Getting Noticed

As any artist knows, getting noticed in the art world is not an easy task. There are a few things that you can do however to help the process along. First, join associations that are related to your area of expertise. I myself belong to Visual Arts Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council. Being in these organizations gives you access to newsletters, competitions, special events, and exhibition possibilities. The cost of joining these organizations is usually quite small as well. You don't need to limit yourself to local organizations. There are also excellent national organizations, such as the Canadian Painters Association or the Surface Design Association. They usually offer associate memberships if you don't feel you are at the stage where you want to face a jury.

Having subscriptions to the various art related magazines are also beneficial. Not only do they keep you up to date on the latest happenings in the art world, they also provide workshops, great photos, artist bios, etc... My favourites are Fibre Arts Magazine, Quilting Arts, Canadian Art, Threads, and Drawing (American Artist). Think about checking out the section on making submissions to the magazine. Got an idea for an article or a how-to? Check out some of the smaller publications. I recently had an excellent felting spread or several pages in "A Needle Pulling Thread". I didn't get paid, but it's great exposure, and something I can add to my resume.

Finally, there are various websites out there who's purpose is to inform artists about competions on a local, national, and international level. Two years ago I was chosen as a Canadian Artist to exhibit in Iceland through one of these sites. A word of caution. Beware some of the sites that have online exhibitions. They charge a fee for entry ( a common practice in most competitions), and you are exhibited on the site, however the only people viewing the site may be the entrants. Do your homework. I have gotten burned a couple of times this way. My favourite site for finding competitions is artshow.com. One final word of caution. When sending a work out for exhibition, make sure it is clear ahead of time how you will get your work returned to you and who will be footing the bill. I can one incident where I sent my paintings via regular post, but the gallery sent them back fed-ex with a HUGE pricetag that I was stuck with. Contracts are a MUST.

Good luck exhibiting!

I won, I won!!!!!!

I just received notice from the lovely folks at Adventures in Dressmaking and Paradiso Designs that I won their free pattern giveaway. I got to chose the pattern, which was of course the Lolita Skirt ( Pictured in my last entry). They are going to mail it to me. The MINUTE it arrives I will be whipping myself up a skirt, and of course I will post the results. I have just 4 days left until my summer break from teaching, so I will be sure to make at least one. I will also be checking around the bargain bins at the fabric shop for some cool fabrics in anticipation. Now if only the skirt could make me look as thin as the model in the picture........ Thanks again to Adventures in Dressmaking for the contest!

Paradiso Designs Lolita Skirt Pattern

Funky patterns

Good morning all. I just wanted to let you know about a small pattern company, paradisodesigns.com. If you like cool handmade bags, then check it out. Myself, I really liked a skirt pattern called the Lolita. It was very funky. If you go to the blog "Adventures in Dressmaking" you can enter a contest to receive one of the patterns for free.

On another note I FINALLY finished my wrap dress from the sewing book "Chic and Simple Sewing". I wouldn't recommend this pattern for a beginner sewer, as I had to make several changes to the pattern because it just wouldn't work out. I'll try to post a photo later. Since I altered the pattern from a size 10 to a size 16 it now fits, although it was a bit of a pain to grade all the pattern pieces.

The end is Near

As any teacher will appreciate, the end of the school year is a mere 2 weeks away. You may notice it's been about a month since I posted. My excuse is it's because of work. I hope to spend the summer in my gardens and of course making art. As I write this I am sitting in my classroom and it's the last period of the day, and the last period before summer vacation. Exams start next week. I've just been leafing through the latest issue of Fibre Arts Magazine and am feeling very inspired. I have recently managed to fit in finishing my Alabama Stitch Book skirt, finish knitting a halter top, and have almost finished my wrap dress that I had to adjust from a size 10 to a size 16. I have found with each pattern that the skirt did not fit the bodice, so I am going to contact the author to see if there was a problem. The problem may be mine, and if so, I need to know where I went wrong. The pattern is from Chic and Simple Sewing, a book which I have recommended. I will keep you updated.

On another note, at 10pm last night I received a phone call from a lady who had just read my article in "A Needle Pulling Thread" and wanted to let me know how much she liked it. Even at that late hour, it's always nice to be appreciated!