Reflections of an Artist

More Art Lovers Mean More Collectors

Lily Pond Afternoon showing at Art and Antique on Lake 16x20

      While many areas of the arts are suffering because of the economic downturn, the Los Angeles Times reports that museum attendance is way up. That is reason to celebrate for all artists. The Art Newspaper stated that for the first time LACMA attendance in 2011 broke the one million mark. It also said that LACMA has approximately doubled its attendance from five years ago. The Art Newspaper also went on to say that when it started the annual survey in 1996, about 4 million people went to the top 10 shows and in 2011, that increased to almost 6 million. 

      Now you may be asking, why should I care how many people go to museums? I believe that the more interested the public is regarding art the more likely they are to want to acquire art and that can translate into more sales to more people. Learning about art becomes the first step for every collector, so I see all those museum goers as potential future collectors. Anyone who loves art can become a collector, regardless of income or knowledge.

But how do you take the step from art lover to art collector?

1) Don't be intimidated by the galleries and dealers. They are there to help you find something you love.

2) Don't dismiss your finances and assume you just don't have enough to buy. There are all levels of art prices from a hundred to hundreds of thousands and everything in between. Also many galleries and artists will accept lay away so you can have the flexibility of paying over time. If you are interested in putting one of my original painting on lay away please Contact Sharon Weaver.

3) Discover what you love. There’s only one way to do that: look, look, look. Go to museums, notice the art in other people’s homes, drop in at galleries, look at magazines.

4) See how it looks in your home before you make your final decision. Many galleries offer the collector the opportunity to take the piece on approval. I have a Satisfaction Guarantee for my paintings listed on my website page, Buying, Shipping and Guarantee.

      The cross over from appreciating art to art collector is something that everyone can do. Have fun and start collection art you love.

Color, Sun and Good News

Spring Sycamore

Spring Sycamore 16x20 Oil

      I just returned from a week vacation in Cabo San Lucas. On both the flight out and the return landing, Los Angeles was cold and raining so sunny Mexico was a good idea. I always like to see the local art community when I travel and I was not disappointed by the Thursday night art walk in San José. The evening stroll around the streets included a surprising wealth of interesting local crafts, jewelry, fine art, pottery and landscapes of the area. Much of the work was very well done with both American and Mexican artists represented.

Colorful Local Crafts

      Baja is a dry desert with far-flung oasis of palm trees. Lush vegetation along the coast is only where man has added irrigation at the resorts. The lack of color in the landscape is a stark contrast to the patchwork of colorful buildings and the use of bright intoxicating colors in their crafts. The trip was a feast for the eyes.

Lands End in the Distance

      A large envelope was awaiting my return and I was happy to see that I was juried into Art Matters Encore! sponsored by the San Marino League and showing at the Huntington Library on May 5.

New Gallery

Arboretum Reflections . 11x14 . Oil

I am very happy to announce that I will be showing my work at Art and Antiques On Lake at 60 N. Lake Avenue in Pasadena. Ron Vander Molen, the owner, is a dedicated art dealer with a keen eye for quality. He represents local artists as well as selling vintage fine art. The store is a wonderful collection of ever-changing treasures. Ron believes that anyone should be able to develop an art collection of quality and beauty. After discussing his business, I am looking forward to showing at the store and learning from his experience. I hope you will take a look the next time you are in Pasadena.

Some Doors Open When Others Close

Carved Portal

Carved Portal, 24x20, Oil

     When I was starting my career as a fashion designer, my mother never liked how often I changed jobs. She would ask, "Sharon, when are you going to settle down?" She never understood that change came with the territory. In order to get ahead, I needed to trade up from one job to the next. I finally had to tell her I was never going to "settle down."

      That is as true today for my career as an artist as it was when I was designing clothes. Living with constant change and uncertainty makes me uniquely qualified to face my life as an artist. I embrace change and I strive to face success and failure with equal energy. Being ambitious, I am not inclined to take a failure lying down. Instead I will tackle the problem head on with a stubborn determination. Conversely, I am comfortable with success and enjoy the accolades that accompany it.

      I am not surprised that recently I have had to shake a few things up to see some progress. Pulling out of some venues to approach new opportunities. Passing on some shows while entering others. What may have worked two years ago, isn't today. Things I may have passed on before now hold promise. I have slowly realizing that settling down is the last thing I ever want to do. Carved Portal represents a new opportunity that hasn't yet been tried.

Is Bigger Better?

      Bigger is better, at least that is what the folks at LACMA think. For the last week Los Angeles has been obsessed with a giant, three story, 340 ton rock that is slowly making a serpentine route from Riverside to its final resting place. Transporting this massive behemoth is the latest earth moving project of Michael Heizerfor for the LACMA exhibition  "Levitated Mass."  The rock will be installed on the lawn of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art where visitors can walk underneath it via a concrete ramp.

      Last night THE ROCK came up as I was talking to another artist and I think it is a good example of why I am not sure I agree with my friends argument. You see, he was telling me that I needed to paint LARGE in order to be taken seriously. He asserted that the difference between "art" and "crafts" is scale. He asserts that artists who make art on a grand scale (like the rock) are more likely to be taken seriously while small works are seen as hobbies. There is some truth in his statement but is bigger always better? Is our obsession with all that is huge a reason for me to stop painting small paintings and concentrate all my efforts on oversized, record-breaking, huge paintings? Moving a ridiculously huge rock doesn't seem so much like a work of art as a publicity stunt, and abandoning my bread and butter small works to pursue an idea led me to ask for a second opinion. I decided to talk to a gallery owner and see what they thought.

      Not surprisingly, the gallery owner had just the opposite opinion as my friend. He explained that from a sales perspective large paintings are not selling but smaller paintings, no larger than 16x20, are. So what should I take from these two opposing opinions? I think realizing that both views are valid and finding a balance is the key. In order to be recognized as a serious artist, major works are an important part of an artists portfolio but in the current climate, small ticket items help to pay the rent. I have concluded that I will increase the number of larger painting I do every year while still replenishing my plein air work.

Finding the Light on a Dark Day

Sun Breaks Through at Zuma Beach

Sun Breaks Through at Zuma Beach, 7x14, Oil on Panel

Zuma Beach in the Fog

      Sometimes the weather just doesn't coöperate with my painting schedule. When that happens I improvise, invent and generally struggle to turn a dreary day into one that is beautiful. That was the situation last week when I drove over to the ocean and took the photo above along Zuma Beach. My job description for the day was to turn that yukkie place into something magical. Initially the fog was so thick I wasn't sure the sun would ever emerge but right on cue the sun did peek out and hit the front of the lifeguard stand.

      Painting a foggy or moody scene requires a consistent use of one color throughout the painting. As an artist who loves color, I sometimes have trouble with this idea so I tackled the Zuna Beach painting as a challenge. I decided on green for the constant throughout my painting so every color I used has a touch of the ocean green mixed into it. From the sand to the sky, I forced myself to add some of that color. The distant mountains are that same color with more white and a touch more blue. Even the sand has a lot of green but I just can't stay monotone throughout a painting. Just not my nature so thought I would find an example that takes this idea to the extreme and I remembered a painting by Brian Blood at the Carmel Art Festival 2009. My photo is not very good but I think it still is a wonderful example of this use of color consistency throughout a painting.

by Brian Blood