CREATIVE KIDS CAMP
Soon after Spark Box opened its doors we began receiving inquiries about hosting a children’s art camp during the summer. However, the thought of a bunch of paint-covered kids running around our small studio space was enough to keep us up at night. When we expressed our dilemma, our supportive community stepped forward to provide us with a camp location! Mia Lane, and her daughter Becky Lane, offered to host the camp on an amazing wooded property by Fish Lake. During the week of August 16 – 20, 8 kids from all over the world came to print, paint, draw and sculpt in the woods.
Not only did we have a great location, we also got great help. Becky Lane, a local designer, helped Chrissy Poitras plan, organize and run the camp. While the kids had fun creating their art, they were also taught and inspired by the art history each of their projects was drawn from. The campers learnt about the impressionists while painting en plein air, the earth art movement in the 1960s by creating sculptures out of natural materials, and the history of street art when making their own graphic text pieces, to name a few.
By the end of the camp the kids had created an impressive array of remarkable art works, installed their own exhibition in the woods, titled and priced their work, and made personalized invitation for their family and friends. They had a great turn out and some even sold some work!
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
A few years ago I found an article titled “I wanted to become an artist, so I quit my job and became one” by Christopher Fife on the New York City Foundation for the Arts site. I was a recent graduate when I found this article and I thought that this article offered a good perspective on maintaining balance between practice, work and life. I feel that many of us go through this tough debate in our head and struggle to come to a working balance.
After leaving Queen’s and heading off into the world I was faced with a choice- Do I get a “real” job and paint from time to time OR do I devote myself fully to being an artist?
Unfortunately due to crippling OSAP debt it wasn’t a hard choice … I needed a full time job and art would just have to come second. So I got a full time job at Oeno Gallery and although my job at the gallery was great and gave me many opportunities to stay connected with the art world I was not content because I was hardly making any work.
So last December I quit my job at the gallery and committed myself fully to Spark Box- the business Kyle and I opened together with the hopes we could make our own work and support others who wanted to do the same.
Over the past year Kyle and I have talked with many artist (friends, residents and open studio members) about the life of the artist and the trials and tribulations associated to our careers. Most of these conversations centered around the same theme- money vs. passion.
One resident Susan Gardiner Bourlier went to school for architecture. After she finished school she took on a good job at a good firm and was making decent money. The only problem was she wasn’t really happy. She knew that her heart wasn’t in the business and that she really wanted to be a painter. Much like myself she seemed to have what every post grad wanted … a good job in the field they went to school in. But, also like myself, her heart wasn’t in it. So she quit her job and has now devoted her life to being a painter. She said “I guess I had to pick happiness over money”.
Although her statement seemed harsh it raised a good point that many new artists don’t like to think about, which is that being an artists requires you to reassess your priorities in life. These priorities can be different for everyone, for some it is being ok with loosing a bi-weekly pay cheque, for others it is losing social time in order to paint after work and for some it is knowing that you aren’t going to have a multi-million dollar life style. I do believe artists can make money at their work, you have work really hard for it to be lucrative but it is an actual possibility.
I suppose all I am trying to say is that when you pick art as your career your life will change and even though those changes will be hard it is worth it!
For more information on getting started as a professional artist check out our Emerging Artist Guide.
BETH FREY
Beth Frey has an interesting way of looking at story telling and the creation of visual narratives. During her spring stay at Spark Box Studio this multidisciplinary artist created a number of highly detailed works on paper.
To some Beth’s work may appear to be quirky illustrations full of humorous characters in exotic environments, however, coming from a performance and video art background it is not surprising that Beth’s core concept is the history of story telling.
The drawings she made while at Spark Box were for a show in Toronto at the Gladstone. The curator had given the artists a short story of a young boy who was traveling through an enchanted forest being tricked by several squirrels along his journey. Beth’s visual interpretations of this story were soft in palette but complex in imagery. The piece ended up being a triptych full of elements that walked the viewer through the narrative of the fairy tale.
For more information on Beth, including upcoming exhibits please visit her website www.bethfrey.com
CHARACTER OF THE DAY
DAY 11
DAY 10
DAY 9
DAY 8
DAY 7
DAY 6
DAY 5
DAY 4
DAY 3
DAY 2
DAY 1
We have had illustrator Niall Eccles working at the studio since we opened and have always enjoyed watching him work on his projects. Recently he has made the experience all the better with his daily characters.
I have always wanted to be disciplined enough to commit to a drawing a day … but alas it just isn’t in the cards for me. However, it is a practice I should adopt and we should all take a page from Niall’s book and try to create something everyday.
As a way of honoring Niall’s “Character of the Day” we will be posting them to our website daily!
These little drawings will be for sale at the studio if one of them catches your eye and you just have to have it!
DON MAYNARD
In mid-winter of 2010 we had the pleasure of hosting Kingston-based artist Don Maynard at our residency. Maynard has explored a variety of mediums over his career, spanning from drawing to multi-media installation, the latter being very impressive and mesmerizing. During his time at Spark Box Studio Maynard developed a mock-up for a sculpture commissioned by the City of Ottawa Archives. The sculpture is a floating house, which appears to hover 20 feet above the ground, and is held down by six stainless steel ropes lashed over the roofline—“ropes” that actually serve as a giant support structure from which the house hangs. Maynard remarked when asked why he decided to do a residency “Sometimes you have to get away from your own studio to get something done”, making Spark Box Studio a great location to prepare the scale model for the sculpture.
We couldn’t have been happier to have him working in our studio and to later feature him in the first issue of Square2 and exhibit his work at the launch on the upper floor of Books and Company.
To learn more about Don Maynard pick up a copy of Square2 Magazine!
SWOON
With an upcoming day workshop in relief printing (July 29) and the screening of the Bansky film “Exit Through the Gift Shop” at the Regent tonight it seemed appropriate to do a short blog about a pretty amazing relief printermaker /street artist in NYC. Her name is Caledonia Dance Curry or better known as Swoon and she has taked the art world by storm with her wheatpaste drawings, large scale installations and fleet of make-shift pirate ships that made sailed down the Mississippi River and crashed the 2009 Venice for the Biennale.
I first found out about Swoon through The Run Up interview series. Her interview was really inspiring because not only is she amazing and talented but you can really feel the passion she has for what she is doing. I think that Swoon is one street artist that illustrates the power of taking art to the streets and making art an experience for everyone to enjoy.
On top of everything else her relief work is absolutely stunning. Each piece is a highly labored portrait of someone she saw in a park, met on the streets or has known for years. These relief prints are detailed, captivating and remarkably well executed!
SALON PRIZE
Just wanted to give Kingston artists a heads up about the Salon Prize Juried exhibition. Sounds like a great opportunity to get your work seen in Kingston. Below are the details and a link to the website.
About Salon Prize
The birth of The Salon Prize came from Cleah Bunting’s overwhelming desire to help out other artists in their own working lives. The prize was originally done in association with The Kingston School of Art–however due to the demands of the growing contest–the competition out grew the school.
Cleah’s intentions with the competition is to provide not only prizes, but also opportunities for artists to showcase their work. This prize is about the image presented to us (judges)…meaning we are not concerned with current artwork/styles, the artists reputation, nor where they stand in the community. As a show–we are looking for images that evoke and capture our audience–that are not only acts of brilliance but will also encourage creative growth amongst many of the artists whom visit the show.
I believe strongly in Kingston’s creative community–and with pleasure feel it necessary to show my respect to other artists by allowing them a voice through this project. This contest is all about “What is best for the image……”
I would like to thank Kingston’s community support for allowing this prize to thrive well into it’s second year–for we could not have done it without you.
And we wish every entrant the best success!!
“Happy Painting”–Ted Seth Jacobs.
Prizes
The Salon Prize is proud to support the Fine Arts Community by offering the following
prizes to contest participants.
1st Place – $1000!
2nd Place -500!
3rd Place – $100 Wallacks Gift Card!
This year we will also be featuring a $100 door prize just for the fun of it!
For more information and entry form go to www.salonprize.com
TEEN SUMMER ART SHOW
Attention all talented Prince Edward County teens the Picton Public Library will be hosting their annual “Teen Art Show” on July 10th. All teens (13-19) are invited to submit artwork to any branch of the County of Prince Edward Public Library for display in the Teen Room at the Picton Branch. This year, the show is being judged by talented local illustrator Niall Eccles.
They accept art in any media – collage, photography, painting, sculpture, whatever you’re into They’ll display it (as long as it’s suitable for display in a public building).
For more information, stop by the library, e-mail teenroom@peclibrary.org or facebook “teen room”.
RESIDENT: MIRANDA BOUCHARD
From Sault Ste. Marie, Miranda Bouchard, came to stay with us for a week under our residency award program. It has been wonderful getting to know Miranda on both an artistic level and personal level. She graduated from the university of Guelph and is now working full time in a marketing / communications position for a gallery in Sault Ste. Marie. As with many of our residents we get the opportunity to exchange and share our experiences of being emerging artists. Quite often the hardships of being freshly graduated, financially hindered, limited in space, and underemployed are met with sympathy. It may sound terrible but it is nice to meet others who are similar situations, especially in times of strained economical circumstances. Consistently what we gain and learn from our conversations with residents is that their resolve, determination, drive and ambition keep them positive, alive, moving forward towards accomplishing their artistic goals despite all the troubles young artists face.
Miranda was working with old found photographs and negatives from the early to mid 20th century. She was taking stacking images together to form interwoven new pictures from which she would translate into drawings. Here is a bit from her artist statement: “My works begin with technologically-mediated subjects: images captured by digital recording devices or from scanned, re-captured and manipulated photographs. The process of technological filtration – that is, the passage of an image through cameras, computers, printers, scanners and photocopiers – changes the source as it blurs, obscures, flattens, collapses, pixelizes and distorts it, creating a new image, offering a changed way of seeing something familiar.”
Check out www.mirandabouchard.com for more images of Miranda’s work, her full artist statement and CV.
ART:21 VIDEOS
Here is an amazing documentary series on artists that PBS has produced. We remember first watching these videos in art class and we are excited that they’re now available online as full length videos. These videos focus on contemporary American visual artists. Strongly recommend spending a few hours checking out this series. The videos are just under an hour long and generally each one will focus on a few different themes, such as identity, memory, power and humor.
Check out www.pbs.org/art21/, enjoy some amazing documentaries.
ETCHING WITH DEVON
Here are the images from the most recent private etching workshop. Devon took a three part etching workshop from Chrissy where she learnt how to do ‘hard-ground’ and ‘soft-ground’ etchings and the basic chemistry behind the process. Here are images of Devon inking up one of the plates she produced using the ‘hard-ground’ method.
SQUARE2 LAUNCH PARTY
Join us for a night on the town! We will bring Prince Edward County’s newest arts & culture magazine to life June 10th starting at the Regent Theatre at 6 PM.
Performance art, poetry readings, live music and visual art will be occurring throughout down town Picton.
Participating locations include:
Spark Box Studio
Purchase a numbered limited launch edition of Square2 that night!
Event will be free of charge.
Sponsored by Angeline’s Inn and Restaurant
RSVP: info@sparkboxstudio.com
RESIDENT: MISHI
We realize it has been some time since we updated the blog about our recent residents, of which we have had a few over the past months. The first since the last post was Toronto-based artist Agnieszka “Mishi” Foltyn. 22-year-old Mishi is a graduate of Concordia and one of the last to visit of our 2009 fall/winter award winners. Kyle and I were both in love with her confident figurative work and her grimy drawings of boots. With a big personality and a lot of spirit Mishi feverishly worked on a number of large-scale drawings during her time at the studio.
On one occasion she was bombarded by a group of interested Loyalist College students. We were holding an etching workshop for the Art & Design Foundations at the studio and students couldn’t help be sneak into the her studio space to see what she was up to. Being the open-minded individual she is Mishi had no issues answering questions and allowing the students to take a look at her works in progress.
Mishi’s work can be seen or purchased at Gallery 133 and Art Interiors.
GO ORIGINAL!
The May 2010 issue of Moneysense magazine has a great article about buying art and how great it is!
The article explains to its readers how its time for everyone to take down their Michael Jordon dunk shot posters and framed Monet prints and put up some original art! Understanding that this can be an intimidating experience for many people writer Mark Anderson walks virgin art buyers through the process of selecting the best artwork for their home.
Anderson explains that you should buy what you love. Art can’t always be about investment, let’s face it the market is just too unpredictable. “Don’t buy what other people tell you to,” says Peter Simpson, arts editor of the Ottawa Citizen and avid art collector. Buying art that you love means you are going to be happy everyday you wake up to it.
The article tells art buyers to avoid hesitation. He who hesitates looses out! The thing about original art is that… well… it’s original! If you like something chances are so will a lot of other people and there is only one, so jump on it!
Anderson then demystifies the gallery experience. Explaining that you shouldn’t be intimidated or feel like you need to have a Fine Arts degree to enter a gallery. “You’re ultimately the only expert on what you like.” says Simpson.
For all of you artists out there Anderson also talks about the always confusing pricing structure of artwork! “The art market is perhaps one of the least efficient markets on earth… painting of seemingly similar quality can be priced tens of thousands of dollars apart”.
I found this article pretty interesting, with a lot of good points for the artist and patron. It doesn’t seem to be up on the website but I am sure you can find a copy of the magazine at your local bookstore!
MOLD MAKING
During the month of March, Tim Synder owner of the Galloping Goat hosted a mold making workshop at Spark Box Studio. Participants learned how to cast a mold from a clay object. Tim has quite the background in mold making. He has spent considerable time making dinosaur molds for various museums around the world. There are many different mold casting processes, for this workshop Tim used a two part silicone for making the mold and a white resin plastic for casting the objects from the mold.
The process begins with sculpting a 3 dimensional objects from clay. During the the first class everyone was given a brick of clay to sculpt. The next class the students built little walls around their objects and poured a two part silicone mixture that harden over 24 hours. This mixture is what will create the mold. The final class session was spent cracking open the molds and casting the objects. The group poured a resin mixture into their molds that hardens quickly and when the mold is pulled apart the final object pops out. The mold can then be reused many times to cast the object over and over.
TIME MANAGE WHAT? PART I- ORGANIZATION
So we all know how hard it is to balance work, your pets, friends, family, your favorite shows and so on. On top of all of those things how does the creative person fit in time for creating? Well the hard reality is you need to be organized! I know what you are thinking… creative people can’t be organized… they’re all over the place. Well lets fight that stereotype! Because the reality is if you’re a creative person who isn’t making anything chances are you’re becoming frustrated, irritable, angry and well, just down in the dumps.
I bet you’re saying to yourself “creativity doesn’t follow a punch clock. You can’t just schedule ‘creative time’ from 2-4″. Well, in fact, this is what needs to be done. If you don’t schedule time to create you may never find the time and all those other commitments will always come first. So you need to build time for creativity into your life and this will require a little discipline.
So as nerdy as it sounds bring out those day planners and figure out the openings in your schedule. Cut down on TV time. Say no to friends every once and awhile and block in some moments for creativity!
Kyle and I are trying to take our own advice. We have started planning ahead with friends. Making weekly commitments. We also get up early and take our dog for a walk so that we can get into the studio a few hours early to work on our own projects. Sometimes we don’t get any thing made during those first few hours but we are always working toward getting a project on the road.
A great resource is the book Time Management for the Creative Person by Lee Silber.
Looking for more fun business information check out our emerging artist website here
FILL IN THE SPACES
Spark Box Co-owner, Chrissy Poitras, recently set up her solo exhibition at the Artel in Kingston. Drawing from various accidental marks found in her surroundings Chrissy has created paintings and drawings that are installed on the first floor of the collaborative art space. The show will be open until April 30th with the Open Reception being held on April 17th from 6 – 9 pm. The Artel is located at 205 Sydenham Street and the hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11-4 pm.
TO FRAME OR NOT TO FRAME?
This weeks business blog is on the do’s and don’ts of framing artwork. During my time at the Oeno Gallery I was asked to put up a short “how to” on framing that owner Carlyn Moulton had written for artists. Below are a few of the points as well as a link to the full article. Although this article may, at times, sound a bit sarcastic these are all valid and honest comments. Some of which artists would never really think about. Working with commercial galleries can be a great thing for an artists career, these spaces work very hard promoting and selling the work of their artists. Being considerate when submitting work is quite important and these guidelines can be helpful when trying to send in well framed work.
Random Thoughts on Framing
by Carlyn Moulton
Framing is indisputably a very important aspect of presenting 2D works. Individuals are free to make a wide range of framing decisions and choices, but galleries require a more uniform presentation to avoid looking chaotic and cluttered, and to focus attention on the work itself.
Unless you have conceived the structure and the materials of your work in such a way as to negate the need for framing, the frame is part of your presentation package, and the care and attention and investment you make here conveys much about the value and respect you have for the work yourself.
As a gallery, we have had occasion to receive works by artists framed in almost every conceivable fashion – and some that were inconceivable. We are quite sure that some will have other opinions, but based on our experience to date, here are our observations and preferences.
1. Consider where you want your work to go – presumably your goal is for someone to see it and be able to imagine it in their own bedroom, livingroomor office, and then buy your work. And they need to be able to see why they should pay several hundred or thousand dollars for this work. While it is true that a bad frame can always be replaced, it is not true that clients will make that leap to imagine it framed differently. Nor do they want the hassle. Nor do they have a car big enough to carry the work to and from the framers.
2. Some artists create their own hand made rough hewn pine frames. Others use chipped old frames they got from their grandmother or in a garage sale. Some people whack barn board or lathe onto their work. Some people carve odd little flowers on to their frames. Do not do any of these things. People acquire work like this from their children, friends or relatives perhaps, but it never helps to sell it, at least not through a gallery.
4. A good frame finishes a piece. We have often hung two almost identical pieces together, one framed, the other unframed, to give people the option. They always choose the framed work. They are also prepared to pay for it. So if you choose good frames, the gallery will pay you for them when they sell your piece. Find a framer who will work with you and perhaps allow for stretched payments when you have a show.
8. The work needs to breathe. Leave a reveal around the canvas. Build up the mat so that it sits proud of the paper. Use wider mats.
12. For a collection of works going to a gallery, choose one frame that works for them all. Or if necessary, two. Despite minor size variations in the paper works, frame them up the same size, so that the client has the option of purchasing several pieces and using them in a grouping.
To read all 27 points click here: Random Thoughts on Framing
Looking for more fun business information check out our emerging artist website here.
RESIDENT: MANUELA JARRY
Quebec artist, Manuela Jarry came to the residency for two weeks. Her stay with us was super productive. Working as an artist full time she certainly knew how to get her self motivated. By the time we got into the studio each day she had already been working for several hours. Emerging artists should take note- dedication, drive and ambition are what it takes to make it as an artist. Also, creating deadlines and holding yourself accountable for making those deadlines.
While staying with us she had the opportunity to further investigate print making by producing a small black and white lino-cut and etching. She produced some very sweet prints and we were really pleased to see such good results.
By trade Manuela is a painter working for a decorative arts firm. She has had several of her decorative pieces published, however, she is moving her focus to create a body of work that better represents herself as an artist. Her time at the studio was spent developing a new body of work that she plans to show to galleries. It was exciting to see an artist turning a new page and being seriously committed to their process.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Manuela and hope to see her again in the future.
BIZ BLOG
At Spark Box Studio we not only want to provide a great space where artists can produce work but we also want to provide those artists with a little business savvy. We feel that most people using the studio get a chance to chat with us about the business of art (although this doesn’t always happen in the most organized fashion, as we often find ourselves complaining about the ins and outs of the art world over dinner and a bottle of wine). Granted we haven’t had a whole lot of experience however the two of us we have been on a major learning curve since opening the studio and trying to get our own art into shows.
Recently Chrissy has been scouring the web and reading A LOT of great business blogs for crafters, designers and artists. She has signed up for everyones newsletter and has been getting some great ideas. As well we have both been reading up on grant writing, show application procedures, starting your own non-profit and the list goes on. We feel it would be unfair to keep all this great information to ourselves… so along with our emerging artist guide we are now planning to add a weekly (or what we hope will be weekly) business blog to our site.
If you think the information you find through these blogs or our emerging artist site are good, worth your time and full of handy information you can show us through filling out the survey linked to each post. This survey will not only show us your support and give us a reason to keep working at this part of the studio, it will aid in us staying alive as it helps fulfill our grant!
Looking for more fun business information check out our emerging artist website here.
RESIDENT: SOFI QUIRNO
Our first international artist in residence was Sofi Quirno from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prior to her arriving we corresponded through email. Often artists ask questions about the residency, about us, the living situations, etc. In one email we were discussing the weather in Canada. Sofi, having never been to Canada, had read about Ontario’s -20 c and was rather concerned about how cold Canada actually was. We responded that January is quite cold and though the thermometer reads -20, the wind chill can make it -35. She prepared accordingly and brought a huge jacket, leggings, and snow pants. Strangely the entire time she was here it was mild and unseasonably warm for January and it stayed this way until the day after she left. She said that she was happy about not experiencing true Canadian winter.
It was a pleasure getting to know Sofi during her three weeks with us. In Argentina Sofi works as a galley assistant at a successful contemporary art galley. Naturally the three of us talked quite extensively about the similarities between the gallery Sofi works art and the gallery Chrissy had been working at. The conclusion we reached was that working at a gallery is hard work! In addition to art discussions we spent a lot of time talking about cultural similarities and differences.
It was really nice to hear about Sofi’s experience being an artist in Buenos Aires. Her art practice is supported by her peers who encourage each other to continue to grow and produce work. She told us that every month the group gets together and critiques one individual’s work and tries to offer guidance and constructive thoughts. We thought that this was a wonderful idea and has got the two of us thinking about how to incorporate something like this group critique into our own practices.
Sofi’s time at Spark Box Studio was spent exploring, developing, and working on a new series based on her experiences during her time in Canada. She worked in the studio, laboring over huge paintings for hours at a time. Generally this lasted until she’d crawl out from the studio and express that her knees hurt.
We also had the opportunity to introduce her to silkscreen as a plausible medium for her work. Upon watching her draw and paint for the first few days it became clear that her style would naturally transfer into silkscreen. We had a fantastic time showing her how silkscreen works and she really did enjoy her self and produced a small stack of prints.
You can visit Sofi’s blog at http://sofiquirno.blogspot.com.
RESIDENCY AWARD: JUSTIN STEINBURG
Our second recipient of our 2009 residency award was Justin Steinburg, fourth year BFA (bachelor of fine art) student at Queen’s University. Justin came to stay with us at Spark Box Studio for a weekend in mid January 2010. He arrived with a car full of waterless lithography plates and woodcuts ready to print. When attending a residency it is always best to try and maximize your time printing by preparing material ahead of the determined residency.
His first day of the residency was spent printing plates and printing a three color separation woodcut. Using little ink to a fair amount of transparent base Justin’s woodcut shows the potential for color change when using transparent inks. This woodcut is from his thesis year at Queen’s university which focuses on color theory.
The second day of Justin’s residency with us we experimented with powdered pigments that he had bought from a supplier in Ottawa. He brought with him a wide range of different pigment colors, everything from primary colors to metallic bronze, silver, gold and iridescent pearl white (which was comically named ‘super sparkle’). We spent the day mixing up pigments into transparent base and testing the results. The basic colors mixed and print really well and printed just like inks out of a can. The metallic colors were a different story. We tried to mix the bronze and everything seemed to go alright but when it was printed it ended up printing splotchy and transparent. The obvious result was to add more pigment and stiffen up the ink, this produced better results. Out of the metallic colors the ‘super sparkle’, iridescent pearl, worked the best, producing a tinted white that had a great shine was we considered a success.
BUSY HANDS
BUY HANDMADE THIS HOLIDAY!
Spark Box Studio is going to be part of this years Busy Hands Craft Sale. The Busy Hand Christmas Craft Sale is a presented by Vicki’s Veggies and Honey Pie Hives and Herbals, it will be located on the upper floor of Books and Company. The sale is one weekend only, December 12-13 from 9 am-6 pm.
Spark Box is going to be sharing a table with home town crafter/artist Becky Lane, the one and only Nella Casson and a few super creative youth crafters! Be sure to stop by our table to get your hands on some exciting handmade goods including holiday cards and tags, knitted neck cowls, silkscreened stuffed animals, sock creatures, birdhouses and more!
OPEN STUDIO: CARL WIENS
This week Spark Box Studio is proud to present the newest participant in the open studio program, Carl Wiens. An illustrator based in the county, Carl is a fine example of an artist making a living. We strongly recommend that you check out his website at www.carlwiens.com. We especially love the robot work he has done, here’s a quick link to that section retroroborama. Carl is excited to start working on a silkscreen series in the studio. Within his first day he was well on his way towards a finished print. In the afternoon he managed to shoot two screens and print two colors for his edition of 10 prints. We’re really happy to have Carl working in the studio.
