Mr. and Mrs. Bromberg were the perfect hosts and quelled my nerves about the piece. I love creating commision pieces, but I’d be lying if I didn’ admit that it can be a bit stressful. With commisions, I’m always worried about whether or not I will successfully fulfill the owner’s desires when it comes to how they visualized the piece.

With commisions, it is imperative to have some kind of contract. I’m learning that I can be even more specific when it comes to making one. Not only should the contract include a timeline and details about pricing, but it should also include dimensions, color swatches and whatever else would help the client and myself be most satisfied at the end of the project. If you are new to creating commisions, it is important to reequest half of the money for the piece at the beginning. That way, the artist has money to buy supplies and whatever else they need to finish and deliver the piece. And then, when it’s all in place and the client is satisfied, they can feel good about paying the remaining money.

The Brombergs were perfect clients and I am happy to say that the installation, minus a few electrical issues and incessant rainfall, went flawlessly.

Unfortunately, our opening night coincided with the Saints’ playoffs and we drew a smaller crowd than we had anticipated. However, the entire event, which ran from January 7th to January 28th was a success. I enjoy supporting the local art scene and wish more people would come out and do the same. Attached are pictures of some of the sculptures from the exhibition.

Because I am a fairly new artist and am particularly new to the gallery scene, it can be difficult to know what to look for in a gallery. With The Bender Gallery, it became immediately clear to me that my artwork would fit in nicely with the other glass artists that he represents. The Bender Gallery deals in high end glass art, so it just made sense. It also helps to find a gallery dealer who is easy to work with and who knows how to disply my artwork in a way that heightens its’ effect. Additionally, Asheville is an up and coming place in every sense of the word, but particularly when it comes to anything cultural.

Obviously, the economy is suffering and this is a difficult time to sell art, but it helps to know that I have found a place where my art fits and is slowly gathering a new audience.  The gallery’s website is www.thebendergallery.com .

Three Rivers Art Festival rolls on in Covington

It’s time to just go with the flow at the free 14th annual Three Rivers Art Festival. The juried show of arts and fine crafts will surge down Covington’s Columbia Street on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“This event has grown from 49 exhibitors and 6,000 attendees when I was coordinator for our first festival in 1997 to 200 juried artists and more than 50,000 attendees over the two-day event,” said Maria Burkhardt. “It is very impressive and gratifying to see the resulting growth and expansion of our arts community, the positive economic impact and the artistic educational opportunities for St. Tammany schoolchildren.”

Medias include fiber art, glass, woodwork, ceramics/pottery, metalwork and more.

This will be the fourth year that Michael Eddy of Covington has participated in Three Rivers. Eddy brings cast and polished concrete pieces that are inlayed with glass. His abstract sculptural pieces range from 4 inches to 8 feet tall.

Eddy started using this type of media when he was taking a sculpture class at Southeastern Louisiana University. He said he was introduced to working with concrete and learned of its versatility and how it could be used to make any type of organic, free-flowing form. He has exhibited his work at Jazz Fest for the past two years, as well as participated in festivals in Florida and Alabama. He also displays his sculpture in a New Orleans gallery.

“Three Rivers has always had a nice, relaxing atmosphere,” Eddy said. “It’s definitely a model for other festivals in regard to hospitality for the artists, in how they take care of them and give them assistance throughout the weekend. My very first experience in exhibiting was at Three Rivers and I got the ‘Best in Show’ Award, so I always enjoy coming back.”

A Louisiana artist creates stunning effects by combining the strength of concrete and the fragility of glass

Michael Eddy is a sculpture artist from Louisiana who works with two very opposite mediums. He blends concrete and colored glass into seamless works of art. Eddy refers to his chosen materials as an ironic pairing, stating that, “To understand glass in the same respect as concrete is to push the concept of fragility vs. strength.” His unique pieces focus on form, space and lighting and tend to have figurative meaning. Read the entire article here!

Here is a link to Jazz Fest’s home page: http://www.nojazzfest.com/

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most prestigious juried outdoor art festivals, consistently rated among the top shows by Sunshine Artist and American Style magazines. Each year more than 350,000 visitors enjoy the show. This year about 1,200 artists from around the world applied for entry and an independent panel of judges selected 225 national and international artists to attend the show.The National Endowment for the Arts, The White House, Congress and many others have lauded the Festival for promoting art and art education in Central Florida. An all volunteer board of directors runs the annual Festival, now celebrating its 51st year.

AWARDS

The artists compete for 62 awards totaling $67,500. Best of Show is $10,000. The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival Committee purchases the Best of Show art and donates it to the City of Winter Park. (All previous Best of Show winners are on permanent display at the Winter Park Public Library.) There are also 10 Awards of Excellence; each is $2,000. There are 20 Awards of Distinction; each is $1,000 and there are 30 Awards of Merit; each is $500. In addition, a $2,500 Award for a Distinguished Work of Art is presented through the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.