We began with our usual brief meeting - Updates from Prez Jeff:
- While checking for those in attendance that might be new, we decided we should probably waring name tags! Prez Jeff's going to make sure that's taken care of. ;)
- The deadline for entering Explore This! 9 is coming up. We had a few prints of the prospectus, but you can also download/view it here.
- Blog updates: Several members expressed an interest in adding a member gallery to our blog. Melinda will be looking into that and posting a message soon about image specs.
- Reminder: Our St. Mark's Show is ending, please pick up your work on 9/28 10am – 1pm.
- Your Board is in the midst of planning our Annual Group Show at The Old School House Gallery in November. We have given the show a name, "Beauty and the Beast" that will encompass an overall theme of "Animals". Details will be posted here on the blog as soon as they are available.
- We're also planning a Holiday Party for December. It will not be an official group meeting, just an informal get together to celebrate the season. We're exploring ideas for location/venue – please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments section (at the bottom of this post)!
- Our OCTOBER MEETING will be a member-based group activity on mixed media techniques, in preparation for the Explore This! 9 entry deadline on Nov. 15th – as well as our upcoming Schoolhouse Gallery show (Beauty and the Beast). So please remember to bring a project your working on, mixed media materials, and be prepared to share a bit of your process with the group!
- Our NOVEMBER MEETING is still to-be-determined.
SHOW & TELL:
Nancy Wood Taber
Nancy Wood Taber shared a wealth of experience and information with us: how she started back in the day with straight-up graphite and eventually graduated to colored pencil via a special request on a project she was hired to work on. Her work as always been focused on animals and she enjoys exploring Shamanic themes. She explained how her highly detailed work can take days or weeks, depending on how the individual piece "talks to her" and how much time that piece demands that she spend with it. She photographs all her own reference images using her Canon EOS 7D camera (man, what a beautiful piece of technology!). Through her process of blending and using solvents (her solvent of choice is terpenoid), she discovered that paper just wasn't think enough, so she explored working directly on matt board. She now uses Cresent 1607, BRITE WHITE.
- An electronic pencil sharpener (panasonic)
- Krylon UV Spray Fixative
- Low tack tape, for edging
- Brushes for blending & solvent
- Solvent
- A collection of colored pencil brands (whatever works for you) + a colorless blender
- Mat board surface
Nancy answered a lot of questions as well, she gave us more details on her process, the development of her career, and some snippets on the business side of being an artist.
- The largest piece she ever worked on was about 24"x28"
- She prints limited edition giclee prints under 13" on her own printer
- She has any print larger than 13" producted at Carr Imaging
- She has traveled all over to sell her wares at various art shows over the years, but recently she's been scaling back on the travel and putting more into her online visibility and a website, creating an online shop to sell her work.
- As for marketing, she used to advertise in Southwest Art, but even with a group of artists, the expense eventually outweighed the returns.