No Art Today
I feel so strange not having painted or drawn anything today. I went to a local berry farm with my youngest son, my bff Ladybug, and her oldest daughter who is home for a bit. Berry season and then peach season are the best things about summer in Oregon. The extreme heat did sunburn quite a lot of berries, but I think the place we go fared better than a lot of the berry places in the area. It was nice to be outside when it was not ridiculously hot, and to be able to talk across the rows of berries with my bff. When we got home I of course ate a bunch of berries, and then I started working on all the funding. I've applied for one grant, and have to work up my CV and artist statement before I can apply for another. I looked at 100 or more grants, and only could apply for the 2. Many were for specifically available for one state. One was for artists recovering from Covid, one was for jewelry makers, etc.. They are understandable quite specific, and my art and financial needs don't fit very many categories.
There is an art store near me that has a very good framing department. I asked them toward the start of the project how much it would cost to get 366 4"x6" paintings matted and framed. The price they quoted me was close to $3000. I feel sure I could get them done elsewhere more cheaply, and at a craft store where the quality is going to be lower I know it would be much cheaper though I'd probably have to mount the paintings myself. What I'm hoping to do is find a happy medium. I want good quality so that they are nice enough for not just the show, but for anyone who might want to buy them once they are available for sale. If they are nicely framed, people will be more likely to purchase them, and the more I am able to sell the more I will be able to raise to put toward conservation efforts. I don't want to have to pay so much per painting that it makes the paintings so expensive that I raise a minimal amount or that people of all sorts can't afford to buy one. I not only believe that everyone can do art, but I believe everyone should be able to own art. Because I grew up below the poverty level but had artist family members, we always had art in our home. I think having art in the home can make the idea of being able to do art yourself much more believable. Sort of along the lines of how it has been shown that having books in the home helps children in a myriad of ways. If you grow up and only see art as something wealthy people have or that only belongs in museums, it can seem as if art is impossible for you to do. I have nothing whatsoever to base my theory on, but I would not be surprised if there was still some truth to it.
Comments