Friday, February 24, 2023

The Six Most Common Mistakes Artists Make When Approaching Galleries

 Re-posted from 2009, but still applicable:

The Six Most Common Mistakes Artists Make When Approaching Galleries

J. Jason Horejs, owner of Scottdale's Xanadu Gallery has published a book titled "Starving" to Successful | The Artist's Guide to Getting into Galleries and Selling More Art.

This book was written "to help you approach galleries in an organized, systematic and professional way." The book will also help artists avoid the six mistakes listed below.

I'll try to get a copy of this book and review it here, but meanwhile you can order the book here and below are the six most common mistakes according to Jason:

This book springs from my experiences with artists. Several years ago, I began to wonder why artists were inept talking to galleries. I quickly realized most were unsuccessful because there is very little information explaining the best strategies.

That lack of information leads to these blunders:

Mistake #1: Presenting an inconsistent body of work.

Artists generally love their freedom. They want to experiment. They love a challenge. They crave variety. All good things, except when you are presenting your work to a gallery.

The work you present to a gallery needs to be unified. It doesn't need to be repetitive or formulaic, but it must present you as a consistent artist with a clear vision.

Often I feel I am looking at the work of multiple artists as I review a single portfolio. To avoid this problem you need to find focus in your work.
If you work in several media and a variety of styles, focus on just one for the next 6-12 months. Create a body of work that feels like a "series". Once you have 20-25 gallery-ready pieces in this series, you will be ready to approach a gallery.

You can further create consistency by presenting the work in a consistent way. Use similar frames for paintings and photographs, similar bases for sculpture, similar settings for artistic jewelry. Make it very clear all of the work is by the same artist.

If you simply can't rein your style in, consider creating multiple portfolios, one for each style.

Don't confuse the galleries you approach with multiple styles in your portfolio.

Mistake #2: Producing insufficient work to sustain gallery sales.

Many artists create marketable work, but in quantities too low to make a gallery relationship viable. Successful artists are consistently in the studio creating artwork. You may be surprised to learn the results of a recent survey I conducted.

I asked artists how many new works they created in the last twelve months. Painters responded that on average they were creating 53 pieces every twelve months. Sculptors 31. Glass artists 500!

A gallery owner needs to feel confident you will replace sold art quickly and maintain high quality. They want to know if you are successful the can replenish their inventory.

Don't despair if you are far from reaching this goal. Rather, look at your creative production for the last year and set a goal to increase the production by 25% in the next 12 months.

Several suggestions to increase your productivity:

1. Dedicate time daily to your art. Maybe your schedule will only allow for two hours daily, but you will produce more by working for those two hours every day than you will by waiting for big blocks of time.

Treat your studio time as sacred. Train your family and friends to respect that time. You don't interrupt them when they are at work; ask them the same courtesy when you are in the studio.

2. Set a production goal. If I could tell you the secret to producing 50, or 100 pieces per year, would you listen? Here it is: create 1 or 2 pieces per week.

I know it seems overly simple, yet few artists work in a concerted disciplined way to achieve this goal.

(A common objection I hear to this suggestion is that quality will suffer if an artist works this quickly. In my experience, the opposite is true. A certain level of quality may only be obtained by putting miles on the paintbrush, spending hours in the darkroom, moving tons of clay or stone.)

3. Remove distractions from the studio. Move your computer to another room. Unplug the telephone. Nothing kills an artist's focus faster than the constant interruption of technology. Your inbox and voicemail will keep your messages safe while you work.

Mistake #3: Delivering a portfolio in a format inconvenient for gallery review.

Often your portfolio is your only chance to show your work to a gallery owner. Poorly formatted portfolios are rarely viewed. Your portfolio should be concise, simple, informative and accessible.

25 years ago, formatting a portfolio was simple. A portfolio was either a literal portfolio with sheet protectors and photos, or a slide sheet.

The choices have since multiplied. CD? Digital hardbound photo-book? Pdf file? Email? Which format is the most effective? None of these, actually. Each has drawbacks limiting effectiveness. They are either too much work for the gallery owner to access, too easy to delete, or too hard for you to maintain.

In my book I will show an example of a perfect portfolio. Easy to maintain, easy to share. Successful.

A couple of things to keep in mind with your portfolio:

1. Your portfolio should contain no more than 20-25 of your most recent works. You should not create an all-inclusive portfolio. A gallery owner does not want to see your life's work. They want to see your best, most current, most relevant work.

2. On each page you should include pertinent, relevant information about the art. Include the title, the medium, the size, and the price. Don't include the date of artwork creation.

3. Place your bio, artist's statement, and resume at the back of the portfolio, not the beginning. Your artwork is the most important feature of the portfolio, don't bury it behind your info. Limit press clippings, and magazine articles to 2-3 pages.

4. Include 2-3 images of sold artwork. You should try to include at least one photo of your artwork installed. These images will establish your credibility more rapidly than any resume ever could.

In "Starving" to Successful I will teach you how to create a powerful portfolio. Your new portfolio will end up in gallery owner's hands, rather than in the garbage can.

Mistake #4: Lacking confidence and consistency in pricing.

One of the greatest challenges facing you as an artist is knowing how to correctly value your work. Many artists price their work emotionally, and inconsistently. Galleries can't sell wrongly priced art.

Worse, nothing will betray an unprepared artist like not knowing how to price his/her work.

Many artists mistakenly under-price their work. They do this because they feel they are not established. They do it because their local art market won't sustain higher prices. They do it because they lack confidence in their work.

In the book I will help you come up with a consistent, systematic formula for pricing your art.

Is your work priced correctly?

Mistake #5: Approaching the wrong galleries.

My gallery is located in an art market dominated by Southwest and Western subject matter. My gallery stands apart from most of the galleries in Arizona because I have chosen art outside the norms. Yet I am constantly contacted by Western and Southwestern artists. They seem surprised and hurt when I turn them away. They could have saved us both some discomfort by researching my gallery before approaching.

Which markets should you approach first? How should you research the galleries? Is it safe to work with galleries in out-of-state markets?

"Starving" to Successful will teach you how to create a list of qualified, appropriate galleries to contact (I will also teach you how to approach them).

Mistake #6: Submitting art through the wrong channels.

Conventional wisdom, and even some highly respected art marketing books will advise you to send your portfolio with a cover letter to the gallery. You may also hear it's best to call a gallery and try to make an appointment to meet the owner. You might visit a gallery's website to learn of their submission guidelines.

In my experience, these methods all guarantee failure. I will share with you a more direct, simpler approach; this approach will tremendously improve your chances of success. The approach is no secret, and yet most artists don't employ it.

Find the solutions to avoiding all these mistakes in the pages of "Starving" to Successful.

In addition to learning how to avoid the mistakes listed above,"Starving" Artist to Successful Artist you will also see clearly how to effectively organize your work, build your brand as an artist, communicate effectively with your galleries, and much more.

I will give you concrete steps you can take to systematically prepare for gallery relationships.

I am interested in your thoughts about these six mistakes, which I think are dead on target. As a gallerist I have encountered (and continue to see) all of them. I'm going to think about six separate mistakes of my own experience as a gallerist and art dealer in dealing with artists and post these here soon. Meanwhile, post your thoughts or experiences in the comments section or email them to me.

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Tomorrow: Public Dialogue - Rebecca Rutstein

EVENT REMINDER. Public Dialogue: Rebecca Rutstein, March 2, 6 pm in the de la Cruz Gallery at Georgetown University.

Rebecca Rutstein, Shimmer, 11 x 64 x 4", powder coated steel, LED lights, motion sensors, 2018; Permanent Collection of the Georgia Museum of Art. Installation image of "Baseera Khan: Cloak and Dagger" by Greg Staley / Rebecca Rutstein by Rebecca McAlpin Photography
Rebecca Rutstein, Shimmer, 11 x 64 x 4", powder coated steel, LED lights, motion sensors, 2018
Permanent Collection of the Georgia Museum of Art.

Multidisciplinary artist Rebecca Rutstein works at the intersection of art, science, and technology. For over twenty years she has created paintings, sculptures, interactive installations and public artworks inspired by the natural world. Her talk will explore the evolution of her work, her partnerships with scientists (including microbiologists, ecologists, geologists and molecular biologists) and the value and synergy of interdisciplinary exchange.

Co-sponsored with the Georgetown University Earth Commons. Reception to follow. The Maria & Alberto de la Cruz Art Gallery is located at 3535 Prospect St. NW Washington, DC 20007.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

A gift to the woke mafia: Che Guevara

Dear members of the "woke" police and/or mafia...

If you wear, or have ever worn a Che Guevara T-Shirt (unless it is like the one on the left) then you are wearing or have worn the image of a man whose racist writing and actions and beliefs are full of negative, racist remarks about Mexicans and Blacks, and Native Americans. 

This man was a killing psychopath whose image has been re-invented over the decades so that in the past he's been viewed by a large, ignorant segment of the planet's population as some sort of positive icon - he was not.

By the way, "Comemierda" is an almost unique Cuban insult...

Wanna read some of the things this comemierda has written or said?
"The black is indolent and lazy, and spends his money on frivolities, whereas the European is forward-looking, organized, and intelligent."
                        -- Che Guevara 

"The black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving, which has pursued him as far as this corner of America and drives him to advance himself, even independently of his own individual aspirations."  -- Che Guevara

"Mexicans are a band of illiterate Indians" -- Che Guevara
In an interview given to the London Daily Worker in 1962, Che Guevara said that "if the nuclear missiles had remained we would have used them against the very heart of America, including New York City... we will march the path of victory, even if it costs millions of atomic victims... we keep our hatred alive and fan it to paroxysm."

And this line after the Cuban Revolution in 1959: "We're going to do for blacks exactly what blacks did for the revolution. By which I mean: nothing."

“I don’t need proof to execute a man,” said Che during an interview published in a Cuban newspaper in 1959, “I only need proof that it is necessary to execute him.”

Che Guevara (like Fidel Castro) was sadistically anti-gay. He referred to gay people as "sexual perverts" and also helped to establish the first Cuban concentration camp in Guanahacabibes in 1960 - a camp for gay men. This brutal camp was the first of many that the Communists established in Cuba - with forced hard labor, and the first which focused on gay men. From the Nazis, Guevara also adapted the motto from Auschwitz, “Work sets you free,” changing it in Guanahacabibes to “Work will make you men.” 

Inform yourself - then hunt anyone and everyone who has ever worn a Che Guevara T-shirt or had a Che Guevara poster in their college room and out them and cancel them! 

You want the image of a real Cuban hero for your T-Shirt? How about Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet?


Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The husband-and-wife forgers who fooled the art market

Rather than forging existing paintings, Wolfgang produced hundreds of original works that skillfully imitated the styles of deceased European artists including Max Ernst, Fernand Léger, Kees van Dongen and André Derain. His wife Helene then sold them as previously undocumented works, sometimes for seven-figure sums. The pair claimed to have inherited their art collection from Helene's grandfather, who they said had acquired it from a Jewish gallerist fleeing Hitler's Germany.

Read the whole article here.

Monday, February 20, 2023

Wanna go to a museum opening on Thursday?

 This has the makings of one of the top photography shows of the year!

The OAS AMA | Art Museum of the Americas announces America’s Crossroads, an exhibition opening at the OAS F Street Gallery (1889 F Street, NW, Terrace Level) featuring six artists in a visual dialog. Carlos Bautista Avila (Mexico), Rene Campos Navarro (Mexico), Luis Delgado (United States-Mexico), Gisele Martins (Brazil), Cirenaica Moreira (Cuba), and Diana Ramirez Lopez (Mexico) provoke through their work mixed responses as they reflect, manipulate, rethink, and question on a local level who we are in the Americas. The people in the Americas share a common history that is manifested in local terms, becoming a conglomerate of different cultures of an ever-dynamic changing history of native Americans, settlers, and migrants.

Cirenaica Moreira (Cuba) La Industrial, lavandería Habana de la serie Metálica, 1998-1999 Digital photograph, archival pigment print on premium luster photo paper
La Industrial, lavandería Habana de la serie Metálica, 1998-1999
Cirenaica Moreira


Exhibition Opening: Thursday, February 23 4:30-6:30pm

HOURS: By appointment only, Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM

LOCATION

OAS General Secretariat Building, Terrace Level

1889 F Street NW

Washington, DC 20006

ADMISSION: Free

Friday, February 17, 2023

Conned in dealer’s $1.6m art fraud scheme

In October, Wendy Halsted Beard from Wendy Halsted Gallery in Birmingham, a suburb of Detroit, was charged with wire and mail fraud after investigators said she took consignments from victims who either never had their artwork returned, never received proceeds from any sales, or both. Beard is also accused of selling works and not delivering the art after receiving payment.

Read the article here.

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Assholes of the Month

Since I'm in a rare mood this week, I want to award a special "Assholes of the Month" to the six members of the  Loudoun County School Board, which "on Tuesday voted not to release an independent report into how the school division handled the sexual assault of two students at different high schools in 2021. The assaults spurred a special grand jury investigation that resulted in criminal charges against the division superintendent and public information officer."

The six asswipes (out of 9 members) who voted against releasing the details of the investigation, clearly do not cappish that the board represents the interests of the parents and then the "other side."  May the bluebird of happiness shit on their birthday cakes for the rest of their lives.

Details here.

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Asshole of Super Bowl week

New York Congressperson Alexandra Ocasio Cortez gets the nod this week as I finally understand what "AOC" means = "Antipatica O Comemierda" as she blasts religious ads in Superbowl.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Call for Artists for Dulaney Plaza Mural

For more than 60 years Dulaney Plaza has been a cornerstone of the Towson community, serving the needs of residents, visitors and students. The Plaza began as a single family-owned retail store selling automotive parts, and over the years has flourished into the mixed-use hub it is today - with four generations (and counting) of that same family as a part of the management team, guiding the development and expansion of the center. Now the Plaza is a community of over 30 office tenants, a vibrant marketplace for food, attire, and daily life. 828 Dulaney Valley Road is an integral part of the Towson ecosystem, adapting to the ever changing tastes and trends of those who rely on the Plaza for every-day goods, a quick bite, or change of fashion.

TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET: Current project budget is $10,000, but may be negotiated after selection.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Dulaney Valley Plaza is inviting artists to submit proposals for a public mural. Wall space is 73’ by 9’4 ½” vertical (687.37 SQF), located on Dulaney Valley Road. Each concept must take into consideration these dimensions once scaled. The mural does not necessarily have to cover the entire available space and may only occupy a portion of the available space depending on artist vision and budgetary restrictions.

The Dulaney Plaza branded logo must feature into the mural in a notable capacity, but incorporation and presentation is left to artist discretion. Otherwise themes, imagery, and composition are also left to artist discretion but depictions/representations of local (Maryland/Baltimore County) flora and fauna, landmarks, history and tenant businesses of the plaza (barring the usage of branded logos) are preferred.


DEADLINE: Deadline for submissions is April 7th 2023.

APPLICATIONS: Mail applications to: Lauryn Lukin 828 Dulaney Valley Road Suite 5 Towson, MD 21204. Digital proposals to lauryn@taubprop.com. Proposals may also be hand delivered to [Lauryn Lukin 828 Dulaney Valley Road Suite 5 Towson, MD 21204]. All formats will be accepted. Included in the application and sent work should be an artist bio and artist statement alongside the applicant's name and address.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Maryland based and artists originating from Maryland are welcome; however, there are no other limiting factors, all skill levels and backgrounds are welcome. Selection will be performed by a juried panel.

Monday, February 13, 2023

Mac Stacks

A nice preview of the work by Jennifer Kahn Barlow that Alida Anderson Art Projects will be bringing next month to the Affordable Art Fair in New York City!

Dusted in the Middle by Jennifer Kahn Barlow
Dusted in the Middle by Jennifer Kahn Barlow

Intense Mac Attack by Jennifer Kahn Barlow
Intense Mac Stack by Jennifer Kahn Barlow

Mild Mac Attack by Jennifer Kahn Barlow
Mild Mac Stack by Jennifer Kahn Barlow

Patriotic Macs by Jennifer Kahn Barlow
Patriotic Mac Stack by Jennifer Kahn Barlow

Sunday, February 12, 2023

America's Crossroads: Six Contemporary Photographers in Dialog

This has the makings of one of the top photography shows of the year!

The OAS AMA | Art Museum of the Americas announces America’s Crossroads, an exhibition opening at the OAS F Street Gallery (1889 F Street, NW, Terrace Level) featuring six artists in a visual dialog. Carlos Bautista Avila (Mexico), Rene Campos Navarro (Mexico), Luis Delgado (United States-Mexico), Gisele Martins (Brazil), Cirenaica Moreira (Cuba), and Diana Ramirez Lopez (Mexico) provoke through their work mixed responses as they reflect, manipulate, rethink, and question on a local level who we are in the Americas. The people in the Americas share a common history that is manifested in local terms, becoming a conglomerate of different cultures of an ever-dynamic changing history of native Americans, settlers, and migrants.

Cirenaica Moreira (Cuba) La Industrial, lavandería Habana de la serie Metálica, 1998-1999 Digital photograph, archival pigment print on premium luster photo paper
La Industrial, lavandería Habana de la serie Metálica, 1998-1999
Cirenaica Moreira

Exhibition Opening: Thursday, February 23 4:30-6:30pm

HOURS: By appointment only, Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM

LOCATION

OAS General Secretariat Building, Terrace Level

1889 F Street NW

Washington, DC 20006

ADMISSION: Free

Saturday, February 11, 2023

The Last Unicorn

Between 1977-1981 I sold all my art school assignments from the University of Washington School of Art in Seattle at the Pike Place Market.  In 1979 a classmate's mother was printing a private illustrated edition of Peter Beagle's "The Last Unicorn" and hired me and several other artists to do some illustrations for the lavishly illustrated book.

I did several pieces for the book, and then had prints made from the originals and sold them at the Market.  Nearly 500 pieces of the below work sold between 1979-1981.  Sometime in 1991, when I was living in Sonoma, California, where I was the Executive Officer of the Navy base at Skaggs Island, I sold the original mixed media painting.

Today I got an email from someone in the Pacific Northwest who found it in a store up there and is now the surprised owner of a 44 year-old legend!

THE LAST UNICORN by F. Lennox Campello circa 1979
THE LAST UNICORN by F. Lennox Campello circa 1979


Friday, February 10, 2023

Isla Golpeada

 

Pobre Cuba - Isla Golpeada Acrylic on hand-made paper with embedded leaf and wood branches circa 1980 by Florencio Lennox Campello
Pobre Cuba - Isla Golpeada
Acrylic on hand-made paper with embedded leaf and wood branches
circa 1980 by Florencio Lennox Campello

Thursday, February 09, 2023

A modern classic

This official US Navy photo of sailors pulling up the wreckage of the PRC spy balloon reminds me sooooo much of the classical painting "The raft of the Medusa" by Géricault.

The Raft of the Medusa - by the US Navy
 U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyler Thompson


Wednesday, February 08, 2023

The Curious Case of the Celia Cruz American Quarter and being labeled Afro-Latina

About 24 hours ago the US Mint announced that Celia Cruz, the Cuban-born "Queen of Salsa" had been chosen to be one of the five women whose face will be in the 2024 edition of their American Women Quarters Program.

The news outlets and Al Gore's internets went crazy dubbing this as "Queen of salsa Celia Cruz will be the first Afro Latina to appear on a U.S. quarter" proclaimed NPR and all others.

And Cuban Twitter and Cuban Facebook went nuts that she's been referred to as an "Afro Latina" and not just as a "Cuban" or "Cuban-American."

It is very clear that the Cuban social media opinions were angry about the fact that in nearly every instance Celia was being identified and labeled as a "Afro-Latina" first and in the article's headlines, and Cuban in the text... and the Internets blew up!

Teresita Fernando wrote: Stop adding adjectives to her birthplace She was CUBAN She is CUBA Period

Hilda Suarez opined: She was not an Afro-Latina, get your information straight and make the quarter with another person and leave Celia's memories with her people, THE CUBANS, and maybe someday, not too far from know, we could have her picture on a Cuban coin. Thank you.

Alina Vals says: Not Afro Latina.  She is Cuban American. We do not accept those "woke" terms.  At the end of the day we all belong to the HUMAN race.

Mayra de Armas notes: Afro Latina? NO, Celia Cruz is Cuban American, her race is black but she is not Afro, She is 100% Cuban, period.

Suzanne Bruno adds: Outstanding!!! But NOT afro Latina....100% Cuban.

Raul Gomez is angry: She's Cuban, stop putting your woke bullshit labels on her!

Jorge Ravelo says: Afro-Latina?  As one who followed her for three decades and met the Queen and Pedro Knight on several occasions she would be insulted. She was as Cuban as the Royal Palms, a Cuban with African and Spanish heritage.

Mara Salis: She is NOT afro Latina she is CUBANA!!!

Tuesday, February 07, 2023

36th year of the Northern National Art Competition

 


36th

NORTHERN NATIONAL

ART COMPETITION

June 15 - July 28, 2023

Nicolet College Art Gallery

Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Call opens Monday, January 9

Three $1,000 Awards of Excellence

Awards totaling more than $8,500


It's the 36th year of the Northern National Art Competition, which is a collaboration between Nicolet College and the Northern Arts Council. This national competition will open June 15 and is open to all all US resident artists 18 years or older.

Registration deadline for entry is Friday, March 24.

The Northern National Art Competition began in 1987 with a mere 37 entries. Last year, we had 646 entries from artists all across the United States! Our entries are as diverse as the artists themselves and showcase a wide array of contemporary art in a variety of two-dimensional mediums.

We're thrilled to announce that the Juror/Judge for this year will be Florencio Lennox "Lenny" Campello. Lenny is a well-known artist, art critic, author and blogger from the Washington, DC area with a most interesting and unique resume.

Don't miss this chance to exhibit your art in one of the coolest little galleries in the Northwoods!

More than $8,500 in prize money will be awarded.

  • Monday, January 9: Registration opens
  • Friday, March 24: Registration deadline
  • Friday, April 21: Acceptance notification
  • Friday, May 12: Hand delivery by appointment
  • Monday, May 15: All shipped work due
  • Thursday, June 15: Opening Reception
  • Thursday, July 28: Show closes
  • Friday, July 29: Pick up hand delivered work by appointment
  • Monday, August 1: Shipped work will be returned this week

Register by following this link to CaFE (Call for Artist Entry): https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=11050

Monday, February 06, 2023

Wanna go to an opening on Saturday?

Then venture to the Washington Country Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, MD for an opening February 11th 10-4pm. 

In addition to the nice, one-day trip to Hagerstown, you'll get to see some really cool artwork, none better than the DMV's own Judith Peck, whose spectacular masterpiece titled Forager won the First Place Award in the Cumberland Valley Artists and Photographers Exhibition!

Judith Peck of Great Falls, Virginia, received the First Place Juror’s Award in the artists category in the 2023 Cumberland Valley Artists and Photographers Exhibitions
 Forager by Judith Peck

Judith Peck of Great Falls, Virginia, received the First Place Juror’s Award in the artists category in the 2023 Cumberland Valley Artists and Photographers Exhibitions

Sunday, February 05, 2023

The Incantation of Frida Kahlo

 New one for 2023 - will be at the Affordable Art Fair in Chelsea next month!

Remember Frida - 2023 charcoal on paper by Florencio Lennox Campello
Remember Frida
30x40 inches
2023 charcoal on paper by Florencio Lennox Campello


Saturday, February 04, 2023

Wanna go to a museum opening tonight?

Winter exhibitions at American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center will open Feb. 4, 2023. Exhibits include Madayin, the first major exhibition of Aboriginal Australian bark painting to tour the U.S., photojournalism from World War II, and The Trawick Prize for Contemporary Art.

The opening reception, free and open to all, takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight, Feb. 4. Please refer to the museum’s website for the most up-to-date information on museum events and visiting the museum. 

The Trawick Prize: 20th Anniversary Emerald Award celebrates the impact of The Trawick Prize for Contemporary Arts, a visual arts prize that honors artists from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia in an annual juried competition. 

Now in its 20th year, the prize was established by Bethesda, Md.-based community activist and philanthropist Carol Trawick in 2002. To date, The Trawick Prize has awarded over $300,00 to local contemporary artists and has exhibited the work of more than 200 artists who reached the level of finalists in each year’s competition. 

This exhibition presents the work of artists who were awarded the “Best in Show” in the competition over the last 20 years, and features contemporary paintings, sculptures, film, mixed media, and many others. 

This year, the juried competition will result in selecting “the best of the best” over the past 20 years, awarding the artist with The Trawick Prize Emerald Award. On view through March 19. I'm also going to walk through the show and select my own "Best in Show."

The exhibition features artists working in a variety of media including sculpture, painting, mixed media, film, and more. Works from artists such as Neil Feather, Jiha Moon, Jo Smail, and many others will be displayed in the galleries. Themes span a range of concepts important to each artist from race, oppression, and genealogy to culture, humanity, and emotion to name a few.

In the words of Carol Trawick “there is no need to travel to see great art, there are numerous talented artists right in our backyard!” 

Featured artists:

Lauren Adams 

WonJung Choi 

Richard Cleaver 

Larry Cook 

Oletha Devane 

Neil Feather 

Mia Feuer 

Caroline Hatfield 

Lillian Hoover 

Gary Kachadourian 

Cecilia Kim 

Maggie Michael 

Jonathan Monaghan 

Jiha Moon 

David Page 

James Rieck 

Jo Smail 

Lomax & Wickerham

Friday, February 03, 2023

WESTPAC CT

This one for my WestPac CT peeps -- sometime around 1985 some PAC ships shifted to LANT and came up the Suez heading to Norfolk, and stopped in Rota for liberty --- And thus my cartoon! 

We're really raising some good bucks for Wounded Warriors Home, so this one will be donated to Fisher House! Most of you know the story: When I was in the Navy, I did loads of illustrations and cartoons for many newspapers (such as The Stars & Stripes and lots of base newspapers, etc.), and hundreds of sketches of my shipmates and other US Navy sailors in ports in the US and European ports. Most of these drawings, cartoons, and paintings were given away to my shipmates over the years, but I also kept many of them, and I see them often being sold at auctions online and by galleries... 

WestPac CT on liberty in Rota by CAMPELLO


This one from 1985 is being offered by the gallery on Ebay with a super low starting price and 100% of all proceeds being donated to Fisher House... let's go cheapskates!

Click here to bid on it!

Thursday, February 02, 2023

Rota CT

This one for my Rota CT peeps -- We're really raising some good bucks for Wounded Warriors Home, so this one will be donated to Fisher House! Most of you know the story: When I was in the Navy, I did loads of illustrations and cartoons for many newspapers (such as The Stars & Stripes and lots of base newspapers, etc.), and hundreds of sketches of my shipmates and other US Navy sailors in ports in the US and European ports. Most of these drawings, cartoons, and paintings were given away to my shipmates over the years, but I also kept many of them, and I see them often being sold at auctions online and by galleries... 

Bid for it here.

Rota CT on leave in CONUS by CAMPELLO


Wednesday, February 01, 2023

Wanna go to an opening this weekend?

Winter exhibitions at American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center will open Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Exhibits include Madayin, the first major exhibition of Aboriginal Australian bark painting to tour the U.S., photojournalism from World War II, and The Trawick Prize for Contemporary Art.

The opening reception, free and open to all, takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 4. Please refer to the museum’s website for the most up-to-date information on museum events and visiting the museum. 

The Trawick Prize: 20th Anniversary Emerald Award celebrates the impact of The Trawick Prize for Contemporary Arts, a visual arts prize that honors artists from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia in an annual juried competition. 

Now in its 20th year, the prize was established by Bethesda, Md.-based community activist and philanthropist Carol Trawick in 2002. To date, The Trawick Prize has awarded over $300,00 to local contemporary artists and has exhibited the work of more than 200 artists who reached the level of finalists in each year’s competition. 

This exhibition presents the work of artists who were awarded the “Best in Show” in the competition over the last 20 years, and features contemporary paintings, sculptures, film, mixed media, and many others. 

This year, the juried competition will result in selecting “the best of the best” over the past 20 years, awarding the artist with The Trawick Prize Emerald Award. On view through March 19.

The exhibition features artists working in a variety of media including sculpture, painting, mixed media, film, and more. Works from artists such as Neil Feather, Jiha Moon, Jo Smail, and many others will be displayed in the galleries. Themes span a range of concepts important to each artist from race, oppression, and genealogy to culture, humanity, and emotion to name a few.

In the words of Carol Trawick “there is no need to travel to see great art, there are numerous talented artists right in our backyard!” 

Featured artists:

Lauren Adams 

WonJung Choi 

Richard Cleaver 

Larry Cook 

Oletha Devane 

Neil Feather 

Mia Feuer 

Caroline Hatfield 

Lillian Hoover 

Gary Kachadourian 

Cecilia Kim 

Maggie Michael 

Jonathan Monaghan 

Jiha Moon 

David Page 

James Rieck 

Jo Smail 

Lomax & Wickerham

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Art Schooling At Its Best

The Compass Atelier has what I consider the best artist schooling in the DMV – better, in fact, than all of the major Universities in our area.  That’s a big statement to make, but it comes from me, and thus I am ready to back it up as needed. Notice that I wrote “art schooling.”

I choose my words carefully – what Glen Kessler and the other professionals who teach at the Compass Atelier do is to school people who want to develop and expand their artistic prowess, plus their artistic acumen, in leaps and bounds.

Read the entire article here.