Should You Be An Art Luddite?

We recently spent a week in Mammoth Lakes, CA with friends. I hadn't been there in years but remembered the many kitschy shops and so loaded up lots of photos on my iPad, and a tub of my craft items in case that I met and even could sell items to the local galleries. This was between the annual Bluessapaooza and seeing the sights.

Speaking to several shop owners, who were very helpful, I came across a trend that startled me. One owners husband had many things he had welded in the gallery, had a web site but kept the majority of his items off the web for fear that they would be copied. Another had an email address but little more. Checking out their consignment artists information, several were far more savvy than the galleries that represented them.  On further questioning about selling online, she admitted that she didn't have much use for computers or the Internet. She, and many more I fear, had never heard of etsy.com (to the chagrin of all of us who have stores there) but did know of someone who sold items there. She was not interested at all.

I know that many in artistic community dislike the Internet for a variety of reasons. One is just that it can be daunting and a time sink that they feel produces nothing. They would rather create than struggle with their web stores or allow others to copy their ideas. I hear them. Yet to ignore also puts an artist at peril. And I say this after a terribly frustrating time today trying to buy something on the Adobe software store on the web. I never could download it and gave up after 30 minutes on hold. I will ask for my money back tomorrow, probably after an even longer wait on the phone.

Artists really can't ignore the web. More and more people go there to shop and stores like Amazon and the iTunes store have set the standard for making that purchase. Both eBay and Amazon offer sites for your store and, in hindsight, that would be the place to set up your first store. They have made the purchasing process so simple and easy, its amazing everyone else hasn't copied them. Trust me, after today, I KNOW they haven't.

To think that you can exist today, without a web presence would be a mistake. An artist can't be a Luddite. Technology, for better or worse, is here to stay! We creative types will just have to learn to use it.

Check out my store at KrugsStudio.etsy.com.

A Focus In Every Room

How often have we been to someone's home, one you were not familiar with and come away impressed? There was something that made you remember it, some touch or feeling that you enjoyed. If you think back and remember that home or room with minds eye, I bet there was something there that stood out, encouraged you to focus.


Many of us collect things but rather than grouping them into a focal point, we tend to put them all over the place or in some curio cabinet that tends to create a separation between us. You may wonder what I do with all my created stuff. Well, yes, I may be guilty as well.  They are buried in the garage or on cabinet tops in my den. Yet, they are noticed.


However, in my living room we have a collection of Oaxacan "monsters," wild fantasy figures with two even three heads, bodies not quite of this world and in a cacophony of colors spread across the mantle and adjoining bookcase. Few that visit can resist looking, and even touching them. They always prompt questions and fit in with all the other things we have collected or been given from around the world.


Art of any kind is meant to be seen. Whether indoors or out, by carefully planning and arranging, you can give visitors and yourself some focal point to enjoy.  You bought it for some reason, why not display it and enjoy it?


I am a firm believer in making sure every room in the house has a focal point. A place that your eyes can rest and enjoy if even for a moment. If you bought say a colorful birdhouse, how will you display it? All alone? With other Birdhouses or other colorful things? If you haven't you should.


I remember a collection of spoons that were noticeable in a guests home.  The cabinet door was slightly ajar and as I reached over to latch it, I heard a laugh and a gentle, "Please don't close it! It's my conversation starter." Puzzled I listened to her story. An avid politico she entertained strangers often for fund raisers. Since many had never met they too saw the open cabinet. This was their introduction to her collection from all over the world. Since countries have changed names, governments and everyone knew she collected them, her collection was huge. As we admired them she would reach in, grab one, talk about it (usually with an appropriate political comment) and the evening would start. 


A collection doesn't need to be expensive or large. All you need to do is display it! Look at those precious items you own and why not see if there isn't a more exciting way to display it.  Not only your guests will admire it, but so will you!


Alan Krug
KrugsStudio

DecoArt Goodies

One of the rewards for winning one of the DecoArt summer contests, other than the money, is the goodie box that comes with it.

Yesterday, working on a project, as usual, the doorbell rings and as I go to the door see the ubiquitous brown UPS truck at the curb. On the porch is a well wrapped box from DecoArt!

What goodies there were inside! Two new 16 oz. bottle of matt and gloss decoupage glue, Americana Gloss paints, Americana matt paints, three packets of stencils, foam and bristle stippling brushes and a set of the new 2012 colors. It was like Christmas in July! In fact, looking for an outdoor sealer for my birdhouses at Home Depot, I came across some stippling brushes and almost bought them. Since they didn't have a clear outdoor Varathane (I'm sorry, I spend too much time worrying about color to buy a sealer that is for exterior use that will add a "warm" glow to my project) I didn't buy the brushes. In fact that is the subject for another post in the future.

I certainly want to thank DecoArt, but also realized that this box opened for me a whole new set of possibilities. It made me realize that it is worth spending time at a craft store and actually seeing what products are out there. Just by reading the labels and what the product can do, is illuminating. However, I think that they should have  included the 2012 product catalog as well so that you could see what other exciting things are available. Large craft stores just don't carry everything even if they want you to think they do. If I wasn't going to my class at the Tole Bridge in Norco, CA, I might well never know what other products are available.

Thank you DecoArt. I can't wait to try your wonderful gift out!

Is There Any Room For Quality?

One of the most frustrating things for me, as a crafter, is finding good quality products at an affordable price. If I buy at one of the chain craft stores, and you all know who I mean, the emphasis is on price. Some items are better than others but you can be assured that the birdhouse you buy for $5.99 and on sale for a buck less, must have cost them $1 at most. And when you spend as much time as I do and fight the white glue blobs and splotches, you know exactly what I am talking about. This is just a cheapie product.

It didn't really matter at first. I was new to the idea of crafting and any old thing would do. But now that I have an ETSY.com store and am trying to sell to other venues as well, I realize that while the design and workmanship of my work is a labor of love, it is on a cheap canvas. (To see what I am talking about, check out my ETSY.com store. Type in KrugsStudio to go directly to the store. While you may not like the style or design, you will see that it took many hours to complete.) The comparison would be to grab any old tea towel, staple it on a wood frame and say you have a canvas. It doesn't work that way.

I have looked online and while there are some wonderful examples of wood craftsmanship, the cost would put it out of my ability to buy the base product and charge for what I hope to do with it. And many of them are really meant to be just used. The finish is not adaptable to my painting.

Complaining one day to a friend, he thought he knew some sources in China that might be willing to make items I designed, of much higher quality and still be able to sell them at a reasonable price. This would mean then that not only would I have a more reasonable cost alternative but would be able to sell them at wholesale to others as well. If we can get past the "price" issue, a whole new range of ideas and products could become available. Even the ability to accept custom orders!

Here is one of the designs I created...I call it the "Craftman Birdhouse."

The beauty of this product was that it remained lightweight, uses outdoor grade Sycamore wood and was glued with outdoor glue...furniture grade outdoor glue to meet the standards in Japan. I thought that I wanted the top to be removable but in hindsight will move the screws to the bottom, add drainage holes and I think it would be good to go. The cost? Under $20 each and even less if bought in units of three or six at a time.

The screws will continue to go into threaded inserts so the screws never touch the wood. This birdhouse can be hung outside as is, or for crafters and others, stained, painted, and sealed for an even longer life.

For a painter such as myself, this is a dream come true. However, the question remains, is there enough of a demand for such an product line? Is there a place for a "middle" price point, a product that isn't the cheapest nor the most expensive but does offer a longer outdoor life? With any hobby chain product, even in California, the birdhouse is guaranteed to fall apart in a year so I can't even imagine what it would be like in the midwest. I used five coats of Varathane but it made no difference. Would people be willing to pay more and then not have to buy a new one every few years? Is the time spent by a artist on a much better product, the money spent by the end user worth a few dollars more?

That is the question.

Please feel free to reply or contact me here.

Best regards,

Alan Krug

Alaska

I have been home about a week now from an Alaska cruise. This was a last minute event...tho one that had been discussed back in February. The person that we wanted to see in Anchorage died in a tragic car accident so we didn't think about going there again.

When my wife was checking out travel deals on the Internet she came across a cruise to Alaska, 14 days yet, for an unbelievable price that we decided to check it out. After confirming this deal with the AAA agent here in CA, we booked the cruise, got a deal on the airfare and seven days later boarded out flight to Seattle to board our "love boat."

Growing up in Portland, I was always aware of the artistic styles of the Northwest Indians. Back in the day, we called them Eskimos. Now there are a variety of names and the one we heard the most in Alaska was First Nations. The artistic styles are very similar and after doing a variety of Pennsylvania Dutch designs, I was ready to branch out. (Anyone looking at my store on ETSY might wonder if I am indeed ADD. There are now many styles!)

One of them, in my "Crazy Quilt Series" won a national voting award through a contest held by DecoArt, one of the premier vendors in the craft world. I heard about that docking July 2 and was stunned! I mean, who would have thought such a crazy idea, trying to copy fabrics in paint, would win in a national contest?

As we saw and met more and more First Nations peoples, I began to question the style and motifs that were used. No one could give me a definitive answer. It was near the end of the cruise, at a stop in Sitka, AK,  that we wandered the town after a tour. Along the way back to the boat was a book store and on a wild whim we stopped in. Looking at the books I found one that was a design book that explained the styles, motifs and how to create them better than even the native peoples could. There were two volumes and while the first one seemed complete, am glad I bought them both.

After reading the first volume on the boat, I couldn't wait to get home and try the designs out. In my mind, I had already formulated what I wanted to do. So, after consulting the book to make sure I had the idea right, and there is plenty of leeway I discovered, here is the result.

The design is basically of salmon...the front is a full view of the salmon, the back just its head. I used the motif of a human face, front and back, and hands on the side to signify that it took humans with hands to catch the fish. While it may take awhile to achieve the extraordinary detail of the people there, I was amazed at how close I came. Using the nesting hole for birds in the middle of my fish, I solved many problems and didn't seem to effect the design features at all.

This is the beginning of what I hope will be an interesting series. It appears the First Nations people decorating just about everything. So....

Last Crazy Quilt Birdhouse

It seems that all good things must come to an end. I have finished the third and last "Crazy Quilt Birdhouse Series" and found that it was far more fun than I ever imagined. In fact, so much fun and challenging that I may expand these designs onto platters, trays and such.

However, after entering the first Crazy Quilt birdhouse on the DecoArt Summer Americana contest, I was both surprised AND pleased to find that I was one of three finalists! In fact, the voting continues on their web site through July 2nd. If you wish, you can click this link and you can vote for one of three finalists. I am the birdhouse on the right!

http://www.decoart.com/vote/

The winner doesn't win a great amount of money, but it would be a source of pride for the winner. Now don't get me wrong, I AM honored to be chosen at all. It is an honor to be in the company of people far more experienced and talented than me. However, I would appreciate your vote!

When I began this series, I didn't realize the potential for design. The idea of putting fabrics together is just as arduous as picking out paints. And to make matters worse, I had to paint the fabrics and make sure that the same pattern was used wherever the background color was used. However, it was great fun if tedious at times.

Things that can be used and still show the whimsical design became important. Anyone that is a quilter or admires the quilting art should enjoy such an item. And trust me, it is NOT easy to paint a fabric design on a birdhouse!

I think it is the constant challenge of finding something new to paint...quilting ideas, Rosemaling, Tudor, Pennsylvania Dutch, all ideas that seem to be out of the box. It becomes rather boring and even trite and repetitive (ala Thomas Kincade the "painter of light") to not try something new and different. I suppose though, and anyone who has seen Kincade's earlier works knows how talented he was, it is easier to find a niche and remain there. It takes a Van Gogh, Cezanne or Braque to constantly experiment and try something new or different.

I can't wait to try and use these designs on a flat surface. They will be fun yet challenging.
If you like them, you can check them out on my stores. Check out KrugsStudio on both ETSY.com and ArtFire.com.

Thinking Outside of the Box

I don't know about you, but I am now constantly looking at "things" getting ideas for the next project. I have had a love of quilt designs and have attempted to utilize with them over the years. Quilt designs are in many ways derived from old world designs that have been dubbed Pennsylvania Dutch though in fact they came from all over Europe, brought by the early immigrants to what became the United States.

Many don't realize that quilting is one of maybe two art forms that are unique to the United States. While it has spread around the world, it originated here. I would guess it was a way to utilize the few resources settlers had. And depending on what they had, add a little color to what must have been pretty drab surroundings.

It was those crazy quilts, quilts that used every bit of leftover fabrics, the scraps, that inspired my newest series. And in fact, it has been both a challenge and great fun trying to "wrap" those plain on birdhouses with fabrics, even if they were painted on. I never know what will and will not inspire a person to purchase one of these creations. If we don't try, we will never know.

What non-crafters don't realize is that the creation of one of these "crafts" can take as much if not more time that a regular painting. And as much as I love painting a landscape, it seems that I have more leeway here. I allow myself a degree of freedom with my crafts that I have not allowed myself in painting. However, I have come to realize that they feed on each other and what I learn in one has a benefit to the other.

There is one more birdhouse primed and ready in this series. It is a deep turquoise so I think I will try to use purple and blues and see what develops. 

Never be afraid to try something out of the box. Even if no one else likes it, it opens your mind to other possibilities; helps take one out of a stylistic rut. To me, to be an artist means to continually grow in vision and feelings. Yes, there will be missteps along the way, but even then, its a learning experience that has benefits down the road.

Left Brain, Right Brain

I had an interesting discussion on Father's Day with my family over an article I had read in the paper. You know, the printed kind. My son then responded that he had seen the same thing on the Internet and noted that you didn't have to have a printed paper to do that. I stopped and tried to explain what I had said when my wife chimed in as well. They are both right handed. Totally confused by now and surprised at the tone of their comments I fell silent.

His girlfriend then spoke saying that she understood exactly what I had said and then went on to explain it even better. She understood what I was trying to say and that seemed to mollify everyone.

Later after a wonderful dinner and then beer at a local tavern, I began to reflect on what had happened that evening. It made me begin to question how we think, how we hear and what we hear. How did it happen that two right brained and two left brained people had such a positive or negative reaction to a simple statement? The girlfriend and I are left handed, VERY left handed, the son and wife are right handed.

Is it something this simple that causes so many of the conflicts we face in life? The causes of wars, religious divides, even movements in art? Do we see or hear things differently? Does the brain of one type process events differently? It certainly gives me pause.

I would be interested in hearing what you think. Do you feel that being right brained, or left brained truly makes a difference in the way you perceive things? Does it alter the way you see the world?

To See

An artist, of any stripe, wants to create. Not only do they want to create but to create something that has meaning. While an audience may not always agree with the artists meaning, or vision, to the artist and maybe to the future, that meaning will become apparent. The artist Vincent Van Gogh comes to mind. To read his letters is to experience the emotions anyone who creates something knows: the doubt, the ache of expression, the feeling that what you are doing probably has no purpose but to entertain, get you to see.

Crafters, often a dirty word become the "something" they create isn't considered "real" art, DO create something because it is much closer to the heart. And after all, isn't ART in the eye of the beholder? Anyone who watches THE ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW has learned that lesson a long time ago.

We may not be able to purchase a great masterpiece and have to settle for a print. The purpose of the purchase? To give your home, a room, a place in that room a bit color, a focal point, something that brings comfort and peace to you. 

I love color. Every piece that I create has me agonizing over what colors to use, what combination looks wonderful together. Many times I will find that a color I thought I wanted just didn't work and will grab another. Often I will find that the piece is far to garish and at a point of giving up will run an antiquing wash over it only to find that somehow, I can never explain why, it all works. It is exactly what I had in mind.

I feel that every room in your house should have a focal point. Some place that your eyes will "see" and enjoy. In my house, we have things from around the world that we have picked up. Our mantle is littered with Oaxacan monsters whose garish colors scream yet somehow form a harmonious whole. There are many pieces to look at, to remember, and for the visitor entertain.

Never be afraid of buying something that attracts your eye. Place it proudly for all to see...for YOU to see, reflect and remember. After all, aren't those the best kind of memories?

Taking a Different View

Painting of "any" kind is a challenge. You have a blank something; a canvas, birdhouse, tray, ANYTHING paintable and the challenge is, "What the heck do I put on it." If you are an artist of any kind and haven't had that moment, you are blessed!

Here was the challenge I had. Two windmill birdhouses. What to do with them.

As you can see, the birdhouse was rather large AND very blank. Should I use yet another Pennsylvania Dutch design or something else? I was stumped. They sat on my work table staring at me for weeks. It was amazing how deftly I could work around them. Trays, plates, other birdhouses but there they sat like guilt on a stick.

May 20th we went to one of the last days of the Renaissance Pleasure Faire here in Irwindale, CA and I was struck by the costumes, the way of talking and then finally the architecture. I took photos of the village and some models, came home and started to doodle. Before I knew it, I had a English Tudor Renaissance windmill birdhouse design. But, as I discovered, it was much easier to doodle the design than literally "doodle" it on four sides of the birdhouse. The first thing to go were the windmill blades. They could be handled later. Then the time consuming task of drawing in the wood and plaster portions of the design and then the tedious, and yes it WAS tedious, sketching of the portions that needed to be painted. Tedious though took on a whole new dimension when it came to painting!!!

I in fact cheated. I painted the cream portions and used a stain to darken the unpainted wood portions thereby giving dark beams to the structure and antiquing the plaster portions. I used a rake to put in the four layers of "thatch" on the roof. I discovered that they used fabric to increase the affect of the wind so added a blood red fabric to give the whole birdhouse a bit of color. I knew this would be merely decorative, so why not?

I have one more left. And I am now trying to decide how I want to paint it! For more photos go to my store: http://krugsstudio.etsy.com.

My advice when you are staring at that blank whatever, let you mind wander. Don't be a slave to what you have been doing. Think and crawl outside that box. Whether you like it or not, I find this project to be one of my more creative...and yes, best!