Saturday, August 2, 2008

not in the cards

Thanks for all the encouragement for finishing (and starting) my cards but perhaps cards are not in the cards for now. Yesterday almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong. My cast paper fragments that I cast on Thursday night were not dry (except the two pictured above) and are still not dry this morning even though I've had heat and fans working all night. When I realized that I could not work with cast paper yesterday, I tried making some ink drawings with some new inks that I have. As I mentioned before, I'm not very experienced at drawing or painting except in an intuitive way, so I just experimented and had fun with them. I enjoyed making them but made very few. I realize now that these will not be very cost effective, selling them as cards. It takes too much time and people will not pay much for a card. It's a lot of work and energy for a few dollars. I may be better off framing them as small ink works. Here's the dilemma (that most artists face)...I could go into mass production and make some very cute and quick cards that would sell well but would not be "me". Or I could stick with my style and my vision, take the time needed, charge what I think is fair, and those who like the work will buy it, even though the work may not be a big seller. Yup, that's what I will do. So no cards today! But I will do my cast paper demonstration today so I'd better go and get set up! Below are my ink drawings.




10 comments:

lynne h said...

kate, can you see me nodding? um hum, i sure know how days like that go... i do love your ink drawings though... i (of course) tried to click on them so i could examine them closely-- they sure look beautiful from this distance. but of course i vote for sticking with your style and vision no matter the cost or how much time it takes. your vision in cast paper is breath taking.

jo horswill said...

Kate, your cast paper is really beautiful, it looks embossed...so delicate, just a joy to behold.
Yes, I agree with Lynne, sticking with your style and vision is number 1.
Although, as an artist trying to earning a living out of art, thinking up new quick techniques is important too.
Your ink drawings are superb, and yes I agree Kate, they need to be sold as mini artworks, not on cards.

Jacky said...

I love your ink drawings... such beautiful colours.
The cast paper is really beautiful, love the delicacy of these pieces. They actually remind me a little of some of the white on white quilt/embroidery work that Karen Ruane does (link is on my blog). Love the subtlety of these pieces.
I think you should sell these as small artworks. I am not into the mass produced pieces, would much prefer these little masterpieces.

ArtPropelled said...

I agree with all of the above...though some times one has to churn a few things out as quick sellers to help pay the bills. I would rather not though.
I like the thought of framed mini artworks....they definitely deserve a frame.

kate said...

all...thanks for your very kind comments which reinforce my conviction of sticking with my style and vision no matter what. And thanks for the support about selling my pieces as small artworks rather than cards. Your feedback is great and very helpful!

lynne...I know what you mean about wanting to click on the images to get a closer look...does anyone out there know how to do that? It usually works for the top photo but not the following ones.

jo...as always, thanks for your support and your kind comments about my cast paper and ink drawings. I'll have to put some real thought into figuring out some quickie techniques that don't compromise my artistic vision!

jacky...thanks for the nice words. It's the subtlety and fragility that I love about the cast paper pieces too. And I'll be sure to check out Karen Ruane's link.

robyn...thanks for weighing in as well! You and Jo are right about sometimes having to do the quick sellers to pay the bills. And you both earn your living through art so you know! So I'll try to come up with a quick seller that fits in with my vision (or at least doesn't clash!).

Wayfaring Wanderer said...

I'd buy one! They look beautiful :o)

Ursula Achten said...

Ha, I know this difficulty and as I read it here a solution occures:
why not trying to design a passepartout with two cut-out squares, one that holds your piece of art and one that can hold an individually written card.This would be a kind of "luxury-card" for very special purposes.Do you know. what I mean?

Shayla said...

Very nice pieces! I block when it comes to card making. I understand that dilemma- mass production that will sell vs doing what you need to do and I agree. That mass production stuff was just way too stressful...

rivergardenstudio said...

These are so beautiful. The whole effect is wonderful. I want to see more! Roxanne

kate said...

ww...thanks for the support!

uschi...I know exactly what you mean. It's an interesting idea. You are quite the entrepreneur uschi!

shayla...stressful is the word. You understand.

roxanne...thanks so much for visiting and thanks for your kind comments. You probably will see more as I plan to do more! I love the photos of your home, garden, and the places you have visited and I love your pieces with the ink outline filter. Look forward to exploring your blog a little more.