In the Works

I am a woman of my word.  If I feel I need change, I do it, albeit it is on no one's time schedule but mine, and if I trust in the Universe/God/my higher power, the path is shown to me at the time that is right.

An example of trust: I was momentarily crushed that I did not get into the Hudson River Exchange show, but I quickly got over it and life went on.  Last week they emailed  me with a last minute space.  I politely declined, as I was juggling many shows, and knew that I would be crazy to try and pull it off. And what happened this weekend? It was a rainy cold mess.  Imagine setting up and breaking down in it, and then sitting for two days under a tent. Nope. Been there done that, too much for me.

Another example of trust: I have been struggling with my finances and the fact that in order to make my Rhinebeck studio profitable, I needed to be teaching 5 days a week as it was in a poor retail location. I left that life of full time teaching, and want to make art and only teach a few days a week. I had intended on keeping my studio open until the end of September, after the Dutchess County Open Studio, but when I talked to the director and said that the ONLY reason I was staying open until September was due to the Studio Tour, she said "if you are serious and want to be taken off it, tell me now, and it will be done before the brochure is sent to press." I made a quick, but not rash decision and told her to take me off.  I gave notice to my partner that I would be out by the end of July.

So here I am. I have taken leave for the summer from the only job that gives me a small paycheck, and now I am closing the space where I taught - but taught for free as all the money went into keeping the studio paid for.  I am looking at a great big wide open space of time to create, but have to figure out how to bring in some cash. 

I am looking to rent space by the 1/2 day or hour, and am open to the options. Churches, stores, other studios, libraries. 

I have 3 shows in the upcoming month;   the main one at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck, which is a show of both my and my student's work from July 2-30, with the opening Friday, July 10th from 5:30-7:30.  Two of my abstract works are at the Art Bar's July show "Red White and Blue", opening Friday, July 3, from  .  I will be in a group show in Albany at the Capital Repertory Theater Gallery from July 8th-August 26th. I am awaiting word on another show, and will be submitting to two more local community galleries.

So all is well. I will survive. I will figure out how to bring in some cash, but intend on using every moment that I can -  living life and making art. The garden is starting to produce, I have a library card where I can rent all the movies for free that I want, I won't be driving all over the place, so I will save on gas, and I am throwing myself out to the universe and saying SHOW ME THE PATH.

So stay tuned...as I strap myself in for the next ride!

Photo: Resolution: Pastel, ink and graphite on paper. At the ART BAR in July.
Frame size 10 x 20"

Re-visions

When I signed on to make a new post, I was aghast that it has been far too long since I have written.

I have been busy- working 6 days a week, and trying to cram in all of my life into one 24 hour period.

Recently I took a much needed break from the craziness, and rented a cabin for 4 days in Truro, Cape Cod. My friend and her husband, and me and my man, rented two cottages on a few acres of secluded land off a sand road.  It was nearly four solid days of moving at our own pace, eating fabulous fresh food  made from whatever we threw in bags and bought with us. We learned how to make water kefir and bread, we taught them how to make our Elixir - aka ginger shots.  We lived on cheese, wine, bread, salads and more---food of the gods.

I showered when I felt I needed to. Hardly used the car. Walked everyday to the lighthouse, 1/2 mile away. It was too windy to walk the beach, but we grabbed a few moments to watch the sun set at the little town beach, and most importantly, we made art. And talked art, life, and about the struggles that artists face.

In the quiet moments I realized a few things, the main one being that I have filled so much of my time with teaching and working other jobs, that I was having a hard time finding the time to paint. I knew after starting to get into the flow of the art and visiting with the muse at the cottage, that this had to change. 

It has been two years since I left my teaching job to follow my passion. I have derailed a bit from that intention, and my job was to get back there.

So I have decided that for the summer to give up my Monday job so that I can have two days in a row off, then I have 2.5 days of art and design time, and 2.5 days of teaching. I will see how that works both time wise and financially.

Reinvention takes time, and is a journey in discovering what I want to do with my remaining time in this world. May I live to 85 and be able to do all that I dream of!

Shows for the Month

You can see my work at the following galleries this month:

Until March 14th: Woodstock School of  Art Gallery (Shape Shifters #1)
Woodstock Art Association and Museum; Something Wild: now until April 5th  (Something Wicked)
Arts Society of Kingston: Allegory and Myth: Now Until March 28th (The Changeling)

More Later on what's happening at the studio!!!!

Patti

Valentine Ornament Workshop!

 

Why should decorating end with Christmas? I say leave up the white lights and decorate with Valentine-Themed ornaments! Come to my studio at 18 Garden Street, Rhinebeck, NY,  to play for an hour, and make these wonderful encaustic ornaments....bring a friend! (Max 2 people per session.) 
Friday January 23rd and 30th, from 10-6. Sign up for a slot at 10, 12, 2, 4, or 6 pm, for 1 or 2 people! 20.00 per person or bring a friend for 35.00 for both. Materials and instruction included.

These are my samples; you will do your own collages of course!  Encaustic is hot wax - like giant crayons melted on a hotplate, then painted onto wood forms (about 4" in size); each layer of wax is sealed with a heat gun or tacking iron, then text and images paper are encased in hot clear encaustic medium.  This art form was first used in Ancient Greece and Rome, then forgotten until the work of Jasper Johns and others nearly 2,000 years later. This is the perfect way to be introduced to it. Our very own R&F Handmade Paints out of Kingston, NY, will be used in the process!

Visit my website at pagibbonsstudio.com for contact information or"Like" my Facebook page at
P.A. Gibbons Studio. 

What I Learned

I made it through two of the most grueling months of my life, where I worked 7 days a week, going to school and running my own business. What I accomplished? I finished my 31 page business plan, I pulled off four shows in three weeks, made it through the first year of my business in the studio without losing my shirt, slowly have increased my student base, and sold quite a bit of art. 

I don't usually make resolutions, as they are too easily broken, but I do reflect upon the year, note what I have learned, and see what it is I have to do to make this next one the best possible ever. 

What I learned this year? To be a good business person, I must be organized with my time, my paperwork, and my chores. I must do my accounting on a weekly, if not a daily basis. This will make everything else much more easy in the end. (can you tell I am dreading my 2014 taxes?).  I learned that the best advertising is word of mouth, keeping an interesting active online presence. I learned that when I am tired and stressed, to take care of myself so that I remain physically and mentally on top of my game. I also learned that it is of utmost importance to schedule art days into my busy schedule so I can MAKE ART.  

Thank you all for the support you have shown me on this reinvention-of-self adventure. It isn't an easy journey, but it is a gratifying one. And, as I settle into the groove, it can only get easier and better.

TO ALL OF OUR SUCCESSES!

The Biz Plan

When I was on a boat in Chatham Harbor, I got a phone call. I had a hunch that I should answer it, and I was right. It was WEDC (Women's Enterprise Development Corp)

calling me to tell me that if I wanted to get into their Fall Semester Class at Marist, I had to make an appointment to come in. The intro classes were starting in a few weeks, and I had to do all the paperwork and interview to see if I qualified for the program.

I knew it was a program to help women in business. I certainly was one. I knew a lot about business, after all, I had a home based business for years. But I figured that there is always something to be learned, and it was at a price I could afford. So why not? Little did I know...

The driving force behind the semester 60 hour+ program, was the Business Plan that I had to write for my new business in Rhinebeck. And the work that has ensued since August has been hmm....rather taxing, for lack of a better word. The presentation was to be delivered before a panel on December 3rd, with graduation on the 10th.

On the way to the presentation- a large buck hit my car doing 55 mph, in the snow and sleet. A traumatic evening, the car at this writing is still in the repair shop; $10,000 and counting work of repairs on my leased EOS. My husband rescued me and drove me to the presentation an hour and a half late, but I made it, albeit in a state of shock. The panel congratulated me on my very well thought out plan, and the only comment was: "well Patti, remember that there are only 24 hours in a day, and you will have to plan your days very well." My retort was: "it's all in the plan".

I never made it to graduation. Heavy rain and wind and a 45 minute drive in the dark was not appealing, and I was still recovering from the stress of the accident. I was satisfied with the work I did, and what I had learned. I didn't need a ceremony to give me another pat on the back, though it would have been a nice wrap up to what was a very difficult undertaking, and to hug my fellow classmates and mentor.

I am chomping at the bit, ready to hit 2015 with success and profit. My left brain is a finely tuned as the right, and I now have a guide map to my success.

Got questions about the program? Contact me. Need help with a vision or making a plan? Give me a call!
For those of you who are interested, click HERE and "like"  my Facebook business page, or go to my P.A. Gibbons Studio website!

Happy Holidays!  Patti

On Being Robbed

I promised you this blog, because, well, many of us creatives have found ourselves in the predicament of being robbed. Not of our money, or our purse, or our house. It's worse. Its the thievery of our brilliant original ideas, the raping of our muse.

I have had this happen one time too many for my likes, and they have always been in "my backyard".

The first time- I got a phone call from someone who had seen my work. She came over and bought some of my cards, asked about how I did them and where I got my ephemera, etc. Me, being the ever eager beaver, believing in honesty and transparency, told her the how, what, whys of my work.
 Shortly she and a few other artists went into business printing up cards made out of collages. Two artists were very different than me, but one of them, guess who, made cards similar to mine. I sulked about that for a while, then moved on. And, later on, after the business folded,  she and her daughter came back to buy from me, and all ended well.

The second time someone else saw my work and decided to make similar  to sell in her shop. At least she wasn't hitting the same stores that sold my one-of-a-kind pieces. I don't think she does it anymore - and because I liked her,  I just let it go. Besides, I liked her store and to this day continue to shop there.

Then the other day a friend calls me and tells me that she thought she saw my cards in a shop where I had been selling, but she noticed they were not my cards, rather the owner was creating similar cards.  WHAT? AGAIN? IN MY OWN BACKYARD? Why does she feel the need to do this...she has a successful business and art career blah blah blah. SHE DOESN'T NEED TO DO CARDS.
I thought of boycotting the business, but I like what they have, and I need to be able to be kind to this person as our paths cross, and again, I like her. 

We create our works of art/craft, whether card, collage, painting, etc., with our hearts and souls. As artists we are also doing the hustle, juggling a lot of balls to pay the bills.  So when your precious idea is stolen, and someone else making money on what you thought was your idea, in your own backyard, it is just a little bit annoying.

But wait, IS my work original, or did I piggyback off someone else's ideas? After all, I have the story of how I came to making cards on a sticker on the bag that holds the card, and it clearly states that I was inspired by the women of the 1800s who made Valentine cards with their families! Am I really that different, as I swiped their ideas! And didn't I get the idea for sewing some of my papers from another artist? And don't great designers and chefs get "ripped off" all the time? Do they sit and sniffle about it--- or do they go and create the next great thing?!

The reality is, we all borrow/steal/imitate in some form or another. It's what we do with it that determines how creative we can be.  It's been persistence,  the love of what I do, and my business savvy that has kept me in business for 20 years.  I figure if the competition's cards look too much like mine, I will shift gears and do something else.  Because in the end, no one is like me, no one can create or think like me! And maybe that is a good thing!