villainous FRUIT

I blew my grocery budget this week.  I ran out of vanilla, almonds, pecans & walnuts all at one time.  I may or may not have fallen prey to a Pinterest recipe that called for what seems like all the avocados in California, ha.  Avocado toast is the villain once again.  I see a lot of rice and beans for the end of the month.  Do you rule your budget or does your budget rule you?

One of the most common stumbling blocks to productivity that I hear from artists is budget.  Some media are incredibly expensive, some are not.  We don’t always choose our media; sometimes it chooses us.  So what do you do when you can’t afford 16 new tubes of oil? I have a friend that has become a master of mixing and regularly stocks only 6 colors.  Early on, he did only monochromatic work that allowed him to stock only 3 tubes.  I’m not suggesting this is your answer;  I don’t have the answers.  But I know that I must create, so I must find a way.

For years, I only did work that was under 12″ x 12″.  Because I worked on gallery wrapped canvas or cradled wood I could ship anything I made via USPS Priority Mail for $8 or less.  Now that I’m working on paper, I am torn between framing affordably small pieces or adding huge chunks of museum-quality matting to increase the negative space.  That means you’re average 8″ x 10″ piece is 16″ x 20″ framed and 18″ x 24 “x 4″ by the time it is wrapped & packed & shipped.  That doesn’t go anywhere in the continental U.S. for less than $36 bucks, and $50+ internationally, each way.  This next show is for work 10″ x 10″, so if I work the math backwards, I would have to do 4″x4”.  Hmmm, challenge accepted.  

So, how about you?  Do you normally work small or is this a challenge for you?  Entry is cheap & the size means shipping is cheap.  Check out this Call for Entries from The Studios of Key West & Lemonade Stand Gallery (Key West, FL) for 2019 Small Works Exhibit at the Sanger Gallery.  $14 Entry & 50% commission.  This show has a multi-year history for you to research.  Is this right for you?

•

CALL for ENTRIES:
2019 Small Works Exhibit from
the Lemonade Stand Gallery

•

ELIGIBILITY:  Open to all artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to all media. Finished work, must be 10″ or less including the frame.

DEADLINE:  March 1, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $14 per piece entered

SUBMISSION NOTE: “When applying, please send the most clear image of your work.  This year we would also like to have an on-line reception, giving the accepted art an even better chance to sell.  The better your photos that we receive via this entry process, the more of a chance we will put it on-line.  White backgrounds are preferred for this, but not required.”

SALES:  The gallery will retain 50% commission on sold work. All artwork must be for sale, and artists will be paid by May 31, 2019.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!