed, and I've been given tubs of disgustingly dirty glass or tile to sort through.  It takes patience, commitment, and a lot of time.

Other overhead includes the cost of a studio, tools, professional development, insurance, business licenses, promotional materials, jury fees (astonishing expense), booth fees, taxes, office supplies, a reliable vehicle (can't haul art on the bus), and travel costs for workshops and exhibitions.  If I sell work through a gallery, I will receive only 50% of the sale.  Therefore, I need to be sure to add that cost at every sale/show because it is extremely bad form to have work at a gallery costing twice what I ask in person, and gallery contracts forbit it.  That commission covers the gallery's overhead, and actually does the same for the artist when we sell our own work.

At work in the studio.

You may wonder how it is even possible to earn a living as an artist?  I will be honest with you, and I think everyone should be more open about this: I know very few artists actually making a living.  Even the artists I know and admire who are well-known, whose work is outstanding, who are showing in museums at home and abroad - most are able to do it because there is another income source.  Some wholesale their work, creating something that can be reproduced in large quantities.  Some teach classes to pay the bills.  Some are retired on a pension or have a partner whose income covers the essentials (that's me.)  Or, they have a regular job that allows enough time to make art on the side.  Whatever the case, be assured that the pricetag an artist puts on their work does not come close to supporting them and their family.

I am not saying everyone should or can go out and buy expensive art.  It is a luxury.  Just be sensitive and understand how hard it is to put artwork on display and to hear dismissive comments.  If you like it, but it's out of your price range, that's ok.  If you don't like it, that's ok too.  But if you love it and can afford it, please consider supporting artists and crafters.  Those big corporations don't need it, and are doing everything in their power to keep your money instead of using it to provide the makers of goods a liveable wage.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading, and please support your local makers!

Coming April 11 & 12: Beyond Basics Mosaic Workshop in Olympia, WA

Looking at the calendar, I just realized how quickly the next workshop is coming up!  This will be my first time teaching this class; "Beyond Basics," which will address some of the steps a beginner mosaic artist can take to get to the next level.  I've noticed that most mosaic workshops are either project based (make a mirror frame, a flower pot, a stepping stone) or are intermediate/advanced technique-based classes that go deeply into one specific method that the instructor has mastered.  I recently took a short version of Kelley Knickerbocker's "Fundamento" workshop, which was fantastic for taking andamento to new, mind-boggling dimensions.  And I just took a workshop in Philadelphia from Lynn Takata on building 3-D substrates for mosaic, which builds on one that I took from Passiflora Mosaics near Santa Barbara last spring, on building sculptures with a styrofoam base.  Each of these is very specific, and only useful if you have some experience under your belt to put it into context.

Over the past 5 years, I finally accepted that there are some mosaic fundamentals that will go a long way toward improving the composition and flow of a mosaic design.  Reluctantly, I wrapped my brain around these concepts, and after a few years, I realized how much my work had changed.  And I like it.  To emphasize and understand my growth, I re-made one of my favorite designs with new information.

I think this was 2009.  (Note: I had been working in mosaic for 9 years!)

This was 2014.

I still have much to learn, but I think this demonstrates a shift from beginner to intermediate, and I plan to break down the information I've gained as well as I can for this class.

There is so much a mosaic artist learns through trial and error, and from spending the time and money to take workshops from other experienced instructors, that I'll be covering the essentials in this 2-day class, but it won't be possible to convey my 15 years of experience within 10-12 hours.  I'm going to do my best, including an overview of the wide variety of applications, materials, substrates, adhesives and setting techniques used in mosaic art on Saturday.  On Sunday, I plan to get into some of the terminology specific to mosaic, and to delve into types and uses of andamento.  Students will have two small substrates of different kinds, with some materials samples and adhesives, and will be invited to play with each of these to get a sense of them.  You may choose to make a small project, or just use the time to gain information for future use.  Bring a notebook and pencil to take notes and sketch ideas.  When we get into andamento, this will be especially helpful.

I know I already have some absolute beginners signed up for the Olympia class, so I will try to start at that point, but I planned this originally for those crafters who have been playing around with mosaic, but would like some tools for taking their work to the next level.  I hope I can meet the needs of all participants, and I'll make every effort.

Details can be found at the Arbutus website: http://www.arbutusfolkschool.org/current-classes/
Scroll down to April  11/12.  Then on the upper left is a button for "register for classes."
I look forward to working with some of you!