Experimenting With eBay

Trees 3 5X7" Acrylic on Paper

At last! The small images are going out to world view. The two tree paintings shown in the previous post are for auction on eBay and #3 will be added today. The process is amazingly simple. However, I was holding back because it was "season" in Sarasota. shows were coming up, meetings were happening too often...and mostly I was being timid about trying something new.

Want to bid? Go on line to eBay If you are not a member you can join (Free and Easy). Then type Marge Bennett in the empty space, choose Art as a category, and hit Search. You can be the first.

There are two images from the Tree Series showing at Elizabeth Stevens Gallery in Towles Court, Sarasota, FL. These are matted to 11X14" and look really handsome. They are shown here.

Trees 5 Acrylic on Paper 5X7"

Goals for 2010 and Other Stuff

One of my goals for 2010 is to create 100 paintings. Another is to paint at least five minis (image size of 8X10 or less) each week. I have posted a couple of these small works here. They 5x7 acrylic on paper and are part of a Tree Series. They are VERY colorful (even for me) and are more abstract than past work.


The next two minis are 7x5" acrylic on paper and are part of a Vase and Flower series.

Comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for looking. I must get back to those goals...

Marge

Happy Holidays 2009

Celebration by Marge Bennett

Promoting A Show

My Friend Carolyn Ritter and I have been working on a joint show at ArtCenter Manatee. Our paintings are ready (wellll, almost ready) so it is time to think about having somebody actually come to SEE the results of all our work. The art center is doing a fine job of spreading the word but we decided a personal e-mail invitation to special friends and contacts might bring in more viewers or at least more "partiers" to the reception.

Here is my my effort. I intend to send it after December 3.

I am exploring the possibilities of using e-mail and social networks to promote my art. I would like to pique interest, inform and entertain without annoying viewers. Will this work?

Artist Retreat This Time Around

At times you could hear a pin drop. At other times laughter and hilarity reigned. It was once again a wonderful retreat.

We arrived with an incredible amount of "stuff" and produced an equally incredible amount of art.

I have tried to capture a corner of our work room in the photo above.

Many of us participated in two creativity challenges.

Artist Trading Cards

We used any medium to create 2.5X3.5" cards. Each card is signed and numbered on the back and gives the artist's contact information. The cards are given to or traded with other artists.

Here are some samples of our efforts and a picture of part of the clothes lines of cards produced. We had a fun card exchange at the end of the day.


The Shoe As Art

Our shoes had varied histories. One thing they seemed to have in common was that they were worthless in their present state. Sorry, I did not think to do before and after shots.

Here are some of the final products. They are now Priceless.


We left on Thursday afternoon with these treasures, lots of memories and some fine art started, finished or just in mind. A great time. Thanks to all the 26 great artists friends who made it happen.

A Time For Art

Off To My Artists Retreat

Monday will begin a special time with 26 fellow members of Women Contemporary Artists. We will be at Day Spring Center in Palmetto Florida for our annual “retreat”.

Our cars, loaded with art making gear will arrive at our big, windowed, workroom at or around 10 am. Yours truly will be early.

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The first order of business is meet and greet: lots of hugs and talk as we stake out a table and set up for some serious work and fun. Fueled by muffins and coffee we cover tables and chairs, don aprons, fill water containers and make the space “ours”. We get keys, find cabins and unpack tooth brushes and paint wear, and some of us will even get to work before lunch.

Ah, lunch. All meals appear without cooking, planning, shopping or cleaning up! Only a woman can fully appreciate it. And we do

This year we have two special workshops for those who wish to participate: “Shoes As Art” and “Artist Trading Cards”. I will arrive with two large brown bags of stuff carefully gathered for said projects. (With luck there will be pictures next week). For those who have other projects and can resist the hilarity and mayhem that usually accompanies these workshops, it is perfectly acceptable to work on ones own

Some things we have done in the past.

Day Spring is a beautiful, wooded property ideal for walks, reflection, or plein air painting. I am sure there are many ways for artists to “retreat”. Ours has been happening for many years, the past 10 or so at Day Spring. It has evolved with us. Try your own. It will be special too.

Vacation Inspiration

Let me begin at the end. We read a travel report that said if this fellow had only one day to stay in Copenhagen he would take a Boat Tour of the city, eat at his favorite restaurant and spend the day at Louisiana. We did two of the three. My inspiration came from the last, a visit to Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Located on “The Sound” a strait between Denmark and Sweden that connects the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean the Museum sits atop a bluff and the Sculpture Gardens reach down to the water.

Inside the sprawling site there are major works by Giacometti Warhol and the like as well as special exhibitions by the contemporary avant garde. Hours of wandering and delight for any contemporary artist.

The architectural firm 3xN's Learning from Nature pavillon in Louisiana's Sculpture Park

We were there for a large-scale exhibition on sustainable architecture, “Green Architecture for the Future” The ingenuity and energy demonstrated gave a sense of optimism for the future. It was creativity in action.

Louisiana was a day in the park with wonderful art and stimulating ideas. I would love to have one of my paintings described that way.