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!
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
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
HIGHSCHOOL TALK AT MOIRA
We had the opportunity to spend a day at Moira Secondary School giving presentations to art classes. Our presentations cover a brief overview of who we are and what programs / facilities Spark Box Studio offers. We offer our assistance to any individual who is thinking about perusing art school through portfolio reviews, mentorship, and volunteer opportunities. We close each session by asking the class to gather around to discuss the work in our studio portfolio.
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.
PINHOLE CAMERAS
We are excited to announce that our recently developed and constructed pinhole cameras work and are producing photographs. Erin Topping (Kyle’s sister) who is studying photography at Georgian College, visited the studio for four days for the purpose of helping to develop and test the prototype pinhole cameras for an upcoming pinhole camera workshop offered at the studio.
The concept of a pinhole camera is quite simple. It is a camera with no lens and a very small aperture, a pinhole sized aperture to be specific. The pinhole is poked into one side of a light proof box or container and a shutter is made out of electrical tape. In the darkroom photo-paper or film is inserted into the camera. The typical exposures range from 4 seconds to an hour.
The cameras Erin and Kyle developed produce negative images because the cameras house photography paper rather than film. A negative image means that the colours are inverted, blacks are white and whites are black. The next camera to be developed will be one from a tin container that will house actual 35mm film, which will produce positive images when the film is used in the darkroom enlarger.
In April Spark Box Studio will be running a pinhole camera workshop if you’re interested in trying this exciting medium.
Pinhole Camera Workshop
In this exciting workshop participants will create their own pinhole camera. As a group we will go out and capture images of country landscapes which will be developed in black and white at the studio by participants. Everyone will bring home several mysterious black and white photographs.
April 9, 16 & 23 :
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
$90 a person, max 6 people
materials included
You my sign up for this workshop online here: Workshop Sign up
BABY PRINTMAKERS
Back in November our baby niece came into the studio looking to make a birthday card for her grandpa. She was just too cute and we thought we should share the pics of the youngest person to participate in the studio!
She decided to use a very basic printmaking method of stamping. Using her hands and feet she created an abstract image for the birthday card.
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.
THE NIGHT OF COLLAGE
Last nights collage party was a great success! Thanks to everyone who came. We hope to hold more movie watching, hang out and create events. If there are suggestions on movies, creative projects, etc. please email us!
WORKING WITH YOUTH
As mentioned over and over again on our site we are very focused on assisting high schools students with an interest in art. Whether it be providing them with studio space and resources to learn, offering them volunteer opportunities or assisting them with their applications
Shane Williams is our new student volunteer. He will be coming to work at the studio once a week, assisting us with a variety of projects. He is also quite interested in learning about printmaking which is an added bonus!
Emma Steeles is a Pickering student who is building her portfolio to apply to universities throughout Canada. We had the pleasure of teaching her silkscreen. She created the sweetest little prints and had a great time at the studio. We hope that she will come back again for another course or to print a few more silkscreens on her own.
ART LESSON: PERSPECTIVE
For a while now we have been teaching a drawing to an eliminatory student after school. Our lessons mostly consist of learning basic drawing techniques and skills. Amongst theses lessons we’ve focused on topics such as transferring a drawing using a grid, learning different pencil weights, and shading. In our last lesson together we studied one point perspective where we drew a image of a road with telephone poles receding into the distance. Along with showing perspective with the telephone poles we had her also draw a small house beside the road in perspective and had her shade it according to a light source. It is impressive to see the amount of insight she has gained in being able to understand, comprehend and discuss her own errors and successes.
CHESTERFIELDS T-SHIRTS
Recently we completed an order of silkscreened t-shirt order for Chesterfields Cafe. Awhile back, Graham, owner of chesterfields, came into the studio and commissioned us to do small run of Chesterfield Cafe logos printed on t-shirts. The designs were made by local artist Nella Cassen. One night we burned a few screens with her images and started printing white colored logos onto nearly a hundred shirts. We worked into the wee hours of the night finishing with great results! Nell’s super cute illustrations looked great on the t-shirts. If you’re interested in such a service please contact us by email or by phone. We’d be happy to discuss the possibilities of silkscreening items for you.
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!
LOYALIST COLLEGE TALK
Robert Kranendonk and Sherry Martin are the teachers of a new Art Fundamentals course offered at Loyalist college. The course topics ranging from graphic design to fine art. As part of their course we were invited to teach a print demonstration. We brought down linoleum blocks, prints from our archives, and some printing supplies. This qualified as our first real teaching demo at an institution and we had a lot of fun. We began with an overview of different printing techniques and their associated histories. The class gathered around us on the floor as we spoke about printmaking and studied the many different prints we had bought with us. This was followed by a demonstration in lino-block printing. A fantastic day of teaching and we would like to thank Sherry and Robert for this opportunity.
HAUNTED LIFE DRAWING
For Halloween we thought it would be fun to draw ghouls and ghosts posed in scenes. In addition to the two models we had invited to attend the 2 hour session, Chrissy also joined in the modeling fun. We spent the session drawing group poses to a background of scary music. For the first themed life drawing session it went rather well and was quite fun. We hope to continue themed life drawing session once a month. Thanks to those who came out.
BATTLE OF THE PIES
Spark Box Studio is proud to announce we will be participating in a celebrity pie auction to support the Festival Players. The idea is simple, we have been asked to bake a fantastic pie and then auction it off. The auction is on September 25, at Fields on West Lake at 7pm.
In addition to pie auction there will be also a BBQ and square dancing party. Admission is $25, contact Sarah for details at (613) 399 – 5677.
Fields on West Lake is located at 15786 Loyalist Parkway.
http://www.fieldsonwestlake.com for more information
FALL/WINTER ARTIST RESIDENCY AWARD 2010
Applications are being accepted until Sept. 30, 2010
Awards will be announced in early October, 2010
Beginning your career as an emerging artist can be tough, which is why Spark Box Studio is offering FREE RESIDENCIES to fine art students and emerging artists. This residency opportunity is a unique way for young and emerging artists to cultivate new ideas, access a rich library of arts resources, learn about career-building opportunities, and develop an understanding of the art world from a business perspective.
About the Award
Four emerging artists will receive a one-week residency, 10 will receive a two day residency and 30 will receive one day at our Open Studio in Prince Edward County. The selected applicants will be able to work in the studio using Spark Box Studio’s equipment and resources, and have access to career guidance from local community members.
Spark Box Studio has created these awards as a career building opportunity for young emerging artists.
Participating in a residency is of value to you as it builds on your artistic career, gives you time to focus on a project in a professional artist studio and allows you the opportunity to connect and learn from other artists.
Getting Started:
Below is what should be included in your application:
- A current Curriculum Vitae
- An Artist Statement – 1-2 paragraphs explaining your work
- Digital samples of your work – Please provide 10 images of your work. Please include with the images a list which includes the title, medium, dimension, year of each one.
- Images should be MAC compatible in JPG, TIFF or PSD file.
- Images should be no smaller than 200 DPI and should measure 8” x 8”. If sending through email please compress files.
- Writing samples should not exceed 12 pages and should be sent with cover page stating your name and title of work.
- $15.00 CAD application fee payable to Spark Box Studio.
Check out our Emerging Artist Guide for information to help you prepare these items.
Once these items are ready:
-Complete and submit the Application Form below
-Pay your Application Fee. You can mail a cheque, or PAY ONLINE. Note: you must pay your application fee in order for your application to be processed.
-Send you Application Package to us.
By email: email your package to us using the email subject line “Residency Application – your full name” to info@sparkboxstudio.com
By Snail Mail: Mail your package to: Spark Box Studio, P.O. Box 9002, #7 Bridge St., Picton, ON, K0K 2T0
Making your Application:
Once you have prepared the items above you are ready to fill out the application form below.
Please note that we will use the information you provide to process your application and will not share your information with any other companies.
