Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

This sculpture uses real dried giant mushrooms illuminated using a stylus with metallic paint. Using natural items like mushrooms is one of my favorite sculpture mediums. This piece surpassed my expectations. 

It will be on display and for sale during the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans. For information on where to see it or for purchase, contact the studio at greyacross@aol.com

The sign of a successful art event that you participate in, is not always calculated in pieces sold. Equally important is how successful your networking was, how many contacts with other artists, potential buyers and how much you learned about the art market in your area. The more benefits you get for a longer period of time, the more successful the event was. Don't always look at money being the only factor. 

The Artist's Question of the Day

How many hours a week do you devote to your art? How many hours would you prefer to devote to your art each week? (answer below)

The 40/60 Rule

The 40/60 rule is a simple guideline I use when creating art. It means that I use 40% of my time to plan out the piece of art. The remaining 60% is pure inspiration. We can get bogged down in the planning of our art, or exactly the opposite, we do not devote enough time to the planning.

By using the 40/60 rule it allows me to consider the planning of a piece of art without losing that crucial spontaneous inspiration necessary for the creation of great art.

New artists can get bogged down in the process of art. So much so that they lose their inspiration. By applying the 40/60 rule they can eliminate many of the small problems that creep into the art process while at the same time maintaining the all important inspiration that drives us all.

DON'T LOSE YOUR INSPIRATION! 

The Mardi Gras 12 Days of Pop Up Art

To all our New Orleans artists friends

Starting on February 22nd, Uptown New Orleans goes through Mardi Gras heaven/hell for 12 days as the 2019 Mardi Gras parades begin rolling down St Charles Avenue.

Grey Cross Studios new outdoor alley studio is located only a few blocks from the parade route and for that time period there will be like a zillion people moving through our neighborhood. We are in the final stages of building an outdoor lit alleyway studio where art can be displayed. We will be opening up the alleyway to passersby who would like to stop and ogle the art (and hopefully buy) while going to and from the parade route.

We are inviting any artists who would like to participate in a Pop Up art show that will last through the 12 days leading up to Fat Tuesday on March 5th. We will be opening the alleyway any time there is a parade happening which pretty much means every night and many days till Fat Tuesday.

We will take art from artists, sculptors, photographers, etc. There is limited space so we are asking that you limit it to three pieces in total. The art will remain at the studio until the holiday is over. If there is inclement weather the art will be moved to the inside studio until the weather passes.

We are asking a small $10 fee to artists interested. This is to offset costs for any hanging or special supplies we may need during the show. This is NOT $10 per piece. Just a flat $10 and we will not be taking any percentage of anything that sells.

If you would like to reserve a spot for your art or have questions, contact me through email at greyacross@aol.com and I will be happy to let you know specifics and drop off dates.

We also invite artists and friends to feel free to come see the parades and hang out with us anytime during the Mardi Gras season.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!!

~Grey~

PS Please pass this on to any New Orleans artists who may be interested! But don't wait too long, spaces will go fast and the parades start soon!

Art Experiments - Styrofoam & Mortar

Experimental Artists live to explore new techniques. Sometimes its important that we approach and art experiment without any preconceptions of what we want to create. 

The experiment above began with only one goal, to see how mortar reacts to styrofoam. I'm coming at it from the idea of creating a surface that has multiple dimensions. 

Creating an Art Team (Show Prep 101)

Are you ready to put on your first art show independently of a gallery? 

I think a key to a successful show that you put on yourself is the strength of the team you get to help you put it together. I think as artists we tend to want to do it all ourselves and that is where we can often fail.

Having a team of volunteers to help you with the basic details takes (some) of the weight off your shoulders and lets you concentrate on being the artist.

Tantric Portraiture

Alright, I admit this one might sound strange to most artists. But one of the art forms I've developed I call "Tantric Portraiture". Most people think that the word tantric must have a connotation to sex. Tantric sex has been practiced for thousands of years as a form of bringing body and soul together in a merging. 

But the word "tantric" is Sanskrit and means "to weave energy". 

The Art of Landon Huber (New Work Added)

"Heads Vomit Heads"
Artist: Landon Huber
Twitter: @HuberLandon
Specs: This piece of art was first drawn by hand using pencil and paper and made into a tight drawing. Then scanned and digitally Painted using photoshop.
Purchase Info at: https://society6.com/landonhuberart

Grey's Notes on This Piece: Landon has an amazing sense of imagination. Viewing his work is more like taking a trip into the dark side of ones mind. Sometimes disturbing, sometimes enlightening. What I find interesting about the above piece is the symmetry. Surrealistic art is some of the hardest art to create symmetry within. But if you move your eyes clockwise starting at the raised hand and follow around in a complete circle, the symmetry is nearly perfect. The angle of the floor and walls, the archway, even the pattern on the floor still allow for an easy transition around the piece. If you flip the image, its easy to see that the symmetry does not work in the opposite direction. I look forward to viewing more of Landon's work in the future. ~G~

War & Surrealism Art

From time to time I get obsessed with a particular genre of images. This often results in an artistic exploration of that genre. The more knowledge we have as artists, the better our ability to explore more and more complex themes in our art. 

A recent obsession with urban decay led me to an exploration of war photos that show the bleak realities of battle. I took a particular interest in photos showing bombed out cities on the verge of collapse. I think there is a stark beauty in these images. There is no doubt that they carry with them a emotional depth that effects us when we see them. 

The image above was taken of Leningrad during World War II. Its one of many that fascinates me. I was looking at it the other night and I thought to myself, what if the image were raised up from stark reality to surrealism? What if the image took on an almost dreamlike state. How would it change perceptions of the image?

And right there I recognized a conceptual idea that needed to be explored. War and surrealism. So I reworked the image above to transform it into something new.

Dr Grimm's Freak Circus & Petting Zoo - Understanding the Concept Behind the Art

Dr Grimm's is part of my Evolutionary art series. The piece is a combination of graffiti and street art which is themed towards a particular subject. The Dr. Grimm's piece was developed for a show where the theme was clowns. The piece is 7 feet high by 5 feet across but only 4 inches deep. 

It is the second piece created for the Evo Art series. The first "The Door to Nowhere" was themed around climate change and was shown at a December show in New Orleans. 

There are a few unique aspects to the art form. 

The Idea Makers

The eternal search for new ideas becomes harder every moment that civilization exists. This is literally true. Our ability to create completely spontaneous and new ideas is gradually getting harder and harder. 

As technology increases we are able to explore new avenues of ideas and creativity, but we will eventually reach a point somewhere in the future where everything that can be thought up, very well might be. 

Depression and the Artist

Severe depression can be a fierce battle between sanity and insanity. Its an experience that I would wish on no one.

I watched my mother struggle with it her whole life. It was so bad that not once but on several different occasions I was forced (after I was an adult of course) to have her temporarily committed so we could keep her from killing herself. It was a constant battle and one that for much of her life was controlled by badly prescribed drugs that made her situation worse. But even in more recent years when the drug quality was much better, getting her to stay on them was a battle.

From Artist to Entrepreneur: How to Start a Home-Based Business - By Brittany Fisher (Guest Writer)

Photo by Pixabay

We all have something we are particularly good at or passionate about, and for you, it’s art. No matter what medium you use, you have a knack for it. With this particular artistic skill also comes the opportunity to start your own home-based business.

As an artist, you’ve already got the skills necessary to run your own business – tenacity, adaptability, problem-solver, self-critique. You have the framework, so here’s how to launch it.

Start with a Business Plan 

Let the Gallery Handle It

We take a lot of things for granted when a gallery handles a showing of our art. I discuss the negative aspects of the gallery system and how it is failing emerging and unknown artists. But lets talk about some of the positive things a gallery does.

We count on the gallery having an A List of potential buyers of our work. But there is a lot more that goes into doing a showing.