Canadian Artist Julia Trops in Kelowna BC Canada

One thing that I have always prided myself about my group is that we treat our models like gold. It is very disturbing to me when I find out that some artists have been unkind or disrespected one (or more) of my models. Yes, I confess, I still think of these people as “my” models, and I am very protective of them.

I think it is because when I was in University I remember some of the comments made to the models by other students that horrified me, comments made to me by my models when they worked at other places about how they were treated. I could see how these things affected them, and I don’t accept when it happens to others. MOST ESPECIALLY when these are people who have graciously consented to be a model for our benefit. Yes, they are paid, however, just because they are paid does not give ANY ONE license to be rude or unkind or ungrateful.

Now what exactly do I consider rude or unkind or ungrateful? I am going to be very blunt:

Comments that have to do with a person’s appearance – how they did their hair, how old (or young) they are, what their body type is, how thin or not, physical challenges. THESE things you keep to yourself, and keep your mouth SHUT – how would you like it if they were said to YOU?  If you don’t like what poses they go in to – then the NEXT pose, ask them for something specific. For THAT pose, deal with it, you’re an adult, aren’t you? Our models have been trained, either by me, or someone else, to ask the artists if they are working on something specific, and if you say nothing, then that means you will go with the flow. So go with the flow!

When a model is going in to position, unkind remarks, impatient remarks, or inconsiderate remarks are not appreciated. Remember that modeling is definitely not easy. Models can not read your mind, they can not see what it is that you want, and remember most especially that the body will only bend certain ways. Remember that not all models take pilates or yoga and no one is Gumby. If you become impatient with any model, or make any unkind remarks, I am sure I can arrange for YOU to be the model that day. Imagine THAT for a second.

If it is a regular session (ie poses 20 minutes) and you came prepared for one or two hour long poses (ie you brought one canvas) quite frankly that is YOUR problem, not the models, so don’t complain to them, or to anyone else. If you have been attending these classes for some time, then you should know what the routine is, you know where the calendar can be found (and if you don’t, it is here.). Don’t expect everyone else to bend to your agenda. Come prepared next time.

If a model needs to do stretches (most do), and you don’t like to do gestures, then don’t come for that period, or learn what gestures are really about and make them work for you! Gestures and short poses are a way for the model to enter in to their modeling “space” or “mindset”. Honour that! If you don’t like the pose, then find a creative positive way to deal with this challenge, make it work for you! Muttering under your breath, or chatting up your neighbour is not the thing to do.

All I can tell you is that rude or ungrateful comments are very hurtful to any models. Remember they are few and far between, and we are extremely LUCKY to have the people we do. I do not enjoy writing posts like this however it is necessary, and maybe someone will benefit from the description of drawing class etiquette.

So what is drawing session etiquette? Well, what follows is a fairly general list, but one that seems to work very well for Livessence:

1. You come to class about ten minutes before and get set up so that when drawing session starts, you are ready to go. This is for your benefit, not anyone else’s.
2. During the set up time, see if you can make contact with the model and tell them of any projects you are working on, to see if they can give you the specific poses you are looking for.
3. During the session, the model will usually ask if there is anything specific the artists would like to see – use this time to communicate to the model (if you haven’t already) about your requested pose(s).
4. Talking or not talking is up to the people who are there. If the majority are not talking, then consider keeping your chatter to a minimum.
5. Bring an ipod or other music device with earplugs. Please try not to sing, or dance.
6. Bring all your own materials and do not mootch.
7. During break, feel free to talk to other participants, ask about their methods, consider trading materials if it comes up.
8. Be respectful of break times.
9. Keep personal comments to a model to a minimum or not at all. Consider viewing the model as a member of royalty far above you, and you should be grateful and feel lucky to draw them.

I don’t think there is ever a problem in erring on the side of politeness and respect, in any sort of dealings. Be polite. Be kind. Just because you are the artist, you are not above the model, they are not your servant. Remember, the model ALLOWS you to draw them.

I welcome comments of any kind.

Today’s blog post has to do with a few comments via email regarding Art Shows & Curators – Calls to Artists Part 2:

From WP:

I am not a TWEETER but had to say that as well as being informative, I found this article and it’s preceding half; intelligent, provocative and brutally honest … even harsh girl! As a newbie in the fine art world I shall remember your criticisms and instructions regarding exhibition preparation and Curator respect.

Thanks WP!! I appreciate your comments and in my email back to you I said:

Re the blog, yes, I am fairly straight and to the point, and extremely direct most especially when writing. I’ve been involved in the arts community here for about eight years now – very heavily involved. I know about 95% of the professional artists, and with the number of shows I have done (coordinated/curated), trust me when I say these things needed to be said. The same old missing information each time ie “oh I don’t use a calendar, I find it too confining” bull shit. Very frustrating. Harsh it can be for some, but I have always hated beating around the bush when a direct arrow is quicker and more efficient. I can be diplomatic when the occasion requires it, but in giving information I seldom find that effective, and the military was a terrific teacher in honing both those skills. I’d rather be direct and say exactly what I mean than be wishy washy and have miscommunications because of potential word connotation or definition conflicts.

Especially with artists – we tend to be very frou frou, (but) if a concept is said bluntly, we get it. Usually. lol! Most people appreciate it though the majority prefer to have their egos or emotions stroked. And to be fair, me too – but only when “deserved”. Today’s society is so politically correct that we have to constantly say nice things to each other – ugh, pain in the ass.

btw, I don’t use an eraser in my drawings, and my charcoal strokes are strong and bold. That should tell you multitudes. lol!

An addendum to all this with further thought this morning at the gym: to me there is a difference, a huge difference in being harsh and being mean. When I say the things I do, it is to give effective communication, to give information, not to be mean or derisive. I do tend to use humour, although some may consider it a little too dry, to illustrate a situation, but in all fairness, I am usually quite accurate.

When I say what I am saying to my fellow artists, who are also friends and acquaintances, the ones who know me know where I am coming from, and they know that I am saying this to help, not to hinder. They know what I have gone through in the past in trying to organize shows for myself and for them*, and if I had the presence of mind to say all of this at the requisite time, then most assuredly, I would say it. Some have heard me rant, it doesn’t mean that I hate them or other artists, it means that I am frustrated at the situation where they don’t know or haven’t been exposed, or haven’t thought.

What is my goal in posting this information on the blog? To get these artists to have the PRESENCE of mind to use their initiative to think about what the coordinator/curator goes through… what can make their job easier. Don’t you think I absolutely love the artists who cross their t’s and dot their i’s? I do. I think they are glorious for their professionalism, they walk on water, and I respect them highly. LB you are one of them.

It is a raising of the bar, and I know the artists in this community are up to it. They just need to know what to do.If they think I am being harsh, then I would tell them “Shelve the ego, and listen to the message. You might learn something.” But, I’d say it with a smile, of course.

*upcoming blog post

Sometimes the sad truth is that you may not like how a curator displays your work.

In a nutshell, too bad for you.

You have the option to either see it as the curator sees it, or the message that the curator is trying to get across or understand how the curator had to work within the space confines, or you can take your work out.

If you take your work out, you run the risk of looking like a high maintenance prima donna, or in my eyes, at the least, very unprofessional. But that is your choice.

When you submit work for an art show, whether in a gallery, an informal community centre such as the RCA Galleria, or in your own space, you need to remember to think about a few things, and to do a few things, BEFORE you submit, and then remember these AFTER you submit. A Call to Artists is a Call to Artists, regardless if the art will be presented in a gallery for a fundraiser, or if in a public gallery for a show, or a commercial gallery for sale.

First, is the Call to Artists. Your job, and the scope of your responsibility is the artwork. I’ve addressed the majority of the issues already in this blog post here. In the Call, there may be specific requests or requirements, such as having the works ready and wired to hang, or framing issues etc. If you have any questions at all, the time to ask them will be at the Call to Artists. Even if the Call does not state, use your initiative to ASK about space issues – should you submit a large work or a small one? ASK about potential client attendees – should you submit to a price point, or a specific subject, or a specific size or should they be framed?

There are normally two main goals when you submit work to a Call: exposure and sales (or cv if work is not for sale). Why wouldn’t you do the absolute best you can to satisfy and succeed in those two goals?

rant/ RESPECT the deadlines! Can I say that any louder? RESPECT THE DEADLINES! That means you need to mark your own calendar, and be responsible for work drop off, and for work pick up…. ON TIME! When I coordinate a show, I don’t want you calling me every week and asking me when to drop off work, or when to pick up work, when I have already provided you with that information! (I am thinking of one particular artist who did that. I no longer take their calls.) I am not your mother, or your caretaker, or your angel on your shoulder! I gave you a timeline, use it! Am I frustrated? Can you tell? lol! Okay, that felt better. If you don’t have a calendar, get one. Then, after you get the calendar, use it. The excuse “I am an artist, I am above/I don’t know how/can’t/don’t want to” is bullshit. I don’t care if it is a hard copy book, or one online, just get one, then use it! Yes, that is a direct command from General Trops! I use google calendars, I can access them from anywhere on the web, my whole family is on there, so if I need to figure out if an appointment is doable, I log in and check. So simple! /rant

When a curator is installing a work they have to work, at the very minimum, within constraints such as space, and what other works are submitted. The best overall look for a show is the number one priority for the curator. Simply put, artist egos have no place in determining where an artwork goes. Larger works are usually placed first, or depending on the message that needs to be conveyed, the artworks that are placed first are usually the strongest in that message. Something I should say again, is that artist egos have no place in deciding where an artwork goes, most especially in a group show.

Make sure your artworks are labeled! Recently I had the opportunity to coordinate and curate the Evergreen Art Gallery of about 40 or 50 works – I would say at least 75% of the works were not marked on the back. Nothing. No title, no medium, no artist name, nothing. When the same artist submits five pieces, and none of them are marked, what do you think is the likelihood of the correct tag being put on the work? Or if an artist submits an unmarked diptych or a triptych, what is the likelihood that they will be arranged properly? Obviously if the artist does not care to mark the piece, then should I care to make sure the right tag is on it, or it is in the right order? oops… that is sounding dangerously like another rant. Well, I think you get the idea.

When you submit work for a show, it is the curator’s job to ensure it all works within the space and the artworks as a whole.  The artist is responsible for their work arriving and departing, and the curator is responsible for the gestalt presentation.

Present your best artwork in a professional manner at all times, and the curator will do their best too.

Read the first part of this blog post at http://juliatrops.com/blog/2009/11/23/deservingartistprices What follows will make more sense….

or not….

I am reasonably sure it is the European culture which still pervades our society today, where hard work is necessary in order for something to be given weight and value. Tilling the fields and milking the cows are all very valuable skills and required duties at one time, but come on, in this day and age, how many companies milk their own cows? Even the farmers are subject to mass reproduction agriculture no differently than it pervades the art community with its giclees and prints.*

Art is not hard work

Art is not seen as hard work. Anyone can copy another’s work – it takes no brains and no talent – but, I challenge you to come up with an original concept and an original execution, pay for the supplies and the methods to market the work, not to mention the time to do all this, and tell me again how easy and inexpensive it is. And you wonder why we price our works they way we do.

Though, as an aside, I have to say that giclees and prints* are priced outrageously and people will buy them, and I shake my head every time. The pricing of mass produced items to originals is completely out of alignment. Next time you want to buy a giclee/print* take a hard look at the price compared to an artist who does originals. And if you want that artist’s work that bad, save (I know, it is a four letter word) for it, or ask if there is a layaway plan.

In Kelowna, despite public outcrys of admiration and support for artists and art, artists continually get the short end of the stick. Most certainly, I have been vocal about my dislike of silent auctions and art, I have been vocal to artists encouraging them to be smarter about who they donate to, and to make their donation relevant. I have been vocal about artists who I consider foolish enough to put original artworks in silent auction with no return whatsoever. An income tax receipt is a poor substitution for cold hard cash, so don’t tell me I’m getting something! I still have to claim the artwork as a sale even though I received no funds!

Local artists are soaked for entry fees in to such events as Music and Arts Festival (which promises the potential of exposure and sales) even though I remember advising to keep the artist booth prices down because of the local economy and attitude towards artists. (A side opinon: the Music and Arts Festival or Life and Arts Festival, whatever you want to call it, needs to be run by a BUSINESS, not a non-profit.) And when artists donate artworks to actual gallery formats such as the recent Evergreen Art Gallery at the Rotary Centre for the Arts, where all the art had solid gallery appraisals, some attendees, who can easily spend $200+ per ticket, ask “where’s the deal?”

Castanet, the local news website with a forum for discussion refuses to have art subjects in their “Entertainment, Food, Literature and the Arts” section because of lack of interest and the perception of advertisement in discussing our (art related) events. Here we are, the lowest income bracket and we give to charities and support our community, yet this public forum gives no inch. I find that very embarrassing. But, this forum will discuss what you are reading, and all the concerts and music you wish, and, well, perhaps that is the mentality of that forum – so in otherwords, don’t look for any brainiacs at Castanet. I’ve already tried.

At Night of the Arts recently, November 19, Charlie Hodge was quoted as saying “it is the artist everytime that steps up to the plate”. Yes it IS the artist who steps up to the plate, because we know what it is like to have nothing, and hope, (though some may deny this), that maybe, just maybe, through the charity’s nebulous promise of exposure, someone will search us out and actually purchase an artwork from us because they like our work.

It hardly ever happens.

Why?

I believe a number of factors are at play here:

• social mindset that local art is somehow inferior
• social mindset of art at silent auctions “where’s the deal”
• social mindset of artists who feel “pressured” to give works to charities

Local Art is Inferior?

Those with the means to purchase original art in this city rarely go and search out local artists, instead they rely on the galleries. Fair enough, it has been done that way for at least a hundred years, why change it now? :-/ Local artists are the grassroots of the city, the people who support the community when they can’t afford to, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find many of them at the Foodbank. Yet we give and give and give. What comes back? Some good karma, eventually, I guess. Maybe this lifetime or the next, but how well does that pay this month’s bills? Try taking that to the bank.

It seems art is only valued if you pay for it. The same people who attend $200 a ticket dinners have no problem going in to the commercial galleries and spending thousands of dollars there, yet they ask “Where’s the deal?” at a fundraiser, where an artist out of the goodness of their heart, has donated a work.

If my work is good enough for your silent auction, isn’t it good enough for you to purchase? I am so tired of being told, “I’m going to wait til the next silent auction to pick up a piece of yours”. Well, keep waiting, buddy, it ain’t goin’ to happen. I’ve also been told, “oh yes, I am going to buy a piece after you donate.” That worked on me a total of ONE time. A new policy I am instituting in the New Year “with every purchase, I am happy to donate to your favourite charity a work of equal or lesser value.”

For those artists who feel “pressured” to give works to charities:

Ask yourself this question, it’s an important one. Are you a professional artist or a hobbyist? A lot of people think they are professional artists these days. Everyone can draw, we know that, everyone can paint, everyone can sing, everyone can act – the difference is what do you do with that ability, how do you use it and do you respect your talents?

Is your intention to make the majority of your income from your art? Do you have a pst number? A gst number? A business name, a business license? Do you spend the majority of your time on your art? Do you give your artwork the respect and honour it deserves as a creation from your heart, mind, body and soul? Have you committed to your work? Do you have a specific place for your work where you can go to create – (it could be something as informal as a corner in the dining room, or an unused bedroom etc)? Do you have a firm price structure? Do you deserve the prices you put on your work, or do you just give most of it away anyway?

It is my contention that the social mindset regarding art at fundraisers, and I am told by artist friends around the globe, that Kelowna is not special in all this, is one of “Where’s the deal?” We as professional artists need to stand together as a group, locally and globally, and say no more! We need to change the social mindset of donating to charities. Charities are big business, don’t fool yourself otherwise. No more donating original art to silent auctions unless it is specifically relevant, no matter what income level it is directed to! Don’t believe the hype of “you will get exposure”. Unless your name is specifically mentioned in all the advertising, don’t bite the hook! If you are a professional artist, stand your ground. This is one of the important times in your life where you can’t cave in to perceived social pressure. Hold on long enough and the social pressure you are feeling right now will be turned back to the fundraisers. The perceived social pressure will require them to treat you fairly.

And why shouldn’t it? Art is hard work.

*prints refers to anything mass produced, not original prints from methods such as authentic handpulled lithography, intaglio, silkscreen etc.

This week I opened an account on Etsy – this is my Under $100 shop. Everything in here can be seen at my studio – and yes, I can combine shipping! Terrific little Christmas gifts that won’t break the bank! http://jtrops.etsy.com.

I am adding works every day! Bookmark the shop and check back often!