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Muralists Now Need Contractors License

June 4th, 2013

Muralists Now Need Contractors License

MURALISTS NOW NEED CONTRACTOR’S LICENSE
Artists may not be aware that they could be violating California state licensing laws if they were paid more than $500 to paint a mural on a permanent structure i.e. a house or office wall, outside building, etc... The C-33 Painting and Decorating license section covers painting a mural on a permanent structure. Individuals who limit their practice to that of an artist could also be covered under either D-64 (non-specialized contractor designation) or C-61 (Limited Specialty contractor classification). If an artist is paid more than $500 (labor and materials) to paint a mural on a permanent structure, they are subject to state contractor licensing laws under the Business and Professions Code Section 7026. As of this year, there still is no license classification for specifically for an artist painting art on walls or buildings, so artists are forced to apply for the general painting contractor’s license.
Requirements for C-33 licensing can be pretty stiff (and expensive); you must pass the state law and business exam in addition to the trade exam related to painting. Cost: Initial app fee $300, App to add a supplemental Classification $75, Home improvement salesperson (HIS) registration fee $75, etc... Then it has to be renewed each year. In addition to the license itself, CSLB always requires worker’s comp insurance on most projects if anyone but you do any part of the work. Then there are the bond requirements for a General License; “D” class licenses on the other hand may be less expensive to obtain since potential contactors are only required to pass the law and business exams. However, the tests themselves are quite complicated and most potential contractors actually take courses designed to help them pass the tests (this is not free either).
I don’t know if this could affect you if you merely provided the design for a mural and didn’t actually paint it or otherwise install it. I also don’t know if this covers the donated designs used on the Fresno and Clovis Freeway murals; most of them involved glass or ceramic tiles, which probably means that in our state you need a contractor’s license for installing tile!
According to the latest CSLB newsletter, an increased number of inquiries and complaints from consumers about licensing requirements for artists creating murals have caused the CSLB to tighten up on enforcement in this area so watch out for stings!
For More info: California State Licensing Board Contractors State License Board Protecting and informing consumers and contractors about proper contracting.

Earning Residual Income With Our Art

May 18th, 2013

Earning Residual Income With Our Art

We may as well admit it: all of us secretly want to not only create fabulous art but want the public to appreciate it so much they pay us fabulous prices for it. The wonderful thing about making prints of our work is it a way to earn residual income on our art. If an artist sells a painting for $500 that is a one-time fee; if that same artist also sells 20 prints for $15 each then they have earned a total of $800 on that same painting.
Naturally as an artist, you want any reproductions of your art to reflect the quality of the art itself, which means you want to make the best quality reproductions you can find. I have had several artists ask me where they can get good quality prints made at a reasonable price. It’s a good question. There are two ways to go with this: make the prints yourself or get them made professionally.
If you are planning to make them yourself, besides the printer, you will need a good quality camera that takes high-resolution photos (Canon Rebel is excellent but there are others out there). I don’t recommend a point-and-shoot camera or your cell phone if you intend to make professional looking reproductions; although the smart phone photo quality is improving, I did notice that quality seemed to suffer with larger size prints. I would also recommend a good photo-editing program such as Photoshop Elements. I chose Elements because it will service either Apple or PC computers.
A printer that prints on a variety of paper products is essential if you are making your own prints. What brand of printer makes the best prints? Well, there are a lot of differing opinions on this, all having to do with what kind of ink will give you the truest colors, how easy they are to use, whether to use ink jet or laser printers, etc. Making the prints yourself does mean that you are probably going to be limited to paper and the sizes you can make; most home printers will only take legal or letter size paper. The printer that gave me the very best prints I ever made at home was an inexpensive Kodak printer. Unfortunately it proved too fragile to last long. Epson, Brother and HP all make good machines that will give you nice paper prints. You can even obtain letter size “canvas paper’ for printing on the internet, although I wasn’t really happy with the quality of the prints I made with it on my home printer. If you are going to make prints yourself, you must consider the cost of the ink. Many ink jet printers devour ink pods like a T-Rex. If you make a lot of reproductions, Ink jet refills can be so expensive that you might find it less costly to get your prints made by a print shop. Laser printers also make good quality prints, but a color laser printer and the toner to go with it can also break your budget. You will need to decide if the cost of the printing will allow you to still make sales at a profit.
The next option is to have your prints made by a professional printer. I am speaking here of commercial printers such as Kinkos or CopyMax’s Impress. The photo departments of Costco, Walgreens, Wal-Mart etc. may not give you a professional quality print because their print programs are designed to “flatten or homogenize” color to an “average” standard, however they also will work with you on this issue because they want your return business. Most of them can also do a canvas print mounted on stretcher bars. Again, ask for a proof because if you have vibrant, saturated or delicate shades you may find your print simply doesn’t reflect these qualities.
To use an outside printer you need a high-resolution jpeg or other type of photo of your work. If you are not a photographer, I suggest you arrange to have a professional take the photo in order to ensure that the photo has no distortions and that the color is true to the original art. You can have the photo transferred to either a jump drive or disc. An issue with having your prints made by someone else that doesn’t come up with DIY (Do It Yourself) printing: calibrating their printer to your photos. Calibrating a printer has nothing to do with the printer type; it has to do with communication between the computer and the printer. Even if the photo from your thumb disc looks okay on their computer screen, the print may still come out darker or lighter than your art. Always ask for a proof before accepting the print because it may be necessary for you to take your disc or jump drive home so that you can adjust the lighting or color of the photo in order to make the print “true” to the original when using an outside printer. If you do this, always save the “adjusted” photo as a separate file and leave the original alone. Making these changes is much easier if you are dealing with a local printer.
The other option to having your prints made is to find a local professional who specializes in making art prints. Here in Fresno we have several but Mullins Photography is the one most favored by local artists. If you bring in your art, they make their own scan and reproduce a print that is virtually identical to the original. Ask other local artists in your area where they get their prints made. Be prepared to open your wallet for this option though; because the cost of the initial set up fee will be more expensive than say Kinkos or Impress. On the other hand, it probably will be a one-time fee for that particular piece of art and the quality will be the best.
You can also order prints from the internet; a number of Internet sites do on-line printing. These sites are sometimes referred to as POD (Print On Demand) sites, and most of them do an excellent job. Fine Art America for instance will not only make your prints on a variety of paper, metal, cards and canvas, but also sell matting and framing and ship to your customer. With on-line printers however, you will have the same difficulties with the calibration as with your local outside printer. Since you can’t demand a proof from this type of site, I would suggest you get a small print made for yourself and adjust the photo. Keep notes on what you did so that you can use them when sending in later prints.

To Donate Or Not To Donate That Is The Question

May 4th, 2013

To Donate Or Not To Donate    That Is The Question

The phone rings, and some well-meaning fundraiser on the other end wants you to donate a work of art to their charity auction. Usually this goodhearted fundraiser will promise you a tax deduction, great exposure, enhanced publicity, and public exposure if you agree; sadly, most volunteer fundraisers don’t know what they are talking about as far as the actual benefits to you as an artist. Should you do it? This really depends on several things; how much do you support the cause itself? Are the benefits going to out-weigh the costs?
Well lets deal with the tax deduction benefit first. It’s not great. Generally speaking, you as the artist are allowed to deduct only the cost of creation (materials, etc.) unless you have had an appraisal done by a qualified art expert. This is no problem if you are a big name artist whose art is going to bring in thousands of dollars to the charity because the charity will usually have the art appraised by their expert, which you can then attach to your taxes. However, if you are donating to your child’s school, your church, local hospital, etc. chances are the charity is not going to pay for this appraisal because they can’t afford it. Sometimes the charity is worthwhile (in fact most of the time), but unless they follow my rules for donation, what they are really doing is training whoever comes to their event to devalue my art and disrespect me as an artist. This may sound really harsh but it has been proven to be true.
The next two items typically promoted by fundraisers are “enhanced publicity and public exposure” which sounds really good, but what exactly are they actually talking about? A line in the auction catalog and announcing your name when they bring up your art? Please. Remember that most of the fundraisers who do telephone contacts are volunteers with no actual experience in the field. In other words they really have no idea what they are talking about. Enhanced publicity should mean your name in the newspaper, on the radio or on the charity’s Facebook page with a link to your website. Public exposure should mean that instead of just pointing to your art and asking for bids, the auctioneer talks about you, what awards you’ve won, how good the art is, etc. to encourage the audience to bid higher. He or she should also mention your web site, and the brochures advertising you as an artist, which should have been available when the bidders were doing the walk-through.
Predictably, at most of these charity events, they practically give away the art because the bidders are not art collectors, they are there to support the charity and are looking for two things—something they can afford to bid on to satisfy their tax deduction and to support the charity. A lot of them might be even comparing your fine art to canvas prints they can get at a department store! Auctioning your art for much less than you normally sell for undermines the art market in general, and makes it seem as if the artist (you!) didn’t deserve the real selling price. Another negative side effect is to encourage your regular collectors and potential buyers to wait for events like this to buy your art cheaper than they could if they purchased it directly from you.
The “public exposure” thing is problematical; unless the auctioneer makes a really big deal about your art business and how valuable your work is, everyone present is likely to still think you have a nice hobby. I was once asked by my church to design a poster/logo for a women’s retreat. When the event coordinators husband saw it he remarked to her that it looked like a “real” artist had done it. I find that no matter how good the art I donate to their event is, my circle of acquaintances in my church, my children’s school and my family almost all still believe that my art is a hobby, so I don’t donate unless the charity agrees to the following ground rules:

• I set a minimum price for original art. If it doesn’t sell, I get it back. This is absolutely essential because unless you have an appraisal from a respectable appraiser attached to the art; all that you can take off on your taxes is the cost of material used to create the art.
• I qualify the event by making sure there will be folks there who can actually afford to purchase the art (this means getting actual names of who will be attending or at least who has been invited), and that the event will be well publicized: this means actual ads on TV, Internet, and Radio, hopefully with a mention of the art you are donating.
Once charities learned I stuck to these rules, I found that the requests dropped off dramatically. This doesn’t mean that I am wholly against art donations; I do donate my art to worthwhile charities, but I find that it usually pays better tax deduction-wise to donate a good quality print than the original. If you donate a print, you can deduct the entire printing cost, framing and matting which is a much better deal for tax purposes. To sweeten the pot for prospective buyers, I do always sign prints that I donate, and make sure I tape information about myself, my website and the art to the back of the print.

Good Luck
Gail

A Cat Is A Cat

April 15th, 2013

A Cat Is A Cat

A cat is a cat is a cat," E.E. Cummings wrote. In addition, history would seem to agree with this distinguished poet. Moreover, who hasn’t been exposed to the popular play “Cats” 1Cats, a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot? The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as "the Jellicle choice" and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. The cat family can trace their genealogy back to ancient Cyprus and Egypt. According to earliest records, the first sign of domestication of the cat dated back 8,000 years ago when bones of cats, mice, and humans were found buried together on the island of Cyprus. Apparently early Cypriots brought both the cats and the mice to Cyprus with them: the cats on purpose, the mice probably sneaked in as stowaways. Unlike the domestication of the dog, a pack animal with a built-in obliging instinct, the cat had to be wooed to join humans. However, human settlements attracted a rich variety of prey who ate the grain and other foodstuffs the humans grew for themselves, so cats being sensible creatures, charmed their way into human households. Humans not only provided rich prey, but a guaranteed shelter from the weather. A little purring, a little lap sitting, a dead mouse or two and you were welcomed.
Planting, plowing and harvesting crops was often easier than hunting and gleaning and so became a way of life for the tribes of Africa, Egyptians, and peoples of southwestern Asia. The most difficult part of this new food resource was storage over the months when winter came. Where crops were stored to feed the villages and farms, it attracted rats, mice and voles who are the natural prey of the cat, and so the cat appeared to hunt them. Contrary to how it sometimes seems, humans are actually pretty good at figuring out what is best for their own survival. Before long farmers noticed the local cat residents ate the rats that ate the grain, which meant they lost less of their food to vermin. People began welcoming cats into their communities with open arms because they needed to get rid of the rodents who were eating them out of house and home. This is a practical example of how supply side economics enmeshes us: the farmers wanted their grain uneaten; rodents ate the grain, so cats who ate the rodents were welcome additions to any household. Families encouraged cats to stay around the house and farm by leaving scraps of food, milk-soaked bread, or fish-heads, to encourage cats to stay when hunting was scarce. Cats discovered a steady source of food and affection from their human company and a biological niche for themselves. The relationship that developed between Egyptians and cats was unique; Egyptians saw the cat not only a domestic benefit, but also came to worship them as both the Goddess Bastet and the Goddess Sekhmet. During this period, Egyptians owned all kinds of animals including cattle, sheep, fowl, pigs, and monkeys that they kept penned up, however, unlike the other animals, cats roamed freely and came and went where they wanted. In fact, Cats were held in such high regard that laws were created to protect them. In this respect, the Egyptians predated our own animal cruelty laws. Due to the cats exalted status during this time, a religious order of cat worship developed that lasted for more than 2,000 years. From the third millennium BC, when the Goddess Bastet began to appear in Egyptian records, she was first depicted as either a fierce lioness or a woman with the head of a lion. Images of Bast were created from a local stone, named alabaster hence the name. Originally Bastet was viewed as the protector goddess of Lower Egypt. As protector, she was seen as defender of the pharaoh, and consequently of the later chief male deity, Ra, who was also a solar deity, gaining her the titles Lady of Flame and Eye of Ra. Bastet’s role in the Egyptian pantheon weakened as Sekhmet, a similar lioness war deity, became more dominant in the culture of Lower and Upper Egypt. In the first millennium BC, when domesticated cats were popularly kept as pets, Bastet began to be represented as a woman with the head of a cat instead of a lioness, and ultimately Bastet emerged as the Egyptian cat-goddess. In the Middle Kingdom (a period in Egypt’s history), the domestic cat appeared as Bastet’s sacred animal, and after the New Kingdom she began to be shown as a woman with the head of a cat, carrying a sacred rattle and a box or basket. Variations of the name have been spelled Bast, Baast, Ubasti and Baset, but they are all the same Goddess.
You can tell how much the Egyptians revered their cats because thousands of cat mummies were found in a huge temple at Bubastis along with mouse mummies to assure that the cat had food for the journey into the afterlife. In fact, the Egyptians so loved their cats that cat mummies outnumbered human mummies. Over 300,000 cat mummies were found in one excavation alone at Beni-Hassan in the 1800s. 1The word for cat in ancient Egypt was "mau," similar to our "meow," a universal cat word. An Inscription on the royal tombs in Thebes reads: “Thou art the Great Cat, the avenger of the gods, and the judge of words, and the president of the sovereign chiefs and the governor of the holy Circle; thou art indeed...the Great Cat “
Bastet was not the only cat worshiped by the Egyptians: Amongst the many different divine characters in ancient Egyptian mythology was the warrior Goddess of Upper Egypt known as Sekhmet. Unlike Bastet who although in early incarnations was sometimes shown in the form of a lioness and later that of an ordinary house cat, Sekhmet was depicted in the form of a lioness and regarded as being the fiercest of all hunters. Egyptians associated the creation of the desert with her breath and she was regarded as being a protector of the Pharaohs in warfare.
Although Egyptian law forbade the export of Cats, they soon sailed aboard ships to countries bordering the Mediterranean including Greece and Italy. Ships have lots of mice and rats also, and cats have never been very good at obeying man’s laws. Overland caravans extended the cat's popularity to the north and east. Slowly cats voyaged to India, China, and Japan, where they became highly prized as pets and remarkable rodent killers. According to Animal Planet, the deadliest hunter in the Animal Kingdom is actually the domestic cat! For thousands of years this relationship continued in harmony until superstition in the Middle Ages caused the European populace to fear cats as witch’s familiars. Many an old woman who just loved her cat was hanged or burned as a witch, and the cat as her “familiar” received a similar fate. This was our first lesson in tampering with the ecology. With fewer cats to keep the exploding rat population in check, it expanded and so did the diseases rats carried. In the crowded, unsanitary conditions then existing in European society it is no wonder the population began to get sick.
Thankfully, cats have now resumed their rightful place as companions and household guardians against vermin. In fact, they are catching up the dog as the most popular pet in America. With our workaholic lifestyles any pet who can do a good job entertaining itself while we are at work has many things going for it. Although I have considered myself a dog person, I realized upon counting my pets, past and present, that they have been equally divided between dogs and cats, and I have actually painted more cat portraits than of the dogs! If you would like to see some of my inspirations go to http://gail-daley.artistwebsites.com/index.html and check out prints and cards of my cats!
1 Wikipedia

Art Show Economics 101

March 26th, 2013

Art Show Economics 101



Unless you are dealing with an endowment fund to produce your show, there are some basic facts you need to face: An art show should pay for itself. This means you will need to cover expenses for the show out of either grants, donations or the entry fees from the show. There are very different considerations for dealing with a small regional show and a national or international one. Since I am assuming that most of my readers will be dealing with small regional shows, I will deal with issues concerning that type of event. If you are going to be dealing with an international or national juried art show, I strongly suggest the first thing you do is hire a professional event planner to assist you.
Whether you are organizing a group show, or having a one-man show or exhibit, don’t be fooled: there is a lot of work connected with an art show. You must decide where and when you are going to hold the show and how much are you going to spend. If it is a group show, you will need to decide if it is going to be judged or if you are simply putting on an exhibit. If you are doing a solo or one-man show for yourself, then all of these decisions are going to be up to you. If you are organizing a group show, there probably will be others who will have a say in these items.
BUDGET: It is best to know ahead of time how much you will need to cover expenses, so setting a budget is necessary. If you have no idea how much some of these things are going to cost, then you need the advice of someone who has experience in organizing a show. A list of items you may need to pay for is below.
LOCATION: Finding a location is your first order of business. You need a site that is large enough to hold the art and will be open during the show hours. Preferably it should be in an area with a lot of walk-in traffic and easily accessible to the public. Questions to ask the property owner: is there a deposit or rental fee? Does the venue require the show to be open during certain hours? How secure will the art be? Does the show require an attendant when it is open? (It is always best to “sit” the show, unless it is not accessible to walk-in traffic. This will prevent theft or damage to the art.) In real estate, the words “location, location, location” are very popular. These are popular words in art shows also. A successful show must be seen by the public. A location where there is a high volume of foot traffic and visited by many art fans is ideal. A location such as this may be pricey, but if an audience is already there and primed to visit the show, you won’t need to spend as much on advertising to drive buyers to see it.
DEPOSIT: Almost all venues you rent are going to require a percentage of the rental fee as a deposit. Find out how much this is up front. It may or may not be refundable if you or the venue changes your mind, so get this in writing as a part of your rental contract.
RENTAL: How much are you willing to spend to rent the space? You will need to weigh the cost of the space against how much you expect to make on sales. (This is true even if you are taking part in an outdoor festival or show where you are renting booth space.)
HOW TO DISPLAY: If the venue has a hanging system already in place, you only need to ensure that any art coming in is compatible with their system. If they don’t have a system, then you will need to find out how they expect you to display the art. Will they let you put up screws or sticky holders on the wall? If whatever you use damages their wall, who does the repair? In addition, what kind of repair will they expect? Unless your art is very heavy (more than 15 lbs.) I actually recommend those removable sticky holders to hang your art on smooth walls rather than screws or nails. Two or three per art piece will spread out the weight of a painting, they have a lip to hang wires, and usually the stickers will come right off and you won’t have to spend a lot of money on spackle and paint to repair the wall.
If you are displaying sculpture, there are other considerations: is the sculpture reachable by the public? Does it have sharp edges? Is it small enough to develop legs and walk out? For larger sculptures, I recommend a system of ropes to keep the public away from the art piece. Check with the venue to see if they have some. If they don’t, you will either have to take your chances with someone getting hurt or damaging the art. DO NOT set up a jury-rigged affair if you want your display to look professional. For the smaller sculptures, I recommend a pedestal with a plexi cover and placing it either against the wall or in an area where it isn’t likely to be bumped.
PARKING: unless your show is located in an area where potential buyers customarily walk to visit art galleries, you will need to make sure that easily accessible, low-cost parking is available to your show. Easy access by the public includes parking (preferably free parking). A venue may offer you a great deal, but if no one comes to see the show than the show can’t be said to be successful.
LIABILITY INSURANCE: insurance questions cannot be answered by anyone other than your insurance carrier. For a one-man show, at a minimum, you probably want some sort of theft and personal liability coverage but I don’t have any knowledge of what California and other states require or recommend. The venue may also have requirements for coverage and they may want a rider from your company naming them as an additional insured for the event. Whatever their requirements are—get it in writing! Art associations usually have an insurance carrier with liability coverage for shows. If you are doing a group show, ask the group treasurer to make sure that the group’s insurance amount meets the venue’s coverage requirements.
DESIGNING THE ART DISPLAY: When doing a group show you will actually know how much art you will need to hang only when all the entries have been received. In designing your display, you will need to take into account the size of the room, size of the art pieces and the amount of art received. If the room is small and a lot of art is received, then you may need to tell the judge he or she will be required to “cull or jury out” the art and only accept a certain number of pieces. This will probably vary according to the number of art pieces received and their sizes (a lot of art in a small room can still look good if none of the art is oversized). What you need to avoid is the art looking as if it has been crammed into the space. Since rejecting art can be controversial, this is an item than must be agreed upon beforehand at a group show. Some groups prefer to only hang small shows regardless of the quality of the art; others hate to reject any art. To avoid any misunderstandings, only the show coordinator should give instructions about this to the judge. If you requested a large room from the Venue, but don’t receive enough art to fill it, don’t hesitate to ask the Venue for a smaller space.
If you are presenting a one-man show, then you will be able to customize the amount of art you bring in to suit the space.
JUDGES FEE: If this is a juried group show, then most probably the group will already have a judge’s fee schedule in place and will decide as a group who the judge is going to be. If you are the show coordinator and don’t have a list of judges to draw from, and then ask the group if they have one. You can also look around the local art community for art teachers with a highly respected reputation.
When the judge arrives, there are basic instructions to be given: 1) Can best of show be taken from any category regardless of any rules concerning the number of pieces required for a category to be judged? 2) Can Best of Show be chosen before judging any categories? 3) How many pieces of art you are able to hang? 4) How much culling you expect the judge to do? 5) Should the judge offer on-going critiques as he or she judges? If this is the case, you will need a volunteer to take notes. These instructions will need to be agreed upon by the art group in your preliminary show discussions.
If you have multiple judges you need to instruct those judges as to how they come to an agreement if they differ on the rating of an art piece. With multiple judges if you don’t want a lot of negotiating about awarding the prizes among the judges, it is better for them to use silent score sheets with ratings for sections to judge the items. Any differences in rating can then be negotiated among the judges verbally. This will cut down on the amount of time it takes to judge a show. Whether or not to use score sheets with multiple judges is usually a matter for the group to decide.
ADVERTISING/PUBLICITY: How much are you going to spend on this? Sometimes you can promote an event for free: many TV and radio stations offer Community Affairs sites where you can unload information concerning your event, reception, sale, etc… for free. It helps if you are promoting some kind of Charity as well (10% of your sales will go to something like Valley Children’s Hospital, or the SPCA, etc.). These spots will probably run during “public service” times. Prime advertising times in most traditional methods of advertising will require hard cash up front, and you should bear in mind that these media outlets aren’t really interested in an event that has already taken place, so you want to advertise an upcoming reception or award ceremony ahead of time. Some of the traditional media outlets also have time frame deadlines of several weeks ahead that need to be met in order to get an article printed. If you are doing a group show for an organization, you may be able to turn this portion of the show to the group’s publicity chair.
PROSPECTUS: A prospectus is a fancy word for an entry form for the show. The more eye-catching and colorful it looks, the more the artists you are trying to attract as entrants will notice it. It should have the following information: location, date and time of receiving for the show; length of the show and the date, time and location to pick up the art after the show; the date of the artist reception; Entry fees and the number of art pieces per artist allowed. It should also contain a section called The Rules of Exhibit carrying information concerning the categories of the art permitted in the show, what type of items are NOT allowed and hanging requirements. A fill-in section for each art piece is usually included, along with a cut-off portion for an artist receipt to be presented at the close of the show to pick up the art.
If this is an annual show, a copy of the new prospectus should be mailed out to last year’s entrants. The prospectus should be as widely distributed as possible. Once dates and times are locked down, making the prospectus can usually be designated to a member of the group with the graphic skills to make it.
RECEIVING: For receiving you will need: 1) the treasurer there to take entry fees and write receipts. 2) An artist experienced in shows to examine each art piece as it comes in to ensure that it meets the show requirements as to framing and hanging. You may or may not choose to have a repair table for artists whose art doesn’t meet the requirements to make on-the-spot repairs. If you do, you should charge a fee for the materials and advice. 3) Log in Sheets. 4) One person per show category to log in the artwork in each category. 5) I also recommend a secondary log-in system on a laptop to enable whoever is making the catalog to use these logs to create the show catalog. 6) “Runners” to handle the art. Runners receive the art from the artist after it has been logged in and then put it with other art in that category. In this way the art has already been collected and sorted into the proper categories when it comes time to present it to the judge.
VOLUNTEERS: You will also need volunteers to assist in bringing in art for the judge to see and taking it back. It is important that you instruct these volunteers in the conduct expected of them. Yes, even those volunteers who have assisted before. A few simple rules to follow: 1) no talking while the judge is working (judging a category). 2) Don’t offer opinions unless asked and 3) don’t second-guess the judge among yourselves during judging (especially out loud). 4) If anyone has issues with winners chosen by the judge, they should express them privately. Remember these are volunteers so be tactful when giving out these rules!
SHOW CATALOGS: A show catalog serves two purposes 1) it identifies each piece of art and hopefully also shows the price of that art and instructions as to how to buy it. 2) If a prospective buyer takes it home with them, it can also be a resource for them to look back if they decide to buy a piece of art from the show.
Your catalog should look professional. A catalog can be a trifold brochure or a booklet, depending on the amount of information it needs to hold. A price list tacked to the window or wall won’t cut it. If this is a group show, then find out who usually makes their show catalogs and coordinate with that person.
Exactly what should appear in a show catalog? Each piece of art should be clearly identified by show item number, title of the art, price, artist’s name and media to match the card placed beside each art piece. A nice cover page announcing the duration and hours of the show, information about the judge and a section on how to purchase the art must be included. If the group has sold advertising to help defray the price of printing the catalog, then those items are usually located in the rear of the catalog. If this is a one-man show, then usually a simple color trifold brochure with your contact information will look good. If you have the skills to make it yourself, by all means save money by doing so. You may find when it comes to printing it however, that it is actually cheaper to take the design to a printer like Kinkos or Impress to print rather than spend a lot of money on colored ink to print it yourself. Remember this cost must be included in your budget.
CARDS: Identifying cards for every art piece matching the information on the catalog should be placed next to each art piece and should have the following: show item number, title of the art, price, artist’s name and media. They should be typed or hand printed by someone with VERY good printing skills. Do NOT stick a business card with the price in a corner of the art at a professional show in a pricey venue! It looks amateurish.
RIBBONS & TROPHIES: how much is the group going to spend? Generally speaking, most places that make ribbons and trophies charge more for a small “run” than they do for a large one. If possible use only the group name on each ribbon, and avoid putting the year, or if the group does more than one show per year, a title for the show. In this way leftover ribbons can be used at a later show. The group’s treasurer can tell you whom the group orders ribbons from and place the order. Ribbons are generally given for Best of Show, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and honorable mentions in each category. Sometimes a yellow ribbon is also given for “People’s Choice” (visitors to the show are allowed to vote on their favorite art piece).
AWARDS: Cash awards for Best of Show, 1st, 2nd and 3rd amounts are usually arrived at by using a percentage of the show entries and may vary from show to show. Sponsors may also donate items in kind also as a portion of the show awards. Some shows require that there be a certain number of entries in a category for money to be awarded.
RECEPTION: Sometimes at a one-man or group show, the venue will decide when to hold the artist reception. If not, then the main issue when scheduling a reception is making sure it is held at a time that the most people will be able to attend.
FOOD FOR THE RECEPTION: keep it simple. The patrons are there to look at the art, not eat. If the group is supplying the food, then coordinate with their food chair as to type and amount of food. Special decorations for the food tables should be left up to him or her if possible, but if items need to be purchased, then this is a budget item. If the reception is catered, then the same rules apply, but more money will probably be needed.
SEATING FOR THE RECEPTION: small groups (no more than 2 or 3) of artistically placed chairs so patrons can sit and study the art is always nice.
DECORATION: Again, keep in mind that while you want the venue to look well-put together, you don’t want any decorations to overshadow the art. A few tablecloths on the tables, flower vases, draping the chairs for seating to look less utilitarian, etc.
INFORMATION TABLE: Always have an information table with information about the group (or about you if you if it is a one-man show), a guest book, and show catalogs available. A show host or hostess to make sure that guests have information and a catalog when they enter is always nice. If you are doing a one-man show try and arrange for someone else to act as host or hostess so that you are free to mingle and make contacts with the guests. While sales may take place at the reception, be sure buyer(s) know that the art needs to stay up for the duration of the show.


Finding The Right Support As An Artist

February 19th, 2013

Finding The Right Support As An Artist

When I started to take my art seriously, I knew that peer group association was important for me to grow as an artist, but finding the right art group to join was a little frustrating. Why is it so important to associate with other artists? Well, although you can create art in a vacuum, if your art is never evaluated by your peers, you may simply be stuck repeating the same type of art and art subjects at the same skill level forever. Peer groups challenge us to stretch our skills, reach for new goals and generally provide support when we are feeling down. Therefore, it is important to seek out those who are Sympatico with our ideals and feelings about our art. Local art groups can be invaluable in this area. Let’s face it, while our friends and family members may ooh and ahh over our art, they really can’t provide an informed opinion about it. In addition, most of us suspect they are praising our art because they love us, and not really because they actually love our work or are really interested in art. Close family and friends also seem to devalue our work as artists because they consider it to be of secondary importance to our place in their lives.
I was sure that other artists usually wouldn’t fail to recognize how important my art was to me in the way friends and family might, because their own work is just as important to them as mine is to me. Therefore, I went looking for other artists to spend time with. The easiest and fastest way to meet many other artists is to join a local art group. However, as I said, I knew virtually nothing about any of the local art groups in my area, so I simply joined most of them. In fact until I got to know and talk to some of the members of the first group I joined, I didn’t realize how many other groups there were in my area. I then went to as many activities sponsored by each group as I could to get to know how each group functioned. To my surprise, I discovered that while most of the same local artists also belonged to many of the groups, each group did have a different “feel” to it, depending on the group’s mission statement and who was actually directing the groups focus. In my area alone there are five or six art groups, all with different standards and goals. One of the alliances is simply a painting group that gets together to talk, paint or draw and critique each other’s work. Another aims its standards for professionals and is very picky about what they accept in their shows. A third group is warm and welcoming to new artists and seeks to encourage its members to strive to improve their skills. All of these groups have valuable insights into the local art world. While I do maintain my membership with most of the original groups I joined, I did finally find the group I consider my “home” group. Once you do find the right fit, you will also find the friendship and support you are looking for in your peers.
However, If you are not feeling the love in the group you joined, then you need to do some honest evaluation of that groups focus and aims and what you were looking for when you joined. You need to decide what it is about each particular group that makes you comfortable or uncomfortable. While only you can draw these conclusions, I do have some markers that can be used to aid you in making your assessment.
• What are the goals the group has set for itself?
o Do you agree with them?
• What were your goals when you joined this art group
o Friends
o Career advancement
o Improving your skill set
o Has it met your expectations
 If not, why not?
• Have you been a member long enough to have made a genuine attempt to get to know the other members?
• Are you comfortable with the majority of the group’s socio-economic status?
o Why or why not?
• Are you comfortable with the majority of the group’s education level?
o Why or why not?
• Are you comfortable with the age/sex of the majority of the members?
• Do the other members respect you as an artist?
o As a person?
• Do you feel the criteria used in selecting winners at the group’s sponsored shows is fair?
o Why or why not?
• Can you find topics to discuss with members at group functions?
• Are these people you would enjoy spending time with outside meetings and group functions?
• Are the other members friendly to you?
o If not, they why do you think they are unfriendly?
After evaluating your feelings about the group, then you need to make a decision as to whether to stay with the group or move on. Sometimes you may find that it is not one, but several local groups that give you what you need. Once you do find the right group fit, you will also find the rapport and encouragement you are looking for in your colleagues.
Good Luck
Gail

Happy Valentines Day

February 1st, 2013

Happy Valentines Day

When did we start celebrating Valentine’s Day? Well I suppose you could say it began with a poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote a poem that cemented a pre-existing general belief, at least in medieval England, that February 14 was the day when birds chose their mates. Chaucer, 1343 – 25 October 1400, is known as the Father of English literature and he is widely considered one of the greatest English poets of the middle Ages. The most popular idea of the creation of St. Valentine was that St. Valentine was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who had been forbidden to marry.
Okay, so how did Cupid get mixed up with the saints? In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of erotic love, affection and desire. He is often represented as the son of the goddess Venus, with a father rarely mentioned in ancient Roman sources although most likely his father was either Vulcan, Venus’s husband or Mars her most frequent lover. His Greek counterpart is Eros. Cupid is also known in Latin as Amor meaning love. Although Eros appears in Classical Greek art as a slender winged youth, during the Hellenistic period he was increasingly portrayed as a chubby boy with a bow and arrow. This is where we get those fat babies running around with a bow and arrow apparently! A person, or even a deity, shot by Cupid's arrow is filled with irrepressible longing. Cupid has wings to symbolize the idea that lovers are inconsistent, foolish and irrational. His symbols are the arrow and torch, "because love can burn (how many singers have used this “burning love” allegory in their music? The arrow comes to symbolize the hurt love can inflict; those we love can hurt us the most. The phrase “love is blind” comes from the fact that cupid or Eros is sometimes portrayed wearing a blindfold.
When I started researching for this blog (yes I do research my blogs!), I looked for art associated with Valentine’s Day and Romance. I discovered that most Valentine art appearing on the internet was in the form of cards and that 85% of the art concerning Romance came up with book covers. The book covers were interesting (sort of) as they appeared to be aimed at a primarily female audience. Does this mean that men aren’t interested in romance? Having been married for over 30 years, I have to say that this is not true, but men and women do define romance very differently. For most women the essence of romance is a handsome, virile lover, preferably a man who can handle himself in any situation. Jeff Foxworthy once said in one of his comedy routines that many women wanted a “dangerous man” as a lover (envisioning someone like James Bond no doubt) and then in reality would find themselves leaning out the window of a doublewide trailer yelling at the sheriff to “lock him up!” Reality meets fantasy.
Several years ago, I decided I wanted to do some romantic art (I admit with the ulterior motive of showing publishers I could do book covers!) so I painted some couples dancing. I used the most romantic images I could think of: beautiful clothes, candlelight settings, ballrooms, etc. I was very happy with the way the paintings turned out and I still feature them close to Valentine’s Day in promotions. I have promotions going now, one for any kind of prints or cards and two for canvas prints in special sizes. The two featured in special prints are Celebration and Lets Dance . Just click on the title and it will take you to the promotion page. This is a time-limited promotion and ends February 3rd so don’t procrastinate!
For the general promotion on cards and other prints, just click on the link Gail Daley's Print Shop and then enter this discount code on your order: DYDUKT (discount Code) and receive 25.00% off any item ordered. Only the first 20 customers will be eligible for the discount and it closes on Feb 15, 2013.

Here There Be Dragons

January 23rd, 2013

Here There Be Dragons

Why are humans so fascinated by Dragons? On the surface, they are just over-sized lizards; or are they? I first became interested in Dragons, when my then 10-year old son did. We kind of slid into dragonlore by way of dinosaurs. As a family we must have watched every movie ever made about dragons from Disney’s Pete’s Dragon to a wonderful documentary called Dragons, A Fantasy Made Real narrated by Patrick Stewart and created by the Discovery Channel treating the subject as if they were an extinct species. Since this had been my son Andrew’s original premise, it was great. He has a very active imagination, but then he grew up to write juvenile fiction.
Since I am an artist, Andrew wanted me to do a door mural on his room featuring dragons. My first attempt, which I did on canvas, was called NIGHT FLYERS; for this painting, I basically used a herd of running horses as my model of a flock of flying dragons. Unfortunately, according to my self-appointed dragon expert (my then 10-year-old son Andrew) they looked too much like horses because their legs were too long and skinny.
Determined to get it right this time, I re-rented all the dragon movies, and spent hours with the TV on pause while I drew dragons. That was when I realized that Hollywood hadn’t any more clue as to how they should look than I did. I must have found five or six different looks for them. Finally, after some trial and error, however, I did manage to achieve a composite that met with Andrew’s approval. I painted it on his door. I call it PLAYING DRAGONS. Since I figured that when he eventually moved out he wouldn’t want to haul a door with him, I also painted another version on canvas, which I called A FLIGHT OF DRAGONS. This one he could take with him.
I am not the only person fascinated by dragons, I have found a great website called http://www.draconika.com/ that identifies and describes many kinds of dragons. This only one of many sites available on the internet; all that is needed is to type in dragons as a search.
Much later, I was watching clouds while I waited in camp for my husband to return from gold panning in the desert and I saw a dragon in the sky. I changed the scene to night because I felt it would provide a more dramatic scene and called it DRAGON’S BREATH. I am still painting dragons; he latest dragon image is a miniature of a dragon’s eye called DRAGONEYE.

Can I Deduct My Expenses As An Artist On My Taxes

December 24th, 2012

Can I Deduct My Expenses As An Artist On My Taxes

With tax time looming again, this seems an appropriate time to revisit this blog.
If you are serious about your career as an artist you must realize that Art is a business, and like any business it is necessary to keep track of expenses as well as income. I have been searching for a comprehensive program for my art business for years. Currently I would recommend QuickBooks to track your expenses and income. While there are some all-inclusive programs beginning to be developed, I have usually found some flaw in the program; either they were hard to use, or had an incompatible photo program for thumbnails of my art, etc. There are a couple of new companies with programs designed for artists out on the internet, but as yet I have not tried any of them so if you have information concerning them I am interested to hear from you.
Don’t want to buy another program? You can simply use an excel spreadsheet to track income and expenses but it will be very time consuming. QuickBooks, while a little on the expensive side is pretty user friendly and easily transitions into tax software programs such as Turbo Tax when it comes time to file your income tax.
Yes, Virginia, at the moment I am actually using three programs to track my art: QuickBooks for income and expenses, two excel spreadsheets to tell me where my art is at any given time (Current Location Report) (Painting Information Sheets) to track awards, income from each painting or prints made from it, and a photo file with different sized images of my art for various uses (webpage, large-sized prints, and specific sizes for on-line show entries). For Photo Editing I use Photoshop Elements. It is less pricey than the full Adobe editing program and as a painter I really don’t need the maximum amount of bells and whistles you get with the full Adobe Suite.
I can’t say this often enough; back up your data!
To conduct your career as an artist at a minimum 1ou should keep these types of records:
1. A photo log with both high- and low- resolution photos of your work, kept separately from your desktop computer. A working copy can be kept on the desktop, but be sure and back up your files each month onto a separate disc or jump drive.
2. A program that tracks income and expenses.
3. A record of each piece of art created and its disposition or current location.
4. Keep back-up copies of these items in a separate place. And up-date your back-ups monthly. Once your records are lost due to computer crashes, natural disaster or any other reason they are gone.
DEDUCTING BUSINESS MILEAGE
THE IRS DEFINES BUSINESS MILES as distances traveled using your vehicle while working on behalf of your employer or miles driven between jobs. For example, if your employer required you to drive from your office to visit clients using your car, that mileage would be deductible. The IRS does not allow you to claim a deduction for miles that you drive from your home to your job. This is considered “Commuting” by the IRS and is not deductible. For example, traveling to a client’s home or business to paint or draw them probably would be considered Commuting.
QUESTION: If I work out of my home as an independent contractor, can I claim mileage to work sites and back home? Can I deduct trips made to the bank and post office? What if I make business-related trips from my home office and also stop to do personal errands? How do I figure the mileage?
ANSWER: Yes, your mileage to work sites and back are business miles that must be supported by written documentation of where you went and how many business miles you traveled. Trips to the bank and post office also qualify as business mileage if documented. Trips for personal errands are ignored. The end result of your records should be business miles for the year (with a backup written log) and total miles driven for the year. To document your total miles driven, take your odometer reading at the beginning and end of the year. The IRS often looks at the odometer reading on auto repair bills to see if your total miles are reasonable. You will need to check with the IRS for their current mileage rate.
QUESTION: I drove about 8,000 miles last year for my home business. I have some receipts, but I didn't log all the miles. Is an estimate OK? Can I still take the deduction if I don't have all the supporting information?
ANSWER: No, estimated business miles are not allowed to support your tax deduction. The tax court disallowed the auto expenses in 2009 for the owner of a real estate brokerage firm and her employee in Engle v. Commissioner. The taxpayer admitted that their reported mileage amounts were estimates. In a summary opinion they held that due to lack of substantiation the taxpayers were not entitled to the auto deduction. I personally know of someone who lost their house when they claimed “estimated “mileage on their taxes! It isn’t worth it!
Most office supply stores sell mileage booklets for you to keep in your car. But you can write the information in a simple notebook.
DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION IN THIS BLOG IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY; IT IS NOT INTENDED TO BE TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE. EACH SITUATION IS SPECIFIC; CONSULT YOUR CPA OR ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR SPECIFIC BUSINESS QUESTIONS.

Are You Being Scammed?

December 11th, 2012

Are You Being Scammed?

The volume of email rip-offs targeting artists has become an epidemic, possibly because scammers assume that we are non-tech savvy, and of course we are so excited that someone actually likes our art enough to shell out money for we tend to be us less cautious. Before you get so excited about the idea that someone actually wants to buy your stuff, take a good hard look at what they are requesting. If you know the signs of a scam, you will have some protection from their schemes. Here are some telltale signs that an inquiry to buy your art is a scam
• The person contacting you may be using poor grammar, punctuation and sentence structure. They may be offering to buy your art or they may tell you that you have won something. They are getting smarter about this, however, or at least their English is improving so you can’t always depend on poor grammar being an indicator of a scam.
• The person is “away” somewhere, in Haiti, the forest, out to sea, a sailor or an oceanographer—the latest one claims he is on an asteroid (?!?!).
• The person may claim that he is with an official government agency and trick you into giving him/her your personal information.
• The person insists on paying through a credit card or PayPal but doesn’t seem to know how to click on the “Buy Now” button on your web site. Sometimes they will offer to send you a certified check, which by the time your bank has verified it proves that it is written on a bank account that doesn’t exist! It used to be that a certified check was always good and in most cases it probably still is; the kicker with this type of payment though is the Bank has to have time to verify it. With this type of fraud, the buyer attempts to rush you into shipping the art the same day you get it before the bank can check it out.
• They want to make a fraudulent payment for more than the amount you asked for (not possible if they are using the Pay Pal Buy Now button; that is why they want your direct Pay Pal e-mail), and then ask you to send someone, presumably a fake shipping company the extra.
• They want to use their “own” shipping company and come to you to pick up the art. This is always a bad idea unless they have a local address. Some thieves use this as a way to scope out your security and after they have ripped you off for money, they burglarize you.
• Then the buyer asks you to wire a transfer to a fake shipping company that will come for the pick-up of the item the same day the PayPal payment is received. Usually it reads something like this “Will u be able to wire transfer the remaining fund to the shipping company that will come for the pickup of the item the same day u receive the payment from PayPal?” This should be a red flag because Pay Pal recommends that you always wait to ship the goods until they have verified the payment.
• You receive multiple e-mails saying the same thing or similar with the sender’s name changed.
• This supposed buyer asks for superfluous information which may already be on your web site, or unnecessary for them to know:
 Cell Phone or Home Numbers
 E-mail addresses
 Final asking price of the artwork
 Name (this will be on the payment)
 Mailing address (not a PO Box)
• Do NOT give them your PayPal e-mail; if they use the Pay Pal Buy Now Button they don’t need it!
Many of These e-mails are sent directly to artists who list their work on multiple artist sites, and they hit multiple sites, not just one Art web site’s members. If you are targeted by one of these scammers, don’t give them any information, and don’t respond to the e-mail. Treat them like any other inheritance or Lotto winning spam and delete them. If you respond, then the scammer knows the address is good and they may re-sell it to other scammers. No matter how tempting the offer, or how innocent the circumstances, remember that legitimate buyers will go through proper channels. I was actually targeted by the guy who claimed he was on an asteroid! How stupid did he think I was? This is the real world, not Star Trek.
Bear in mind that any site can get hit by these scam artists. Sites with multiple artists are rich ground for scammers as they can simply go down the member list and send out these spurious inquires to buy art or some other type of swindle. Sometimes you will get the same inquiry from different e-mail addresses. If you get one of these inquiries, try to find out where the guy got your name (sometimes they even mention it in the initial e-mail!) and report it to the site or to your internet provider. Generally speaking, the site itself will issue a warning to its members. Once I have done that I mark the addressee as “spam” and thereafter it goes into my spam folder. Not using a multi-artist site won’t protect you either; some of the scammy offers I got came directly from my own web site. You just have to be careful.
WHAT ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE IF IT HAPPENS TO YOU: If you were scammed you can go to http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams/e-scams and file a complaint with the FBI. The message on this site says “To report potential e-scams, please go the Internet Crime Complaint Center and file a report. Note: the FBI does not send mass e-mails to private citizens about cyber scams, so if you received an e-mail that claims to be from the FBI Director or other top official, it is most likely a scam.” The link also lists some of the newest E-Scams going around.
You should also file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Office in your Area and the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org or www.fraud.org, who can assist you in determining how to best register complaints regarding consumer scams. Fraud.org will let you fill out a fraud complaint, and then it will handle forwarding it to all of the appropriate agencies. While it is not likely that you will be able to recover the money if you paid by check or with cash, you may have some recourse if you used a credit card, so you should attempt to get your Credit Card Company or bank to stop payment. You should also file a complaint with your local police department. If they can locate the scammer, they may be able to prosecute.
Gail

 

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