Soon at an art fair in the USA

"Sonnets to the Portuguese (Homage to Elizabeth Barrett Browning)"
Detail -- Charcoal, conte and watercolor. 12x19 inches. 2018

SAVE THE DATE: Mayor's Arts Awards!

The Mayor's Arts Awards are the most prestigious honors conferred by the city on individual artists, teachers, nonprofit organizations and patrons of the arts. This year, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities will present the 33rd Annual Mayor's Arts Awards. Artists and Organizations will be recognized in six categories: Excellence in Visual Arts, Excellence in Performance Arts, Excellence in Creative Industries, Excellence in Arts Education, Excellence in the Humanities and The Larry Neal Writers' Award.

The Demon of Lust

"Fallen Angels: Asmodeus, Demon of Lust."
(Detail) 19x12 inches, c. 2018. Charcoal, conte and watercolor.
Soon at an art fair in the USA. 

In the Malleus Maleficarum, Asmodeus was considered te demon of lust.  He has also been recorded as the result of the coupling between Adam and the angel of prostitution, Naamah, conceived while Adam was married to The Lilith.

Lest we forget




"Studio View, 9/11"
Oil on Canvas c. 9/11/2001 by David FeBland

Prices soar for Washington Color School artists

From Jean Efron Art Consultants:

A group of loosely affiliated artists working in Washington, DC in the 1960s and 1970s, known as The Washington Color School primarily because of their use of pure color as the subject matter of their paintings, has received heightened attention in the art market, both nationally and internationally.

A major characteristic of Color School paintings is the use of unprimed canvas on which diluted pigment was applied, sometimes by pouring, permitting the pigment to do strange and wonderful things as it soaked into the canvas and spread into adjoining colors or the bare canvas. Perhaps one of the most creative applications of this technique was adopted by Sam Gilliam in his early paintings by folding the canvas after pigment had been applied and while it was still wet. By folding and unfolding the pigment stained canvas Gilliam created a group of stunningly beautiful paintings having unexpected forms of deep and shimmering colors.

Recently, one of these stained and folded paintings sold at Sotheby's in London for over $1.2 million, setting a world-wide auction record for the artist. Washington, DC art consultant, Jean Efron, who consigned the painting to Sotheby's on behalf of the sellers, said, “We are seeing very strong demand for Sam Gilliam's early work. The stained and folded canvases, in particular, have attracted a lot of attention because they are recognized as representing a singular original development in the history of American art. I think it is very appropriate that a Sam Gilliam painting that achieved a record auction price was owned by a Washington, DC collector.” Jean Efron Art Consultants recently facilitated the private sale of another important early Sam Gilliam artwork that had been in an owner’s collection for more than four decades.

Gilliam’s early work (1967 through 1973) is the subject of a major exhibition at the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland. According to Efron, "Sam has always been recognized as a major creative force in American Art. I have always considered him one of the most creative artists I have known. The Basel exhibition is the most recent demonstration of that recognition. However, only recently, has that recognition migrated into the art market pushing up prices for his work, in some cases dramatically.                           

Efron's firm, Jean Efron Art Consultants, has recently represented a number of clients selling paintings by Sam Gilliam. However, she says, "Sam Gilliam is not the only artist identified with the Washington Color School whose paintings are attracting a lot of attention in the art market. We are seeing strong demand for paintings by Alma Thomas, whose work has dramatically increased in value in the past two or three years as has some of the work of Anne Truitt. And, of course, the work of Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland always have enthusiastic buyers.” Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Thomas Downing and Gene Davis are perhaps most closely associated with the Color School. Sam Gilliam’s early work, and some of the work of Alma Thomas and Paul Reed, as well as the work of Leon Berkowitz, Thomas Mehring and Anne Truitt are also considered by some to be included with The Washington Color School designation. According to Efron, “It is not unusual to see exceptional examples of works by Gilliam, Alma Thomas, Louis, and Noland being offered and sold for seven figure prices.”

About Jean Efron Art Consultants LLC: Jean Efron Art Consultants LLC is a Washington, DC, based art advisory firm that provides comprehensive fine art services. Since 1973, the firm has provided collection development and management services to both private and public clients including many of Washington, DC’s most discerning law firms, developers, associations and corporations.

Soon at an art fair near you... somewhere

"Suddenly, She Wasn't Afraid Any Longer"
(The Lilith)
18x12, Charcoal and Watercolor, c. 2018

Liberty Call

"Two American Sailors on Liberty Call, Plage de la Bocca, Cannes."
9x12 inches, charcoal and conte on paper, circa 2018.

Ahead of its reopening, the Glenstone Museum is being sued

The Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Maryland—a private institution near Washington, D.C. housing the collection of Mitchell and Emily Wei Rales—is being sued for $24 million by the contracting firm that oversaw its recently completed $200 million expansion.

Read the whole story here. 

Trawick Prize Winners Announced - $10,000 Best in Show Prize Awarded

Artist Caroline Hatfield Awarded $10,000; Exhibit Open Through Sept. 29

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, a juried art competition produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, announced the 2018 prize winners during last night’s exhibit opening reception. Caroline Hatfield from Baltimore, MD was awarded “Best in Show” and received the $10,000 top prize; Nicole Salimbene from Takoma Park, MD was named second place and given $2,000; and Timothy Makepeace from Washington, D.C. was bestowed third place and received $1,000.

Caroline Hatfield explores concepts of utopia and science fiction through her interdisciplinary practice. Her studio practice utilizes methods of sculpture, installation, photography and drawing to investigate landscape. Hatfield’s sculptural landscapes are composed of industrial relics, geological formations and mutable material which obscure boundaries and accumulate into form. She has had solo exhibits at Towson University in Towson, MD, Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD, La Bodega Gallery in Baltimore, MD and Small Hall Gallery, Knoxville, TN. Most recently she had a solo exhibit at The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA. Now based in Baltimore, Hatfield earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from the University of Tennessee and her Master of Fine Arts in interdisciplinary studio art from Towson University. 

2018 Trawick Prize Finalists

Lori Anne Boocks, Germantown, MD

Clay Dunklin, Laurel, MD

Mary Early, Washington, D.C.

Jay Gould, Baltimore, MD

Caroline Hatfield, Baltimore, MD

Phaan Howng, Baltimore, MD

Timothy Makepeace, Washington, D.C.

Nicole Salimbene, Takoma Park, MD

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, established by Carol Trawick in 2003, is one of the first regional competitions and largest prizes to annually honor visual artists. A longtime community activist in downtown Bethesda, Ms. Trawick has served as the Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Strathmore and the Maryland State Arts Council. The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawicks sold their successful information technology company. A former teacher and entrepreneur, Ms. Trawick remains engaged in a range of philanthropic causes through the Foundation, which was established to assist health and human services and arts non-profits in Montgomery County. The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation has awarded grants to more than 90 nonprofits.

The work of the finalists will be on exhibit at Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E, until September 29. The public opening reception will be Friday, September 14 from 6-8pm. Gallery hours for the duration of the exhibit are Wednesday through Saturday, 12 – 6pm.

Entries were juried by Christopher Bedford, Director of The Baltimore Museum of Art; Sukjin Choi, Head of Ceramics and Associate Professor of Art at James Madison University; and Valerie Fletcher, Independent Art Historian and Senior Curator Emerita at the Hirshhorn Museum.

To date, The Trawick Prize has awarded $220,000 in prize monies and has exhibited the work of more than 135 regional artists. Previous Best in Show recipients include Richard Cleaver, 2003; David Page, 2004; Jiha Moon, 2005; James Rieck, 2006; Jo Smail, 2007; Maggie Michael, 2008; Rene Trevino, 2009; Sara Pomerance, 2010; Mia Feuer, 2011; Lillian Bayley Hoover, 2012; Gary Kachadourian, 2013; Neil Feather, 2014; Jonathan Monaghan, 2015; Lauren Adams, 2016 and Larry Cook, 2017.

Call for Maryland Artists!

Seeking Artwork for Upcoming Fall Exhibition

Deadline Friday, September 21, 2018

Maryland has a rich and diverse tradition of capturing and expressing the physical and cultural fabric of our state and its people. The range of expression from plein air painting, to urban photography, to writing and poetry, reveals and communicates the environments of the present influenced by the past.

The Maryland State Arts Council is especially looking for work from plein air festivals throughout the state as well as photography and other mixed media work. Two-dimensional work of any media, representational or abstract, that is framed and ready to hang and no larger than 8’ w x 5’ h.  

The exhibition is part of the Art on the Fly exhibition space at the Maryland State Arts Council office, 175 W. Ostend Street, Baltimore, MD 21230. Deadline for submissions is Friday, September 21, 2018.

Artists submit an application on Submittable and may include up to four (4) slides of documentation of the artwork proposed to be included in the exhibition. If work is accepted into the exhibition, the artwork must be framed (including writing and/or poetry works) with the artist’s contact information printed on the back, and if the artwork is for sale (via the artist).

Artwork must be dropped-off or delivered to the Maryland State Arts Council office between October 15-19, 2018.

The Exhibition Opening Reception is scheduled October 25, 6:00-8:00 PM.

Work will be de-installed the week of January 14, 2019, and must be picked up by January 18, 2019.

 If you have any question regarding the art submission, please email Rosa Chang at Rosa.Chang@Maryland.gov  

Call to Female Artists: The Bennett Prize

Deadline: September 28, 2018

The Pittsburgh Foundation & The Muskegon Museum of Art (MMA) in Muskegon, MI announce a call to artists for The Bennett Prize. 

Ten (10) finalists will each receive $1,000 to participate in a traveling exhibition. One woman receives $50,000 and a solo exhibition. 

Jurors: Steven Alan Bennett (The Bennett Prize), Art Martin (The Muskegon Museum of Art), Andrea Kowch (Artist), Maria Tomasula (University of Notre Dame). 

Open only to living women artists who: 

• Are eighteen (18) years or older, 
• Reside in the United States (at least part of the year), 
• Will submit work (and work for any exhibition) that does not have to cross an international border to reach MMA, 
• Have primary practice as the creation of original paintings in the genre of figurative realism, 
• Are currently pursuing, or intend to pursue, a career as a full-time painter and 
• Will not be a student during The Prize residency. 

Artists must have works available for exhibition and travel from Feb. 1, 2019 through at least the end of 2021. All entries must be traditional paintings, which is defined as paint upon a two-dimensional surface. Mixed media pieces will be considered, as long as paint is the primary material. Paintings must depict representational images of one or more figures. Paintings rendered over photographic images are not eligible. Only original works completed in the past 5 years are eligible. 

$50 entry fee. For more information, visit this site, Contact: amartin@mpsk12.net or call Muskegon Museum of Art at 231-720-2582. Website here.

Wanna go to an opening this Friday?

MICRO-MONUMENTS II: UNDERGROUND
Presented by IA&A at Hillyer in partnership with the Washington Sculptors Group

September 7 – October 28, 2018
Opening Reception: Friday, September 7, 6-9pm

MICRO-MONUMENTS II brings together 15 Washington, DC and 8 German artists to focus a contemporary lens on topics such as the cosmos, nature, deep time, and more, to serve as a catalyst for exploration into enduring questions about our history and place in the world.

Participating Artists: Ursula Achternkamp, Alan Binstock, Janet Brome, Marc Fromm, Judith Goodman, Caroline Hatfield, Linda Hesh, Simon Horn, Margit Jäschke, Michael Krenz, Esther Eunjin Lee, Jacqueline Maggi, Georg Mann, Joan Mayfield, Nina Viktoria Naussed, Sara Parent-Ramos, Alim Pasht-Han, Kristina Penhoet, Judith Pratt, Diane Szczepaniak, Marilyn and Gil Ugiansky, Steve Wanna, and Janet Wittenberg. Juried by Laura Roulet

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
9/20/18 Curator/Juror/Artist Talk: Thursday, September 20, 7pm
9/29/18 Art All Night at Hillyer: Citywide Festival, Saturday, September 29, 7pm-midnight
10/10/18 Panel Discussion: Wednesday, October 10, 7pm at Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies, House-A. The Center for Hellenic Studies is located at 3100 Whitehaven St NW, Washington, DC.

IA&A at Hillyer
9 Hillyer Court NW
Washington, DC 20008
www.athillyer.org
Tel. (202) 338-0325

Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Friday 12-6 pm, Saturday-Monday 12-5 pm, and by appointment.

Superfine Art Fair coming to DC

ARTISTS:
LENNOX F. CAMPELLO
DARLENE DAVIS (PATERA KORI STUDIOS)
ELISA FARROW-SAVOS
MARGERY GOLDBERG
STEPHEN HANSEN
LEN HARRIS
CHRIS HAYMAN
PHIL HAZARD
BERNIE HOUSTON
HUBERT JACKSON
JOAN KONKEL
ANITA KUNZ
ANNE MARCHAND
KRISTINE MAYS
CAROL NEWMYER
KEITH NORVAL
LARRY RINGGOLD
SUZY SCARBOROUGH
GAVIN SEWELL
BRADLEY STEVENS
CURTIS WOODY

Museum Call for Artists

Deadline: November 26, 2018. 

The Ormond Memorial Art Museum is accepting submissions from artists in a variety of styles and media for exhibitions in late 2018 and 2019. Individual and small group submissions are welcome.  The museum is not able to cover shipping costs of work.   

Details for submitting can be found at www.ormondartmuseum.org.  Follow the “get involved” tab on the top right to the Call for Artist link. Submissions are needed by mail by Nov. 26, 2018 and are nonreturnable.  You will be notified of outcome.

Call for exhibition proposals

Deadline: January 15, 2019. 

The Peninsula School of Art is currently accepting exhibition proposals for 2020 and 2021 in their Guenzel Gallery. 

Exhibitions of all media will be considered. Exhibitions will be chosen by the Director of Public Programs with support from PenArt’s Gallery Committee. Exhibitions are awarded based on criteria including, relevance to their educational mission and overall artistic quality. Artists, curators, groups, and/or organizers are welcome to apply and will be notified approximately one month after the deadline. 

No submission materials will be returned. 

Exhibition Proposals should include: 

• Cover letter including description of proposed exhibition 
• Digital portfolio of 15-20 images, or a single link to a maximum five minute video of current artwork, representative of work proposed for the exhibition. 
• Include artwork title, medium, size, and year. 
• Resume Artist statement and biography 
• Contact information including: telephone, address, and email

Please email question and all submissions to Kendra Bulgrin: exhibit@PeninsulaSchoolofArt.org.

Call for Solo & Group Exhibition Proposals - Ohio

Deadline: September 7, 2018.  

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is accepting proposals in all visual art media for solo and group exhibitions for the 2019-2020 schedule.  A community art center on the Great Miami River in arts-driven downtown Hamilton, Ohio, the Fitton Center provides experiences in the arts through exhibitions, classes, performances and other events.  Four galleries provide 2,600 square feet of space.  

Solo artists generally are asked to exhibit 10 to 30 works, depending on scale, media and available space.  They also offer group shows of existing guilds or alliances and to individuals willing to be selected into a curated group show.  A completed Online Submission Form that includes file uploads of 150-word Artist Statement, 150-word Presentation Statement, CV, 10 artwork JPEGS with corresponding Image List and $25 non-refundable fee are required for gallery proposals.  

Get full requirements and submit your proposal online here.  Early submissions are welcome. 

Questions? Please contact Cathy Mayhugh, cathy@fittoncenter.org, (513) 863-8873 ext. 122, Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton OH 45011.

The 37th Annual Smithsonian Craft Show 2019

The 37th Annual Smithsonian Craft Show 2019 National Building Museum, 401 F St., NW, Washington DC April 11, 2019 to April 14, 2019

The Smithsonian Craft Show is a most prestigious juried exhibition and sale of contemporary American craft in art and design, held annually in Washington DC. Three jurors who are experts in the field and newly selected each year choose 120 artists from a large pool of applicants. Previous exhibitors must re-apply each year. No one is grandfathered into the show. There is no quota for any category of Craft Art. Artists are selected on the basis of the originality, artistic conception, and quality of their work. The show is produced by the Smithsonian Women's Committee. Proceeds from the Show fund grants that benefit the Smithsonian's education, outreach, research, and conservation  programs.

Application Dates: May 23, 2018 - Sep 14, 2018 Application Fee: $50.00

Late App. Dates: Sep 15 - Sep 21, 2018 Additional Late Fee: $25.00

APPLY NOW!

The Craft Show does not charge sales commissions. However, accepted artists are encouraged to donate an item for the Show’s on-line auction, raffle, or other fund-raising initiatives, the proceeds of which benefit the Smithsonian. ACCEPTABLE MEDIA CATEGORIES: Basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art, and wood. The artist should apply in the category that best describes their medium. For instance, a jewelry artist using metal should not apply in the metal category. Other media not listed above may be included in the mixed media category when it is combined with one of the Show's established media. If applying under mixed media, please explain in your artist statement why mixed media is the appropriate category for your work. AWARDS: The Smithsonian Women's Committee recognizes outstanding work exhibited at the Craft Show by presenting a number of awards. The awards include Gold, Silver and Bronze levels of distinction, Excellence within select categories (such as jewelry, glass, ceramics, etc.), as well as several Exhibitors' Choice Awards. Cash awards range from $500 to $1500. "Honoring the Future Sustainability Award" of $1,000 will be offered for the fourth year. The purpose of this award is to educate the public about climate change and to inspire and model sustainable responses to this problem.

Making Waves: Paintings by John Aquilino

DMV artist John Aquilino's  seascape paintings will be on exhibit at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center Galleries this fall. This will be his second exhibit at NIH this year.

Low Tide, oil on canvas, 14" x 36"

"Making Waves: Paintings by John Aquilino"
NIH Clinical Center (Building 10), West Gallery
Bethesda, Maryland
September 14 - November 2, 2018

The mission of the Clinical Center's Fine Art Program is to pair art with medicine to promote healing, and benefits patients, caregivers, and employees. For the artwork that is available for sale, 20% of the proceeds will benefit the Patient Emergency Fund. The NIH Clinical Center Galleries are open to the public, but there will be a security check (see NIH map).

How to price your artwork

This article has some good advice and some bad advice --- but the key rule is: NEVER, EVER compete with yourself -- that means that you MUST keep your prices consistent and not all over the place... that only hurts you (and if you're represented by a gallery or dealer, their reputation, and thus yours...).

There is a well-known Oscar Wilde quote that goes, "When bankers get together for dinner, they discuss art. When artists get together for dinner, they discuss money.”

As an artist, you understand the making part of your job like the back of your hand. You could probably paint blindfolded and come up with a decent-looking piece. You have spent thousands upon thousands of hours honing your craft. What we often struggle with is the part that comes after we put that last final touch on an artwork—pricing.

Pricing is awkward. Setting a price on something that is so deeply personal and doesn't have a set market value is even more awkward. 

Especially at the start of your career, or if you don't have a nest egg to fall back on, you want (and need) to make sales, but you also don't want to sell yourself short. 

So, how do you start setting the prices for your artwork so you can get the salary you deserve? If you don't have a consistent history of selling your art in a particular price range or in a particular market, follow these seven rules to get started. 

Ways to Diversify Your Income and Make More Money as an Artist

If you want to make a full-time living as an artist or creative, it's not enough to rely solely on online sales or gallery representation. If you have been a professional artist for any number of years, you are probably already familiar with the slow seasons, with flopped shows, and rained out art fairs. It can be difficult to count any single income source. 

You don't put all your money on one horse, or all your eggs in one basket, so why do you want to get all of your income from one place?

The good news is that there are so many different ways for artists to make a living today. The better news is that most of these ideas require some work up front, but minimal ongoing labor. The best news is that as an artist, you already have the creativity to think of unique ways to grow your business.

Read the whole article here.