I don't know if this is appropriate for this forum... I am just starting out and haven't ever participated in a show. Sold a couple pieces here and there but nothing major. I wonder if you guys can look at my web site and tell me if you think this stuff is good enough/worth it to go to shows with...
Note: I am not asking for full critique (although go ahead if you like) - just an opinion on whether this is "good enough" for me to try with.
(more at www.mymagneticsculptures.com)
Mike: Another thing I just thought of; you can use a screen (I have forgotten the name for these things.) with a white, thin cloth on wooden frame in front of your light source. It softens the light enough to prevent sharp bright spots. Also, you can put your work inside a box with the same cloth as above and use light as two or more sources through the sides. If you plan to take a lot of photos it pays to make one of these boxes. Probably under $10 would do the trick. Other than that, find locations where the light is soft.
my opinion is that you never know until you try. I agree with the critiques given, and a little more design diversity would be nice. I did my first show last year with the idea of just seeing if I would get in, and i did. Apply to shows in your area that you have been to and like and just try it out. It may not be for you after you have done one. Just apply - you'll be out an entrance fee if you don't get in.
Try using a tripod with your camera and if you haven't one a very steady stool or low table. A shutter release cable is very good to prevent movement of the camera. Use small lens opening if a film camera and a slower speed if digital. You have a very shallow depth of field in the ones you show so be very exact in your focus.
Tut, tut, your medium is anything but restricted. Only the mind is restricted. Bend it, push it, stretch it. Like I said before this is just the tip of the iceberg that you have reached. Most of it is still to be explored. Keep your pen or pencil with you and doodle all the time that you can. Work around your central theme. As a side line, put some fun into it-for you and the viewers. Another thing: Who says those little lines across your sculpture must be straight? The possibilities are endless. I'd love to know where you go from here. Go you must! You've got the seed, now grow the tree!
Thanks - photographing these is tough. I made a few more, so I will reshoot them all, but focusing for some reason is tricky (I am VERY far from a professionalphotographer).
Yes, I have all kinds of ideas.. The medium is a bit limited, since
it requires basically straight lines and there are all kinds of fun things
that you could do that just wouldn't work due to physics :)
I am slowly putting together the resources to try this out at an art
fair somewhere. I understand that the organizers try to balance the different
media presented, and at art fairs I usually see few 3-d metal booths and
much more 2-d art - does that mean it would be a little easier to get in?
Thanks - photographing these is tough. I made a few more, so I will reshoot them all, but focusing for some reason is tricky (I am VERY far from a professionalphotographer).
Yes, I have all kinds of ideas.. The medium is a bit limited, since
it requires basically straight lines and there are all kinds of fun things
that you could do that just wouldn't work due to physics :)
I am slowly putting together the resources to try this out at an art
fair somewhere. I understand that the organizers try to balance the different
media presented, and at art fairs I usually see few 3-d metal booths and
much more 2-d art - does that mean it would be a little easier to get in?
Thanks - photographing these is tough. I made a few more, so I will reshoot them all, but focusing for some reason is tricky (I am VERY far from a professional photographer).
Yes, I have all kinds of ideas.. The medium is a bit limited, since it requires basically straight lines and there are all kinds of fun things that you could do that just wouldn't work due to physics :)
I am slowly putting together the resources to try this out at an art fair somewhere. I understand that the organizers try to balance the different media presented, and at art fairs I usually see few 3-d metal booths and much more 2-d art - does that mean it would be a little easier to get in?
md1-34-1.jpg is out of focus. Don't present this slide or photo. The other two are sharper. Personally, I like your work. The sculpture in the above url (in this note) is bent at the ends with the small cylinders. That heads the eye off in a different direction. Keter-face is better. Leads the eye better. How about a series of these, one mounted above another creating a large column many feet high, and maybe all the little 'wires' not necessarily keeping within the same circle, nor the circles at the same angle. Push the idea. It's good. Where else can you take it? I go crazy almost, sitting here imagining all sorts of configurations. A large group having a design similarity could also become a single if mounted together. Throw in something as a stark contrast as well in some. Have fun. You've got the tip of the iceberg, Find the rest! And no, I'm not going to steal the ideas, they're yours. good luck with them.
Replies
Tut, tut, your medium is anything but restricted. Only the mind is restricted. Bend it, push it, stretch it. Like I said before this is just the tip of the iceberg that you have reached. Most of it is still to be explored. Keep your pen or pencil with you and doodle all the time that you can. Work around your central theme. As a side line, put some fun into it-for you and the viewers. Another thing: Who says those little lines across your sculpture must be straight? The possibilities are endless. I'd love to know where you go from here. Go you must! You've got the seed, now grow the tree!
Yes, I have all kinds of ideas.. The medium is a bit limited, since it requires basically straight lines and there are all kinds of fun things that you could do that just wouldn't work due to physics :)
I am slowly putting together the resources to try this out at an art fair somewhere. I understand that the organizers try to balance the different media presented, and at art fairs I usually see few 3-d metal booths and much more 2-d art - does that mean it would be a little easier to get in?