OK, there it is.One of my pet peeves is this, gallery theme shows. That's when a gallery tells all of their artists they are doing a special show and want paintings of some particular subject, say, Forgotten Foods of Yesteryear. I think the only theme that I really like is "New Work". I am a landscape painter, I don't really paint food, but I obligingly and naively do a beautiful 24 by 36 of a suet pudding and take it to them. They say they love it and even put it on the sleazy postcards they send out to be ritually discarded by their clientele. Well it's one of the six on there anyway, cropped.
At the end of the show's run, I go back to the gallery and they hand me back the painting unsold. Again they smile and tell me how much they loved it.They are so sorry it didn't sell, but now they are done with it. They think they have done me a favor, in fact, they included me in a show! Years ago I learned never to work for exposure. Now here I am doing it again! But what am I supposed to do with my apotheosis of suet now? I put all the effort into making something I would never have made except for their request, I wanted to appear to be a good sport, but I wasted two weeks of effort and a pudding, and they still know I'm a crank. I have put out all of that work for nothing. No other gallery is going to want my over the sofa sized quivering desert. I have made a painting that should have been a commission.
Here is what I intend to do in the future. If a gallery calls me and tells me about a "themed" show I will ask myself "will what I make be portable?" For instance, if the gallery is in a place of great natural vistas, or in a historic village, or something else I would ordinarily paint, and they want something local, OK I'm there. If they don't sell it, I can take it somewhere else. But if they want, Steam Driven Wurlitzers that Changed the World, count me out! I will be as polite to the dealer as I can be, but that is the rule. I have lost weeks making things for dealers that they never sold, and I can't afford it.
A newly wed young couple is going to be perplexed, when as their wedding gift they receive my lovely suet pudding painting in a Chinese frame with an open corner. Its a suet pudding! I'll tell them, but they will still look glum.
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44 comments:
You are cracking me up. Are you going to paint the dog?
I am getting married on May 7. If you gift us your pudding, we will hang it, with pleasure.
"hey hand me back the painting unsold. Again they smile and tell me how much they loved it.They are so sorry it didn't sell, but now they are done with it. They think they have done me a favor, in fact, they included me in a show!"
Such a familiar sentiment I've ran across, theme or no-theme...
I will never look at my suet feeder the same again!
Bravo! Loved this post.
I find myself wondering how Stape's fevered brain comes up with something like suet pudding. I have no idea what it actually looks like, but in my mind's eye it is breathtakingly unappealing.
Uhm...themed shows-I only put in a piece if I have a piece related to the theme. If I don't., I don't. Is there something bad about telling your gallery "sorry, but I don't have appropriate work for this theme ?" NOT submitting a piece in a show has not come back to bite me, like the suet pudding.Ouch.
Stape, you're killing us. Where is the pic of the sofa-sized, gelatinous, artery-clogging extinct foodstuff? :)
I'm sorry what did you say? I wasn't paying attention. I was stuck on the puppy's pink tongue. Quite a lovely hue!
Good advice, thank you.
Group painting projects, on the other hand...
You are a very funny man Stape...but then you already knew that. I completely agree- and what is even crazier is I don't think these themed shows ever work very well for the gallery either.
Anyway, I love the puppy.
I wish they would have more themed shows where the subject was "Good Painting" or "Beauty" or "Work by Skilled Painters".
I have noticed that the more specific a theme the less those things are present.
Ha! Stape! Reminds me of the gilded buffalo skull I did for this guy years ago. He paid me, but hasn't been able to sell it since.
Who the hell wants a gilded buffalo skull? I'm ashamed and imbarassed.
He still calls for stuff, I can't seem to get rid of the guy.
So this post speaks to me loud and clear!
So funny, so true!
Ha! I love the "rantings and ravings." Always entertaining and insightful.
Oh, and Bill It's always been my dream to have a gilded buffalo skull. (totally kidding)
Would be curious to see it tho:)
I bet you could find some modern museum that would be all over it.
Ooh, a trend! Rants and kittens and puppies, oh my!
Though spot on about the themed show. Thanks for letting the rest of us know that it happens to the best, too!
Too Funny........you have to post this suet painting!!!!!
I LOVE Suet Pudding! My mom used to make it at Christmas time..... How much for the painting?? :-)
Yep...I've painted for "exposure" before. I'll never do it again, either. The worst part is, some of the "exposure" events I've done were for people or groups with pockets deep enough to at least have covered my expenses with no hesitation. But, no, they want my services to make themselves look even more important and they pay me in "exposure" and the mighty glow coming off their monied hind quarters. No sir...never again.
Hilarous, lets see that pudding painting!
Unhappily too true, Stape...
Your rantings, while they seem to always ring true, to also make me smile!!!
You are hilarious. I wouldn't want the darn suet pudding painting either...well maybe, since YOU did it.
Armand;
Thanks. No dog paintings.
......Stape
Joshua;
Have you chosen a bride yet?
.................Stape
Main;
That's what happens.
..........Stape
Ptolemy;
Waste of good suet!
................Stape
Philip;
Suet pudding was very popular in colonial America.
...............Stape
Marian;
I bit too.
..............Stape
Ernest;
No picture will be provided.
...............Stape
Simone;
The puppy has been eating cotton candy.
...................Stape
willek;
No group projects.
.............Stape
Deborah;
I concur, I don't know why they keep doing them.
.............Stape
Richard;
Yes Good Art would be a great subject for a show. Never happen.
..........Stape
bill;
That would make a great hood ornament for my Lincoln!
................Stape
Linda;
Thanks.
...............Stape
hagar;
I am off to a new subject
.............Stape
Suzann;
Baby animals are posted after I have been to edgy or bitten someone.
..................Stape
Jim;
No photos!
..................Stape
Sunny;
Not available.
...............Stape
John;
I am through being exploited in this way, time for me to be exploited in a new way!
..........Stape
Chad;
No.
..............Stape
John;
No suet painting!
...........Stape
"Years ago I learned never to work for exposure."
Words of wisdom to go up on the wall, having just participated in a themed show.
Humbly thank you!
Stapelton:
Some thoughts in response to your excellent post.
When a gallery asks their artists to paint to a show theme they are essentially asking them to work on spec. Of course, galleries do this all the time with the hope of luring out additional sales from established clientele, like a miner re-processing played out mine tailings in the hopes of extracting leftover ore. And it's a bad place for both the artists and gallery to be in.
In the illustration world, this is identical to an art director asking an illustrator to create finished art, with the expectation that if the end-client likes it the illustrator will get paid. Again, a lousy place to be in. Does it happen? Yes. Should it? No. When it does who ends up taking the larger risk? The artist who can't or won't say no.
But sure, how does spec work differ from, say, the artist who places their work on gallery consignment? Isn't that spec too? Not really. As you clearly point out, Stapelton, if the artist is creating work which represents their own artistic interests, and if those paintings are appropriate and transportable to other galleries, then there is in fact a discernible difference. A huge difference.
In my opinion, no matter what the arrangements may be to participate in a gallery or show, the artist must be willing to walk away if they wish to have any control over the arrangement.
At some point the artist has to be able to say, "I'm sorry but I don't work for free for anyone except for myself."
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