Choices to make...choices not to make. This art world I live in is complicated, it doesn't need to be, but it is. Do I need the initials after my name? It's like getting a degree in college to get what is called signature status in an art society and there are literally hundreds of these organizations to belong to and in all mediums. Some are local, some regional and some national...even international and within these organizations there are different levels, associate, signature and master! You also have to pay membership fees and the fees to belong go up as your "status" goes up. It shows that you are committed to your art when you belong and that you are tenacious in your pursuit of excellence. My mother, a signature member of the Pastel Society of America for over 40 years, made me feel like it was necessary to have these initials to prove your dedication to your field of artistic expression. To be able to put those initials next to your signature on your paintings was in her eyes, THE most important thing...and it was drilled into me. My wonderful mother didn't have to make a living selling her art, though, and the prestige was truly the underlying drive for her. Most art societies have specific criteria you have to have completed before you can apply for signature status in their organization. Like, being in a gallery, having a solo exhibition in a gallery or museum, being juried into 3 or more national shows, being featured in a national art magazine, and participating in an invitational only art show. Some or all of the above are part of many art societies qualifications. It is costly to enter shows, especially since we've entered the digital age..and the age of baby boomers with income to support what can become an addictive process. There are now, literally, 1,000's of artists vying for the same selections. Here it is...pay $25-$60 an entry fee, get used to rejection...do it again and again and AGAIN, in hopes that your art gets selected, then pay to frame and ship the art to wherever the show is. Maybe you win a prize that helps pay for the expenses and maybe you sell your painting to a show patron...and maybe you don't and then you pay to have it shipped back to you. It's a crapshoot! I was well on my way to signature status in a couple of art society's in 2007 when I took a sabbatical from entering shows to help care for my wonderful, but OLD, artistic mother. My triumphs don't count anymore as it has been too long. I'm entering the fray again...but slowly. I don't feel the drive to NEED the initials anymore, but would like to feel that I accomplished something. Right now I think the satisfaction that I feel when someone loves my art enough to purchase it and want to live with it is enough and the fact that I've been blessed to be able to make a living with my hands is amazing. But in reality the itch is back...and I'm starting to scratch it~ Wish me luck!
Below are 4 paintings that are currently in a show till September 16th at "The Framed Image". A gallery in Denver, CO.
Below are 4 paintings that are currently in a show till September 16th at "The Framed Image". A gallery in Denver, CO.
RSS Feed