AATS24 6/8: Elements: Opened

After the Opening Reception, But Still a Week and a Half Before Open Studio

The Art at the Source 2024 opening reception at Sebastopol Center for the Arts has already occured, and the show continues into June – you can see the work in the SebArts Gallery daily. But the studio visits at Studio 16B in Sebastopol don’t begin until the first of June.

Today, the last of the art materials needed for Art at the Source have arrived: an updated resupply of Graffiti Generations, a batch of letter-sized matte board from Archival Concepts, several boxes of Canson Baryta paper from B&H, and after a short drive, a stack of cut mats (two sizes) from Redimat. Yesterday, a package of clear bags from clearbags.com. All tested, verified fits for all books, cards, and more than a few prints…

(Previous link in this series: 11 May: Delivered)
(Next link in this series: 21 June: Closed)

Last week I started the AatS-dedicated printing in earnest: print selections from each book project were made, and in some cases, images from each project that were not in the books – sometimes a favorite picture just doesn’t fit among the others for the book. But as prints, these “outtakes” can find their own futures, including as companions… to the books.

The prints I’ll be showing for AatS, whether square or rectangular, will come in these size ranges:

• Around 8x10 sized, in 11x14 mattes or sleeved.
• Around 12x18 sized, matted.
• Around 16x20 sized, loose or matted.
• 24x36” aluminum prints in editions of ONE.
• 32x48” aluminum prints in editions of ONE.

The books are available in a variety of typical book sizes, each according to the content.

The Opening Reception

I’d decided to create a new work specifically for the opening reception, and I was pleased to find The Two Algorithms of Life mounted right at the entrance. Great!

I didn’t get to find out much of what the attendees thought of it, though I’m assured that mostly good things were said. Instead, I took the only opportunity during the entire multi-week event to talk to as many other artists as I could, who were happy to tell me about their own works.

When the fair is on, as an exhibiting artist you’re operating in a bit of a vacuum. All the artists’ opening hours during show weekends are the same as your own. I can’t go see their other work, nor they mine. The one exception: the opening reception.

I only had a moment tor two to see any reactions to my piece The Two Algorithms of Life. Later in the week I returned to the gallery: the crowd was smaller and at least I could get a clear shot of it (as well as quite a few other works on show).

I’ll post details about that specific work in its own web post. It has its own story and what it became was quite different from the original intent. As often happens, an idea leads to improved ideas, if you only set to work.

There might yet be time to revisit that original plan, too. I think there are pictures worth making within it.

Tip: Because The Two Algorithms… was specifically made for this show, in an edition one of one, I’ve deliberately priced it low during AatS. If it doesn’t sell during the event, the price will go up to at least match that of my other aluminum works of similar size.

Whoops! and the Recovery

After ordering test prints of Graffiti Generations, I realized even before their arrival that I’d made some terrible, rushed errors: while correct inside, on the cover of the book the word Graffiti was misspelled. And the byline was in the wrong font!

This meant that while I could (and did) revise the InDesign file and send the corrected order for final printing, I couldn’t really include the handful of test books in the sale supply.

Not a total loss! I took a marker, crossed a large “X” on the face of the misprint books, stapled a promotional postcard to the cover and have given a few away. It’s thrilling to see people’s faces light up when they realize you are just going to give them something. Isn’t that, at its core, what much of art is about?

This worked out perfectly with the annual Salute to American Graffiti event: the wrong book samples arrived the morning of the show, so I was able to make sure that at least one or two went to members of some of the clubs that feature in Generations. Without their own creativity and drive the book wouldn’t have existed.

The corrected books have arrived and are one by one being stamped, signed, and sleeved.

(On the final Saturday of Art at the Source, Santa Rosa’s “Peggy Sue Cruise” will occur. I’ll find a way to be there, but: don’t ask me for free books that day, heh. Too late!)

More on Outtakes

There are two extra outtake pictures that I chose not to include in RBF set. They’ll only be available as larger prints.

There will also be a contest during show days – the RBF cards are printed blank inside, but what would you write, or want some future edition to include as text inside? There will be a notebook full of visitors’ answers and people who contribute the funniest, most tragic, or both simultaneously will be sent some appreciatively grumpy freebies.

Many Kinds of Pictures

While most of the prints to be offered during AatS are drawn from book projects like Generations or The Caged Bouquet, there will be more, from unpublished projects like The Collectors that haven’t yet gelled into a book, or a few unaffiliated works like “Anchor” which have proved to be popular over the past year.

Arranging the prints is proving to be a challenge. The exhibition space is comfortable, but not infinite. The print racks will be… pretty full!

Many Kinds of Tasks

Tasks that still remain over the next week+:

• Still no video: I’ve produced other artists’ video, but haven’t had time for my own. I have sketches and scripts and zero hours to use them.
• Accounting for online payments and ordering. Also, a paper receipt book for that old-fashioned physical currency.
• No time will be spent offering NFT’s. Sorry.
• Signage: Not only the “Official” signage, but signage within the studio/exhibit space.
• Build-out of the studio exhibit space: the panels are delivered, but unassembled and therefore prints are yet to be hung.
• Still need to make the “Folder” video to be shown in the studio (when you see it, you’ll know).
• Paperwork for the follow-on “Art Trails 2024” event, off in October (and in a different location)
• Snacks.
• No robots will be present. It had been considered. Next time.
• Finish paperwork with the Library of Congress Copyright Office
• Website Shuffling: some new work, but no “Ghost” migration yet. And image grids may be broken again for Safari and some phones… hair to be pulled!
• Post-Event Plans: storage and placement of unsold items, follow-on sales, additional retail opportunities that have been waiting until AatS, etc. The show never ends.

I can only say I’m thankful for the long-weekend holiday!

An Artist’s Statement

The SebArts gallery required a written one-page artist’s statement. By coincidence (?), SebArts had just run a non-event class on artist statements, so I took their guidance to heart and wrote it in a style that they recommended.

While these statements are meant to be read by gallery visitors, I don’t know if anyone ever actually does! They’re collected in a binder somewhere, but not obviously available (in the past, I’ve seen galleries keep a book of such statements on a pedestal near the entrace, free to review).

Maybe I was just blind when I visited, maybe they are actually easy to find: but if I didn’t see them, perhaps other visitors won’t either.

But you, gentle website visitor, can:

(Next link in this series: 21 June: The End of One Road…)