Someone said this is our 16th 17th annual Perfect Gift Boutique (the same someone who made the little ad above). That is difficult to fathom. Must be having fun, because time is flying!
To get to the Three Rivers Arts Center, head east on Highway 198. After you pass the first commercial part of town (Post Office, grocery store, Quality Inn, Pizza Factory, etc.) go about another 1/2 mile. Cross the river on the North Fork bridge, and the Arts Center is the first building on your left. It looks like this:
I don’t know the address and don’t know if Mr. Google will either, so you may have to find this using the old fashioned method of following directions and paying attention. Rough, I know, but sometimes that’s just part of living in rural Tulare County.
These are thoughts first published on my blog on November 13, 2013
Pencil drawing of a bridge over the St. John’s River in Tulare County. Perhaps today it is a bridge over the troubled waters of donation requests.
1. Some of those “beg-athon” events are really fun for the community and anticipated with happiness.
2. I’m not the only artist who is worn out from being asked to give away my work.
3. Artists can request that bidding begin at a minimum price, which will help them maintain some dignity and their work to retain its value.
4. Should other donors be paid for their contributions, such as hair salons, motels, restaurants, retail stores?
5. Does donating help their businesses?
6. Are they able to write off anything on their taxes?
7. Are they tired of being asked too?
8. Is there another way to raise money for good causes instead of through donations and auctions?
9. Is it possible for the non-profit to say “We’ll pass on that donation because it doesn’t represent you well and it won’t bring in money for us”?
10. Some members of the public sincerely anticipate a piece of art from their favorite artists, and it causes them to want to participate in the auctions.
Tomorrow I will share a letter from an artist friend that she sends to organizations that request donations.
P.S. Here are some photos from Saturday’s bazaar. It was a very good day!
My 10×10′ piece of real estate for the day.Before the show, some of the vendors check out each other’s booths.Before the show, I like to enjoy the temporary quiet.There was about a two minute lull between visitors, and I enjoyed this view out of my very large window.
This is a reprint from November 6, 2013. Clearly the subject of donations is large in my thoughts during November.
Pencil drawing of bridge over the Tule River in Tulare County. Today, perhaps it is a bridge over the troubled waters of donation requests.
When non-profits want to raise funds, they hold dinners or tastings and have silent and live auctions to go with these events (called “Annual Beg-athons” by author Matt Gleason in the Huffington Post on 6/8/11). Typically, the first people they contact to donate items to their causes are artists.
Why artists? Why not dentists, lawyers, gas stations, pharmacists??
There was a year that I donated more than I sold. (Hmmm, someone might possibly benefit from a business manager here. . .) The next year, I began reading what other artists had to say about the matter, and as a result, I developed my own list of reasons for artists to not donate and a few for them to continue donating.
REASONS TO NOT DONATE:
1. An artist is only allowed to write off the cost of the materials.
2. Donating depletes inventory that is usually made by hand, involving enormous amounts of time.
3. Art work at these events usually sells for less than its full value.
4. If an artist develops a reputation for giving away work, those who previously have paid full price feel ripped off.
5. If an artist develops a reputation for giving away work, the buying public may begin waiting for the events instead of spending money with the artist.
6. If an artist gets tired of donating, she may begin donating second-rate work and damage her reputation. An artist friend once told me, “Just give them your bad stuff that won’t sell anyway.” Yikes, is that what is happening?? That’s not good for the organization, the artist’s reputation or the recipient!
REASONS TO DONATE (and some are pretty poor reasons):
1. An artist loves the cause and want to help.
2. An artist wants to reduce inventory.
3. An artist wants exposure (which is a myth in terms of building a business.)
4. An artist feels guilty and wants to “give back”. (What did he take in the first place??)
If you are part of a non-profit, you might rethink this common idea that artists are the best ones to approach for donations.
Here is an idea for non-profits: Ask to buy the work. The artist can sell it to you at a discount, you can write off what your organization spends, and you can begin the bidding at that price. Anything you receive above that will be profit for you, and none of the Reasons To Not Donate will happen.
Finally, here is a letter I’ve borrowed from New York Times writer Tim Kreider on the subject:
“Thanks very much for your compliments on my art. I’m flattered by your invitation to donate a painting or drawing or print or package of cards or to paint a mural. But art is work, it takes time, it’s how I make my living, and I can’t afford to do it for free. I’m sorry to decline, but thanks again, sincerely, for your kind words about my work.”
‘Tis the Season of Donations and Fund Raisers, asking artists to give away their work.
I have a strong policy about this*, and it includes donating to an occasional cause.
The policy came after the year that I donated more than I sold.
This year I am donating an oil painting of an orange to Exeter’s Courthouse Gallery. They will give me one ticket to their event, but I won’t be attending. I don’t want to buy a second ticket for someone to come with me. And I don’t want to be there while my painting is auctioned, because if no one bids, I might just die of complete and total mortification.
But, I hope this oil painting of an orange brings $60 at a minimum, because that is what I would charge for it if I sold it myself. (And the IRS would allow me to write off the cost of the canvas, the metal hanger on the back of the canvas, and the oil paint. Pray tell, oh wise bureaucrats, how do I calculate the cost of the oil paint??)
I found the location of the Backyard when Trail Guy and I took my stuff down on Friday to set up. Then we covered it all with drop cloths against the morning dew.
The next morning I left home in the dark, parked far from the Backyard and hiked in through the dawn’s early light. Like that phrase? Sometimes these shows feel as if I am preparing to do battle. Such is the business of art. (And it was a hike – I had food and water with me.)
HEY! There was a sign proclaiming Pop-Up Market in the driveway! I’m still liking the name Backyard Boutique. It was damp and coldish on the grass at 7 a.m. and I was amazed at the organization of all the pop-up tent tops in the Backyard. There must have been 30!
The sun was a welcome sight. The doors opened at 8 and the steady stream of people began.
This is the booth of my friend Brenda who invited me to join the show. She makes felted purses and iPad cases, and they are beautiful. BEAUTIFUL. She sells them for $60 (I think that’s the price), and having made a couple myself, I know this only barely covers the cost of the yarn.
Speaking of iPads, I took one to the show so I could accept plastic from people using the Square. I tested it on Friday and it worked! I tried it on Saturday and it wouldn’t. That’s 2 for 2. . . instead of buying a device to further my sales, I seem to have bought Trail Guy an expensive radio, weather and Mineral King webcam checker.
My booth was in the back under the trees on the dirt. I chose this location because the trees provided shade, since I don’t have a pop-up. I usually don’t do outdoor shows, so haven’t needed one.
Sales were steady all day, I met many nice people and reconnected with old friends. Then I came home and reconnected with this friend. Please excuse the blur and enjoy the cuteness of Samson when he isn’t biting.
Please forgive me for bothering you on a Saturday. It seemed prudent to remind you of this backyard boutique today.
Today I am participating in a backyard boutique at a home in Visalia along with about 30 crafters. As far as I know, I am the only painter, or “fine” artist or perhaps you could call me a “2-dimensional artist”.
People are sensitive about such things.
Me? I am an artist, not an “artiste”. WHY do people insist on saying it that way?
But I digress. Stop by if you are in Visalia from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tomorrow begins the busiest month of my business. November is the month of boutiques and bazaars, almost every weekend.
The first event is this coming Saturday in someone’s backyard in Visalia. I think of it as the Backyard Boutique. Yes, I know it is obvious, but the alliteration is too fun to pass up.
The theme of this boutique is ONLY ONE. This means there will only be one person with each type of item. It won’t be one of those shows where there is mostly jewelry or nothing but those boring old oil painters. . . ho hum. . .
DON’T WORRY! I won’t be any more boring than I usually am. I will have 4 different coloring books and my new calendar, The Bridges of Tulare County, along with oil paintings, The Cabins of Wilsonia, notecard packages, and probably some other things I am forgetting right now because there is a ferocious little cat wreaking havoc in my space.
Here is the official flyer. Mr. Google can help you find the place. I certainly hope he helps me find it too.
The art reception for the Sequoia Art Show was well attended. It appeared that everyone had a good time. I did. Thank you for coming!
Hey, Kelvin! Look left – Nadi’s art is fabulous!Look at all those people having a nice time.A lull. . . it is a privilege to have my work in the same room as Nadi Spencer’s paintings.All spaced out like that on white walls. . . if the floors were shiny, I’d feel as if my work had truly arrived.Lauren, a friend and drawing student – she and I both got haircuts, and she donated her locks to Pantene to make a wig for cancer patients.This is how Trail Guy attended the show – in the place of honor right in the foyer.
Would you like to spend an hour or so in air conditioning, looking at art of Sequoia National Park, drinking wine and noshing on “or derves”? (You don’t really expect me to spell that word, do you?)
On Sunday, August 7, 2-4 p.m., Courthouse Gallery in Exeter, 125 South B Street, you can do exactly that.
At least four artists will be participating: Nadi Spencer, Shirley Keller, Anne Brantingham, and me. There might be others, but life is full of unknowns.
Sequoia, particularly Mineral King, has been my main subject for many years, and I am ready to share those pieces in a fine gallery. At last count, I had TWENTY-ONE pieces to show, both oil paintings and pencil drawings!
I’ll bring coloring books – Heart of the Hills, and Heart of Mineral King. Exeter and Sequoia coloring books won’t be ready yet. . . that will give the colorists among the crowd something to anticipate after the post-show letdown, if they are prone to such emotional swings, and assuming there will be “a crowd”.
I hope you will be there too. I’d hate to get all gussied up and and then have to hang out by myself. (I have a somewhat hassle-some new haircut.)
Someone said this is our 
On Sunday, August 7, 2-4 p.m., Courthouse Gallery in Exeter, 125 South B Street,