Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Pendants, Pegboard, and Portraits


This is a small concrete statue I've lugged with me, for what I don't know. A bit small for displaying a pendant but here it is.


I strung some pendants I made some time ago on some hemp cord and added a few glass beads from my stash.


Wondering if I should remove the smaller glass beads and just have one instead of three? I could have put a metal spacer between the glass beads but they are too narrow to string on the hemp. Oh well. This was kind of a last minute thing.


Sometimes it's better to buy something ready made instead of making it yourself. Gary and got this pegboard display put together. And, well we didn't put enough hinges, the support wood was warped, so the hinges cause the wood to be too close together, so it won't fold up completely up, the pegboard is too wide which makes it too heavy to lift four sections together, and not having a top and bottom makes it too flimsy. I'll have to think about it again today.


Feedback from the gallery is the members liked my tropical couple, the long birds, and the alligator, but didn't remark about the other portraits. The portraits at the gallery are the pondering woman (upper left), the man with the pipe (middle left) and the one of Gary (middle). They haven't seen my other portraits. The whole group meets Thursday so I may have more feedback then.


I think the wall plaques and tiles look much better standing alone rather than in a group. Which brings me to the dilemma of how to display them at a show.


Now that I have these pegboard systems, maybe they aren't the best way to show off the work? Maybe less is more? Then there's the question of do I make art because someone likes it or because I have to? I just had to make all of these, so I did.


I figure if I like the portraits someone else will like them too. Maybe that's faulty thinking. Gary always says there's a buyer for every car. Is there a buyer for every piece of art? I do think some of them look better on an easel than on the wall. Maybe they're more appealing displayed as they would be in a home. At a recent event at the gallery one woman made that remark to me about my wall plaques.


Maybe I should stick with animal portraits, everyone seems to love animals. Gee, I'm not feeling chipper right now, what with the pegboard failure. Wondering what to do next? Maybe I'll have to lug that wrought iron lamp with me wherever I go. Ha. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

8 comments:

  1. If you are really thinking about marketability, try for Elvis and a velvety finish!

    ReplyDelete
  2. dogs and babies, that's what ad agencies say sells a product!


    the leaf pendants look great.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sell funnel cakes :)
    Seriously though: I would take the beads off the pendants, I did a similar thing and the gallery owner told me that my work stood on it's own and I didn't need to add to it. Let the work you did show through. I think pegboard is for tool shops to hang tools on, not works of art. Get some smaller boards and cover them in a nice neutral fabric, black or linen and display a few similar tiles together on them as a collection. Your stands are also nice. I think you are on to something with the portrait tiles, and yes you will find your audience for them. Different folks like different things. I sold my work last week at a show next to a lady that was selling those glued together china totem things, and the people that bought my work were just as happy as the people that bought her work. We all have different tastes!
    Just my thoughts, but if you REALLY want to make some cash, you and Gary should buy one of those vendor trucks and sell food at all those shows that they have in Florida haha!!! Corn dogs and funnel cakes. I can't even imagine how much the guy beside me last week made, he had a line all day long!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm drawn to the animal portraits, but that's just my thing. Others will be more intrigued by the human faces. I also like the extra beads on the pendants, so maybe some with/some without to see what people like? I think there is a market for pretty much everything and the challenge is in finding it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm with Tracey about the pegboard and the jewelry. (I'm still thinking about the funnel cake scheme.) Let your work shine on its own.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I can think of lots of things that sell better than art at art festivals but we've got to stick to our passion right? Or maybe we should sell pottery & funnel cakes.
    Can you mix the tiles into the other pieces like vases & such in your display?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I had a long response to everyone and the computer lost it, darn this blogger anyway, meme cache error for form restoration. Heck with them

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Dennis, thanks, you slay me, perhaps I can do some babes on bikes, Gary keeps telling me to draw some harleys.

    Hi Michele, thanks, ok dogs and babies coming right up.

    Hi Tracey, thanks, yeah I was thinking some grass cloth or something. Folks who sell food always do well, don't think we haven't thought about doing something like that just can't think of an inexpensive ways to start one up. and then there are all the health regulations, etc.

    Hi Barbara, thanks, I'll take a few of the beads off and see what sells; I'll be looking at other markets too.

    Hi Charlene, thanks, I'm thinking of a way to improve the look of the pegboard, perhaps some patterned neutral wall paper or something. Perhaps I can start a health food vending business, something good for folks to eat.

    Hi Lori, thanks, I was thinking about mixing in a few on easels with the other work, yeah we have to stick to our passion for sure.

    ReplyDelete

I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment