It Is That Time of Year Again!

As the holiday season quickly approaches (23 days until Christmas) we are faced with what to do for gifts in this economy. Everybody has been watching their spending this year and are continuing to do so for the holidays. Here is my word of advise for this holiday season...

Step 1: Read Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Step 2: Take a deep and cleansing breath.

Step 3: If you decide to buy gifts, support the local economy by buying at locally owned stores

Step 4: Spend time with your family and friends because without our material possessions, they are all we have.

Now, I am not saying "don't buy presents this year." Heck no! Nothing helps the economy more than putting money into it. But what I am saying is to really think about your favorite people. Meaningful gifts that are special to the gift receiver and you make for a more memorable experience. The holiday's are about showing our friends and family how much they mean to us whether it be by gift giving or sitting in the front porch drinking egg nog (it's Florida, we can do that!)

Let me tell you a little diddy about one Christmas and a really great gift. A few years ago my mother got me something that one wouldn't really think too much about. I was out shopping for my family and happened upon something I liked. Thinking that I would come back and pick it up in a few weeks I left the store. I didn't say anything about it to a soul. Later on Christmas my mother gave me a package and I had no idea what would be inside. It was exactly what I had seen in the store that day. She was so surprised about how thankful and excited I was to receive it (it wasn't anything super special.) It wasn't even that I really wanted it for material reasons, it was that I knew she saw it and thought of me, and I knew for certain that moment my mother still knows exactly who I am. So...

Remember that "Christmas doesn't come from a store" it isn't about having the most gifts under the tree, or the most expensive things. It is about loving people and being loved.

So don't give gifts because you have too, do it because you really want too.

~Liz

Color IQ

So our friend Brian found this really cool color IQ test. My eyes still tingle from taking it! Here is the link to the site. Very interesting results. I scored a 28. For funzies, take the quiz and then post your results as a comment to our blog.

~Liz

Well, with knots in my stomach and cringing the whole way to the showroom floor, I announced to everyone two weeks ago that we would do a one-week sale of 50% off on all of our non-consigned fine art. What started out to be a gut-wrenching risk turned out to be one of the most heart-warming experiences we've ever had here at the gallery! So many people came in after seeing the email newsletter and were SO HAPPY! They all said the same thing - they had been looking at xyz image for over a year and could never afford it until now! They knew everything about the artists, and had been paying much more attention to us than I ever realized. I was then THRILLED that I could actually help someone start an art collection who really appreciated the art and realized what a spectacular piece they could now own. I was comfortable knowing that even though they paid a stupidly low price for it, that the art would not end up in a garage sale 10 years from now. I guess the only sad part is that we would have worked with all these folks had we known they were so in love with the art to begin with!

While I doubt I'll ever do another 50% off sale on the finest of the fine art, we are ALWAYS happy to discuss options and layaway plans. - But just to see who's reading this, I'll tell ya what - I'll extend the 50% off for our bloggers until November 7th. The list of the fine art included in this offer is here. Just tell the gang that you saw it on the gallery blog!

Thanks, and have a great week!
Angela

October

October is here and it kicks off my absolute favorite month of the year!  I L-O-V-E October.  It feels more like fall, people start getting into the "spirit" and I just love the reminiscent feeling of October.  I love Halloween!  Getting to assume a personality that is not my everyday is so much fun.  Remember when you were a kid and you were so excited to dress up and go trick-or-treating?  Remember getting pumpkin goop all over the kitchen whilst carving a jack-o-lantern?  Remember the dum-dum & tissue ghosts?  I do! I love the smell of October, the mood of it.  I love that November comes next.  I love the way the October sky looks.  It is hard to be crabby in October.  Anyway, any Halloween costume ideas yet?  I think I am going to dress as an 80's Hair Metal Groupie.  Anyone have a pleather mini-skirt I can borrow ;)

~Liz

You Like What You Like

Okay, as I sit here listening to "Santa Baby" in the middle of September watching people buy thousands of dollars worth of Christmas decorations I wonder why.  Why spend so much on something that you will only used a few months out of the year?  The answer?  Because you like it and it makes you happy!  People like the sense of accomplishment and visual stimulation they get after a weekend of hardcore decorating.  They enjoy trying new things.  Decorating for the holidays is like being an artist with a whole room (or house) as your palette.  I don't know why I was so judgmental before.  People like what they like and that is ultimately why we are here.  I know I like what I like and I don't care what other people think about it, and I spend my hard earned paycheck on what makes me happy.  So, that being said, be proud of what you like.  Don't let anyone tell you that you have "bad taste," there is no such thing!  And remember, if you had a nickel for every time someone told you they didn't like your taste, you'd be a five cents richer and still be surrounded by the things that you love.

~Liz

The Colors We See

While working on our monthly e-newsletter, I was searching for something funny or inspirational to put at the end of it.  And, during my search I found something that I thought was so perfect to write about.  

"They'll sell you thousands of greens. Veronese green and emerald green and cadmium green and any sort of green you like; but that particular green, never."
Pablo Picasso, 1966.

It took me reading it twice to realize what it meant.  There are so often times when we're searching for a particular color... it's in our head, and we know exactly what we're looking for.  But, we can never find it.  This actually happened with me when I was painting my kitchen.  We were painting it red, and I searched and searched for the red that I knew I wanted.  My husband later decided that I make colors up in my head that don't actually exist.  But, I ask you... if the color doesn't exist, how can I envision it?  There must be a way to figure out how to make it, "right"?  

What a relief that an artist like Picasso suffered from the same problem.  

His quote also made me think of a discussion that I had with a friend a few months back.  "I may see the sky as blue, and you may see the sky as blue, but isn't it cool that neither of us see it as the exact same blue."  She didn't quite understand.  I explained how our minds perceive color differently even though it may seem that we all see exactly the same thing.  She still didn't understand.  (And since she's a very close friend, I decided to leave it at that rather than argue).

Color is such an extraordinary thing.   It's amazing how it can affect our ideas, moods, and senses.  It's where I realize my passion for the visual arts begins. 

- Bianca

Star-Bellied Sneetch Tattoo

Liz? You restrict your personal style? HAAAAAAAA! She comes to work with purple stripes in her hair, skull-laden shawls, and black nail polish!!! (You all should see her! She's got the over-50 Christmas Cottage employees all thinking about getting glow-in-the-dark tattoos)

Very true about images though & that law of attraction thing... I'm 45 and I STILL have Harrison Ford pics hanging in my office. He should be calling any day now...

-Angela

The Power of Images

Images are a powerful thing whether it be creating them or looking at them.  Since I am not an artist, and don't feel the passion to create images I can't really talk about how that feels.  But as a collector I can talk about what it feels like to gather and gaze upon the image.  Since ancient times the image has held a special power over individuals.  It was thought that if you were to paint an image of a good hunting season that you would have one.  In biblical times the image was so powerful that sculpting was practically banned lest they become idolized.  You may think that is weird and that we are above that, but are we really?  We hang images up in our homes and why?  To beautify?  Well, sometimes...but I think that is just what we tell ourselves.  Think about when you were a young lad our lass.  Did you not adorn your bedroom walls with the sexiest models and celebrities?  I know that I did!  When you were young you didn't do it for beautification in the design and style sense.  You thought that so-and-so was a fox and wanted to feel that attraction every time you looked at the wall, or that blah-blah-blah was an amazing singer/sportsman and you wanted to honor them and feel their accomplishments each time you looked at the wall.  The point is you felt SOMETHING, and that something made you feel good, and that good feeling is one of our most primal feelings!  Now here is the magic part...

Let's say that you loved...ahem...Jonathan Taylor Thomas when you were 10 years old.  I, I mean you, would ritualistically tear pictures and posters out of TeenBeat magazine, arrange them on the floor, and then carefully adhere them to the wall of your bedroom.  Now, did I, I mean you, really think when I (oh well I guess the jig is up.  It was me) was 10 that the more pictures of Jonathan Taylor Thomas I had up on my walls the more likely I would be to meet him and become his dream girl...well now that I think about it, I did!  He would somehow feel my adolescent attraction and come racing to my door step.  How is that any different from early man painting a good hunting season in hopes that he would have one.  

Okay, as we grow up and our "decorating" tastes evolve we hang different things on the walls that still make us feel something.  But the images still hold the same "magical" power even if we don't know it.  There are a lot of art collectors out there who love Tuscan landscapes who have never been to Tuscany.  They go to Tuscany through the images they collect an hope (whilst staring at said images) that one day they will get to finally go there.  This collector might tell you that they simply think it is pretty!  Other's collect images as a form of nostalgic memorabilia.  Why do we look so lovingly into the past?  Do we think that the more we love what happened there the more we may be able to make it happen again?  Subconsciously we totally do!  So I ask you this...look at something you have on your wall and think about why you 'really' have it.  And does it pull out that oh-so-fantastic good feeling?

Last thing...have you ever not surrounded yourself with an image that made you feel good, or restricted your personal style out of fear.  I have, but that is another blog.  

~Liz

What a difference one little change can make!

While Liz & Bianca, the art historians are focused on other Gallery projects right now, I thought I'd fill in the blog with more operational blabber - and how unbelievable one change can make in the appearance of the Gallery! Yesterday we repurposed some old chrome shelves from the Christmas Cottage in our black & white boutique / workshop area and it looks like an entirely different place! We've been getting so much new merchandise in we had to create some new space for it. Got a couple days off now, the calm before the storm... between the impending holiday season (that has happily already started to show itself in both the Gallery and the Cottage), the Main Street Masters of Art the first weekend in October AND the resignation of Bianca, (going to be a full-time Mommy!), there will be NO rest after this labor day weekend!

In keeping with the "what a difference one little change can make" theme, we've got a pretty cool "You Call THAT Art?" planned for the 19th too - Italian Renaissance Art: among other images, we'll be looking at the different artists's interpretations of their statues of David. To complement this free session (2-4pm), we have the Father-Son team from Pappagallo's restaurant in Satellite Beach coming in to show us the fine art of pizza spinning and offering a few vittles of their Italian fare (Their "Pastagallo bowl" is a MUST! with 3 generations of Italians cooking, you know its great!). "Pappagallo" means parrot in Italian, so they will be bringing "Romeo" their Green-winged Macaw to help squawk about the different artists' use of marble, bronze & paint!

Stop in on the 19th (but call first 321-722-6000), you may even be able to try your hand at spinning with their "trainer pizza dough" - and in the meantime, try making a change in your own place, you never know what moving a chair or sofa can do for a room, at no cost!

-Angela

Things are looking up!!!

Now that September is here, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new Art Business News magazine that is going to have all the Gallery Excellence Award winners in it! Since the news came out about us winning the "Technology Integration" category, I've had a few people asking me to write about how they can do the same thing in their own small businesses. Well, I've started to do that! If anyone has any good suggestions, I'll be happy to include them! I've got a good outline started and in my research to validate what I already know, I've learned a ton more! There is sooooo much free stuff out there if you just know where to look and more importantly, how to implement it. I think that's the approach I'll take - more step-by-step instructions on how to implement FREE technology into a small business.

Its good to see Liz smiling today - yesterday one of her cherished exotic pet rats, "Cindy Lou" passed away. She was pretty upset. Today, however, we got a shipment of awesome Raku vases and funky metal earrings in and in one box was a Raku SKULL! Liz already put "dibs" on it and she's smiling again...

Until the next time,

Angela

Business owners beware!

Hi! This is Angela, the gallery owner, I just took another "social networking" class so I'm going to try to be a lot better about blogging now! Wow, has this year been a learning experience for all of us... here's my big lesson learned for small business owners today: if you take credit cards, make sure you find out what your "high charge limit" is! Ours was apparently only $2500.00. I didn't even know we had one until we made this awesome Steve Barton sale on Monday. It was from an out-of-town client and it was over 4K so we had to take it over the phone. Woohooo! Now, we've had lots of big sales before but I guess we haven't had one charged to a credit card since we changed our merchant services company. I happily spent Tuesday evening paying bills and placing a couple more orders for some cool art glass nail files, when the phone rang.... It was my credit card merchant services company. They said they were holding the funds and not putting them in my bank account because our high charge limit was only 2500. WTF??? It's like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't! Anyway, I had to email and fax to them a bunch more paperwork proving our worth (as if the sale itself wasn't enough) for them to actually put the money through. Soooo - be sure you ask about stuff like that if you have a small business and take credit cards!

You Know What They Say About Assuming

Okay so I am assuming...that you all have heard what "they" say about assuming.  After being in our new location for the better part of a year now, I have come to realize that people make two assumption about art.  And that is that art is too expensive or impossible to understand.  I would like to clear up these assumptions.  There is art out there to fit every budget.  If you only want to spend $20 to if you want to spend $20,000.  If you cannot find originals that fit your budget, (they are out there trust me) you can look to less costly fine art prints.  Often these pieces are signed and numbered by the artist and are ready for standard framing.  There are tons of places to find the perfect piece of art to make you smile every day.  There are galleries all over the country, art shows, and art festivals, and independent artists.  If you find something you love and still cannot afford the price tag, ask the artist or art consultant about commissioning a smaller work of the same subject, or if fine art prints are available.  Never say never when it comes to art.  Remember, "art is for everyone!"

The other assumption people make is that art is impossible to understand.  What we all have to remember is that art is as complicated as the viewer makes it.  If you like something because of the color or subject, it is as simple as that.  If you feel happy when you look at something that is that!  Are there underlying meaning in art, usually.  But that doesn't mean that is all there is.  We have talked about in other blog posts artist intent and viewer interpretation, and how intent isn't always the most important part.  If you just let go and allow yourself to enjoy something than life will be a much happier place!  Don't think, just look and feel.   Let us know how that works out by posting a comment!

Where Is It Going?

As the art world advances through time many wonder where it is going.  To know where it is going it helps to know where it has been.  Too many people look at the contemporary art market and wonder what it is all about anymore.  Why are squiggles and squares considered art?  Since when is chocolate a viable medium in which to produce art?  Not all the art we see and appreciate as fine art was loved in its time.  We have all heard about how Van Gogh did not sell a painting during his life time.   But did you know that the impressionists (Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, etc.) were rejected from the Academy?  The academics hated impressionism.  The did not understand how it was art.  The colors were unrealistic and blotchy.  Ick!  And landscape paintings were totally hated.  Many landscapes contained tiny figurative scenes just be accepted.  But now, 200 years later, it is one of the most loved styles out there.  

To be noticed in the art world an artist must do something bold and new.  Impressionism was bold and new (avant-garde) but is now considered very traditional.  Art has been around for over 40,000 years, and artists are looking for more outrageous ways to gain acclaim.  One way to do this is to use a different medium to create art or use it in a different way.  Food, resin, plastics, cloth, wax, and even bodily fluids are being used to create artistic pieces.  The subject matter is changing too.  Ideas are the subjects of art.  Many pieces are social commentaries of our tumultuous times, and celebrity caricature are gaining in popularity.   So much has been done in the realm of art it is getting more and more difficult to find something that is inventive.  

As soon as Jackson Pollock abstracted abstract art in the 40's and Andres Serrano used his own blood in the 80's the question has been 'what can happen next?'  I have two thoughts.  

Technology is being used in all aspects of the art world: music, film, and fine art.  PhotoShop is very popular in creating works.  Many artists are using computer algorithms  to create abstract pieces.  I feel like a lot of the art in the next 100 years will be done by or with the use of computers and robotics.  

My other hypothesis is that artists will revert back to the more traditional styles.  Like different decades fashion coming back into style, I can see the comeback of Neo-Classicism and Romanticism.  It is difficult to gauge where art is headed, but one thing is for sure, it will always be there being both hated and LOVED!

You Call THAT Art!?

"You Call THAT Art!?" is a new workshop that we are introducing to our workshop schedule.  We launched our first one over the Mother's Day weekend and it was a huge success.  This workshop is free to the public and is a great way to learn about art if a fun and relaxed setting.  We have heard people say that they "don't get" art more times that we would like.  The public is often confused by the conundrum of contemporary art.  Our gallery's goal is to show people that art is for everyone.  They can learn how to talk about art (not like those pompous people we all see on T.V.) with out fear of making a mistake or being ridiculed for their opinions.  We encourage the asking of questions, any questions.  If someone would like to know why a painting is considered art we will tell them what we have learned while mastering our degrees in art history.  Does that mean that you have to like it?  No.  But after learning why something is considered important we can begin to build an appreciation for it.  We will discuss all types of art from Cave Art to Contemporary Art.  We will learn about the origins of art.  Snooze-fest?  Unlikely!  With two people as excited about art as we are it is hard to be bored by our "lecture-tainment."  AND we do our workshop as a High Tea, serving English teas and goodies provided by local businesses like Lord Ravenswood Hall.  So, if you have ever been confused in a museum or gallery, want to learn more about art, or just want something to do on the 3rd Saturday of every month come to LoPressionism Gallery for an educational and, more importantly, fun afternoon.  Seating is limited to please RSVP in advance to reserve your seat.  (321) 722-6000 or post a comment.  Click here to be navigated to our website's Workshop Page.

The 3/50 Project

Okay, so as a person who works in an independent business I am a little biased, but whatever, this is a good topic to have a bias.  The 3/50 Project was created by Cinda Baxter.  This project was designed to help locally owned brick and mortar business.  I know that the media is saying all sorts of things about not spending any money and saving all that you can because times are so hard.  I know that there are a lot of people out there that scared they are going to lose their jobs, we understand completely.  BUT, what the 3/50 Projects suggests is a little way to help the economy.   Spending money anywhere at this point can only help business.  Baxter gives us a way to localize where this spent money ends up.  Pick 3 business that are independently owned that you really like and would hate to see gone.  Then spend $50 a month in those business (not $50 in each store but $50 all together.)  This is not very difficult at all.  Did you know that 68% of what you spend at an independent business goes back into the community when only 43% spent at a chain comes back.  The dollars you spend locally go a lot further than the one spent else where.  So, where can you go to support these business?  There are plenty of local grocers, merchants, restauranteurs, movie theaters, all over your community.  If you are unsure of it's ownership, just ask.  Do you think $50 is a lot to spend?  Just do what you can, remember, that 68% goes back to the community.  So instead of going to a coffee shop chain for your morning beverage try a local shop or bistro.  Go to lunch at a downtown deli and get groceries from a local grocer.  Pick up something small that makes you smile at a local gift store (like LoPressionism Gallery ;).  According to Baxter's research, if just half of the working community did this they would generate $42.6 billion in revenue.  What have you got to lose by trying it?  We CAN pull up the economy but we need people to help.  Every little bit counts!

The Melbourne Art Festival

This past weekend downtown Melbourne had a fantastic art fest. With over 250 artists this years art festival was a great success. There were tons of artists with a variety of styles and mediums there literally was something for everyone. It was wonderful to see all of the people out on the street supporting the arts! I know that I myself spent a good four hours wandering the booths, and I don't think I really "saw" everyone's exhibits. Having just moved to Melbourne, I was very excited about the art fest and had been looking forward to it since October's Masters of Art Festival. This fest surely did not disappoint. Most of the artists were offering smaller original pieces and small prints of their works for under $100 making the art works available for all socioeconomic backgrounds. I left with three small prints and some ceramics. Supporting the arts is something that we can all do, and art festivals across the country make it possible! Keep your eyes open for the Fall Master's of Art Fest downtown, and check out other art fests in your home towns.

Dark Dreams & Lighthearted Themes

We are very exited to hold our second show of the 2009 LoPressionism Gallery exhibition schedule.  This show will include the works of five very talent artists.  There is something for everyone in this show from the colorful cityscapes to the whimsical characters of to the darkened interiors.  In this group of artists we were looking for something that brought reality and the sublime together.  Escape.  That is something that all five of our "Dark Dreams..." artists have in common.  Escape into Sandra Bottinelli's world where giant purple ducks protect and watch over you.  That is a world I would love to live in!  Marina Koloeridi creates a mystical environments where the heavens and the terrestrial worlds swirl together in excitement and passion.  Escape to a land where the colors of the night are just as bright at the colors of the day in Luke Andrews' paintings.  Homes have a personality  of their own, they are as open and deep as the human soul.  Nicholas Bustamante's paintings make buildings come to life as they have minds of their own.  Then you can relax as you float down a river of the back of a bird, basking in the rays of the sun.  Laura Beatty's creations are full of fun and contemplative characters!  "Dark Dreams & Lighthearted Themes" is a fantastic show hung beautifully by the gallery staff.  It flows from one world to the next as if, perchance, you are dreaming. 

Cultural Stimulus

For ages the government has barely recognized the arts as a viable sector of the economy.  However, in February, congress managed to get a $50 million for the arts in the stimulus package.  According to an article  in Art in America, "despite years of economic impact studies showing how the arts stimulate local economies, from tourism dollars to construction industry jobs, arts groups still had to mount a feverish campaign to preserve a $50 million line that the House had passed but that the Senate eliminated."  Although 50 million is measly compared to what other industries have received it is wonderful that the arts were even included.  What many fail to realize is that not only do the arts employ artists and performers, but also art handlers, stage crews, accountants, cooks, security guards, maintenance people and more.  The arts provide over 6 million jobs nation wide!  The money will go to the National Endowment for the Arts to distribute in the form of grants only to non-profit groups whose projects focus on the preservation of jobs in the arts.  These groups must also have been awarded NEA grants within the last 4 years.  Not to fret for those groups who have not received grants, they still may be eligible to get a sub-grant from a state or regional arts organization.  

This is not a new idea.  In 1930's, as part of the New Deal, the Federal Art Project was created with a goal of employing out of work artists and to provide art for non federal buildings.  Not only did all of this new art boost morale in a depression era, but provided much needed jobs.  Could this new stimulus plan be similar to Roosevelt's F.A.P.?  We can only hope.    Your thoughts...

Haunted Gallery

After years of thinking that we were crazy, we finally have the closure that we need.  I cannot count the times that I had heard footsteps in our old up-stairs gallery space when there was no one up there.  I can recall one time when Bianca and I were downstairs and kept hearing the sounds of someone moving around in the up-stairs space.  After numerous attempts at communicating with the obvious entity up there (the gallery owner who had her office up there) I decided to go check for myself, maybe there were homeless people up there hiding out from an incoming storm.  Well when I got up there, there were no people up there.  I checked every room, every nook and cranny.  We recently had a group come out to investigate the space, the Space Coast Paranormal Research Association.  What they found were some very strong EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) evidence and called the old gallery space an "intelligent haunting."  They were nice spirits and we are all happy that we got to work with them, and hope that they visit us in our new space right next door.

Art in the world of television

Wow!  It's been awhile.  Now, back to the blogging.  The holiday season was wonderfully busy at the gallery for us, and our Fusion show had a great crowd.  It looks like our new space is going to work out really well for us.  

I've been watching some really fun shows on television lately... Leverage and Dollhouse.  They're both in their first season and so far seem to be rather entertaining.  And, surprisingly, they've both had episodes involving art.  I was excited to see that there were shows willing to venture in the topic of art.  Both episodes dealt with stealing it, which is a common theme for art in movies.  A lot of people love that attaining the unattainable story including myself.  But, I have to admit I'm easily irked by the smallest of inaccuracies that they often display.  

For example, in Leverage Nathan's ex-wife, Maggie, is an art expert that a company uses to identify (for insurance purposes) works of art... any work of art.  As an art historian, I specialized in Latin American Art.  Liz (our other consultant & blogger) concentrated in Contemporary Art.  While we have extensive knowledge in these areas, we can't authenticate a piece of art by looking at it through a tiny magnifying glass.  I know... suspension of disbelief.  It just seemed that this would be a good opportunity to clear up the fact that finding authenticators for works are hard to come by.  Normally each artist, only has one authenticator.  If they happen to have more than one, it is probably because they worked with more than one media like painting and sculpting.  One authenticator would be for painting and one for sculpting.  If it's an artist from a period such as the Renaissance, a group of art experts would work together to hopefully identify whether a work is a fake or not.  This linked article from the Discovery Channel gives a good idea of what steps experts take when authenticating works.

Dollhouse handled this a bit better with an antiquities expert who had a feeling that he was chosen to authenticate a specific piece.  Unfortunately, as one of the characters has been badly hurt, he interprets a piece of art for Echo (and the viewers) as fact.  And as we stated in our December 11th post  "Your interpretation is never wrong."  Interpretation of art is personal, everyone sees things differently and it's not up to anyone else to tell you what a work of art should mean to you.

Even with my own personal minor issues with the discrepancies, it would be great to see more shows and movies with visual art as the main subject.  It gives us artsy folks something to chat about!