It's Time

Alternative Revolt Magazine - © Alternative Revolt

Still here? I know, I know, I've been gone for over a year. Many of you may know that I have been working full time for "the man" all while performing my duties as the Director of Photography for Alternative Revolt Magazine, my freelance photography work, and of course my work over at The Thirsty Muse.

Levi Benton - © Michael Warth

I've all but quit working as an artist. Though I have painted a few new works, I have really been lazy when it comes to fine art creations. Over the past few months I have been putting new work together, gathering the proper and much needed supplies, and have great plans to get back to what I love. The magazine is gone, and it really did take up a lot more time that I ever thought it would have. Furthermore, The Thirsty Muse takes a lot of time to produce and it does eat up a lot of my free time. With that said, I don't want to wait for January 2013 to start fresh with the new business model for Warth Arts.

I had a lot of fun at the magazine and I will miss it terribly. Meeting and photographing world famous rock stars (as pictured here at the left: Levi Benton of the band Miss May I), writing the popular 'Hopping Mad' beer column and even doing interviews with bands. The stuff back stage, on the tour busses, in the photo pit, and around the venue with literally thousands of screaming fans is something I could never try to explain here on the blog. Just know I made some awesome memories, great friends, and thousands of photographs I am deeply proud of.

Avenged Sevenfold - © Michael Warth

The work at the magazine taught me a lot about life, and what doing what you love is the most important thing in life. I have met individuals who have picked up a guitar, drumsticks, singing, etc., and made it their life's work. Many of them know I paint and wonder why I don't just make the leap and do what I love for a living. That's a long story for another post.

As of now, I have several canvases freshly "toned" and ready for me to start new work. The plein air bag is always packed and ready for an adventure, and the studio is due to be cleaned up and ready for new levels of productivity. I hope you will join me here on the blog to learn more about my paintings, the process, and the adventures I take on to make new art. It's Time...time for me to get back to the things I'm good at, and what I love to do. At times, I'll share what I'm doing in the world of photography, writing, and maybe even a little bit of my personal life.

A recently completed plein air painting...

"In The Field" 8" x 6" Oil on Canvas - © Michael Warth

Getting Ready For A Show

Greetings everyone,

Over the next several weeks I hope to share my experiences getting ready for a local art exhibit where I hope to display at least 16 original works. In today's post I'll bring things up to speed.

Being Prepared:

Like many of my artist friends I was not prepared for a cold call from a gallery asking me if I wanted to have an exhibit in a few months. For one, it was short notification (many galleries give 6 months to a year as notice). I have read many posts from other artists who say have a good inventory of work so you can fill a show at a moments notice. Well, I wish I was more prepared! Even though my inventory is good, I want more impact, and I don't have as many "ready to hang" as I would like to have. Which means I have to spend more money on frames, matboard, etc. than I really wanted.

First Steps:

I told the representative of the gallery I would do the show and I was looking forward to the experience. We exchanged information and had a few things to take care of right away.

1. Gain a clear understanding of the gallery consignment/commission terms.
2. Determine the required number of pieces.
3. When was the exhibit? When is the opening reception?
4. Clear up additional questions/concerns and start planning.

On a side note - I can't stress the communication skills enough here. Do a lot of follow up, keep the gallery/rep up to speed on your progress, and answer ALL questions so there are no surprises.

Within a day the gallery rep sent me an email (we are using email as our "best method" of communication) requesting a piece for advertising purposes. He asked if I could email a picture of one of my paintings. I sent a print ready (300 ppi, JPG) file to him with additional questions and comments.

Keeping Organized:

I like to keep files organized on my MacBook Pro to help me with events like this one. I created a folder (Named: November Gallery at Ninety-Seven Exhibit) to keep everything for this show in my "2009 Exhibit Schedule" folder. I put a digital press kit together, filed email correspondence, and created a planner for the show. I have also added dates and deadlines to my Google Calendar (I recommend Google Calendar because you can access your appointments from any computer and you can even sync information with your MAC).

I did a preliminary inventory of work for the show and I do have plenty of work but some of it needs framed, and a few even need documented for my own record keeping.

Next Steps:

This coming week I hope to visit the gallery and talk to the rep face to face about hanging the show and what we are planning for advertising and the press (I have already been to several gallery events there - I would not recommend doing a show at a gallery you have never visited). Essentially, I hope to finalize the expectations portion of the exhibit so I can focus on framing, documenting, and being prepared to deliver the work to the gallery.

- Michael

Art Marketing or Artist's Marketing?

Hi All,

I finally have some time to do the things that I've been putting off or have wanted to do for some time. One subject that always amazes me is marketing. To further complicate the subject I like to focus on art marketing. One area many would be famous artist seeks to 'market' themselves is the web. To be effective, a website must understand Search Engine Optimization. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a buzz phrase for getting websites to the top of those search engine lists. There are many facets to making a site list at the top.

• Content
• Clever Keywords, Descriptions, and page title (AKA META TAGS)
• Browser Friendly
• Inbound / Outbound Links
• And so much more

Online, offline, does it really make a big difference how an artist markets their work? I think artists should be effective marketers online but equally (or more) offline. If you are an artist, are you marketing your work, or are you simply an artist marketing? Before I get hatemail on this subject I just want to point out that as artists we have a responsibility to create. I am refering to those of us who produce to sell - if you paint because you want to, and you are simply painting for fun; there is no reason to market your art anyway. I'm not trying to be mean but this post is directed to sellers. Back to the responsibility to create thing...if we don't create we have nothing to sell. The following is a series of points I want you to think about;

• Create to sell
• Market the art (don't be an artist marketing)
• Sell everything (art is only worth what someone will pay for it)
• Repeat

Simply put, create art to sell because it pays the bills and keeps you learning as an artist. Market the art you create. Online and offline; just market your art and create a brand (you). Be sure not to be an artist marketing. To better understand what I am trying to say; just remember this, marketing your art should be about you and your art. If you are an artist marketing you may be missing the point, you may only be marketing the process of being an artist. Your would be clients are not want-to-be artists, they are patrons of the arts who want to buy your art (so market your art). Sell everything and at a price patrons are willing to pay for it. Sure, selling 50 - $20,000 paintings a year would be great but are your current patrons willing to pay that much? Finally, repeat. All I'm saying here is to get another blank canvas out and paint another one. Paint it, market it, sell it, and repeat - it is that simple folks.

One last thought here. When you are marketing your art, remember to market your name. Was Van Gough really that good? No, but his name makes the art worth something. The same goes for Rembrandt, Vermeer, Pollack, and Picasso. Online and offline, your marketing efforts should help you find patrons for your art - never forget that point. Find them, treat them well, keep them, and find more. Get to the front of the pack through SEO online, or becoming a recognized name in your offline market.

Michael