Occasionally one forgets how much work is involved in preparing for demonstrations or upcoming exhibits. The past two weeks has been super busy as I realized that I could have small prints of some of my paintings, making my art more affordable to those who can't afford an original painting. That said, I set about searching for a company that could provide mat boards, backing boards, and plastic sleeves (aka fitted bags) to properly exhibit prints of my work. I found the company at Matboard & More LLC.
I already had some wonderful cold press art papers from Epson to work in my old Epson Stylus Photo 1400 printer. I tested the paper and found that the paintings came out looking fantastic on these papers, so I printed up about 40 pieces in two different sizes to have ready for the upcoming shows. Then, of course, I had to sign the prints, put them in the mats, and finally in the bags. Now that it's behind me, I can say it was all worthwhile!
In preparation for my Open Studio, I also needed some sort of display rack to hold the paintings that do not fit on my studio walls. At the moment, I have 24 finished paintings hanging in the studio - this after a weekend of rearranging, installing new window treatments, and cleaning the studio. Only 18 pieces fit on the wall, so how best display the remaining few? I love shopping on-line - thankfully. So I looked for display racks - of which there are many thousands to choose from! Who knew??? I finally found something that would work with my sizes of artwork at Displays2Go. And I found something sturdy and affordable! It was under $35.00 including shipping and handling. You can see from the above photo that it works very well for my purposes.
I probably should have started this entry with the fact that last month I sold two pieces via this blog and another 9 pieces at the State College Framing Company & Gallery. Thus I felt I could invest in the business of art - all with the intention of being able to pay for my supplies, at the very least! Below are the pieces sold during the month of March.
Most people are unaware of how much art supplies cost the artist. Above are just a few of the expenses that artists make in order to increase the sales. One day perhaps I will post photos of all the supplies stored in every possible corner of my studio, not to mention stored in the sewing studio downstairs... But this is enough for today. Hope you enjoy the little tour!
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