James Lavadour at the Venice Biennale

The Venice Biennale is a major international art exhibit which had its start in 1895. It is every two years and alternates with the Venice Biennale of Architecture. The art exhibit features innovative contemporary art and is a major event for an artist, not only for the recognition, but also for the sales that are made at the show.

This year, in fact this month, the bi-annual show opened and one of the invited artist lives in Oregon. His name is James Lavadour (1951-).

With no formal art classes, Lavadour taught himself to paint. His style reflects his surroundings as a native American living on the Umatilla reservations. Lavadour describes himself as .... an abstract action painter. I just happen to see landscape in the abstract events of paint.

Below are some of his works. Do you agree with Lavadour's self-description?

If you're going to Venice, the Biennale continues through November, 2013. If you'd like to learn more about the artist and his techniques, you can watch the video from Oregon Art Beat at: http://www.opb.org/programs/artbeat/segments/view/476

What's an Etsy?

For some reason, I am always surprised by the question. Why? Well, first of all, it's an e-commerce global store of approximately 800,00 shops. Secondly, it's been online since 2005 with sales topping $700 million in 2012. Perhaps that explains my surprise at the question. Statistics aside, my favorite part of the question, "What's an Etsy?" are the shop owners.

Shop owners are artists, artisans, crafters and, more recently, sellers of vintage (more than 20 years old) items. As Wikipedia states, "...  in the tradition of open craft fairs, giving sellers personal storefronts..."

There are highly talented visual artists and photographers, the most clever crafters and upcyclers, and a wonderful mix of fabric shop owners creating everything from clothing to quilts. Personally, I'm always delighted with all the original and creative work that I find on Etsy shops.

With so many shops, how is it possible to be noticed? What to do? Artisans could be alone with their little store front trying to get noticed. That could be very frustrating. That's where the genius of Etsy comes into play.

Etsy encourages shop owners to join a team or teams. There are teams for  shop owners' type of products, interests, or locations. Some teams welcome anyone and some have criteria. The genius is that in the team environment, everyone mutual marketing by promoting each other. It's the action of reciprocation.: "I scratch your back and you scratch mine"

For example, I belong to a few teams: one promotes education for maximizing Etsy computer applications, another is a Northwest team and, my favorite of all, a local Eugene Team. It's my favorite because we meet once a month and I personally know many of the members. As artisan-entrepreneurs, they have lots of energy and can-do resourcefulness.

Eugene Team on Etsy members are also ambitious to reach the local market. To that end, they are inaugurating a local vendor fair.
Additionally, in keeping with the sense of local community, the vendor fair partnered with of a local charity that teaches parenting skills and provides support to families with young children. That is what Etsy is and the genius of mutual marketing.


Note: The Artisans & Vintage Spring Fair and Fundraiser for Parenting Now! (formerly Birth To Three) is Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 10:00am to 5:00pm at Valley River Inn, Columbia Rooms, 1000 Valley River Way, Eugene, OR 97401. (Each Team vendor is donating a work for the fundraiser drawing.) (click image to enlarge)

My shop?  atencioannex.etsy.com

It's Almost Show Time!

It'd be difficult to write about other art or artists on this blog when I'm a few days from my first solo exhibit and that's occupying my thoughts. (Above image is the front of the Umpqua Valley Art Gallery, Roseburg, Oregon where I'll be exhibiting.)



Last Friday, my friend and I delivered 26 triptychs for the "Progressions" series to the gallery. After unwrapping them, the gallery director and I arranged them against the walls to figure out the best way to display the work. It's an interesting process - trying to imagine how they will look once they're suspended.



Arranging the setting for art is an art in itself. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and learned more about the discerning eye of a gallery director. There are many considerations with regards to the placement of the art... height for viewing, lighting without glare, logical placement of surrounding art by colors, subject and size. Wonderful lesson.



Below is the info on the opening. (Click to enlarge) For those of you who cannot make the opening, the exhibit will be up until Sept. 5th.





Next week's blog: Posting of Opening and Photos.