September sets in.

So I got a letter in the mail the other day from the Brush Art Gallery in Lowell MA. I had applied to be in their "Herding Cats" exhibit and was denied entry. My biggest beef, besides not being let in, was that it's cost me $25 just to enter and then only to get a rejection letter... it's like putting salt in the wound. But back to the letter.. It had thanked me for my $25 "donation" towards the gallery and also had said that I was now a member of the gallery for one year. This includes entry to some events as well as posting of my work on their website. So Let me eat some crow pie for a minute.

I believe it's common practice for galleries to charge a fee to submit art work for group shows. I never looked at it as a donation thinking that if they do sell a painting of yours that they keep 40 to 50% of the price anyway. But I did think that this was a nice way of letting your $25 get you at least something. I hope more galleries practice this way. I must admit I don't have a whole lot of experience with galleries and only go to them when I'm on vacation. I want to start researching them and submitting work, but at the same time.... well, I guess it's a self confidence thing. Me sending my work in.. but no one taking me seriously because I paint puppies and kittens. There's got to be some dog galleries out there that will show things besides William Wegman and Yellow Dog..... but where? I think it's time to put the research cap on.

Which brings me to my next thought.. I get an email from Fine Art News on a frequent basis and there was one article that was about "If your art isn't selling, it's time to change you're approach". So next weekend is the Jamaica Plain Open Studio. I hope this turns out to be a real inexpensive way to show my work. I won't be there in person (going for another VT vacation) but I'm very curious to see how this works out. I really have to start doing something different because the commissions are practically at a standstill. I really want to start posting acrylics too. I don't have a digital. I think I'll just go home and take photos with my regular film camera.