This looks good.  I got an email on another site that allows an artist to show their work – and so far, I like what I’m seeing, even though I haven’t signed up yet. 

True, I’m not really interested in selling anything at this point; my art is entirely for my own self exploration.  I’m not against selling it, but I’m not creating anything in order to sell it and it’s fine if I never do.  I noticed FineArtAmerica.com is aiming at artists who want to sell their work.   So, in that sense, maybe I’m not entirely in sync with them.  But that’s fine, I’m more interested in how I can bundle my work, and it looks like FineArtAmerica.com does that well.

But being a search expert and the author of www.Webmetricsguru.com. FineArtAmerica.com appeals to my “Web Analyst” persona.   I make my living as a Web Analyst for IBM and others.  When I see a site that appeals to artists and yet offers Web Analytics, I take notice.  Here’s what I like:

“…AUTOMATIC LOCATION DETECTION – One of the most powerful features of the site is its ability to automatically detect a visitor’s geographic location.  When you visit our website, we automatically identify your location in the U.S. and then display content that is designed specifically for your location! ”

“….If you live in Chicago, for instance, our site will automatically tailor itself to the Chicago area.  If you were to view our list of featured art galleries, you would automatically see galleries that are located near Chicago!  Similarly, if you were to view our list of upcoming events, the list would be sorted with Chicago-area events at the top!

I’m going to need to set up an account and play with this later this week.  

Finally, someone is starting to use technology to improve site experience (which is, by the way, Art).

The other thing that’s really, really smart is the bi-monthly newsletter that’s published by FineArtAmerica; readers to Webmetricsguru.com know how often I mention email marketing as lead generation.  Email marketing, when done well, is very effective, especially when you have a fresh, targeted list of recipients.   Listen to this:

“….BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER – On the 1st and 15th of every month, we e-mail a unique newsletter to all of our registered fine art collectors.   The newsletter features artists, artwork, jobs, press releases, and events that have been posted on our site during the previous two weeks.   This is a great way to introduce your newest releases and upcoming events to an interested audience.   Each collector receives a customized newsletter which prominently features events that will be occurring in their area (see AUTOMATIC LOCATION DETECTION).

I’ll let readers know when I have my page set up on FineArtAmerica.com and have tested it out.  I’m looking forward to seeing the customized results, which I’ll probably also write up in Webmetricsguru.com, SmartMobs.com and BigGreenBlog.com, if I think the material fits those blogs.

I went to a book signing for 100 New York Painters by Cynthia Maris Dantzic  tonight; of course I bought a copy of the book and got it signed by some of the artists and Cynthia Maris Dantzic, who were present and in the book. 

 

There was about 25-30 people in the room, on the 6th floor of the YMCA rooftop.

 

  

Personally, I’ve met, known or studied with a couple of the artists in the book – which seems to have a lot of the people around in the 70′s and 80′s when I was studying painting in NYC and briefly in Vermont.

First, I never met Cynthia Maris Dantzic, who is an Art Professor at LIU, but she spoke very well and warmly (she’s wearing a black jacket, seen in the background with her arm resting on a chair).

I studied with Harvey Dinnerstein (who was not present) in 1974-75 at the School of Visual Arts, I was in one of his drawing classes and his work is shown on pages 80-81 of the book.  I met his brother, Simon Dinnerstein, at the book signing tonight and his work is on page 84-85.

Janet Fish, who is featured on pages 100-101, visited the Vermont Studio School when I spent the summer there in 1987 – she often goes there, even now – I may have personally met her but I don’t remember speaking with her if I did – and I like the paintings in the book.

I can’t swear to it, but I may have studied with Louise Fishman at Hunter College (unless I’m mixing her up with another artist with the first name Louise -and that would be in 1971-1972) – Fishman’s work is on pages 102-103.  Audrey Flack also visited Vermont Studio School when I was there in 87, and her work is on page 104-105.

Sonja Gechoff was a personal mentor of mine in 1987-1988 after I returned from Vermont but lost contact with her shortly after.  I even took her to see my painting, After The Bath, when it was hanging in a show I had in the East Village.  It’s nice to know that Sonja is still active and Gechoff’s work is featured on pages 112-113.

I went to Cecily Kahn’s art opening several weeks ago in Chelsea and immediately recognized her as the daughter of Wolf Kahn, who also visited Vermont Studio School and who I saw at Hunter College in the late 1980′s along with his wife, painter Emily Mason.  All three artists are in the book, pages 130-133 and 152-153.

I also notice that Vincent Longo’s work is featured in this book, pages 144-145, and I think was a teacher of mine at Hunter College in the late 1980′s.

Helene Manzo was at the opening and her work is on pages 148-149; got her signature.

I’m not sure, but I may have also taken a class with Don Nice at the School of Visual Arts sometime between 1974-76, his work is on pages 160-161.  Doug Ohlson was a teacher of mine at Hunter College in 1971-73 and I remember him well. 

I seem to recall meeting Paul Resika, that I was influenced by him many years ago, but it’s not clear to me how or when, and his work on pages 174-175.

Susan Sills was at the book signing and lives in Park Slope, I got her signature on the book, on pages 194 and 195; I liked her paintings which are adaptions from Manet, mainly.

Pat Steir’s name sounds familiar – I probably met her in Vermont, her work in on pages 196-197.

Come to think of it, I also studied  with Robert Swain at Hunter College in the 1970′s; his work is shown on pages 200-201.

I met Ella Yang a couple of months ago, she has a studio in the same building Brooklyn Artists Gym is located in – and I first heard about the book from her; Ella’s work in on pages 214-215.

OK, those were the artists that I studied with or personally met – many that I knew well enough that I could say some of them might remember me (15 artists out of 100).

What about the other New York Artists in the book that influenced me but who I did not personally meet?  Well, I remember hearing about Lennart Anderson while taking classes at the Art Student’s League in the 70′s-80′s, but I don’t think I studied with him.  Will Barnet has been a well known figure in the New York Art world and while I took some courses at Cooper Union as a teenager – (Saturday courses) I never personally met him (though I know he taught there).

I also am very familiar with Chuck Close (pages 66-67) but I never met him; I knew of Richard Estes (pages 92-93) via William Beckman, who’s not in the book but whom I studied with and knew in 1973-76 when Beckman taught art in Staten Island Community College – as it was called then. 

Of course, everyone knows of Eric Fischl (pgs 98-99) though I never met him – I saw his work around NYC often, there were many shows of his work, esp in the 1980′s. Jack Levine is well known, and I recall looking at his work though I was never influenced by it; same goes for Philip Pearlstein and Robert Mangold.  I am also very familiar with George Tooker’s work – and yes, he’s still alive and living in NYC, but very old by now.

And that’s about it – I studied with, met, knew or was influenced by half of the artists in the 100 New York Painters book! 

Yes, I had to buy the book.

I meant to write this earlier this weekend but have been so busy with painting and SEO Work, and life (I suppose) that I really did not have the time or energy – but I think I can write it down now.

Yesterday, when I worked on the painting / oil pastel sketch below – a couple of thoughts were on my mind.

One thought – how much different is what I’d doing now than what I painted 30 years ago?   For one thing, I don’t overwork nearly as much, work a lot faster and more focused – but for all that – I feel limited – that I haven’t really challenged myself enough – to go past the edges of what I know how to do visually.

And yet, the painting / sketch above seemed to have caught something I noticed several years ago about my Homage to Manet painting (see below)

There’s a “twist”, slanting that somehow works for me.  Yesterday, the same thing sorta happened, a slanting of the post is the left part of the picture that somehow made it more interesting.   In both cases i did not plan it – but I’m aware of it now.

That reminds me – Brice Marden mentioned in his talk today that he spends the majority of his time thinking about his work and deciding about it vs. actually producing it (he might have said it a little differently – but I think that’s what he meant).  When he was younger – he worked more than he does now - and he thinks about it more  – maybe, then he did earlier in his life.

Now, getting back to my paintings – when I detect things that work – even though there’s a lot I need to work on…..that still don’t work for me ….. I can use that information again – I can be more aware of choices I have before me.

I attended the Brice Marden session moderated by Barbara Solomon talk at the New York Times Arts and Leisure Weekend this afternoon; I had my son, Adam, with me, and was able to buy him a ticket, along with my own.

First, Barbara Solomon got on just about every one’s nerves with her questions.  I tried to take notes on my SideKick 3, but it was too noisy and had to stop – listen closely and now write the essence of what I heard.  I’ll write down what I remember in no particular order.

Brice Marden, whose show at MOMA I reviewed several weeks ago, had just visited his show this morning, back from vacation; he’s been there several times.  Part of doing a show  is seeing your art in one place – and creating work that you want to see.  In fact, it’s the artist’s job to create the best, most exciting work they’d want to see.

Marden was particularly sensitive to the space where art is shown – claimed that many Miro’s, particularly those in the Metropolitan Museum’s Modern Art Wing – were not well seen due to the room setting and “rugs”.   Brice Marden mentioned he like Miro’s late work but it’s not received much attension from curators.  Brice mentioned, in response to a question from Barbara Solomon (don’t recall what it was) that an artist starts to make a lot of money when they repeat themselves (I guess, later on in their career).

He mentioned he started out at Boston University (hope I got that right) and ended up with a Graduate Scholarship to Yale Art Academy where he had art feedback twice a week (one person gave “classical” feedback, the other, “romanticism” feedback and there was a graduate thesis which took the form of a show.  Brice Marden won a small prize from the show (400 dollars at the time, I think in 1963 – but I’m not sure) and ended up living in New York City where he rented an apartment from a landlord who bought his paintings, from time to time.  He had his first show in NYC around this time.

Brice Marden talked about working part time throughout his career – that he’s someone that opted to have a fixed income for his work (so he’d know how much he had to work with) over doing freelance work to get by.  Even now, he’s advanced a monthly stipend from his gallery dealer as his has a need to keep his many residences – his lifestyle up.  As well as Brice does – he still needs a steady income coming in.

Someone asked Marden a question at the end about what he’s influenced by – he said that he starts with an idea, that in the process, that idea is altered by the painting; he also mentioned he uses long brushes and that Velazquez, who he admired quite a bit, did to as well.

Getting back to Spanish painting, Barbara Solomon asked Brice how he liked the Spanish Painting show at the Guggenheim Museum..he said he was happy to see many of the paintings, particularly many of the older Spanish paintings being shown - but did not feel many of those  paintings worked in the environment of the Guggenheim.  Marden also said he admired Manet’s work a lot (which makes a lot of sense as the “gray” he uses in many of his earlier paintings seems to have been influenced by Manet.

There was probably a lot more I could write – but I don’t remember it all. Some of it will come back to me.

A funny moment – before the talk I ended up buying a ticket from a scalper for the show but it ended up being the for the wrong talk – one by an architect instead of the Marden show.    It made me think that often, when startled, it’s easy to be thrown off and make the wrong decision.  Out of 25 bucks, it may not have been the wrong decision for the man who I bought the ticket from.  It just shows me that good and bad, right and wrong, depend, somewhat, on what position you’re in.