Montrose Report

Well, I survived the one-day show at Montrose this last weekend. Yes, survived. For people who have never done an art show, 'survived' is the correct term because your body hurts for at least a day or two afterwards.

Anyway, the show had it's good points and it's bad.

First the good. There was a pretty good crowd. The area has a very knowledgeable public when it comes to the arts. I got a lot of compliments. And the artists next to me were nice and friendly.

The bad parts now. I only sold a couple of small items (which is better than not selling anything). I got a rude surprise because there was a flower garden where I was suppose to set up my display.

Perhaps the most annoying part of the weekend was one artist's work. As you may have picked up on from reading this blog, I hate lying. This artist was displaying "original oil paintings" according to her sign along with some giclees (reproductions) of her work. Well, I took one look at her painting and just about laughed outloud -- at least until I noticed her prices. A 18x24 was listed at $4500! What she was doing was taking a nice photo of a scene, having the photo printed onto canvas which she then stretched, and then adding a few highlights here and there. How do I know this? Every single leaf in a tree was clearly "painted" as was every single tiny twig. Every single on in sharp detail. EVERY single one. Also, there is a look to photography which can't be reproduced by painting, no matter the skill of the artist. Yesterday, I looked up her website and she has some portraits which weren't done with a photograph 'underpainting' and they didn't look anything like her landscapes. But perhaps the most telling thing is that she has a BFA with an emphasis in photography and has worked for years doing advertising layouts. Now, I will admit that her work is nice and very impressive to the uninitiated, but her calling these "original oil paintings" is nothing more than a bold-faced lie. They are mixed media, or embellished photos, but not an oil painting. And she had no problem lying to potential buyers. It's disgusting!!!

Ah, that felt good. (I've been muttering about this yesterday and today, so it's nice to have it off my chest.)