Our area had a big Open Studios Tour that included 87 artists and 3 communities.  Attendence and sales were down 40-50% this year.  It was very disappointing.  I'm wondering how is the economy treating artists in other parts of the country?  Some of the art galleries in my area - and there aren't many - are also struggling; if it wasn't for their framing services, they would have to close their doors.

The "state of the economy" sure puts a truth to the old saying "starving artist."  - Linda

This coming weekend, May 25, will be the first outdoor art show for me for this selling season.  I've been busy printing some 8x10 and 13x19 photo reproduction prints to sell along with notecards and my original paintings.

The economy in our area hasn't been very good for sales of originals, but last year I did very well with my prints and notecards.  I sold a few originals, but I'm hoping this year will be better.

 Working and working hard.  There's so much to do and not enough time to do it all.  So I need to prioritize.  Trouble is, my top priority items spread over the whole top of the paper! 

 I just took on two new beginning painting students in my home studio.  I love the enthusiasm that beginning students have and it keeps me energized.  I'm also going to begin teaching in my community's adult education program after an absence of over a year.  I took a year off after my mom passed away.  I needed some space.

 I have new work on my drawing table - some artists paint using an easel, I use a drawing table; and I have a couple pieces I'm reworking. And, I'm working on a book of photography.  Always keeping busy is something I just love to do as long as it is creative: painting, drawing, writing a book, photography, even gardening and cooking.  To me it's all part of the same quilt.

 But, you may ask, how do you keep up your energy?  Easy, I attempt to get enough sleep, I make a stab at eating properly - although I do use too much salt on occasion and I do love Wild Mango Fruit Blasts at Baskin-Robbins...but the best thing I do for myself is drink my MonaVie.  This blend of 19 fruits is just amazing.  Anyway...eat right, get enough sleep and follow your artistic muse.  Now there's a recipe for fulfillment.

I have a big "thank you" to various members of Scuttlebutt because I have yet discovered another cool website: facebook.  You'd think I'd have heard about this social site somewhere else, but not me.  You see I'm no teenager and social websites that are not directly involved with art just don't come under my radar.  But I was reading a Scuttlebutt member's blog and she wrote about it and I checked it out.  Just another cool place to talk to folks.  And let them know about your art. 

I've learning a lot from Scuttlebutt members, like about ACEOs...however, I just don't have enough hours in my day to explore those.

Got inspired to do more painting by a trip to Half Moon Bay (CA) on Easter Sunday and, if I knew how to put a photo in this blog, I would include a really cool photo I took of the ocean.  Happy painting.

 I'm pretty excited about something new I'm doing that I discoverd here at Art Scuttlebutt through reading what other artists' are doing: I discovered cafepress.com.  This is a very cool "store" I guess you could call it.  You can set up your own shop and sell everything from coffee mugs to tee-shirts that have images of your own artwork on them.  It is extremely user-friendly and I'm pleased to say my shop is up and running: www.cafepress.com/LindaSmithart - check it out if you have the time.  Since I'm both a fine artist and a photographer, I have divided my store into two sections: one with products that carry my photo images, and one with products that carry images of my fine art paintings.

 In this day of almost economic recession, artists I've talked to are having to find all kinds of ways to market their work to generate income.  CafePress is one way to do this.  My family is actually quite excited about it.  My daughter encouraged me to put a few images on infant wear so she could order some for my grandson.  How cool is that?

 Another awesome website I've discovered is Blurb.com.  I actually came across this one in the April issue of Oprah's magazine, just a little bitty article, but it is opening up a whole new world for me as an artist.  At Blub.com you can write your own books.  The software is very very easy to use and free to download and the quality is first rate.  I've looked through some of the books they have in the public bookstore and it is impressive.  I'm already at work on a book of photography and have a couple more ideas in the works.

 In other areas of art-related things, I'm doing more teaching than ever.  I have private students who come to my home studio and I teach through my community's adult education program and through its parks and rec program.  The gallery I'm associated with also offers classes and I hope to teach there as well.  Of course, I still need to make time to paint.

Who knew February could be so busy?  I thought the "art season" wouldn't get going until well into April, but not this year!  I had three events happen or get started all within three days of each other...prep for the three took me all of January! 

As hectic as it was, it was great fun.  A gallery I belong to [which is very new to its community participated in a wine stroll event as one of the tasting stops...it brought several hundred people into the gallery to discover this new gallery, meet the artists and see the works on display.  As part of this event, the artists who are members of the gallery were asked by the owner to paint a painting that will be sold through silent auction to benefit a new art venue in the community.  [I had a very busy three weeks finishing that painting!] It was a very successful evening - and the weather was remarkably agreeable.

The second thing was to get works ready for a two month show at a new winery in my community.  Part of the overall event will be a charity auction of painted wine barrels.  I picked up a barrel and am doing an abstract painting on it I call "Barrel Racing."  I stylized horses and have six of them racing around the barrel...they are, of course, "horses of a different color!"

The third event was to help in a fundraiser for one of our local art venues in my community by painting wine glasses and posters.  It was a Mardi Gras theme.  I painted two posters which were used for decoration.  The huge surprise was that one of the posters actually sold!  And the other was requested as part of one of the vendors' payment for services!  Imagine that!  I was happy to participate as it was a good cause and I was pleased that my work was appreciated.

I don't do much charity work...my time and resources are limited...but when a cause does come along that I believe in, I will either donate a piece I already have or produce something for it as with the wine barrel.  What about other artists out there...how do you all view charity donations?