Doing painting demonstrations

Above you see the rubber chicken that I wore out doing painting demonstrations. He actually had a beak at one time but it fell off. He was a very handsome chicken in his day. My beak is also loose .

I have done a lot of painting demonstrations for art associations, churches, schools and workshops.They are a good way to promote yourself and make your name known in your local art community. They often pay, not big money, but if you figure it by the hour it's pretty good. Here are some points to remember ;

• If the demo is in a distant town, know how to get there and leave an enormous amount of extra time for yourself. If you get there early, go out and get something to eat, or have a book in the car and read in the parking lot of the organization for which you are doing the demo. You must be on time, I have arrived late on one or two occasions. One time I was met with at least a hundred people waiting impatiently for me. I felt really stupid.

• Bring a drop cloth. You don't want to get paint on the carpeting. Just in case though have a tub of Goop hand cleaner from the auto supply store, in your pack. That will usually get paint out of carpeting or off the lady in the front row.Your easel may be unsteady and slide around on a slick linoleum tile floor and a drop cloth will help with that too. Always bring that dropcloth, they may tell you the floor is tile and its OK , then when you get there its a 19th century Sarouk.
  

• Remember that you are the entertainment for the organization for that night. You need to talk while you work, tell interesting stories and be as engaging as you can. I do what nearly amounts to a standup act. I have all sorts of verbal gags and one liners. If you aren't comfortable with being ridiculous ( I am) at least smile, and try to be animated.
  

• Usually the organization will have announcements before introducing you. When they do ,you go to the front of the room and thank them all for coming to see you. If you look out and see familiar faces greet a few of them. I begin to set up my easel and I invite them to ask questions as I work. Usually you have amateur painters for an audience and they will ask lots of questions and that gets an interaction going with the audience. It also lets you know what they are interested in hearing about.

• I begin by telling them this as I put a canvas of middling size, big enough to be seen from the back row, " It takes me about a week to make a finished painting this size, are you willing to sit here until next Thursday?" They will of course laugh and say no, then I tell them "What you will see me do tonight is START a painting, I will have to finish it later".

• I lay out my palette telling them what each color is and what brushes I use etc.
  

• I paint out of my head.I do not get out a photograph to look at. I don't intend to give them the idea that is how paintings are made. I usually just "wing" a seascape, however a version of the last landscape or still life you have been working on works well too.You will still remember enough to start your painting.

• Now these two things are real important.They will make or break your demo. They are; Keep talking, don't just paint and leave them sitting and watching. You need to keep up a near constant patter. If you have got them asking questions it will help a lot. But most importantly, You paint for ONE HOUR. Never longer. No matter what you have on your easel, after one hour you throw down your brushes and your done!

• Don't worry about what they think of your painting, audiences of this sort are often very noncritical and are easily impressed. Its mostly about entertainment unless you are playing to a roomful of professionals. Never apologize for your work. Do your best work and let it speak for itself.
  

• At the end of the demo some organizations want to auction off your piece. I tell them up front before I agree to do the gig that I will not allow that. Sometimes I will bring a small print and let them auction that. But not my painting. If you look back through my posts and find the one on charity auctions you will read about why I don't.

• I have a book of photos of my paintings, as I started to paint, I handed it off to someone in the front row and let them pass it around the room as I work.

• When I have finished as I am packing my easel, generally people will come up and talk to me, and I hand out business cards to possible contacts.

• They pay me and I drive home exhausted.