Sunday, March 25, 2012
Prints are up on Etsy
The images you may have seen before, but the items are new. All prints are on 8.5"x11" archival museum paper, with the image centered at a size slightly smaller than 5"x7". They're ready to go in a frame, or if you want to get fancy, you could stick them behind an acid-free matte. Most are limited edition runs, but my signature piece, "When The Time Is Right" (fox and owl), is an open run. They're really quite a nice addition to any wall, mantle or buffet. Check 'em out. www.nicolettecallaway.etsy.com
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Martin the Raccoon - Study
I finished my first raccoon study for the children's story I am illustrating this year with my friend Tom. Martin may not end up being named Martin, but considering that raccoon is the protagonist of the story, I figured I may as well give him a working name.
This piece developed from raccoon's totem significance, being the master of dexterity and disguise, and what that may mean for a young one struggling to develop its own identity in the midst of developing into a transformation master. How can you know who you are if you are constantly changing yourself to look and act like something else? It's a common question with human adolescents, too, and one thing that makes the story timely.
In this illustration, raccoon has just discovered that he has disguised himself as fox, though because he doesn't yet quite understand his transformative powers, he is shocked when he sees fox staring back at him from the water. He then sees us staring at him, and he looks back, either to ask us what we know, or to tell us to go away out of embarrassment. Maybe both.
(Unfortunately, my scanner is on the small side, and has cut off the right and left edges of the piece.)
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| Did You Disguise Yourself To Hide From Yourself?, 2012 |
In this illustration, raccoon has just discovered that he has disguised himself as fox, though because he doesn't yet quite understand his transformative powers, he is shocked when he sees fox staring back at him from the water. He then sees us staring at him, and he looks back, either to ask us what we know, or to tell us to go away out of embarrassment. Maybe both.
(Unfortunately, my scanner is on the small side, and has cut off the right and left edges of the piece.)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Artist Liberation from Artist Oppression
My downstairs neighbors started blasting club music in their living room at 1pm on a Sunday, and I decided to leave my apartment and head for a coffee shop when I realized that the floor wasn't going to stop vibrating any time soon. Obviously, I cannot cart all my art materials to a coffee shop, and in thinking about my neighbors hindering my ability to work on my art in the small amount of time I have outside of my day job, I decided to talk a little bit about Artist Oppression.
While this may be a foreign concept to many readers, it is a commonality that artists everywhere experience. It keeps us in low-paying full-time jobs so we can pay our bills and have health insurance, or keeps us in unsatisfactory living situations in order to lower rent, eating poorly for lack of proper funds, and not having health insurance so we cannot go to the doctor when we get sick, etc. We work and work and work to produce, but have few opportunities that pay us for that work. We work for free. We doubt ourselves. We are not "normal." Our profession is not "lucrative." Yet we are encouraged to "keep [our] dreams alive."
Why is this? Why are we encouraged to "keep at it" when everything we face in capitalism makes us feel undervalued, devalued and, ultimately, worthless? It is because any society without art is a dead society. People view art--visual and expressive (performing)--to view society, to get their attention out, to laugh, cry, and reevaluate what occurs within that society, how we live in our world. In this sense, artists are the world's counselors. We see things and think about the world differently. We, through our creative work, epitomize humanness. Our creativity allows us to move humanity toward full intelligence faster and more directly. We can increase the speed at which the universe advances toward meaning and freedom, and we create new important complexities within the environment. We facilitate new ways of being. In this sense, the presence of the artist in the world is vital.
My experience is that of every person I speak with about my art exhibiting some sort of distress pattern. Sometimes I am lucky enough to have a person take a real interest in my artwork and what I am conveying with it. Even then they cannot bring themselves to purchase an original piece of art. When I say a piece of work costs $500, most people balk. My question is this: how much do you pay your mechanic to work on your car? $65-95/hr? How much do you pay your masseuse? Similarly? How about your plumber, your electrician, your therapist, your doctor? An artist is no less specialized in their profession, so why should they be paid less? At $500, a piece of art that I spend 10 hours on ends up paying me $50/hr. That does not account for the cost of framing or materials. What if that piece of art cost me 50 hours of time? I'm then making less than $10/hr, all added up. Heinous is not too strong a word to use here. Most people do not think in this way. They require that someone else endorse the work -- an agent, a gallery, a publisher, etc. These things do not increase the value of the work. The work is inherently valuable.
Of course, then we get into the discussion of bad art/good art. What is good art? What is bad art? Certainly there are techniques and studying that goes into creating work. But I suppose my answer is this: an artist who is aware of the world and how she functions in it, how she connects with it and other humans, and fights toward full intelligence and sustainability through her art, is an artist who will produce "good" art. Does this play into artist oppression? Maybe so. But this discussion is at least a gesture toward movement out of it.
While this may be a foreign concept to many readers, it is a commonality that artists everywhere experience. It keeps us in low-paying full-time jobs so we can pay our bills and have health insurance, or keeps us in unsatisfactory living situations in order to lower rent, eating poorly for lack of proper funds, and not having health insurance so we cannot go to the doctor when we get sick, etc. We work and work and work to produce, but have few opportunities that pay us for that work. We work for free. We doubt ourselves. We are not "normal." Our profession is not "lucrative." Yet we are encouraged to "keep [our] dreams alive."
Why is this? Why are we encouraged to "keep at it" when everything we face in capitalism makes us feel undervalued, devalued and, ultimately, worthless? It is because any society without art is a dead society. People view art--visual and expressive (performing)--to view society, to get their attention out, to laugh, cry, and reevaluate what occurs within that society, how we live in our world. In this sense, artists are the world's counselors. We see things and think about the world differently. We, through our creative work, epitomize humanness. Our creativity allows us to move humanity toward full intelligence faster and more directly. We can increase the speed at which the universe advances toward meaning and freedom, and we create new important complexities within the environment. We facilitate new ways of being. In this sense, the presence of the artist in the world is vital.
My experience is that of every person I speak with about my art exhibiting some sort of distress pattern. Sometimes I am lucky enough to have a person take a real interest in my artwork and what I am conveying with it. Even then they cannot bring themselves to purchase an original piece of art. When I say a piece of work costs $500, most people balk. My question is this: how much do you pay your mechanic to work on your car? $65-95/hr? How much do you pay your masseuse? Similarly? How about your plumber, your electrician, your therapist, your doctor? An artist is no less specialized in their profession, so why should they be paid less? At $500, a piece of art that I spend 10 hours on ends up paying me $50/hr. That does not account for the cost of framing or materials. What if that piece of art cost me 50 hours of time? I'm then making less than $10/hr, all added up. Heinous is not too strong a word to use here. Most people do not think in this way. They require that someone else endorse the work -- an agent, a gallery, a publisher, etc. These things do not increase the value of the work. The work is inherently valuable.
Of course, then we get into the discussion of bad art/good art. What is good art? What is bad art? Certainly there are techniques and studying that goes into creating work. But I suppose my answer is this: an artist who is aware of the world and how she functions in it, how she connects with it and other humans, and fights toward full intelligence and sustainability through her art, is an artist who will produce "good" art. Does this play into artist oppression? Maybe so. But this discussion is at least a gesture toward movement out of it.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Delmar Farmer's Market -- Last Chance!
Tomorrow morning will be your last chance to check out what the Delmar Farmer's Market has to offer. At Bethlehem Central Middle School, this market has many vendors, selling everything from veggies, cheese and meat, granola and baked goods, to soaps, creams, jewelry and art! Although I would say that cheese, veggies, and baked goods aren't a very far leap from art.
So come check it out tomorrow, Saturday 12/17 from 9am-1pm for some last-minute Holiday gifts. You won't be sorry!
So come check it out tomorrow, Saturday 12/17 from 9am-1pm for some last-minute Holiday gifts. You won't be sorry!
Sock Monsters Are Up On Etsy!
Finally, a sock monster is available on Etsy. Customizable, no less! So from my last post, you can now take a look at what these little creatures have to offer.
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| this funny rocker dude is going to be in the hands of a happy little boy very soon! |
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| a little blurry, but cute! she's been sold, though. |
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| this floppy little guy is still available, but not for long! |
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Craft Fairs, Sock Monsters, and More!
Come check out my upcoming craft fairs! I'll be at the Delmar Farmer's Market (www.delmarmarket.org) every Saturday through Dec. 17th, 9am-1pm, and this coming weekend I'll be at the Congregation Beth Emeth "Walking in a Winter Shopping Land" craft fair, Sunday Dec. 5th, 10am-4pm.
I mentioned before that I've added Sock Monsters to my product line. Now, I've had some "Ugly Doll" comparisons/comments come up in the last few weeks, and I'd like to dispel any myths and associations with those fine products... my Sock Monsters are made from repurposed/recycled/"upcycled" materials. They are hand-made. They have unique postures and personalities. They do not have names. They are yours to name when you give them a home.
Some of these "monsters" are like the monsters you live with -- your pets, parents, children, aunts/uncles, cousins, grandparents -- you name it. These little guys become family. They are monsters in the most loveable sense. Sometimes bordering on adorable. And sometimes they have a special meaning. Recently I sold my "Say No To Sweatshops" monster, who had a "Made in Macau" emblem sewn on his belly. He was not made in Macau by tiny impoverished and underpaid hands. Rather, he was made by a loving, thinking artist who is still slightly impoverished and underpaid. But I will admit that my opportunities are greater, my choice pool is broader, and my quality of life is higher. So support local artists, not money-grubbing conglomerate corporations who outsource their jobs to starving people who they do not adequately pay, and rather feed off of their deprivations like parasites.
I didn't get a picture of this sock monster before he was bought by people who will love him.
I will also be featured in a group art show at the Howe Library this 1st Friday, December 4th, 6:30-8:30pm. Reception, refreshments, and live music will accompany. I wouldn't miss it.
I mentioned before that I've added Sock Monsters to my product line. Now, I've had some "Ugly Doll" comparisons/comments come up in the last few weeks, and I'd like to dispel any myths and associations with those fine products... my Sock Monsters are made from repurposed/recycled/"upcycled" materials. They are hand-made. They have unique postures and personalities. They do not have names. They are yours to name when you give them a home.
Some of these "monsters" are like the monsters you live with -- your pets, parents, children, aunts/uncles, cousins, grandparents -- you name it. These little guys become family. They are monsters in the most loveable sense. Sometimes bordering on adorable. And sometimes they have a special meaning. Recently I sold my "Say No To Sweatshops" monster, who had a "Made in Macau" emblem sewn on his belly. He was not made in Macau by tiny impoverished and underpaid hands. Rather, he was made by a loving, thinking artist who is still slightly impoverished and underpaid. But I will admit that my opportunities are greater, my choice pool is broader, and my quality of life is higher. So support local artists, not money-grubbing conglomerate corporations who outsource their jobs to starving people who they do not adequately pay, and rather feed off of their deprivations like parasites.
I didn't get a picture of this sock monster before he was bought by people who will love him.
I will also be featured in a group art show at the Howe Library this 1st Friday, December 4th, 6:30-8:30pm. Reception, refreshments, and live music will accompany. I wouldn't miss it.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Delmar Farmers Market, Albany Fall Craft Beer Festival
This past Saturday I hocked my wares at the Delmar Farmers Market for the first time. In the winter time it moves inside Bethlehem Middle School, and goes from 9am-1pm on Saturdays. This coming weekend I'll be at the FUUSA Holiday Bazaar in Albany (see previous post), but then I'll be back to Delmar every Saturday through Dec. 17th, so definitely come check it out.
I also teamed up to lend a hand to The Cheese Traveler on Saturday evening at the Albany Fall Craft Beer Festival at the Armory. The Cheese Traveler is a premier purveyor of fine, hand-crafted local artisan cheeses, and they can also be found at the Delmar Farmers Market every Saturday. They do cheese plates for parties, events, dinners and holidays, and they sell cheese on special order, too. Email them at thecheesetraveler@earthlink.net and like them on Facebook! (You can like me on Facebook, too.)
I also teamed up to lend a hand to The Cheese Traveler on Saturday evening at the Albany Fall Craft Beer Festival at the Armory. The Cheese Traveler is a premier purveyor of fine, hand-crafted local artisan cheeses, and they can also be found at the Delmar Farmers Market every Saturday. They do cheese plates for parties, events, dinners and holidays, and they sell cheese on special order, too. Email them at thecheesetraveler@earthlink.net and like them on Facebook! (You can like me on Facebook, too.)
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