In an effort to build more vibrant blog, I signed up for a class called Blog Triage with Cynthia Morris and Alyson Stanfield.  My first assignment is to describe the people I want to visit and read my blog.  My first impulse is to say I want everyone to read it, but do I?  It really is a giant question, and one that I have wrestled with for several years (who is my audience).  I realize that to reach an audience it would certainly help to know who they are, and maybe where they are.

I guess I need to say what it is I do that requires an audience.  First is art-or at least my vision of art.  I have been told that to call myself an artist might be a bit snobby, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder sort of thinking.  But, I do create and my goal and motto is to capture a moment in time with a brush and the colors of nature.  I paint with oils, acrylics, watercolors, and pastels.  I do impressionistic to realistic paintings of things I find in nature…flowers, landscapes, creatures, and still life set ups. I paint them on canvas, on paper, and even on walls (though I must admit I have not found the walls as enjoyable as the other surfaces.)   I also paint (in acrylics) a traditional style of folk art on functional sufaces.  Items that can literally hold photos, mementos, etc that capture a moment in time.  I do boxes for weddings, funerals, births, anniversaries, and any special occasion you can think of.  I even have a box that will hold a wedding dress! (It comes with a stand that makes it a very unique side table.  No one would guesss that inside is a very special momento of a wedding day!)  So I hope to reach the audience that is looking for a special one of a kind gift. Letting that person inside of my world helps them know how special a gift of my creations can be. Bloging invites the reader inside the writers world. It makes a gift even more personal (especially when the art is actually personalized as I can do). 

I also love to design items for which I write up instructions, package them and market them as lessons.  That leads to teaching.  My family, friends, (and students) say I am a natural teacher.  I can’t help but teach.  It is who I am.  So whether I have a traditional classroom setting, and I am up in front of a group of students, or in a one on one setting, or in an informal group, class, gathering, I am always teaching and reaching to meet the individual needs of people who are in my presence.  It is so much a part of me I don’t even realize I am doing it.  (I come from a family of teachers, have a B.S. and a Master’s in Education fields, and have taught in both public and private schools.)  I strongly believe that everyone can learn, and it is up to the teacher to find the modality which best suits the student to learn.

At this time in my life, my children are grown, grandchildren are blessing me, my husband of 34 (almost) years is retiring, I now just want to paint, paint, paint.  AND I would love to be able to earn a steady income from my art!  As we hope to travel some, and take advantage of the freedom from set hours, I plan to take my art with me, painting, photographing and perhaps teaching on the way.  I want to spend time out west with my husband, and I would love to teach a class out there while he hunts, fishes, and scouts.  I want to photograph the mountains, the streams, the big skies.  I want to see it all!

So, my blog can be my travel companion as well.  I hope to reach others who want to learn to paint, those who want to hear about my travels and the beautiful sites we hope to see.  As I create my art I want to share photos of the places as well as the steps to creating the art, and of course pictures of finished pieces.  I imagine my audience could be young adults to seniors.  Moderate income to upper level incomes.  Actually more important than the age or income would be the things the readers enjoy.  My readers would enjoy art, nature, peaceful environments, some might be interested in history, preservation of our beautiful world, and others might just like to see or hear about the special frog I encountered in Lebanon, TN (he graces the top of this blog!).

I love words, so I look for readers who enjoy a get away.  I teach so I hope to reach other artists who want to learn, and as a student or a teacher I am always learning so I know I will do a lot of learning and growing.  I imagine that young or old the blog readers will be obviously comfortable with my blog style of prose, and I hope they will write back with comments and questions.  I want and need this communication to feed me as an artist, to help me grow to new heights.  Having an audience seems to demand a higher sense of perfection. 

Who am I writing for?  YOU, the artist comparing and sharing news, the art collector and appreciater looking for new work, the student wanting to learn new techniques and get new ideas, the naturalist enjoying the beautiful of the earth and its inhabitants,the historian who wants to learn more about the techniques of traditional styles of folk art, or the fine art techniques, the friend who wants to keep in touch, the company who seeks that unique item for their cherished employees or clients, the parent who needs a gift for the best teacher, the person who wants a bit of bliss in their home or office (a painting that will take your mind on a mini mind staycation), the family celebrating the newest addition to their family (baby or four legged friends),and those remembering and/honoring the life or accomplishment of someone special to them with a gift of a Moments In Time box.

Tags: audience, client gift, floral, moment in time, nature, painter, preservation of nature, student of art, travel
Posted in The Business of Art, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

PK Seay Studios Traditional Style Folk Art

PK Seay Studios Fine Art Display

Here are two displays from the First Federal Bank in Lanesville, IN.  The one on the above (Folk Art) was up August 16-23, and the one on the right went up today (August 23-30).  The bank offers business a place to display and share in a program called Spotlight on Business.  Since I had two weeks I split my art into the two genre’s.  Hope you get a chance to stop by the bank and see this week’s display first hand.

Tags: acrylic, Fine ARt, First Federal BAnk, floral, Folk ARt, nature, Spotlight on Business, watercolors
Posted in The Business of Art | No Comments »

I received a challenge from Alyson B. Stanfield to look back at 2009 and see what I have accomplished.  In the hurried pace of our lives, we often fail to look back and review to learn and give thanks.  I thought I would take that look back and see what happened to 2009.  Alyson gave us several questions to begin our review so we could realize all we have accomplished in the past year and see where we need to make improvements.  I should explain that Alyson is a business coach who works primarily with artists.  I found her book through an online seminar I attended and have found it to be a wonderful source of information for artists and for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit!

A couple of years ago, I came to the decision that I would put my energy towards art.  Now I have taught painting for over 30 years, of course painting all that time for myself and occasionally for others.  In the early 80’s, I met people in a company known as Ceramichrome.  The manufacturing facility was located near my home at that time in the town of Stanford, Kentucky.  Stan Clifford and Jim Miller asked me to use the paint they were making and compare it to other brands of craft paint.  I did, and boy was I impressed with the coverage of the paint, which was intended as paint for ceramic bisque pieces.  It did not, however, have the sheen other craft paints had.  The chemists or mixers fixed that, and the company went on to become Deco Art paints.  I was fortunate to be around when the first bottles of paint were introduced.  In fact, I, via cut and paste, helped design the first label.  I was hired to teach some of their staff to “tole” paint and became a liaison between the ceramic industry they had been and the growing decorative painting industry.  I was given a phone card (for long distance calls) and told to call the “big brushes” to offer them a complete set of paint to try for free!  Can you imagine that, giving a woman a calling card and telling her to talk on the phone about something she absolutely loved!  What a job. 

I moved from that area in 1985 (February 11 during an ice storm, to be exact) and had to leave the job soon after.  I tell you this to know where I came from.  During this time, I attended several Society of Decorative Painting Conventions, wrote magazine articles for Deco Art, designed my own patterns, taught several days per week, traveled with Deco Art and taught for them at conventions and trade show, and yet I did not believe I had any ability or the right to call myself an artist. Remember, I was drawing and designing my own patterns, cutting my own wood pieces and selling then, and doing quite well while raising two small children, keeping house, and all that went with that.

Now move forward 20 or so years, and I decide maybe I do have some ability.  I took a few watercolor classes and found them to be so fulfilling.  I crave the time to paint and create.  I live and breathe with my head so full of ideas.  I entered a couple of pieces in juried shows and was actually accepted.  I painted a large sculptured horse, and it won accolades.  Okay, a few good pieces still don’t tell the whole story, but the point is people are now buying what I am designing and painting. 

So, I decide I want to make this a career, and the rest is my history in the making.  I found a coach to help me in the business of art and started down this road.  This is where Alyson comes in, and I begin to review the past year.

I won’t go into all the questions she asked, but  I HAVE answered them all for my sake.  In 2009, I was co-owner of Bliss located in the Blue Velvet shop on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky.  I sold several paintings there and met wonderful new friends, but the Blue Velvet Shop closed, and I moved on.

I traveled to seminars and painted with some wonderful new teachers, met more new friends, and gained a lot of new skills.

Through my business classes, I have learned about QuickBooks, Adobe Photoshop (still struggling there), set up a website with a wonderful web master, Marian Jackson, (still building that, too), learned about blogging and now have a blog, and twittering and Facebook, and I have linked up with several other social and business networking groups.

I have a beautiful home studio where I love to work, and new business cards and signage have been printed.  I have a monthly newsletter with a growing audience and take part in several annual shows.  I am now in three galleries in the Kentuckiana area and am beginning to plan traveling teaching events.  I was published in the Decorative Painter Magazine this year.  I consolidated all my notes with names and addresses on them to one computerized mailing list.  I set up regular (kind of) studio hours and now spend time daily working there.

I have begun working with Traditions Paints (acrylics), using them as watercolors and like an oil paint (more on that another time), and am listed as one of 70 or so artists in the world who will be teaching in a new online art education program beginning in 2010!  I also have played with adding pastels over watercolors, and the results are beautiful, if I do say so myself.

I have learned to delegate and to say no, as well as how to express an opinion out loud (not a small task for me).  I have accepted what I am not qualified to do and asked for help in learning or accomplishing filing, computer technology, and bookkeeping tasks.

I look back at 2009 and think about all I accomplished and say, “thanks” to all those friends, family, and mentors who have lead or dragged me towards my goals.  I am excited about 2010 and what is to come.  I have more to do to get my business in order, and I need to paint every day to grow my skills.  I am happy to be healthier but still need to do more towards the goal of good health and, dare I say it, losing weight!  

I hope I haven’t bored you with this evaluation of my year.  It has been good to step back and put in writing what I have done.  I encourage you to try it.  I would love to hear from you on your 2009 and your goals for 2010.

Peace and creative energy,

Pam

Tags: Alyson Stanfield, Deco Art, Inc., Marian Jackson, new year, Pam Seay, Society of Decorative Painters
Posted in The Business of Art | 2 Comments »