Art Supply Sale!

This sounds like a great idea and I'm going to comb my studio for stuff I'll never use!.......

As artists we've all done it..bought supplies with an art project in mind and never completed it or in some cases never started it!  

Why let them pile up in your workspace?  

Support Modern Fuel by donating them to the Unfinished Art Sale!  

Bring them anytime Tues-Sat 12-5pm until June 30th.  

Then be sure to attend the sale Saturday July 14 to pick up new items to start another project!  

We are also accepting any unread books, unwatched DVD's that you've never gotten around too as well!

NOTE...

Also for the August Roundtable workshop, August 7th, 11am, Modern Fuel Gallery, they can bring pieces of their art they'd like to learn to photograph.

Denise Love

A.R.T June Announcements

At yesterday’s gathering of the Artists Round Table, (6 in attendance around my dining room table) we talked about projects for the coming meetings. We can meet at my place as it was successful last Summer and may make one of our homes/studios our meeting places in future, taking turns as anyone who wants to host offers. 

We discussed submitting images for shows/grant/award applications and how they are being done more and more online (Zapplication in the US was the first I used years ago). It was thought a workshop on the process might bring some of us out of the dark ages and update us on the right way to photograph our work for such submissions and for our own web use and archives.

From the Modern Fuel Gallery:

Denise has been able to get the New Media Workspace coordinator, Matt Kyba, to present on our workshop morning 11am Aug 7th at the Modern Fuels Gallery.

A $5 donation per person for his time is recommended.

He will also advertise it as a workshop to encourage new folks to come and maybe join artist roundtable so it could be reciprocal. 

From Cathie Hamilton:

Encaustic Workshop Saturday June 16, 11am-4pm, $70.00

Studio 1 at NGB, 12 Cataraqui St. Kingston, K7K 1Z7

Come on in and explore, share ideas and have some fun.

Materials supplied. 

Please contact cathie@kingston.net to confirm.

Art Show in Amherstview

ART SHOW & SALE AT 

We are excited to announce that we are now featuring a display of art in the gallery room beside the main café.  Artists will be displaying their work on a rotational basis. Until June 30, Nicole Couture-Lord, photographer and Barbara Simard, Fabric Artist, will be our guest artists.  Barbara enjoys creating fabric art scenes of natural settings and floral scenes.  Nicole is a photographer who specializes in photographing natural scenes and flowers, amongst other subjects.

During the month of July, Brian Little, photographer and Jeff Gill, Fabric Artist will be displaying their art.  Brian is a photo artist living on Amherst Island who enjoys a variety of photographic settings including landscapes, fine art and wild life.  Jeff likes being with nature and creates fabric art scenes from photos he has taken of nature and wildlife.

While visiting the gallery, you can also enjoy your favorite coffee, tea and espresso drinks. The café offers comfortable seating, complimentary daily newspapers and free internet access.  

The Café/Gallery is open from 7 am to 7 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 7 pm on weekends.

Town Coffee Plus Inc. Loyalist Plaza, Amherstview 

(adjacent to the Beer Sore) 

(613) 389-5668   info@towncoffeeplus.com

Tomorrow!

Artists Round Table

June 5th 2012 10:30am

Carolyn's place 

Theme: Show and Tell......bring some of your work.

Maker Shake at OCC

I don't know how many of you are members of the Ontario Crafts Council but they recently had their annual Maker Shaker event! What a party!!!

Bernadette Prat with my friend Sonja Fijn

I drove down earlier in the day as I had errands to run and a grandson to visit. Then I met up with the others at the club at 5 Brock Street. Jane Thelwell drove down some others....Joan Heaton (president of the Kingston Artis Council) and Alexi and Marielle from Kingston Glass Studio.

Jane and Joan shmooze!

Here Jane and Joan chat with friends. If the photos seem strange colours it's because of the huge light in the main room that kept changing colours!

Marielle & Alexi

Her are Marielle and Alexi in front of the room in which the auction items were displayed. Donations came from artist but also supporters. One was a night in Montreal, my friend Karen Franzen bid and won that. Jane always bids on and goes home with more art too.

Jane & Ber

Brenda, ex of Kingston Arts & Letters Club, showed up and Jane and she spent time catching up.

Hand made 'shaker' glasses.

If you paid $30 you got to keep your glass and have a great martini in it. Otherwise the food and drink flowed, great martinis (named after craft techniques like Batik Blue) all included in your price of admission ($25 for OCC Members), important to starving artists

Carolyn & Karen Franzen

Here I am with my Facebook friend Karen Franzen. We met years ago when I founded the Beach Studio Tour in Toronto. It's so great to stay connected with social media.

Remember - next Artists Round Table: 

June 5th 10:30am

Carolyn's home:

carolyn@barnett-knits.com

613-545-5986

Creativity - John Cleese

I had to share this with you, I can't remember who posted it on my Facebook page but I love it....I have loved John Cleese over the years in his many incarnations. He had a PBS (?) program on the face with Elizabeth Hurley that I loved, a few years ago. Here he is again with his humour, simplicity and brilliance.

Business and the Law - a Saga

This is not a fun topic but I thought I'd run this by the artists on this list and try to get some feedback. I did a Spring show a few weeks ago and was able to discuss this with some colleagues there.

No one can be in business 30 years and not have some upset clients and I am now dealing with an old customer who is not happy with her bespoke purchase from me. We have been back and forth via email as she wanted a full refund, then half refund and I am not prepared to give her anything.

Her point: the garment doesn't hang  right on her...after wearing for a while it shifts.

My Point: The garment fits beautifully and I have still taken it apart and made alterations.

I called the Entrepreneurship centre when I first was told I would be taken to small claims court and had a good chat someone there well versed in business.

While gathering all references to this issue I found an email from this client confirming receipt of the item and also it's perfect fit!

Then I had a chat with a lawyer who immediately told me he could not help as he is a Ontario Small Claims Court Judge and it would be a conflict....but he did chat with me and tell me how the procedure would go and to get legal aid in the town involved (not Kingston). He also told me to 'frame' the positive confirming email!

When my client (a nice older lady who has two more of my sweaters) came by my booth I had to say I would not discuss this in my show booth!!!! She asked when/where I had to quickly say via email/phone/court, as I had other visitors to attend to.

When I informed her we had her confirming email I added that it completed my contractual obligation to her but that I had gone above and beyond in altering (at great time and expense to me) the garment.

I have been doing custom work for thirty years and always ask my clients for feedback: did the parcel arrive, does the garment fit, do I need to make any adjustments and also if it doesn't fit I will remake it at my own expense. I have done this about three or four times. I also always stand behind my work in that I will always replace my handmade buttons and also offer to mend, even wash and press!

I always tell my visitors to my booth if I think a garment doesn't look right, as my name is on it and I only want happy buyers who look great in my work (don't we all). I have turned people away from my booth if I think they are not sure, when they return to make the purchase then I know they are 100% sure.

Andrea Graham

This particular custom item I have seen on this lady and, frankly I love it on her! She is still talking about small claims court and when I mentioned that I was told we would go to a Settlement Court first she said something to the effect of she didn't the other few times she's gone to small claims court........

I'd love to hear of others of you with your 'trials'. It was good to hear from my wonderful colleagues and friends at the last show, the sharing made me feel better and not alone. 

Call me, email me privately or I will post your story (no names, of course) here. I'd love to do that as it will help others.

Art Card Exchange

I thought I'd upload a few pics of the art cards I collected at two Art Card events I have been to. We all have business cards and brochures we hand out for promoting our businesses and art but these ones are too delicate but they're fun!

Here are the front and backs of some I have in my binder. Some were just a lot of fun on the front with information written in marker on the back. Mine (the mauve felt with a button and yellow wool) had the info ironed on with transfer that I printed from the computer. There is one that is machine embroidered. 

The top left has a hole in it where dangles a glass bead, the one with the stars is of polymer clay (hey that gives me an idea for mine!)

The card in the upper left is one I did for an Art Card exchange in Ottawa organized by the Ontario Arts Council a few years ago. It was fun and I got to meet artists from the Ottawa area.

This one is made of wood by Spinning Madly! but 

One artisan brought her son who had hand drawn some cards himself. 

Creativity and just plain fun!

Shoot for May and I'll see you at the Entrepreneurship Centre.