Greetings, you are receiving this newsletter because you are registered for our Artist Round Table Bi-Monthly Zoom Sessions. We will be sending a follow-up newsletter like this after each session to highlight the key points discussed during the roundtable.
Both, Diane Davich Craig and Julie Beck, will be participating in the Robert Lange Studios Seeds of Inspiration exhibit. The gallery has asked twenty contemporary painters to paint a study and corresponding masterpiece. Diane’s How Sweet It Is Two Bee Loved By You (24x20", Oil on Panel) and Julie’s The House that Mary Built (14x7", Oil on Panel) will be on display, along with their studies on May 5, 2023.
Congratulations to Debra Keirce, as her painting Salty is a part of the 2023 Salmagundi Club’s Annual Members Exhibition. Over the years, the Salmagundi Club has been well-known for providing its artist members with important exhibition opportunities. The Annual Members’ exhibition showcases its club members’ finest works of art in all media – oil, watercolor, pastel, graphics, sculpture, photography, and mixed media. DATE: May 1 - May 27. RECEPTION: May 25, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Congratulations to Deborah Kommalan and Debra Keirce! Their paintings were accepted into the International Guild of Realism exhibition at Sugarman Peterson Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. The International Guild of Realism’s primary mission is to advance realism in fine art through museum exhibitions, art gallery shows, workshops, and education programs conducted by our members, marketing support, and internet exposure. There will be over 90 stunning works by IGOR artists on display. Exhibition Dates: June 2nd - 26th, 2023.
Debra loves her miniatures! 
Besides her four miniature paintings that were juried into the 31st Annual International Miniature Show in Washington, she was also selected to be a judge for the 32nd International Miniature Art Show for Seaside Art Gallery, North Carolina.
31st Annual International Miniature Show - JUNE 28, 2023 - AUGUST 6, 2023
32st Annual International Miniature Show - APRIL 29th - MAY 27th, 2023
Check out this podcast that Natalie Featherston did with The Riley Black Project. Side note: Natalie informed me that these people found her through social media, through her posts, shares, etc. So working on your website, social media content pays off!
A podcast that was mentioned by Anthony and Diane this last session: Oh No, Ross and Carrie! This podcast is an investigative journalism podcast produced in Los Angeles. The hosts personally investigate claims about spirituality, fringe science, religion, and the paranormal, then discuss their findings on the show. The motto of the podcast is “We show up so you don’t have to.”
The next section of the newsletter will be all about shipping and handling artwork, choosing the right shipper/ courier, the right packing materials, and the right shipping insurance, etc.
The great debate - what shipping carriers to use to ship your artwork?
At the ÀNI Art Academies, we had great success with UPS shipping domestically. Artwork always arrives on time and is undamaged. On rare occasions, when something did occur, UPS honored the insurance claims and gave extra credit for future shipments. We do prefer DHL when shipping internationally. DHL is fast (you do not want your artwork to travel around the world for a long time), so the quicker it can get to its international destination–the better.
An important aspect of the shipping process is the packaging. The carriers will try their best to handle the package with care, but accidents will happen, and if sturdy and fall-withstanding packaging does not protect your artwork, you might lose a painting or a drawing.
Below are a few links for packaging crates/boxes that ÀNI Academies used and had great success with.
STANDARD WOOD CRATES (various sizes)
ARTWORK SHIPPERS (various sizes)
THE AIR FLOAT STRONG BOX (various sizes, preferred by Ani)
Below is the list of Fine Art packing, shipping services, and artwork packing supplies.
Cadogan Tate - Fine Art & Interior Designer Services - Moving & Storage Services
Art Couriers
MasterPak
StrongBox by Airfloat
(ÀNI Art Academies use AtrongBoxes by Airfloat to ship works from and to, all of our international locations. We use and abuse these boxes, and they last for years. There are strongboxes that have been to the Caribbean and back over 15 times, and they still hold up)
We spoke about the issues of certain shipping/packing materials coming in contact with painting surfaces. (Bubble wrap is a big “no-no.”) Some of the materials that have been put forward that CAN be used to cover a painting surface with minimal issues are:
Silicone release paper
Glassine
Tyvek
Thank you, Natalie Featherston, for sharing a home-building material, that she uses for packing her artwork.
GreenGuard, Unfaced Foam Board Insulation
FOAMULAR Rigid Foam Board Insulation
Below are the links to the most commonly used couriers’ artwork shipping policies and FAQ.
UPS - Shipping Artwork Anywhere
FedEx - How to ship artwork
DHL - Fine Art Logistics
The site that was mentioned last session for finding insurance (unvetted): Cabrella.
“Cabrella software can address the needs of any company, whether you are a business with shipping & insurance needs or one that has the logistics covered but requires custom & specialized insurance options for your valuable contents. Our software gives you the ability to ship, insure, track, manage risk, file claims, build customized reports, and more - all through a user-friendly platform.”
Thank you, Jamie Lindholm, for sharing your wisdom in regard to studio/artwork insurance.
“When I was in NJ, I had a 2700 sf commercial studio space with a lot of traffic, so I absolutely needed liability and property coverage for that space as well as my own artwork. At that time, my agent had me in a small business policy with The Hartford. When I moved to Colorado, my policy changed to cover all the contents and paintings in the studio along with my personal liability. When I started shipping my paintings internationally, we added a Rider to the policy to cover them anywhere in the world (in transit and while exhibited).
I currently have a Business Owners Policy (BOP) with a fine arts rider with worldwide coverage through The Hanover Insurance Group. This may be too much insurance for anyone that just wants coverage for their paintings to/at/from an exhibition. But that can be discussed with a knowledgeable agent.”
Jamie Lindholm
Jamie is willing to share her insurance agent :), please contact her HERE to get the contact information.
Below is the list of other providers of artists’ insurance that Jamie mentioned, but has no experience with.
Artists, Craftsmen and Tradesmen Insurance
Special Event Insurance
Art Insurance Now
Artists and Crafters Insurance/Insurance for Artists by Zinc
Also, check out this interesting article that Jamie shared: Insurance for Art and Artists.
The next section of the newsletter is a refresher for the topics that keep coming up again and again. From building a website and audience to payment-receiving methods.
Thank you to everyone for recommending tools for artists’ online presence.
Some website options that were mentioned:
Squarespace
WordPress
Wix
Weebly
FASO
Photobiz
Shopify
Webstarts
There is a section on smartermarx.com called The Critique Corner where you can submit your website for members’ review. Don’t be afraid to share your website–it’s a very helpful exercise for all involved.
Link Building was mentioned by Tim Dosé last year, which is in the field of search engine optimization. Link building describes actions aimed at increasing the number and quality of inbound links to a web page to increase the search engine rankings of that page or website.
During one of our conversations this week, a few E-commerce resources were mentioned. Please see the list below for some commonly used payment processors.
PayPal
Venmo
Square
Zelle
Places to sell art online: (just to name a few)
ArtPal
Artsy
1st Dibs
Fine Art America
UGallery
Anthony mentioned the problematic nature of NFTs and recommended this Legal Eagle video to further explain - NFTs Are Legally Problematic
Pleasure Bomb T-Shirts are out! And they are amazing! ( I got one
Roundtable member and professional graphic designer Mark McDermott created the first official t-shirt for the 2023 Diagnostic Painter. The t-shirt is available in his Etsy store, markonthesurface.
Mark generously gave his time and talents to design this shirt, and it would be awesome if everyone could support him by favoriting and following his store, liking items, and leaving a five star review.
Diagnostic Painter attendees get a 15% discount at checkout with the promo code ARTCAMP.
Consider joining Anthony Waichulis and Victoria Steel this May 10 at the ÀNI Art Academies America in Red Bank, New Jersey, for a special one-day walkthrough of basic representationalism utilizing the alla prima. With simplified representations, we will explore the following:
- The nature of representation: “the map vs. the territory.”
- Ensuring recognition survives abstraction.
- Practical considerations (ranging from painting tools to memory)
- The SNAG concept (Survey, Notan, Anchors, and Gradations)
- How an alla prima exercise can show us what and how to practice.
Anyone interested in these topics can join us for the day and even paint along, but please note that space is limited. For those interested in attending, please contact Anya Dribas. Hope to see you there!
NEXT SESSION: MAY 11, 2023
Check this out! Rhonda DeGarmo installed this canvas painting at one of her client’s home. It is acrylic on canvas framed with door molding to help with the illusion of the door. The scene is Ventura Beach, CA. Wonderful illusion!
In between our bi-weekly Artist Round Table Sessions feel free to come and join the discussions on Smartermarx.