The Society Blog

Inspiration, Confidence and Style

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 05:41:00 GMT

Art is a hard thing to start, make and exhibit. You need inspiration for your ideas and the confidence to carry them out. Then finding a way to show your art to others is another tricky thing, not all venues or avenues are appropriate for your target audience, which takes thinking about. In my latest work I am excited but also stumped by my new ideas. How to stay true to myself, create something meaningful but also something that may be desired by those that will be my audience is a challenge.

So far my guiding principles are my love of colour, playfulness and as my husband says 'See how it flows', to trust my intuition and inspiration. Although I am attempting something out of my comfort zone I feel an energy of adventure and excitement that keeps me wanting to work on it despite my occasional wish to go back to my old ways. I love looking at art history for mental arty fortitude and in this case Kandinsky is my guide, a lawyer turned artist who took a leap and created some of the first abstract art. Not that mine will be a first in the art world, it may not even reach the art world, but I do hope to emulate the courage and conviction in his ideas that he had.

Composition IV, Wassily Kandinsky, 1911

"Each color lives by its mysterious life" One of many quotes by Kandinsky that inspire me. Kandinsky was very much motivated by trying to capture the internal landscape of his mind and create a new world on his canvas.

My personal journey is no where near at its pinnacle, nor has it a clear direction but I hope to share my own art adventures and offer guidance in the hopes that the young in the Youth Art Club will be able to find the courage to start their own art journey. The Youth Art Club will provide a hang out space to do art in, find like minded individuals and experience techniques and mediums not offered at home or school. The biggest attraction of the Armadale Society of Artists is the opportunity to find a network of people that can boister your arty courage, get some good opinions on your direction and take comfort in the arty community it provides. Sharing that with younger creatives is the goal.

Get your Youth Art Club tickets here

Some avenues to exhibit your art adventures:

Stirling Art Awards (entries open 1 August, close 22 August)

MidWest Art Prize (Geraldton, entries open now, close 8 September)

City of Bayswater Art Awards (entries open 4 September, close 6 October; also includes an under 18 category)

Melville Art Awards (entries open 1 September, close 12 September)

Happy Arty Adventuring!

Happiness and Art

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 04:02:00 GMT

The science behind it:

“Art in any form, whether while creating or observing, reduces the stress hormone called cortisol. It also releases the feel-good hormones called endorphins which help you combat stress and pain. By letting you enjoy a sense of fulfilment, it transforms you into a more positive, well-rounded human being.”

I love this quote and find it to be true for myself at least. When I don’t create or think about how I would paint that/make that at least once a day I can feel the difference. The article is well worth a read as it goes into more detail about creating, what it means to create and how it can benefit you.

https://www.oilpixel.com/blog/art-makes-you-happier-and-healthier/

It is worth noting that the quote above also talks about observing art. So by putting on exhibitions like Allison Bell you can be a catalyst for stress reduction in others. Allison’s exhibition is on till the 27th of March at the Whiteley Fishbowl Gallery, Agonis Building, Gosnells.

https://www.gosnells.wa.gov.au/news-events/events/allison-bell-art-exhibition

The meaning of art according to the internet Google dictionary:

“Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”

Whether you agree with this definition or not it has placed no criteria on the judgement of beauty or emotional power. As a creative person it can be hard to remember that beauty and emotional connection is different for everyone, so art is always subjective, and defined in the eye of the beholder.

Having recently learned that I did not get selected for the Minnawarra Art Awards I felt a bit of doubt and disappointment of course. Am I making Art? But then I remember that my opinion and the curator’s opinion are influenced by a totally different set of goals, values and interpretations (also there are only so many paintings that get in). I am proud of my painting still and I love it for the ideas and concepts as well as the materials, colours and time I have spent on it and with it.

My painting among many others will however be exhibited in the Extension Exhibition at the Armadale Arena in May. The Armadale Society of Artists will be manning the exhibition (roster forms are up at the Arena already) and hosting the opening champagne breakfast. More details will be announced by the City of Armadale soon as part of the Armadale Arts Festival starting 5th of May. Keep an eye on the festival plans and visit the page link below closer to the date!

'Reaching for the Stars' by Ray Seddon

https://armadaleartsfestival.com.au/

So be happy, keep creating and stay positive.

Entering Art Competitions Is Worth It

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 01:14:00 GMT

Entering Art Competitions Is Worth It

Chantalle Grummet

If you are an artist, wanting to be an artist or creative and wanting to exhibit then entering art competitions is a great way to boost your career. It is a really affordable way to market yourself and your art. Being an art contestant comes with perks that are built in to the competition framework. If your art is inspiring the organisers may use it to promote the competition. Social media accounts, art newsletters, websites, and editorials in newspapers are some of the possibilities that could occur if you get in. Hanging in a space with other artists who may be further along in their careers and well known could get your art seen by a gallery owner, art collector or other art world gate keepers.

Even entering and not getting in gets you somewhere. Curated art competitions or awards are judged by high calibre artists or curators and your art will be seen by them. Your focus in creating to get in to a competition shifts from how you normally operate even if you don’t get selected. Your mind and thinking is altered because you are viewing your work through the eyes of another. You are now thinking about how your work will be viewed and this changes your perspective on your own work. This new perspective is what can change and elevate your work to the next level, which is an awesome goal regardless of success in the competition.

The organisers of competitions are creating opportunities for sale of art, future art business and promoting art in the wider community, not just the art community. Your entry fee lets them advertise, hire space, hire curators, catering and award the artists. It is also self empowering because by entering you show a belief in your work which then gets you opportunities to reach others with your work. You are supporting the art community by entering and counting yourself as part of that community at the same time. Researching the competitions that you enter is recommended because each art competition has a different community and art cohort that it is built around. For example the Minnawarra Art Awards and Lester Art Prize are contemporary arts themed, high end (or internationally recognised) art market based and target different viewers than a community art awards such as Rockingham, Melville or Gosnells Art Awards which are more about local artists, local consumers and art collectors.

Some of the art awards coming up that you can enter right now are The Minnawarra Art Awards (entries close 13^th March), The Lester Prize (entries open 27^th February), Beverley Art Prize (entries close 15^th March). It is an important part of being an artist to learn about your own voice in the art world. Enter a few competitions and you will learn about where you fit in and what is important to you in your creative journey. A brilliant article by Beautiful Bizarre Magazine inspired the positive outlook in this blog, for more details on the benefits and the amazing bizarre art world it represents check it out yourself.

Junior Membership and the Youth Art Club

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 02:05:00 GMT

Armadale Society of Artists: Junior Membership and the Youth Art Club

Chantalle Grummet February 2023

Creating a junior membership for the ASA connects us to our future as an art society, allows us to grow in number as well as facilities and expand our experience in the community and the arts. The Armadale Society of Artists has been going since 1987, and was started by a few artists who wanted to build a community of artists in Armadale. They created the Society to support each other, create together and grow an arty community open to anyone who wanted to explore their creative side. In these turbulent and changing times we have managed to stay active, grow membership and evolve into a vibrant creative local community. Junior membership lets our community of artists grow and be more inclusive.

The Youth Art Club aims to create an environment of mentorship between junior members and regular ASA members. It starts this Friday, 17^th February, and every school term Friday afternoon from then on, from 4pm till 5:30pm. The Youth Art Club will host workshops, tutorials and demonstrations as well as provide mentorship to aspiring young artists. Volunteer demonstrations by members of the ASA in all kinds of mediums and techniques gives the Youth Art Club members access to skills and processes that they may not have been aware of. Volunteering members of the ASA will also be able to get a working with children check card (funded by the ASA, limited numbers apply) if they are interested in demonstrating and mentoring. Opportunities to exhibit and enter art competitions are part of the club too. This will give the young artists a direction and a goal to work towards.

The City of Armadale council has shown support for a junior membership, through an offer of sponsorship in our annual exhibition, as well as extend membership as prizes for youth art community events and has suggested an increased connectivity through the Armadale Youth Council. Junior membership can also help attract new members, both young adults and older adults (parents), through participating in and hosting youth art events. Youth programs and events could give the ASA more opportunities for grants or sponsorship to improve and extend our ability to foster our creative community.

Junior membership is a huge positive step for the Armadale Society of Artists, connecting us to our local community and our future.

Celebrating Art, Artists and the Minnawarra Art Awards

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 08:57:00 GMT

Celebrating Art, Artists and the Minnawarra Art Awards

Chantalle Grummet

It is nearly that time of year again where the City of Armadale celebrates art and invites artists to participate in the Armadale Art Festival with the Minnawarra Art Awards.

The Minnawarra Art Awards is an elevated art event to attract tourism from areas outside our local area and connect local artists with the wider art world, other high caliber artists and the arts industry. At its core the Minnawarra Art Awards are about meshing our local emerging artists with recognised state, national and even internationally known Australian Artists whilst celebrating contemporary art.

Ron Nyisztor has done an amazing job curating a collection for these last few years, combining a sense of community with his perspective as a director of the artist run initiative Nyisztor Studio and extensive experience as an exhibiting artist. Having someone like Ron Nyisztor curate an art collection which speaks of current art practice, conceptual discovery and authentic voices of today attracts high caliber judges. This gives all participating artists an opportunity to get on that contemporary art platform. Having your work judged by people with an informed, current view of today’s art world is daunting but is an amazing opportunity to be seen and grow your art practice. Selected artists are to be celebrated and congratulated as they contribute to the ever changing view of contemporary arts.

'The Sixth Day' by Julie Fearns Pheasant, Winner of The Local Artist Award 2022

If your artworks are not selected it does not mean your art is not of high caliber! The gallery space is limited to about 70 entries. To make a cohesive and balanced exhibition pieces also need to exhibit well together. This means that the Curator Ron Nyisztor has to consider how the pieces will look in the same space, how the audience will respond to it as a whole collection as well as the levels of skill, message and mediums represented. To enter the Minnawarra keep your eye on your inbox or the City of Armadale website for further details soon.

This year the City of Armadale will be collaborating with the Armadale Society of Artists to also present a community art exhibition called Extensions alongside the Minnawarra Art Awards. Run by the Armadale Society of Artists it will be an opportunity for local and regional artists to showcase their art and be promoted during the Armadale Arts Festival for one week. The application process is via the Minnawarra Art Awards Artist Entry Form, where you will also be invited to select one of your works to be exhibited in Extensions, should it not be selected for the Minnawarra Art Awards. The Extension Exhibition is not a curated exhibition or judged, so all artworks entered will be exhibited* and a People’s Choice Award will be awarded at the end. Stay tuned, more details to come!

Come to the Armadale Society of Artists members meeting tomorrow night, 19th January, Armadale Arena, 6pm, to hear more about both exhibitions. Ron Nyisztor and Kelly Jennings (City of Armadale Major Events and Arts Coordinator) will be talking about the exhibitions so we encourage members and non members to attend.

* If the artwork is selected to be exhibited in the Minnawarra Art Awards, it will not be exhibited in the Extensions exhibition.

The ASA Christmas Party 2022

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 04:17:00 GMT

The Party In Pictures

After a fair amount of time showing off the Arena space and chatting to members the official party procedures began. First there were speeches by Mary and Ray. This was mostly about how we are going with the lease of the Arena and what we can do with the Arena space once it is official. As financial members have a think about what you would like to see so you can tell the next committee in the new year!

This was followed by a lot of delicious supper eaten but I ate it before I took pictures of it.

Then it was Secret Santa time. This took a while because Santa was very huggable. There are more pictures available if you click the link below the huggers.

Christmas Party Pictures on a PDF link

It was good to see members we hadn't seen for a while. Welcome back Trish and Jim! Glad you made it back to WA ok.

After Santa gave out presents we had more supper and did the raffles. The ASA is donating the profits of the party raffle to the Armadale Headspace group. We raised over $200! Thanks to everyone who bought tickets and well done Ned for running the raffle and donating that easel!

The raffle run was followed by more drinking, chatting and eventually the Facebook Art Challenge winner was announced. It was Peter Dawson! 'Not rigged I swear' says Jeannie Edge who genuinely thought Peter's was the best. Well done Peter! Debbie Wood says the Facebook Challenge will continue in February 2023 so keep an eye out on the Facebook ASA and Friends page for the new picture. We chatted some more, nibbled some more on the feast with drinks in hand and then counted the people's choice of the Monthly Art Challenge votes for the winner. It was Dave Archer's beautiful storks that won. I voted for that one myself!

Slowly we all went home happy and full of cheer. On behalf of the ASA Committee I wish you all a very Merry Holiday Season and a happy, brilliant New Year!

ASA July Art Exhibition

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 06:16:00 GMT

I can't believe that Monday 18th July is next week already! Even though we don't have a home yet our Armadale Society of Artists continues to create and connect with each other and the community. This July some of our artists are exhibiting infront of Target at Armadale Shopping City. Don't forget to collect your free coffee voucher that you can use at the Armadale Society of Artists Annual Awards Exhibition in November.

Artists and Insurance

Wed, 19 May 2021 02:36:03 GMT

If, like me, you are entering into the Armadale Hills Open Studio Arts Trail this September you might be wondering about the quagmire of legalities around insurance in connection with your art. This year’s entry form now open and online (until 31 May) states “Participating artists will need to ensure their studios are fully covered by appropriate Public Liability Insurance ($10,000,000 limit) and proof of insurance in the form of a Certificate of Currency will be required upon payment of the registration fee, by 5pm AWST on Friday 18 June 2021.” So I made a start on understanding the legal languages and carefully worded policies and discovered that there are many organisations that can help you. https://www.armadale.wa.gov.au/armadale-hills-open-studio-arts-trail

I investigated some local and national Australian organisations. Please keep in mind that information offered here is by no means from a legal perspective and I am not trained in legal speak so I cannot offer you advice on the individual policies, just a listing of what the different organisations offer and how much it costs. Reading through the policies proved difficult and was a bit overwhelming I must admit. Arts Law, a government organisation, offers legal advice and services to artists for free or at low cost. They also have an information page all about the basics of arts and its insurance which proved very helpful in understanding things. https://www.artslaw.com.au/information-sheet/liability-and-insurance/

For insurance purposes NAVA (National Association for the Visual Arts) wants you to be a member of the organisation first, which is a yearly fee. The membership comes with invitations to events, exhibitions, art journals and information useful to artists published on their website. Only the ‘premium plus’ membership includes insurance and it costs $298 on application. The application requires a CV and personal work history details as an artist to assess whether you qualify for their insurance. If you get rejected by the assessment you will have to pay them a $20 administration fee which they deduct from your refund of the upfront payment. They do offer 6 types of insurance with this package though: Public Liability, Products Liability, Professional Indemnity Extension, Property in Custody or Control, Tenants liability and Personal Accident. https://visualarts.net.au/

FORM is an independent, non-profit organisation based in Perth. The organisation designs and delivers programs that build and offer skills in creative thinking, learning and cultural tourism, for the betterment of Western Australia’s cultural, social and economic wellbeing. They offer memberships that include Indemnity, Public and Product Liability insurance. It also gets you invited to events, offers discounts and participation in exclusive events. Their artists/craftsperson subscription costs $220 a year. https://www.form.net.au/

Artsource is another WA art membership organisation, one of the longest running in the State. They offer a wide range of services to artists including studio licences, creative experiences, cultural enrichment, professional development, and support for artist-run social enterprises; they also develop strategic partnerships with online arts marketing platforms, live streaming and online services and insurance. Their Max Membership, which you need for their insurance service, varies in price depending on how often you want to pay but the yearly cost is $340 a year. The insurances they offer as part of this package are Public Liability, Products Liability, Tenants Liability, Property in Physical and Legal Control, Professional Indemnity and Personal Accident. https://www.artsource.net.au/

In the end I settled on Duck For Cover which is a non for profit Australian organisation that offers insurance for performers and artists. This is all that they do and proved to be the least troublesome in cost or effort. It was started by performers who wanted individual public liability insurance. They have an insurance broker (Steadfast IRS Pty Ltd) and are underwritten by (Allianz) for the purpose of supporting performers and artists. I selected the visual artist category (note: they don’t cover jewellery, metal work, photography, film making, animation, prop and set making/design, large installations, graphic design, costume/fashion design, floristry or flower arranging and woodwork sadly) and I paid an upfront application fee of $71 which covers me for Public and Products Liability insurance (to the value of up to $30,000,000) until October this year upon approval. https://www.duckforcover.com.au

The small amount of research into the insurance for artists has shown me that it is good value being part of an organisation like Artsource, NAVA and Form because it connects you with the local and national art scene. For professional outlook, networking reasons as well as potential art job and exhibition opportunities it is worth considering being members. It is a good idea to evaluate and define what you are positioning yourself as, the scope of your ambitions as an artist and what you are willing to enrol yourself into before subscribing to anything, insurance wise or other. Read the fine print on everything, get advice and good luck!

Ron Nysztor and the Minnawarra Art Awards

Mon, 10 May 2021 03:32:42 GMT

Curated by Ron Nyisztor the Minnawarra Art Awards offer a sense of prestige to the local art community. It is good to see that so many local artists applied to enter the Awards this year! Ron Nysztor gave a talk about how he came to arrange and curate the exhibition on Wednesday the 6^th of May. About 30 ASA members attended. As he talked we got a sense of what he felt when he chose the exhibition pieces and the story behind some of the works. It was a fascinating look at how an exhibition like this comes together.

He chose pieces based on the story behind the piece as well as its aesthetic values. The story behind “Paterson’s Curse”, a rock covered in a patchwork of brightly coloured rhinestones, was very interesting as the artist Carla Adams connects her piece to her grandmother who was a gypsy and the farm property in Forrestdale where she grew up. “Her work incorporates sculpture, textiles, craft practices, painting, drawing, research and book-making to navigate the complexities of relationships from an embodied, female perspective.” https://www.carlaadams.net/about

Other pieces such as “Natural Prototype” by Megan Shaw were included because Nysztor thought the materials created a thoughtful dialogue of why and how it came to be. The surprise and curious questioning about its creation and existence is immediately apparent as the viewer is confronted by Pink expanding foam, mottled carpet underlay and a green Perspex or glass panel held up by an aluminium chain. “Megan Shaw is a sculptor/painter primarily fuelled by the devastating allure of the everyday; re-working found materials and commonplace items into playful, colourful, and textural compositions to re-awaken new feelings of wonder and allure with the quotidian.” a quote from part of her bio on the Cool Change Contemporary Gallery website. Megan had an exhibition there last year. https://coolchange.net.au/about/

The video by Annette Peterson is a series of oil paintings painted plein air and then joined together in the video to create what looks like a hover drone film of a suburban street or what you would see if you drove through that street from the car. The lighting, colours and skill in it are fabulous but not immediately apparent as it is so realistic looking. Ron Nysztor explained that in her current exhibition at another gallery the oil paintings themselves have a great presence when you see them in person and would contribute greatly to the impact of the video if they were present. “Peterson, who grew up in Perth, is most influenced by changes in light and atmosphere on everyday suburban street scenes, especially the suburban drive.” https://annettepeterson.com.au/annette-peterson/

It was definitely surprising to learn that Matthew Wright’s piece “Habitat” was not a digital photo collage but painstakingly hand painted. What interested Ron Nysztor about this piece was the suggestion of habitation through the collaged scene without actual representation of people in it. Matthew Wright had an exhibition at Linton and Kay gallery last year and in his bio for the gallery he explains that he investigates habitat and personal space within the urban environment. www.lintonandkay.com.au/artists/Matthew Wright

These are just snippets of the entire talk. There were some interesting stories and discussion about many more pieces and their artists. If you go and have a look I recommend reading the plaques under the works in the exhibition and learn what the pieces are made of as some of the materials are surprising and awe inspiring. They range from traditional mediums of etching, monoprinting and paintings to digital prints, intricate carvings or even 3D printed busts! The exhibition pieces really vary in medium and scope. The Minnawarra Art Awards Exhibition is well worth a look as it is inspiring in its variety of mediums and wide range of artistic expression. It made me look at my own work from a new perspective. What story am I telling?

As part of the Armadale Arts Festival the Minnawarra Art Awards exhibition will run until the 16^th of May. https://www.armadaleartsfestival.com.au/whats-on/

Trudi Pollard

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 04:24:39 GMT

Trudi Pollard is an amazing textile artist and teacher who lives right here in the hills of Bedfordale. Her passion is for fibre arts, ceramics, and the natural dyes from the beautiful bushland setting she lives in. In 1986 she graduated from Curtin University with a Visual Arts Degree and has been lecturing and teaching in the areas of fibre arts and ceramics for 40 years.

Trudi has made a life out of her passions and you can share in it via her classes, workshops and YouTube sessions. https://www.pollarddesigns.com/on-line-natural-dye-course is where you can look at her free Natural Dye Workshops and find out about her life in the Captured by Colour Introduction session.

Making and creating has always been part of her life. Always interested in nature Trudi admires and cares for the world she lives in. She talks about how she listens to the story of people living on land where she collects the natural products and how that creates new opportunities to share, new ideas and new knowledge about the environment. In fact she also listens to the land and plants as well as the recycled products she re purposes. They tell stories of the land too, the seasons and the life they have had which inspires the works she makes.

Trudi is very passionate about works being handmade, dyed using natural dyes, repurposing, as well as recycling materials and this give her work a powerful feeling of quiet joy in being part of the world. Through sharing her knowledge and her passion Trudi inspires those around her to care for their environment, to appreciate and value everything around them as well as how everything is connected by location, season and the joy of creating.

Trudi Pollard will be our next ASA Monthly Meeting demonstrator and I look forward to what she will inspire us with!

Youthful Perspective

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 04:21:48 GMT

For my painting “Perspective”, now on display in the ASA Pop Up Shop in Armadale Shopping City, I wanted to capture the essence of the child’s imagination and youthful perception of the world- in a way express how I felt and saw the world as a child.

I needed a child to be my reference photograph and knew Alex would be perfect. At the time she was my neighbour and embodies wholeheartedly the passion, wonder and enthusiasm for life that children are typically born with. She has a keen eye for nature, is extremely observant, with an incredibly developed imagination and creative mind.

For the photo I asked her to pretend as though she’d just seen the coolest bug in the world and she surpassed my expectations.

I believe the painting really makes people reflect on their own perceptions and youthful experiences.

What’s On My Easel

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 04:12:57 GMT

I started painting 15 years ago as a hobby after I retired. I love the challenge of painting and am continuously learning. I’m pretty much self-taught but when I started out I got a great deal of help from one of my life-long friends and a professional artist Bill Cranny. Bill gave me a lot of encouragement and guidance in my first few years of painting. I’ve also received great support from Val Mezger, Sandy Robertson and members of Val’s painting class from the Armadale Arts Society.

I started plein air painting about 18 months ago and have attended several workshops with Leon Holmes. I enjoy the flexibility of plein air painting, being able to paint anywhere, anytime. My wife and I travel around Australia a lot and I really enjoy painting the places and landscapes we visit. More recently my grandchildren have asked me to paint for them which has seen me painting a wide variety of subjects including sinking of the Titanic, storm clouds from a holiday, dogs and butterflies.

I have painted with water colour pencils, water colour paints, oils and water based oils.

In the style of...

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 00:48:00 GMT

Andrea Gadd's painting in the style of Carla Bosch

Though the Master Painters of history were amazing and are valuable to study, modern painters can hold as much value in teaching you style and technique. Andrea Gadd, an ASA artist on our website, had a go in the style of Carla Bosch, who is a fabulous British contemporary painter who uses bold patches of colour applied with a pallet knife to create vibrant landscapes. The results look great and make me want to go paint with a palette knife, thanks Andrea!

Art is not always about achieving a technical skill level in reproducing a scene, portrait or reference material, it is often about creating a style that expresses what you want to say or explore. When researching this theme of contemporary artists I came across bluethumb Australia’s largest online art gallery. It features only contemporary Australian artists from all states. Well worth a look! Developing your own style comes from trying out different techniques and finding out what you love doing.

Getting inspired by other people’s styles of working is not the same as copying; Andrea’s work, for example, tackled a subject based on Andrea’s personal choices and references. There are many painters and crafters offering workshops all over Perth. Although usually targeted at entertainment seeking customers they could also offer you a different way of working. The Urban List, ClassBento, and weteachme are great websites to see what is going around the rest of Perth for art classes. You can also check out the local Bedfordale Waterwheel Gallery, with artists working in the gallery space so you can see how they do their fabulous art. Open on the 13th of March and the 17^th of April 11am till 4pm. Waterwheel Gallery

However you don’t have to leave Armadale as the ASA offers quite a few different options in art classes. Check out the classes offered through the ASA classes and groups page by inspirational artists Linda Glover, Geraldine Gustavino and Valerie Mezger who all teach great painting classes at the Greendale Centre. Or why not join a casual group to see how others work on their stuff? The thing that I value most about being involved with the ASA is the opportunity to mingle with so many different artists working in so very many different ways. I hope you are inspired to go off and explore styles and techniques, I know I am. Have fun!

The Sound of Waves by Val Mezger

All you need are shoes. by Geraldine Gustavino

Lazy Days by Linda Glover

Studying the Masters

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 23:11:00 GMT

Many painters throughout history studied other painters’ works. Through copying and studying techniques of other artists, painters learned their craft. Van Gogh himself did some studies copying the style of Millet, Rembrandt, Delacroix and Daumier. Here are examples of some works that I thought might have influenced Van Gogh.

Eugene Delacroix 'Bouquet of flowers on a console'

Jean Francois Millet, 'The Gleaners'

Honore` Daumier, 'Coming out of School'

Rembrandt van Rijn, 'Self Portrait'

In copying or trying to replicate somebody else’s work you can learn so much about brush stroke technique, subject matter treatment, composition and colour use that it is useful to have a go at it to grow as an artist.

Although partly due to a commission someone could not finish and as part of Geraldine Gustavino’s Saturday Sessions a few of the ASA members have had a go at replicating Van Gogh’s work “Starry Night”. Amazing job Diane Miles, Sandy Spindler, Geraldine Gustavino and Jane Meleisea!

Have a go yourself. Trawl the internet on image search for painters you are attracted to and have a go. It is ok to copy someone’s work so long as you don’t try to sell it as your own. You can change the dimensions and say ‘study of’ when posting it on social media if you want to share your results. I think selling it is not allowed unless you choose an artist that has died over 70 years ago, when copyright ends. Copying someone else’s work is only meant to be a learning experience. If you do want to sell your resulting pictures try using the style of brushstroke, colours and techniques but on a different subject or landscape. You can develop your own style in those choices and adapt the techniques you learn through copying into your own style of painting.

Studying the ways of the painters gone before can help you identify what you like doing in your own art works. So I encourage you to have an in depth look at art history and contemporary art with a new perspective. How did they do that? What subjects, techniques, colours or composition tricks did they favour and why? Then analyse your own work and ask yourself the same questions. Who knows you might discover interesting things about your work!

For more on Copyright on replicas of someone’s work I found this an extremely good website, they have created a PDF file all about this subject in a clear and concise way. https://randwickartsocietyinc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/copyright-issues-for-amateur-artists.pdf

To find out more about Vincent Van Gogh and his works try looking through this website by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It has amazing pictures of Van Gogh’s life, art and research into his artistic journey. https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/art-and-stories/vincents-life-1853-1890

Being Creative

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 02:15:36 GMT

Sometimes we get stuck and don’t feel like doing any art but we want to be creative and do something. It may help to branch out, try something different to loosen up your ideas, and push new concepts around. In this age of stay home and amuse yourself it is the perfect time to try new things. Quite a few members are trying different things. Why not have a go and post it on our ASA and Friends page to inspire others?

ASA member Toni Fanali has branched out from her wonderful Procreate drawings to turn her hand to crochet. I think it is an adorable mermaid. Toni talks about it in her Dream Creative Challenge Group, a Facebook page which offers a space for growth and personal challenge supported by likeminded individuals.

I am still stuck on Portraits (and bears) but I have incorporated my childhood obsession for fairytales and turn each person I draw into part of a fairy tale. Going over old paintings with Posca pens and acrylics to draw the portraits and incorporate the background is a fun challenge.

Phoebe Booth created an art work puzzle and has started a new page on Facebook called Puggle Puzzle, definitely amazing and a new direction for creativity. She creates the designs herself and each piece is unique, both in pieces and as final image. Check out the lovely puzzles here on their website https://pugglepuzzle.com/ .

Geraldine Gustavino is trying some abstract painting to get back into the mood. They are awesome Geraldine! Abstract painting is a huge dimension of art to explore. The emphasis becomes colour, brushstroke, shape and layering and is a lot of fun.

I found some sites on the internet that may help inspire you in new directions in your creative pursuits:

http://www.poppytalk.com/ - a creative studio and blog based in Vancouver, BC Founders, Jan Halvarson and Earl Einarson combine their skills to design product, DIY projects and recipe creations from video hacks to well-edited finds.

https://thedesigninspiration.com/about/ - an online resource of design inspiration by designers for designers. It looks at some different branches of art and art works in the design field.

https://artfulhaven.com/mixed-media-background/ - an amazing blog full of tutorials to help you explore art journaling and mixed media techniques.

https://thegraphicsfairy.com/transfer-an-image-onto-paper/ - a very useful tutorial on transferring an image to paper or wood. Could be a fun way to use bits of an old watercolour or drawing onto a new one, I have also used this technique to transfer my drawings onto a wood panel.

https://mymodernmet.com/20-unusually-awesome-art/ - an interesting collection of art using alternative materials. I plan on doing a coffee one myself. It has a bunch of interesting art links like ’20 Most Cool and Unusual Portraits’ attached.

Follow the links to your own journey of discovery into something new to try. These are just the tip of the iceberg in the search engine of your choice or search in Pinterest, my favourite inspiration place if you have a couple of hours spare.

Putting on a Solo Exhibition

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 22:59:00 GMT

Sandie Schroder gave an excellent talk about holding your own exhibition and what is involved and what to expect last November. This is a summary of the points she discussed, well worth a read if you wanted to head that way with your art.

The first thing you should do is write a submission. This you send to a gallery and along with a small portfolio of your works (usually in the form of either photo’s or a web page link ). Your submission should include the following:

What medium you use
The style of works you will exhibit
How people can relate to it, what it is trying to communicate or express
The methods of how you will contribute to promote your exhibition
Your price ranges

When calculating your costs and prices Sandie said to keep in mind:

The commission charged by the gallery.
The weekly rent or base fee at the gallery.
There might be a percentage of the charge for marketing that the gallery expects you to cover.
The material costs for your art works including framing.
There may be a charge for drinks and food for opening night.

On average costs can total up to $5000, but this can vary a lot depending on framing costs.

Sandie took us on a side note about framing. It is important to use the same moulding on all art works for a cheaper end price and a more cohesive look. It will give a consistent flow to the exhibition. As you are using the same moulding on each work it is also important to hand the work to the framer in bulk to save wastage and you might get a discount. Framing usually needs to be done a month before the exhibition.

The gallery will ask for pictures of your work before the exhibition with different resolutions, high, medium and low. High resolution is 2 – 5MB for the picture; Medium is 1MB and low is 100kb. Do take the pictures before you send them to be framed.

Obviously you need to produce the body of work to be exhibited but it does not have to exist before you put in a submission to the gallery. You can give them an idea and a sample but not have an entire collection ready to go.

If they say yes to an exhibition the gallery will also ask for your CV about a month before the exhibition. Your CV should have

Experience in the art world
Style of work including a bit of a spiel about your work
Your art background
A list of past exhibitions, awards and art collections you are in

The gallery will also ask for an Artists Statement. This is really a statement of the theme you have followed in this body of work and how you have interpreted the theme in your work, often artists include their influences and sources of inspiration.

Once you have made the work, framed it, and written about it, the gallery will ask you to make a consignment list with the name of each piece, the size and dimensions of the artwork with or without frame (something you need to clarify with the gallery as to which they require) and pricing (deduct commission, deduct materials and costs of exhibition) and come to a total price you are happy with. Don’t get caught pricing your work before framing as it looks better framed and it will influence your judgement of value.

Once consignment is finished you wait till 2 weeks before opening and then advertise through your contacts and friends. Remind everyone again 2 days before the opening.

When you send the gallery your work attach details to the back of the artwork, each gallery will have different requirements. Also check with the gallery for hanging system requirements, most galleries have a preferred system.

Support your exhibition by being present and talking to people about your work. More galleries are asking artists to be present or give artists talks.

Listening to Sandie Schroder about putting on an exhibition was an awesome education in today’s gallery exhibition world. Even if it was not on your creative radar to do it puts exhibitions into a different perspective as well as the galleries that hold them.

You are amazing Sandie and thanks for coming to speak to the Armadale Society of Artists about your experience.

http://www.lintonandkay.com.au/artists/sandie-shroder/

The Poitou Donkey

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 22:42:28 GMT

Meet the French Poitou Donkey or as I like to call him ‘Pierre’. A lady came into the Pop-up Shop with a resin model of a donkey, hoping somebody from ASA could paint it for her. I was asked and agreed to paint it admitting I had never painted models (except an Airfix kit plane when a youngster). So I did some research and discovered that the Poitou donkey is extremely rare. They were used to breed mules and declined with the event of WW2 as more automobiles were used. In the 1970’s they were critically endangered with only 88 left, so the French started a breeding program and in 1997 there were 291. They have thick shaggy coats which form honey coloured dreadlocks and have a calm disposition.

So after sealing the model, an initial dark basecoat was put on as the first layer. Once dry, I used a mixture of colours to highlight the coat and finished with the head, which was the trickiest using a very small brush. Once completed, the model was then sealed again with a varnish.

The lady was very happy with the result and I felt a little bit sad to see ‘Pierre’ go as I had grown quite attached to him!

Fundraising for the Kangaroo Island Koala and Wildlife Rescue Centre Was a Success

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 22:38:56 GMT

I am so very happy to pass over 'Wilson' for my fund-raising effort for 'Kangaroo Island Koala and Wildlife Rescue Centre. Thank you Debbie Wood for your generous winning bid of $300! I'm so happy he's gone to such a lovely home and I will be doing an update of the handover of the donation in the near future to the Rescue Centre with the help of Susan Biggins’ daughter, Tracy.

Jane Meleisea

https://kangarooislandwildlifepark.com/kangaroo-island.../

Copyright Explained

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 05:24:00 GMT

What are the laws that affect us as Artists?

Copyright protects the artist’s right to reproduce the work (photocopying, copying by hand, filming, recording and scanning), to make the work public for the first time and communicate the work to the public (Social Media, email, broadcasting, cable or internet). You can read up on the Australian copyright laws on the Australian Copyright Council website. Each country has its own variations of the rules. In America for example you have to register copyright, for a fee of course.

Can we copy famous paintings and sell them?

Yes we can, provided the painting is in the public domain (the copyright has expired) or you change the dimensions of the work so that it cannot be sold as an original. Copying masters of art has been an age old tradition in honing your skills as an artist. If you credit the original artist and do not try to claim it as an original you should be safe to reproduce a painting. Check the copyright on the painting using Google (cross reference a few different sites) to make sure. https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-business/copying-artwork/

What about photographs?

Many of us in the ASA use photographs as references for our paintings, sometimes reproducing the entire picture, and we have to remember that photography is an art form. As soon as the photographer takes the picture it is under copyright.

We can use the pictures to inform our paintings but if you want to do a straight copy of the photo you must check the copyright is free and commercially licensed which means the image can be used any way you like and sold. You can copy the colour combinations, feather patterns, light effects, sections of landscape and flora and fauna in a photo without copying the whole thing for free.

When an image is commercially licensed and royalty free means you can use it, reproduce it, sell it and change it for free, though it is good manners to credit the photographer. Royalty free photographs that can be wholly copied can be found on Pexel, Pixabay and Unsplash.

Or you can use your own because you own the copyright, or ask a friend for them. Many people use social media to ask for a photo they can use of particular things.

Is Copyright all I need to worry about?

There are so many legal ramifications to selling artwork online, especially if you are investigating merchandising your work. If you sell online through a merchandising platform or online gallery you may want to read the fine print on what you are licensing that third party for. Some of the platforms have clauses that let them use your art in their marketing without asking and in whatever way they want. Facebook does this for example. Once it is on their platform they have licence to reproduce your work for their own marketing. Reading the fine print for places where you share your work is important. Arts Law is a free non for profit organisation that can help you through different legal situations and give advice to artists. When you have doubts give them an email or a call.

For all you fans of Disney, Star Wars, Dr Who and other amazing moving pictures and comics remember those subjects and specific characters are all licensed to those franchises and you can’t legally sell them to people without applying for a license from them to do so. Fan art is a tricky subject. Check out the details in this handy website. There are ways you can get away with it.

Not sure I have covered everything but that should give you an idea of the messy visual world we live in. Good luck navigating this particular topic and if in doubt find out.

Should you be Merchandising Your Art?

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 04:05:00 GMT

Yes. It is sometimes helpful to have different price options for your art, for those people who love your work but can’t afford it or for those people like myself who have no more wall space. Prints, posters, bags, coasters and cards are a great look for a large variety of art styles.

Vicki Alchin's ASA profile

So what do I do to merchandise my work?

Number 1 rule in merchandising: Take good pictures of your work. Make sure there is no warping of the image due to funny angles. Take the photo at the same angle that your work is on. If you have the ability make sure your paintings are the same colour and vividness in the photo as in real life. You can do this by editing the light and colour settings in your phone, or, if you are using a camera, on the software that lets you edit photos. If you are unsure find a friend who can or hire someone to manipulate your images.

What’s next?

Find a company that you like that does the level of quality you want. A quick overview: if you want cheap prints Harvey Norman does a clear print on a small variety of products; Kmart or Big W do a very cheap print but it does not have the same sharpness and tends to look cheap; Vista print is great for bags, cards, coasters, stickers, posters and a variety of products and they deliver to your house but are still not to the quality of a giclée print. Online stores that you can create for free like RedBubble redbubble.com, allow you to create a shop, artist’s profile, upload a design and will print it on products for you.

Others are cafepress.com, lulu.com, society6.com. They will print on demand, people can find your online profile (if you market it on social media and in the real world, set up a mailing list etc) and then have a print of your work on the product they choose sent to their address all without you having to do a thing. Or you can order them yourself and sell them in the Pop Up Shop. The downside of online print on demand platforms is your margin of profit is tiny.

People who are merchandising queens in the ASA are Trish Halloran, Vicky Alchin and Cilla Jackson-Mauchel. Trish, Cilla’s and Vicky’s prints are giclée prints.

Trish Halloran's ASA profile

What is a Giclée Print?

A giclée print is a museum or art gallery wall quality print, guaranteed not to fade and usually on archival paper or board. You usually have to go to a specialist printer who uses archival inks and papers to print these. The print is more expensive to make but is guaranteed not to fade in a decade or two. They are usually also printed at the highest resolution possible. There are online companies like Posterfactory posterfactory.com.au, you send them files and depend on you to photograph it. Fitzgerald Photo Imaging fitzgeraldphoto.com.au/art-reproduction who are in North Perth, will scan or photograph it for you at extra cost. The Finishing Touch Gallery is in Fremantle finishingtouchgallery.com.au/printing/giclee/ and are used by many local renowned artists including Leon Holmes and Dawn Meader. These prints can be sold for a higher price as they are going to last a long time and have a higher resolution image.

You can see there are a large range of printing options and a variety of choices when it comes to merchandising. If you are an ASA member considering going into the Pop Up Shop it is a great option to extend your sales. As a current Pop Up Shop member I can tell you most of my sales have been prints on canvas, photo printed cards and poster on board prints done by Vista Print and Harvey Norman. When you get a chance talk to some of the current Pop Up Shop members and ask what merchandise is selling if you are going to have a go. Good luck!