Around Town - A.J. Kiel

A.J. Kiel, one of our favorite local kids, has an upcoming show at Access Gallery. Stop in and see his cool new work on First Friday, December 4th. The opening reception runs from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, with a special bonus Bordo Bello preview party.

Chen Hao - Traditional Chinese Paintings

This Friday, November 20th, 2009, Artwork Network hosts "Traditional Chinese Painting of U.S. Urban Landscape". This a solo exhibition of work by well known Chinese painter Chen Hao. The exhibit runs Friday 6:00 - 9:00 pm and Saturday 12:00 - 4:00 pm.

Click here to read more about Chen Hao.

The Art of Hanging Art

I've definitely touched on this subject before, but I came across this great site with really easy to follow guidelines for hanging art. It also comes with pictures, for those of us who are more visually inclined.

Check out Decorating Digest here.

Helpful Tips for Artists: Tracking your Inventory

It's 10am. Do you know where your art is?

It's 10am. You are settling into your studio for a nice long day of dedicated creating when a potential client calls. They are interested in a piece of artwork they saw on your website.
"Can I come to your studio and look at it?"
"It's not here, I have it on display."
"Oh, well, where is that? I am happy to go there to see it-but I am only in town for today."
"Um, sure, let me call you back."

The problem is that you don't know where this particular piece actually is. And unfortunately in this instance, that sale will likely be lost since the client won't be around to wait for you to find your missing piece. This scenario may sound absurd to most people, but you would be surprised! We have had many conversations with artists who are trying to track down their work at various locations.

Keeping an up to date inventory of your art in one document is a crucial aspect to managing your art business. Even more so if your work travels a lot from venue to venue. You want to be able to see, at a glance, where your art is located at any given time. Don't count on the gallery or other venue to keep track of your art. Some places will be more organized than others. Take it upon yourself to be on top of it-after all, this is your livelihood!

One of our member artists keeps organized with a simple Excel spreadsheet.

The top row can contain information such as this:
Title, Size, Price, year created, Framed/Unframed, Sold/Unsold, To Whom, % of sale you retained, Location, Exhibition.

The row on the left can list the works by series or alphabetically by title.

I went ahead and created a sample for you to use! Click here to download.

Other important reasons to keep an up to date inventory list:

Sales History. Not only do you want a record of where your art is located, an inventory is also helpful to show a record of your sales and pricing so you have a history for yourself and for potential buyers. We often have buyers wanting to know what the artist's work has sold for in the past. If this information is not readily available, a buyer will likely move on to something else rather than wait for you to find the information.

Client History. Your inventory list can also indicate who purchased a specific piece so you can market new work to them in the future. This is a captive audience who should be the first notified if you have new work they may like.

Website Creation. When you create a website, you will have to provide much of this information to the person putting it together. If you already have the information in one place, all you have to do is email it over!

Insurance Purposes. Providing your insurance company with your inventory list including photographs of each piece is essential.

Other helpful tips:

Name your piece and stick with that name. Don't have one name on your website, another written on the back, and another on a tag. It can become very confusing for others handling/selling your art if the name does not stay consistent. If you must name a piece 'Untitled', we would recommend putting a number behind. 'Untitled123' for example. Again this is to avoid confusion for yourself and others!

Keep your inventory up to date! Creating a system is one thing. Using it is another. If you are not computer savvy, download and print the sample spreadsheet we have created. You may manually enter the information in the boxes, then have a friend help you keep it up to date on the computer.

Do have other ingeniously simple ways of tracking inventory? Please share them in comments!

Around Town - Andrea Li

Our friend Andrea Li is having a "Trunk Show" at the Lisa Kowalski Gallery on November 13, 2009.

"Nature is the source of Andrea's inspiration. The fluid forms of her designs effortlessly capture the brilliant color palette and rich textures found in the earth's most beautiful gemstones. The result is an alchemical blend of polished brilliance and raw strength, each handcrafted design defies trend with timeless beauty and aesthetic wisdom, thus ensuring it's rightful heirloom status."

Click here to view more information about this event, or visit Andrea's website to browse her incredible jewelry designs.

Around Town - Rik Sargent

Sargent Studio invites the public to an open studio viewing of the final clay sculpture "One World, One Water". The studio will be open to the public Wednesday November 11th, through Saturday November 14th, from Noon to 5 pm and Friday the 13th from Noon to 8 pm. Sargent Studio is located at 910 Santa Fe Drive, Suite 104. This will be the last chance to view the clay original.

A year in the making by artist Rik Sargent, "One World, One Water" will soon be cast into bronze and given to the City of Denver in the spring of 2010. The 12 foot high, 8 foot deep, 10 foot wide sculpture is an infinity form shaped as single drop of water, weaving together watersheds and eco-systems. It has been designed as a unity symbol, combining art, science and education and will honor water education here and around the world.

An up close look at the sculpture will surprise and delight viewers as they discover the intricate details masterfully depicting the natural environment and the many diverse creatures that thrive within it. Please stop by to visit with the artist and join in this celebration of art, science and education!

For more information about Rik Sargent, go to www.sargentstudios.com.