Category Archives: Being an Artist

Strategies for Planning & Curating my Own Art Show

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So I applied and was accepted for a one-person Fine Art Show at the new Wine Cellar on Main in Northport NY from August 28 through October 8th, 2012. The acceptance email was the fun part & then the stress factor hit me within moments.

Yikes. I’m a curator now.

What paintings would I show? How many pieces of Art? What size paintings would look right. How would I stage the show hanging? And since it was such short notice, (one-month) how quickly could I pull this whole show together efficiently & still enjoy life?

Here’s what I did.

Site survey of the Wine Cellar on Main with my friend Greg Oleanik’s show in place.

Side wall of Greg Oleanik’s show at the Wine Cellar on Main

I took my point & shoot camera, pencil, paper & a sturdy metal measuring tape & scouted out the available show space. Luckily, my friend Greg Oleanik currently had a show hanging there so I was able to take snapshots of all his work hanging in place.

Mock-up of what size paintings I will need for my upcoming Art Show

Side wall mock-up for my Art Show planning

I measured the height & widths of all the available spaces within the room, keeping them sequentially numbered along with photos of each space.  I spoke with the proprietor, Lindsay Ostrander & we discussed the fact that she had installed a hanging system with rails & rods so that I wouldn’t need to put nails in her walls. This info I took back to my studio & headed for the computer.

I imported the photos into Photoshop. I created a panorama of the interior hanging space with photos of Greg’s show. Then I made a mock-up of the walls & created placeholders for the different sizes of my own Artwork since I know what sizes of Art I generally work in.

With this in place I was able to count how many and what sizes of paintings I would need to have available to put into the Art Show.

I felt calmer already. Next step was planning on how much creating was ahead of me & what I could possibly hope to accomplish in such a short span of time while also leaving me time to publicize the show. I wanted to make sure I left enough time to share the news about the show with family, friends, and with all my past, present & future customers.

 

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Friends of the Delaware Canal Sporting their Mary Ahern Yellow Daffodil T-shirts

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These are the creative and committed women aka “Commuting Women” who took part in the Delaware Canal Festival winning the “Most Beautiful” decorated canoe prize. These women took part in planting thousands of daffodil bulbs along the canal & other prominent locations this past spring.

I was pleased to donate my “Single Daffodil” artwork for use on their team T-Shirts. I applaud their energy, their commitment to the beautification of their community & their sense of humor. Kudos!

Mary Ahern the Artist helping out the Friends of the Delaware by donating her Single Yellow Daffodil image for their T-shirts

Friends of the Delaware Canal sporting their Yellow Daffodil shirts celebrating their planting of thousands of daffodil bulbs along the canal & other prominent Yardley locations.

This is a copy of a letter they sent when they donated their prize money winnings to The Friends of the Delaware Canal.

Friends of the Delaware Canal

The Locktender’s House

145 South Main St.

New Hope PA 18938

Dear Friends,

Enclosed is a check for $75.00 payable to the Friends of the Delaware Canal, representing the prize money the “Commuting Women” won for our “Most Beautiful” decorated canoe in the Yardley Boat Parade as part of the Delaware Canal Festival.

Friends of the Delaware Canal award winning entry in the Yardley Boat Parade

The award by the “Commuting Women” for “Most Beautiful” decorated canoe in the Yardley Boat Parade as part of the Delaware Canal Festival.

Our theme was “Thank You Bucks Beautiful,” celebrating and thanking the Bucks Beautiful organization for planting thousand of daffodil bulbs along the canal and in other prominent Yardley locations. When the daffodils all bloomed this spring, it was a spectacular sight!

Our group is comprised of “mature” women who commute to work in Philadelphia, either currently or in the past, on SEPTA Regional Rail trains. We had lots of fun planning and constructing our boat parade entry, and we are proud of our ingenuity and resourcefulness – using only items we already had on hand around the house. Lots of paper plates, muffin cups, skewers, and plastic tablecloths – as one young observer commented, “That’s a lot of arts and crafts.”

Along the way we made a new friend, Mary Ahern, from Northport NY who generously donated her daffodil art design to our matching parade-day T-shirts.

All in all, a fun and rewarding experience. Thanks for a great day – this is why we chose to live in the small towns along the Delaware Canal. We are happy to donate our prize winnings to the Friends of the Delaware Canal.

Sincerely,

Leslie Jordan

Virginia Hamby, Yardley

Dorothy Judd, Washington Crossing

Jeannette Leighton, Yardley

Mary Ahern the Artist's "Single Yellow Daffodil"

Mary Ahern’s “Single Yellow Daffodil which was used as the image for the Friends of the Delaware Canal T-shirts.

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Huntington Arts Council Spotlight Artist of the Month – Mary Ahern

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Another Type of Canvas

Mary Ahern is an artist member of the Huntington Arts Council. Much of her art is inspired by her garden, a piece of art in its own right that is constantly changing. Her husband, Dave, often comments that her plants seem to be on wheels since Mary is constantly moving her plants from flowerbed to flowerbed. She uses the texture and color of the plants to create beautiful works of art in her garden.

The peonies bloom in June
In Northport NY the peonies bloom in June

Walking through Mary’s garden and listening to her speak about it reveals how much thought was put behind each and every placement. Mary uses her plants to create artwork just as she uses oil paint. Each plant has specific colors or textures that can be used to compliment or contrast the other plants it is put with. Certain beds of flowers are based on the color of those certain plants, i.e., mixing deep reds with frosted greens. Others are based on the texture of the plant, i.e. small leaves, low ground covering, etc.

However it doesn’t stop there. Each of these flowerbeds is incorporated into the garden as a whole and even the pathways that flow between each have been carefully laid out. The flowers that Ahern cultivates influence her artwork greatly. She likes to have samples of the subjects she is working on around her. “I’m not trying to duplicate what a camera can do. I’m interpreting in a realistic style how I see the subject.”

The Krinkled White is a single peony prized for its simplicity
The Krinkled White is a single peony prized for its simplicity

When you step into Mary’s home and studio, it is as though the garden is continuing inside as well. Her art work adorns the walls and upstairs in the studio her love for the garden is transformed into pieces of art.

Mary was first introduced to gardening by her Uncle Teddy who was a gardener himself. “Every time we visited, I loved to help him in the garden and when I acquired my first plant at around the age of five, I made it very clear to everyone in my family that I was the only one allowed to care for it. Since I have always held a passion for the garden, it was only natural that it showed up in my artwork.”

Mary uses many different mediums to create her works of art. They include oils, watercolors, and digital painting. The amount of care and detail incorporated in each piece is absolutely astounding. She creates Digital Flower and Shell Paintings as well as  paintings using Traditional media.

Mary has been digitally designing for over 25 years now. She first started at Chyron Corporation, located in Melville, working in Sales and Marketing Positions. Later, Mary began her own graphic design company called Online Design which, at that time, was one of the few to be 100% digital.

Although Mary Ahern has been painting for over 30 years now, as a young child she never really became interested in the arts. Music was a large influence during her high school years: she was in the band and even conducted, which was rare for a women to do during that time.

It wasn’t until Mary was in her 20’s that she became interested in art, when one of her friends gave her a book about the work of the artist, Georgia O’Keeffe  This influenced her to take a class at the local Y and when she picked up the paintbrush she knew it was her calling. “The paintbrush seemed like an extension of my arm. Since then art has never been a hobby but a part of my life.” She went on from there and got a degree in Fine Arts from Queens College and has been creating ever since.

Four different background treatments of the Krinkled White Peony
Four different background treatments of the Krinkled White Peony

For those interested in pursuing a career in the arts Mary’s advice is to develop business and marketing skills in addition to the skills you develop to create your Art.   The web and social networking sites make marketing available  to everyone. “Whether it’s a website, a blog and alsoTwitter, Facebook or a combination, it is important for potential buyers to see the artist behind the paintings because that also helps to sell your art.”

She believes that a career in the arts is a very tough “glamour” business and you must have entrepreneurial skills as well as lots of determination to be successful. Mary Ahern also states that there are not many things more rewarding then to have someone who has purchased one of her Fine Art pieces tell her how much pleasure they have received every day from seeing her work hanging in their home  It makes her smile.

• To see some of her beautiful artwork, head over to her website,

http://MaryAhernArtist.com.

• Visit her Garden at her blog

The Garden Artist – My Garden, My Art, Where Passions Merge

http://MaryAhernArtist.com/garden-blog/

• View behind the scenes of an Artist on her Art Blog

Art Naturally – Musings Of My Life As An Artist

http://MaryAhernArtist.com/art-blog/

• Mary’s step-daughter Sharon Ruedeman made a video about her garden which you can view on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJTAh3dBrps

This article was derived from an interview with Mary Ahern, The Garden-Artist by Diane Brown and produced by Dianne Matus of the Huntington Arts Council.

______________________________

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Digital Printing Has Killed the Limited Edition Print.

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The historic use of limiting editions of prints was during a time when prints were made from art carved or drawn onto stone, wood or other surfaces that degraded with use. As more impressions were made the surface wore out and the image became less crisp. Limiting the quantity of the printing run helped to control the quality of the print and of course the value.

Digital printing does not suffer from this problem since there is no degradation in resolution, or crispness, from one print to the next. In fact, what can happen as technology evolves and equipment gets better and faster, later prints may be of higher quality then original prints made years earlier in the cycle.

New Technology Offers New Forms of Creativity

So how do I offer my customers a solution to their desire for a unique piece of my Art rather then the Open Edition pieces I generally offer?

red-rose-custom

Custom Art Work Created Just For You

Custom Editions brings my customers into a collaborative effort in the artistic process of helping me to create a unique Art Work specific for their home or office design ideas.

Here’s how:

You select a piece of Art from my array of Standard Digital or Traditional Paintings.

  1. I can print your selection on different surfaces like Fine Arts Paper or Canvas.
  2. I can put different finishes on each canvas print, i.e. Matte, Semi-Gloss or Gloss.
  3. My standard work is designed in a 3×4 aspect ratio, i.e. the height to width relationship. I can customize the composition to fulfill specific sizing.
  4. I can print at any size that would work for the space you have in mind. Super-size up to 64 inches and mini-sizes for grouping.
  5. I can customize the colors, most particularly, the backgrounds, to suit your design ideas.
  6. I can combine traditional paint with your digital print to make a truly one-of-a-kind Art Work.
  7. I can customize framing or do away with framing altogether using the Gallery Wrapped canvas style.

If you can think of it I can probably do it.

Let’s get started on your Custom Editions collaboration. Visit my website for additional information.

Call me, Mary Ahern at 631-757-9459

Or email me at mary@MaryAhernArtist.com

Let’s make Art together!

______________________________

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Westhampton Beach Fine Arts Festival. Day 2.

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Today was the second and last day of the 37th Annual Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce Mary O. Fritchie Outdoor Juried Art Show

The overcast weather encouraged many customers to come out and enjoy purchasing Art

The overcast weather encouraged many customers not to go to the beach but to come out and enjoy purchasing ArtThe weather took quite a change from yesterday’s very sunny and overly hot and humid conditions. The humidity stayed but the sun and extreme heat disappeared.

The show opened officially at 10am and was very busy for quite a few hours. People were in a buoyant and buying mood, which was very nice to see. The current economic environment is still oppressive but many folks seemed to be carrying home their treasured purchases, large and small.

Behind the scenes is my husband Dave prepping additional Designer Prints for sale

I enjoyed so much seeing customer/friends who stopped by to catch up on life. Some of these collectors began buying work from me when I was showing my traditional Botanical mixed media paintings at Art Shows and Festivals. That was quite some years ago. I love hearing that they’re still enjoying seeing my Art hanging in their homes!

About 3:30 while standing talking to visitors, I could feel the weather abruptly change. Apparently so did many others since there was a slow but steady departure of customers over the course of the next half hour. After checking by phone with various friends living around Long Island, we knew a storm was coming through.

The weather changed and you could feel rain coming even before the drizzle started

I made the decision to break down an hour earlier than the official end of the show. Good thing we did. My husband Dave and I have the set-up and take down very well coordinated and we packaged the Art, the furniture and the tent very quickly. We completed the dissembling and loading of the trailer in an hour and a half. By the time all was loaded into the trailer and I was sitting in the truck starting the engine, the rain came down in full force.

We knew the storm was coming and the customers weren’t so we packed our things and left.

We were both soaked but the Art wasn’t. We drove towards home through torrential rain and pulled safely into our flooded driveway. The storm was traveling from west to east so as we got closer to home the rain had begun to subside. By the time we showered and changed, the sun was out again. We went to eat at a restaurant with an outdoor terrace and celebrated another great Art Show.

Life is sweet!

____________________

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Westhampton Beach Fine Arts Festival – Day 1

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Mary Ahern artist booth at Westhampton Beach art show.

The customers came to see the show early in the day before or later, after they visited the beach

Today, August 2009 was the first day of the 37th Annual Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce Mary O. Fritchie Outdoor Juried Art Show

The weather was very humid and in the high 80’sF which made it extremely uncomfortable when bringing in the Art from the trailer and setting it up in the festival booth. We brought in the furniture which helps to complete the showroom aspect of the booth. I bought the desk from Pro Panels, the print racks from Richeson via Blick and the bookcases Home Decorators.

We hung the awnings to keep the sun off the Art and the Artist but it really didn’t provide any relief from the heat. If I didn’t move at all I could tolerate the heat but that didn’t happen for most of the day.

The bad thing about a sunny day in the Hamptons is that the customers spend most of their time at the beach rather than shopping. Traffic was heavy when the show opened at ten and again at 3 when the heat started to calm down.

It is very tricky to do an Art Show in a vacation beach resort. You want slightly overcast so no one goes to the beach but no rain or wind. It is hard to book the exact perfect weather for an Art Show, but I keep trying.

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Westhampton Beach Fine Arts Festival Set-up

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What: 37th Annual Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce Mary O. Fritchie Outdoor Juried Art Show.

When: Saturday, August 01, 2009  10:00 AM
Sunday, August 02, 2009  10:00 AM

Where: The Westhampton Beach Village Green
& Mill Road between Main Street & Church Lane. Westhampton Beach, NY 11978

Side curtains are attached to the frame by a system of zippers and straps

Side curtains are attached to the frame by a system of zippers and straps

So since we checked the weather report and noticed that MORE RAIN is expected later in the evening, my husband Dave and I drove out to Westhampton Beach, (about an hour from our home) to set up our show booth earlier on Friday than usual. We’ve been doing this show now for a few years and pay for it a year in advance so we can get the same spot on the Village Green. It is space #47 in case you’re dropping by.

As you can see we were among the earliest Artists to show up. Considering how the wind picked up I’m hoping we made the right decision. We like setting up the day before since it is so hectic in the morning with over 120 Artists trying to bring in their tents and move in their Art. The amount of parking is minimal and the amount of trucks, vans and trailers is great.

 

At Art Festivals we try to set the booth up the day before and bring then the Art in on Show day

At Art Festivals we try to set the booth up the day before and bring then the Art in on Show day

We have found over time that once we set up the EZ-up tent and zip up the 4 heavy-duty side curtains the wind blows around it rather than under. We bought the mesh panels and side curtains from Flourish.com. We also have 4 bags, each filled with about 45 pounds of sand, suspended from each strut holding down each corner. This park has an underground sprinkler system so you can’t use stakes to anchor the tent as you can in some shows.

 

Setting up the tent, mesh panels, side curtains and weights took us about an hour. We’ve really streamlined our workflow.

____________________

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Krinkled White Peony

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I’ve just created a series of digital paintings of a Krinkled White Peony that was blooming in my garden this past June.

For my inspiration I chose an herbaceous white single peony that was introduced into cultivation in 1928. The plant grows to about 3 feet tall and wide. This year with all the rain it grew so very tall that I had to add a peony cage to one of them since it was so heavy due to the huge amount of flowers that it produced.

A single white "Krinkled Peony" which grew in my garden this June.

A single white “Krinkled Peony” which grew in my garden this June.

The petals are so delicate they remind me of crepe paper that I used to use when I made my paper flowers as a child. The golden yellow stamens add a dramatic accent.

One of the very rare sunny spots in my garden hosts the peonies

One of the very rare sunny spots in my garden hosts the peonies.

I’ve been tending this plant for over a decade and a few years ago moved it from a rather shady location where it bloomed each year but didn’t flourish. Though most of my garden is in some percentage of shade I decided to divide and transplant this perennial into the sunniest part of my garden. Since then it has more than tripled the amount of flowers it produces.

In this series of work I’ve decided to augment the dramatic simplicity of the single peony with different colored backgrounds. Each of these pieces will work individually but they also work as a group.

Single White Peony series of digital paintings

Single White Peony series of digital paintings.

As with many of my other works, I offer these digital paintings in a variety of sizes and framing treatments. These Fine Art works are available on Fine Art paper and also on UV treated canvas either framed or gallery wrapped.

If a specific design plan comes to mind, I can also customize the color backgrounds to suit the creative intent.

I will be showing these Art Works for the first time at the Northport Art in the Park, Saturday, July 25, 2009 from noon until 5pm.

Hope you can stop by the show and say hello. If you can’t and you would like to find out more about my work, you can contact me on Facebook, Twitter, my website MaryAhernArtist.com and here on my blog by posting a comment.

——————–

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The North Shoreian Magazine Cover and Article

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The North Shoreian has just published their April Home and Garden issue with my “Single Yellow Daffodil” on the front cover.
A delightful article about my work is featured inside this publication which is a magazine covering the North Shore (of Long Island) Arts, Culture & Politics.

The Column is called  “The Creatives”

Mary Ahern: Capturing a Moment in Art

by Shaughnessy Anne McKenna Dusling

If you’d like to read the whole article please click here and visit the Press section of my website.

If you’d like to see an online version of The North Shoreian  magazine please click here.

The North Shoreian April 2009 Home & Garden Issue
The North Shoreian.  April 2009 Home & Garden Issue

This is an exerpt of the article:

Classically trained painter, and Northport native, Mary Ahern, has spent the past twenty-five years studying and mastering digital painting and design. Mary’s interest in digital painting was stimulated when she was working for a company that created graphic technology for use in the television and production industry. Beginning as a salesperson in the early 1980’s, Mary began learning about the newest advances in this medium. As technology progressed, these high-tech digital systems became a practical expense for the small business owner and were readily available. In the early 1990’s, Mary invested in her own system and created her own graphic design company, Online Design. Her company was 100% digital which was unique at a time when paste-ups and mechanicals were still the norm in graphics.

Champagne Poppies on a Brown Background
Champagne Poppies on a Brown Background

In addition to graphic design, Mary has combined her interests and talent in painting to create her own style and method of art. Her digital paintings are created by using the computer as her medium. Mary trades in her paintbrushes and paints for a pressure sensitive stylus and graphic tablet…
Mary’s abilities as an artist are not limited to digital painting. As a traditional painter, Mary is very talented. Mary mixes mediums, such as watercolor, oil paints, pastels, colored pencils and graphite, to create her works of art. She has been doing traditional painting and drawing for over thirty years and her work reflects many hours of time and commitment to the art.
In addition to art, Mary is very devoted to growing a private garden. She spends many hours cultivating the soil, planting, pruning and nurturing her flowers. Not surprisingly either, she adds a degree in Ornamental Horticulture to her already impressive resume.

The Artist Mary Ahern with some of her Digital Paintings
The Artist Mary Ahern with some of her Digital Paintings

Finding something that inspires is one of the most important steps for Mary as an artist. Mary states, “It is very important that I really like the subject that I choose because I spend so much time with it…

Mary’s clear dedication to her garden transpires into her devotion to her art. On Mary’s impressive and self designed website, you can visit her two blogs. One is devoted to art in general, touching on her visits to various locations, book reviews and her journey as an artist. Mary also has a blog devoted to gardening, in which she posts photographs of her beautiful plants as they grow and transform, and even shows the plants alongside her art that she has created in homage to the specific bloom…

If you would like to learn more about North Shoreian Artist Mary Ahern, her garden, her masterpieces or to purchase her work, visit her website: http://www.MaryAhernArtist.com

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Art League of Long Island Show Opening

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The Art League of Long Island, also known as, ALLI,  has a show titled, “Double Take” from January 10 through February 1, 2009 in Huntington Township, NY.

The juror for the show is Peter Sloggatt, an artist, editor and freelance writer.

Art League of LI two tiered art gallery, Huntington NY
Art League of LI two tiered art gallery, Huntington NY

All media are represented from oil painting, to watercolor, digital painting and photography. There is sculpture, graphics and mixed media work on display as well.

The reception for this show was Sunday, January 11, 2009 from 3-5pm. Considering the extreme cold and ice, the attendance was extremely high.

Huntington is an art loving community and it is reflected by the vast contributions and involvement by the residents of this town in NY.

I entered my digital painting, “White Rose Pyramid” in a 16×20″ format, which was on display on the ground floor. I stayed awhile at the reception meeting folks and discussing my work.

By the time I headed for home the Giants had lost the playoffs and NY fans were in mourning.

Digital Painting, "White Rose Pyramid" by Mary Ahern
Digital Painting, “White Rose Pyramid” by Mary Ahern

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Jacqueline Penney Art Gallery & Studio

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I was lucky this cold winter week in December. I went to the beach, hung out at the marina, and gazed at flower gardens in full bloom.

You think I’m kidding? Well, I’m not. I was lucky enough to visit the Jacqueline Penney Art Gallery & Studio in Cutchogue Long Island NY.  Now this is an Artist who loves sunshine! Take a look at her work at her website http://www.jacquelinepenney.net and then make an appointment to go see and collect her work.

Jackie is a real renaissance woman. She paints, she teaches and she writes books helping others to enjoy the experience of creating Art. She is a sharing and giving human being and it shows in her work.

Her beautifully re-designed 1840’s barn is at once her home, her studio working space and the gallery where she sells her work to the public. This seamless breaking down of boundaries defines a truly creative person. There is no beginning, no end, just the all-encompassing act of creating.

The way she lives and the way she lives her life describes a true Artist.

JACQUELINE PENNEY ART GALLERY & STUDIO

Jacqueline Penney Art Gallery & Studio

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The Art of Doing Business in the Arts

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As an invited speaker I will be joining a distinguished group of professional Artists to present a program directed towards The Business of Art.

The Art of Doing Business in the Arts

The program is hosted at The Southampton Cultural Center, Long Island, NY.

Saturday, November 8th, 2008 at 8am – 2pm.

For add’l info go to the website My Career in the Arts.org

The theme of this event is:

BREAKING IN IS HARD TO DO

Talent alone guarantees nothing.

Talent doesn’t guarantee professional success in the arts. Whether your intended career is in dance or theatre, writing or painting, you need an entrepreneurial mindset, good contacts and competence in basic business skills: selling, negotiating, writing contracts. No one is better qualified to teach their skills than Long Island’s top visual and performing artists.

Come for the breakfast. Stay for the lunch.

8AM-8:30AM Breakfast/Registration

8:30AM-8:35AM Welcome

Kirsten Lonnie, Executive Director, Southampton Cultural Center

8:35AM – 8:45 AM The Economic Impact of the Arts

Michelle Stark, Commissioner, Office of Film & Cultural Affairs/
Suffolk County Department of Economic Development

Live music, art exhibitions, independent films and theatrical performances are revitalizing Main Streets across the country. A look at how cultural activities drive economic growth.

8:50AM – 9:00 AM Brand Me – Where Your Career Starts

Cindy Smith, ImageQuest Communications, Inc.

Not every brand comes wrapped in plastic. As a creative professional your brand creates expectations, defines your identity and expands – or limits – your opportunities. Learn how to take charge of Brand Me from the onset, and maintain control throughout your career.

9AM – 9:15AM Act I: My Career in the Arts

Josh Gladstone, Artistic Director, Guild Hall/John Drew Theatre, East Hampton

9:15AM – 9:45AM Myth-Busting: The 10 Big Lies That Keep Artists Poor

We don’t pay our contributors, we  offer exposure.” “All great artists suffer for their art.”  “We acquire  all rights.” Sound familiar?  Hear how our panelists deal with these and other myths.

Moderator: 

Bonnie Grice, radio host and director of cultural programming, WLIU-FM

Panelists: James Faith, Faith Ent., producer, Great South Bay/American Music Festivals 

Shenole Latimore, jazz musician 

Jim Lennon, photographer

Bunny Hoest, cartoonist, “The Lockhorns”

9:45AM – 10AM The Interview

Vic Skolnik, co-director, Huntington Cinema Arts Centre

One of Long Island’s most influential cultural figures, Victor Skolnick co-founded the Cinema Arts Centre in 1973, bringing year-round, top-quality international films to Long Island. He screens hundreds of films a year and showcases about 200 at the centre.

10AM -10:25AM Getting to Yes All creative people must sell. Here are three approaches.

Panelists:

Agnes Ehrenreich, owner, Chrysalis Gallery, Southampton

Lisa Kende, Manager, The Kende String Trio, Manhasset

Jacueline Penney, painter

10:25AM-10:45AM Making Friends with Technology

Today’s digital media, including the Internet, CD-roms and podcasting, enables the entrepreneurial artist to produce, market and sell his or her own work, find gigs, get media attention, find collaborators and more.. Learn strategies for successful online self-promotion; how to be part of online communities, and more.

Panelists:

Mary Ahern , Digital imagery

Rob Dircks, co-founder, Acoustic Long Island podcast

Shenole Latimer, jazz musician

10:45AM -11AM BREAK

11AM:11:15AM You’ve Got a Mouth – Now Talk

Saralee Rosenberg and Ellen Meister are both Long Islanders with new books out on the suburban female experience. They met on the book promotion circuit. They talk about how they fuel sales, one listener at a time, and how silence is decidedly not golden for authors with books to peddle.

11:15AM -11:30AM Spin Control: Gettting and Keeping Media Attention Learn what journalists look for in cultural  stories and how to get in front of them.

Panelists:Bonnie Grice, Director of Cultural Programming, WLIU-FM

11:30AM -12:15PM It’s The Law. A handshake and trust  – good. A solid contract – priceless. Learn to write enforceable contracts, to license and protect your intellectual property, and other important legal stuff..

Panelists: Kathryn Dalli, Attorney with Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo LLP, in Riverhead Jim Lennon, Jim Lennon Photography

12:15PM – 12:45PM  Breakouts – Speed Mentoring Meet informally with speakers and other creative artists or business specialists. Exchange ideas,  ask questions, meet mentors.

1-2PM LUNCH

Keynote: Success Starts with You. Emmy-award winner and founder, Wainscott  Studios, Mitchell Kriegman Mr. Kriegman began his diverse career as a short story writer, performance artist and video artist. In the early 1980’s, he joined the team of Saturday Night Live as a performer, writer and filmmaker. Soon after, Kriegman began creating, developing and producing series for Comedy Central, Nick at Nite, Disney Channel and other cable networks. He has written for such publications as The New Yorker, National Lampoon, Glamour and Harper’s Bazaar. As the creator of shows such as, Clarissa Explains It All, Bear in the Big Blue House, and Book of Pooh, and executive head writer and developer of numerous other signature television series including Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, Doug, and Life with Derek, Kriegman is the creator and executive producer of It’s a Big Big World, the Emmy-nominated PBS preschool series focusing on environmental awareness. Today, he owns Watermill Studios and employs a growing staff. He discusses how he did it.

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MOCA-Museum of Computing Art-Inaugural Exhibition

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I was pleased to join an international group of digital artists at the inaugural exhibition of their brick-and-mortar gallery at MOCA, the Museum of Computer Art, in Brooklyn NY. The show was on display at this well lit and airy space located in Park Slope from Sept 2 – Sept 18, 2008. Though no longer there the amazing work of digital artists worldwide can still be seen at the MOCA online virtual gallery.

Don Archer & Mary Ahern at the inaugural show of the MOCA:Museum of Computer Art.

Don Archer & Mary Ahern at the inaugural exhibition of the MOCA:Museum of Computer Art

MOCA was established in 1993 by computer artists Don Archer and Bob Dodson to promote digital art in its various forms and manifestations, including 3-D rendered art, fractals, enhanced photography, animation, mixed media, computer-painted and -drawn art, etc. Many talented artists have given them access to their work, and what you see in their archives and exhibitions are some of the best work that they have solicited. Some of it may be of technical or historical interest, some of it may be innovative and unusual, and some of it may have potential (dare we say it) as high art.

As an online museum, MOCA is host to hundreds of world-class digital artists and thousands of their images, all available for viewing online. It is one of the most heavily-trafficked, comprehensive, frequently-updated and respected computer art museums on the Web. The goal is to keep abreast of the latest and best in digital art. Both beginning and advanced artists frequently visit the site, if only to see what the competition is doing.

Visit the MOCA Virtual Museum at: the MOCA Museum of Computer Art and take a look at what’s new in the world of Digital Art.

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Anemone coronaria in the Garden and in Art

My Art Starts In The Garden Posted on by  

Anemone coronaria in the gardenMy Garden and my Art work side by side. Both require me to make aesthetic judgements about composition, scale, color, texture and style. When I’m deciding where to plant the flowers I’ve hauled home on my endless trips to the nurseries it doesn’t seem that much different to me then when I’m deciding how to compose them on a two dimensional surface.

I think about what style I’m looking for, what colors will work together, whether the scale of the placement works for me. I think about the type of flower and texture of the leaves. I make decisions about the 3D composition of the garden much like the 2D composition decisions on a painting.

Anemone coronaria in a Watercolor PaintingThe garden adds so many additional layers of complexity since the artwork is moving in time with nature, the seasons, the elements, and time. The painting remains caught in a moment.

Capturing that ephemeral moment is so gratifying to me in my Fine Art. I control it, unlike my Garden which is usually out of control.

You can visit this Watercolor painting on my website in The Work or you can buy a print of it in The Store.

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Looking closely

My Art Starts In The Garden Posted on by  

Muscari armeniacumGrape muscari, otherwise known as Grape Hyacinths live close to the ground. For years I never took much notice of them except for the little spots of brilliant purple that bounced so nicely against the bright yellow daffodils they bloomed along with in April.

Then I got down. Hands and knees down.

What a surprise! How intricate the little flowers are. Little bells dance around a central stem forming a small pyramid. This inflorescence changes shape as it ages and can be more and less tightly knit.

The individual purple doesn’t seem to change on each bell but the overall purple varies when viewed at a distance based upon the tightness of the overall flower.

Muscari azureumI enjoyed these 4″ bulbs so much in my garden that I bought a bag of them from Costco one year and low and behold the next spring the flowers that bloomed were very different from my originals. They were more blue then purple and had a more rounded then pyramidal over shape.

So I googled Grape Muscari and found a world of cultivars I didn’t previously know existed. That’s one of the things that is so much fun about gardening. You are constantly in a learning mode. You are in for surprises every year and every season. The knowledge and information you acquire just keeps on growing, along with your garden.

So now I know that so far in my garden I have Muscari armeniacum and M. azureaum. Next year I’m sure to have more.

Digital Mixed Media Painting - Grape MuscariWhen I made my Digital Mixed Media Painting of my Grape Muscari I was careful to recreate the basal growth of the leaves. It would not have been accurate if I’d placed the leaves higher on the stem. The painting would have looked like a plant Frankenstein. As a Garden Artist, that is not what I’m trying to create.

You can view this Grape Muscari piece in my Store.

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