I make jewelry, mostly fused glass and metal clay. (I have strung jewelry on my website too, but I don't normally put that out at a decent art show.) My low end pieces are glass pendants and pieces made from copper or bronze metal clay. My high end pieces are mostly silver or glass mixed with silver. I can't fuse base metal clay around glass, because it fires at a temperature too high for the glass. I think to present a cohesive body of work, I should submit pieces that show glass and metal clay, which means they would be all silver incorporating glass. Of course that means that I don't show any pieces that are only glass, or only metal clay, and I don't show any bronze or copper pieces. And of course, there's the dichroic glass and the non-dichroic glass, so I think I need to be consistent with that too.
Here's my dilemma: I have a show app coming up shortly. I emailed them to ask them a couple of questions. In the response I was told that they really want to see the range of my work (price wise). They said they knew that goes against everything I have been told but that really was the best way to do it. In addition, they want a booth shot from an actual show, which I actually have, but it wouldn't be my first choice. I'm attaching that one.
Replies
Roxanne, I'd bet you have looked at a lot of the booth images on this site. Look around some more. I believe you live in the freeze belt also and there isn't much time to get a new outdoor shot. Another alternative is to strip a room of your home and see if you can set up your work to look like a booth shot, put up walls if you have them or if you can't get a good "three-sided" shot, do a really good two wall shot, like doing a corner with your cases and add something to the walls.
Do not listen to the committee that says show your "range" -- show your most knockout work. Did you see Jan Raven's booth in Robert Wallis' discussion about attending the St. Louis Mock Jury? Very smart, not only a nice looking booth but the large pieces on the back wall gives the jurors some more support for the individual images in her presentation.
Ok, now I know which one you are talking about. Yes, that is a great shot, and one of many that convinced me I need to get some tulle for my walls.
I have looked at a lot of them, Connie. That's why I think I shouldn't send an actual show picture. I have read the posts on the St Louis Mock Jury, but I don't recall seeing any pictures. Maybe they are on Youtube? I'm going to look for them now.
Jan's booth was in the comment section of Robert's post. I just saw it there this morning when I read your recent comment there.
I'm sorry, Connie. I am assuming your talking about one of these three posts:
http://www.artfairinsiders.com/forum/topics/st-louis-art-fair-mock-...
I have looked through all three and I don't see any booth shots or a post by me. Are you referring to another post?
The one from 2012, http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/artist-image-workshop..., has the responses with booth shots. The ones from 2013 go into more written detail but don't have as many replies.
Thanks Robert!
Links to the different medium category projections on Youtube:
http://bermangraphics.com/blog/the-st-louis-workshop/
An article I wrote showing examples of working with artists to improve their booth pictures:
http://bermangraphics.com/blog/collaborating-on-the-booth-image/
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
That is awesome! Thank you! I see that is a lengthy video, but I am definitely going to watch the whole thing!
larry@bermanart.com
It's on every page of my web site.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100