The Little Tile that Did!12/4/2012 ![]() This is truly the story of "The Little Tile that Did!" Did what, you may ask? Well, I'm about to tell you exactly what it did. Be a little patient with me though because there is a back story! Sometime back in July of this year I began looking for an affordable quality product to offer alongside my original artwork. I decided it would not be prints although I have offered them in the past. I do still have some prints in inventory and will still produce a limited number in the future I'm sure. However, no, there were some qualifications for the "product" that would eliminate prints from the competition. First, the product would have to complement my original artwork and promote it at the same time without replacing it (i.e. an appropriately sized print might replace the purchase of an original artwork). I also thought that it should be usable "as is" meaning that the buyer would not have to take any additional steps once he or she purchases "it", such as framing it, etc. So, Mr. or Ms. Buyer should be able to take said product home and immediately be able to enjoy it. Now, the third qualification helped me to truly narrow the field. I wanted it to be something that could be and would be handcrafted by me! Now, as an artist, I generally only want to produce original art so this product would have to be "art" requiring creativity on some level without distracting me from painting. To close the competition, my final requirement was that it would have to be something that I don't see many other artists offering. Yikes! That made it really difficult. But suddenly, it was right there before my eyes! This is where I would like to say that I woke up in the middle of the night with a genius brainstorm but, alas no. It really was right before my eyes and under my tea cup! A stone coaster! If you know me at all you would know that I am just a little particular about some - okay, a lot of things - so coasters are a requirement in my home. And a couple of years back I bought two sets of beautiful stone coasters that were made by the mother of one of my friends. She had made very creative use of stamping to produce her sets. That was it! Now I only needed to figure out how to get images of my artwork on the tiles. I work primarily in acrylic paint and had used an acrylic gel transfer method within my artwork and figured the same should apply here. It's just a matter of substrate. Okay, the substrate is stone so there were a few additional steps needed to produce the result you see here. But it worked! And how it worked! I started offering these during a show in August. I've offered them at five (5) separate art fairs that I've participated in since that time. I've had to restock after every show. The little tiles have wings! This was intended to be essentially a "marketing" item. You know, sort of like an art souvenir! It would remind you of that wonderful original painting by yours truly that you are considering contacting me to purchase! This still could happen. After all, hope springs eternal! In the meantime, the universe had other plans. My original artwork sales are moving along at an expected pace but the "little tiles" have forged their own place in my offerings. Many artists count on moving prints and other lower cost items because not everyone is able to fork over the dollars for an original art piece. I love the fact that while I am offering a lower investment item, these tiles actually are originals in that each one has its own unique characteristics due to both the stone itself as well as the qualities achieved when I apply the transfer method. This is the little tile that did it! Artfully yours, Vivian Vivian Mora Art Fine Art & Illustration 713-385-5548 vivianmoraart@gmail.com http://www.vivianmmoraart.com P.S. The tiles have their own page on my website now. Click on this url or the tab for art tiles: http://www.vivianmoraart.com/art-tiles.html
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Homogeneity and Art Marketing8/8/2012 ![]() We all want homogenized milk, right? Okay, many of us said yes, only knowing that it must be a good thing because it's featured so prominently on the carton. I was one of the us. I was not really sure what it meant for milk to be homogenized so I went to the Guru, wiseGEEK.com. WiseGEEK says that homogenized milk is any sort of milk that has been mechanically treated to ensure that it has a smooth, even consistency. The homogenization process typically involves high temperatures, agitation, and filtration, all aimed at breaking down milk's naturally occurring fat molecules. Once broken, these molecules stay suspended in the milk and resist separation. The process makes fat filtration much easier for manufacturers, and lengthens milk's shelf life. Apparently, this is also the key to longevity as an artist. Who knew that art and milk had so much in common?! Let's examine this odd connection I have stumbled across. My light bulb moment came when I sought out the counsel of a respected art business consultant to focus my efforts in building my budding art career. One of the first lessons I learned was that I had too much "stuff" just flung out on my website, in too many different styles, and not connected by a "story" of any kind. A rookie mistake! In trying to present something for everyone and show my versatility, I was failing to truly be anything. Back to the milk connection, nothing in my presentation of my art was smooth or consistent. Given this, I was challenged to determine just what it is that I am since I cannot be everything to everyone. Who is Vivian Mora as an artist? What do I want to define me and represent me in the art world? This is the step where high temperatures, agitation, and eventually filtration occurs. Those first two processes are also known in humans as stress. What am I willing to give up to ensure that my presentation of art, essentially, my body of work, is smooth and consistent? Filtration meant passing my art through a strainer to determine what genres or styles would be left behind or extracted and what would emerge as the work I want to speak for me as an artist going forward, the pure work. Of course, there's nothing that prohibits me from creating art for my own edification in many different styles but if I want to establish myself publicly as an artist, my public presentation would need to be homogenous. Why? Alan Bamberger, the art business consultant I sought out, phrased it as people want to be able to "peg" you as an artist. They want to understand you and what you represent. I should have gleaned this from my understanding of sociology which was my major in grad school (forgive me, Dr. Long). People simply like to know what to expect. They want to know the story of my art and how it is connected. I took this advice out for a "road test" this past weekend. I participated in an art fair. I displayed only the work I am continuing. Each piece was part of one of two series that I decided would represent my current work and help define my future work. Now, I'm not a wallflower and generally contribute my fair share to a conversation. However, for some reason, I had often found myself at a loss in talking about my work with potential buyers and the public in general. At the art fair, it became easy for me to talk about my work because suddenly my work made sense! It was all connected and fit together perfectly. This cohesive collection of work also apparently makes it easier for buyers or collectors to follow my work. Once my style was filtered and the "purified" works identified as a complete body "resistent to separation", an art buyer knows what he or she is going to get if they buy a Vivian Mora art piece today or 10 years from now. They seem to like that and I think I do, too. Come visit again for the next installment in making art-sense! Artistically yours, Vivian Leflore Mora Fine Art & Illustration VivianMoraArt.com (fine art) doubleVimages.com (illustration) Authorvivian leflore mora, artist/writer, and business consultant. Archives
January 2013
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