PleinAir Salon Winners Announced

PleinAir Salon Winners Announced

Oregon artist Mitch Baird's painting A Guiding Nudge was selected to receive the First Prize award in the November/December 1st Annual PleinAir Salon Competition by judges Kim Lordier and Ned Mueller. Second prize went to Marc Dalessio for his painting Barn at Turback, and Third Prize was given to Aaron Schuerr for his painting titled River Glow. The judges offered comments about all three of these paintings. [read more] http://www.outdoorpainter.com/news/pleinair-salon-winners-announced-530.html

 

Convention & Expo Sponsors Announced

Momentum is building for the 1st Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo from April 12-15, 2012 with dozens of artists registering every day and new sponsors lending their valuable support to the record-breaking gathering of outdoor painting enthusiasts. A number of the top art-materials companies are now supporting the event as sponsors and exhibitors. [read more] http://www.outdoorpainter.com/news/convention-expo-sponsors-announced-529.html

 

Museum Celebrates Artist Who Can't Draw or Sculpt Has the emperor finally admitted he isn't wearing any clothes? The Italian "artist" Maurizio Cattelan readily admits he can't draw or sculpt and that he hired craftsmen to fabricate his pieces, almost all of which were suspended from the skylight ceiling of New York's Guggenheim Museum until January 22, 2012. [read more] http://www.outdoorpainter.com/news/museum-celebrates-artist-who-cant-draw-or-sculpt-536.html

 

Ken Auster on the Cover of the Next Issue of PleinAir We're proud to announce that one of Ken Auster's plein air paintings of San Francisco will be featured on the cover of the February/March issue of PleinAir, the first issue in the expanded bimonthly frequency of the magazine. Auster will be the subject of a feature story in the issue that highlights his career, his painting techniques, and his participation in the 1st Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo taking place from April 12-15, 2012 in Las Vegas. [read more] http://www.outdoorpainter.com/news/ken-auster-on-the-cover-of-the-next-issue-of-pleinair-531.html

 

Publisher Captivates Audiences in Los Angeles & San Francisco Audiences were spellbound by Eric Rhoad's dynamic presentations in California last weekend. Rhoads, publisher of both PleinAir and Fine Art Connoisseur magazines, moderated panels during the California Art Club's (CAC) Winter Symposium in San Francisco and the Los Angeles Art Show: Historic and Traditional convention. He will offer the same kinds of informative and motivating presentations during the 1st Annual PleinAir Convention & Expo in Las Vegas from April 12-15, 2012. [read more] http://www.outdoorpainter.com/news/publisher-captivates-audiences-in-los-angeles-san-francisco-532.html

 

Exhibits: 

 

Winslow Homer Studio Restored

In celebration of the opening of the newly restored Winslow Homer Studio, the Portland Museum of Art will showcase the exhibition Weatherbeaten: Winslow Homer and Maine (September 22-December 30, 2012) the exhibition will features more than 30 major oils and watercolors painted during Homer's tenure in the Studio (1883--1910). [read more] http://www.outdoorpainter.com/exhibits/winslow-homer-studio-restored-533.html

 

Van Gogh Up Close

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is about to open an exhibition of 45 still life and landscape paintings by Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) that offers "close-ups" of his paintings of flowers, trees, open fields, forest interiors, and countryside vistas. The exhibition will remain on view until May 6, 2012. [read more] http://www.outdoorpainter.com/exhibits/van-gogh-up-close-534.html

 

Artist Profile: 

 

Thomas Jefferson Kitts

The presentation Thomas Jefferson Kitts makes in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area during the 1st Plein Air Convention & Expo will cover a remarkably wide range of materials and techniques. That's because the Oregon artist is amazingly knowledgeable and has won major awards in plein air competition, and because he teaches comprehensive workshops on both outdoor painting and studio practices. [read more] http://www.outdoorpainter.com/artist-profiles/thomas-jefferson-kitts-535.html

Sell More Paintings in 2012

A marketing message from Art Publisher B. Eric Rhoads

The recession reminded me of a valuable lesson. Every artist I know fell into one of two camps. Some told me they have not sold many paintings since the economy began to go sour in 2008. Others have told me they are having their best years yet.

I am convinced that attitude plays a major role in your ability to sell paintings. Either you catch the negative bug about how bad things are, or you catch the positive bug about how this is a great opportunity. Glass half empty, glass half full.

Frankly, positive thinking makes a difference, but great thoughts without great strategy will get you nowhere fast.

My Passion for Artists and Galleries

I am driven by the desire to help artists and galleries sell more artwork. With every cell in my body, I believe that original art changes people's lives, that it actually affects their physical well-being when they stare at a painting they love. We've all heard stories of people who are transformed by a painting. Therefore it's my goal to help people live better lives, one painting at a time. And it all starts by helping you sell more artwork.

Working on 2012 Now

If you had visited our offices in the last few weeks, you'd have found us doing budgets and plans for next year. Plans need to be made and implemented now, not after the new year begins. Now is the time to be working on your plan to be more successful in 2012.

What Will You Choose for 2012?

If you believe you can make 2012 your best year yet (yes, you actually can), you need to create a strategy and a plan. Hope without action is useless. Between now and the start of the year, you need to set aside some time and reinvent the way you sell artwork for 2012, and begin implementing your plans right away. Don't assume the old ways work anymore, and don't assume there are no buyers. There are loads of buyers for you to have your best year yet.

Your Assignment:

1. Write realistic goals. How many paintings do you want to sell in each month of 2012?

2. Make two columns on a piece of paper.

Column 1. What I did in 2011 to sell artwork.
Column 2: New ideas to sell artwork.

Time yourself. In three minutes, write as many ideas you can, as fast as you can. Try to come up with 50 new ideas. Don't judge the ideas now, just get them on paper.

3. Circle the ideas that worked in 2011. Keep them.

4. Without judging whether you can afford it, prioritize the very best new ideas for 2012, the ones you think will make the most progress for you.

5. Go do them. Find a way.

6. Make up your mind to be a relentless marketer in 2012. Passion will drive sales. Make a firm decision to devote two hours a day to marketing. If you spend that much time specifically on marketing, your sales will improve.

Remember, marketing and sales are all about the numbers. The more people you expose to your work, the more you will sell.

Keep It Simple

You bet. Sometimes the least sophisticated ideas work best. This rudimentary exercise is one I do at least once or twice a year. I usually enlist others to help me brainstorm. We try to invent things we never thought of before. Why are my company and my magazines growing so fast? It's all rooted in this simple exercise.

Get out of your comfort zone, and try making a plan and working it with passion.

Good luck and happy planning.

Eric